Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Freeze! Palming the Bottom Card?
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“You keep looking back.”
At Sion’s words, Kim Yu-hyeon let out an “Ahh” of a sigh and hurriedly turned his head.
He reverted to his usual expressionless face, but Sion had already seen right through his inner turmoil.
“...The wind’s chilly. How about we head inside?”
Sion was currently sitting on the coachman’s seat outside the carriage.
Thanks to that, the situation had become rather awkward, and Kim Yu-hyeon was desperately trying to change the subject.
But to Sion, it was worth less than half a penny.
This was a rare chance—no, the first time ever—to catch Kim Yu-hyeon off guard and tease him.
You had to poke fun when you could, so it’d be easier to boss him around later.
“I’ve never seen you turn your eyes toward a woman before.”
“...”
“Lucia right next to you is a beauty, and Lady Lily goes without saying, and...”
“I have no intention of turning my eyes toward a woman who already has a man.”
Well, well. So that’s the foolish line of thinking that’s always gotten him burned.
Having defenders and a goalkeeper doesn’t mean the ball won’t go in.
It all depends on who’s driving it home.
And wasn’t that beside the point right now?
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“...There are circumstances I can’t speak of.
I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pry further.”
“We may have started off on the wrong foot, but after all we’ve been through together, aren’t we at least close enough to call ‘friends,’ if not bosom buddies?”
“I’m just a passing traveler from afar, and you’re a noble of the kingdom.”
“So you’re saying being friends would only disadvantage me?”
“Almost everyone who’s gotten involved with me has met a bad end.”
It sounded like a threat, but sadly, that was Kim Yu-hyeon’s past—and his reality.
And if the story followed the novel’s path, it could become his future too.
Indeed, ever since the martial world, Kim Yu-hyeon had always lost those around him.
His mentor who followed him, the friends he trusted, the subordinates he cherished, and even the woman he loved.
No wonder readers joked he was a grim reaper on the level of Conan or Kim Jeon-il, dragging death in his wake.
‘Of course, it was always people on Kim Yu-hyeon’s side who died, and while his body grew tougher, his mental state shattered into dust every time.’
Someone might ask if going through hardship after hardship doesn’t naturally build resilience and make you tougher.
If that question came his way, Sion would yell at them, “Fuck, there’s a limit to that shit!”
When unbearable things pile up endlessly, a person either collapses outright or breaks in a way that can’t be fixed.
Unless you were born with freakishly ironclad mental fortitude, for an utterly ordinary person like him, no amount of repetition would ever make it familiar.
Kim Yu-hyeon was exactly that case.
What he gained from the transfer was a sturdy body and sponge-like learning ability.
But that didn’t extend to fixing his mental fragility.
If those around you kept dying and you stayed fine, either you were just pretending, or you’d already crumbled inside until you couldn’t even be called human anymore.
‘Surviving that kind of thing at all makes him resilient.’
There’d been plenty of controversy about why the Supreme One had such a weak mind, or how it tarnished the title of Sword Sage.
Rather than defending the author, Sion had always commented from the angle of understanding the character—there was no way his mentality could be tough.
“What’s this?
It’s creepy as a warning and flimsy as a threat.”
“...It could be both, or neither.”
“Your people were unlucky.
That’s the opposite of me.
The people around me are happy.
Know why?
Because I’m determined to make it that way.
Once you’re my person, I’ll take care of you no matter what. That’s my life goal.
Wanna bet?
Whether I end up unhappy or you end up happy.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
Of course he was, protagonist.
After all, as a reader, he knew every tragic detail you’d face in excruciating detail.
Sion thought that, then circled back to the earlier tangent.
“We’ve strayed pretty far.
Anyway, back to it.
You and Eos Beuler seem awfully chummy.”
“...”
“And the story you told me? You said you heard it while talking with Eos.
Don’t tell me you pried it out of her with a honey trap—or honey boy trap, since it’s you?
Nah, you don’t strike me as the type.”
“I had no such intentions.”
With that, Sion let out a small sigh and casually opened his mouth.
“It just... reminded me of someone from the past, so I ended up treating her warmly without thinking.”
