Chapter 229
Chapter 229
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Deal
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While I was lost in melancholy thoughts—realizing that since I'm destined to be dragged off to the Saintess's world someday, I'll inevitably have to part ways with these people—a familiar, comforting sensation pressed against the back of my head.
-Squeeze
"...You've been through so much all this time."
...Did I really look that worn out?
I didn't think I'd let it show so obviously.
"Ah, no. It's not like that. It was just something that could be resolved with a good conversation... I was only a little worried. Nothing worth calling 'hardship.'"
"Do you think I don't know you?"
"..."
I tried to play it off, but as expected, I couldn't fool Master.
Well, of course.
I could always tell when Master was pretending to be fine despite her struggles, so why wouldn't she see right through me?
Considering how Ye So-cheon always claimed to read my mind just from my expressions, I wasn't exactly skilled at hiding my true feelings anyway.
"Don't worry too much. Now that I'm here to help, let's start by dealing with those fools trying to create those jiangshi-like monsters."
"...Master, are you really that strong?"
"After all these years, do you think I'd let my pride suffer by being weaker than humans? I'm at least on par with those two right in front of you. Though since they practice martial arts and I don't, it's hard to compare directly."
"Oh..."
I'd sensed something extraordinary ever since she effortlessly subdued Sword Empress's disciple from her vampire days, but this exceeded my expectations.
Our combat strength had suddenly increased by about 1.5 times.
"Heh. Feel free to be a bit more impressed."
"Then, could you beat the Heavenly Demon?"
"...That woman might be a bit tough..."
I tossed out the question half-jokingly, just to tease Master who was acting all cool.
After all, I'd seen her trembling in front of the Heavenly Demon just yesterday.
No matter how great Master was, facing the Heavenly Demon—who was constantly described as a transcendent being beyond human limits—seemed like too much...
"If my disciple wishes it, shouldn't I at least try?"
"...Pardon?"
"My chances of winning are slim to none, but since that woman fell for you at first sight, she won't kill your master, right? I can charge in believing that. Out of ten thousand battles, I might win once."
Instead, I was the one who got counterattacked.
"N-No, that was a joke! Don't do it! I didn't mean it for real!"
"Well, that's a relief then."
'That was close.'
I nearly sent Master down the path to the afterlife.
No one knew what the Heavenly Demon's temperament was truly like.
Even if she was my master, the Heavenly Demon might kill her without hesitation.
Considering how she'd obliterated the Blood Cult, she seemed ruthless toward enemies who annoyed her. And recalling how she'd toyed with me back at Heavenly Secrets, it was hard to expect mercy for Master.
Why else would I have stayed trapped there so long?
There must have been people who wanted to rescue me.
'...Maybe the Heavenly Demon doesn't know the people around me, so they weren't reflected in Heavenly Secrets...'
Even if she did know, I doubted it would change much.
I was quite skeptical about whether Sword Empress, Ye So-cheon, and Master could defeat the Heavenly Demon even if they fought her together.
"Hmm... Then we should plan ahead for how to handle the Heavenly Demon. For now, the Blood Cult is the priority... but I can't just sit by while that woman drags you away."
"Wh-What about trying to persuade her? She already has plenty of lovers..."
"From what I've heard, she doesn't care about that sort of thing. You saw it yesterday—she barged into the house, did what she wanted, and left."
"Hmm..."
While Master and I were talking, the other women were pondering what to do about the situation.
"Um, Master... Is this a serious matter? The Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon...?"
"W-Well, you see..."
Sword Empress seemed busy explaining the situation to her disciple.
"...We still have a little time, so let's think it through slowly. If we can't stop the Blood Cult right away, we'll be done for before we even worry about the Heavenly Demon."
"Ah. What if we lure the Heavenly Demon into fighting the Blood Cult? If we explain the situation well and get them to clash..."
"No. Too risky. That man suggested it too, but without knowing her personality fully, pitting such a dangerous enemy against them—if she gets swayed to their side, the Central Plains will fall that day."
"True..."
"It's not without merit, but unless things get truly desperate and we absolutely need her, I don't want to attempt it. Let's keep it as a last resort. Also, I have something to say about the Blood Cult."
