Chapter 92
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: A New Challenge
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Youin slightly hardened her expression.
She had realized why Li Chingwei wasn't asking Rimon for help.
"Princess, that means..."
"Yes, it's not something befitting the princess of the Black Dragon Clan."
Li Chingwei smiled quietly.
If it was purely for the sake of the Black Dragon Clan, she could simply ask Rimon to eliminate the bandits.
That would secure the clan's safety and profits, while also strengthening Li Chingwei's own position.
"But as the bride-to-be of the Sword Duke, it's a question I naturally have to ask."
However, from Rimon's perspective?
It would be better to stand by and watch.
If Wang Gineung handled the bandits as things stood, it would indebt the Wang family to them.
And if complications arose forcing Rimon to intervene, it could benefit them even more.
"Youin, between my position as princess and as bride-to-be, which do you think I should prioritize?"
The Black Dragon Clan's loyalty.
Rimon's trust.
Those two incompatible things placed on the scales—if she had to choose just one—which would be the wiser gain?
Gazing at the calmly questioning Li Chingwei with a strange look for a moment.
Youin gave a wry smile.
"Of course, the Sword Duke's trust."
"That's an unexpected answer. I thought you'd say I should get both."
To Li Chingwei, who looked at her with eyes genuinely surprised, Youin replied matter-of-factly.
"Chasing two rabbits means catching neither, and you can't compare a great peng soaring ninety thousand li to ten thousand sparrows."
"How wise."
Seemingly quite satisfied with the answer.
Li Chingwei smiled faintly and quietly opened her mouth again while picking up her documents.
"In any case, I can't just sit by and watch these continued losses, so some action is needed."
It was while she was deep in thought, pondering how exactly to block the bandits, that a phone call came in for Li Chingwei.
The moment she heard the ringtone.
Li Chingwei, having cleanly forgotten her earlier worries, answered the call with a beaming smile.
"Did you call because you missed hearing your lovely fiancée's voice, Sword Duke?"
"Too bad. I would've been thrilled if so."
"So, what's the matter?"
"Yes, yes... Yes?"
"Is that really possible?"
"No way. I just asked without thinking out of sheer surprise."
"Yes, I'll prepare right away."
After ending the call, Li Chingwei gave a wry smile.
She then turned to Youin, who had stepped back to avoid interrupting.
"No need for measures anymore."
"H-Hey, is the princess here?"
"Sorry I'm late. You must've waited a while."
"...You got here in under ten minutes after I called—those aren't words for you to say."
"Time apart from my beloved feels like half a quarter is three autumns."
"Isn't the saying one quarter is three autumns?"
"That's just a lack of love."
"...Keep overflowing with love like that, and you might turn to jade while still alive."
Rimon shook his head wryly once at Li Chingwei, who grinned even as her responses flowed without a hitch.
Then he asked bluntly.
"You bring what I asked for?"
"Yes."
Youin nodded crisply and gestured with her hand. A dozen maids and housemen entered carrying boxes, set them down quietly, and left.
"As the Sword Duke requested, these are 'that series' of items generally available."
"Hmm, more than I expected."
"Seems like duplicates because even same-series items have different specs."
"Yeah?"
"If it's too many, I can select some out."
"Nah, it's fine. Gathering this much in such short notice was tough enough—no need to bother picking."
Rimon checked the contents of the boxes and nodded in satisfaction.
Youin had said most were duplicates, but gathering this variety so quickly exceeded expectations.
Watching Rimon like that, Li Chingwei tilted her head.
"But why ask me to prepare them?"
"Hmm, was I busy when I called?"
"No. I've got nothing but time. You could've just told Chao to do it."
Youin, who had been helping Li Chingwei with her paperwork just moments ago, inwardly marveled.
To tell such an obvious lie without a flicker in her expression—truly, our princess!
Whether oblivious to the circumstances.
Or ignoring them knowingly.
Rimon opened his mouth calmly.
"That overly clever guy's busy reviewing security at your affiliates. Too much hassle to call him over for this."
"You're right. Talent belongs in the right place."
"Yeah, you get it."
[...No, isn't that a perfect misuse of 'right place'?]
Youin wore a peculiar expression, while Yuna Kyung openly interjected.
But Li Chingwei paid no mind to either of their gazes.
She merely looked intrigued.
"How do you plan to use these to find the bandits' next target?"
"Not some grand method. Just referenced your advice a little."
"My advice?"
Li Chingwei tilted her head quizzically.
For all her sharpness, nothing came to mind about what Rimon might have referenced.
Having plunged her into thought like that, Rimon lifted one box.
Clatter!
The moment he upended the box.
