Chapter 214
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Money and Treasures Are Better the More You Have
“Time!! Time!!”
As I thrust my hands out in a T-shape and shout, the man watching as referee pulls a sour face but calls off the match.
The advancing swordsman falters and turns back. Whatever.
I hop up onto the sparring ground, grab the hand of the white-haired girl who's glancing around nervously, and drag her down.
She seems to resist at first, but the moment I take her hand, she meekly follows along.
“What did I tell you, Michael?”
“......”
“I said pretend to barely win. Don't drop them in one shot!!”
“.....”
Michael just stares at the ground in response to my words. She's no kid getting scolded—why's she acting like this?
“I'm not telling you to sabotage yourself. Everything I'm saying is for your own good!! See that uncle's eyes? It's that whole 'Oh, what a treasure' look!! It'll be you getting hassled, not me! There's zero downside to listening to adults!”
It's true. Even now, he's sneaking peeks at Michael. Given that guy's fetish for the strong, he's bound to pester her relentlessly.
It's because I gave the order. That's why I told her to fake a narrow win.
She should've barely scraped by, but nope—one-shotted them all, so of course she'd catch his eye.
See? Now he's whispering something to Shin Chae-yeon.
Look me in the eyes, Michael. If you had a mouth that could talk back, you'd say something!!
Catching my glare, Michael glances up, then finally speaks.
“You're such a boomer.”
“That's not the point!!!”
Is she trying to pick a fight? Is she seriously provoking me right now? Sure, she'd lose in a heartbeat if we threw down, but can I just let this slide?
Fine. Last time in the lair she couldn't cut loose, so first I'll deploy the lair.
Then— That's what I'm thinking when, as I'm gearing up to face off with Michael, her lips start to pout.
Her gaze, of course, stays glued to the floor.
“It's your fault.”
“What the hell why?!”
What is this, blaming me? Is this that classic bit where you jam a stick in your bike wheel and scream about the jungle gym?
I can't make heads or tails of it. What the heck is this girl on about? One hand cradling the other, staring at the dirt, lips pursed in a pout.
Your fault? There's a line when it comes to finger-pointing. This is so absurd I'm actually laughing.
And why that expression?
“That prim little pout isn't gonna change a damn thing!!”
“Pri-prim?! No. That's not it.”
“Switching up your face like that just makes it weirder, you know? What's that weird in-between of blank and pouty?”
“........”
Now she's turning her head away entirely. Her way of saying she doesn't wanna talk to me?
Is that it?
“Fine. Spilled milk, whatever. Just fake being wiped out now. Play it like 'Taking them down in one go tuckered me out.' They'll buy it if you sell it subtle.”
“....Yes.”
“More importantly, why'd you do it? Gimme the reason.”
“.....It's really your fault.”
No communicating with this one.
“Even if I concede a hundred times it's my fault. What exactly did I do?”
“.......”
Instead of answering, she turns her head even further. At this point, might as well chat with the back of her head?
Switch seats? Talk to the nape?
“You're the bad one.”
So what, exactly.
“..........”
Yeah.
'Why am I like this.'
Michael prods at her facial muscles with one hand and tilts her head.
Even at this moment, bewilderment shows on her face, though she's oblivious to it.
Which makes sense—no one's ever seen her like this in the Heaven Realm.
She's a master of emotional control. It's not that she lacks feelings; she just handles them flawlessly.
Always stone-faced, projecting an aura so icy it unnerves everyone around her—that's Michael.
However.
'Lee Seong-hoon.'
Standing before that man alone makes her unravel like this. An image upheld steadfastly for thousands of years crumbles in just half a year down in the mortal world.
She doesn't notice it herself, but the shift is already underway.
A woman who'd known only duty now has hobbies. One who'd never crack a smile at praise now beams at a single "cute."
Always composed, yet here she is accelerating wildly at mere words from another—that's proof.
Change creeps in slow and subtle, unnoticed until it's too late to rein in.
That's what change is.
After kneading her face back to its default state, Michael grips her sword.
