Chapter 127
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Vicious Seed
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The Calamity Princess, Pandora.
A witch who held the title of Vicious Seed among the Paljongyungma.
Her most terrifying aspect was, naturally, her curse that brought ruin to all things.
Even the former lord of Nangrang Fortress, a high noble in his own right, couldn't withstand her curse and lost his life in vain.
But Pandora possessed another weapon just as fearsome as her curse.
It was her brilliant strategic mind, befitting a member of the highly intelligent witch race, which earned her the role of strategist for the Anti-Demon Alliance, and a composure that never wavered.
In particular, the imperturbability she had naturally acquired while living a cursed life was truly unshakable.
She wouldn't even bat an eyelash if a blade were held to her throat.
Urk’s trust in Pandora was due not only to her abilities and intellect but also to his high regard for her calm nature.
“Father, this, it’s, it’s not what it looks like…”
In that sense.
As she struggled to make excuses to Urk.
Pandora, unable to even form a proper sentence, was a sight that would have made any resident of Nangrang Fortress doubt their own eyes.
Honestly, even Pandora herself was so flustered she didn't know what to do, wondering if those words were truly coming from her own mouth.
Especially since she was pressed close to Dion in bed.
But as for Dion himself.
And Urk, who had appeared so suddenly.
Neither of them paid any mind to her agitation, conversing with perfect composure.
“Orc Mister, you know what the worst thing a father with a daughter can do is?”
“Interrupting her love life?”
“No, it’s eavesdropping on his daughter’s secret rendezvous and then barging in at the crucial moment to ruin the mood.”
“Khahaha, my apologies for that.”
Only after hearing their exchange did Pandora, who had been wondering why the embarrassment was hers alone, finally understand.
She, in her poor condition, had been the only one unaware that Urk had been listening to their conversation for some time…
…and that Dion had done *that* knowing full well he was there.
Should she call him shameless?
Or perhaps wicked?
She felt as if she were the only one being played.
Pandora, feeling a sense of injustice, could only move her lips soundlessly before finally pulling the blanket over her head.
Urk, meanwhile, guffawed as if he had just witnessed a truly amusing spectacle.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to interfere. Aren’t secret trysts the privilege of the young?”
“Hmm, usually the parents who say that are the ones who meddle in their children’s love lives the most.”
“I’m serious. If you, the White-Masked Young Master, had been trying to give me a grandchild, I was planning to leave you two alone until morning.”
“...!”
A twitch.
Pandora flinched so noticeably that her agitation could be felt even from under the blanket.
But neither Dion.
Nor Urk.
Looked at Pandora.
They only stared at each other, their gazes unwavering.
“However, your joke about running away with my daughter was so unfunny I simply couldn’t let it pass, Young Master.”
“That’s because it wasn’t a joke.”
“...Are you determined to turn something that could have been passed off as a jest into something serious?”
“If you really wanted to pass it off as a joke, you shouldn’t have interfered.”
Despite his composed voice, the deep-set eyes of the massive orc were cold.
Despite his smiling face, the boy in the white mask showed none of his usual playfulness.
Since forming a relationship during the contest for Pandora’s hand, they had acknowledged each other and maintained a fairly good rapport.
They were allies who had fought shoulder-to-shoulder against the Demon-Guiding Alliance.
But now, Urk saw not an ally, but a daughter-thief who dared to steal his child from his own fortress. He spoke, his voice heavy.
“I don’t understand in the first place.”
“What is it?”
“I have already acknowledged the betrothal between you and Pandora, and even gave you the dowry in advance. Why would you attempt to elope at a time like this?”
As a noble.
As an ally.
And as an adoptive father.
To this question, which was indeed reasonable, Dion answered nonchalantly.
“It’s precisely because it’s a time like this.”
“...What do you mean?”
“Orc Mister. Did you really not know Pandora’s health was failing?”
“…”
“Or did you know and pretend not to?”
Urk fell silent.
Dion smirked as if he had expected as much.
Cowardly servants busy trembling in fear or foolish nobles blinded by victory might not have noticed.
But there was no way a hero of Urk’s caliber would have failed to notice Pandora’s condition.
The reason he pretended not to see it was obvious.
“Young Master, we are at war.”
“So you don’t have the luxury of caring for your own daughter?”
“It is because she is my daughter that I must be this way. If I am seen caring only for my daughter during a war, who would trust and follow me?”
Pandora was a key part of the Anti-Demon Alliance’s main force, the core that overwhelmed the Demon-Guiding Alliance.
If she suddenly withdrew from the battlefield, everyone would suspect a problem, and if her condition were to be revealed, the momentum they had gained could be reversed.
Even if she was unwell, for now, they had to endure it with the heart of a commander.
Watching Urk speak in a low voice.
Dion narrowed his eyes.
“Well, I think that’s all the more reason she should rest.”
“Khah, that is too soft a thought.”
“It’s not soft, it’s rational. Forcing a sick soldier onto the battlefield is how you lose a winnable war.”
“Pandora cannot be compared to an ordinary soldier.”
“Then all the more reason.”
A soldier or two could be replaced if something went wrong.
But an irreplaceable person like Pandora must be cherished and protected all the more, Dion pointed out.
He continued speaking lightly.
“Above all, Orc Mister. As a father, you should prioritize your daughter’s health over the outcome of a war.”
“…”
“Don’t forget. Pandora isn’t a tool for you to use and discard as you please.”
“…”
“—She is the woman who will be my second wife.”
Flinch.
Even with the blanket pulled over her head.
She couldn't hide her agitation.