Oho.
This guy’s finally letting his true feelings slip bit by bit?
Sion chuckled inwardly and patiently waited for the next words.
“It was foolish.
Getting lost in old memories and flailing about again...”
“Someone once said memories are the nourishment for living tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“Someone said it.
Don’t worry, I didn’t make it up.
Anyway, getting a little sentimental over memories isn’t a problem, right?”
Perhaps caught off guard by the unexpected response.
Kim Yu-hyeon looked at Sion with slightly flustered eyes.
He remembered that almost everyone he’d met had harshly told him to stop wallowing in memories and face reality.
He’d agreed they were right and whipped himself accordingly.
‘But this man, Sion Klauzen...’
He was different.
Different in every way.
And so brazenly so.
“People look back sometimes, think about the past, and live like that.
Stare only ahead, and you’ll choke on the sight of the endless road.”
When the path ahead feels too distant and treacherous to continue, turn around for a moment and look at the road behind.
Remind yourself how far you’ve come, how hard you’ve pushed to endure, and gather the courage to step forward again.
It was definitely in the “Badass Quote Collection” his dad had bought.
“So dipping into memories now and then is fine. No big deal.
Now, answer me.
Eos Beuler—what do you think of her?
Huh?”
“...”
At Sion’s question, Kim Yu-hyeon stared straight at him.
Sion had been bracing for something like, “Are you trying to cut in midway?” and was about to snap back that he had no such plans.
“She’s a refined woman.
Her strength is impressive, but what stands out is her ability to lead her people.”
“Not an objective assessment—a subjective one.”
“...You’re oddly proactive.
That curious about her?”
“I’m surrounded by women all the time, so you look pitiful next to me.
Just trying to help out.”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’m not there yet.”
“Frustrating.
Saying ‘not yet’ is just a polite way of saying ‘not ever.’”
“...”
“People who aren’t honest with themselves end up regretting it forever.
You’d do well to remember that, Kim Yu-hyeon.”
From Kim Yu-hyeon’s perspective, it was absurd.
The one giving him unsolicited advice was a mere twenty-year-old youth.
In contrast, he had reached the age of knowing heaven’s mandate.
This young man beside him couldn’t experience in ten lifetimes what he’d endured dozens of times—a specter worn thin until everything blurred.
And yet, hilariously, the youth’s words cut sharp.
They pierced his chest, but instead of pain, they cleared blockages like unblocking meridians, bringing a strange ease.
Don’t let emotions sway you, lie to yourself.
That’s how you survive alone.
He’d chanted that like a mantra to himself, but Sion Klauzen’s words felt a bit immature yet brimming with confidence—enough to make him think maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try once.
“Why are you so curious about Eos Beuler, Young Lord Sion Klauzen?
Is it because she’s Zhan Temuchin’s sister and you want to look after her?”
“Nah. I was pondering how to catch and torture the bastard who nearly killed Zhan and Eos, and if you wanted in, I’d bring you along.”
“...What are you talking about?”
Kim Yu-hyeon’s aura shifted in an instant.
The serene lake of moments ago turned into a stormy sea whipped by fierce gales.
Even Sion, who barely knew mana or killing intent, couldn’t help muttering, “Whoa, fuck.”
“Kim Yu-hyeon, remember the story you told me last time?”
“...The one from my talk with Eos Beuler?”
“Yeah.
Hearing that got me thinking—maybe someone in the kingdom stirred up the troubles between the northern tribes.”
“Who?”
“The ones who profited the most.
The ones who’d still come out ahead even if relations soured.
Those are prime suspects, right?”
“You suspect the kingdom’s nobles?”
Sion nodded, and Kim Yu-hyeon continued in a voice still sharp but slightly subdued, not hiding his edge.
“Do you have proof?”
Sion shook his head.
Unfortunately, no solid evidence.
Thinking about it, they wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave traces.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared such madness.
At Sion’s response, Kim Yu-hyeon let out a “Ha” sigh.
“You’re not saying you’ll act without evidence, right?”
“Why?
Is there a law against it?”
