Chapter 292 Beggar like Bastards
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 292
Chapter Title: Beggar-like Bastards
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Jeong Yoo-shin opened his eyes.
It felt like he had slept deeply for the first time in a while. His whole body felt refreshed.
He enjoyed the warm sunlight coming in through the window for a moment, and then he watched Karin and Lin sleeping on his chest.
"Wake up."
"Uuuung. Just a little more."
"Squeak squeak."
Should he let them sleep a little more?
Indeed.
Karin who had trained outside Labyrinth City during the cold winter.
She had met a good teacher through Mion's introduction.
And she wouldn't have felt lonely with Lin sticking right by her side, but…
'It's still not an easy thing.'
He touched Karin's fingers.
They were hard.
Had she swung her daggers so hard that calluses formed on her soft fingers?
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled, lifted Karin and Lin, carefully placed them on the bed, and left the room.
When he went down to the first floor, a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen.
When he went inside, Cian, who was wearing a bear apron, welcomed him.
"Skar, are you awake?"
"Yeah."
A face closer to a farmer's daughter than her previous solemn appearance.
Cian, with her tension and burden gone, looked peaceful now.
"Cian, you drank a lot yesterday, is your body okay?"
"Eek...! I-I'm sorry."
Cian blushed and apologized.
"No. It's fine. You have to drink when you have to."
The cute beast-people were offering the alcohol, so how could she refuse?
It was good to see her getting along well with demi-humans despite her being from the Empire.
"Do you remember meeting Karin yesterday?"
"That red-haired wolf beast-person girl? I vaguely remember."
"That's Karin. She's my party member."
Cian smiled brightly.
"Ah! Is that so?"
"She's also the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative."
Cian's face stiffened.
"Ah..."
"You don't need to feel too burdened. She's more easygoing than you think. I think you guys can get along well."
"I'll try!"
Cian clenched her fists and her eyes shone.
"Is anyone there?"
They heard a voice from outside the kitchen.
Jeong Yoo-shin patted Cian's butt and left her to her task.
"I'll go out."
He saw a familiar face in the inn hall.
"Priestess Mion-nim?"
"Hello, Skar-nim. I heard that Karin-nim had finished her training and returned."
"Yes. She's sleeping upstairs right now."
"Is that so?"
"Since you're here, please have a meal before you go."
"Would that be alright?"
"Yes. If it's Priestess Mion-nim, anytime is fine."
Mion gave Jeong Yoo-shin a bright smile and approached him.
"Then I’ll gladly accept."
"By the way, what did you do about the orphanage classes today?"
"Someone else took over for me."
"I see. Are the children doing well?"
"Yes, they’re growing up healthy without any problems."
While he was talking about this and that with Mion for a while…
Karin came down to the first floor while yawning.
"Hwaaaaam! Hmm? Mion? What brings you here so early in the morning?"
"I heard that your training was over. I came to see you."
"Yeah? Thanks."
Lin, who was sitting on Karin's shoulder, landed on the table and clung tightly to Mion's chest.
"Squeak squeak!"
"Fufu. Lin’s healthy too."
Mion smiled softly and gently stroked Lin's head.
"Ah. Priestess Mion-nim."
Cian, who came out of the kitchen, saw Mion and stopped.
The priestess smiled softly and bowed her head.
"Cian-nim, good morning."
"Yes."
Cian approached the table hesitantly, then she saw Karin and stopped again.
She was bothered by the fact that she had treated the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative so casually last night because she was dead drunk.
"Karin-nim, last night was..."
Karin waved her hand as if she didn't care.
"Just call me Karin. I don't know what you heard about me from Skar, but you don’t need to be formal with me."
"Would that be alright?"
"Yeah. Drop the honorifics too. It's really fine."
Cian, who hesitated for a moment, smiled brightly.
"Thank you!"
Jeong Yoo-shin and the three women sat down and ate.
The menu Cian prepared was simple.
Black rye bread toasted in butter, tomato soup with lots of beef and potatoes, pickled cabbage, and sausage.
Even during the meal, the three women got along well.
However…
When the harmonious meal ended…
And the dessert Karin bought last night was put on the table…
For some reason, the atmosphere became heavy.
Karin crossed her arms.
"It would be hard to just bury it like this, right?"
Mion nodded.
"That's right."
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his head.
"What...?"
Karin raised her finger and pointed at Cian.
"Cian, you had sex with Skar, right?"
A sudden embarrassing question. Cian's face turned bright red.
"Ah... Um."
Karin nodded.
"I knew it. I thought you were giving off a sticky female heat scent so strong it made my nose crooked."
"Is that so? Karin-nim, b-by any chance, do I also smell like that?"
Mion blushed and asked.
Karin poked the priestess’s chest and revealed her snaggletooth.
"Mion, you smell the worst!"
"Hiiik!"
Mion glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin and bowed her head low.
Cian looked at the two women with trembling eyes.
