Chapter 501: The Exchange (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 501: The Exchange (10)
It goes without saying, but the match between the two ended in Francis’s victory.
“Ugh…!”
Angela collapsed after a fierce fight that felt like a real battle.
Francis, having knocked her down, raised his chin high and declared his triumph.
“Hahaha! With this, I’ve achieved 792 wins in 792 matches!”
“……”
Hearing that absurd record, I understood.
I understood how Angela had been able to get so strong.
She had fought nearly 800 battles against Francis, who had always been the best from the past to the present. Of course her skills would improve.
The two, who had been isolated in a separate space, returned to the banquet hall.
“Dammit!”
“Hahaha! Don’t beat yourself up, Angela.”
He pointed to his chin with his thumb and continued.
“Your opponent was me, after all.”
“Graaaah!”
A second explosion of anger erupted.
It seemed this was what Exchange Meetings were generally like. A banquet where everyone could laugh and chat, soothing the weary bodies and minds of those who worked to maintain world peace.
“Heehee.”
As proof, wasn’t the Saintess, who was watching this unfold, letting out a constant stream of laughter?
Just then, the Saintess asked me.
“What do you think? How does it feel to attend the Exchange Meeting for the first time?”
What do I think?
The answer was already decided.
“It feels warm.”
A group, by its very nature, is formed to realize a common purpose and shared interests.
Having led such a group myself, I knew.
A harmonious group where members genuinely care for one another is a blessing in itself.
My thoughts drifted to my old comrades.
Not the ones by my side now, but the ones who had steadfastly supported me during my time as Son Si-woo.
There was a time when we were like that, too.
“You know,” she said.
Her voice pulled me from my reverie.
“I’m very fond of everyone here.”
It was a shy, sincere confession, like a girl telling a boy she likes him.
“That’s why sometimes… it’s painful for me to give them orders.”
“…I can imagine.”
I thought I knew what she meant.
World peace is built solely on dedication and sacrifice.
Therefore, the Saintess, as the leader of this group, must sometimes force the very people she cherishes to make sacrifices.
Sending an investigator into a place where death lurks.
Infiltrating an enemy hideout that was discovered with great difficulty.
Fighting and dying a heroic death in a battle where they are clearly outnumbered.
These were things that had to be done for the sake of the group’s objective.
But no matter how much you justify or rationalize it, you can’t help the heartache.
That’s just how human affection works.
It was in that moment that I began to feel a fraction of the weight of the burden she carried.
“Through the sacrifice of our comrades, we’ve discovered the base of someone presumed to be an Apostle of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
“……!”
Her words made my eyes widen in shock.
“They don’t yet know that their base has been discovered. So… I’m planning a surprise attack before they find out.”
I had a rough idea.
I knew what words would follow.
“As I said a moment ago… I’m fond of everyone here. I want to survive with them for as long as possible… no, if I could, until our mission is complete.”
After voicing a desire that was close to impossible, her gaze turned to me.
“To do that, I need someone special.”
“Someone special, you say…”
“Someone who possesses both great strength and leadership. There are many strong Hunters and many good leaders, but it’s rare to find someone with both. Even among us…”
Her gaze, which had lingered on me for a moment, shifted to Francis Meyer, who was laughing and chatting among the crowd with his arm around the shoulder of a pouting Angela.
“Like Sir Francis over there.”
Then, her eyes returned to meet mine.
“Or perhaps Hunter Kim Do-jin, who is standing before me.”
“That’s high praise.”
“No, it’s not. I truly believe that, and that’s why… I desperately need both of your help.”
The Saintess cut through my humble words without hesitation.
She took a bold step forward, reached out, and took my hand.
“Hunter Kim Do-jin.”
“…Yes, Saintess.”
“Will you, alongside Sir Francis, lead the vanguard for this operation?”
The Apostles of the Seven Deadly Sins were enemies not only to the Guardians, but to me as well.
Frankly, that alone was reason enough to participate in the operation.
And a joint operation with Francis Meyer, someone I’d wanted to work with at least once?
It couldn’t be better.
And so, I placed my other hand over hers and spoke in a calm tone.
“This is my first time at the Exchange Meeting, but the warmth I felt from my comrades who welcomed me so kindly, and the friendly atmosphere I experienced among them, was very special to me.”
This was my chance to score points with her.
As such, I showed just enough agreement with her sentiment, careful not to overdo it.
“But as you know, Saintess… I’m not a man so righteous as to risk my life for comrades I’ve just met.”
It was important to stick to my persona.
To harbor justice in my heart, but at the same time, to give off a worldly vibe.
“So this time, I’ll fight for you, Saintess, for trusting me, and for Angela, with whom I’ve already crossed the line between life and death several times. In return, you’ll have to make my devotion worth my while, understand?”
She nodded.
“I promise.”
Letting go of my hand, she smiled cheerfully.
