Who... What Did You Say?
“What... what the hell does that...”
I tried to snap at her, demanding if that was bullshit. But the terrifying grip from her slender hand choked off my breath, leaving me unable to utter another word. I strained desperately to pry off the hand clutching my collar, but it didn't budge an inch. Watching me flail, a venomous voice slithered from Sia Min's lips.
“Yeah, I bet you're curious. The former head of the Hoblood Clan, thought to be missing, shows up looking like a little girl. But do you know this?”
“Guh... kkh...”
My vision was turning pure white as my breathing faltered. But Sia Min paid me no mind and kept talking.
“I want to rip apart the bastards who turned me into this, but I hate you even more.”
“Gack... s-stop...!”
“I could endure the humiliation of bowing my head for a moment. Even the Northern Duke's sleazy advances, treating me like a woman—I swallowed it all for the sake of mana stones.”
“Kkh...”
Sia Min's slender arm, hoisting me into the air, trembled with rage, her pale hand tightening around my throat.
Crunch—
“Even carving creepy dates onto the arm of the man who saw me as a woman, etching my name into it—I choked down the nausea and bore it.”
“But how dare you... dare! Engrave the treasured sword of the Hoblood Clan onto that bastard's chest!”
Crrrrunch—
This wasn't the grip of a human hand. Just as Sia Min's rage-filled fingers clamped down harder on my neck—
Shrieeek!
Slash—!
Boom—!
A sound tearing through the air shot toward Sia Min's arm, and with a flash of light, the ground split open.
“Gah... hack, cough!”
“Director! Are you alright?”
“W-Walter...!”
Walter called out to me, catching his breath in front of the deep crevasse like a crevasse. But my gaze was fixed straight ahead. Amid the dust scattered over the ground, a dark shadow revealed itself.
“I have to give you credit for your spirit.”
No change. Sia Min emerged unscathed from the thick dust. To my eyes, the arm that had looked cleanly severed was perfectly intact, without a single wound.
“But gauging the gap between yourself and your opponent is also a measure of skill.”
Sia Min approached again with floating steps, her calm voice continuing.
“To press on knowing that... you're a fool, child.”
“Fall back. I'm going all out.”
“Walter, wait—!”
A viciously brilliant aura surged in front of Walter. Sia Min, who had already reached the edge of the deep fissure Walter carved, grinned, baring her dazzlingly white fangs as if pleased by the sight.
“Amusing. You look barely past your early twenties, yet you've reached that level without a dantian.”
With those words, death's shadow tightened around my throat again as Sia Min raised her sword high, brimming with murderous intent.
No, not like this... If this goes on...!
Sia Min's breathing hadn't even quickened—she clearly wasn't going all out yet. Even if Walter unleashed his full power, even if he fought without protecting me, I couldn't imagine him beating this monster.
Time dragging on would only confirm this unwinnable fight. In that split second, I pieced together everything Sia Min had said and made my decision.
“Everyone, stop! Sia Min! Can you see this?”
I pulled out the crystal orb from my bosom, and Sia Min halted mid-swing, as if ready to strike at any moment.
“It's dangerous, Director! Don't come forward—”
“Leave it to me, Walter. Don't provoke her for now. And whatever you do, don't startle her.”
With Sia Min so close, Walter nodded slightly without turning, signaling his agreement.
“Looks like an ordinary crystal orb to me. Even if it's a thunder bomb, it won't stop me. Got some last words? I'll humor you.”
Sia Min lowered her raised sword and shifted her gaze to my crystal orb with playful eyes. But I held it high with a bold, resolute expression and pressed on.
“Let me sum up what you've said: You're trying to kill me because I tattooed the Lancaster Duke. Right?”
“Heh, I didn't think you were this dense. Why ask what you already know? It won't extend your lifespan.”
“Director!”
Walter called out in a trembling voice, but I kept the crystal orb raised high and stepped past him toward the front.
“No, the more I think about it, the weirder it gets. Let me rephrase: The Hoblood Clan needs mana stones, and that ties to Minsia, the former head who's supposedly gone. Whether you're her or not is beside the point.”
