Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Another Woman (1)
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Demian and Luise tailed the two.
“Being a mercenary isn’t exactly something to brag about. You have to fight all the time, and people look down on you.”
“It’s hard to believe. Who would dare look down on Lady Regina?”
“That’s just how it is with mercenaries. The perception is terrible.”
The pair wandered the city, chatting idly like that.
They started at the night market, but didn’t stop there—they moved to the square to watch the street performers.
“Look at that bard over there. He’s singing a siren imitation. Doesn’t sound anything like it to me.”
“Since you’ve heard one yourself, Lady Regina, you’d know best.”
“It was far more beautiful than that. But I never want to hear it again. Just thinking about the trouble that siren caused…”
Every time the two exuded a cheerful vibe, Luise’s gaze grew icier.
Unlike her, Demian focused on observing the woman called Regina rather than their relationship, lost in thought.
“She’s no ordinary woman. She’s a high-class powerhouse.”
Her movements, the depth of her footprints, the occasional whiff of potent mana.
If Demian’s guess was right, Regina was undoubtedly a high-class expert.
“A high-class mercenary?”
High-class experts were rare even among mercenaries. Few had proper training in swordsmanship or mana cultivation methods.
Yet this woman had reached high-class from a mercenary’s position.
It meant she’d received elite training somewhere. And in the mercenary world, only one place could achieve that.
“The only place that can raise a mercenary to high-class… Could she be that man’s bloodline?”
While Demian pondered, the two stopped in front of a tavern. The building screamed luxury.
“You have no idea how much trouble I went through to reserve this place.”
Regina grabbed Ballad’s arm and pulled. But Ballad resisted, refusing to budge.
“What’s wrong?”
“Lady Regina, I came today with one request.”
“A request? Can’t we talk about it inside first?”
Regina tilted her head. Ballad spoke toward her.
“I want to thank you again for driving away the siren. If you hadn’t helped, the city would have suffered even more damage.”
“No need for thanks. I was paid for it.”
“I know even platinum badge mercenaries like you are hard to hire, even with money. If you hadn’t shown mercy, our city would still be tormented by that siren.”
Ballad bowed his head and continued.
“That’s why the mayor told me to grant any request you make, no questions asked…”
“Oh? So you’ve only been meeting me because you were ordered to? That hurts my feelings.”
Regina pouted coyly.
Ballad spoke to her in a firm tone.
“Please don’t seek me out anymore after today.”
Silence fell for a moment.
Regina stared blankly at Ballad before speaking.
“Ah, I get it now. I’ve been too clingy, huh? Sorry about that. I won’t call you out when you’re working from now on.”
Regina nodded as if she understood perfectly.
“And I won’t complain if you meet other people. I’ll stop caring from now on…”
“As I said from the start, I have a fiancée.”
Ballad cut her off.
“I don’t want to do anything I can’t face her with anymore.”
He repeated.
“So please, don’t call me out anymore.”
* * *
“…Ballad.”
Luise, watching the scene, murmured in a daze.
She wasn’t the only shocked one. Demian felt the same.
“What an impressive man.”
Ballad surely knew the woman was high-class.
At high-class, one could kill with killing intent alone.
Yet he could refuse even as such a terrifying being desired him.
“No wonder Sis is hung up on this guy.”
Ballad looked like he’d snap like a reed at first glance.
But his core was different. Steadfast, loyal to one alone.
“…Are you insane?”
Then came Regina’s sharp voice.
“I keep yielding, and you start treating me like a joke?”
“Absolutely not. I’m just thinking of my fiancée…”
“That’s exactly what makes it a joke!”
Regina unleashed her mana. A massive surge exploded, blowing nearby objects away.
“Ugh, aaaagh!”
“Kyaaah!”
People on the street screamed and fled. The area cleared in an instant.
Ballad’s face paled too. He looked ready to collapse.
“…I hope I never see you again after today, Lady Regina.”
Even so, Ballad steadfastly finished his piece.
“He endured that?”
Demian couldn’t help but admire inwardly.
A high-class aura was a weapon in itself. Ordinary folk would writhe in agony, organs churning.
Not only did he endure, he didn’t even flinch.
“I misjudged him.”
Demian wanted Luise’s happiness. He’d hoped she’d marry someone better than Ballad Wigo.
But that was his mistake.
Ballad might lack in ability, but not in character.
He held only Luise in his heart and would brave any danger for her.
“Sis has a good eye for people.”
Compared to that, Demian had been blinded by prejudice, blind to true worth.
He felt ashamed. Guilty.
At the same time, his mind cleared. His vision widened, eyes opened.
“Sis, stay here.”
As atonement, he decided to handle this himself.
* * *
“Last warning. If you bring up that fiancée again, I’ll really go after her…”
“Your language is crude.”
At the sudden voice, Regina and Ballad turned to Demian in surprise.
“…Demian?”
Ballad asked, stunned, as if to say, *What are you doing here?*
“We’ll talk details later.”
Demian smoothly stepped between Regina and Ballad. Regina glared at him with a scowl.
“Demian? Sounds familiar…”
Regina pondered briefly, then her eyes widened.
“…Demian Haksen? The genius from Apple Kingdom who reached middle-class in record time?”
Regina eyed Demian with interest.
