Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: If You Want Peace, Prepare for War
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“That aside, Young Lord Sion.
This has nothing to do with our deal, but if it’s not too rude, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“As long as it’s not a weird question.”
After Sion’s response, Helen fell silent for a moment before slowly voicing her question.
“From the information I’ve received so far, it seems like there’s a beastkin from the slave market attached to you, Young Lord.
Am I right in assuming that?”
“There’s one cat-eared girl nyaoning around, insisting she wants to repay a debt of gratitude.”
“...I see.”
“Why ask something like that?”
Helen stroked her wrist as she replied.
Sion didn’t miss the long scar that had formed there in the short time since.
“I wanted to know if she’s doing well.
I was worried she hadn’t been trampled by others...
Ah, sorry.
That was a strange thing to say.
I wondered if she could live quietly by your side.
Just a pointless curiosity.”
Sion knew well the horrific past that Helen, the head of the Highness Merchant Guild, had endured.
During the innocent years when she should have been happy as a young girl, she was captured by humans and sold to the Kashugar Count family.
There, she faced unspeakable humiliations and agonies that steadily broke both her body and spirit.
Toyed with as a plaything until she was eventually discarded, then scorned even by her own kind, unable to fit in anywhere, she finally abandoned herself for the sake of revenge.
“...You want to see if that one’s doing well?”
At Sion’s question, Helen hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Gazing at the fairy woman, Sion fell deep into thought.
In truth, Helen Highness could be considered Kim Yoo-hyun’s ‘enemy’ when you got right down to it.
Driven by vengeance against the Kashugar Count family, she had aided the radical fairies, providing funds, supplies, and even gathering intelligence.
Yet they used her without ever treating her as one of their own.
A being defiled by humans should be kept at a distance, they said.
In the end, she was a character who exited the stage quietly after being used up.
‘...Should I take her in?’
He didn’t mean it in a weird way.
So far, whenever Sion judged someone useful in terms of martial prowess, he had pulled them to his side.
Lily was like that, Rishika was like that, Lucia was like that, and Ria was the same.
Kim Yoo-hyun went without saying.
Even Ryan the Knight Commander, Sebastian, Lai, and others—not perfect people he had made himself, but those whose relations he had somewhat improved—were all focused on combat strength.
Of course, he had considered at least minimal political needs by forging a connection with Princess Vanessa, but from Sion’s perspective, she was purely a political partner, nothing more.
Vanessa would have been quite hurt if she knew his thoughts.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve been preparing for fights but haven’t thought about who would support those enemies’ backs.
I just planned to handle that role myself while gathering funds.’
But upon reflection, that seemed like it would hit a limit.
The Claussen Margrave Territory bordered Nudia directly and was positioned toward the border.
It was naturally distant from Hispania’s central affairs, increasing the chance of overlooking things he hadn’t anticipated.
‘It’s not just about money—for activating the Claussen Territory, I need to expand the merchant caravans.
And if they can gather intelligence too, that would be perfect.’
Staring at Helen, Sion solidified his resolve.
He had already brought Lily into the fold; there was no reason he couldn’t do the same with Helen.
She had helped the radicals out of revenge against Kashugar, but now that he had utterly ruined the Kashugar Count family, dragging them to ruin, she was doing quite well.
Pulling her in as an ally would resolve economic uncertainties and certainly aid in intelligence gathering.
Having made his decision, Sion pushed his chair back and spoke.
“What are you waiting for.”
“Pardon?”
“You said you wanted to see the cat.
Come on.”
As Sion stood, Helen reflexively rose and followed his footsteps toward the upper floors of the castle.
The issue was Lily being next to Ria, but Lily’s senses were exceptional, so she’d notice a fairy approaching nearby and quickly excuse herself.
‘No problem.’
Thinking that, he opened the door—only for the scene inside to leave both Sion and Helen flustered.
“Huh?
What.
She’s already here?”
“Nyaong?”
Lily lounged against the bedhead, while Ria lay on her lap, purring with a pleased smile as Lily gently stroked her head.
“Uh, uh?”
Helen, startled, stumbled back.
The moment her eyes met Lily’s, she instantly recognized what she was.
“D-D-Demon...!”
“I figured you’d be surprised, but if you’re too loud, it’ll be rude to the humans, no?”
Clunk!
Slam—.
With a flick of Lily’s finger, the open door shut firmly.
Sion let out a sigh, realizing this was exactly the scenario Lily had wanted from the start.
She wasn’t the type to miss the approach of a fairy even when drawing near herself, yet she sat there so nonchalantly—there had to be a reason.
“Ria.
Could you step aside for a bit?”
“Mm.
It was nice.
I wanna stay longer.”
“My sister has some words with that fairy friend.”
The two women had grown quite close in that short time.
Ria nodded in understanding and hopped down from the bed.
Lily then stretched languidly with a cute gesture, rising gracefully and approaching Sion.
“Sion.
How long has it been since the cat, and now a fairy?
How am I supposed to take this?”
“Nothing of the sort, so don’t worry.
I just brought her because she wanted to check if Ria was doing well.”
“Nyaong?
Me?”
Ria, sniffing the strong scent of Lily all over her fur, perked up her ears.
Helen, meanwhile, was on the verge of mental collapse.
Clearly, a demon stood before her—an incredibly powerful one at that.
Yet mana-less Sion was nonchalant, the beastkin who should despise demons as much as fairies was grooming her fur without a hint of wariness.
‘Am-am I dreaming?’
Even Helen, always calm and rational, could be forgiven for such thoughts.
“Helen.”
“Y-Yes.
Young Lord.”
“Pay your respects.
To Succubus Queen Lily.
She’s been helping me for a while now.”
“Eh, eh?”
