Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: This Might Become a Bad Habit
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Thud. Rumble.
The shock that began in the lobby spread like ripples, causing the entire building to tremble faintly.
It wasn't enough to knock objects off shelves or topple them over, but the vibration was strong enough that even the most oblivious guests could feel it, sending ripples of unease through the crowd.
To calm those guests.
Or to defend their own sections.
Or to respond to calls from their affiliates.
The staff of Hotel Leviathan were each focused on their duties.
But up in the penthouse on the top floor, the man and woman there paid no mind to the commotion below, remaining calmly in place.
"Looks like it's not an easy opponent after all."
"Well, they must have some confidence if they barged in alone so boldly."
"If they really had that much confidence, they wouldn't have bothered with schemes and wasting time."
Li Chingwei added with a sly smile.
"Just like the Sword Duke did back in the day."
"I'm just a dumb swordsman, after all."
Rimon shrugged.
Then he asked casually.
"So, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"The intruder who just broke in. Can you really handle them with just the Silent Dragon Squad?"
"Who knows. It's too soon to make any rash judgments when we don't even know anything about the intruder yet... but this is Hotel Leviathan."
Li Chingwei flashed a meaningful smile.
Understanding her implication, Rimon let out a scoff.
"Fair enough. Fighting a snake in its own den is about as tricky as it gets."
"Calling it a snake pit is a bit harsh, don't you think? It's still the world's top hotel, you know."
"But it's not just a hotel."
"Of course not."
Hotel Leviathan was, first and foremost, a stronghold of the Black Dragon Clan.
It was a fortress of the Seven Dragon Society, scattered across nations worldwide—even Rimon, who had reigned as an absolute power in the Heroes' Age, hadn't dared to touch it lightly.
For someone who knew the true nature of Hotel Leviathan better than anyone, the very idea that it was "just a hotel" was laughable.
That was why Li Chingwei, feeling the vibrations from below, kept her gaze fixed out the window.
"The real problem is the affiliates."
"Worried?"
"Like you said, if even the place with the Wang family head has only a fifty-fifty chance of holding out, our domestic affiliates could all collapse."
Li Chingwei admitted calmly.
That they couldn't stop the rampaging Ryu Gangcheol with just the affiliates' own forces.
It was a cold but obvious assessment.
Ryu Gangcheol was a duke-level player who required at least a grand master to step in or dozens of masters forming an array to barely handle.
Yet few of the Black Dragon Clan's affiliates had that level of force.
If even the Shanghai Wang family—with its master-level expert Wang Ginaeng and its armed forces—had only a coin-flip chance of enduring?
By tomorrow morning, it would be a miracle if more than ten domestic affiliates remained standing.
"Nah, it won't be that bad."
"You think so?"
"Yeah."
But Rimon dismissed that obvious fact with casual ease.
He tilted his glass, took a sip of whiskey, then explained leisurely to Li Chingwei, who was cocking her head.
"That's why we prepared Plan B for times like this."
"Right, of course."
As if she'd just remembered.
Rimon chuckled at Li Chingwei pretending otherwise.
He had realized the Ryu Gangcheol he'd cut down was a fake from the start.
He'd even seen through the Liberation Brigade's scheme and anticipated something like this happening soon.
Despite that, he hadn't taken special measures because he was certain no further preparations were needed.
The Plan B they had ready was that solid.
"Taking that into account, what odds do you give it?"
"Eh, about 99%?"
"That's awfully generous."
"For me, that's being pretty stingy."
Li Chingwei made a subtle face at how the odds jumped from fifty-fifty with the Black Dragon Clan's power alone to nigh-certain.
Rimon cackled.
Then, as a former PAB agent before becoming a Sword Master, he continued mischievously.
"No matter how great your Seven Dragon Society or the Liberation Brigade think they are, this neighborhood has its own local thugs."
"That's a harsh judgment."
"Why? Am I wrong? Think of all the money they've squeezed out of me."
He sounded thoroughly fed up.
Li Chingwei giggled at Rimon's grumbling.
"You don't need to worry about that level of expense. It's a bargain for guaranteeing the affiliates' safety."
"A 'bargain' that could buy a whole country?"
"That's why I called it a bargain."
"...Ah, right?"
A whole continent might be one thing, but one or two countries? Not that pricey.
Li Chingwei tilted her head innocently.
Rimon inwardly clicked his tongue watching her.
He'd always known the Seven Dragon Society had warped senses of money, but hearing this made her feel truly like a 'princess'.
'To think I fought those money-like-water spenders for centuries.'
For a brief moment, she looked at him curiously.
Then Li Chingwei asked abruptly.
"But Sword Duke, Plan B only covers affiliates enrolled in the Guardian System, right?"
"Obviously."
"So the rest are still at risk?"
After fending off several attacks.
A growing number of affiliates had outsourced security to Guardian, but that was relative.