“Didn’t know you knew Ballad.”
“Would you back off if I did? This man’s going to be my brother-in-law.”
“Ha! Brother-in-law? So you’re that woman’s brother… But that pisses me off.”
Regina’s aura grew more menacing. Nearby buildings shook.
“A mere middle-class punk daring to stand tall before me?”
Regina grinned with murderous intent.
“What, you think your noble status protects you? You’re mistaken. Even if I kill you here, Apple Kingdom can’t touch me.”
“I know.”
Demian replied nonchalantly to her words.
“The Mercenary King’s granddaughter could cover this up easily.”
Regina’s eyes widened at that.
“…How did you know?”
“No one but the Mercenary King’s bloodline could reach high-class as a mercenary at your age.”
Mercenary King.
One of the transcendent beings always mentioned when discussing humanity’s strongest.
His personal strength was incredible, but what amazed more was his organization.
The mercenary group he led wasn’t just massive—its members were elite.
Packed with high-class experts, flanked by master-class close aides.
His leadership unified what should have been uncontrollable chaos into harmony.
With such power, no one hesitated to call him the Mercenary King.
“You know that and still act like this before me?”
Demian barely suppressed a laugh.
In his past life, he’d fought and defeated the Mercenary King, severing the old man’s neck and absorbing his techniques.
A mere granddaughter threatening him was laughable.
Regina was high-class, but raw compared to the King.
He wanted to correct her delusion right there.
“But if you don’t back off, you’ll be in trouble too.”
For now, though, Demian was in ‘reflection’ mode. He didn’t want to ruin this clear-headed feeling.
He preferred a peaceful resolution if possible.
To that end, he reached for the Honorary Holy Knight’s badge in his pocket.
Holy Knights received church protection. Their families too.
Even the Mercenary King couldn’t challenge the church, comparable to the Empire.
“You think I’ll only kill you? I’ll drag your sister out and kill her too.”
Then Regina spat at Demian.
“What? Think I’m bluffing? I destroy what I can’t have. Watch—I’ll scour Apple Kingdom and find her.”
She snarled venomously.
“Then I’ll slit her throat right in front of Ballad. Got it?”
Demian tucked the necklace back into his pocket.
The refreshed feeling from reflection vanished like smoke.
Rage filled the void. Killing intent rose from Demian’s entire body.
“Oh? Gonna try me?”
Sensing it, Regina slipped a ring off her finger. It morphed into a blade.
A thin, slightly curved sword—a saber.
Regina gripped the hilt and scabbard together.
Her aura sharpened to a razor’s edge. Approaching felt like you’d be sliced apart, an intense foreboding.
“I’ll make you pay for not knowing your place.”
Regina laughed cruelly. She clearly intended to kill him here.
Demian let out a hollow chuckle at her display.
“How to kill this thing.”
Black magic would end it instantly, but not with so many eyes around.
“This body’s still too weak.”
His skill surpassed high-class, but body and mana lagged.
He couldn’t guarantee victory over Regina. Some gaps couldn’t be bridged by technique alone.
“Well, if it’s lacking, fill it up.”
Demian opened his subspace. He pulled out a spirit heart and sea serpent inner core.
He popped both in his mouth, swallowing without chewing.
“…What the hell are you doing?”
Regina yelled in shock.
Elixirs and cores required full preparation to consume.
Otherwise, you failed to absorb mana and risked severe backlash.
Swallowing two like Demian was like gulping a bomb.
“You’ll die…”
Sure enough, before she finished, an explosion rocked Demian’s body.
Mana burst, shattering nearby windows in the shockwave.
It didn’t stop at one. Explosions chained.
Each blast bulged Demian Haksen’s veins. Blood vessels in his eyes burst, streaming red.
*Use Explosive Body Tempering Technique and Tyrant’s Power Accumulation Technique simultaneously.*
Explosive Body Tempering Technique tempered the body with mana.
Tyrant’s Power Accumulation Technique excelled at absorbing mana.
Combined with the mana explosions, a miracle unfolded.
“Impossible…”
True to high-class, Regina grasped it instantly. The changes in Demian’s body.
Muscles, bones, organs strengthened rapidly with each blast—like forging iron.
His mana reserves swelled too—like inflating a balloon.
*If lacking, fill it.*
To Demian, anything short of master-class was unremarkable.
Just levels reached by boosting physical ability and mana.
So he forcibly ramped them up.
Used Explosive Body Tempering to evolve his body, Tyrant’s Power Accumulation to absorb and store the excess mana.
Demian Haksen opened his mouth and spat a handful of blood.
Even after losing so much, his eyes didn’t dim—they burned fiercer.
The moment Regina saw them, chills raced over her.
Instinct recognized before her mind could.
The man before her had reached high-class.
“This can’t be…”
Yet she denied it.
Surviving dual cores wasn’t enough—he’d used the explosions to temper his body and ascend to high-class?
A goblin master-class sounded more plausible.
“Won’t work twice.”
Demian spat lingering blood and drew Yeomyeong.
In that instant, the world filled with his killing intent.
At the absurdity, Regina swallowed dryly despite herself.
“Prepare yourself.”
Demian’s voice was chillingly cold.
“From now on, you’ll pay for every insolent word.”