Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Trust Issue VER.C.PRIM
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The day before the scheduled raid.
The sun was already dipping low in the sky.
Noah went around checking on the troops for a final reorganization.
Maybe because it was the day before the raid, old memories flooded back stronger than ever.
The day they decided to take down Kim Woo-sung had felt the same way—nervous, yet mixed with a strange joy and emptiness.
The rebellion of the past had succeeded without a hitch, but there was no telling how this one would turn out.
Even if it followed a similar path, the past and present were worlds apart.
‘Is the Emperor the same kind of person as Kim Woo-sung?’
Kim Woo-sung’s crimes stemmed from twisted narcissism—what drove the Emperor? It made him curious.
What kind of twisted mind lets you pretend to bond with Prim for years, then betray her without a shred of guilt?
“Deputy Commander! The additional armor we commissioned is finally all ready!”
Lost in thought, Noah was suddenly approached by a soldier.
“Finally?”
To prepare for magic bombardment, he’d ordered a large batch of special armor for the First Corps, who would be at the front lines under Luyan’s command.
Dwarf-made, so it was only just finished now.
They’d prepared extra weapons in case production was delayed, but armor was still better.
“With that much, it’ll take about ten soldiers to transport it all safely. Is it okay to send them?”
Ten was too many. They’d attract attention.
“I’ll go myself.”
The position of ‘Inoa,’ Deputy Commander, wasn’t one that demanded heavy responsibility in this rebellion anyway.
He’d made sure everything was assigned so the rebellion would run smoothly even without him.
In the end, Inoa wouldn’t participate directly.
The revenge was Prim’s, driven by her grudge against the Emperor—not his.
“You’re sure it’s the dwarf village we commissioned?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright, I’ll be back.”
“Take care!!”
With a resounding salute, Dun set off.
* * *
To head to the dwarf village, Dun opened his mouth.
“Summon Lycullin.”
The moment he used the creature summon skill, sparkling flames erupted around him.
Lycullin burst through them.
[……Dun!]
Summoned after so long, Lycullin charged at Dun and reared up on his forelegs. Then he started licking Dun’s face.
“Whoa, easy, easy.”
Dun reached out and ruffled Lycullin’s mane wildly.
Lycullin wagged his tail in response.
The guy had started off all stoic and arrogant, but he was turning into a total puppy.
Rubbing his head against Dun’s body with a contented growl, Lycullin smoothed down his fiery fur and lowered his body temperature for Dun’s comfort.
[Where to?]
“Dwarf village.”
Dun climbed onto Lycullin’s back and showed him the map.
Lycullin memorized the route and took off.
They arrived at the dwarf village in no time on Lycullin.
Dun spotted the piles of armor stacked at the entrance, along with the dwarf who’d prepared them.
A male dwarf with a stubby nose, short stature, and rough hands. Dark circles under his eyes—he looked like he hadn’t slept.
When Dun approached on Lycullin, the dwarf jumped in surprise and rubbed his eyes.
“Looks kinda like a Lycus tribe member…….”
But it didn’t have that sinister monster vibe.
Far more beautiful than the illustrations in the monster compendium.
The dwarf watched as the presumed Lycus creature approached.
A hooded human dismounted from the beautiful Lycus’s back. Even the human was stunning.
“An elf? What brings you to the dwarf village?”
Dun pulled down his hood.
“Human. Here for the commissioned armor.”
“Ah.”
The dwarf handed over the cart loaded with armor.
Dwarf-made armor only fit one per inventory slot, so it had to be carted.
Dun pulled a rope from his inventory and tied it to the cart.
“You’re not the one who placed the order. You with the corps?”
“Kinda loosely attached.”
He looped the rope around Lycullin’s neck.
[A beast of burden, huh……]
“Hate it? I can pull it.”
[No!!!]
Hating that idea, Lycullin eagerly took the rope in his mouth. Dun patted his jaw gratefully.
“Alright, then.”
With the goods secured, Dun nodded and turned to leave.
“Wait!!”
The dwarf hurriedly grabbed him.
“On your way back to the corps, could you hand out this flyer?”
『Searching for Missing Dwarf』
The paper the dwarf handed him had a familiar name.
‘Pello?’
The dwarf he’d found for Lee Yoo-hyun’s class change.
Last seen dead in Ulr, but the dwarves were still looking.
Of course—the legendary artisan. Her disciples must cherish her that much.
“I know this dwarf. What’s your relation?”
“My wife. Where’d you see her?”
