Chapter 315

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Translator: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠8uhl

Chapter: 315

Chapter Title: The Road Ahead Is Long

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Watching the silent Aynsha and the smiling Li Chingwei, Rimon scratched his cheek for a moment.

He spoke up abruptly.

"Well, I'll admit my worries might be overblown. There's no solid evidence yet, after all."

In the first place, Rimon's concerns weren't really about the Liberation Brigade so much as the Seven Arcs.

That was why he readily conceded that his fears might be a bit excessive.

With one caveat, of course.

"But one thing's crystal clear."

[What's that?]

"We absolutely have to stop the Liberation Brigade from getting their hands on any more Seven Arcs."

"Indeed, that's spot on."

"......As Ri said."

This time, both Syr and Aynsha nodded without the slightest hesitation in agreement.

What secrets the Seven Arcs held?

Never mind the minutiae—for now, their revealed powers alone made it obvious they were dangerous in the Liberation Brigade's hands.

Even if the remaining wraiths only gained Diego-level strength, that would be enough to turn the world upside down.

"That's why you made the Liberation Brigade your prey, right, Sword Duke?"

"If we wait until after unifying the Seven Dragon Society to make a move, it might be too late."

Rimon stated coolly.

What powers the remaining Seven Arcs held?

Without knowing what the Liberation Brigade might do with them, dealing with the group as quickly as possible was the best course.

"On that note, let me ask—"

Whether to catch the Liberation Brigade.

Or to win the bride contest.

Whatever petty schemes like economic sanctions they were pulling, they needed to be crushed and cleared away posthaste.

Rimon turned to Syr, speaking matter-of-factly.

"What do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you say, old lady? Can you pull it off?"

"......You want me to use your power and that fragment sword to break the divine relic's limits?"

"Yeah."

"You know how absurd that is, right?"

"No clue. All I know is you're the real deal of a witch."

"......"

Magic always came with a price.

But conversely, if you paid that price, magic could do anything.

And if you were the greatest archmage of the Silver Age, at magic's pinnacle, then surely something like this was a given.

Syr stared at Rimon as he spoke shamelessly.

She thought this kid could've made it big as a slave trader or a gigolo, not just a swordsman.

"Things are about to get busy."

In the end.

Syr accepted the request.

Not just because she had no right to refuse.

Abandoning it without even trying was something her pride as a witch wouldn't allow.

And so, Syr promptly kidnapped Rimon.

To resolve the divine relic's limits with the fragment sword's power, they needed to thoroughly research how that power manifested and how it could be applied.

Of course, Yuna Kyung and Shela got dragged along too, under the pretext of research assistance.

"How fast we gather the materials will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠determine when we get results."

Left behind were Li Chingwei and Aynsha.

But they would be just as busy from now on.

Whether countering the economic sanctions.

Or procuring materials for the divine relics.

With crises requiring their clans' full mobilization, the two princesses needed to take direct command.

Things were about to get hectic.

Li Chingwei turned to Aynsha, speaking calmly.

"On that note, Aynsha, I'd like you to list what materials you can get from the Holy Alliance. I'll focus on the rest."

"......"

"Aynsha?"

She stared blankly at one corner of the training hall for a moment, puzzled.

Then Li Chingwei froze.

She belatedly realized Aynsha was looking at the floral sculptures neatly arranged there.

"That flower smells nice."

"Ah, that's probably because it has Sword Duke's dragon psyonic infused in it."

"......Confirming. Does everything infused with Ri's dragon psyonic smell like this?"

"Pretty much."

Li Chingwei nodded.

Then she smiled softly and asked.

"If you like it, want one?"

There were plenty of spares, and Rimon would happily allow giving one to Aynsha.

Aynsha stared at the beaming Li Chingwei for a moment.

Then she stepped forward.

One step.

Another step.

One more.

"......Aynsha? Something to say?"

Li Chingwei looked puzzled as she approached right up to her face.

Aynsha stood on tiptoe.

As if sharing a grave secret, she whispered in her ear.

"Li Chingwei, do you know this?"

"Know what?"

"You smell really good too."

"......"

"Very, very good."

At that moment.

Li Chingwei fell silent.

Not because she thought it was a secret share.

Aynsha had never intended that.

It was just to get closer and sniff for sure—that she'd been "tricked."

"New perfume?"

"......Yes, I happened to acquire a rare one."

"I see. Li Chingwei's always lucky."

Her face was expressionless as ever.

Her voice flat and curt.

Unlike usual, when emotions always showed through.

Her eyes were utterly blank, like a doll's, staring straight at Li Chingwei.

Aynsha continued.

"No need for flowers. I'll take the perfume instead."

"......"

No need for charity.

No begging for favors.

Calmly, matter-of-factly, demanding what was rightfully hers.

"Li Chingwei, don't forget. My share isn't free."

The purest princess in the Seven Dragon Society.

The one repeatedly deceived and used by Li Chingwei.

But with instincts sharper than anyone's.

Transcending logic and evidence, piercing all lies and deceptions, sensing the unspeakable—the White Dragon Princess.

Aynsha stepped forward.

"If you forget and betray me again this time......"

Srash.

As if her words were done.

Her robes brushed perilously close.

She passed Li Chingwei by a hair's breadth and stopped behind her.

