Chapter 83
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: A Fittingly Black Dragon Clan Affair
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Rimon watched Li Chingwei chatting amiably with him, her face a picture of contentment, but only for a moment before turning a complicated gaze on him.
Wailing opened her mouth quietly.
"If the Sword Duke is mistaken and damage occurs, the blame will fall on the princess as well."
"It's fine."
"This isn't something to take lightly. In the worst case, the marriage approval you fought so hard to get from the elders could be revoked."
"Sure, but if the Sword Duke's prediction turns out right, it'll give me a chance to lord it over the elders for once."
Wailing fell silent, watching Li Chingwei completely dismiss even the possibility of Rimon being wrong.
Rimon chuckled at the sight.
"Why worry so much? It's not like you'll lose out either way."
"What do you mean?"
"You'd be thrilled if this marriage fell through."
It was a perspective she hadn't considered.
She stayed quiet for a beat.
Then Wailing spoke with utmost seriousness and sincerity.
"On second thought, I believe your prediction will prove correct. I'll take immediate action."
"...You're accepting that a bit too cleanly, aren't you?"
"Because I dislike you, and I believe this marriage will be of no benefit to the princess."
Her attitude flipped not just to indifference toward being wrong, but to outright hoping he was.
And as her attendant, she boldly stated her dislike outright. Rimon stared at her in disbelief for a moment.
Then he casually turned his head.
"Princess, why on earth did you assign me someone like this?"
"Because she's capable and trustworthy."
"That's it?"
"If I had to add one more thing, she's cute too."
"...I was asking seriously."
"Yes, and I answered seriously."
As if to say, what's the problem?
Li Chingwei tilted her head quizzically.
Rimon looked at her with an odd expression before finally chuckling.
"Well, whatever. What I need isn't a sycophant, but someone who'll handle things reliably."
"Don't worry. I'll handle it very reliably."
Whether Rimon's prediction was right or wrong.
She would carry out his orders.
So if it brought him fame, fine.
If not, he'd deal with the fallout—or get booted.
Wailing's veiled threat hung in the air as Rimon giggled, then suddenly spoke up as if struck by a thought.
"And, Miss Know-It-All. Just in case, if you happen to run into those ferocious beasts..."
"I should contact you right away?"
"No, run away immediately."
"...If your intent was to insult me, then mission accomplished."
A warrior duty-bound to protect the clan.
Especially for a prestigious family, telling her to flee without even fighting the enemy was the ultimate humiliation.
If the revered princess weren't right there beside Rimon, it would've been grounds for an immediate duel to the death.
Rimon gave the coldly glaring Wailing some earnest advice.
"Don't get so prickly. It's not teasing—it's objective advice."
"Objective how?"
"Unless you're fighting alongside at least an Amil Guard-level force, your skills alone can't handle even one of those beasts."
Wailing furrowed her brow at the blunt assessment.
"No warrior only fights battles they can win."
"True, but picking fights you don't need to just to salve your pride makes you not a warrior, but an idiot."
"Mm, the Sword Duke has a point there."
"..."
Was it because Li Chingwei took Rimon's side? Wailing shot him a murderous glare like a young man robbed of his lover.
He flashed her a grin.
"If you hate running that much, maybe learn some swordsmanship."
"From you?"
"Yeah. Your talent's lacking, but your basics are solid, so a few days of intensive training should get you to the point where you can at least hold out."
He spoke like he was addressing a child picking up a wooden sword for the first time, graciously offering to teach the fundamentals.
The white-haired man grinned cheerfully.
Wailing stared at his smiling face for a moment, then politely extended a palm toward Rimon—out of Li Chingwei's sight—and flipped him off with her middle finger.
"Eat shit."
She bowed courteously to Li Chingwei alone before leaving.
Watching her go, Rimon collapsed onto the sofa in hysterics. He turned to Li Chingwei with a mischievous grin.
"She really is cute, that know-it-all."
"Right? In our clan, she's like an endangered spirit guardian."
"Not quite that rare, but... I'll admit it's rare for a Black Dragon Clan member to say something like that right to my face."
Rimon chuckled.
She might scheme behind his back—who knew?—but to her face, she showed open hostility yet got the job done flawlessly.
For a Black Dragon Clan member, it was genuinely cute.
Like an arrogant cat that bristled and hissed but arched its back for pets when you reached out.
"So, how confident are you?"
"About what?"
"The odds of fending them off if the beasts target our subsidiaries again."
"You think I know that?"
Li Chingwei tilted her head in surprise.
"You predicted the next attack site, didn't you?"
