Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Roman Holiday (5)
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"I-I'm sorry!"
Roberto hastily bowed his head, rubbing his bruised shin.
Isabella huffed and crossed her arms.
"By the way, is everything quiet in Rome?"
"Well. Actually, there is one thing I need to report."
"What is it?"
Isabella asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Cheonseonseong has appeared in Italy."
"...Demian?"
Demian Salvatore, the Cheonseonseong (天船星).
A member of the Seven Stars, considered among the strongest in the world, and a high-ranking Awakened of Libra.
Despite his immense power, he was famous for operating alone without forming his own faction, but what made him most famous was his moniker.
'The Sword of Justice'.
True to his title, he roamed the world like a secret royal inspector, judging hundreds, even thousands of villains to punish evil.
And from the perspective of the Sword of Justice, a 'vampire' who subsisted on human blood was—
"...This is a problem."
an 'evil' that must be eliminated.
"Why did he suddenly come to Italy?"
"We haven't been able to determine that."
"Hmph."
Isabella frowned, clearly displeased.
The existence of the Leech Faction was thoroughly concealed under the Colagrande name, and unlike other Black Star Guild factions, they had never harmed people—if anything, they'd helped them—so there was no reason for them to be discovered, but...
Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about the sudden visit from the 'Sword of Justice'.
"Monitor Demian's movements closely. And find out why he's in Italy."
"Yes. Understood."
Roberto bowed deeply.
Swoosh.
His body vanished as if melting into the shadows.
"Haaah."
A deep sigh escaped Isabella's lips.
She had been so excited, planning to completely seduce Oh-jin this time.
'The Curse of Jamiwon and now the Sword of Justice... There are too many interruptions.'
Isabella bit her lip and dragged the tip of her sandal on the ground.
She looked up at the blazing sun.
"I suppose I'll have to lie low until nightfall."
The Curse of Jamiwon, which gnawed at her Stigma and tormented her, would lose its effect at night.
Deciding she needed to be cautious until sunset, Isabella walked toward the van parked on the road.
* * *
"......"
In a deserted, secluded alley.
Oh-jin, who had been using Black Curtain to eavesdrop on Isabella and Roberto's conversation, watched her walk toward the van on the road, his eyes narrowing.
'So the curse is still active.'
No wonder she suddenly clutched her chest in pain. So that was the reason.
"Anyway, the Sword of Justice..."
Demian Salvatore, the Cheonseonseong.
Oh-jin had heard the rumors about him as well.
'I hope he doesn't get involved with Isabella.'
Eavesdropping on Roberto and Isabella's conversation had made one more thing clear.
Isabella held feelings for him that went beyond simple goodwill.
Well, it wasn't hard to guess from her actions so far.
Still, hearing those feelings confirmed not by Isabella playing the 'Saint of Rome', but by the real Isabella, felt different.
-W-What if he rejects you?!
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
The exclamation naturally popped into his head, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Not the Saint of Rome, not the Leech Queen.
He felt like he'd finally gotten a proper glimpse into the true heart of 'Isabella Colagrande'.
'Though she's still as unpredictable as ever.'
Still.
Maybe he could let his guard down with her, just a little.
Maybe he could approach her as 'Kwon Oh-jin', setting aside his roles as the Apostle of the North Star and the Lightning Wolf.
'I should probably head back before Isabella spots me.'
If he stayed away any longer, Ha-eun, who must be looking for him, might run into Isabella.
That would surely cause another uproar.
"Heave-ho."
Oh-jin moved to a blind spot from the van Isabella had entered and returned to the sea.
"Grrr. Keoheong!"
"Aargh! You little mutt!"
"Huhu! A warrior never backs down from a challenge!"
In the sea, Ha-eun and Riak were busy splashing and playing around.
Ruuuumble!
Whoosh!
He wasn't sure if the pillars of water shooting several meters high, as if a cannonball had exploded, could really be called 'playing'.
In any case, Ha-eun and Riak seemed to be having a great time bickering with each other.
[Where have you been?]
Splash, splash.
Lazing on a donut-shaped tube and sunbathing, Vega paddled her feet and approached Oh-jin.
Oh-jin submerged himself in the warm seawater, meeting her gaze.
"Isabella said she wasn't feeling well, so I saw her off."
[Hmm. Is she not plotting something?]
Vega asked worriedly.
Well.
Since she also knew Isabella's true identity, she had every reason to be concerned.
"I don't think we need to be that wary of her."
Oh-jin shrugged, recalling the conversation he'd heard in the alley.
Vega's eyes narrowed.
Oh-jin's sudden change in attitude bothered her.
[...Hah!]
Then, as if a thought struck her, Vega's eyes widened.
[Her chest! It was her chest!]
"What?"
[My child has been bewitched by that girl's wicked things!]
