Chapter 108
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Return
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Return
Soryujang.
It was once the domain of a rogue noble.
Lar Arga, the lord of the Rogue Noble Alliance, had used it as a trap to capture Dion.
In the end, he was defeated, and the territory fell into the hands of the Lord of Nangnang Castle before finally being given to Dion as a reward.
No matter how small the manor, a territory in Odobaekryeong was an invaluable asset in itself.
Urk’s generosity in readily handing it over was so bold that everyone from the nobles to the commoners of the Deformed City had marveled at his audacity.
“The work is still progressing slowly.”
“As you know, there’s so much damage that it’s taking a lot of hands.”
“There’s no need to restore everything at once. Just focus on the necessary facilities first.”
“I’d like to, but the facilities are all interconnected…”
But with anything in life.
If there were advantages, there were also disadvantages.
For the dark elf tribe tasked with restoring the half-demolished territory, Soryujang was a white elephant.
It might be helpful later, but for now, it was a bottomless pit devouring manpower and resources.
With Dion having taken the slave soldiers and left, there was a shortage of skilled personnel, and the dark elves themselves were in a frenzy with their own urgent relocation.
And among them, the one with the biggest headache was, of course, the dark elf maid in charge of it all.
‘Truly, there is no end to it.’
Her face was expressionless, as always.
But with her red eyes looking duller than usual, Parsha muttered inwardly.
Of course, she was the Unlight family’s exclusive maid.
It was just that she rarely had a reason to use her skills.
Having received all sorts of training to assist the direct line of the Unlight family, she was fundamentally equipped with the ability to manage a territory.
This was even more true for her, the possessor of the unique Trait, 【Jack-of-All-Trades (R)】.
And yet.
Parsha felt a deep sense of fatigue.
To begin with, leading hundreds of dark elves was no easy task.
On top of handling the trivial tasks to ensure they could temporarily resettle from Goemokjang, she was also directing the restoration of Soryujang.
And then there were the additional duties Dion had saddled her with, not to mention responding to unexpected emergencies.
Even ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough.
It was only thanks to her formidable stamina as an Aura Awakened and her sharp intuition as a chakra user.
Anyone else, even a high-ranking Awakened, would have collapsed from exhaustion.
‘It’s a wonder how Mother managed to do all this so flawlessly…’
*Grip.*
“Little Chieftain? Is something wrong?”
“It is nothing.”
And that was why.
At the question that surfaced in her mind.
Parsha bit her lip slightly.
And why she spoke coldly to the dark elf who, sensing something amiss, was looking at her with concern.
“And be mindful of your title. I am the Young Master’s maid and temporary representative, not the Little Chieftain.”
“…Yes, of course.”
“If you understand, then continue with your report.”
Parsha ignored the dark elf’s even more complicated gaze with a stoic face.
They were of the same tribe.
And they knew each other.
But right now, she was the lord’s representative.
She had no intention of engaging in private conversation during official business.
…Though it was the same even when she wasn't on duty.
But as she was handling her tasks so coolly, her brow arched upon hearing the subsequent report.
“Did you say we are out of materials?”
“That is correct.”
“I believe we requested additional materials from Nangnang Castle a few days ago.”
“I have inquired several times myself, but it seems the request was blocked somewhere along the way.”
“Along the way… Is it that pig bastard again?”
“…I cannot be certain.”
“I will look into it and handle the matter.”
The dark elf avoided a direct answer.
But Parsha’s eyes grew cold.
The promise to actively support the restoration of Soryujang was compensation for luring Lar Arga into a trap.
It was a promise made by Urk, the Lord of Nangnang Castle, in his own name.
There weren’t many who were reckless enough to dare block such a request, and who also possessed the actual power to do so.
Thus, Parsha took action.
She personally went to Nangnang Castle to request the needed materials.
And…
“Hmph, the lowborn has come to leech again.”
In the end, this time too.
Her prediction was spot on.
***
The Cortell family.
As Urk’s blood relatives.
They were the ruling family that effectively controlled Nangnang Castle.
Even among the nobles, for whom being a high-ranking Awakened was the norm, the martial prowess and reproductive strength of the high orc tribe were exceptional.
Urk’s ability to stage a coup and become a high noble was due not only to his own valor and the Calamity Princess’s fame but also in large part to the strength of his clan.
But despite that…
No, precisely because of it, there was an unavoidable problem.
No matter how much Urk espoused meritocracy and valued talent, the key positions in Nangnang Castle were monopolized by the Cortell family due to nepotism.
And the fatal problem was that not all blood relatives were brilliant heroes, nor were they all obedient.
“…So it was you who interfered after all.”
“Watch your mouth, lowborn. It’s not interference, it’s normalization.”
“I was not aware that the Cortell family considers breaking a promise made by the family head to be normalization.”
*SLAM!*
“Hmph! How dare a lowly maid like you use my grandfather’s name to threaten me?”
A high orc, a head taller than the rest of his clan, with a distinctive scar across his face.
Hulak Cortell slammed his fist on the table and roared.
As if he would charge at her depending on her answer.
His eyes gleamed.
His hand gripped his greatsword.
Even seeing this, Parsha didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. She merely spoke bluntly.
“It is not a threat, but a word of concern that the honor of the Lord of Nangnang Castle might be tarnished if a promise made in his name is not kept.”
“…Right, my grandfather’s promise must indeed be kept.”
Hulak seemed to calm down slightly.
Even though he was a grandson.
Urk, who had lived for over 200 years and had numerous wives and concubines, had many children, and even more grandchildren.
Even he, who showed outstanding talent among the grandchildren, could not carelessly dishonor his grandfather Urk’s name.
