Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Excuse
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"So, it's settled then... Haah..."
I let out a sigh and rubbed my face with my hand.
In the end, everything was pointing toward heading to the Demonic Cult.
Honestly, I didn't want to go either.
But if I didn't, and the Heavenly Demon actually showed up... the entire Central Plains would be hit with a bomb.
"If you're that worried, want me to come along?"
"Don't say ridiculous things."
I was the only one invited in the first place.
There was no explicit ban on bringing companions, but who in their right mind would drag the daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family to the Demonic Cult?
"I'm basically a wandering vagrant who doesn't belong to any righteous faction, demonic faction, or cult, so it's possible for me. If you went, something would definitely happen."
"But still..."
"What if you end up imprisoned with me for no reason?"
"...That might not be so bad?"
She was cracking jokes even in this situation, which showed she had some composure.
"I'm not kidding. We could end up alone together in some dark, cramped basement, not knowing when they'd let us out."
"...Should I really come along?"
"...Your eyes look kinda dangerous right now. Mind stepping back a bit?"
"I'll just hold your hand while we sleep..."
"You say the wildest things in front of people."
She'd seemed pretty innocent back when we first met—just a bit playful.
How did she turn out like this?
At this rate, I was starting to worry that I was the one who made her this way.
No wonder Dang Ayoung's father had shoved the responsibility onto me last time, telling me to step up...
"Hey... did you talk about anything with my father-in-law at the Murim Alliance before?"
"N-No? W-Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"Well, thinking back, he freaked out and told me to take responsibility quick. Makes me think you did something."
"Ah... Haha... It's old news, so I don't really remember."
"...Hmm."
It felt suspicious, but I decided to trust that she wouldn't have said anything weird to her dad.
Anyway, setting aside Dang Ayoung for now.
"Still, it's a good thing I'm not officially affiliated with anywhere."
If I were formally part of some group, this invitation would've put me in a real bind.
Hard to refuse, hard to accept, and it could spark conflicts between factions.
In times like these, being a lone wanderer had its perks.
Of course, not having affiliations had caused plenty of headaches too, so pros and cons either way.
"Um... I have one thing I'm curious about too."
As Dang Ayoung and I paused, the Sword Empress chimed in.
"Ah, yes. Go ahead."
"I-It’s a bit different from what you were talking about, but... does that mean I can too...?"
—Tremble tremble
The Sword Empress's face flushed red, her expression hesitant, before she finally spoke.
"Sh-Should I call you husband?"
"Pfft!"
"Oh, is that wrong? I've never properly joined with a man before, so..."
"Pfft... W-Wait a sec. That's..."
I choked hard and spent the next while coughing, but thankfully Dang Ayoung covered for me.
"Sword Empress... We haven't formally married yet, so 'husband' is a bit premature."
"I-Is it?"
"Lovers can call each other whatever, really. I just call him 'you' for now."
"I see. Ah. What about 'dear'? I saw a close friend of mine call her lover that once..."
"...Maybe we should think about pet names later?"
"...Understood."
Dang Ayoung hadn't said it outright, but the Sword Empress seemed to get the hint from the atmosphere.
...Yeah, figured as much.
'Dear' from the Sword Empress... uh...
I swallowed the words swirling in my head without voicing them.
"Is there some reason you haven't held the wedding yet? N-Normally, that kind of thing happens after marriage."
"...Well, first off, it happened impulsively—we couldn't hold back. And there are other circumstances."
"What kind?"
"You should explain this one yourself, don't you think?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean 'huh'? It's your situation, so you explain."
"...Fine."
I patted my still-racing heart from the choking episode and prepared to explain my excuse... no, reason for delaying the marriage.
"I think I mentioned this to you before, Sword Empress, but I spent a long time living in the mountains."
"Mm... Yes, I remember."
"And I wasn't alone there. Before going into the mountains, I was very ill, and still young, so my master—who helped me back then—is like a parent to me. She's in closed-door training right now, so..."
The longer I spoke, the more the Sword Empress's expression twisted.
For a moment, I worried my obvious excuse had been seen through, but the emotion radiating from her wasn't suspicion.
"...Sword Empress?"
"...N-No, go on."