Dun blinked at the revelation that this dwarf was Pello’s husband.
“Uh, well…… I saw her in Ulr…….”
The dwarf frowned at Dun’s words.
“That woman, how’d she end up in Ulr…… This isn’t the time. Gotta go rescue her……! Thanks!”
“Wait. She died a while back.”
“What?”
Dun scratched his cheek awkwardly. Oops, stepped in it.
The mood was so heavy.
Too awkward to comfort him, Dun turned to go when he remembered ‘Pello’s Diary’ was still in his inventory.
The entries from her last seven days had stuck with him, so he’d borrowed it from Lee Yoo-hyun—and kept it.
“Here. Her belongings.”
“……?”
Dun handed the ‘Pello’s Diary’ item to the dwarf. The journal was warped and wrinkled from Ulr’s humidity.
The dwarf carefully opened it and read.
“…….”
His expression shifted from pity to anger, then to a hollow laugh.
“She was selfish, cared only for herself. Don’t wanna think about it. Handed her skills to that Ryukrian or whatever, then called herself a genius. Spent all day measuring, criticizing—such a temper.”
“…….”
Dun stood quietly, listening to the dwarf’s lament.
“At the end, full of regrets. Lost all her achievements too. Miss, look at that statue. That’s Pello’s disciple.”
〔Legendary Dwarf Lyle〕
The statue the dwarf pointed to wasn’t Pello—it was Lyle the dwarf.
“Damn…… She was my only family, and I searched for years…… Right to the end, obsessed with her status…….”
He went to toss the diary into the nearby furnace but ended up clutching it and sobbing.
Dun glanced between the crying dwarf and the statue.
Once he’d cried it out, the dwarf threw the diary into the furnace. It burned with a whoosh.
『Searching for Missing Dwarf……』
He burned the flyer too.
“Thanks. First time meeting, and you show me her ugly side. Need weapons later? I’ll give you a deal.”
“Uh…… yeah. You okay?”
The dwarf nodded, looking relieved.
“W-well, if you’re good, I’ll head out……?”
Dun left the dwarf village with heavy steps.
* * *
“Do you know where Noah is?”
Prim spun in circles under the darkening sky.
She’d decided to carry out the rebellion alone, but she wanted to see Dun’s face one last time before it started.
“Gone to pick up the completed dwarf-made armor.”
“Ahh.”
That damn dwarf armor. How does it drag on until literally the day before the rebellion?
Prim sighed and spoke.
“We’ll raid the palace soon. Assemble the Third Corps.”
* * *
“Hey, passerby! Hot soup before you go?”
On the way back, there was a stretch with lots of traveling merchants. New lately.
Tons of tasty drinks and soups.
“I’m good.”
“Got cold beer too.”
“Tempting, but no.”
Dodging the pushy merchants, Dun took a side path.
[Weird spot for business.]
“Yeah. Wonder why.”
[More adventurers, so more merchants?]
“Oh. That it?”
Dun looked up at the night sky.
Stars glittered in the black expanse. His breath formed clouds in the chill air.
[You’ve looked grim for a while. Why?]
“Nah, just…… Pello, Kim Woo-sung…… They tried so hard, y’know.”
For all their boasting in life, their ends were pathetic.
If the rebellion succeeded, would the Emperor’s be the same?
“Anyway, how’d you know I was deep in thought?”
[Everything in the Da 보석 lives to read your moods and thoughts. We all do—think I’d miss a little change?]
Dun scowled.
“Hey, live your own lives. Don’t revolve around my moods. Da 보석’s doomed.”
Lycullin chuckled rumble-rumble.
[We know you won’t just toy with Da 보석 or us on a whim. That’s why we watch your mood—to do more for you.]
“…….”
Hanging with Gae-ddong had expanded Lycullin’s vocabulary.
“……Well.”
Dun’s ears flushed as he frowned.
“I mean, you don’t know if I’ll do whatever. What if I die later?”
[Ah…… Never thought of that.]
Lycullin’s tail drooped. Then he remembered what Gae-ddong said.
When Dun tossed them into Da 보석 and went adventuring, Gae-ddong would grumble but say:
[When Duni’s gone…… we gotta tend what Duni treasures…… So when Duni returns, it’s nice……]
[We’ll protect what you treasured.]
Dun squirmed a bit at the answer.
Death and outings weren’t the same, but kinda similar.
“Let’s drop this. It’s depressing.”
[Yeah. Anyway, what was that rambling earlier? Kim Woo-sung? Pello?]
