Chapter 40: Because of Love
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: Because of Love
Muen had lost track of how many times he had opened his eyes in this oppressive, dim cell. His gaze remained heavy with exhaustion, his eyes bloodshot as if he had pulled several all-nighters in a row.
"Whew..."
Muen exhaled a cloud of stale air, forcing his spirits to rally.
He reached out mentally to check the contents of the Black Book.
[Dagger Combat Technique: LV5]
[Shadow Step: LV2]
"Another nearly three hundred experiences of death."
"Truly agonizing."
"But I seem to have hit a bottleneck. No matter how much I train, my proficiency levels won't budge anymore."
"Especially Shadow Step."
Muen’s gaze darkened slightly.
Inside the Black Book Space, he could perform Shadow Step almost perfectly. There were even several instances where his dagger had grazed the assassin’s skin, leaving visible wounds.
While he was still a long way from actually defeating the assassin, it no longer felt as unreachable as before.
However, no matter how proficient his Shadow Step became within the Black Book Space, the proficiency recorded on the book remained stuck at LV2, refusing to rise even a fraction.
On the other hand, his Dagger Combat Technique had improved rapidly through constant practical combat during this period, reaching LV5.
"As expected, is it because of the limitations of my realm?"
Muen let out a soft sigh.
In the Black Book Space, he could clearly feel his own mastery improving, yet the display remained at LV2. This indicated that it wasn't his personal skill that lacked growth, but rather that his current realm only allowed him to utilize Shadow Step at a LV2 level.
Furthermore, judging by the sheer agony of using LV1 Shadow Step just once, attempting to use LV2 with this physical body—which lacked even a shred of Fighting Spirit—would likely be pushing it to the absolute limit.
"But there’s no other way. I have to seize every moment to increase my combat power!"
Muen’s eyes were resolute.
Even if he was being imprisoned, kept, and humiliated by a beautiful maid, he still possessed a heart that yearned for freedom!
"Hmph. Did you really think that by going this far, I’d have no way to escape?"
Looking at the lock on the iron bars—which was roughly the size of his fist and looked incredibly sturdy—Muen couldn't help but twist his lips into a wicked, arrogant smirk.
"You've underestimated me, An."
"Everything is in place; all I need now is the final spark. I’m waiting, you know... waiting for that fish you promised to bring."
*
"Wait... nothing unexpected happened, did it?"
Muen suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of alarm in them.
Although there was no way to track time in this room, based on the hunger in his stomach, lunchtime had long since passed.
Yet An had not appeared.
"It shouldn't be... Lake Bepol is quite far, but she should have made it back by now if she rode hard."
As the minutes and seconds ticked by, Muen couldn't stop his mind from wandering into dark places.
"But if An doesn't come back, won't I really be trapped here until I die? And given how remote this place is, I doubt anyone would find my corpse for hundreds of years!"
"Maybe my ghost will have to wander here forever, never able to move on."
"This godforsaken place doesn't even have a female ghost, just me, a lonely starving ghost."
"Waaaah, I don't want that! At least give me a Miss Sadako to keep me company..."
"I shouldn't have made such an outrageous request."
"But I had no choice. If I had just asked for fish normally, someone as sharp as An might have noticed something."
"Besides, it was also a precaution."
*
"Forget it, stop thinking about it."
Muen leaned his head against the wall, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
"I've probably been locked up here so long my nerves are getting sensitive."
"It's just catching a fish. How hard could that be for An?"
"It's not like I asked her to go fight a monster."
*
Lake Bepol was currently engulfed in a violent storm.
An stood a few hundred meters from the lakeshore, clad in a rain-slicked trench coat with her hood up. She stared expressionlessly at the scruffy man who was prattling on incessantly in front of her.
"Ma'am, you can't go any further!"
"Lake Bepol has been completely cordoned off! If you want to see the sights, please come back when the weather clears up!"
The torrential rain was punctuated by claps of thunder that seemed ready to drown the world, forcing the man to scream at the top of his lungs right in front of An.
"Anyway, turn back now! It's dangerous here!"
"Did something happen?"
An asked, her brow furrowing. An aura of displeasure radiated from her, though it was unclear whether she was annoyed by the man or the wretched weather.
"Ma'am, that's not for you to ask! Just leave!"
The man was also losing his patience. He reached out, intending to shove An away.
"Hmm?"
An caught the man’s hand before it could touch her. Her expression instantly turned frigid, and her fingers tightened with sudden, violent force.
"I hate it when men other than the Young Master touch me."
"What—AAAGH!"
The man let out a scream of agony, his face contorting as his body bent in the direction his arm was being twisted.
"If you still want this hand to be able to hold a dinner knife, tell me what happened here."
"I'll talk... I'll talk..."
Hearing the groan of his own bones, the man spoke with a look of sheer terror.
"It's the Lake Lord of Lake Bepol... it appeared!"
"The Lake Lord of Lake Bepol? Isn't that just a baseless rumor?"
The so-called Lake Lord was a legend circulated among the fishing villages surrounding the lake. It was said that deep within Lake Bepol lived a fish god left over from ancient times. He was the master of the waters, controlling the weather and the tides of the region.
The villagers would regularly sacrifice cattle and sheep to the lake to earn the Lake Lord's protection.
But it was supposed to be just a legend. If there really were some fish god in the lake, the Life Church would have long ago branded it a nest for an Evil God and launched a new Holy War.
"But... but the Lake Lord really appeared! It's a massive, massive fish!"
The man wailed, "The Adventurer's Association sent people. They identified it as an Overlord-class magical beast! They've dispatched a B-Rank adventurer team to subjugate it, so the lake is closed. No one is allowed near!"
"I see. An Overlord-class magical beast?"
An released the man and tilted her head back toward the sky, letting the rain wash over her face.
"Then this strange weather is also because of that beast, I assume."
"P-probably."
The man rubbed his arm, hissing through his teeth in pain.
"A-anyway, you should just leave. I won't hold what just happened against you—a real man doesn't fight with a woman—but if you interfere with the adventurer team's mission, there will be hell to pay!"
"..."
An ignored him. Instead, she stepped past the man and continued toward the lake.
"Hey! Wait! Even knowing that, you're still going?"
The man watched her back, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Going forward even though you know there's danger... what could possibly make you so obsessed?"
"For what?"
The man hadn't expected an answer, but An suddenly looked back.
She gave a gentle, blissful smile.
"Because of love, of course."