A jumble poured out: decks of playing cards, pencils, dice, a roulette wheel, darts, a draw box, pirate ship peril game, and all sorts of other items.
A veritable pile of junk.
The other boxes were the same.
Differences only in size, shape, and material—mostly similar things.
"Let's see, something suitable... This'll do?"
Having dumped out the contents of ten boxes without so much as glancing at them, he rummaged in a corner of the practice room for a moment.
Finally seeming to find what he wanted.
Rimon pulled something out and returned, promptly handing them out.
"Here."
"Yes."
[...Yes?]
To the beaming Li Chingwei, the oddly expressive Youin, and the stunned Yuna Kyung.
What Rimon gave them.
In other words, Yuna Kyung—who took the thin striker for a triangle in her beak—blinked before asking awkwardly.
[Team leader? Why give me this?]
"Why give a triangle beater? To strike with it."
[...Why, though? And there's no triangle here?]
"Plenty else to strike instead."
Yuna Kyung gaped at the items Rimon pointed to.
[Hold on. So you're telling us to strike all this junk with these from now on?]
"Yeah. Ignore order or rhythm entirely. Just make sure to hit every item at least once, evenly."
[Why?!]
"So we can figure out the bandits' next target."
[What kinda logic is that?! Like donating to a shrine to divine this year's college entrance exam answers?!]
"That was the prophecy skill player scamming everyone. Probably got over a hundred perfect scorers that year because of it."
[Exactly 307. Anyway, that's not the point right now!]
Yuna Kyung hopped about in agitation.
Even for her, accustomed to Rimon's oddities, this whimsy was hard to swallow.
Ding—ding ding.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, you're good."
"I'm from a fine family, after all. I know the basics of poetry, books, zither, and pipa."
The issue was one thing.
Unlike Yuna Kyung, there was a girl who began striking the junk without the slightest hesitation.
Praised and apparently excited.
Li Chingwei even matched a rhythm, lightly tapping the junk as if performing.
Thud, thwack.
"I've struck drums a few times, but this feels awkward."
"No need to make it sound good. The more atrocious, the better."
Whether from utter loyalty.
Defying her age and crisp suit, Youin even sat cross-legged on the floor and began mimicking Li Chingwei, striking the junk.
"What're you doing? Get hitting yours."
[...Ah, screw it! Whatever!]
Clang! Jing-a-jing.
Stunned and watching the two for a moment.
Having heard Rimon's urging, Yuna Kyung finally bit down on the striker with her beak and went berserk.
'Hmm.'
Whether her claim of poetry and music training was no bluff, Li Chingwei coaxed fairly plausible sounds from the junk.
True to her status as a Seven Dragon Society expert, Youin's sounds were crude but she matched Li Chingwei with heavy rhythms as best she could.
Either from utter disbelief or the sheer difficulty of striking with a beak-held stick, Yuna Kyung produced utterly mangled noise.
Watching them intently for a moment.
Rimon muttered inwardly.
'What a mess.'
Something Yuna Kyung would've spat out the stick and rampaged over if she'd heard—"But you told me to, team leader!"
'Expected pure dissonance jumping straight in, but that princess is too skilled—problem there.'
However, the "mess" Rimon meant wasn't their cacophonous noise.
If anything, quite the opposite.
"Well, doesn't matter."
Pondering briefly.
Rimon lightly shook his head.
He opened a box at the back of the practice room, grasped the violin of deep black within, and continued softly.
"Can fill in the gaps with this."
Click, click, click.
The instant he gripped the violin.
His body naturally assumed playing posture under the curse's influence.
Like an arrow nocked taut on a drawn string, on the verge of unleashing melody, Rimon paused and thought.
'Honestly, no confidence.'
When predicting the bandits' movements.
Rimon had been certain.
His prediction, applying the sword principles of the True Demon Slaying Sword that pierced all myriad phenomena, couldn't miss as a Sword Master.
But this time?
Far from certainty, he doubted if the method would even work.
'No choice. Have to try, success or not.'
Yet it wasn't mere crisis sense—that without action, bandit-caused damage could balloon.
A small insight gained from improvising a jumbled performance to match Yujin's atrocious singing.
Fascination with a single "possibility" unearthed therein.
Of course, a mere possibility.
Closer to delusion than inspiration.
Bound to fail, a hundred out of a hundred times.
Folly meriting scorn as foolish time-wasting.
'Challenges are fun precisely when reckless.'
But rather than shrink from failure's weight, Rimon embraced the thrill of the attempt itself, gladly drawing the bow.
And thus, as the performance began.
Eeeeeeeeeeng—!
All the world's possibilities in the form of sound erupted from the violin of deep black.