Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Gently Gets Under Their Skin (5)
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"This bastard!"
Dexter bellowed, veins bulging in his neck.
"Get your hands off her?!"
His face flushed beet red with rage as he charged forward. His dagger slashed wildly, fueled by raw emotion.
"Whoa, careful there. You wouldn't want to hurt your precious Elice, would you?"
I taunted him while using Elice to block his path.
"Hup!"
William darted in from my side. His sword sliced toward my face from an awkward angle that was hard to parry.
"You can't dodge this!"
Dexter shouted confidently just as—
Shing!
A chilling sound that seemed to gnaw at my eardrums sliced through the room.
Clang!
"?!?"
William's eyes widened in shock. His blade was already caught against the flat of the sword I'd drawn.
"What... Gahk!"
I smashed the pommel into his face, then kicked his twisting shin as he staggered back.
"Ugh!"
With a muffled groan, he dropped to one knee on the floor. I whipped his swaying sword hard.
"Urk!"
His nose bone shattered, leaving him dazed. In that instant, William lost his grip on his sword.
Clatter!
It skittered across the floor with a loud crash.
"......!"
William pulled his hands from his face. When he saw his sword on the ground, his expression hardened ferociously.
"Gasp...!"
Even as I held her, Elice gasped.
"William... lost his sword..."
I twisted my body sideways to eye the other subordinate.
"William...!"
Dexter looked just as stunned, his eyes bulging. Then he caught my gaze and whipped around toward me.
"How dare you...!"
"How dare I what? Oh, is that it?"
I shrugged and tilted my head.
"You're supposed to be a knight, right? Knights consider dropping their sword a huge disgrace, don't they?"
"You...!"
Dexter bared his teeth again, clearly incensed. His flaring nostrils betrayed how deeply my words had struck home.
'Tsk. He's hopeless.'
Reacting to such cheap provocation like this. He clearly needed some training.
"Everyone, hold still."
I whispered softly and moved my right hand. The blade inched slowly toward Elice's neck.
"-!"
Elice frantically tilted her head back. But with my grip on her, she had little room to maneuver.
Of course, I had no real intention of killing her.
"Elice!"
Seeing Dexter freeze in horror confirmed this tactic was highly effective.
"I told you, didn't I?"
I whispered into Elice's ear.
"Your loose lips."
"......"
Elice made no reply.
Whether it was because my blade hovered at her slender nape or because she was furious at her subordinate's recklessness, I couldn't tell.
A moment later,
"...Please let me go."
Elice said in a slightly hoarse voice. I let out a skeptical hum.
"Won't it be safer for you to keep holding my lifeline?"
"You could easily subdue the three of us without taking me hostage."
She was spot on.
Subduing them without injury was a bit tricky, but killing all three would have been child's play if I'd wanted.
Even without drawing Requiem.
Fine, I'll admit it. I'd been toying with them.
"You know it."
I chuckled and released Elice's wrist. Then I sheathed my sword.
"...Haa."
Elice clutched her reddened wrist and took a step back. I held up my empty palms to show I meant no harm.
"Haa, haa."
Elice panted raggedly, wiping her forehead. Being yanked around by both wrists must have been exhausting; her face was pale.
She slowly scanned the room.
William picking up his sword with a face full of shame, Dexter regripping his dagger and assuming a stance.
Their momentum had clearly deflated compared to before. My overwhelming skill had cowed them.
"You..."
A mix of emotions flickered in Elice's eyes as she looked at me.
Suspicion, wariness, fear, curiosity.
The last one dominated.
Clap!
"Alright, pay attention."
I clapped my palms together to draw their eyes. The three, who had been glancing warily at each other, turned to me.
"Now choose. Accept my offer, or die here."
A cold silence fell between them. The two men simultaneously looked to Elice, as if by agreement.
"......"
Elice lowered her gaze. Conflict swirled in her blue eyes, but it didn't last long.
"If you truly want this guild, this approach won't work."
Elice fixed me with her clear, piercing blue eyes.
"Kill me if you want. I won't serve under someone who treats me like this."
Her voice was calm but laced with sharp anger.
"Besides, would someone acting out of fear of death really bring reliable information?"
Exactly.
