Chapter 492: I'm Fucked!!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 492: I'm Fucked!!
Late evening.
The 8th-floor branch of the Twilight Holy Society was in an uproar.
This was because the results of deploying a holy knight order and an external party to clear a dungeon found on the lower floors were too horrific to speak of.
Who could have ever imagined it?
That four holy knights, including their commander Rusleck Aslectio, would die, and that everyone except the vice-commander and the external party would suffer moderate to severe injuries.
It was something that should never have happened.
It might have been understandable for a mid-floor dungeon, but this was a dungeon found on the mere 8th floor.
And the holy knights of the Celisa Order were no mere rabble. Every one of them was a skilled warrior on the verge of entering the middle floors.
Furthermore, Commander Rusleck was considered a key asset who would one day be deployed in the clan war against Gehenna for influence over the middle floors.
Naturally, he was a talent that the Twilight Holy Society's main headquarters had been keeping an eye on.
And he had been murdered.
By a bishop from Gehenna, no less—the Twilight Holy Society's long-standing rival.
It didn't take long for the news to reach the upper floors, and soon, a grand council was convened, summoning the executives of the Twilight Holy Society.
The Radical Faction, the Neutral Faction, and the Moderate Faction.
After a fierce debate among the three factions that made up the current Twilight Holy Society, they finally reached a single conclusion.
War.
The truce that had ended centuries of war had been signed just twenty years ago.
But just as water and oil cannot mix, the clouds of war began to stir between the two powers once more.
Under the dark night sky, the upper floors of the Tower showed signs of being stained with blood.
*
Thump—
“A bed is so much better than a carriage.”
Having somehow made it back to Sanctelium, I immediately threw myself onto the bed.
My whole body felt as heavy as lead from muscle aches.
I wanted to just close my eyes and get some sleep, but I had too much to think about.
Click—
“Hoo...”
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Lucifer walked out, her body covered only by a towel.
Her damp hair told me she had just finished showering.
I stared blankly at Lucifer, whose alluring figure would make any man tense up.
As expected of a former angel, her looks were so stunning it was hard to keep a clear head, no matter how many times I saw her.
“...How long are you going to stare? Hurry up and dry my hair.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
I sat up immediately and used magic to dry the hair of Lucifer, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
A pleasant scent wafted past my nose.
But that wasn't the only thing I noticed.
‘...It’s incredible.’
For the record, I was talking about the fragment of power she had absorbed, not her breasts.
Of course, her breasts, peeking out from the sides, were magnificent too.
I wanted to just grab a handful, but if I did, we'd undoubtedly end up having sex all night long like yesterday.
Not that that would be a bad thing, but too much had happened today to spend our time like that.
Our party had reunited with Lucifer right after we defeated the boss in the labyrinth's depths and escaped the dungeon.
She had been standing at the dungeon entrance as if she'd been waiting for us. When Lianbell asked how on earth she had escaped, Lucifer just vaguely said she got lucky.
At the sight of her, Lee Serin immediately hugged Lucifer and sobbed, while Wi Ryeong-ah and Yoo Ah-rin also breathed sighs of relief.
With the situation being so precarious, it seemed they couldn't fully relax just based on my word.
Anyway, the moment I saw Lucifer, I realized.
She had met Gabriel inside the dungeon, they had talked, and she had succeeded in retrieving the fragment of power.
It was hard to put my finger on it, but I could feel an unidentifiable power emanating from her.
It was similar to what I had felt when I faced Gabriel.
‘It feels similar to divine power... but the texture seems a little different.’
We decided to talk about what exactly happened later, when the Constellations weren't around.
Though I had no idea when that would be.
“So, what do you think?”
“Huh? About what?”
“...”
Lucifer glanced back and glared at me. It was a look that said, Stop daydreaming and focus on me.
“Sorry. What were we talking about?”
“Sigh... You said those demon worshipers invaded the dungeon while I was gone, right? And that several holy knights died because of it.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think will happen now?”
“Hmm...”
Having finished drying her hair, I rested my chin on Lucifer's shoulder and thought for a moment. I also made sure to wrap my arms around her while I was at it.
“Well... nine times out of ten, it'll be war. That must have been their goal from the start.”
The Twilight Holy Society and Gehenna.
