Chapter 958
Chapter 958
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 958
Chapter Title: Rainbow Fruit
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Guided by the guards, I met the lord.
There had been a minor scuffle along the way when other soldiers and knights jumped me, but in any case, I met the lord.
The lord was a woman. A beauty, at that.
I straightened my posture. Shedding my previous rudeness, I donned a gentlemanly air.
'I'm a gentlemanly hunter, Sung Yu-jin.'
I took in the lord's beauty.
Her black hair was tied up elegantly above her head. The nape of her neck gleamed with pale skin. She wore an ivory dress—simple for noble attire—with few adornments.
Her presence was serene. Wisdom shone in her dark eyes.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lord."
She gazed at me steadily.
"You're the farmer who came to the castle causing a ruckus? You don't seem like an ordinary farmer."
She spoke to me politely. No way she'd honor a mere farmer like that—it meant she didn't see me as one.
Among those who'd tried to stop me was a knight, and the knights had passed out trying to block me. She'd heard about it, so she couldn't dismiss me.
"I had no intention of causing trouble. I simply came to see you, my lord."
"I see. But what now? My husband isn't in any condition to move."
"Pardon? Aren't you the lord?"
"I'm his wife. Acting lord for now. You didn't know?"
"......May I have the acting lord's name?"
Her expression turned peculiar, as if trying to read my intent. No ulterior motives here—I was just curious about her name.
"Ollr Revilidi. But since it's our first meeting, calling me acting lord would feel more comfortable."
"Couldn't I call you Baroness Revilidi?"
Baroness had a faint air of taboo allure to it.
"......That much is fine. It's how I was usually addressed anyway."
"Baroness Revilidi. You're stunningly beautiful."
She looked at me with a hint of exasperation.
"Thank you for the compliment. And your name?"
"Sung Yu-jin. Others around here call me Hans, but I'm Yu-jin."
"Yu-jin. You're a strange one. You look like a farmer on the outside, but I've never heard of a farmer taking down knights."
"I'm a bit strong."
"......Yu-jin. Did you come to become a knight of Revilidi, by any chance?"
"Not exactly. I came to ask the lord something... but seeing Baroness Revilidi has changed my mind. Becoming your knight doesn't sound bad at all."
"Your status is a slight concern, but in these unsettled times, gaining a powerful knight is a blessing. Yu-jin, will you be my knight?"
"Gladly, my lady."
I rolled the words off my tongue smoothly. Baroness Revilidi gave an awkward smile.
I dropped to one knee and bowed my head.
"......Rise, Yu-jin. We'll prepare a proper investiture ceremony tomorrow."
"No need. I prefer something simple."
I extended my hand to her. The baroness instinctively offered hers. I pressed my lips to the back of her hand.
Mwah. Smack smack smack.
I sucked on her hand, leaving kiss marks. The startled baroness yanked it away.
"From this moment, I am the baroness's knight."
"Thank you, Yu-jin. I promise fair treatment. You said you had something to ask my husband?"
"Yes. But the lord..."
"Sir Yu-jin is now a knight of Revilidi, so I'll be frank. My husband lies bedridden. It's well-known, so you must know... but he probably won't last a month."
The baroness's face darkened.
"That's awful... There's nothing I can do."
"It's fine. What did you wish to know, Sir Yu-jin?"
"The rainbow fruit."
"......That rainbow fruit from the legends?"
"Yes. That one."
"......I see. Now I understand why you sought my husband."
The baroness nodded as if piecing it together. I, on the other hand, felt puzzled. I'd come to the lord for info on the legend. It wasn't something to accept so readily. My main reason for seeking the lord was their authority.
"You look confused. Didn't you hear my husband had been researching the rainbow fruit for years?"
"Ah, no. I did hear that."
In any case, I'd come to the right place.
"I'll have the butler show you the documents. He treasured them, but compared to your worth, Sir Yu-jin, they're nothing. Such legends... they're absurd, aren't they? Honestly, I can't fathom why someone like you would chase such nonsense... but I won't pry."
The baroness's tone sharpened slightly. The rainbow fruit must have been her trigger.
"Baroness."
"Yes, Sir Yu-jin. What is it? Do you want more?"
"The price of my loyalty."
"......For that, I'll ensure you're well compensated. We can negotiate tomorrow."
"No. I'd like to settle it today."
"Isn't it too late?"
"It won't take long. Clear three hours from now."
"......Very well. Dinner hasn't been served yet, right? Would you join me?"
"Haha. How could I refuse the baroness's invitation to dinner? I'd be delighted."
At dinner, I met the baroness's son and daughter. The boy, around ten, seemed sharp. The girl, about eight, was quite shy.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Sung Yu-jin, the new knight of Revilidi. Call me Yu-jin."
After dinner, the butler led me to the lord's study.
It reeked of old paper and ink. The butler pointed to a bookshelf in the corner.
"Every document on this shelf is what the lord collected on the rainbow fruit."
"Oh. Impressive. Good thing I came here."
"Do you need any assistance?"
"No. With all these documents, what help could I need? I'll handle it from here—just go."
"Understood."
The butler left the study. I pulled the documents from the shelf and spread them on the desk. I examined each one.