"That was more like a half-educated guess. And it's not even certain they'll hit your subsidiaries again."
Rimon shrugged.
His prediction was closer to instinct honed by vast experience—figuring where he'd strike next if he were wielding that sword style.
"But if your subsidiaries get hit again, two things will be clear."
"Which are?"
"First, they want something from you."
"A crime for profit?"
"The kill methods and patterns are too unique for mere pleasure killings or revenge."
Recalling the autopsied bodies from Black Dragon Construction, Rimon continued softly.
"I don't know if it's money or something special, but they'll keep attacking until they get it."
"Something special... That's troubling."
"Any guesses?"
"If I had to say, there are too many possibilities—that's the problem."
Li Chingwei looked troubled.
The Black Dragon Clan, with its long history of immense wealth and power, possessed no small number of treasures.
Unique divine weapons, artworks, secret manuals—prestigious families passed down several as heirlooms.
"...Having too much money's a problem too, huh."
"Tell me about it. These subsidiaries shouldn't be facing this... What did I do wrong?"
"Like this is your fault. The ones who started it are the problem."
Her quiet mutter barely escaped her lips, but Rimon's superhuman hearing caught it. He responded dryly.
As if she'd never worn that dark expression.
Li Chingwei smiled softly at his comfort, then asked as if suddenly remembering.
"Oh, right—what's the other thing?"
"The other thing that becomes clear from their attacks?"
"Yes."
Pure curiosity?
Or something else?
Meeting her obsidian eyes gleaming with an enigmatic light, Rimon stated flatly.
"That I'll be busy from now on."
Of the three subsidiaries Rimon had flagged, one was attacked by the ferocious beasts exactly two days later.
"What? Another attack?"
"Those fearless pups who don't know fear...!"
"Where this time? How much damage?"
When word came that the ferocious beasts had struck again, the Black Dragon Clan was furious.
Not once, but twice in a row targeting their subsidiaries—it meant the beasts were looking down on them.
For a clan with the pride of past world dominators, it was enough to make their eyes roll back in rage.
"Minimal damage?"
"And a combat unit was on site—fortunate amid misfortune."
"Hmph, as expected. Without letting our guard down, there's no way we'd lose to those scum!"
And when they heard the beasts had been repelled, the Black Dragon Clan breathed a sigh of relief.
Simply blocking the consecutive attacks preserved their pride and prevented a stock plunge for the group.
Though failing to capture the beasts was regrettable.
"Whoever it was, they earned merit."
"Repelling those who even bested the Shanghai royal family's top fighter—truly great service."
"I should send a letter to the elder council touting this. Then they'll award a big prize without hesitation."
It was only natural for the Black Dragon Clan to show goodwill and interest to those who'd repelled the beasts.
Thus, when the full details emerged...
The Black Dragon Clan was shocked.
"...What?"
"Hold on—who?"
"Guardian...? You don't mean that Guardian, right? No way—it can't be!"
Countless clan members cried out that something was wrong, that it couldn't possibly be.
But no matter how they investigated, the facts remained the same.
"Mm, that Guardian or whatever warned our company might be next."
"We didn't believe it at first. But then they showed up uninvited, and next thing, they brought a letter from the princess."
"The princess promised to dispatch combat units if we adopted the Guardian system."
"You traitor!"
"I merely followed the princess's advice and used the clan's forces to protect clan assets! How is that selling out our pride?!"
It was total chaos.
A maelstrom of confusion and disorder.
If it'd been some passing player, it'd just bruise their pride a bit.
But Guardian—with Rimon at the helm—playing the decisive role in repelling the beasts? That was enough to shatter their minds.
"That mad dog lending a hand to protect our subsidiaries? Absurd!"
"But it's true they contributed to stopping the attack, right?"
"Hmph! Help my ass! Everyone knows the Sword Duke just slacks off and mooches!"
"It's a scheme! He stole the credit from others!"
"Maybe even a self-staged play by the Sword Duke..."
"Isn't that a stretch?"
"Quiet if you don't know! The Sword Duke's exactly the type! Don't you know how many of our clan he's killed?!"
"I know, but..."
"Just in case—don't you dare rely on Guardian! That's betrayal!"
"Of course! We'll protect our companies with our own strength!"
"Phew, got it. Guardian's too shady to trust anyway."
That very evening, as three Black Dragon Clan subsidiary presidents held a meeting vowing never to join Guardian...
Three more subsidiaries adopted the Guardian system.
On the condition that their use of Guardian for security remain strictly confidential.
Very much like the Black Dragon Clan.