In total proportion, less than half of the Black Dragon Clan's domestic affiliates were enrolled.
That was how many in the clan still harbored resentment, grudges, or distrust toward Rimon.
"Can't be helped. They're the ones who stubbornly refused even when I offered protection."
Likewise, Rimon didn't particularly regret it.
He and the Seven Dragon Society were sworn enemies from the start.
By some twist of fate, he'd ended up engaged to Li Chingwei, but just as the Black Dragon Clan didn't trust him, he was equally indifferent to them.
"Yes, their own fault."
Knowing that better than anyone, Li Chingwei readily nodded.
Then she broached carefully.
"But letting affiliates suffer damage due to their arrogance feels like too much of a waste, doesn't it?"
"What're you getting at?"
"Exactly what I said."
Li Chingwei explained calmly.
"The Black Dragon Clan's affiliates are structurally interconnected. Damage to one affects the whole clan."
Like most conglomerates, but the Seven Dragon Group's affiliates were especially tightly linked.
To maximize profits, but also due to the traditional structure of the criminal syndicate valuing clan unity.
"If nearly half collapse at once, the losses would be massive."
"Still just a speck compared to your clan's total assets, no?"
"Money's not the issue. It's our influence and shares."
Li Chingwei replied evenly.
The affiliates were companies, but also footholds securing the Seven Dragon Society's influence.
"If they crumble one after another, creating gaps in our influence, plenty of rivals will exploit them."
"The top ten guilds?"
"Or other clans' enterprises."
"Hmm..."
Rimon understood her point.
He was clueless about business, but he'd seen enough wars to get it.
When power wavers, enemies bare teeth—and even allies pounce.
In that light, it made sense for Li Chingwei—who aimed to swallow the Seven Dragon Society and face the constellations—to worry about affiliate gaps.
It made sense, but...
"You're the one who said you'd risk it."
"Yes."
"And now you're changing your mind?"
"I didn't expect attacks this widespread."
Even she hadn't anticipated Ryu Gangcheol's skill creating dozens of clones to hit affiliates.
Li Chingwei let out a soft sigh.
Rimon tilted his head at her.
"You didn't see this coming? You?"
"I'm not the White Dragon Princess."
Sweeping back her silky black hair with a hint of regret, Li Chingwei met his odd gaze for a moment.
Rimon scratched his cheek.
"Fine. Say the damage is worse than expected. So what? Too late to request add-on contracts now."
"Yes."
"No extra forces or masters to deploy immediately."
"Exactly."
"...And yet you want to protect the rest? Even if it risks the plan?"
"Protecting the clan is my duty as princess."
Rimon looked at her like some world-class liar.
But she didn't blush or look away.
She just smiled faintly.
"So, could you help?"
A vague request, hollow like a bun without filling.
But as her fiancé, Rimon could guess the intent. He stared at her intently, then spoke bluntly.
"You said you'd just marry me and live easy—now you're trying to work me to the bone?"
"We're engaged, not married yet."
"What a scammer answer."
"I'm the Black Dragon Princess."
As if that explained everything, she beamed.
Rimon scoffed once, then downed his whiskey in one go.
He stood.
"Fine. Even if my future in-laws' idiot relatives do something stupid, if my fiancée begs me to save her life, it's the groom-to-be's duty to help."
The affiliates' fate didn't matter to him.
But he'd play along with her obvious ploy—for her sake alone.
Stating his reason clearly, Rimon shot her a glare.
"But princess, I'll collect on this debt later."
"Whatever you want, just say it. Everything I have is yours anyway, Sword Duke."
"Oh, really?"
He scoffed again at her brazen innocence.
Then Rimon bowed lightly.
Grabbing her shoulder with one hand, he kissed her.
"??????"
Too unexpected a kiss.
Li Chingwei's eyes went wide.
But he didn't pull away.
Not until she finally grasped the situation—question marks popping over her head—and her face, ears, and nape flushed crimson.
He held her shoulder firm, savoring the soft feel of her lips fully.
"Haa!"
Only much later, when Rimon released her, did Li Chingwei remember to breathe, exhaling hotly.
"Uh, um. Sword Duke? That just now, what was...?"
As if her brain cells had fried in that instant.
Forgotten poise, blank-faced, she asked.
Rimon chuckled.
"Why freak out over a little stamp?"
"A... stamp?"
"Yeah. Gotta leave a mark so you can't claim later you don't remember."
It's the fiancée's privilege to kiss her man goodbye before he heads out.
Rimon said innocently, walking to the window.
"Take care. Don't push too hard."
Whoosh!
With that light farewell, he leaped out the window and vanished.
Li Chingwei stared blankly at his empty spot for a long while.
Slowly, she raised a hand.
Her slender fingers touched her lips, still warm with unfamiliar heat, and she murmured.
"...This contract method might make me pick up bad habits."