Chapter 171
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Secret Meeting
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A rather gloomy space. A man carrying a spear on his back arrived there.
"You're late."
The voice of the woman among the two people who had arrived early rang out.
The spear-bearing man shrugged his shoulders as he replied.
"Doesn't feel like I was that late."
"Spear Master, if you were the one who requested this meeting first, shouldn't you arrive on time as a matter of courtesy?"
"Got it, sorry."
Spear Master Baek Si-hoon scanned the two without letting his guard down.
'Execution Council executives.'
The man had an incredibly emotionless face, while the woman appeared to be an archer-type from China or Taiwan.
'...Her looks are no joke.'
Baek Si-hoon clicked his tongue for a moment. Her appearance matched his tastes perfectly, but he couldn't lay a hand on her.
No matter how much of a womanizer he was, making a move on an Execution Council executive carried too much risk.
Besides, they hadn't met to fight, and right now it was a 2-on-1 situation.
If combat broke out, he'd be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
'I could probably take one of them...'
Spear Master himself was none other than a ranker. Honestly, it wouldn't be easy, but he had some confidence he could beat the woman alone...
'I don't know the level of the man beside her.'
As he gauged their power levels, the woman spoke up again.
"So, why did you want to meet? Didn't you say you had a proposal?"
"Yeah, that's right. But I've revealed my identity clearly, so out of courtesy, shouldn't you two introduce yourselves too?"
"...Yang So-wol."
"Good. And the gentleman over there?"
"Jeon Myeong-cheon."
"Perfect. Anyway, calling the two Execution Council executives here wasn't for anything big. I just wanted to propose we join forces."
"...Join forces? What do you mean by that? Are you saying you want to join the Execution Council, Spear Master?"
'This guy's not mute, so why doesn't he speak?'
The conversation was only going back and forth with the female executive named Yang So-wol.
Baek Si-hoon felt a flicker of annoyance but suppressed it.
At least in this situation, he wasn't the one in the superior position.
"No, that's not what I mean. Just literally, I want to combine our strength."
"I don't understand. What's the reason for joining forces?"
"Simple. We have a common goal."
"...A common goal?"
"You planted a spy in the Execution Council, but it got exposed, giving you a headache, right?"
At the mention of the spy, Yang So-wol's face hardened.
"...Why bring that up now?"
'Damn, this bitch has some attitude.'
He wanted to teach her a lesson, but lacking the power to do it alone, Baek Si-hoon held back.
'I need the Execution Council's power.'
"From what I heard, the guy who screwed you over was Lee Yun-seong from Eternity, and you sent some people after him only to get burned, right?"
"Spear Master, I have no idea what you're getting at with all this. Should I take it as provocation?"
Baek Si-hoon gestured with open palms to calm her as he spoke.
"Whoa, easy. I'm not picking a fight, so relax."
With the woman maintaining her listening posture, Spear Master continued.
"The one who interfered was Yanagiya Riki, right? So from the Execution Council's perspective, Lee Yun-seong and Yanagiya Riki are both thorns in your side, aren't they?"
"...And?"
"I have business with that Lee Yun-seong guy."
To be precise, it was with his bodyguard, Sword Empress Wi Ho-yeon, but he didn't mention it.
'Sigh... What a frustrating bitch. So hard to get.'
In hindsight, back then he should've forced her instead of playing nice.
'Damn, at the time our skills were too close.'
Baek Si-hoon was confident he could beat her now as a ranker.
No one else could match his talent with the spear—it was insane even to third parties.
Anyway, he'd accepted a commission from Predator Clan to take down Lee Yun-seong and claim Wi Ho-yeon.
But absurdly, Predator Clan vanished overnight. At the hands of a single person.
It wasn't officially confirmed as one person's doing, but pulling off that level of cleanup without traces was impossible otherwise.
'That Lee Yun-seong has something backing him.'
Baek Si-hoon had little interest in Yanagiya Riki.
Well, she piqued his interest a bit, but his tastes were fixed on Wi Ho-yeon.
The problem was the unknown powerhouse around Lee Yun-seong making it risky to snatch her alone.
"What I want is simple. Do whatever you want with Lee Yun-seong. But his bodyguard, Sword Empress, is mine."
"....."
The woman fell silent for a while before speaking.
"So what do you offer us in return? And what exactly will you do? I want specifics."
"We'll work out the detailed plan together step by step. In exchange, I'll tell you how to take on Yanagiya Riki."
"....."
"She has a friend. You've heard of Formation Sorceress Jo Yeon-ju, right?"
