Chapter 154
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: What's the Problem?
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After driving off the Liberation Brigade.
Though Li Chingwei was swamped with the aftermath, she made sure to eat her meals properly.
It wasn't just for her health.
In the midst of all this chaos, it was one of the precious few moments she could steal away to meet Rimon and chat.
In that sense, it wasn't unusual for Li Chingwei to speak up during a meal.
"Sword Duke, do you remember what I told you before?"
"Which one?"
"That I thought there might be a princess I could win over."
"Ah, that?"
Rimon, who had been munching on fries, nodded right away.
Whether by the gravity of the matter
or the uniqueness of the content,
it wasn't the kind of story one could hear and forget.
But even Rimon, who nodded casually, looked puzzled at Li Chingwei's next words.
"Actually, I sent an invitation to that princess this time."
"Hm? Why go and do something so pointless?"
"To persuade her, I have to meet her first."
"That's true enough as far as truisms go, but if she doesn't show up, it's all for nothing in the end."
Rimon looked unimpressed.
If it were an invitation from another country, to another person, for another purpose, that'd be one thing.
But there was no way a princess would accept an invitation sent by Li Chingwei—who was engaged to him—from this country he'd guarded for centuries.
"That's why I'm telling you now."
The moment he heard Li Chingwei's response,
Rimon openly showed his surprise.
"She accepted the invitation?"
"Yes. We've already got the confirmation, and we're preparing her accommodations."
"Well, I'll be. I never thought there'd be another princess as bold as you."
He chuckled once, recalling how Li Chingwei had shown up alone and proposed to him out of the blue.
Rimon picked up his cola and asked bluntly.
"So, who's it from? If she's willingly accepting your invitation, she's either one of those money-grubbing leeches from the United States or an African tyrant..."
"The Holy Alliance."
"...Come again?"
"It's the White Dragon Princess of the Holy Alliance."
Rimon felt relieved.
If he'd been mid-sip of his cola, he might have snorted it out his nose.
Li Chingwei's answer had caught him that off guard.
"You're saying the White Dragon Princess is coming here right now?"
"Yes."
"That top dog of those fools who spent centuries running and hiding from even a glimpse of me?"
"That's right."
"...Princess, what the hell did you do?"
Blackmail, threats, intimidation—whatever it was,
he couldn't imagine what kind of magic had made a princess of the White Dragon Clan accept an invitation on her own two feet.
Li Chingwei smiled faintly under Rimon's gaze, filled with equal parts suspicion and trust.
"I sent her a little gift."
"A gift? And that's enough to bring the White Dragon Princess here?"
"Times have changed. This country is no longer forbidden ground for us."
"...You really do see some crazy shit living this long."
Rimon shook his head.
Of course, unlike the old days, the Seven Dragon Society was no longer openly hostile to Rimon on the surface.
Still, for two princesses to gather in a country once called the Seven Dragon Society's execution ground was utterly unthinkable before.
Especially when one was the White Dragon Princess.
"Well, whatever. She accepted, so fine. But is this really okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking if it's okay to bring in those fools."
This wasn't about whether persuasion was possible.
It was whether they should even try.
For them, who needed to rally the full might of the Seven Dragon Society, it was a delicate question.
But Li Chingwei didn't look puzzled or flustered.
She just took a bite of her burger, chewed thoroughly, swallowed, and answered calmly.
"There will be problems, sure."
"Thought so."
"Yes. But even accounting for that, the White Dragon Clan is worth pulling in."
Li Chingwei stated it flatly.
Then, with a serious expression, she continued.
"Their precognitive abilities will be a huge help in tracking down the Liberation Brigade... and finding the Seven Arcs."
The power to read the future—precognition.
The most mysterious among the seven psionics passed down in the Seven Dragon Society.
Rimon nodded as he watched Li Chingwei emphasize the value of the White Dragon Clan, who inherited it.
"Yeah, precognition can be pretty useful depending on how you use it."
Whether for the Liberation Brigade
or the Seven Arcs,
they had too little information right now to track them properly.
But with the White Dragon Princess's power, things could change.
The White Dragon Princess was the greatest oracle.
A being who could skip the entire process of finding clues and get straight answers.
Borrowing her foresight might let them catch the Liberation Brigade's tail—even if they were hiding tight—and locate the Seven Arcs, wherever they might be.
Even so, Rimon didn't welcome her visit.
He just advised her gravely.
"Still, be careful, Princess."
"'[Those who know the future are ruled by it]'?"
"Hm? Where'd you hear that?"
"From someone I knew long ago."
"Whoever it was, they were right."
In his long life, Rimon had met many oracles.
So he knew.
Few who relied on prophecy ended well.
Most either invited misfortune trying to change the future or met ruin blindly trusting predictions.
It was only natural.
If prophecy were that perfect a power, the Seven Dragon Society wouldn't have suffered defeat after defeat against Rimon for centuries.
"Don't worry about that. I know full well how dangerous it is to peek into the future carelessly."
