Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Helen
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Gold-rank adventurers were undoubtedly considered the 'strong' in this violent world.
Each country had fewer than ten active gold-rank adventurers, and even combining them all, the number didn't exceed fifty.
Fifty worldwide.
That alone was enough to grasp the prestige of gold-rank.
And Helen claimed she had once been among them, even if at the lowest rung, and since Shan didn't deny it, it wasn't a lie.
"Well, I'm not expecting an answer right this second. I'll give you a day or two. But let me make one thing clear: I'm far more capable than Shan."
We watched Helen's back for a long while as she turned away with a sly smile, then quietly—without a word from anyone, as if it were the most natural thing—we headed back to Shan, Marcel, and the clearing where I spent most of my time.
Marcel was training alone, but he sensed the off atmosphere as soon as we returned and started prying into what happened.
Once we spilled the details, Marcel clicked his tongue and scowled.
"That crazy bitch finally came back."
"If she's bold enough to return and even join the tournament, she must've completed that punitive quest."
"Even for a gold-rank, I didn't think she'd come back alive."
They sounded deadly serious, but since I had no clue, an explanation was in order. Catching my pointed glance, Marcel scratched his head vigorously and continued.
"You're curious about Helen, right?"
"Yes."
"First off, what do you already know?"
I murmured the recent events under my breath in response to Marcel's question.
"That she was a former gold-rank adventurer, that she killed five silver-rank ones... that she has a scary vibe and no hesitation in killing."
"You already know the important stuff. She's a real psycho."
His explanation kicked off with a curse, but I had to nod in agreement.
Helen wasn't normal.
No matter how barbaric this world was, it was still one where people lived.
So, while the barrier to murder might be low, having no barrier at all was something entirely different.
To me, Helen was the latter—a person without any barrier whatsoever.
"Could you tell me more about what kind of person she is?"
"...Yeah, well, from what I hear, she's already got her eyes on you. You need to know what you're dealing with if she's approaching."
Marcel tsked, exchanged a glance with Shan, then plopped down under a tree and took a swig from his waterskin.
"Helen, Helen, Helen..."
He muttered her name a few times, swept back his hair, and began.
"Youngest gold-rank ever, right?"
"Yeah, the youngest gold-rank—and the first one ever stripped of the rank."
"But just so we're clear, we're not defending those five idiots she killed."
Marcel emphasized no misunderstanding while patting the spot next to him for me to sit. I settled obediently beside him and voiced my question.
"Huh?"
"Those bastards were total scum in my book—strong, but nothing but muscle-headed morons."
I could guess what he meant right away.
The first silver-rank adventurer I'd glimpsed had his eyes glued to women.
Probably talking about guys like that. I nodded, figuring I got the gist.
"I wouldn't nitpick killing trash like that. The problem's her social skills—or lack thereof—and her violence."
Even Shan frowned at the mention of the five killed, confirming they were close to villains.
Still, his stronger disapproval seemed aimed at Helen's actions rather than their villainy.
Curious, I pressed, and Marcel hesitated, lips twitching as if weighing what to say.
It felt unfamiliar—he wasn't one to mince words usually.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Suppose you got raped."
"All that careful choosing, and that's what you pick?"
After all that lip-smacking deliberation, that crude example? It was so absurd I let out a hollow laugh before annoyance even hit.
"Realized picking words is pointless with your thick skull."
Quick to give up.
Still, imagining myself in that situation...
"Fucking awful."
"Right? You'd want to rip the rapist bastard apart, yeah?"
"I'd hand him over to Shan for torture. That's his specialty."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You'd do it if I asked, right?"
"Well, sure, but..."
He hadn't even mentioned a fee, yet agreed—guess we'd gotten closer. I smiled contentedly for a moment, then eyed Marcel slyly.
"Anyway, what's the point of that nasty analogy?"
"The guys Helen killed were silver-rank scum who used their status and power to rape people."
"They deserved to die."
"Exactly, like I said—trash. But the issue's how she did it."
"Tearing them apart's fine, isn't it?"
"Calm down. You're right, but where she did it matters."
