Chapter 416
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 416
Chapter Title: They'll Believe It, Right?
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Yekateriche Health Center.
A hospital built with overflowing funds, enough for the Great Khan to name it after herself.
After the revolution broke out.
And national funding was cut off.
Even if the quality of care had declined, this hospital still boasted Moscow's finest medical technology, and a group of new patients had been admitted.
None other than Lev and his men.
They had been secretly transferred from prison and were receiving the hospital's cutting-edge treatment.
"Sergei, that damn bastard! How dare he lock us up in a place like this?"
But Lev was outraged instead.
It was fine to get treatment, but in exchange, they were confined to this hospital room and couldn't leave.
Of course, considering they'd been caught trying to kidnap and kill Bachemensky, this was par for the course.
The problem was that, by his standards, this was utterly absurd.
"Who was it that groveled like a dog all this time to make him Secretary-General? And this is how he treats us... That ungrateful wretch!"
"I told you he'd pull something like this."
"This is why you can't trust humans over comrades."
Lev's men were equally indignant.
Birds of a feather, after all.
They'd been committing all sorts of crimes together from the start, so there was no reason for them to suddenly accept punishment.
And among them, the most furious was a hulking brute with both wrists wrapped in bandages.
"Boss, what about the bastard who sliced off my hands?"
Even after having his wrists reattached by a high-level healer, the pain and discomfort lingered.
Lev gnashed his teeth as the brute scratched at his wrists and ground his own.
"What do you mean? We're obviously getting revenge."
"I heard the Secretary-General has no intention of making a move."
"Tell him to cut the crap. You think we can't get revenge without that punk?"
With a cold snort.
Lev lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Just watch. I've already asked the comrades for help, so in a few days at most, we'll see that bastard bawling his eyes out."
"Ooh...!"
"As expected of the boss!"
The brute and the others admired Lev, lost in anticipation of the revenge to come.
"Revenge is coming soon anyway. How about a drink to celebrate?"
"You planning to break out or something?"
"No need for that. Just threaten to label them reactionary elements if they don't bring booze right now—they'll hand it over quick enough."
"You little shit, your brain only works for stuff like this. While you're at it, call some girls too."
"That's a given."
Lev and his men chattered away merrily, in high spirits.
But they didn't know.
Up on the roof of the very hospital they were in.
A white-haired man stood there, arms crossed, tall and imposing.
The already chill Moscow wind, combined with the pouring snowflakes and the rooftop setting, clawed even colder at their cheeks.
But Rimon paid it no mind.
He simply closed his eyes and kept silent.
That silence was broken by a cheerful voice from behind.
"Oppa has such a unique personality. There are plenty of nice spots, but you drag your little sister up to a place like this."
Before he knew it.
A slender girl had appeared behind him like a sprouting flower.
"Ah, is outdoor play your thing?"
"......"
"Fine, I get it. I prefer something stimulating over the plain stuff anyway."
For whatever reason.
Rimon didn't bother turning to the giggling Yekateriche.
He just asked quietly.
"You done checking?"
"Isn't it a bit hasty to jump straight to business? This kind of thing should be over tea, a few bottles of booze, then leisurely in a hotel."
"Cut the nonsense."
"Oppa, you're so cold to your cute little sister."
She grumbled briefly at Rimon's curt dismissal, showing no interest in entertaining jokes.
Then Yekateriche spoke lightly.
"To answer first: yeah. All checked out."
"Results?"
"Do I even need to say?"
With a smirk and a retort.
She tapped the rooftop floor with her toes and opened her mouth.
"These bugs included, all 645 names you handed me? Total Liberation Brigade."
"Certain?"
"Of course. Cross-checked criminal records, Okhrana intel, and the UN wanted list thoroughly."
Liberation Brigade or not.
At least the 645 he'd pinpointed were all vicious criminals, no doubt.
Rimon murmured softly at Yekateriche's bright yet clear answer.
"You pulled it off in just a few days."
Not even using the Great Khan's power.
And as Sergei's aide, her access to info had limits.
Her skill in compiling and analyzing domestic and international data in mere days was impressive.
But Yekateriche replied nonchalantly.
"This much is easy. All the info's in my head anyway."
"......You memorized all that data?"
"Huh? Why memorize?"
"......"
Why bother memorizing what you remember after one glance anyway?
She tilted her head, making him look annoyed, but then eyed Rimon with interest.
"To me, you're the impressive one, oppa. How'd you track them down in just a few days?"
"Not impressive. They made it easy playing faction games."
Rimon answered flatly.
Both revolutionaries and Liberation Brigade.
The hardest part was their cell structure, tough to tail.
But with the revolutionaries turning into a revolutionary government, they ditched the shadows for the surface.
After that, it was simple.
Crime-committing ones.
Suspicious-acting ones.
Blood-scented ones, etc.
Just focus on revolutionaries likely Brigade members.
Crime is as addictive as drugs.
They might hide from Silver Dragon eyes, but post-revolution success? Core Brigade criminals wouldn't hold back.