Whoa, topic switch.
Dun gladly opened up.
“I’m prepping something big now. Kinda like something from my past, so old memories are surfacing.”
[What happened back then?]
“I was a test subject. The guy who made me one was this jerk Kim Woo-sung. Tried to take down his organization once. Think it was around this time too.”
[Test subject? This time of year? What?]
Test subject reminded him of Tia-rin the dark elf experimenting on Rainbow Dung, then getting venom from Gae-ddong.
Was past Dun in Rainbow Dung’s position?
“Bored on the way? I’ll tell you my story.”
Dun roughly explained the adventurer world, his role in it, and how time was flowing now.
<…….>
Lycullin went quiet for a while.
“Things are flowing pretty interestingly.”
<…….>
“Not curious how powerless kids swallowed a closed-off group?”
[……Curious.]
Dun gazed at the starry sky.
“Built up power first. Where I lived, money was absolute power. So me and this one kid secretly grew a profitable force without the chairman knowing.”
[Secretly? Sounds tough.]
“Yeah. But luckily, my planning partner was a pro at evasion, so we were safe until the day before.”
[Safe until then?]
“Yeah. Then the secretary hiding us, Min Ji-cheol—his mouth finally broke.”
* * *
“Seemed like you were delivering results, but nothing!”
Kim Woo-sung yelled amid plunging stocks.
“Downward trend for years. Don’t get it. Public opinion’s targeting us, sure…….”
Secretary Min Ji-cheol, gauging Kim Woo-sung’s mood, relayed the excuse.
“I don’t know either. Overseas hunter firms expanding—profits naturally dipped.”
Then a thought clicked.
If this continued, Kim Woo-sung falls. Then he does too.
……Can’t let this go on.
“Sorry!”
“For what.”
“Actually, someone’s been siphoning funds behind your back multiple times. Used it as leverage to demand we overlook his actions.”
“…….”
Kim Woo-sung kicked Min Ji-cheol in the gut.
Then the beating continued.
Too long together to just fire him—couldn’t do background checks and traces without him.
If you can’t cut loose, instill fear.
Kim Woo-sung swung until Min was nearly out. Lit a cigarette.
“Phew. So who’s behind this? Confess now, and I’ll forgive.”
“Sniff, hic. Cough! I-Inoa.”
* * *
Raid time.
Anxious with it so close, Prim paced near the corps.
Gotta do well without him.
Prim stood before the assembled Third Corps.
“The time has come to reap what we’ve sown for so long. You’ve all worked hard training.”
The Third Corps looked tense right before the raid.
“Final checks. We move in five.”
Caw, caw.
A crow flapped black wings across the night sky.
In the quiet night, the vanguard Third Corps quietly adjusted gear.
The air felt unusually cold tonight. Chills despite no exertion.
Blue night light settled coolly on the ground.
“Alright, let’s move.”
Prim gestured after a deep breath.
Time to settle it.
Eyes full of resolve, time to execute the long-prepared plan.
Luyan, at her side, suddenly dropped an item.
“Hm? Luyan, you dropped this.”
As he approached, mana drained from his body like water.
“!!!”
Luyan, standing rigid, signaled.
“Weapons up.”
Clink, clink, clink.
Blue spear blades surrounded Prim.
The waiting Third Corps spears. Prim’s eyes widened at those aiming at her.
“What are you…….”
Before Prim could panic, Luyan barked orders.
“Bind the princess.”
Soldiers forced Primaverra to her knees and tied her.
Meanwhile, Luyan’s infiltrated soldiers crossed two spears, pinning Prim’s neck to the ground.
Luyan pulled out a parchment.
“Imperial decree. Primaverra Licht Widelit, sentenced to guillotine at dawn for treason.”
It sounded so absurd she tilted her head and laughed. Prim’s pupils shook.
“What is this? Some joke?”
Prim chuckled, then burst out laughing.
“Ah, trying to ease my nerves? Stop it, guys. Getting scared.”
She laughed, trying to defuse the weird situation, but no one lowered their spears.
“……What. Real? This whole thing’s real?”
“No allies here, Primaverra. The ones you trained for five years? All imperial troops.”
Hearing that, Primaverra let out a hollow laugh as it sank in.
“I gathered solid treason evidence, so instant death sentence.”
Luyan nodded to the soldiers.
“Knock her out. To the dungeon.”
One soldier struck the back of Prim’s neck hard.
Through blurring vision, she saw Luyan biting his lip, holding back a smile.