“Then it’s settled. Shall we have a toast to the success of the operation?”
“Heehee, I’d love to.”
I handed her a glass of champagne from the table and murmured softly.
“To the success of the operation.”
Clink!
As I downed the champagne from our clinking glasses, I watched her from the corner of my eye.
I learned something for the first time today.
The Saintess, too, possessed desire.
Of course, it was nothing more than an exceedingly benevolent desire.
But whether it was good or evil…
Desire, that creature, would greedily swell its body whenever given the chance.
The Saintess’s desire would be no different.
Perhaps that could be the opening.
The one and only opening to swallow the Guardians, including her, whole.
Hiding this thought deep in my heart, I faced the Saintess and drained another glass of champagne.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The Exchange Meeting, which had continued late into the night, finally came to an end.
Everyone was disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped.
The Exchange Meeting had to conclude before the Star Cluster Assembly ended to avoid any potential suspicion.
I left the room with Old Man Merlin, who had transported everyone to various locations throughout the banquet hall.
“…Keep your space magic hidden for the time being.”
“For how long?”
“I plan to visit the royal family soon and bring up your story.”
“Aha.”
In other words, he was asking for time until he could go grovel before the royal family.
“Sure, why not.”
It wasn’t a difficult request, so I agreed readily.
I considered using this as an excuse to squeeze out some extra benefits, but decided against it.
I’d already stolen his ultimate technique right from under his nose. A man’s got to have some conscience.
Anyway, I wonder if my kids were okay without me.
I was walking down the long corridor and had just reached the main hall of the banquet venue.
I could see my guild members gathered at the table where we had first sat.
And one other person standing beside them.
“That person is…?”
Sharp eyes and an angular face.
A towering frame nearing two meters, wrapped in muscles that looked ready to burst.
Old Man Merlin spoke the name I was about to say.
“Isn’t that Morgan Paul?”
“…Looks like it.”
Morgan Paul.
One of the top three strongest Hunters in America, the country with the most S-rank Hunters.
He was also the guild master of ‘Utopia,’ a major American guild.
Appearing out of nowhere, he was staring at one person sitting at the table.
As I got a little closer, I could hear their conversation.
“I need you.”
“I don’t need you.”
“Come on… you know, don’t you? What we can do when we’re together!”
“I don’t know, I’m not so sure.”
A one-sided courtship was underway.
A man’s desperate plea to win back a woman’s heart.
Only then did I remember.
“Ju-yeon, come back. Our guild, no… I still need you.”
The guild Ju-yeon had been a part of when she was in America was the Utopia Guild.
“I’m already a member of another guild.”
“I don’t care what the penalty fee is. If I can have you back, that kind of money is nothing…!”
“It’s not about the money.”
“Then what is it…”
Ju-yeon’s gaze met Morgan Paul’s for the first time.
Unlike his pleading eyes, hers were utterly cold and sharp.
“I like how things are now. It’s incomparably better than when I was with you.”
“Ju-yeon…”
“So go back. I don’t want to make my guild members uncomfortable any longer.”
Her reply was as cutting as a dagger.
It was so final that it made me nod, thinking, so this is how you sever ties with someone.
But perhaps it was because of who he was.
“…Give me a chance. I’m confident I can make you several times happier than you are now!”
Morgan Paul was persistent.
I couldn’t tell if he was tenacious or just clueless.
Despite Ju-yeon’s sharp rejection, he didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down easily.
In that case, I’d have to be the one to end it.
Leaving Old Man Merlin to watch with a fascinated expression, I walked toward the table.
Just as I was getting close.
Morgan Paul’s massive hand, the size of a cauldron lid, reached for Ju-yeon.
What is this bastard doing?
With a surge of heat, I kicked off the ground.
“Ju-yeon, don’t be like that, just talk with me a little more…”
I closed the distance in an instant, grabbing Morgan Paul’s hand as he tried to seize Ju-yeon’s wrist and lifting it up.
“Well, hello there. A pleasure to meet you. You’re Mr. Morgan Paul, right?”
The man scowled at my sudden appearance and physical contact, shaking his hand free.
“…Who are you? Interrupting and grabbing someone’s hand as you please.”
Perhaps she was happy about my timely arrival.
“Do-jin!”
A smile bloomed on Ju-yeon’s worried face.
With her support, I put on an air of arrogance.
“I’m Kim Do-jin, the master of the Twilight Guild.”
The corner of his eye twitched.
“You’re that…!”
His gaze turned hostile.
I responded to his expression, which looked as if he were facing his mortal enemy, with a bright smile.
And then, a warning.
“Mr. Morgan Paul. Our guild members are quite beautiful, so I’ll permit you to look, but please don’t extend your hands as you please. You might lose one, you know?”
“What…?!”
A powerful aura began to radiate from the enraged man’s body.