Chapter 434: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (24)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 434: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (24)
My conversation with the king was nothing special. Just formal pleasantries, praise for the previous marquis’s virtues, and the usual platitudes about dedicating myself to the kingdom.
But even in that brief exchange, one thing was clear. The king was far more wary of me than I had expected.
‘He’s worried… that I’ll side with the Noble faction.’
The kingdom’s nobility was currently split into two clear factions: the King’s faction and the Noble faction.
Traditionally, the King’s faction held the upper hand. As long as Duke Baran, the strongest man in the kingdom, remained at its center, that balance was unlikely to be broken.
‘But if I, a newly emerged Sword Master, were to join the Noble faction… the balance of power in the kingdom would be overturned in an instant.’
Given the circumstances, I couldn’t understand why Marquis Light, a key figure in the Noble faction, would provoke me so directly.
‘Hmm… Like Alfredo said, is he just an idiot? I heard he’s a far cry from the previous Marquis Light.’
The information Alfredo had gathered on him was far from flattering. The previous Marquis Light was said to have been a renowned commander with exceptional political skill and military sense. But the prevailing opinion of the current Marquis Light was that he was an incompetent pig who had simply inherited his father's position.
‘It doesn’t matter whether he provoked me out of sheer stupidity or for some other reason.’
Whatever his intentions were, they were irrelevant to me. The only thought on my mind was that I wished he would just stay out of my business and quietly get lost.
*
Not even a few days after I arrived at the mansion, a long line of nobles came to visit. They tried to win my favor with all sorts of gifts and fawning compliments, and among them were a conspicuous number of lower-ranking nobles I’d never even heard of.
‘Tsk, just as I thought. The reputation of this damn avatar is attracting all sorts of pests.’
The old Jin Alcladion might have entertained each and every one of them, but I was different. I shot down every last one of them without a second thought.
“My lord Marquis, this jewel, a family heirloom of ours…”
“Not interested. Leave.”
“But my lord, if you would just listen for a moment…”
“Say one more word and I’ll have you thrown out.”
Most of them gave up and retreated at that point. A few clung on persistently, but sometimes, a noble like the one before me now would present a rather tempting piece of bait.
“My lord Marquis, my daughter came of age this year… I was wondering if you might have any interest in meeting her?”
“Hmm. How are her looks? You brought a portrait, I assume?”
“Yes! Of course!”
He hurriedly pulled a small portrait from his coat. Inside, a beautiful woman with brown hair was meticulously painted. With clear, deep eyes and an elegant smile—she was a beauty who would stand out in high society by anyone’s standards.
“Oh, she’s quite beautiful.”
“Thank you! My daughter, Lisa, is renowned for her beauty even in the capital!”
I studied the painting intently. Based on her face alone, she was certainly above average.
“Very well. Then let us share some tea and talk tomorrow evening.”
“Truly?! Thank you, my lord Marquis! I will never forget this kindness—!”
“That’s enough. You may leave.”
As he departed, the gazes of the other nobles in the room slowly began to change. One by one, those with daughters of their own stepped forward.
“My lord Marquis, I also have a daughter of marriageable age…”
“Form a line. I’ll see them one by one.”
In an instant, a long line of nobles holding portraits formed inside the drawing-room.
“Alright, next.”
I accepted the third portrait with a satisfied smile. But the moment I saw it, my brow furrowed instinctively.
“Throw this man out at once. If he ever appears before me again, I will declare a territory war on the spot.”
As Eric dragged the noble out, the faces of the others turned pale.
“Listen well. If the woman is not a beauty, or if her actual appearance differs from the portrait… I will consider it a personal insult.”
A heavy silence fell over the drawing-room as soon as I finished speaking. Intimidated, the nobles lowered their heads, unable to even breathe properly, but their eyes still burned with ambition.
One by one, they began to present their portraits, and I glanced through them with an indifferent air.
Then, one particularly exquisite portrait caught my eye.
The soft colors, the delicate brushwork, and above all, the cold-faced beauty depicted within. Her gaze seemed to pierce right through the painting, and I found my eyes fixed on her.
“Your daughter is a stunning beauty.”
“You think so? My daughter is quite the beauty. Hahaha.”
The sudden informal speech.
At that moment, I frowned and slowly raised my head. My eyes followed the portrait up to the face of the man who had presented it—
“……!”
One of my eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
“Duke Baran?”
He was smiling like a child who had just pulled a prank.
“The capital has been buzzing with rumors about you lately, so I came to see for myself. You’re up to some rather amusing things.”
“…Seeing as you even brought wine, you must have quite a bit of free time.”
“Not exactly. I was just so curious I couldn’t help myself.”
I let out a small sigh and leaned back in my chair.
“But that portrait just now, don’t tell me…”
“That’s my youngest daughter. Her name is Riabel.”
At his words, I fell silent for a moment and looked down at the portrait again.
“So, what do you think? Are you interested?”
“…I am not.”
Duke Baran burst out laughing at my reply.
“Why is that? Is my daughter not to your liking?”
I quietly handed the portrait back to him and answered.
“It’s not that. It’s just that if I were to lay a hand on your daughter… I don’t think I’d survive for long in this kingdom.”
“Hahaha! It’s been a long time since I’ve heard something like that.”
Duke Baran continued to laugh as he slowly took a sip of wine.
“Frankly, I wish you would take my daughter off my hands. She’s already in her mid-twenties but has no interest in marriage… She insists on succeeding me, running around with a sword, and practically living in the training grounds every day.”
His words were laced with a father’s sigh, but also an undeniable love for his child.
“If she wants to succeed you, does that mean her goal is to become a Sword Master?”