"Where?"
"If you're the victim and want it done in front of you, no problem."
Ah, no way.
"But gathering the whole village to watch her gruesomely kill them, then nailing their severed heads, torsos, limbs, and genitals to the village palisade? That's a whole different story."
"Uh... um..."
Killing them? Fine.
They deserved it.
But the method was horrific.
It might feel cathartic for victims, but to unrelated folks, it was just a nightmarish spectacle.
"Plus, silver-rank adventurers are way more valuable than you think. Each one's knight-level or better, so their numbers basically equal national power. No matter how guilty, you can't just murder them out of personal grudge without due process."
"...I get it."
In the end, even scum like that were needed in this world.
Monsters roamed free, and humans who could fight them were few.
No—absolutely scarce.
So villages burning down to goblins was commonplace.
I understood the rationale of not wasting fighters against monsters, but emotionally, it was hard to swallow.
"You look unhappy, but it's just how things are. I wasn't sitting idle, though—I was gathering evidence and tips to punish them legally. But Helen saw me moving and got impatient, pulling that stunt."
"That's why she said she spared Shan..."
"She knew I was after them then. Otherwise, she'd have killed me the same way to silence me."
A thought struck me.
Someone had to report the five silver-ranks killed by Helen for punishment to happen.
Obvious, right?
Gold-rank dispatches meant high-risk jobs, where sacrifices were inevitable.
Five silver-rank deaths? Easily excusable.
But if punished, someone reported it—and Helen likely let Shan go deliberately.
"Shan."
"...I know what you're thinking, but I didn't report it. Helen confessed to the guild herself."
"What...?"
"Maybe she figured I'd spill anyway. She dropped it casually during her quest report—like she had zero guilt, totally unapologetic."
"So that's why she got punished."
"Yeah, demoted to silver and sent on a suicide mission."
"Silver-ranks are so precious, but gold-ranks get thrown into death traps no problem."
"Obviously."
Marcel chimed in naturally at my doubt.
He gave a self-deprecating laugh, pointing at himself and Shan.
"Silver power's controllable. Gold's not."
"...Huh?"
"Gold-ranks are too strong to control easily. Nations struggle with that. Why do you think the adventurer's guild—basically private mercenaries—exists? It's controllable and mutually beneficial."
Marcel jabbed a finger toward the distant castle.
"Gold-ranks are guild members but basically off-the-charts monsters. If you can't control 'em, better they don't exist."
"So they're so strong, nations wish they'd vanish?"
"Not all. Gold-ranks are quirky, but most have social skills. Nations recruit them with noble titles. Once they're 'ours,' they get perks. But Helen..."
"She didn't?"
"Did she seem sociable?"
"No..."
Even in our brief meeting, that much was clear.
"She turned it down. So to the higher-ups, she's a thorn—young, unpredictable growth. They shoved the riskiest quest on her: 'Won't be ours? Then go die.'"
"And she came back..."
She survived the mission meant to kill her.
That made her strength even harder to gauge.
I shuddered.
Definitely eccentric.
Villain? Ambiguous.
Killing villains gruesomely doesn't make you one.
But she clearly lacked something essential to being human.
Was following someone like that right?
I pondered, but no easy answer came.
Life with Shan and Marcel was peaceful, smooth.
But my talent lagged; progress was slow.
In this world where dice rolled beyond my will, causing trouble—being weak felt like a sin.
So I wanted to grow faster.
Enter Helen.
Under her, I'd level up quicker, surely.
But ditching these two for her? No snap decision.
I lacked conviction.
"......Ugh."
I groaned.
As worries deepened and stray thoughts swirled.
Thump—a large, rough hand landed on my head.
Wondering, I followed it to Marcel, who stared straight at me and ruffled my hair.
"Eek...!"
"You're stressing, huh?"
"...Yes."
"It's your choice—we can't dictate. Whatever you pick, we'll respect it."
"Thanks."
Marcel patted my back casually and flopped down flat.
I watched, then lay beside him, gazing at the sky.
Through the branches, clouds cluttered a murky view. In my heart, the scales tipped slightly one way.