Chapter 475: On Second Thought, One Bushel Isn’t Enough. I Think I’ll Take Ten
Chapter 475: On Second Thought, One Bushel Isn’t Enough. I Think I’ll Take Ten
Monica, a small city in the south. It was where the Mercenary Clan first established itself, and the city currently managed by the Istantel Low clan.
While Mercenary had made great strides, Istantel Low hadn't been idle either. As Monica's representative clan, they had worked harder than anyone, focusing on internal management and external stabilization.
As a result, Monica had grown beyond the level of other small cities and was now considered nearly on par with a general city.
There were two main criteria Users considered when choosing a city to live in.
First, it had to be safe. If the area outside the city was teeming with monsters to the point where activity was impossible, most Users would be reluctant to settle there.
Second, life within the city had to be convenient.
It was a simple truth: the safer and more livable a city was, the more Users it would attract.
Han Soyoung understood these criteria all too well. As the city grew, she paid close attention to its internal management, one aspect of which was public security.
For example, as positive rumors about Monica spread and Users flocked in, the night street began to flourish in response.
While this was a natural development, Han Soyoung was not one to simply stand by and watch.
Her stance on the night street was simple.
‘If you’re going to do it, don’t get caught.’
In other words, with the exception of unavoidable cases (such as prostitution for survival), the night street was not tolerated in Monica. Getting caught meant facing the consequences.
At first, the denizens of the night street scoffed. It wasn't as if there had been no regulations on such activities before. They assumed they could just hand over a portion of their profits as a bribe, as they had always done. If things got difficult, they could simply move to another city.
However, Han Soyoung took action the very day after issuing her warning. She launched a surprise raid on the night street and arrested about twenty people to make an example of them. And those twenty Users were all publicly executed in Monica's plaza.
While it could have been a major incident, the public execution went over more smoothly than expected. After all, the authority to manage the city rested solely with the representative clan, and it wasn't as if she hadn't given a warning. It also helped that the executed Users were nobodies with no significant connections.
Han Soyoung sternly warned that any future incidents would be met with the same response, and the night street fell silent, bringing the matter to a close.
Of course, there were still those who couldn't give up on a lucrative market like Monica. But every time they appeared, Han Soyoung hunted them down and, without a single exception, cut off their heads.
As a result, the night market in Monica had all but vanished. Worn down by Han Soyoung's relentless persistence, the Users eventually chose to leave for other cities.
It was around this time that “Iron-Blooded Queen” went beyond being a True Name and became her established moniker.
The Users who left condemned Han Soyoung as a heartless woman, accusing her of using Istantel Low's military power for personal reasons and spilling unnecessary blood.
City management is a subjective matter, so there wasn't much to say, but that was the kind of woman Han Soyoung was. She would unhesitatingly draw steel for what she believed was right and wouldn't shrink from shedding blood if necessary. Perhaps it was this decisiveness that would one day forge the future of Istantel Low.
Lost in thought, I lifted my gaze to the person sitting across from me.
“…”
Across the table, Han Soyoung was quietly eating her meal—noodles, to be precise.
I was in the Istantel Low clan's cafeteria. Having arrived at the appointed time, she had asked if I had eaten yet. I said I hadn't, and she invited me to join her for a meal.
The meeting itself had been arranged on short notice, so the sudden invitation was a bit bewildering, but I wasn't one to refuse. I gladly accepted her offer.
I was briefly puzzled when she led me to the clan cafeteria, of all places, but I understood after the first bite. Istantel Low's chefs were nearly as skilled as our own clan's.
Anyway, what I found truly fascinating was not just her expressionless face as she ate, or the fact that she made not the slightest sound, but something else entirely.
Han Soyoung was now thirty—a full plate of eggs, as they say. Yet, she didn't look thirty at all. No, if anything, age had only caused her innate charm to ripen into a more potent allure.
Her eyes, like black crystals, held a strange magic that seemed to draw you in. Her pursed lips moved slowly, chewing the noodles, their soft, red hue looking impossibly rich and sensual.
“Huuu…”
“?”
I let out a deep sigh. This woman, Han Soyoung… what could I even say?
I felt it every time we met, but seeing her always reminded me that, in the end, I was just a man.
Perhaps this captivating effect was due to her unique ability, Charisma, but Han Soyoung's personal charm was formidable in its own right.
Her appearance was that of a woman overflowing with the cold charisma befitting the Iron-Blooded Queen, yet every subtle gesture and movement exuded a faint, sensual heat.
