Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Gospel to the Snobby Bitch (2)
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During the height of the fierce war, the Hero Party came to prefer guerrilla tactics over traveling as a single unit.
Leon led the knight order, while Valian commanded the mercenaries. Mirni and Luxy operated solo. Sylvia stuck with the church.
Alicia did much the same, leading her elf unit into battle. Amid all this, rivalries over achievements simmered beneath the surface.
The hero's great, but the great warrior's even better. We've got the saintess, and so on.
It was childish, but petty pride contests arose between the factions. Naturally, the elves' egos flared up too.
- No matter what anyone says, we're the best!
- Right! Lady Alicia. Your orders...!
To the elves, a high elf was more than royalty.
It was only natural they'd see her as the key to victory and the top of the Hero Party. And Alicia never betrayed those expectations.
- Mm, got it. We'll rack up the most achievements in this war!
Alicia brimmed with confidence.
But this wasn't a war between humans. It was humanity's desperate struggle for survival against demons.
Back then, Yuseong—who'd single-handedly wiped out even a general-class demon in guerrilla ops—warned those competing for glory.
- Achievements are fine, but remember this. If pride causes any screw-ups, I'll dispose of the culprit on the spot, no matter who it is.
- Ha! Where does a cheeky little porter get off giving orders!
- Not an order. Just a heads-up.
If Alicia and the elves had taken that lying down, they never would've earned the "snobby bitch" label.
Her pride wounded, Alicia ignored Yuseong's words entirely and challenged the Inexplicable Demon anyway.
Riding high from crushing the Fairy King's forces, the elves dreamed big: why not hunt an Inexplicable Demon next?
And so...!
- ...You idiot bitch.
- ......
- So, is this the result you wanted?
- Grk...!!
Of the 300 elite elf warriors, only 50 barely scraped by with their lives.
Far from slaying the Inexplicable Demon, Alicia had just gutted their forces and burdened everyone else. From then on, she was stripped of command.
This lasted until the war's end. She suffered the humiliation of tagging along with other units and knight orders like an unwanted hanger-on.
...The silver lining—if you could call it that—was that on the day she recklessly got her troops massacred, Yuseong tried to "punish" her right then, but Leon shielded her, sparing her life by a hair.
- Stop, Luke.
- You back off. Do you even know how many allies died because of that bitch?
- I know. But for victory's sake, we need every strong fighter we can get. We can't just let her die.
- I'm not killing her.
- You're not not killing her either. Drop it. It gains us nothing!
- ...Fair point. That's what makes it so disgusting. Typical of a natural-born hypocrite like you.
- Luke... Even you can't tarnish my honor without consequences.
- Try me.
That day, Yuseong and Leon clashed fiercely.
Leon—the kingdom's strongest at the time—won, but the fight left him bedridden with aftereffects for two straight days and nights.
Yuseong, by contrast, recovered in under half a day. People openly wondered who the real winner was.
Either way, the memory haunted Alicia too.
After all, her actions had gotten so many of her kin killed.
It was a horrific nightmare, a stain on her soul.
"How dare you bring that up so casually! Have you no consideration?!"
"......What the hell?"
Having a rare good day—busting crooks squatting in his building, with the game company reporting 120% export growth over last year—Yuseong scowled at the snobby bitch nitpicking out of nowhere.
Normally he'd have cursed her out, but he was in high spirits and humored her—only for her to go full bitch mode without context.
"You pretending not to know?! You told Aram about my shame!"
"What story...?"
[Um... You mentioned the Midgard races last time. When we talked about Lady Alicia and race stuff came up, I just repeated what you taught me, and then Lady Alicia...]
"Ah, I get it."
He didn't need to hear more to know why this snobby bitch was flipping out.
And so.
"You really stirred up a shitstorm."
Thwack!!
Moments later, a nice lump rose on her head.
She woke that evening, lost consciousness and all. Spotting Yuseong chowing down on sushi for a late snack, Alicia charged over to chew him out again.
"You barbarian! How can you solve everything with violence?!"
"Then dodge."
"As if I could dodge your attacks!!"
"Aren't you elves supposed to be fast or something?"
"Iiii-!!"
It wasn't that she was slow. Yuseong was just too fast.
Thanks to his mana traits, no one could match his speed or reflexes.
Unless she was fully prepped, dodging was impossible.
She vented her grievances at the others, but starting with Leon, they all looked away.
'Sorry, Alicia, but I don't wanna get hit either.'
'If only you'd ease up...'
'That pointy-eared brat never learns.'
