Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Ch. 170 .｡.:✧ The Trap (10) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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She hadn’t been honest. That was her first mistake, her second mistake, and the root of all her mistakes. She realized this only after Yoo-jin left, after it was too late.
Jill had begged Yoo-jin for another chance, and when that failed, she prayed to God.
She knew God was dead, that the Church’s tales of his resurrection and watchful gaze from the heavens were fabricated, but she still clung to the hope of some divine intervention.
And miraculously, a second chance arrived. She didn’t know whether it was divine intervention or some other transcendental force, but she clung to this opportunity, striving to make amends.
She tried approaching Yoo-jin calmly, then, losing her patience, made the mistake of putting a bounty on his head.
Finally, they reunited, and now, they were together. It wasn’t the relationship she had initially envisioned, and the presence of the other women hadn’t been part of her plan, but she knew better than to ask for more.
She accepted it, readily. She would become Yoo-jin’s woman. She vowed to atone for her past mistakes, to heal the wounds she had inflicted on his heart.
Her inflated pride was useless now, the exhausting power struggles meaningless.
She had always seen Yoo-jin as beneath her, someone she could control, but she had been wrong from the start.
Regardless of status or title, Yoo-jin wasn’t someone who could be subjugated.
Money, power, nothing could make him yield. He walked his own path.
He didn’t need a master to lead him, only a companion to stand beside him.
‘I was so foolish…’
She chuckled, remembering her past behavior.
She had lashed out at Yoo-jin over the slightest annoyance, exaggerating her anger even when she wasn’t truly upset. Because he would always apologize, always soothe her, always treat her like a princess.
She had believed it would always work, that he was just like any other commoner, easily swayed by money and power.
She hadn’t considered his true nature…
‘Was that…why I fell for him?’
She wondered if her feelings during those times of indulgence were truly love.
She had relied on him, felt drawn to him, but it had been a primal, childish desire to possess him, to bend him to her will.
It hadn’t been romantic love.
True love had blossomed only after he left, after he refused to be her pawn, after he broke free and ran. Only then did she begin to see him as a person, as a man, not a puppet.
That heartbreak, the most painful she had ever experienced, had forced her to grow, had led her here.
The memories that once brought tears and a tightness in her chest now brought a smile to her lips. She could finally speak of that painful past with a newfound sense of peace.
“Yoo-jin…”
“Yes?”
“So…who is this other woman?”
“…”
Despite everything, there was something she needed to confirm. It was time to turn suspicion into certainty.
She felt Yoo-jin’s body tremble beneath her, his legs still wrapped around her waist. He was nervous.
He had initiated this conversation, hadn’t he? Shouldn’t he be prepared to answer her questions?
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Well…it’s…I thought I should tell you, but…”
“You’re shaking so much. You were so confident when you spoke in front of everyone. You’re only nervous around me…which means I must know her.”
“…”
“A young woman, the type you like, someone I know…that only leaves Countess Briam.”
“…”
Yoo-jin froze, his silence confirming her suspicions.
Jill sighed and gently grabbed his collar. She had suspected something for a while. Count Briam’s disappearance after a certain mercenary visited Cologne.
The Countess refusing all marriage proposals, leaving the head of the family position vacant. And the Countess constantly sending letters to someone…
It was clear she was having a secret affair, but Jill had never imagined it was with Yoo-jin. And that they had even promised each other a future…
“I trusted you. And it had to be Cornelia, of all people.”
“…”
The betrayal stung, especially since she had sought legal advice from Cornelia. But dwelling on those feelings was pointless.
There was something more pressing.
“So…did you sleep with her?”
“…?!”
Knowing how far their relationship had progressed was crucial.
“Well…”
Yoo-jin’s lips trembled.
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I had been worried. I had followed my intuition, but I hadn’t been certain. My assumption that their affection levels would stop at 94% after my confession was just that – an assumption.
And my hope that they would all accept me was just wishful thinking.
But I had succeeded. It had been a difficult, arduous path, but I had faced them, confirmed their feelings, and united them.
They might still be awkward around each other, but they now shared a common goal. I wanted to stay and prevent Draken’s descent, and they wanted a future with me.
That was enough, more than enough to forge an alliance.
“This day has finally come.”
Jill, Yulia, Yerina, and Mia sat around the round table. Looking at them, I felt a surge of emotion.
I had envisioned this day, fought for this moment, for so long. My efforts hadn’t been in vain.
I knew that bringing Yerina or Jill to a dungeon would make the raid easier, but I could only take one heroine at a time.
That was a game mechanic, a limitation that persisted in this world. But today, I had broken that limitation. I had given the main heroines a shared purpose.
I could now utilize the Saintess’s healing abilities, the Witch’s curses, and the Frost Duchess’s combat prowess in a single dungeon.
An unstoppable combination, even against ten opponents.
“We’ve talked, but it probably wasn’t enough. You must have more to say. But if we start reminiscing, we’ll never get anything done. So, let’s focus on the task at hand. Any objections?”
“…”
They shook their heads, their expressions suggesting they had much more to say, but they remained silent, their gazes fixed on me.
Jill’s gaze, in particular, was intense, almost…predatory. Perhaps it was because of what I had said earlier…
I also had many things I wanted to do now that we were on the same page.
Twelve loops of pent-up desires, urges I wanted to unleash…but there was a more pressing matter. This was the reason I had gathered them here in the first place.
“You must have some idea about the Heavenly Kings. The vanguard of the otherworldly invasion force, there are four of them. One position is vacant.”
I had dealt with Solra, who had almost ascended to that position.
“I killed one of them.”
Technically, she was alive, resurrected, currently waiting outside, grumbling. But explaining her situation would complicate things, so I omitted it.
“And the remaining two are holed up in that dungeon. But one thing is certain, they’ve been abandoned by their leader. This is their last stand, their final desperate attempt. If we defeat them, the threat of the Heavenly Kings will be eliminated.”
“Do you have a way to defeat them? I heard one of them is a spirit that possesses corpses, impossible to kill…”
“I can capture him. By opening a dimensional rift to the underworld, contacting the God of the Underworld, and-”
“You don’t need to explain everything if it’s too complicated. The point is, you have a way to deal with them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s enough. Let’s move on, Yoo-jin. Is everyone okay with that?”
“Yes…”
Yerina cut me off, eager to proceed. In the past, she would have grilled me on the details of my plan, but now, time seemed more precious.
Did she trust me? I sensed a deep trust emanating from her usually defiant blue eyes.
The Mental Cultivation Technique was definitely working.
“S-So…what…what do…we do…?”
“Suppress the dungeon and buy me some time. They can’t escape if the dungeon is under constant pressure. If possible, destroy it completely.”
“Are you sure? If we destroy the dungeon, they’ll escape.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can deal with them later. Right now, that dungeon is too dangerous. If you can destroy it, do it now, don’t waste any time.”
The undead army alone was a significant threat.
If left unchecked, they could grow powerful enough to overwhelm even the combined forces of the entire world. And that wasn’t the only problem.
The dungeon showed clear signs of alteration. Their true objective wasn’t the undead army.
I still hadn’t figured out what it was…
So, we had to be prepared. Prepared to lose everything.
“And Mia.”
“Y-Yes?”
“If necessary…we’ll abandon Elvenguard. Keep that in mind.”
“…!”
In the worst-case scenario, Elvenguard would have to be sacrificed.
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