Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Adding Fuel to the Fire
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Lee Si-woo got straight to the point as soon as he met Isabelle in a private room at the hotel bar.
“I'll be blunt. I need you to beat fifty irredeemable villains to a pulp, bind them, and bring them to me.”
Isabelle retorted, chewing her gum obnoxiously.
“Wow~ Look at you, making demands the second you see my face. Hey, am I your lackey? You think I'll do whatever you tell me? Huh?”
Lee Si-woo calmly replied to Isabelle's swaggering complaint.
“I'm well aware it's a hassle, but it shouldn't be too difficult for you, Isabelle, since you can mobilize the Magic Tower's personnel. Besides... you're in a bit of a tight spot, aren't you? Wondering how to prove Harman's death to the Faceless Lord.”
When Lee Si-woo mentioned the Faceless Lord again, Isabelle grabbed him by the collar and growled like a furious tigress.
“You're really getting on my nerves. So, start talking. How did you find out about my connection to the Faceless Lord, and how did you know about my mission?”
“As I've said before, there's no need to be so wary. I'm simply one of the invited, just like you, Isabelle.”
“One of the invited...? Don't tell me, are there more of the Lord's toys besides you and me?”
“Yes, quite a few. Though you're the only one I've actually met out here. But... could you please let go now? I'm starting to have trouble breathing.”
Lee Si-woo gave a wry smile and tapped Isabelle's hand, which was gripping his collar, with his index finger. She scoffed and irritably let go.
Isabelle watched silently as Lee Si-woo, whose throat had been constricted, let out a few dry coughs, then she asked.
“You still haven't answered my question. I asked you, didn't I? How did you know about me? Even if I grant that we were both invited, my information...”
Lee Si-woo cut Isabelle off.
Normally, he would have avoided such an action as it would displease her, but it was a risk worth taking to regain control of the conversation.
“I heard it from the Butler. That a noble lady was in Granada where I am, and everything about the mission she received.”
Lee Si-woo said it so shamelessly, a statement that would surely make the Butler feel wronged if he heard it.
Isabelle frowned, then spat her gum into an ashtray with a 'ptoo,' as if the taste had turned bitter.
“That boy butler? Tsk, what's with that kid? Why would he do something like this...?”
Lee Si-woo said in a gentle tone.
“Because it's fun.”
“...Fun?”
“Yes. The Butler must have been looking forward to what would happen if I found out. And the Lord, too.”
“Hmm...”
Isabelle couldn't hide her bitter feelings at Lee Si-woo's words.
It seemed that due to the series of unpleasant events, she was feeling uneasy about her connection to the inscrutable Faceless Lord.
And Lee Si-woo was not one to let her discontent fester.
“I understand what you're thinking, Isabelle, but as a senior who was invited a step ahead of you, I can guarantee one thing. Meeting the Lord is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Opportunity? I don't know about that. It feels like I've only been losing out since I met the Lord. Just look at this mission. Far from gaining anything, my position has been completely shattered.”
Even though it was a loss she could endure if it meant getting ten Circle Potions, Isabelle whined, prompting Lee Si-woo to say with a smile.
“I am an otherworlder summoned by Summoner Elim with a Rainbow Ticket.”
At that calm confession, Isabelle's eyes widened in surprise.
Only then did she begin to understand why Harman had been chasing the man before her.
By revealing a secret that was bound to be uncovered soon enough once Summoner Elim started digging into Harman's death, Lee Si-woo partially dispelled Isabelle's distrust and continued.
“And it's been less than a month since I was summoned here.”
“...And in that time, you escaped from Summoner Elim and Harman to become a magician, is that it?”
“It's all thanks to the Faceless Lord. Isabelle, do you know why I asked you to capture fifty villains? Because that is my mission.”
Lee Si-woo's way of speaking was provocative and dizzying.
He constantly changed the subject, giving Isabelle no time to think.
However, though it could have seemed distracting, she had no choice but to focus on his words.