“It doesn’t matter for me, but it does for you.
Young Lord Sion, you’re a noble of this country, aren’t you?
Once bad rumors start, they spread like wildfire.”
“True.
With my name value these days, I bet five carriage-loads of dogs would come barking to find any dirt.”
Kim Yu-hyeon was about to say “See?” as Sion spoke flatly.
“But flip it around—plenty would cheer ‘Ooh!’ and clap if we catch them red-handed.”
“Huh?”
“Based on what you told me, hypothesize this: the northern nobles fiddled with things mid-process to line their pockets.
They take goods worth 10 from the tribes and sell them for 20, 50, 100.
The clueless northern tribes, thrilled they can trade monster parts without raiding, hunt like mad.
Then the nobles band together: ‘Too much supply drives prices down!’ and start slashing rates—from 10 to 8, to 6, plummeting.”
“...”
“Greedier for profit but prices keep dropping—what can they do?
Demand more volume.
If the north were a united nation, they might fight back, but fractured tribes? No chance.
They’re just playthings.”
Kim Yu-hyeon’s eyes darted as he pondered, then he ventured.
“I don’t know the details, but this sounds like a massive crime. You think the kingdom’s nobles pulled it off without fear?”
Sion let out a “Kek” chuckle.
Greed is something the haves indulge more.
Just a bit more profit, just a bit more gain, and it’ll be perfect.
Those who’ve tasted the good life crave even bigger.
“I don’t know about the rest, but three years to total ruin? That’s fishy.
They hunted monsters dry, sold to the kingdom, and the tribes got zilch?
Anyone would call that suspicious.”
“If so, the tribes would’ve...”
“Realized long ago and formally protested to the kingdom? Obvious.
It’d expose their weakness to rivals.
So they pretended all was fine.
Sadly, northern warriors still see each other as enemies.
That worsened it.”
Sion figured the northern nobles had long known the barbaric tribes couldn’t unite due to infighting, and adjusted the throttle accordingly.
‘There are smart ones among them.
This borders on rebellion against the royals.
Pulling it off means they’re confident they won’t get caught—and capable.’
In times like this, probing as the enemy wants, hunting evidence, persuasion or threats won’t work.
They’re fully prepped, evidence scrubbed.
Related parties likely bought off, threatened, or eliminated.
“Kim Yu-hyeon.
If this hypothesis holds, Zhan Temuchin and Eos Beuler are surely dead by now.”
“What do you...”
“No matter what, Eos tried to prevent escalation into war with the kingdom, while Zhan called for it.
Without my mediation, their clash was inevitable.
Think.
Between Zhan and Eos—who wins if they fight?”
The outcome was obvious.
Knowing retreat endangered their tribesmen, they’d block each other even at the cost of killing their own sister.
‘Mutual destruction.’
The word swirled in Kim Yu-hyeon’s mind.
Then, the face of a woman he’d once deeply loved flashed before him.
The one who’d whispered love, promised a small home and lifelong companionship after all was done.
Even as her life faded, she’d smiled at him without faltering—and at the memory, Kim Yu-hyeon bit his lip hard.
“It might just be a hypothesis, but you’ve seen me up close.
Have I ever chased wild hunches?”
“...”
“You know, Kim Yu-hyeon.
Humans are sly—even a little prod, and they’ll spill family secrets.”
Unfortunately, he wasn’t versed in ‘torture.’
Not even bringing his trusty soda water this time.
Besides, no intent to crack them with parlor tricks.
Interrogating near-traitors who nearly sparked war was tiring; he needed a quick, effective way to crush suspects.
‘And Kim Yu-hyeon knows just the method—a martial world expert.’
Forget protagonist, strongest, Sword Sage—he was human.
Even rational, who’d stay cool if a stranger endangered someone evoking old memories?
‘Writers are harsh.
Setting Eos to mimic that martial world woman’s vibe, speech, actions, aura—ripening his heart—then slamming a mutual destruction ending.’
The author was culpable, but exploiting it made Sion no saint.
Though he’d deny it flat out.
“...I’ll ask them myself.”
And from the reaper’s lips, the answer finally came.