Chapter 231: Catastrophe
Chapter 231: Catastrophe
The day was gradually coming to an end. The Light Stones neatly embedded in the ceiling had been extinguished, and darkness was stealthily creeping into the room. However, a space of light still remained, pouring through the window on the left wall where the darkness had yet to reach. It was tinged with the deep colors of the sunset. And illuminated by that light, a woman was sprawled across a bed that seemed a bit too wide for one person.
The woman’s features were less innocent and more seductive, her lines alluring. Her disheveled hair was scattered across the bed, and though a few strands occasionally stuck to her face, it didn't look messy. Instead, it only served to further accentuate her sexiness.
Her body was, on the whole, slender. Still, her breasts rose in a gentle swell, saving her from looking unpleasantly gaunt. The woman was Sung Yubin.
Sung Yubin’s even breathing hitched, and with a sudden grimace, she sat up. She shook her body once or twice, shrugging off the robe that covered her, then pulled down her bottoms with both hands and spread her thighs. Lowering her head, she carefully inspected her private parts before letting out a string of harsh curses.
“Ah, fuck. It’s swollen again. That crazy bastard should’ve known when to stop.”
Sung Yubin gently stroked her precious area before rummaging through her robe with a practiced hand. Soon, she pulled out a small glass bottle, hastily uncorked it, and poured its contents onto the red, swollen flesh.
“Ah, ah, ah. It fucking hurts. All because of that goddamn bastard. Ah, ah, ah.”
Each time the clear liquid soaked her, Sung Yubin’s body twitched, and she let out faint moans of pain. But the medicine was clearly effective; as the liquid in the bottle decreased, the swelling began to subside in proportion. After pouring out every last drop, she tapped the bottle with a slender finger and tossed it behind her. A moment later, the sound of shattering glass echoed with a crash.
“Hah. I can finally breathe.”
Pulling her bottoms back up, Sung Yubin spread her arms wide and fell back limply onto the bed. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a knock, knock came from the door. She reflexively spat out another curse.
“Who is it?”
“Clan member Kim Hanbyul. I was told you called for me.”
“Kim Hanbyul? Ah, right.”
“…I’m coming in.”
Kim Hanbyul appeared through the cautiously opened door. Taking two steps into the room, she stood before Sung Yubin without a word. A moment of silence passed. Finally, without even looking at Kim Hanbyul, Sung Yubin spoke from her position on the bed.
“Guess why~ I called you?”
“……”
“Not going to answer? Well, I suppose you know what this is about by now, even without me saying it. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked. Anyway, how is it coming along?”
“……”
“Still no progress, I see.”
Kim Hanbyul didn’t answer. No, she couldn’t. In truth, the order from above hadn’t progressed one bit. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting a harsh reprimand or perhaps another slap across the face. But Sung Yubin’s next words defied her expectations.
“Hey. Just stop. Don’t do it anymore.”
“…Pardon?”
“If you don’t want to do it, then quit.”
Kim Hanbyul couldn’t believe her ears. Her eyes shot open, a look of disbelief spreading across her face. Sung Yubin sighed and shot up again, crossing her legs and continuing in a weary voice.
“A new order came from the higher-ups. They said we don’t have to stick to this method.”
“Ah, yes. Does that mean we’re giving up on the Mercenary Lord?”
“Are you crazy? It’s the opposite. Saying we don’t have to stick to this method means we can use any method. Do Youngrok said to get results this week, no matter what. Since the higher-ups wants news as soon as possible, we need to try various approaches.”
Sung Yubin wore a troubled expression as she spoke. Sensing her sincerity, a flicker of relief crossed Kim Hanbyul’s face. But in that same instant, a thought flashed through her mind, and her eyes widened.
“You’re changing the method?”
“Yeah. For starters, I’m thinking of approaching him myself instead of you. What do you think?”
“What?”
“Sleeping with him a few times might not be so bad. Honestly, he’s handsome enough, and his body isn’t bad either. He seems interested in me, so we’d simply be doing each other a favor for the sake of a good relationship going forward. I’m not wrong, am I? I’m a cadre of the Golden Lion, and he’s a promising Year 0 User.”