It was because every topic Lee Si-woo brought up was shocking.
“Does that mean... the Lord wants fifty villains?”
“Yes. So, by any chance, do you know why the Lord specifically wants humans, and villains who have committed unforgivable sins at that?”
Isabelle swallowed dryly. As a 4th Circle Master and the daughter of the Tower Master, she was one step closer to the world's secrets than an ordinary person.
Therefore, she knew as well.
That the gods use human souls as currency.
‘Souls! He needs souls. My guess was right! The Faceless Lord is a god! Damn, my intuition is insane!’
Just by seeing the corners of Isabelle's mouth twitch, Lee Si-woo was certain he had achieved his initial objective.
With this, Isabelle would never try to break away from him of her own will.
‘Sorry, but you'll have to be my shield from now on. I have no idea how that summoner will act. Well, one thing's for sure... unless he's a complete idiot, there's a high chance he'll notice my existence while investigating Harman's death.’
Of the two, who were dreaming different dreams in the same bed, Isabelle spoke with a much more relaxed expression.
“Hmm... alright. Let's gloss over this and that for now, but let's get one thing straight. Is this really all you want from me? Honestly, having you do my mission of catching fifty villains in exchange for a testimony to the Faceless Lord seems a little weak. I mean, even a magician like you could do it easily if you put your mind to it, right? This.”
Here, the difference in their perspectives became clear.
To Lee Si-woo, capturing and binding fifty villains was a significantly stressful task, but to her, it was a trivial matter that merely required giving orders to a few subordinates.
“Yes, that's right. It's not difficult. It's just... unpleasant, annoying, and something I don't want to do.”
Isabelle clicked her tongue with a look that said, *Have I just seen a living fossil?*
“Ah, so you're that type? Right... you're an otherworlder, aren't you? Tsk, you naive bastard. Hey, snap out of it. I'm not just saying this, but if you let yourself be played by such naive emotions and pretend to be good in this Main Dimension, you'll end up dead.”
Contrary to her thoughts, Lee Si-woo was neither naive nor kind.
If he were truly good, he wouldn't have even considered taking fifty other people's souls to use Isabelle as his backer in the first place.
Yes, he had merely pushed the unpleasant process onto Isabelle, but in the end, the one who would take their lives was Lee Si-woo.
“Perhaps. Now, since it seems you'll accept my proposal, shall we conclude this matter here and move on to the next item on the agenda?”
“Next item? Ha, I knew it. You bastard, you want something else, don't you?”
“No, this is a bit different. It's not a proposal, but a deal.”
“A deal? Hmm... alright, let's hear it.”
“As you know, I am a wandering magician. Also, it's a bit much for me to say this myself, but I'm competent enough to have piqued the Faceless Lord's interest. And... the selection tournament is starting soon.”
Isabelle's eyes sparkled. She had figured out what Lee Si-woo was getting at.
“That's it. You want our Magic Tower's betting ticket, don't you?”
“Correct. It's good for me to have the Senior Magic Tower as my backer, and it's good for you, Isabelle, to secure a reliable guy. Wouldn't you call this a win-win?”
“A reliable guy? You?”
Isabelle sneered openly, but Lee Si-woo played it off with a smile.
“A useful guy, too.”
“It's an interesting proposal. Well, yeah, to be frank, I'm personally tempted. But I can't guarantee the outcome. Because in the history of our Magic Tower, we've never used a betting ticket on a human.”
“Is that so? That's great. I happen to be a guy who's crazy about being the first, the original, that sort of thing.”
“Look at this bastard run his mouth. Hmm... so? Are you confident about the selection tournament?”
“Among 1st Circle magicians, how many talents could survive an encounter with Harman? Besides me, that is.”
When selling a product, the most important thing is confidence in that product.
It was a basic principle of business, and also Lee Si-woo's mindset.
Isabelle smiled with satisfaction at Lee Si-woo's attitude of carefully packaging himself.
“Well, alright. I'll try talking to my father about it.”