I had no intention of acquiring Vendetta Guild this way.
'Otherwise, I'd be begging for a knife in the back.'
Elice wasn't the type to back down.
She'd pretend to fetch info for me while driving me into a corner. She had the ability, will, and reason.
Constantly doubting her and verifying intel would be a massive waste of time and energy.
'I can't work with her like that.'
Even so, I'd issued this warning because—
Clap, clap, clap...
My applause echoed through the now-silent tavern.
"Pass."
Elice's expression wavered at my abrupt words.
"...Pardon?"
"Oh, I was testing you. Wanted to see if you'd spill everything just to survive."
I chuckled and added,
"You don't seem like the type to crack even under torture. That's reassuring."
"What... the..."
Elice's eyebrows twitched wildly. With the tension broken, she even staggered a bit in place.
"Elice!"
"...I'm fine."
Dexter rushed over, but Elice steadied herself against a nearby table.
Oops. Maybe I'd been too harsh.
She'd braced for death with her words, only for it to end so anticlimactically. It must feel hollow.
But gauging if the opponent really intends to kill you is a skill in itself.
"No more games."
I said lightly, pulling down the hood of my robe.
"......!"
All eyes that had been on Elice snapped to me. Even Elice, leaning on the table, jerked her head up.
"Ah..."
Elice let out a low exclamation.
Her gaze brushed my blue hair, swept over my clear forehead and sharp eyebrows, took in my defined features.
Finally, it lingered on my gem-like azure-violet eyes.
"You..."
Elice murmured softly, like a sigh.
She seemed to recognize me immediately. The two men, oblivious, blinked like turtles.
"Disappointed it's not Cain?"
Elice's cheeks flushed faintly. Dexter, standing beside her, glanced at her face and whispered to William.
"Who is it?"
Their excessive silence made his whisper audible to all.
"-!"
Dexter's face turned explosive red. Elice glanced at him and swallowed a sigh.
"In this empire, only two nobles have cerulean hair."
Elice recited quietly, staring at me.
"Diego Ovest Kindriel. But considering the age, the one standing before me must be..."
I smiled faintly, nodding along with her words.
"...the sole heir of Ovest Territory, Abel Ovest Kindriel."
"Whoa."
Dexter's eyes bulged.
"Abel Kindriel? That wastrel from the west..."
Fortunately, William clamped his mouth shut before the reckless words escaped.
My lips curled wider.
"Yeah, that's the wastrel. Me."
"......"
Dexter's gaze dropped to the floor.
He clasped his hands politely and sealed his lips tight—a clear sign he'd stay silent for a while.
Elice hurriedly changed the subject.
"I had no idea you were so skilled, Lord Abel."
"Well, I'm exceptional in many ways."
"......"
I laced my hands behind my head.
"My offer still stands."
"...As for me,"
"Think it over. My goals align with your revenge."
The Sud Family and Barnes Family were in a tight alliance. Targeting Barnes meant making an enemy of Sud.
"You'll handle operations as usual. Nothing changes. You'll just have my backing."
"......"
Elice's hands tightened on the table.
She wasn't one to act on gut instinct. She calculated solid probabilities.
"...I have a question."
"Ask away."
"Why do you need our guild? As you know, we're not large-scale."
Fair point.
Vendetta Guild's current size was laughably small compared to Mare Guild.
'Bump heads now, and it'd be like an egg against a rock.'
But I knew.
How tenacious and ruthless Vendetta's leader, Elice Barnes, truly was. How those clerks glaring at me now were willing to die for her.
Given the right opportunity and capital, their cock-shaped logo could secretly spread across the empire.
'A fact proven in the original story.'
They had grown into a force rivaling Mare Guild and nearly toppled Barnes Family.
Though with someone else's help, not mine.
"Let's just say I believe in Vendetta Guild's potential."
Can't say I saw your successful future in the original story.
"Plus, you turned down Mare Guild's recruitment before. That proves your worth."
"How did you even... No, more importantly."
Elice looked deeply troubled.
"The Kindriel Family is busy ruling Ovest Territory. Managing a guild in the capital on top of that seems like it would stretch you thin."
She'd phrased it elegantly, but her point was clear.
*Isn't your territory a bit poor?*
"......"