Sure, plenty still hid their dark sides carefully.
But it didn't matter.
No matter how hidden, factions linked them to other Brigade cells.
That's how Rimon found them easily—or so he said, and Yekateriche gave a sly smile.
"If it was that easy, I gotta chew out Kana. She couldn't do in months what you did in days."
Kana would feel wronged.
Rimon succeeded because revolutionaries surfaced.
If scattered like before, even he'd need a month or two.
But Rimon didn't defend the Silver Dragons.
He just asked calmly.
"Can you catch the rest now?"
"Yeah. At least wipe out the domestic Brigade."
Yekateriche said lightly.
Trace who they met, what they did.
Cross-reference revolutionary intel to find others elsewhere.
Impossible in other countries.
But Brigade hid in revolutionaries to dodge Okhrana, crumbling their cells in Russia.
And with Rimon's centuries-honed criminal-sniffing senses on the hunt, it worked.
And what that meant was one thing.
"Oh, right. Guess I lost the bet then?"
The initial contract with Aynsha.
And the game with Rimon.
Find Brigade in revolutionaries before she acted.
Yekateriche sighed softly at Rimon achieving the win condition so easily.
"Can't be helped. Sorry, but I'll drop throwing the revolutionaries into the Gulag."
Regrettable, but a loss is a loss.
As a duelist, she'd honor the result.
Rimon didn't turn to her ready concession.
He just sneered.
"Spare me the lame lies."
"Lies? I really had no intention of purging the revolutionaries."
"The 'sorry' part."
Like he'd seen a bad play.
Rimon turned with a bored face.
And eyed the puzzled, head-tilted Yekateriche coldly.
"You never intended to win from the start."
At that moment.
The confusion vanished.
Yekateriche's lips curved like a crescent moon.
"You caught on?"
"You think I'd miss it with you acting like that?"
"Hmm, maybe?"
Giggling.
With a playful smile, she hopped up.
Onto the snow-covered railing.
Not slipping, not even leaving footprints, she stood lightly and clasped hands behind her back.
Then, braving the heavy snow, strolled leisurely along the rail.
"Honestly, I didn't plan this at first? But seeing how things played out, this seems way more fun."
"So you're throwing yourself into toppling the Russian Khanate for that reason?"
"Yep, exactly."
To Rimon's quiet question.
Yekateriche answered readily.
Then spun gracefully on the rail to face him.
"Whether this country becomes the Soviet Union or the Ice Candy Republic, I don't care."
"Since you'll end up devouring it anyway?"
"Bingo!"
"You say it so casually."
"Because it's easy."
Nodding like it was obvious, Yekateriche smiled meaningfully.
"You know it too, right? Our clan specializes in this."
After the Seven Dragons died.
Unlike other clans hiding in shadows, theirs rampaged freely across the continent like unbridled horses—thieves and bandits.
Hand-in-hand with Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan.
And Russia's Ivan the Terrible.
Making them sons-in-law, stealing kingdoms alongside royal blood—the Silver Dragon princess.
Yekateriche Khan.
The born conqueror and plunderer continued brightly.
"I'll support the revolution with all I have. Enough for the revolutionaries and whole nation to hail me as the new Secretary-General."
"......"
"Then at the inauguration, ta-da!"
Yekateriche imagined it.
The square in Red Square.
Her ceremony broadcast nationwide.
She previewed her act before hundreds of thousands of citizens, hundreds of millions of nationals.
Slide.
Remove her glasses.
Revert hair to silver.
Dropping the hot-blooded revolutionary Elshar disguise, as the Great Khan who'd ruled the Russian Khanate in terror.
The silver-haired girl smiled.
"Just imagine."
"Their hero who led the revolution and toppled the dictator... has the same face as that dictator."
"—Aren't you curious what faces they'll make?"
Like gleefully awaiting reactions to toothpaste on chocolate cake.
Lost in her mirth.
Cheerful, beautiful, seductive.
Thus all the more cruel and dangerous—the Seven Dragon Society's top genius and madwoman—to her, Rimon asked quietly.
"You plan to plunge this country back into misery?"
"Don't worry. I'll craft a story to soothe the people."
"A story?"
"Yeah. Like the saga of poor Princess Elshar, twin of cruel dictator Yekateriche, chased from the palace by her jealous sister."
"You think people will buy that lie?"
"They won't buy it... but they'll believe it, right?"
Humans believe what they want.
The one donating life savings to a cult becomes the staunchest devotee to avoid regret.
The more exploited by a shady corp, the more they claim it's better than unemployment.
Rather than admit their revolution was meaningless, the people would choose her tall tale.
She said with conviction.
And added one more thing.
"Just look at how the revolutionaries worship you as their savior now."
"......"
"Isn't it hilarious?"
Like he'd heard something distasteful.
Yekateriche smiled meaningfully at Rimon's furrowed brow.
"Forgetting you're the one who crushed the Soviet Union, twisting you into whatever suits them."