“And the one grooming over there is Ria.
The cat-eared girl you wanted to see.”
At Sion’s words, Helen blankly alternated her gaze between Lily and Ria.
Human, fairy, beastkin, and demon.
Four races that could never mix were sharing the same space.
Not fighting or clashing, but in a remarkably harmonious atmosphere.
“Y-Young Lord.
Th-that woman is a demon.
How could you with a demon...”
“That’s...”
“She got caught.
By that man.”
“Pardon?”
As Helen and Sion turned to Lily simultaneously, she shrugged nonchalantly and continued.
“Caught my heart.
So I can’t do anything foolish, can’t even live like a demon.
He’d hate me otherwise.
For me, not being with Sion is a bigger problem than not living as a demon.
So, little fairy?
I’d appreciate it if you didn’t worry about this big sister.”
“That doesn’t even make sense...”
“You fairies call yourselves the noblest and wisest race.
So think about it.
Has Sion done anything bad because I’m by his side?”
Helen nearly shook her head reflexively without thinking.
Indeed, as she said, Sion Claussen had done much for the kingdom so far.
Though some methods were odd, he hadn’t plunged the kingdom and continent into chaos like the radical fairies she’d seen.
“D-Don’t think you can persuade me with that!
Demons are inherently evil and depraved...”
“Doesn’t it strike you as funny, saying that?
I’ve been cleaning up the shit your kin have dumped all this time?
Sion too.
While your people commit all sorts of vile acts to bring back the heavenly race, you spew nonsense at me about being evil and depraved?”
Fsssh—.
A smile lingered on her lips, but pitch-black aura began seeping out in streams.
Startled, not just Helen but even Ria flinched and hurriedly hid behind the desk.
“Watch your mouth.
Sure, demons follow our desires freely, but that doesn’t mean we’re all cackling madmen bent on burning the world.
This world is our ultimate playground—why ruin it, let alone erase it?
Especially when the man I love opposes it.”
With that, Lily suddenly nestled softly against Sion’s side.
The picturesque scene of the handsome man and beautiful woman drew involuntary admiration.
But Sion caught the slight upturn of Lily’s lip as she leaned in.
‘...This is obviously acting.’
As if confirming his hunch, Lily smirked with a ‘kik’ and winked lightly.
She knew exactly why he’d brought the fairy, so he should play along in the act and draw her in too.
“Nyaang!
Me too!
Hug me too!”
Ria, intimidated by Lily’s presence and hiding, soon grew jealous seeing her snuggle into Sion’s arms.
She dashed over to the pair, meowing insistently for a hug.
Spotting Helen staring blankly, Ria suddenly spoke up.
“What’re you staring at!
Pointy-ears!”
“Eh, eh?”
“Do you know how much Sion suffered because of you lot?
Slave traders are bad, but you’re bad too.
No different.
Haaak!”
Helen panicked again at Ria’s sudden wariness.
Had Sion not spoken, Ria likely would have stayed on guard.
“Ria.
Still, Helen’s a fairy who helped me.
Mind your manners.”
“...Hmph!
Sh-she’s one of those pointy-ears who tormented Sion and Rishika.
Worse than Lily sis!”
Lightning struck Helen’s mind at those words.
Radical fairies caused endless incidents, yet worse than demons?
From a beastkin who loathed demons as much as fairies!
Ria, perhaps feeling a twinge of guilt after saying it, eased her guard and sidled up to Helen.
“What are you?
Fairy, but you smell more like human bricks than forest.”
“...Ah.”
Helen met Ria’s eyes.
‘...Yeah.
Probably...’
Just like that time.
When she was captured by slavers and subjected to every humiliating, shameful ordeal a woman could face under the name of ‘processing,’ then sold to humans where body and soul were utterly violated.
That irrecoverable time, when petals that would never bloom again were mercilessly crushed.
“I’m glad.”
“Nyang?”
“You... you’re still radiant and beautiful.”
Ria panicked at Helen’s suddenly sorrowful face.
She backed away slightly, wondering what was wrong with the woman.
But Helen, as if seeing a past illusion, seized Ria and pulled her into an embrace.
Sobbing softly, she murmured in a tiny voice.
“I... I wanted to be saved like you.
To escape that hell...”
“N-Nyaang?”
Bewildered, Ria didn’t struggle to escape the embrace.
She just blinked in Helen’s arms, her face screaming, ‘What’s with this pointy-ears?
Is she crazy?’
“Sion.”
Lily whispered very softly.
“What’s with that fairy.
Why’s she suddenly like that?”
“...She was a slave too.
Unlike Ria, she went through a truly horrific time.”
“Not anymore, right?”
“She wasn’t freed—she was discarded.
No more use for food.
Cast out by humans and kin alike, she lived for revenge.
And that revenge ended when I flipped the entire Kashugar Count family.”
“Poor thing.
By fairy standards, she’s still in her prime.”
Watching Helen sob while holding Ria, Lily continued.
“So, what’re you planning?”
“Well, isn’t it obvious.”
“...You’re a real bastard.”
“To survive, I can’t afford not to.”
Sion had been pondering how to bring Helen in, but seeing this, he had a strong feeling things would work out better than expected.
Helen hid, buried, and pretended otherwise, but that past hell lingered as an unhealed wound.
The scream of the fairy girl who wanted salvation, the wish of an ordinary woman to live plainly.
Helen was projecting it onto Ria.
‘Ria crossed the starting line for me.
Thanks, fatty.
Already earning your keep as my adopted one!’
Sion had saved Ria.
So, he could save the fairy woman still lost in hell.
That’s what Sion thought.
‘Money!
Trade!
Intel!
Perfect, perfect!’
Of course, his intentions were thoroughly impure.