—Pretend to be tired. Do it right this time? Yeah?
Pretend fatigue, naturally. Tricky, but hardly impossible.
Michael takes her sword, lets out ragged breaths to feign exhaustion. Amping it up with each clash.
One exchange, two, three.
She drags it out longer each time before dropping them. Finally, all the assembled swordsmen lie defeated—
“Next match!!!!”
A blue-haired woman climbs onto the sparring ground.
Expressionless just like her. But different. A woman with scarcely any real emotion.
She bows with a polite "please go easy." Michael bows back.
'Pretend tired.'
She huffs loud enough for the others to hear. Boosts circulation to work up a sweat, loosens her sword grip.
Obvious fatigue acting to anyone watching. Reality? Not winded in the slightest. But today, she's devoting herself to him.
Huffing hard.
“........”
“.......”
No words pass between them. Just stances taken, match readied.
'Pretend tired. Pretend tired.'
Yield the first strike too. The fatigued conserve strength, probe first.
Michael angles her sword diagonally, glares at the blue hair before her.
The blue hair inhales deeply. A clear, crystalline ring echoes out.
Droplets of water bead along the blade, forming sword aura.
No qi from her body—just a spirit magic workaround.
But genuine sword aura all the same. Technique to draw gasps from onlookers—
Several phrases flicker through Michael's mind.
—Oppa seems to like that sister more!!
—Me?
Strength floods her slackened grip.
—Whatever Lee Seong-hoon says, don't throw it midway on purpose.
—Thanks to Lee Seong-hoon, I've come to realize a lot.
Her heaving breaths steady. The sweat? Vanishes like a bad lie.
—Food here's delicious. Wanna eat it forever.
—Wish I could wake up to this every morning.
“Pretend tired.”
She steels her lax eyes, locks a razor gaze on the charging blue hair.
“I can't.”
It happens simultaneously.
“Michael!!!!!!!!!!”
The black-haired man's bellow rings out.
“My blade of loyalty's fired. Fired. Bet she'll blame me again later? What'd I even do wrong? Pretty sure I treated Michael great.”
Nothing major. Treating her like a strategic nuke on call, only summoning when needed, picking on her sister, trash-talking God.
That's it—what's the issue?
Beats me.
“Still, I did it to keep her out of trouble, y'know? So why's the fallout hitting me? I figured they'd call Michael, not drag me in to chat with that uncle.”
“Just fired her.”
The match ends in Michael's sudden rampage—Shin Chae-yeon one-shotted too. She even flashed that sword aura showmanship, but got launched anyway.
How's that for next family head vibes? Normally it'd be a crisis, but nothing blew up. Figured they'd at least scout Michael.
What's this? They call me instead.
How'd you snag someone like that under your wing? She's growing on me. Wanna be our adopted son-in-law? All sorts of nonsense.
Sweated bullets turning it all down. That's exactly why I said play it moderate.
If I'd flubbed my words there, I'd be toast. People toughen up staring death in the face.
Well, threw out student excuses and such, so they can't complain till graduation.
By then, the ending'll be out anyway.
“Won the matches, so treasure trove time.”
Scoop fragments, nab elixirs, ghost the promise. Classic Napoleonic deal.
Said I'd hand 'em over—didn't specify when.
Of course, the mark who buys it is the real fool.
“C'mon. Gotta deliver Michael's pink slip, so let's hustle.”
That's when I start stepping off lighthearted, buzzing to fleece the Shin family more and ditch that loyalty crap.
The usually airheaded cat's voice turns dead serious, halting me. She rarely gets like this, so I perk my ears thinking ambush maybe—
“Huh? Nothing.”
Mountain? Scream?
One line zips through my head right then.
—A few servants go missing up in the mountains sometimes.
“This could be our shot to wring out even more treasure.”
Think about it. Rescue the family servants—who's gonna complain?
Treasures over lives. Timeless truth since antiquity.
“Lead the way, Lachesis.”
“Lead.”
Money and treasures are better the more you have.
Excerpt from Lee Seong-hoon's brain.