"N-No way, both of you s-slept with Skar...?"
"I slept with Skar first."
Karin stuck out her flat chest and said so proudly.
Cian's head whipped around.
"H-How could someone so small like you... w-with Skar's... N-No way, child love...?"
Karin quickly waved her hands.
"N-No! I got a Body Regression imprint, that's why I'm like this!"
Mion gave a bitter smile.
"We have a lot to talk about among ourselves. Skar-nim?"
"...Yes."
"Could you please step out for a moment?"
"Yes, I understand."
At Mion's suggestion, Jeong Yoo-shin immediately stood up and walked out of the inn.
Jeong Yoo-shin glanced back as he left.
Was it his delusion that the atmosphere among the three women looked unusual?
He didn't know what they would talk about, but…
He hoped it would be resolved amicably.
By the way…
'Where should I go?'
He had nowhere in particular to go.
He took a walk in the southern park, then he slumped down on a bench in the corner and watched the fountain.
Then he met Snout.
"Skar-nim!"
Snout, who spotted Jeong Yoo-shin, came running breathlessly.
"Why did you come all the way to the park? I was going to visit you."
"I had a reason. Let's get some spring breeze for a bit. Sit next to me."
Snout sat next to Jeong Yoo-shin and looked around.
Riding the cool yet sun-soaked wind, they saw new faces among the crowd.
There were quite a large number of people.
"Did they all come here to become explorers?"
Jeong Yoo-shin muttered.
"Yes. It seems that there are quite a lot of newbies this time."
There were country folks looking around here and there.
And there were those dressed in expensive clothes, walking confidently.
Seeing it with his own eyes, he felt a new emotion.
How many of them would survive and settle down in Labyrinth City?
"Skar-nim."
"What?"
"The Vaisis Clan has been disbanded."
Shocking news.
They were still a clan that ranked among the top in the Eastern District underworld.
To disappear so suddenly?
"Overnight?"
"Yes. The reason hasn't been revealed yet."
What a coincidence.
How could that happen in less than a day?
The most likely culprit on who took the magic tool was the Vaisis Clan.
With this, the whereabouts of the magic tool gradually sank into darkness.
"Is there any talk of who eliminated them?"
"I don't know that yet either. I expect that they might have disbanded on their own."
"I see. What about the Red Storm Mercenary Group guy from yesterday?"
"Are you talking about that middle-aged man?"
"Was it Buddy? Or Dobby? I don't remember well."
"It should be Dobby."
"Take care of him. If you find anything out, report it to me immediately."
"I understand. Then, I'll be going first."
Snout stood up, bowed his head in farewell, and left.
Jeong Yoo-shin rested his arms on the bench and let out a deep sigh.
"Hoooooo."
It wasn’t easy.
This guy and that guy were all working in the dark.
'Should I go once?'
Wouldn't the secret be revealed if he went to the Eastern District again and did another sword dance?
While he was thinking about this and that and watching the children playing happily around the fountain…
Someone approached him with large strides.
Jeong Yoo-shin raised his head.
A tall height like a pole.
A pale complexion.
It was a skinny human male wrapped in a black coat and wearing a black fedora.
His age looked to be in his 40s, but his eyes were deep, making it hard to guess carelessly.
The man wore a long sword at his waist.
A single-edged curved blade with a longsword design called a Swiss saber.
The man, who looked as if he were draped in darkness, smiled and handed Jeong Yoo-shin the one of the drinks he was holding in his hands.
"I heard strawberry juice is popular these days, Skar."
"Ah. Yes."
Jeong Yoo-shin took the drink the man handed him.
The man flopped down next to Jeong Yoo-shin and watched the fountain with him.
Swaaaaaaaash.
A stream of water spouted from the fountain under the statue of Ezdras and scattered over the heads of the playing children.
"..."
The man sipped his strawberry juice full of ice, then he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Hmm. It's delicious. Ah! I forgot this. It's my personal details."
Jeong Yoo-shin took the paper and quickly read it.
On the note, the man's name and imprints were written in detail.
'Jern.'
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been silent for a long time, folded the paper neatly and put it in his pocket.
Jeong Yoo-shin leaned his back against the bench and stared at the fountain.
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth slowly opened.
"I killed Jern yesterday... So who are you?"
"There are a lot of impersonators these days."
"Are you Jern? Thunder Blade?"
Jern sipped his strawberry juice in a relaxed posture.
"It's a shameful alias."
"So why did you suddenly come looking for me in broad daylight?"
"Skar, the magic tool you're looking for, I have it. Was it spatial movement? Something like that."
"That's mine."
"Finders keepers."
At Jern's reply, Jeong Yoo-shin let out a hollow laugh.
"Hah! Jern, do you want something from me?"
"Let's fight once."
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"Sssss. Where should I start explaining this... It's not easy."
Jern slurped up his strawberry smoothie and then continued.