“Thank you. That's more than enough.”
The deal was thus concluded, but Isabelle had no idea.
That because of her, their betting tickets had been reduced to one, and that in such a situation, her proposing a human like Lee Si-woo as a betting candidate was like adding fuel to a fire.
* * *
At Isabelle's words—barging into his study and suggesting they use a betting ticket on some strange human—Kenyon snatched the tobacco pipe from his desk and hurled it.
The pipe flew across the room and struck Isabelle on the head.
*Thwack!*
“Ow! Father! Are you crazy? Why did you suddenly throw a pipe at me!”
Kenyon, his face flushed with anger, spat out each word with deliberate care.
“Do you have any idea what kind of scheme those corporate bastards pulled, using Harman's death as an excuse?”
“How should I know? It's not like I'm acquainted with them.”
“You, you... you immature brat! Because of you, our betting tickets have been reduced to one!”
At those thunderous words, even the great Isabelle couldn't help but be flustered.
“What the hell are you talking about? How dare they do something like that? The selection tournament is organized and run under our Magic Tower's jurisdiction!”
“The Wilderness Magic Tower and the Old Tree Magic Tower have joined hands with the corporations.”
“...The other Magic Towers betrayed us? Have those bastards been shot in the head?”
“Shot in the head? No, it's only natural. Among the three Magic Towers of Granada, ours is the most powerful right now. They're the types to gladly keep us in check if given a reason. And you're the one who gave them that reason.”
Isabelle bit her lower lip. As the situation escalated because of her reckless actions, her face flushed and she grew anxious.
However, that didn't mean her fierce pride went anywhere.
“So what do you want me to do? Drown myself in a bowl of water because it's all my fault?”
Her heart felt as heavy as a stone, and she was ashamed and guilty that Kenyon was suffering because of her, but the words that came out of her mouth were completely different from her true feelings.
Kenyon exploded at Isabelle's tone, which showed no sign of remorse to the very end.
“I'm telling you to get a grip! Don't you realize how serious this is? Having only one betting ticket means there's a high chance we won't secure a stake in Granada's lucrative businesses, especially the magic stone business! And that means the decline of the Senior Magic Tower!”
Isabelle, who would have no excuse even if she had ten mouths, clenched her teeth and lowered her head.
She didn't want to show Kenyon her eyes, which were welling up with tears from humiliation and shame.
However, her silence did not last long.
It would have been better if Kenyon had stopped there, but in his heightened emotional state, he blurted out a sentiment he had long kept bottled up inside.
“Hah, to think the future of the Magic Tower is in jeopardy because I was cursed with a daughter like you... What kind of situation is this? Tsk, if only Allen, that boy, had been my child, he wouldn't have caused such trouble...”
The moment Kenyon not only mentioned Allen, the ace of the Senior Magic Tower, but also said he wished Allen were his child, Isabelle snapped.
She picked up the tobacco pipe that had hit her head and fallen, and threw it at Kenyon's face.
Kenyon, who violently swatted away the pipe flying towards his brow with the back of his hand, was enraged.
“Isabelle! What is this insolence!”
Isabelle glared at Kenyon with bloodshot eyes and shouted.
“If you like that bastard Allen so much, why don't you adopt him? You always wanted a son anyway, didn't you? A reliable son who could support the Magic Tower, not some bitch like me who's disobedient and good for nothing but swearing!”
Kenyon realized he had misspoken, but he didn't apologize to Isabelle.
His words had been harsh, it was true, but thinking about the major incident Isabelle had caused this time, he couldn't bring himself to console her.
No, when he thought about who was responsible for the Magic Tower's losses, he even felt a sense of resentment.
“Yes, I did want one. I needed a reliable son to support me, not a weak, foul-tempered, all-talk girl like you. But what can I do? Children are a gift from the heavens, and this must be the extent of my fortune.”
Unable to bear the inferiority complex and sense of hurt that surged from deep within her at Kenyon's calm admission, Isabelle shrieked.