In the end, dealing with the Heavenly Demon was lower priority, so we shifted back to reality and began discussing ways to stop the Blood Cult.
"You. Call that white woman here."
"...Huh?"
Suddenly, the baton was passed to me.
Wait, say it outright like that?
Aside from Ye So-cheon, no one else knew about the Saintess?
"We're about to discuss something important, so hurry up and call her. We already know she's communicating with you through that strange hole she punched in the barrier."
"...Uh..."
"She's probably watching us right now anyway, isn't she? Just come out already."
[...Tch.]
With Ye So-cheon's urging, the Saintess clicked her tongue and revealed herself.
A blue rectangular window floating in the air, showing a woman with an exotic appearance inside.
"...Who is this?"
[Hello. I'm Erdell Saintress. Feel free to call me Erdell.]
"Er... what?"
[...Call me Saintess. That'll be easier for you to pronounce.]
As soon as the Saintess appeared, all eyes focused on her instantly.
Her form of manifestation was bizarre, her looks were exotic, and her name didn't sound like anything from the Central Plains—at best, something from the Western Regions.
"Ho... Quite the intriguing form. Real-time interaction with another dimension. The passage extends so far it's impossible to tell where it leads... I'd love to study it if I get the chance."
[No way! Even this is dangerous! The more people notice, the stronger the barrier's interference gets—it's already precarious as is. If you study it, they'll definitely catch on! It took decades to make this!]
"I see. What a shame."
"Erdel... Erde... Er..."
Master's eyes sparkled with curiosity amid it all, while Dang Ayoung quietly rolled her tongue, trying to pronounce the Saintess's real name.
Just call her Saintess and be done with it.
[Um, excuse me! Saintess of this world! If you called me, can we get to the point? It's been a while since I've had this much attention, and it's making me uncomfortable?]
"Oh. That's unexpected. I thought you were the type to shove your troubles onto others."
[You're awfully bold, stealing my hero! I don't like you either! If my hero had properly arrived in this world, none of this would have happened!]
"We didn't call you to fight, so let's get to the main topic. First, let me explain who this woman is. Everyone, pay attention."
After growling at the Saintess for a moment, Ye So-cheon began a brief introduction to the group.
"We said the Blood Cult we're facing came from another world full of vampires, right? This is that world—the one she lives in. Well... she didn't intentionally dump them here... but it's a world that once fought and defeated those vampires. No one better for getting intel."
[Uh... You skipped a bit, but yeah, that's right. We did win... yes.]
The Saintess responded with a somewhat gloomy expression.
"Ah! Right! I remember now!"
Dang Ayoung's eyes widened as she clapped once and pointed at the Saintess.
"Y-You're the one who saved me back then! You suddenly entered his body, used some strange spell, and turned those vampires to dust!"
[Ah. You remember. I was in a rush then, so my personality was a bit different.]
"Of course I remember! I survived thanks to you!"
Come to think of it, Dang Ayoung had met the Saintess before.
While the Saintess was possessing my body, my consciousness faded, so I didn't know the exact details.
Still, Dang Ayoung seemed to recall the atmosphere and such—she recognized her first without prompting.
"Looks like Poison Phoenix already knows her. Besides that... most of the mysterious items he uses come from her support... and her goal is..."
[...Saintess?]
"...Never mind, that's personal. Not the important part right now."
Something ominous seemed to pass by just now.
"Anyway. We called you for info on the vampires. You should know their scale, temperament, all that."
[It might be troublesome if you trust me too much. It's true he knows me well and I know him, but I can't guarantee how they're operating in this world.]
Maybe because they were all pros,
The tense atmosphere from moments ago felt like an illusion as they swiftly returned to the main discussion.
"We'll cross-check the intel ourselves. Handing everything over to you from one to ten isn't possible—or desirable."
[Mm... Fine. Not hard. Since they're from our world, we bear some responsibility here.]
"Then..."
[But do you want the info bare-handed?]
-Halt
Ye So-cheon seemed taken aback by the Saintess's sudden shift in demeanor.
[If you're receiving, shouldn't you give something in return?]
I nodded inwardly at the Saintess's familiar vibe.
Yep, total merchant.