'Right, the writing... Huh? This is the script from Park Su-ho's tattoo world?'
Ever since entering the dungeon, people's speech had naturally sounded like Korean, so I hadn't realized it was the tattoo world's language.
'This is a dungeon... so it's modeled after somewhere in Park Su-ho's tattoo world?'
No point dwelling—I couldn't get a precise answer. I focused on the rainbow fruit info.
After poring over them for a while, I frowned.
'What the hell? Why are they all different?'
The legends about the rainbow fruit varied slightly. Some didn't even call it that—Hell Apple, or weird names like that.
'That old hag said... a tyrannical king ate the rainbow fruit, repented his sins, and killed himself? But here it says a duke ate it... And over there, a knight eats it and becomes a hero.'
Many versions differed. But one thing was consistent: the endings. They were all bad.
The noblewoman who gained wisdom from the fruit became a whore due to the jealous queen's schemes.
The knight who got mystical powers was slain by his own child.
The count who achieved immortality was dragged to hell by a sudden demon.
'This is the fruit of misfortune, alright.'
I shook my head soon after. Too hasty. Collating these and filtering the nonsense would be massive work.
'Wish Yuria were here. She'd sort it all in under thirty minutes.'
But I couldn't summon Yuria. Cooldown wasn't up.
'Elena would get pissed if I summoned her for this. "For something this trivial?"'
Suddenly, random summon came to mind. Maybe I'd get a useful subordinate? High gamble since it's random, but someone top-tier like Mireung could pop out.
'This is reality, but a dungeon. If something dangerous summons, I can just escape the dungeon solo.'
Summoned beings share my stats. Even a threat wouldn't kill me instantly.
'Should I? Points are plenty... Damn, cooldown again.'
Cooldown from the fixed summon of Mireung last time.
'Gotta dump this on Kang Seok-su tomorrow.'
I pocketed a few decent documents into my inventory. Risk of getting caught stealing, but I could claim I took them to read in my room. If not caught, keep 'em.
'Argh. Can't stop thinking about random summon. Feels just like gacha itch.'
My hands twitched.
Baroness Revilidi kept her word. She and I faced off to negotiate the price of my loyalty—my salary.
She handed me a document.
"This is a deed granting you a small village a bit outside the city. Population 120, name's there... Ah, can you read, Sir Yu-jin?"
"Yes."
"......Most farmers can't."
"I'm special."
I handed the paper back. The baroness's eyebrow twitched.
"......Not to your liking?"
"No. I don't need land. Or salary. I want one thing."
She sighed.
"Sigh. Shall I guess what Sir Yu-jin wants?"
"Oh, you know?"
"The butler told me. You took some rainbow fruit documents. That's what you want, right? Sir Yu-jin, to be honest, I don't trust you yet. Can't give documents now. At least three months. Serve here that long, and..."
"Baroness. Sorry to interrupt, but I didn't steal them—I took them to read in my room. If I meant to steal, I'd have taken everything."
"......If you say so, I'll believe you for now. Then what do you want?"
"It's you."
I stood and closed the distance to the baroness.
"......!!"
The baroness's mouth gaped. I swiftly clamped it shut with my hand. She struggled. She'd let her guard down. Maybe from the friendly dinner, or assuming my loyalty was genuine—she met me without guards.
'Even with guards, outcome would've been the same.'
Her trembling eyes darted to the door. A maid waited outside, no doubt. But she had no clue what was happening inside.
"Baroness, the price of my loyalty is your body. Let me taste the noblest woman in this city."
I stuck out my tongue and licked her pale nape. It had caught my eye from the first moment.
Usually, that ramps up resistance, but the baroness's eyes fluttered, then she stopped struggling.
"Baroness, giving up already?"
She stared at me steadily, unyielding. She grabbed my right wrist—telling me to move it.
Her composure piqued my curiosity.
'Fuck it if it backfires.'
Curiosity first. I removed my hand from her mouth.
The baroness didn't scream. She stayed cool amid this.
"I know what you want now. Why not just say it?"
I grinned. Her unflappability was amusing.
"You suspected?"
"I had a hunch you wanted me. From our first meeting, your gaze on my face, neck, body... it lingered oddly."
"Sharp eyes."
"I was half-doubting at first. But now I'm sure."
"And what will you do?"
"Why ask what you already know? You want my strongest knight's loyalty."
The baroness grew even more alluring. I grabbed her breast. No resistance. I slid the dress shoulders down with my forearm, loosening it, and pulled out her breast. C-cup. The slightly sagging mound tipped with a vivid crimson nipple asserting itself.
"My loyalty is yours, Baroness."
"......I'll send a trusted maid to you. Follow her lead to my room in secret."
"That puts me at risk. I can't trust you. You could call knights and soldiers to kill me in a trap. I need proof of trust."
"I understand."
The baroness hiked up her dress hem. Her white thighs and ornate navy panties came into view. I dropped my pants, freed my cock, and slipped between her legs. I pushed her panties aside and pressed against her. Gripping my shaft, I rubbed the glans up and down, teasing her folds.
And soon after, a stifled moan melted into the air.