Chapter 325
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 325
Chapter Title: I Won't Kill You
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The seven princesses of the Seven Dragon Society.
Beings who had inherited the world's most noble bloodline.
That was why Rose had always received at least a modicum of respect, no matter where she went.
Whether as an individual in terms of personal strength.
Or as the chairwoman of Yormungand.
Or even as Viscount Sea Serpent.
The imperial family of the Great British Empire, monarchs like Karl, and even Rimon had all shown her that basic courtesy.
"Did you just call me a slave?"
"So what?"
"......"
And so, in this moment.
Rose was momentarily at a loss for words.
It wasn't just because of Enko's outrageous remark, treating her like a slave on top of babbling about "lowly whites."
It was because his nonchalant, composed attitude made it seem like he wasn't even intending to insult her.
Right after that.
Glancing around in disbelief, Rose's face hardened.
Umbāru and the other Maasai tribesmen were all looking at her with puzzled expressions.
As if Enko had merely stated the obvious.
That realization hit her.
She finally understood why the tribe members, who had been friendly toward Rimon, had been especially cold to her.
Racism...!
Rose knew about it, of course.
The distant past when white slaves existed.
The fact that Africa had imported the most slaves.
In this continent where war was everyday life, whites were treated as expendable goods.
Even after the emancipation of slaves in North America, the slave system had lingered here for a long time.
Moreover, during the Demon God War, European refugees had flooded in, becoming prostitutes and beggars, spreading disease—and as a result, this continent had become the second most discriminatory against whites after America.
But that was the past.
Times had changed, slavery had been abolished, so surely only remnants of that racism remained...
"...It seems you're under a misunderstanding, so let me clarify: I am not a slave."
"What?"
"And discrimination against specific races, including slavery, is prohibited by international law. So please refrain from such insulting remarks in the future."
After blinking at her curt words.
Enko burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha!"
He wasn't the only one.
Umbāru stared at Rose as if she were insane, and Shuma, still pinned under Enko's foot, couldn't hide his astonishment.
Only one person.
Rimon alone smirked, as if it was just like her.
"Wow, impressive. I thought you were just an unbroken slave, but you're a pure, uneducated one."
"I told you, I'm not a slave..."
"Yeah, yeah, you're not, right? Your owner's got some unique tastes."
"......"
"That kid behind you must be your master... Is he from a fancy family with weird hobbies? Or just a brat who doesn't know better?"
"......"
"Alright, decision made. I'll take you as my personal slave and train you myself. Your master too, as a bonus."
He wasn't into men, no matter how pretty, but violating her former owner right in front of her sounded fun.
After saying that with a sleazy grin.
The moment Enko activated his skill.
His figure, which had been stepping on Shuma, vanished completely—only to reappear behind Rose.
She never could have imagined he was a space-type player, and one nearly level 70 at that.
With her back completely exposed and defenseless, Enko thrust his hand out to grab her throat in one swift motion.
Or at least, he tried to.
Thud.
"...?!"
...If his hand hadn't suddenly been blocked.
With her scabbard turned to her back to parry Enko's hand, Rose quietly opened her mouth.
"It seems you need discipline more than words."
"Discipline? You bitch dare—!"
Thwack!
"Guhk?!"
Enko's eyes bulged.
The scabbard slammed into his solar plexus, sending a dizzying pain through him.
But Rose didn't stop there.
As if this was just the beginning.
She swept his ankle with the scabbard, forcing him to his knees, then spoke softly.
"First, don't treat people like slaves."
Slap!
"Second, don't call a lady a bitch."
Crack!
"...Above all, my companions are not for the likes of a vulgar scum like you to insult, even in jest."
Snap!
As if even touching him was repulsive.
The Maasai tribesmen, led by Umbāru, froze as they watched Rose whip Enko's cheek with her scabbard.
It wasn't just her skill in subduing the Lukuma tribe's second-in-command in an instant.
They had known she was strong from the start.
The problem was her actions.
Until now, even when the tribe members had subtly ignored her, she had only seemed troubled, never retaliating.
So they had assumed she was just high-level but too soft to get angry—a delicate young lady they could look down on even more.
But in this moment.
With cheeks swollen.
Lips split and bleeding.
Teeth shattering and spilling out.
The sight of that "delicate young lady" striking Enko's face without so much as a twitch of her brow was enough to shatter that delusion completely.
However, Rimon wasn't surprised or flustered.
He just clicked his tongue inwardly.
To violate two taboos of the Azure Dragon Clan on first meeting... What a unlucky bastard.
The merciful and just Azure Dragon Clan had three absolute taboos they would never tolerate being broken.
Insulting honor.
Threatening a princess.
Interfering with beliefs.
When it came to those who broke these, the Azure Dragon Clan didn't hesitate to get extreme.
