Chapter 234
Chapter 234
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Expedition
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"So that channel's been transferred to Master now, right?"
"Oh, then guess what I'm thinking right now."
I said that to the Saintess, then pictured a puppy in my mind.
Wonder if she can get this one.
"No, hold on—that's cheating."
Hmm. Solid logic. No refuting that.
Anyway, this confirms the Saintess can't read my thoughts anymore.
If it were the usual her, she'd have nailed "puppy" right away.
Looks like it changed when the channel shifted to Master...
'...Answer now, and I'll grant you a wish.'
-Flinch!
'...Saw that little tremble.'
...Can't drop my guard around her.
Who dries up and withers like some houseplant?
After surveilling me 24/7 for decades, what's a few days without her?
'Got it, so go to Master.'
The Saintess, hurt by my cold attitude, cried as she left my head.
It was a rare sight of her crying, but I wasn't particularly worried.
Tricked by her enough times already.
Thought she was innocent, only to get hit hard with that contract shoved at an inescapable moment.
I get her side, but with my life on the line, I couldn't help being sensitive.
If I couldn't sort out the contract, I'd eventually end up in her clutches for sure.
"Ooh... this is pretty fascinating. Feels different from telepathy—gotta study it... Hm... no helping it, then."
In the meantime, Master seemed to be chatting with the Saintess now in her head.
...So does that mean the Saintess is reading Master's thoughts right now?
'Kinda curious.'
Even I had no clue what Master thought about day-to-day, so the idea sparked some curiosity.
She kept such a straight face in nearly every situation—back in the day, I even wondered if I'd done something wrong.
But asking the Saintess to spill Master's thoughts felt kinda rude to Master...
'...Eh, whatever. Drop it.'
Reading someone's mind without permission is impolite anyway.
Not knowing doesn't change a thing.
'...You can make something like that?'
'Dang it.'
...She was really sulking now.
I doubted I'd miss her absence that much, but better placate her for now.
'Yeah, I'll probably miss it.'
'Been short on sleep lately.'
After chasing the Saintess out once more, I snapped back to reality and spoke to the other women, who were fidgeting and glancing our way.
"Anyway, the transfer's done. Probably safe to head out right away. Ask Master for the details."
"She says she's ready anytime. Even fine departing now. What about you two?"
"I'm good."
"M-me too... no problem?"
...The Sword Empress was still waffling between casual and polite speech with Master.
She rarely had occasion to use polite speech...
"Then we leave now. No idea what those bastards are scheming, and dragging it out doesn't help us. They poured everything into Shaanxi, only for that white witch to ruin it all—striking while the shock's fresh will hit hardest."
"No major wounds, bit of fatigue... but nothing that'll hinder a fight."
"It's been ages since I fought up close, but... confident I won't be a burden. Jiangshi go up in flames nice and easy anyway."
"So the jiangshi are a bit different... Sigh, fine. Let's head out."
Ye Sochen said that while rolling up the map the Saintess had marked and tucking it away.
"Three spots, so aim for one a day. Spot the real base, assess, then raid on the spot or prep first. Get lucky, we nail it first try. Otherwise, third time's the charm."
"No carriage?"
"Carriage? Please. We'll lightness-skill it."
"...That's gonna suck. No chance you'll carry me?"
"Let a yokai on my back?"
"If my disciple hadn't caused trouble, your yokai days would've ended ages ago."
"Still calling me a yokai, huh."
"Tch."
Ye Sochen and Master were gearing up like they meant to leave right that instant.
"Soyeon-ah. Master's got business again, so I'll be off a bit. No trouble, stick by them. Help out if there's anything you can do."
"Yes! Of course!"
"Hm. I trust you."
The Sword Empress patted her disciple's head while leaving those final words.
...Wait, no, seriously? They're going right now?
"No way, you're leaving now?!"
"You're really going now?!"
In perfect sync—or maybe just reading my mind—Dang Ayoung spoke up at the exact same time as me.
"Told you already. Blood Cult's got no breathing room right now. Looks like their raid flopped, and even if it succeeded, they'd still take a hit. Especially those cowards who always hid in the shadows—suddenly showing their faces screams ulterior motives. Either way, this is prime time to strike."
"Y-you two don't need rest?"
"Lie if I said not tired at all... but it's not like we're at less than peak. Won't cramp our fighting style. Once we snag a lead, we'll rest up after."
"Uh..."
Pure logic, every word.
And if they said they were fine, what could a third wheel like me do?
I didn't even know their conditions that well.
"Anyway, us three'll head out this time. You get why we're leaving the Poison Phoenix behind, right?"
"Uh... yeah... I'll guard good... This time for sure..."
"After that Shaanxi mess, they won't hit again so soon anyway. Murim Alliance learned plenty this round. Look recovery-focused, but try invading again? They'll show a changed face. Go on, expect it."
"..."
Hearing Ye Sochen, Dang Ayoung and I both recalled the raid in silence.
Plan was bolt straight to Murim Alliance for safety the second shit hit the fan—but things hadn't gone smooth.
Village engulfed in flames, bloodsuckers everywhere. Carving a path to the Alliance? Easier said than done.
And calling the Alliance totally safe? They'd taken concentrated attacks too—not exactly pristine.
'Man, finding a safe spot in this world is a chore.'
Murim was always risky, sure, but this was overkill.
Bloodsuckers didn't even belong here to begin with.
"We'll head out then. No dying or getting hurt—stay safe. Witch's stuck here now, so don't count on last time's fluke."
"What about the racket in my head begging you to relay?"
"Ignore her. She's got zilch to do with your disciple."
"Fair enough. World's full of weirdos these days. So passionate over someone unrelated..."
...Looks like with a bit of distance between Master and me, the Saintess couldn't relay anymore.
"...Just for a while, but take good care of Soyeon."
"Feeding her right, keeping her clean—no worries."
"...She's not a kid or a puppy, you know."
"What's the diff? Think of her as a new little sis."
With that chaotic goodbye wrapped up, Ye Sochen, Sword Empress, and Master really vanished out the door.
Left behind: me, Dang Ayoung, and Sword Empress's disciple. Three of us.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The second those three were gone, an awkward air settled in.
"Ah, ah—right! Hold on. Meant to tell Master this, forgot."
Sword Empress's disciple broke the silence, handing me an item.
And that item was...
"...Rope?"
"T-tie me up, please."
"...Pardon?"
"E-even if it seems I'm not lying and folks mostly agree... you still can't fully trust me yet, right? A-and what if the Blood Cult energy left in me goes berserk again...? Figured tying me up would ease your mind..."
"..."
...Sound logic, so why the weird vibe?
"Hand it here. She doesn't know knots—I'll tie her for you."
"Ah..."
"What's wrong?"
"N-no, it's fine!"
Sword Empress's disciple handed the rope to Dang Ayoung with trembling hands, then clasped her own behind her back and meekly accepted the binding.
A strange feeling lingered in my head long after.