The synergy created by these contrasting charms was simply tremendous. Even I, with my Mind's Eye raised to its highest level, was being affected.
I couldn't keep staring like this, so I forced my gaze downward. But of all places, my eyes landed on her chest. The memory of how surprisingly large they were flashed through my mind, and when I looked back up at her face, my body reacted on its own. I squeezed my legs together and sighed deeply again, thinking to myself how this was the worst.
A moment later, Han Soyoung seemed to have finished her meal and set down her chopsticks, so I followed suit. While her bowl was spotless, I had barely finished half of mine.
Her eyes flickered over my bowl for a split second, and she blinked twice in quick succession. That was a sign she was slightly flustered. Was she thinking she had eaten too quickly?
After staring at her bowl for a moment, Han Soyoung looked up at me. I pulled my chair as far forward as I could and offered an awkward smile. She tilted her head slightly.
“Mercenary Lord? Is the food not to your liking?”
“No, it’s fine. It’s delicious.”
“You don’t have to force yourself… I don’t mind. Shall we have some tea in my office, then?”
“What? Ah, no. It’s really fine. Hahaha.”
If I stand up now, it’ll be a disaster. There was no way Han Soyoung wouldn't notice. With that thought, I desperately picked up the chopsticks I had just put down. At the same time, I deployed one of my special skills: changing the subject.
“Ah, speaking of which, it seemed like you had something to tell me… I don’t think I’ve heard it yet.”
It was true. The conversations we’d had so far were all trivial—things like the raid on the Sleeping Dragon Mountains or the fact that the investigation team had departed yesterday.
We were both busy people, and it wasn't in Han Soyoung's character to call me over for such idle chatter. There had to be something else.
“You’re right. Actually, I saw the record Mercenary released yesterday.”
As if to confirm my thoughts, Han Soyoung got straight to the point. I had expected something along these lines, so I nodded.
“You’re talking about the matter with the Alliance. Yes. What about it?”
“It’s not a bad thing, but… I can’t help but find your choice this time a little unexpected, Mercenary Lord.”
“Unexpected? I don’t have any other intentions. I have no plans to move to Coran. You can just take it as it is.”
“No, Mercenary Lord. That’s not what I mean. What I’m trying to say is…”
I spoke as if to reassure her, but Han Soyoung calmly shook her head. She looked me straight in the eye and continued.
“To take it as it is, as you say, the Alliance’s movements seem a little strange.”
“…”
“I won’t beat around the bush. If you’ve had some kind of incident with the Alliance, you can tell me. Because Istantel Low and Mercenary are in an offensive and defensive alliance.”
“…Haha.”
Is she really that sharp? Or is she just saying this because she found my decision suspicious? I wasn't sure, but either way, I was grateful.
Although Istantel Low was walking a similar independent path to ours, they were still an alliance that belonged to the south, just like the Coran Alliance. Yet here she was, offering to help us, a clan that wasn't even under her command.
In any case, it felt good. The Coran Alliance was a formidable clan, so for her to say this was proof that she held Mercenary in even higher regard.
But I decided to refuse. I didn't want to drag Han Soyoung into this, and I believed Mercenary was more than capable of handling it alone.
“No, it’s alright. There’s nothing else going on with the Alliance. I did it with good intentions. Of course, I am aiming for other effects as well.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Still, thank you for the offer. Just in case, if things get overwhelming, I’ll be sure to ask Istantel Low for help.”
“Yes, please do. We’ve received so much from the Mercenary Clan until now… Ah. If you don’t like the noodles, perhaps a cup of tea…”
“Slurp, slurp.”
“…Enjoy your meal.”
She told me to enjoy it, but my mind was so preoccupied that I couldn't even taste what I was eating anymore. But who was there to blame?
Cursing my unruly member, which still hadn't calmed down, I inhaled the noodles with a sullen heart.
As I was eating as slowly as possible, I noticed Han Soyoung stirring the broth with her chopsticks. It didn't seem like she was doing it out of boredom; it looked like she had something else to say.
Just then, Han Soyoung glanced up at me. My predictive abilities seemed to be on point today.
“Mercenary Lord… you’re always like this.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you always like that? You like to give… but you don’t receive… Sometimes I wonder. Why are you so good to me, to Istantel Low?”
“…Slurp.”
I sucked the noodles into my mouth.
Considering her position, what she had just said was perfectly understandable. I had fed her all sorts of high-quality information without asking for anything in return, and that had become the driving force behind Istantel Low's rapid growth.
Come to think of it, I felt like I’d been asked a similar question before…
Back then, I was caught off guard and flustered, but I was different now.