In that sense, Enko was truly unlucky.
Given Rose's personality, she would usually resolve taboo violations through dialogue or gentle subduing.
But he'd blabbered about making her his slave and really pissed her off.
That's a talent in its own way.
Even when scammed by those London citizens she helped or fallen for Karl's schemes, Rose had just felt bitter.
To provoke her true wrath with mere words.
It was agro ability on the level of a taunt skill.
Thud.
Only after Enko finally lost consciousness did Rose stop swinging her scabbard and let out a soft sigh.
Then she turned around.
Ignoring Umbāru and the other Maasai tribesmen flinching and averting their eyes, she looked at Rimon, standing there leisurely alone.
"Rimon, you said we didn't need to hide as we moved, right?"
"Well, at least I wouldn't have."
Playing it safe and searching without drawing the Red Dragon Clan's eyes were different matters.
Rimon answered nonchalantly.
Rose pondered, then asked again.
"Then, is it alright if I handle this matter?"
"That's not for me to decide. Not my call to answer."
"...Understood."
As if he wouldn't interfere no matter what she chose.
Gazing at the golden-tanned boy with arms crossed, Rose slowly nodded.
Then she turned her gaze back.
"Chief Umbāru."
"D-Did you call me?"
"Do you know which direction the Lukuma tribe's village is and how far?"
"Why...?"
He could only swallow dryly.
Unable to even ask properly, Rose answered calmly.
"If a problem is going to arise anyway, it seems better to eliminate the root cause."
"...?"
"In that vein, I'd like to ask you for one favor."
As if refusal was fine.
With her usual faint smile.
But holding her scabbard, still dripping with Enko's blood, in one hand—Umbāru's only option was one.
To nod vigorously with all his might.
"Eek, hik, heeek!"
Climbing the stairs like a scurrying rat.
The Lukuma chief thought to himself.
He had no idea how it had come to this.
Up until the soldiers he'd sent to the Maasai disappeared, he'd been relaxed.
Unexpected incidents always happened in war.
Having merged numerous tribes so far, he'd faced unexpected resistance or casualties beyond expectations many times.
But every time, most problems were handled by Enko.
A high-level player was a one-man army superhuman.
Unless it was a well-armed force.
Most tribes, armed only with rifles and grenades, couldn't handle even one Enko.
So he'd only worried about how much money and women Enko would demand this time, fully believing the issue would be resolved.
...Until that unexpected pair of man and woman showed up in his village.
A boy in Egyptian garb with golden-tanned skin.
A white beauty with a sword at her waist.
Claiming to be emissaries of the Maasai, the Lukuma chief had immediately tried to detain them.
Since he'd already sent Enko, there was no reason for him to deal with them.
Detaining someone in Egyptian clothes felt iffy, but a real Egyptian wouldn't stoop to being a Maasai emissary.
But that was a mistake.
No, beyond a mistake.
Because of that casual order, most of his soldiers were now unconscious, scattered throughout the village.
Tatata-tang!
"Aaaagh!"
Already this far...!
With scarcely any soldiers left to offer scattered resistance.
As the sporadic gunfire rang out briefly then cut off, the Lukuma chief shuddered and dashed into his room.
Even if fleeing, he needed to grab the money and documents.
But as he opened the safe and reached for the papers, he froze, feeling a chill against his neck.
Swish.
"You ordered your soldiers to fight, yet the first place you run to is the safe... And you call yourself a chief?"
"Eek!"
Somehow she'd caught up already.
Facing the woman—Rose—with a stern expression and her sword to his throat, the Lukuma chief panicked and drew his pistol.
Bang!
The moment the bullet burrowed into Rose's forehead.
The chief, who had briefly brightened, paled again instantly.
Like a mirage.
Rose's form, which had scattered upon impact, reappeared intact right after.
"Is the resistance over?"
As if daring him to try more if he could.
His hand trembled on the gun as he faced her calm question, and in the end, he dropped it and knelt before her.
"Sp-Spare me!"
Of course, he was a high-level player too.
A level 70s player surpassing even Enko, so normally he wouldn't beg for his life over blocking a single bullet.
But this time, he couldn't even think of resisting.
It wasn't just that she'd blocked a Russian-made anti-player large-caliber pistol round without lifting a finger.
As if nothing had happened.
Gazing into Rose's lake-calm eyes, he realized the truth.
No matter what he did here, he couldn't match her.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you."
If she'd intended to kill him, she wouldn't have let him flee this far.
Rose said calmly.
Seeing the chief's face twist in horror at her words, she gave a faint smile.
"Instead, from now on, your tribe will follow my orders."
Though not enough to found a nation, the Lukuma tribe had been the greatest power near Kilimanjaro.
And in that instant, they had been wholly conquered by a single outsider.