"...A ranker like you."
"Exactly. Jo Yeon-ju and Yanagiya Riki are pretty close. So I'm planning to kill Jo Yeon-ju."
"I get that she's friends with Yanagiya Riki. But what good does killing the formation sorceress do?"
"It's bait. Yanagiya Riki lives by her instincts. High chance she'll bite."
"....."
"Once you lure her out, you handle beating her. I'll set up the perfect environment for it, so you can do it, right?"
"...Maybe. But following your plan carries significant risk."
"What are you talking about?"
"You're right that Yanagiya Riki ruined our operation. But it wasn't that critical."
"So?"
"Going after her and Eternity over that alone is too risky."
"Hah, is the mighty Execution Council scared?"
Truth be told, Baek Si-hoon inwardly agreed while provoking her.
Jo Yeon-ju was a formation sorceress, so ambushing her outside her home turf made killing her feasible.
But whether they could kill Yanagiya Riki? Even he wasn't sure.
Her notoriety matched his own.
He'd never fought her—just crossed paths a few times—but instinct told him she was no pushover.
"Put Yanagiya Riki on hold for now. But separately, I want you to kill the formation sorceress."
"...Any particular reason? If you're not touching Riki, no need for that."
"No, lately she's been digging into our side."
"Hm... Fine. Can I take that as accepting my proposal?"
"...No, I can't commit right now. We'll discuss and give you an answer within three days."
"Good. Hope you make the wise choice."
Spear Master turned to leave and tossed out a comment.
"Next time, loosen up that expression. Wastes a pretty face."
Yang So-wol didn't bother responding to Baek Si-hoon.
He hadn't said it expecting a reply anyway, so he just walked off.
'That guy's silent except when giving his name.'
Whatever. For Baek Si-hoon, getting Sword Empress was all that mattered.
He still couldn't forget his first glimpse of her.
She felt like she was born just for him. No woman had ever matched his tastes so perfectly.
Even more than that marquise's wife from Taios Kingdom he'd toyed with.
He'd approached her several times in disguise to win her over, but the response was lukewarm.
That only made the anticipation of tasting that sweet fruit drive him mad, so he'd actually enjoyed the chase.
Until Wi Ho-yeon vanished from the Eastern Alliance.
'Hoo... Hold it in. It's soon anyway.'
The thought of claiming that haughty face kept him up at night.
When Sword Empress disappeared from the Eastern Alliance, he couldn't contain his rage.
He hadn't expected her trail to go completely cold.
'Not escaping this time. Look forward to it.'
He was the type who had to possess whatever he wanted to feel satisfied.
Whether it was money, power, or women.
Right after Baek Si-hoon left, the woman knelt on one knee before the man and bowed her head.
"...What are your orders?"
The posture looked less like equals and more like lord and vassal.
"Hmm."
The man gave a half-hearted reply to her question, but she waited without a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Spear Master didn't seem to be lying. Even so, he's not someone to fully trust."
"Then..."
"Still, it's not a bad deal. Just taking out Jo Yeon-ju makes it worthwhile."
"....."
"But Eternity—or more precisely, that man Lee Yun-seong—bothers me."
"May I ask what about him troubles you?"
"Someone's watching his back. Or maybe a faction."
"Yanagiya Riki and Kotozuke Clan? Or Myth Clan...?"
The man cut her off.
"No, not them. What I'm worried about is what happened to Predator Clan."
"That mysterious incident?"
"Yes. It might not be, but there's a high chance Lee Yun-seong's backer is behind it."
"Forgive my impertinence, but what makes you think that?"
"Predator Clan's master, Kim Nam-gi, was moving to take out Lee Yun-seong. Right after, the clan ended up like that."
"Ah..."
"The timing was too perfect. Could be coincidence, but..."
Major incidents like that rarely involved coincidence.
"So what will you do?"
"...Spear Master's made his choice, so he'll have to take the front-line risks himself. But not us."
"......"
"We won't move directly. Sending two other executives should suffice."
"But if it fails..."
"That's fine too. As long as you and I remain, it doesn't matter."
The woman trembled with joy at his words and bowed deeper.
"...Thank you, Leader."
"The others are just disposable pawns anyway. But you're special. You're no mere chess piece."
As if no greater honor existed, she reacted with an ecstatic expression.
"It's an honor."
"I'm not leading those Outlaw fools out of fondness. Whatever damage they take means nothing to me."
"...I follow only you, Leader. Command as you wish."
"Stand up for now. No need to hurt your knees."
"...Yes."