'Mm, that salmon roll looks tasty.'
'...Anti-violence here.'
They turned to TV or books, craving some peace. Alicia stomped in frustration—no one she could count on.
Some might give her their liver and gall for that look, but Yuseong was the type to shake down her guts instead.
He jabbed a finger at her accusingly.
"First off, you started the bitching, bitch."
"I'm the wronged one! You spread rumors first!"
"Rumors my ass—it's obvious you're pissed 'cause it hit too close."
"!!?"
"And? It's not wrong to say elves were useless. Thinking about the trouble they caused still boils my blood...! Ugh, forget it. Why am I even talking to you?"
"...Take it back. I don't know about the rest, but apologize for insulting my entire race!"
She could stomach personal insults or even unfair beatings.
But not her race—her kin—being slandered!
Fueled by her rage, her mana surged.
Whoooosh!!
Objects floated midair for a moment, tossing the room into chaos.
Spirit power.
The elves' unique ability revealed itself.
—You're crossing the line?
Kuuuung!!
"Gaaack!!"
But Alicia's display lasted less than a second before she was crushed.
Yuseong hadn't even moved a finger.
He'd just calmly unleashed his mana to suppress her. That was it.
It'd been barely a month since she'd regained her mana, and her control was still shaky.
Like an amateur light heavyweight rushing a pro heavyweight champ.
As she was forcibly introduced to the floor, Yuseong placidly speared more sushi.
"You—no, elves are always like that. Pretty on the outside, rotten within. Superiority complex so deep you dismiss everyone else. You never listen. How much damage did your stubbornness cost the alliance in the war?"
"Grrrk!!"
"I remember. The comrades who died because of you. Because of the elves."
Kuba, Kid, Gerrard—
The party—who'd tried to intervene at first—froze, mouths agape, as name after name poured from Yuseong's lips.
"Mr. Luke... You remembered all their names?"
"I was in charge. Of course."
"......"
His calm, matter-of-fact tone left them speechless.
Even the saintess couldn't recall them all...
Alicia, pressure suddenly lifted and body light again, dazedly listened to the names.
Some rang vague bells; others were total strangers.
She wanted to scream they were fake, but instinct told her otherwise.
...Every one was real.
After over a hundred names, Yuseong turned to her.
—Do you remember even one?
"......"
"Thought not. Some of those I named died saving your elf unit. But you don't care."
They weren't kin.
"I insulted elves? Fine, guilty. I hate you. Reasons? Plenty, but here's the clincher."
"You never once showed up to a memorial."
Memorials.
No time for full funerals, so they'd held simple rites for the fallen.
But the elves? Never attended. Not even once.
Not even unit leader Alicia.
"Any reason I should think well of you? Or before that."
—Do you even have the right to be mad?
"Answer me, Alicia."
......She had nothing.
"I... I..."
She'd always put her race first. Mourned only her own.
No reason to grieve or remember outsiders. Their deaths meant nothing.
Alicia trailed off, head bowed in silence.
"......"
"What? Spit it out."
"N-no, it's nothing..."
"Nothing? Then go. Why loiter?"
"......"
"Not talking? Beat it."
Sylvia hadn't come specifically about Alicia.
She just wanted to talk.
Maybe bond over why he remembered all those comrades, share his grief.
But face-to-face, her mind blanked like a flickering lightbulb.
No clue how to start.
In the end...
"What are you going to do with Alicia?"
Mindless chatter was all she mustered.
"That bitch? Hell if I know. Worried I'll beat her to death?"
"......"
"Relax. I don't hit people worth saving—or plan to. Only animals beyond redemption."
"Y-you're calling Alicia an animal?"
"Damn right. Wanna make a prediction? She's still seething with grudge right now. Gnashing teeth over the elf insults. Might rebel by tomorrow. If so, I'll squeeze every drop of mana out of her and kick her to the curb."
"......"
Squeeze out her mana.
Meaning destroy her mana circuits so she could never use it again.
Ruined circuits meant mana cripple—no different from street death sentence.
Hearing this, Sylvia broke a cold sweat.
She felt in her bones it wasn't a joke.
Sylvia hesitated.
And so...
"Mr. Luke, could you hear me out for a moment?"
"On what?"
"I want to talk about what Alicia went through."
"...?"
"Three years ago. Ah, ten years for you, Mr. Luke."
Sylvia barreled ahead, chattering freely.
One emotion filled Yuseong as he listened.
'...Hate sob stories.'
Documentaries weren't his thing.