“...You. Watch your tongue. If you don't want to hasten your death, speak properly while you can. No one else matters—the sin of carving my sword onto the Northern Duke's body is unforgivable.”
Her composure cracked at my words; the thin veil of blue energy around Sia Min rippled wildly. But a bright smile crept onto my lips.
“Ah, sorry about that. But think from my perspective. I'm just a regular doctor—what power do I have? You know what kind of guy Lancaster Duke is. If I didn't do what he asked, my head would've rolled. How could I refuse?”
“Pointless excuses. Your neck was doomed either by the Duke or me.”
Sia Min treated my head like a punching bag, but I wasn't intimidated anymore. I had her by the throat now.
“Come on. The more I hear, the more ridiculous it sounds. How was I supposed to know that sword was some Hoblood Clan heirloom? The Duke originally wanted your portrait on his chest. Hell, I deserve thanks for stopping that.”
“Wh-what? His... face on his chest...? That mad bastard!”
Yeah, creepy, right? Sia Min's lips quivered, her face paling at the thought of Tolstoy trying to tattoo his own face there. But she shook her head violently, like a dog shaking off water.
“No... that would've been better! How dare you engrave the Hoblood Clan's ancestral treasured sword on a Northerner's chest!”
Damn, this is insane... How was I supposed to know it was a treasured sword!
I didn't know how precious a treasured sword was. But objectively, wouldn't the sword be way better than eternally living and breathing inside Tolstoy's wriggling chest whenever it flexed?
Either way, Sia Min's hostility toward me hadn't lessened a bit. Time to push harder.
“Whatever your tastes are, that's not my business. But why didn't you complain to Lancaster Duke about the sword and name tattooed on him now? You're raging at me, the surgeon?”
“Hah, what nonsense is that?”
Look at her stammering—bingo.
“Must be some circumstances. Anyway, you're barking up the wrong tree. You should be grilling the client, not the tattoo artist. And this crystal orb? It's Black Moon Church-made—top-notch quality.”
I chuckled and shook the orb in my right hand.
“Even from the East Continent, you know Black Moon crystal orbs. Famous for crystal-clear video and audio compared to others.”
The one I took from... er, got as a gift from George shattered when I was kidnapped in the Squinoa Mountains battle. This one's a fresh fake from Kellogg. But even if Sia Min spotted the difference, it wouldn't matter—Kellogg's version was actually better.
“...What pointless drivel.”
“Pointless? Everything you've said so far is crystal-clear on this orb. Recording video right now, nice and sharp.”
Hummm—
“Whoa? Tense grip? FYI, if this orb drops from my hand, all the audio and video shoots straight to Lancaster Duke. Don't need those mana stones anymore? Huh?”
“You worm...!!”
As if confirming my guess, the raging energy surging from Sia Min's body halted.
“Man, that's shady. Woman or cross-dresser, hiding your manhood to get close to Lancaster Duke.”
“I-I didn't deceive him! That was his own misunderstanding!”
Even scanning with micro-expressions and a doctor's eye, Sia Min's skeleton and build screamed perfect woman. Whether this self-proclaimed Hoblood Clan former head was really a man, I couldn't tell. But her wildly shaking pupils proved she was hiding her identity from Tolstoy.
She probably didn't intend to hide it from the start. With her skills, she could've won any spar regardless of gender. Of course, she didn't expect Tolstoy to fall for her.
I didn't know why the Hoblood Clan needed so many mana stones they'd send someone north. But as long as they needed more, Sia Min couldn't reveal herself to Tolstoy.
So now, the leash was on her, not me.
“So? The first button's crooked, but let's talk like civilized people. Even if you're a man pretending to be a woman—”
“What... does that mean?”
“D-Duke?!”
“Duke...”
Everyone was so focused on the conversation that not just me—Walter and Sia Min hadn't noticed him approaching either. Startled, I glanced sideways to see Tolstoy standing there, clad only in shoulder pauldrons and a fur cape like midwinter gear. His chest and arm tattoos fully exposed.
Thud—
“Y-Your Grace! Duke!”
The bouquet clutched in Tolstoy's hand dropped, and his pauldron-clad body collapsed limply to the ground.