"I'm not good at explaining things like this, so if you have any questions, just ask me straight. I'll answer everything honestly."
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled and slowly began to gather magic in his hands.
"I heard the Vaisis Clan was disbanded, was that your doing, Jern?"
Jern shook his head.
"It wasn't me. It was because of the 'recommendation' of the Eastern District underworld. To be exact, there was pressure from the Pantheon Clan, ranked 2nd in the Eastern District."
"..."
"No matter how desperate they were for money, to target Mage Tower goods… They acted too cockily while trusting the backing of the 2nd rank Clan. It was like that when I was involved with them in the past too. They were a clan with many problems here and there. Should I say that they repeatedly got crushed severely and got back up? And yet those friends haven't learned anything."
Information pouring out all at once.
The backing of the 8th-ranked Vaisis Clan was the Pantheon Clan?
'My guess was right.'
No wonder.
But he still thought there was something off about it all.
"Jern, who are you working for?"
"I’m currently hired by Pantheon. The duel with you is an extension of that."
"Why are you doing this shit? A duel all of a sudden."
"It's money, what else. Wandering the world after leaving Labyrinth City leaves your pockets empty. Sometimes I drop by, do some dirty work, fill my pockets, and empty my water. Thinking about it, it's not a bad job."
"I'll give you as much money as you want."
"Skar, I've already made a deal with the Pantheon Clan. Let's not be craven."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head and looked at the fountain again.
Jern, who had been quiet, opened his mouth.
"Skar, are you going to fight here?"
"..."
"Looking at you now, you don't seem to be an intermediate-rank mid. If you've entered the ranks of the strong, let's act with the dignity that befits it."
Jeong Yoo-shin's head turned crookedly.
"You're spouting fucking bullshit. Suddenly coming to pick a fight with someone? Have you lost your mind?"
Jern smacked his lips.
"Tsk. You brought this upon yourself, my friend. Why did you mess with the underworld? You shouldn't have entered the cycle of killing and being killed in the first place. If you had just turned a blind eye and focused on exploring the labyrinth, wouldn't it have ended quietly? From what I heard, you made a mess of all sorts of businesses."
"..."
"Anyway, the 2nd-ranked Pantheon Clan stepped forward first, cut off the culprit of this incident, and is temporarily keeping the item you lost. They lose face if they just give it to you. Because they suffered a lot from you. Still, they say they'll give you the magic tool whether you win or lose the duel. What they want from this duel is only two things."
"What is it?"
"One of your arms. And a humble life. They want me to tell you not to act up just because a half-wit bastard like you whose blood in his head hasn't even cooled yet got the position of the next barbarian chief."
"..."
"Do you want to hide behind the Labyrinth Council or the Mage Tower and act up? Do as you please. If you act like that, you'll never see me again. You can just leave Labyrinth City."
"Do you think I'll let you go?"
"Try it if you're confident. I don't know if you read the note I gave you well."
Jern gulped down the strawberry juice and put the cup inside his pocket.
"Skar, if you're done drinking, hand over the empty cup. I'll throw it away for you."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly up at Jern, then he drank all of his strawberry smoothie and handed over the cup.
"It's delicious. Thanks for the drink."
Jern held the empty cups in his hand and turned his body.
"Let's have the duel in a week. Let's meet in the Eastern District entertainment district in the evening. Don't do anything funny. Prepare well."
"I will."
Jern stood up and left the park.
Jeong Yoo-shin organized his thoughts.
The 2nd-ranked Pantheon Clan cut off the 8th-ranked Vaisis Clan and obtained the magic tool instead.
The Pantheon Clan used the magic tool as bait and proposed a duel through Jern.
Saying that they would return the magic tool whether he won or lost…
However…
Their inner thoughts were different.
Their intention was to take one of his arms.
Since it was the honest words of Jern, who was hired by the Pantheon Clan, it must be undoubtedly true.
Jeong Yoo-shin ground his teeth.
Griiind.
"All sorts of beggar-like bastards are acting up. Fucking bastards, really. They're treating people like dog shit."
The warmth of the spring breeze disappeared.
And anger began to swirl in Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes.
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T/N - Hey guys. Sorry for not posting anything last week. I’ve just been… reevaluating my translation work. Honestly, my attempt to branch out on this website has been… disheartening. So I’m planning to just drop all of the novels I’m currently translating except for this one. I’ll still complete this novel since there’s only like 50-ish chapters to go, but after that, I probably won’t be doing any more translation work on this site as I’m planning to get a more stable job. A pity, I actually liked this kind of work. But I’ve lived long enough to know that not all things will work out just because of passion. (7/6/2026)
Now even Pantheon’s gunning for the MC. He really doesn’t get a break, huh? Also, the real Jern’s here. I wonder how much stronger he is compared to the fake?
Lastly, you know that a bloodbath just happened in the inn while the MC was away. Vivian isn’t even present yet. 😅