"...Well, if you know, that's fine."
Li Chingwei smiled sweetly.
Rimon stared into her deeply sunken eyes—far from her light tone—and finally shrugged.
Anyone else, maybe not.
But Li Chingwei could handle that much on her own.
"And eat your meals properly. What's a Seven Dragon Society princess doing filling up on burgers?"
"Time is money."
"Isn't that a Silver Dragon Clan proverb?"
"It's still not wrong."
"Even so, there's a limit. Look at you—pretty face all messed up."
Maybe because eating a burger felt awkward to her.
Rimon clicked his tongue at the sauce on Li Chingwei's mouth and wiped it off with his finger.
Then he licked the finger, tasting the sauce, and muttered.
"Well, it's handmade, so it's good. Youin make this too?"
"..."
"Princess? What's wrong?"
"Ah... well. There's something I wanted to ask you, Sword Duke."
"Yeah? What?"
Her eyes went wide for a moment.
But after hearing Rimon's question, she snapped back to attention.
Li Chingwei coughed lightly to cover, turned her head slightly to hide her flushed ears, and continued.
"That TV program you mentioned before. Is it coming along well?"
"Why?"
"I think showing it to the White Dragon Princess would make persuading her easier."
"...I know this generation's White Dragon Princess has that hobby, but will it really help convince her?"
"Hanging your life on your hobbies is a White Dragon Clan tradition."
"True, but..."
Rimon scratched his cheek.
He'd made the program to show it in the first place, so adding one more princess wouldn't be an issue.
Still, seeing Rimon trail off, Li Chingwei looked puzzled.
"Is there a problem?"
"The PD said the game company sponsoring it pulled their funding."
"...So the program's canceled?"
"Nah, they're scraping together the remaining budget to push through. The WIM Guild's pitching in too."
For Kim Seungjun, it was do-or-die for KTB.
For Yeonhwa, it was her shot at monopolizing WIM's power.
No way they'd scrap it now over a bit of cash.
Kim Seungjun was going all out, even looking ready to sell the KTB president's golf clubs.
Yeonhwa was diverting as much of WIM's slush funds as she could.
"It's just that with the cut budget, it's getting pretty patchwork. You okay showing something like that?"
Rimon's point was valid.
The seven princesses of the Seven Dragon Society were the world's richest.
No way a hastily made program on a shoestring would impress them.
But Li Chingwei wasn't disappointed.
She just tilted her head, as if she couldn't see the issue.
"So basically, all it needs is money, right?"
"..."
That sealed it—the struggling program, barely limping along on fumes, was now set to rocket ahead like a tricycle with boosters.
"This is unexpected."
"Don't look around so much, Princess. It looks undignified."
"Tata's looking too. Not convincing."
"Tata is your nanny, guard, and attendant. It's only natural for her to stay vigilant."
"Cowardly excuse."
"For your safety, Tata can be as cowardly as needed!"
Whatever Tata said,
the girl didn't pay it much mind.
She just kept scanning the surroundings, muttering blankly.
"Sword Duke's country. Sword Tower's here too. But no one with a sword."
"Stay sharp, Princess. Back in the day, there were even Sword Masters who didn't use swords. They might be hidden masters."
"Can't see how they're Sword Masters without swords."
"If that demon Sword Duke acknowledges them as Sword Masters, they are."
In this era where even Rimon was seen as outdated,
few remembered his terror.
In that sense, Aynsha and Tata were exceptions.
They were among the tiny handful who knew about the World Peace Plan—the root of Rimon's downfall.
Of course, generations apart, and the White Dragon Clan hadn't clashed head-on with Rimon in centuries, so their knowledge was all hearsay.
But that was enough to keep them wary of him.
If even half of it was true, Rimon was a monster who treated fighting the Seven Dragon Society like a hobby.
That's why they'd come to this country days ahead of schedule, in secret.
To scout ahead, in case the Black Dragon Clan and Rimon had laid a trap.
"Tata, it's weird. Everyone's staring at Tata."
"They're staring at you, Princess."
"Face covered. Presence and identity hidden. Doesn't make sense."
"They must sense your unavoidable majesty, even hidden. So carry yourself with pride."
"Understood. Tata really is wise."
Of course, at this point—bundled up in a parka, hat, overcoat, and more layers—'secret' was a joke.
But Aynsha, oblivious to that, strode the streets with true grandeur.
Along the way,
Aynsha asked blankly.
"Tata, confirm."
"Confirm what?"
"This country's name isn't KTB, right?"
"Of course not."
"No power holders or religions here with those initials either."
"K's a common surname here, so I can't say for sure, but from what I've gathered, no."
Tata answered promptly.
Aynsha, impressed by her reliable nanny-attendant-guard's wisdom, asked her burning question.
"Then why is this country plastered with KTB letters everywhere?"
From passing cars' sides to high-rise billboards, even T-shirts and TV screens people wore and watched.
Those three letters dominated everywhere.
Tata gave a confident reply this time too.
"Tata doesn't know!"