“It is. That blasted girl, I’ll admit she has a talent for the sword… but isn’t it about time she started thinking about getting married? The biggest problem is that she says she won’t marry any man who isn’t stronger than her. Haha.”
“……I see. She is quite particular.”
“What do you say, Marquis? You meet the condition, don’t you?”
“I must respectfully decline.”
“I figured you would.”
Duke Baran chuckled and slowly rose from his seat. In his hand was a half-empty bottle of wine.
“Ah, I originally intended to give you this wine… but it seems I’ve drunk it all myself. I’ll bring something better next time.”
“Travel safely.”
Baran gave me one last mischievous look and said.
“I’ll bring my daughter with me next time. Who knows what might happen if you meet her in person?”
I simply smiled in silence for a moment.
“…I’ll have to make my screening criteria a little stricter then.”
Baran let out a hearty laugh and left the mansion.
*
Bi-yeon remained hidden as she followed Jin Seo-yun.
She watched him walk hand-in-hand with a viscount’s daughter in a red dress, laughing. Before long, he pulled the woman to the back of a quiet garden and began to fuck her without a care in the world.
Her eyebrow twitched.
“Haa…”
She bit her lip and flicked her fingertips. The moans of pleasure coming from beyond the bushes amplified and stabbed into her ears.
—Schlurp… Haaah…♡ My lord Marquis… It’s so big…♡
Bi-yeon’s brow furrowed deeper by the second.
‘This bastard… After kissing me… he doesn’t have a shred of interest in me?’
That first kiss in the carriage, and the one after. The thrilling sensation of her heart pounding as if it would burst was still vivid—
‘…Is he pissed just because I got startled and scratched his face that day?’
But that didn’t seem right either. Before, Jin Seo-yun’s mind had been filled with the desire to take her.
But lately, she hadn’t felt that kind of thought or gaze from him at all.
‘…It means you’re too busy fucking other bitches, you bastard.’
Even as her shoulders trembled with rage, her hand had already found its way down below.
Watching Jin Seo-yun and the woman coupling from above, Bi-yeon imagined herself in the woman’s place, and her breathing grew increasingly ragged.
*
“Ahng…♡ My lord Marquis…!”
With a final moan from the corner of the garden, Jin Seo-yun emerged, casually straightening his clothes. Behind him, the woman in the red dress staggered, her legs weak.
“I had a wonderful time today, my lord Marquis…♡”
“I was also satisfied. Let’s meet again soon.”
After a perfunctory farewell, Jin Seo-yun sent her on her way and returned to the mansion.
Bi-yeon followed him, muttering to herself.
“That’s the seventeenth. The seventeenth one. This week alone.”
Since coming to the capital, Jin Seo-yun’s routine had been set. Meetings with nobles in the morning, appraising the daughters of lower-ranking nobles in the afternoon, a ‘date’ with a girl he fancied in the evening, and at night…
“He just fools around with different bitches every single day…”
Bi-yeon gritted her teeth and muttered.
When Jin Seo-yun entered the mansion’s study, Bi-yeon revealed herself.
“Hey.”
“Oh? Bi-yeon. Where have you been?”
“…Just getting some fresh air.”
Jin Seo-yun sat down in his chair nonchalantly.
“Right. Good work today. Want some chicken?”
“……”
Bi-yeon didn’t answer. Instead, she crossed her arms and glared at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“You… you haven’t been interested in me lately, have you?”
Jin Seo-yun’s hand paused. He slowly lifted his head to look at Bi-yeon.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about? You spend every day fooling around with other bitches, and you don’t even look at me.”
“……?”
Jin Seo-yun’s eyes widened slightly. He could sense a strange tone in Bi-yeon’s voice.
“Don’t tell me… are you jealous?”
“Jealous? Me? Of who?”
Bi-yeon’s voice went up an octave. Her face instantly flushed red.
“Of you, of course. You’re jealous because you saw me with another woman.”
“Me, jealous? Hah, don’t be ridiculous. I’m just… just a little upset, that’s all!”
“Upset?”
Jin Seo-yun stood up from his chair with a meaningful smile. He slowly approached Bi-yeon.
“Why are you upset?”
“Th-That’s…”
Bi-yeon’s words trailed off as she avoided his gaze. But Jin Seo-yun continued to close the distance until he was standing right in front of her.
“Could it be… you’ve started to take an interest in me?”
“Th-That’s crazy! Why would I ever be interested in someone like you—?”
“Then why are you jealous?”
“I told you, I’m not jealous!”
“Then, what are you upset about?”
Bi-yeon opened and closed her mouth, unable to answer. She didn’t know exactly what she was upset about either.
But one thing was certain. Whenever Jin Seo-yun’s attention drifted away from her, and whenever he laughed with other women, a corner of her heart would tighten with an inexplicable frustration.
“……I don’t know.”
Bi-yeon finally muttered in a small voice.
“I don’t know what it is… I just don’t feel good.”
At her honest confession, the corners of Jin Seo-yun’s lips curled up slightly.
“That’s what you call jealousy.”
“I said it’s not!”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s… it’s…”
While Bi-yeon struggled for words, Jin Seo-yun suddenly lifted her chin.
“Huh?”
In that instant, Bi-yeon’s eyes widened. Jin Seo-yun’s face was right in front of hers.
“Then… how about I give you the attention you want?”
“Wh-What are you trying to do…?”
Jin Seo-yun slowly leaned in. Bi-yeon unconsciously held her breath, her eyes wide as she stared at him.
“Kiss you.”
Bi-yeon stared at him in silence, then finally closed her eyes.
And when Jin Seo-yun’s hand caressed her breast and cupped her ass, Bi-yeon only flinched, but she didn’t slap his hand away or scratch his face like before.