"So... with my master—who's basically my parent—unaware, I can't hold a wedding without her knowledge. It'd go against being a proper disciple..."
The Sword Empress's state grew stranger by the second.
Her face kept distorting, and by the time I finished, she looked like she'd seen a ghost—pale as a sheet. It worried even me.
"...Is something wrong...?"
Out of concern, I cautiously reached toward her, but
—Whoosh
"Gasp...! H-Huff...!"
She jerked back with swift movement, putting distance between us.
Her face was still deathly pale.
"...Are you okay?"
"S-So, so sorry. It's not because I dislike you or feel uncomfortable..."
"N-No, that's not it... You just look unwell."
If anyone could see, they'd know her condition was bad.
Her pupils trembled side to side, cold sweat poured down her body, and she was gasping for breath. No one could call that 'fine.'
"Did something happen...? Did I say something wrong...?"
"N-No, it's nothing. Just... a moment... Urk..."
"...Sword Empress?"
"S-Sorry. Excuse me for a bit."
With that, she hurried away.
—Thud!
"...What was that about?"
"Her expression soured suddenly... Maybe she remembered something urgent?"
"Hope it's nothing serious."
Glancing around in worry for the Sword Empress,
"...Ugh... My head..."
I spotted the guide woman clutching her head as she came to.
"She just saw something shocking, so her brain shut down temporarily. Nothing seriously wrong with her body. Warriors are tough anyway, so no special advice needed."
"Ah, uh... Thanks."
"Consultation fee's three silver taels."
"Sure... Hold on... My pouch is..."
"Why are you running a business here?"
I subtly grabbed Yeo So-cheon's shoulder—she was playing doctor—and pulled her back.
"Hey, my wife's out here earning, why interfere?"
"Don't casually call yourself my wife. We're not married yet."
"We will be soon anyway."
"Forced into marriage after you raped me."
"You seduced me first, begging to be raped."
"Tch."
Both Dang Ayoung and Yeo So-cheon kept blaming me—saying I seduced them first or that I was the lewd one—but no matter how I thought about it, that never happened.
Perfectly normal words and actions on my part, just interpreted their way.
I'm not dying to get raped or anything, so why would I seduce them into raping me?
And even if I unconsciously seduced them, forcing things without consent was a mindset I, from Earth, could never accept.
'What can you expect in a world like this.'
"Haah."
In a world where women dressing sexy means it's okay to rape them, what more could I want?
Unless it was some special martial arts training, this was a world without one-night stands or fuckbuddies—sex equaled marriage.
Nothing I could do about it.
At least it was better than those trash cases where women got 'easy prey' treatment, couldn't find new partners, got finger-pointed at, and ended up in brothels...
'I'll make sure to get some free time guaranteed.'
A life of just eating, sleeping, and sex confined forever? No thanks.
If they don't let me see sunlight at least once a week, I'll go on strike.
I'll resist, kick, twist—whatever.
Then they'd probably guarantee that much.
"By the way, you know medicine?"
Yeo So-cheon jingled the three silver taels she'd gotten from the guide and spoke.
"Done first aid plenty. In war, saving lives is all about speed. And I was the fastest among the warriors there."
"...Ah."
Regretting bringing it up, a somber mood settled briefly.
"Don't worry about it. Those guys didn't die for nothing. They died protecting the world, their families, friends, comrades. They wouldn't want pity."
"...Still."
"If the living get uncomfortable over the dead, it makes the dead uncomfortable too. Proper funeral's the living's respect. Anything more's no good for either side. Different realms."
It hit me anew, but
This woman might look childish, but she had firm convictions.
One of the heroes who saved the Central Plains twenty years ago,
And she'd been holding off undead invasions alone since.
Definitely not as childish as she looked.
...She was just a bit malicious toward me.
"Which is why we gotta hurry and wipe out those damn corpse bastards mocking life and death, insulting the lions of old. Wouldn't be satisfied tearing them apart three times."
"...If only you spoke prettier."
"Pardon? What?"
"Nothing."
Still, looking on the bright side,
...My wives all had such strong personalities, so married life wouldn't be boring at least.
......As long as I didn't go thirsty down there, it'd be perfect.