“B-but there’s no guarantee that will work. And wouldn’t approaching him so suddenly under these circumstances seem strange?”
“Right. That’s the problem. But thanks to someone, we don’t have much time left. The Academy is ending soon, so we have to wrap this up within the week at the latest. Anyway, nothing’s set in stone yet; I’m just considering various options. If it gets too difficult, we’ll have to use our last resort, but that’s exactly what it is—a last resort, so we should save it.”
At Sung Yubin’s mention of a “last resort,” Kim Hanbyul’s face went blank. Though she hadn’t specified what it was, Hanbyul instinctively sensed a dangerous scent wafting from those words. The moment she did, her mind went as white as a blank sheet of paper. Her usually quick-thinking brain ground to a halt, and a deep worry for someone began to swell in her chest.
Watching Sung Yubin still contemplating before her, Kim Hanbyul found herself blurting out words she couldn’t take back.
“I’ll do it!”
“Shit, you scared me! Keep your voice down! My head is killing me already… What did you say?”
Kim Hanbyul’s shout made Sung Yubin’s brow furrow deeply. But sensing something in her words, she immediately looked up and questioned her.
“I-I’ll do it. Please let me do it. I’m begging you.”
“What? Wait. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to do this? Why the sudden change?”
“I was just hesitating a little. If you just wait a little longer, I can get definite results.”
“‘Wait a little longer.’ Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? What are you going to do if you screw this up? Will you take responsibility?”
Hearing Sung Yubin’s skeptical voice, Kim Hanbyul’s stalled mind began to race once more. Steeling her wavering heart, she opened her mouth.
“The Mercenary Lord is attracting attention from a lot of clans. If you make sexual contact with him now, or use some other forceful method, wouldn’t that risk creating ugly rumors? There’s no need to give anyone an opening, is there?”
“Well, you have a point. But doesn’t that apply to you too?”
“No. The Mercenary Lord and I have been together since the Rite of Passage. It still wouldn’t be perfect, but I think it would look far less suspicious than if you approached him or we used another method. At least there would be a plausible explanation.”
“True. If we handle that part well, we could probably come up with a decent excuse or two. But that’s what we were hoping for from the start. So why the sudden change of heart?”
Sung Yubin tilted her head, her tone laced with suspicion. Kim Hanbyul fell silent for a moment. Then, cautiously watching Sung Yubin’s expression, she continued in a low voice.
“I’ve seen how hard the cadres have been working lately… and you’ve all helped me so much… and as a prospective cadre, I want to contribute something to the clan…”
“…Hmph.”
“I-I think I’ve been wrong all this time. I’m sorry. To be honest, I’ve been under a lot of stress, but now I want to free myself from that too…”
“…Heh.”
While she had been stammering earlier, Sung Yubin had watched her with a strange look, but at her last words, she let out a small laugh. She stared for a moment at Kim Hanbyul, whose head was bowed low. A subtle expression colored Sung Yubin’s face as she slowly rose from her seat.
Sung Yubin circled the motionless Kim Hanbyul, then raised a hand and placed it on her shoulder.
“That’s the first thing you’ve said that I’ve liked.”
“……”
“Yes. That’s the attitude. Admitting your faults and showing you’re willing to do something for the clan. You’re still a prospective cadre, not a cadre yet, right?”
“Yes. You’re right, Cadre-nim.”
A deep smile spread across Sung Yubin’s face at Kim Hanbyul’s words. Her hand slid down from her shoulder, past her chest, and over her stomach. A wave of shame sent a hot blush across Kim Hanbyul’s face, but she bit her lip and endured it.
“Can I really trust you?”
“I would appreciate it if you gave me one more chance.”
“Heh. Right. You may be a prospective cadre now, but you’re on track to become an unprecedented 0-year cadre. You need at least one achievement to your name. Fine. If you wrap this up nicely… you know what that means, right?”
“Yes. I’m confident I won’t disappoint you.”
“How admirable. So very admirable. How could I possibly refuse when our noble Jewel Princess is begging—no, asking—to spread her own legs like this? Fine! I’ll leave this matter to you.”