“However, it is my discretion to judge how that promise should be kept.”
“Is there room for any other judgment in a promise to do one’s utmost to aid in the restoration of Soryujang?”
“There is, when Nangnang Castle is at war and in a precarious situation like now.”
Hulak scoffed.
A wealthy person could easily afford to pay for a patient's medicine.
But what if a robber broke in and they were busy protecting their family?
One couldn't be blamed for not providing medicine just because the patient was coughing in the midst of it all.
“With the front lines already at a disadvantage, how much more do you intend to beg for materials that we ourselves are short on?”
“It is not begging, but a legitimate transaction.”
“Heh! You call taking war materials that can’t be bought even with money, for less than half their price, a transaction?”
It was because of that blatant sarcasm that Parsha offered only a blunt reply instead of her usual sharp tongue.
There was some truth to Hulak’s words, of course.
And in any case, she was the supplicant, and he, the grandson of the Lord of Nangnang Castle, held the upper hand.
But Hulak’s taunts did not end there.
“Just like that swindler’s maid, the lowborn is shameless as well.”
“Who are you calling a swindler?”
“Who else? I’m talking about your master, who seduced my aunt and is slowly siphoning off our family’s wealth.”
“…”
‘Truly, a pathetic ploy.’
Parsha judged coldly.
This was petty jealousy.
As a grandson craving his grandfather’s attention.
And as a candidate for succession, wanting to inherit the family head’s power and wealth.
It was nothing more than envy and a political check against Dion, who had received Urk's favor and taken the territory that he might have inherited.
To her, who had seen and learned all sorts of political machinations as the Unlight family's exclusive maid, it was a truly trivial level of scheming.
It was a move not even worth dealing with, worse than a dog that only barks.
She just had to ignore him, get what she needed, and leave.
But…
“Even that swindler abandoned you and fled, yet you still offer your loyalty. A foolish lowborn.”
“—Your mouth may be foul, but you should at least get your facts straight.”
“What?”
“I mean that while my Young Master may be a shameless swindler, a depraved womanizer, and a raving lunatic, he has never abandoned his territory and fled.”
Perhaps surprised by the sudden vitriol from the usually expressionless maid.
Or perhaps flustered that most of the vitriol was directed at her own master.
Hulak blinked for a moment.
Then a sneer formed on his lips.
“Hmph, then how do you explain the White-Masked Young Master’s absence for over a month?”
“When one is engaged in important matters, it can sometimes take a little time.”
“Hahaha! Important matters? Like running away from the Rogue Noble Alliance, abandoning his own territory?”
At the end of his deepening laughter.
Hulak’s lips twisted into a smirk, as if an idea had just occurred to him.
“No, perhaps it’s not that he isn’t coming, but that he can’t.”
“…”
“Wherever he went, the lord of the Rogue Noble Alliance has more than enough power to hunt down and kill a swindler like him.”
The White-Masked Young Master.
And those who disappeared with him might have already been retaliated against by the alliance lord and buried somewhere.
Watching the smirking Hulak, Parsha clenched her gauntlet with a creak.
It wasn't just out of anger, but because his words had struck a nerve.
Yes.
That was right.
The reason Parsha couldn't sleep.
The reason she was plagued by daily fatigue.
It wasn't because of overwork, nor was it because of the orc who picked a fight at every turn.
It was because she had been anxious since their return was delayed, fearing that Dion, and Arsha who left with him, might truly be in a position where they couldn't come back.
Knowing they had gone on an expedition to a 3-star Labyrinth, a living hell, made it all the worse.
“Heh heh, maybe he’s keeping him alive to play with. There must be plenty of rogues who’d want to toy with the swindler who seduced my aunt.”
In that sense.
Hulak had unknowingly touched Parsha’s last nerve.
*Have you said your piece?*
Parsha had been on the verge of spitting out those cold words.
The only reason she was able to calm herself by simply clenching her gauntlet was one thing.
It was thanks to the wolf emblem on her arm.
More thorough than a slave seal.
An utterly cruel brand.
But the binding force felt from this inescapable curse was what told her that Dion was still alright.
It was at that moment, as she coldly composed herself.
An orc burst through the door.
“*Hiss*, Lord Hulak!”
“What is it? Don’t be so loud.”
“He, he’s appeared!”
“Appeared? Don’t tell me the Rogue Noble Alliance is attacking?”
“No, not the alliance…! The White-Masked Young Master, who disappeared with the territory, has returned!”
“…!!!”
***
“Hey, Parsha. Been well?”
“…There is much I would like to say regarding the shamelessness of offering such a casual greeting after finally showing up, but first, I must ask.”
It was truly a whirlwind.
Drawing upon her aura.
After sprinting through Nangnang Castle like a storm.
Parsha caught her breath upon arriving before Waryongjang, which was now parked right next to Soryujang and Goemokjang at the station.
And looking over the shoulder of the shamelessly grinning boy, she asked.
“—What is that behind you?”
“Ah, this?”
As if he had just remembered.
Dion glanced back slightly and spoke lightly, as if it were nothing at all.
“I just picked it up on my way here.”
“…”
About 40 days.
A long time if you thought it long.
A short time if you thought it short.
The result of the expedition.
The half-destroyed first territory, Waryongjang, had returned, towing what would become the fourth territory, Chamgeomwon, and a boy.
The slave soldiers were dragging out a line of chained rogue nobles as if presenting travel souvenirs.
Hulak, who had arrived panting, wore an expression as if his eyes would pop out.
The crowd of onlookers, nobles and commoners alike, all stood with their jaws agape.
There was only one thing Parsha could do.
Remain silent with an expressionless face.