Without turning, in a voice cold as ice, she finished.

"I'll kill you."

To that chilling warning.

Li Chingwei had no reply.

Aynsha had already left the training hall before she could speak.

Left alone, it took Li Chingwei a long while to let out a soft sigh.

"......Was I getting complacent?"

From the start, she'd sided with her.

Openly showing her intentions.

And above all, because the opponent was none other than Aynsha.

She might've thought carelessly.

That she was a reliable ally, easy to use, not someone to guard against.

But Aynsha's cold warning, laced with purity so intense it was eerie killing intent, made her realize.

Even if dismissed as the weakest, purest, most foolish among them, Aynsha was still a Seven Dragon Society princess.

Inheriting dragon royal blood.

Harboring dragon possessiveness.

An equal rival to her.

'Now I get why Sword Duke said that.'

Why Rimon trusted their dragon heritage over princess goodwill.

Li Chingwei smiled bitterly, finally understanding.

She who'd thought she knew princesses best knew nothing compared to Rimon.

And one more thing.

From the moment she agreed to the share, Aynsha had become someone she could never turn into an enemy—threatening in ways even more than Charlotte.

'Did she plan this?'

If Aynsha just followed instinct, that was better.

But if she'd seen through everything since the Seven Dragon Society meet, judged coldly, and chosen to back her...

"......I still have a long way to go."

As Black Dragon Princess.

Or as Rimon's bride.

Acutely aware of her shortcomings, Li Chingwei could only smile bitterly.

While Li Chingwei and Aynsha, along with the archmage, fledgling, Sword Master, and others moved to counter the economic sanctions.

The other princesses were moving swiftly too.

The economic sanctions only tied the Black Dragon Clan and White Dragon Clan's hands.

To gain an edge in the competition with other clans, they needed to hurry just as much.

"Is this the report on the Liberation Brigade?"

"Yes, My Princess."

"Took longer than expected."

But Charlotte didn't rush.

She even took her time.

After returning to the United States.

Instead of pursuing immediately, she'd ordered a report on the Liberation Brigade.

Reading the report her Gold Dragon Clan had produced by wielding America's intelligence agencies like limbs, Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

"Hmm, the Liberation Brigade, eh......"

Until now, Charlotte had been indifferent to the Liberation Brigade.

The Seven Dragon Society was historically the largest crime syndicate, ruling all world shadows for centuries.

In that long history, plenty of crime groups had risen rapidly to oppose them.

But the end was always one.

Total annihilation.

They'd only hidden in the shadows because of their natural enemy, the Sword Duke.

The Seven Dragon Society's power, once world-dominating, wasn't for mere crime groups to challenge.

In that sense, to Charlotte, the Liberation Brigade was just another common crime outfit—flashy for a moment, then crumbling.

Yet the actual intel on them piqued even her interest.

"They've clearly outgrown being dismissed as mere trash."

"Trash is still trash, My Princess."

"Don't underestimate them too much. Wouldn't that make the clans who've suffered at their hands pitiable?"

The Black Dragon Clan hit at affiliates.

The Blue Dragon Clan during the London incident.

The Green Dragon Clan fallen into traps, and more.

Confirming the detailed clashes between the Seven Dragon Society and Liberation Brigade over centuries, Charlotte drawled lazily.

Groups threatening the Society that much in the last few hundred years were rare.

Like the Dark Dawn Society that summoned the Demon God and perished, or the Continental Guardians in the Spirit Uproar.

"Above all, their stealth and expansion are hard to ignore."

"Ah, yes. Cell-structured, hard to eradicate, player-centered like old major guilds, expanding fast."

"Weak bugs always flee well and multiply easily, don't they?"

Charlotte sneered.

Why old major guilds were called today's hegemons despite the Society holding all world wealth.

Not just strength.

It was their potential to rival centuries-old Society might in a mere thirty years.

In that, the Liberation Brigade resembled them.

The report estimated membership surged over tenfold in just years.

If a few more years passed?

They could rival old major guilds.

"This growth rate explains why my prospective groom targeted them as our prey."

"Sword Duke wary of the Liberation Brigade?"

"At least, he sees them as a nuisance to eliminate now."

"If Sword Duke thinks so, they're no longer ignorable."

The woman in cowgirl attire.

Ellis readily agreed with Charlotte.

Trust born of Gold Dragon Clan arrogance—her princess couldn't be wrong.

"What are your orders, My Princess? If you wish, I'll mobilize intel agencies to hunt them now."

"No need."

Charlotte shook her head.

If intel alone sufficed, they wouldn't have expanded this far.

More than that, to gain advantage over other princesses, she needed surer methods than half-measures.

And Charlotte had a method no other princess could mimic—hers alone.

"Instead, I'll post a bounty."

"Leave the trash to the janitors, eh."

"Exactly."

"But My Princess, catching the Liberation Brigade needs major guilds or high-level players. They won't move for chump change."

"What's that matter?"

Charlotte scoffed at Ellis's point.

As if no easier solution existed, she continued with an arrogant smile.

"If ordinary money won't move them, just offer more."

Soon after, one ad blanketed all world news, papers, internet, and more.

High-level players and major guilds, of course.

Mercenary firms, greedy cops, state agencies.

Anyone with money lust joined the gold rush... no, the hunt rush.