Everyone knows what bitter enemies the two groups, followers of Eden and the Demon Realm respectively, are.
They waged war for centuries, and a truce was only recently established.
Despite that, local conflicts never ceased, and the embers of war could reignite at any moment with the slightest spark.
And this incident has finally lit the fuse.
“Of course, I don't think this incident represents the stance of Gehenna as a whole. If they wanted war, they wouldn't have signed a truce in the first place.”
“I agree. But war will be unavoidable. This incident will give more weight to the words of the Radical Faction, the most powerful group within the Twilight Holy Society.”
“The same will be true for Gehenna's side.”
It's a great war where even high-ranking Constellations frequently intervene.
Even if it happens on the upper floors, there's no way the lower floors won't be affected.
The other major clans will also be on high alert, watching the two clans' movements, which means their attention on the lower floors will naturally diminish.
It was as clear as day that packs of hyenas would flock to fight over the vested interests scattered about in the resulting vacuum.
“The Tower is going to be noisy for a while.”
And that would be a good opportunity for us, who would soon be officially establishing a clan.
After the 10th floor, things will be different.
We'll be dealing with people far more often than magical beasts.
I'm used to it, but the other party members aren't, so they'll need training.
Still, it would be fine.
Humans are adaptable creatures, and as long as our opponents aren't major clans, confronting them won't be too much of a burden.
I buried my face in Lucifer's neck.
Sniff, haa...
“...Anyway, how is your body?”
Honestly, I thought Lucifer would become incredibly powerful once this was successfully over.
Even if it was just one of twelve fragments, she was, after all, the one once called the strongest archangel.
But the total amount of power I could feel from her wasn't much different than before.
“...It's not bad. But it's not good, either.”
Lucifer leaned against me with a strange expression. She didn't look particularly happy.
‘...Is there some kind of restriction on it?’
Before meeting Gabriel, one of Lucifer's biggest worries was the Tower's intervention.
Lucifer is a Constellation, but she's also undeniably a Player.
Would the Tower really just stand by and watch as she rampaged around, wielding the authority of a Constellation?
This is the same system that sanctioned me by raising the difficulty of my trials.
‘Petty bastard.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
But it was something I had expected to some extent, and even if the Tower hadn't placed restrictions, Lucifer using her full power was a matter for the distant future anyway, so I wasn't too upset.
She's only just recovered one of the twelve fragments.
If Lucifer started brandishing her authority now?
‘The archangels of Eden would descend en masse.’
The need to hide her identity and operate in secret hadn't changed.
It was simple if you thought of it like collecting the Drxgan Balls.
Once you've collected all seven, you can brag about it all you want, but if you show them off before that, you're just asking to have them stolen.
Still, there was one difference from the Drxgan Balls: I got a little something out of it.
Ting—
「Authority, Black Flame (B) → has evolved to Black Flame (B+).」
As if to prove that Lucifer was regaining her original power, the rank of the authority I received from her went up.
This alone could be considered an encouraging result.
Of course, even using Black Flame was tricky in the Tower, but it was a useful skill in other worlds anyway.
Looking at the big picture, it was definitely meaningful growth.
“So what? Back in my world, there's a saying that a good start is half the battle. We'll be able to collect them all soon enough.”
“...Yeah.”
Lucifer quietly hugged me tight.
We spent a while just sharing each other's warmth.
“But you know?”
“...Hm?”
“About that nude walk you promised me... when are we going to do it? I'm free tomorrow.”
“...”
But as soon as the words 'nude walk' left my lips, Lucifer's face went pale.
Even so, I had no intention of backing down.
*
The next morning.
As soon as dawn broke, I took a portal straight down to the 1st floor.
There had been an unfortunate incident along the way, but we had succeeded in clearing the dungeon, so I was heading back to the Astrein family to receive our reward.
I left the party members to rest at the inn. It wasn't like they would've woken up even if I tried.
Thump—
As I settled into the carriage, I briefly recalled what happened last night.
The moment I brought up the nude walk, Lucifer had panicked like I'd never seen before, quickly wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and bolted out the door.
And so, I ended up staying in the twin room alone.
‘Haa... Is it still too soon?’
Just as I was starting to feel a little disappointed, I let out a chuckle.