Sung Yubin’s sharp words cut into Kim Hanbyul once more. But she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. ‘She’s so suspicious. She must be testing me on purpose right now.’ Thinking that, Kim Hanbyul lowered her head slightly, signaling her obedience.
Finally, as if convinced that Kim Hanbyul had at last genuinely submitted to her, Sung Yubin bared her teeth in a triumphant grin. After laughing silently for a while, she wrapped an arm around the bowed woman’s shoulders, patted her encouragingly, and whispered for her to do a good job.
“Ahahaha! Ahahaha!”
As Kim Hanbyul left Sung Yubin’s quarters, she could hear the woman’s shrieking laughter behind her. Only then was she finally able to relax her tightly clenched jaw. But a clear bite mark was imprinted on her lower lip, and from between her still-clenched fists, a thin trickle of blood was flowing.
*
At my word, Ko Yeonju immediately left Barbara. She couldn’t hide the worried look in her eyes until the very end, but my mind was incredibly at peace. I wanted to know why my heart was so inexplicably calm. To find the reason, I slowly sank into thought and began to organize the recent events one by one.
The biggest issue at present was undoubtedly the Matriarch’s death. The hot-button question was who killed her, and why. There were two possibilities: it was an inside job, or it wasn’t.
If I assumed it was an inside job, the path split in two again. Either the Golden Lion and its allied clans did it, or the clans not participating in the expedition did it. From an objective standpoint, both had sufficient reason to kill the Matriarch. The benefits they would gain from her death were clear.
However. I felt like I was on the verge of grasping something, yet I was still missing a piece. I had retraced my thoughts along those two paths for a long time, but the feeling of uncertainty wouldn’t go away. So, this time, I decided to turn down a third path.
What if I assume it wasn’t an inside job?
If that were the case, there was only one answer. The Vagabonds killed the Matriarch for some purpose. Of course, there were some suspicious aspects to the process, but for now, I decided to focus only on the result.
So why did the Vagabonds kill the Matriarch? For what purpose? The only thing that had happened to them was the Vagabond Extermination Plan, which led to…
“Ah.”
The thought struck me in that instant. A memory flashed through my mind, and I shot up from my seat. A sudden chill ran down my spine. I had intentionally avoided referencing my memories of the 1st playthrough regarding this matter, thinking the future had been twisted. But in the 1st playthrough, the Vagabonds had definitely invaded the Northern Continent. They wanted revenge on the Golden Lion, and with the Western Continent backing them, the southeastern clans had simply stood by and watched.
Right. There was no need to consider the three cases separately. If I combine them all into one answer…
It fits. It’s not strange at all. The realization sent shivers down my entire body. At the same time, I understood why I had been so at peace.
Until now, I had often felt a subtle anxiety because I couldn’t predict the future. But not anymore. The current situation, despite different internal circumstances, was simply repeating the events of the 1st playthrough. If that’s the case…
It was then. Just as a piece of the puzzle was about to click into place in my mind, a faint voice from beside me broke through my thoughts.
“Um… Oppa.”
“……?”
“You’re not sleeping?”
“Ah. I can’t really sleep. You too?”
When I turned my head, I saw Hanbyul with her face buried in her pillow, giving a slight nod. A quiet silence fell between us for a moment. But soon, I saw her lips slowly part.
“Oppa. Are you free this weekend, by any chance?”
“The weekend? Do we have another dinner appointment?”
“N-no.”
“Then why?”
“It’s… it’s nothing.”
“Don’t be silly.”
I was slightly annoyed at being interrupted while I was deep in important thought, but I didn’t let it show. A moment later, her voice reached my ears again.
“Y-you’ll still be coming back to the room… right?”
As I stared at her with a placid expression, Hanbyul lowered her gaze, her words trailing off. “I probably will. I have to sleep, after all,” I replied nonchalantly and slowly closed my eyes. She, too, seemed to have nothing more to say and didn’t speak to me again.
Perhaps because it was early morning, a chilly air filled the room. I pulled the blanket up higher and replayed my earlier thoughts in my mind.
One side wants to regain control. The other wants to seize it. It’s a situation where conflict is inevitable. And there are those who want that conflict to happen. If so…
The future has changed. But it hasn’t.