“Fuck! Of course you did! That's why you tormented Mother, asking why she couldn't give you a son! Not knowing she'd leave so lonely, unable to bear your nagging!”
Enraged by Isabelle's comment that crossed the line, Kenyon slammed his mana-infused hand onto the desk, causing the high-quality wooden desk to shatter and collapse.
“Isabelle! How dare you... How dare you!”
All sorts of curses swirled in his mouth, but Kenyon couldn't bring himself to say the next words. It was because he saw the tears welling up in Isabelle's blurry eyes.
Only after seeing his daughter's tears did Kenyon realize what terrible things he had said to her, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
A sudden silence fell.
As they stared blankly at each other in the awkward silence, Isabelle spoke.
“It's my fault, so I'll take responsibility.”
“...You? How?”
“Give the one betting ticket to the human I mentioned, Lee Si-woo.”
“Isabelle, have you still not come to your senses...”
Isabelle waved her hand dismissively and shouted.
“Enough! I'm not finished talking, so listen to the end. That bastard, Lee Si-woo, he's my man.”
Kenyon asked back with a stunned expression.
“...What? What did you just say...”
“I'm saying that's the man this worthless daughter of yours has chosen. So, cut the crap and give me the betting ticket. You must be curious, aren't you? About what kind of man dared to steal the heart of this hooligan, Isabelle.”
Kenyon said with a confused face.
“Wait, wait, let's calm down. You're too agitated right now. That's why you're misspeaking and just saying things. A human? It's not like you have some strange fetish; what kind of shameful behavior is that, getting involved with another race?”
He saw it clearly. Right now, she wasn't in her right mind due to her resentment towards Kenyon and her inferiority complex towards Allen.
An impulsive remark.
However, it wasn't a statement she had thrown out thoughtlessly.
Because unless she went this far, there was no way to give the single remaining betting ticket to Lee Si-woo.
“Then I guess I do have a strange fetish. As you said, Father, I'm a foolish, brain-dead crazy bitch.”
An elf dating a human?
From an elf's perspective, this was tantamount to social suicide.
However, Isabelle didn't care.
Because she felt she wouldn't be satisfied unless she hurt Kenyon's heart, even if it meant destroying herself.
Kenyon, as if not knowing what to say, covered his eye sockets with his palm.
“Isabelle, you really are...”
In fact, rationally speaking, betting everything on Lee Si-woo with their single ticket was a reckless move.
However, at this point, she didn't care.
If Lee Si-woo did well, it would be the best possible outcome, but even if he failed, she could at least screw over her father.
“No matter how much you try to stop me, Father, I've made up my mind, so let's leave it at that. And frankly, even if we only have one ticket, all we have to do is pick a Top 10 talent with that single bet. Then we can participate in the business ventures.”
Isabelle's words weren't wrong.
The reason they needed many betting tickets in the first place was to secure as many talents as possible with a high probability of making it into the Top 10.
“That's all the more reason why we shouldn't choose a mere human...”
Isabelle mercilessly cut Kenyon off.
“Instead! If that bastard doesn't make it into the Top 10, I'll officially give up my position as heir. No, I'll hand it over completely to that bastard Allen. Are you satisfied now?”
At Isabelle's bombshell declaration, Kenyon's eyes wavered for a moment.
And she saw it clearly.
The look in his eyes that starkly revealed his true feelings—that he wanted Allen more than her.
Isabelle said with a hollow expression.
“Well, looking at your face, I don't need to hear your answer. I'll take that as a yes and get lost. You must be sick and tired of looking at this worthless daughter's face.”
With those final words, Isabelle left the study without waiting for Kenyon's reply.
Striding down the hallway, she came to a sudden halt, wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand, and leaned her head against the wall.
“Shit, I've done it now... Ha, I'm so screwed. Seriously.”
Now, for better or for worse, she had to believe, and she had to pray.
That Lee Si-woo, the one chosen by the Faceless Lord, was competent enough to make it into the Top 10 of the selection tournament.