I smiled and opened my mouth. The best way to answer a vague question is with a vague answer.
“That’s simple.”
“?”
“When we first settled in Monica, you were very good to us, Istantel Low Clan Lord. You gave us various jobs and sold us the clan house at a cheap price.”
“I did.”
“Exactly. Of course, it’s not exactly the same… but you can think of it in a similar context.”
“…Really?”
Han Soyoung replied calmly, then lowered her gaze slightly and stirred her bowl again. I felt a little dazed.
She was so good at controlling her expression that she could be called the queen of poker faces. But she was still human and couldn't be completely devoid of emotion. Having spent a long time with her, I could read the feelings behind her subtle actions.
And just now, her action was a habit, a mannerism that appeared when she was quite displeased about something.
Did I say something wrong?
…No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer. In the end, I deployed my special skill once more. On second thought, there was something I was curious about. I put down my chopsticks and took out the sword I had brought from the clan warehouse. It was the Sword of Oaths, one of my greatest gains this time.
“Oh, right. Istantel Low Clan Lord. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Would you take a look at this sword for a moment? It’s a piece of equipment called the Sword of Oaths, something I acquired from the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.”
“The Sword of Oaths…?”
I hadn't brought an Appraisal, but I didn't need one. Han Soyoung had an ability called Extrasensory Perception, which had a very broad application, so she could gauge for herself whether the Sword of Oaths was good or bad.
I held it by the hilt so she could see it better, and the beautiful black crystal slid down. The moment I was about to hand it to her, I saw a powerful glint flash in her eyes as she blinked.
I flinched instinctively. I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to give it to her, then moved the sword slightly to the left. Her eyes slid to the left, following it.
…Huh?
When I moved it to the right, her eyes followed. When I moved it back to the left, they followed again. Like a pendulum, Han Soyoung's eyes relentlessly tracked the Sword of Oaths wherever I led it.
It seemed that, as expected, Han Soyoung had recognized the sword's value. Greed had naturally stirred within her. The sight of her expressionless face with her eyes rolling back and forth was actually quite refreshing and funny.
Eventually, I couldn't hold it in any longer, and a soft chuckle escaped me.
“Heh.”
It was then.
As if hearing the sound, Han Soyoung's eyes suddenly widened.
Then, slowly, very slowly, she raised her head.
Her face was as expressionless as ever, but I could see it clearly: her features had frozen solid in an instant, and her gaze had grown a degree colder.
A sense of "oops" washed over me, and I was struck dumb.
“…”
“…”
After a long, chilly silence, Han Soyoung pushed herself up from the table with some force. Then, in a voice as cold as ice, she spoke.
“I’m leaving now.”
“Wh-what? Where are you…”
“I said I’m leaving. I’m busy. You don’t have to see me out.”
“What do you mean…? See you out? This is the Istantel Low clan house…”
I explained calmly. Han Soyoung seemed to pause in thought for a moment. A second later, a dazed look crossed her face, and then, glaring at me so intensely it was impossible to miss, she bit her lip hard. It was almost unheard of for her to show this much emotion, and for a moment, I thought, I'm screwed.
“…Today’s meeting was very refreshing. It was great to see a new side of you, Mercenary Lord. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“W-wait a moment.”
I scrambled to my feet, but Han Soyoung spun around so fast it made a whooshing sound and stormed off. I stared blankly, endlessly, at her retreating back as she radiated an icy aura. I had only been teasing her, partly out of curiosity and partly reminded of old times, but it seemed I had made a very, very big mistake.
Just as Han Soyoung was about to open the door, it burst open from the other side, and someone entered. It was Yeon Hyerim.
Yeon Hyerim looked back and forth between me and Han Soyoung, then grabbed her arm with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? Han Soyoung? Where are you going?”
“Move.”
“But the Mercenary Lord is still here…”
“I said move. Can’t you hear me?”
Han Soyoung lightly shook off her arm, opened the door, and left. A startled Yeon Hyerim took a step or two back and let out a strange sound. Then she approached me, her face a mixture of curiosity and indignation, and asked.
“Hey. Mercenary Lord. What’s with her all of a sudden? Why is she sulking like that?”
“…Sulking? Not angry?”
“Yup. When she’s angry, her eyebrows don’t go up like that. She gets quiet. When her face gets red and she bites her lip, that means she’s clearly sulking. How about that? Good info, right?”
“…Is that so.”
Come to think of it, I hadn't checked the color of her face.
Looking at the giggling Yeon Hyerim, I returned her smile with a wry one of my own.