The boy smiled sweetly at the lump of blankets that quivered slightly on the bed.
And the old man spoke, his voice heavy.
“That is not for you to decide, Young Master.”
“But it’s not for you to decide either, Orc Mister.”
“…”
“You said it yourself, didn't you? That you already acknowledged our betrothal and gave me the dowry in advance.”
They were at a complete impasse.
No matter how much they spoke.
Or how much they listened.
Watching the boy who showed no signs of being persuaded or backing down, Urk remained silent for a moment before letting out a deep, heavy sigh.
And then…
“Young Master, do not cross the line.”
“…”
“No matter who you are, my forbearance has its limits.”
Because he had proven his talent.
Because he was a member of the Baekdaesega.
And because he had indeed been a great help.
He had continued to show favor, but no tiger would tolerate a pup that tried to bite its tail.
Unlike before, Urk now radiated a chilling aura, his energy surging as he spoke.
Dion nodded.
“I know, Orc Mister. I know you’ve been generous to me.”
“I am glad you understand.”
“But, Orc Mister.”
“…?”
“—Why do you think you’re the only one who’s been showing forbearance?”
A sweet smile.
An innocently smiling face.
Yet, he didn't even flinch in the face of Urk’s aura.
The boy exuded the chilling menace of a viper whose single bite could kill an elephant.
Urk’s eyes grew heavier still.
“Are you truly saying you will fight me to steal Pandora and run away?”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“...Khah???”
“Pandora’s fate is not for you to decide, Orc Mister, but it’s not something I can decide on my own either.”
“…”
“So, Orc Mister. The reward you promised me on the battlefield before—I’ll use it on this question now.”
Should he call it unexpected?
As Urk blinked his large, round eyes at the outlandish, even absurd, words.
Dion reached out and pulled back the blanket behind him.
“Pandora, choose.”
“…Choose, you say?”
“Will you remain the Orc Mister’s adopted daughter and keep fighting, or will you become my wife and flee the battlefield?”
“That… is…”
Pandora, who had been hiding under the blanket, wore a dazed expression upon hearing the unimaginable question.
And she saw them.
Her adoptive father, who frowned but didn’t interfere, waiting, wanting to exploit her in the war.
And her suitor, smiling sweetly as if he didn’t care what she answered, wanting to save her from the war.
Fierce as a beast.
Sweet as a potent poison.
Torn between the two choices, Pandora’s lips parted and closed several times before she finally made her decision.
The answer to which choice she had to make had been decided from the very beginning.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“Please, return now.”
“…”
“I am grateful for your concern, but I am not yet your wife.”
From the moment he took in a mere commoner as his adopted daughter, she owed Urk a great debt.
As long as she was his daughter.
She had to repay that kindness.
Dion gazed silently at Pandora, who spoke with a gloomy tone, and then smiled sweetly.
“Can’t be helped if I’ve been rejected. I’ll withdraw for today.”
Was it a relief?
Or was it bewilderment?
To think he had snuck in here, provoked Urk, and caused all this trouble.
Pandora was once again dazed, unable to comprehend his willingness to back down so easily.
Dion turned to Urk and asked.
“Like I said earlier, I’ll let today’s rudeness be covered by the credit I earned when I yielded the territory we captured. That’s okay, right, Orc Mister?”
“…If the Young Master is satisfied with that, then I have no complaints.”
“Good, that’s settled then.”
With a start.
He rose from his seat.
The boy began to walk away with long strides.
As he was about to pass Urk, Dion spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
“But Orc Mister, let me give you one warning.”
A warning.
Depending on the circumstances.
It could also be a threat.
Something a subordinate could not, and should not, say to a superior.
But in this moment, Dion’s eyes shone with such a bewitching light that even Urk couldn't dare to call him out.
Dion spoke to him.
“Don’t repeat the precedent of those foolish old men who made Pandora a woman of three fathers.”
“…”
“If that happens, I’ll be the one to take Pandora.”
And so…
He looked back.
Leaving behind nothing but a playful wink.
As the boy’s back disappeared, leaving Nangrang Fortress with his usual long strides.
The father and daughter were each left to their own reasons, but both were equally plunged into silence.
* * *
“Arsha, have the people been evacuated?”
“As you commanded, they have all been sent to the Kettleek Company in the Deformed City.”
“Yes, well done.”
A soft peck.
As always.
The boy kissed his concubine’s long ear, and the woman, blushing, let her ear tremble but accepted the touch with familiarity.
The dark elf maid watched the scene with cold eyes.
Meanwhile, the girl in the straitjacket, her face bright red, looked away and tried to change the subject.
“Um, even if we’re at war, is there really a need to evacuate the people?”
“There is.”
Perhaps not in the past.
But for Arsha, who had awakened her spiritual power, the number of people who followed her was directly proportional to her strength.
Moreover, her clan, who had been with her for hundreds of years, were beings who could grant her more power than thousands of ordinary intelligent beings.
Was there really a need to move them?
To the questioning Vault Keeper.
Dion replied nonchalantly.
“Because it looks like Nangrang Fortress is about to fall. If we’re not careful, we might go down with it.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I under…stand—as if! What in the world is that nonsense?!”
Not just the Vault Keeper, but the others too looked at him as if he had said something insane.
Dion recalled his second life, both near and distant.
A past he had not experienced himself.
But one he had heard about in vivid detail.
He murmured to himself, remembering the catastrophe that had swept through not just Nangrang Fortress but the Deformed City as well.
“It seems the Orc Mister is taking this situation far too lightly…”
“…?”
“In that sense, Braggart, can you find out where ‘that person’ is?”