When I thought about it, I realized there was no need to worry.
Given Lucifer's personality—she never goes back on her word—it was obvious that she would eventually, reluctantly, agree, even if I didn't try to persuade her.
—We have arrived.
When I stepped out of the carriage, a large, elderly butler quietly approached me.
He bowed politely.
“Thank you for visiting the Astrein family today, Sir Kang Hyun-woo. The lord is currently handling an urgent matter. Would you be able to wait for a short while?”
“That's no problem at all. After all, I'm the one who showed up unannounced this early in the morning.”
“Thank you. We will prepare refreshments for you in either the drawing-room or the garden, whichever you prefer.”
“I remember the garden being quite beautiful last time.”
“Very well.”
I was led to the garden by a maid, not the butler.
I made small talk with the maid, complimenting her charming looks—blonde hair and large breasts—and before I knew it, we had arrived at the gazebo in the center of the garden.
I would have liked to keep talking with the maid, but she had her duties, and it would be a nuisance for me to keep her.
After sending off the maid, who looked at me with eyes dripping with disappointment, I passed the time by eating the refreshments another maid had prepared.
I'm not sure how much time passed.
“Excuse me, may I join you for a moment?”
“...Hm?”
A noble lady appeared out of nowhere and spoke to me.
Thud—
In that moment, I dropped the marlen I was eating.
My gaze was stolen by her platinum blonde hair, even more brilliant than the maid's, and her enormous breasts.
She was far more beautiful, too.
She seemed a little older, of course, but at most, she looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties.
“Of course.”
I immediately stood up and pulled out a chair for her.
The noble lady sat down, her eyes smiling.
“Thank you. We rarely have visitors to our family, so I couldn't help but approach you.”
“Please, don't worry about it. To have a conversation partner more beautiful than the garden itself, I should be the one thanking you.”
“Oh, my.”
The noble lady covered her mouth and laughed softly.
The atmosphere was good from the start.
I cheered inwardly and continued the conversation.
“My name is Marseilla Fern Astrein. May I ask your name?”
“I'm Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Sir Kang Hyun-woo...? Could it be, are you the Player who single-handedly annihilated the Black Lore?”
Marseilla's eyes widened in surprise.
She looked a bit like a rabbit, which was cute.
Of course, her breasts, which jiggled with a ‘Boing!’, were less cute and more... violently impressive.
I struggled to control my gaze and changed the subject.
“Ahem, it was simply what had to be done. They were pests gnawing away at Arcana.”
“Wow... That's truly amazing. Other Players are busy causing trouble, yet you achieved such a feat in just one month.”
There's a saying on Earth: Men rule the world, but women rule the men.
“You are truly a model for all heroes.”
“To think you've already reached the 8th floor... If only our family had such a talented and gallant knight.”
“I've seen many martial artists who claim to belong to the Orthodox Faction, but you're the first I've seen who truly puts their words into action, Sir Hyun-woo.”
As if to prove that saying wasn't for nothing, Marseilla's charming reactions were more than enough to sway a man's emotions.
Lost in our pleasant conversation, I reached for a cookie without thinking.
In that instant, the unexpected happened.
Tap—
“Ah?!”
My hand had touched Marseilla's.
Of course, I'm not a virgin, so one might ask what the big deal is about our hands touching.
That's true. By itself, it wasn't a big deal.
But what mattered was the atmosphere that followed.
“...Your hands are so large, Sir Hyun-woo. And for a knight, they're so smooth, without a single callus.”
“A man who knows how to take care of himself is better than a slob, isn't he?”
Our hands, which had briefly touched, showed no signs of separating.
We held each other's gaze, carefully stroking the other's fingertips.
Just as a subtle yet undeniably suggestive atmosphere flowed between us...
“...What do you think you're doing?”
A chillingly calm voice came from behind me.
I shot up from my seat and turned around.
There, the lord was staring at me, looking clearly displeased.
He had the expression of a chaebol chairman who'd just caught his daughter secretly meeting a chicken delivery guy.
I quickly bowed my head.
“...My apologies, my lord. But just as it is not the bee's fault for being drawn to a beautiful flower, I, as a man, could not help but be captivated by Lady Marseilla's beauty—”
“She is my wife.”
“...”