She didn't quite understand human aesthetics, but.
judging by the reactions of the men around them when they arrived at the beach, she could easily guess what a dangerous weapon Isabella carried on her body.
[Begone from my child's mind, you bewitching things!]
"Ow, ow."
Vega paddled closer with all her might and started smacking Oh-jin's forehead.
Oh-jin chuckled and shook his head.
"It's not like that, so don't worry."
[Hmph... Are you sure you haven't been bewitched by that girl's wicked things?]
"Well."
To be honest.
Well.
my eyes might have wandered a little.
[Aah! I-I knew it!]
He barely managed to stop Vega, who was puffing up her cheeks and threatening to manifest in her true form, as he slowly moved into deeper water until it reached his shoulders.
"Phew."
As he took a deep breath and soaked in the seawater, he felt a warm energy seeping into his injured mana circuits.
[Does it seem to be effective for your internal injuries?]
"Yeah. It's like... cool and warm at the same time?"
He wondered if this was what it felt like to soak in a carbonated hot spring, said to be good for one's health.
The mana mixed in the seawater tickled his skin as it brushed past, then gently seeped through his pores to warmly heal his damaged mana circuits.
"This feels surprisingly good."
The effects of the Sanctum were so remarkable that he instantly understood why only a select few powerful people monopolized this place in secret.
[Is that so?]
Vega smiled in satisfaction, looking relieved.
"If I soak here and rest for a few days, I think my internal injuries will heal right up."
[Huhu. That is a relief. Take this chance to rest well, without any cares or worries.]
Hup.
Vega leaped from her donut tube and settled on top of Oh-jin's head.
With a gentle smile, she stroked Oh-jin's wet hair and continued.
[Weighed down by the name Star of Rebellion... you have always pushed yourself too hard.]
It had been exactly one year since she first met Oh-jin.
For a Constellation, it was a brief moment, a mere instant.
During that time, Oh-jin had used his knowledge and experience as a Regressor to grow at an unrecognizable pace.
'No. He did not grow strong through that alone.'
Having watched over him all this time, she knew.
She knew how desperately he had struggled, how brutally he had pushed forward to become this strong.
Even she, watching from the side, had trembled with anxiety, so how difficult must it have been for him?
[My admirable child.]
Vega stroked Oh-jin's forehead, looking proud.
Oh-jin felt Vega's touch tickling his forehead and gave a bitter smile.
"Should we go a little deeper?"
[If you wish.]
With Vega on his head, Oh-jin swam toward deeper water.
The farther he got from the shore, the more the water temperature rose, until the seawater was hot enough to make his skin flush red.
"Hm?"
As he continued to swim, he saw a buoy floating on the water with a warning message written on it.
'Is this where the gate is?'
Intrigued, Oh-jin dived under the water and looked around.
He seemed to be some distance from the gate, as he couldn't see it with the naked eye.
[Perhaps... a Dragon Vein flows here.]
"A Dragon Vein?"
Oh-jin swam back to the surface, his eyes wide at Vega's sudden words.
[Has not the entire sea and climate of this area changed? For a place to be so greatly affected by the star's mana, it would not be strange for a Dragon Vein to be flowing here.]
A Dragon Vein was a place where the star's mana flowed in abnormally high concentrations.
Just as she said, a Sanctum that had undergone such a wide-scale climate change was likely to have a Dragon Vein.
'In that case.'
Oh-jin's eyes sparkled.
If there was indeed a Dragon Vein here, he should be able to absorb its power with Black Heaven.
'Not right now, though.'
His internal injuries weren't fully healed, and with Vega by his side, he couldn't use Black Heaven.
'I'll have to come back and check later.'
With that thought, he turned back toward the shore.
"Let's head back to where Nunna and Riak are."
[Hmph. I wished to spend a little more leisurely time with you.]
"Haha. We can come back together tomorrow."
He was planning to come back a few more times to investigate the Dragon Vein anyway.
[Very well. Let us return.]
He swam again with Vega on his head.
Swoooosh!
Oh-jin sped forward like a water skier.
Just as he reached the vicinity of the beach,
"H-Help! Someone's drowning over there!"
an urgent voice called out.
Oh-jin turned his head and scanned the area.
He saw a person flailing in the water.
'There are no lifeguards... I see.'
It seemed they hadn't even stationed lifeguards, likely to keep the Sanctum's existence as secret as possible.
[My child!]
Feeling Vega urgently tugging at his hair, Oh-jin clicked his tongue.
He swam quickly toward the flailing person.
Splash, splash!!
A woman, thrashing about like an inflatable tube man in front of a newly opened store.
Oh-jin grabbed her arm and started swimming toward the shore.
"Are you alright?"
There was no reply.
'Hm?'
Oh-jin frowned and looked back at the woman he was holding.
The woman's lower body had melted away from the navel down.
Her spilled intestines floated on the water's surface like buoys.
"The fuck?"
What the hell is this?