Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Does the Saintess Dream of the Sacrifice? (5)
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Gasp.
The moment he spotted the person entering through the door, Darulma Dun swallowed hard.
Yeomyeong, who turned his head to follow the dwarf's gaze, had to swallow a hollow laugh just like him.
"Uh... Were you in the middle of a serious talk?"
The Saintess.
Unlike usual, without her transparent cloak, she truly looked like a 'Saintess.'
Her noble features couldn't be hidden even by thick glasses, and she was clad head to toe in pristine white priestly robes and a white shoulder cape embroidered with gold thread.
If not for the revolver holstered at her waist and the automatic rifle peeking over her shoulder...
From an Earthling's perspective, it was an appearance that naturally inspired faith.
Of course, that was only from an Earthling's view.
Unlike the mercenaries outside the base camp, who were merely in awe, the dwarf paid no mind to the automatic rifle.
"Oh, Saintess..."
Darulma Dun rose from his seat, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head toward her. Reverently, he clasped his hands together and covered his mouth.
A ritual from beyond the dimensional gate, praising the Five Gods.
It was a posture perfect enough for a textbook, but the Saintess didn't even glance at the dwarf.
She strode into the base camp, grabbed Yeomyeong's hand outright, and addressed the Kwon Captain.
"You're the captain of the Sunjuk Mercenaries, right?"
"...Yes, Saintess. I am Captain Kwon Mongju."
"Money's no object, so I'm hiring him."
A one-sided declaration, followed by a brief silence.
While the Kwon Captain and Darulma Dun were at a loss for words, Yeomyeong shook off her hand and demanded,
"What the hell is this all of a sudden?"
"I'll explain later. Let's go for now. We don't have time."
"..."
"God, seriously—if you stay here, your head might get blown off!"
The Saintess tugged at Yeomyeong's hand several times, but he didn't budge an inch.
Their pointless tug-of-war continued for a moment, until the Saintess gave up first with a deep sigh.
She opened her mouth.
"...My mom's coming to kill you soon."
"What?"
What the fuck was this nonsense? Mom? Coming to kill him?
"...Is this some kind of code or metaphor?"
"No, literally, my mom's gunning for you."
What did her mom even do? The Saintess's mother—maybe the Holy Knight Order captain or something?
Yeomyeong swallowed his rising bewilderment and questions, condensing them into one line.
"...Why, exactly?"
The Saintess didn't answer right away.
She fidgeted for a moment, organizing her thoughts, then tiptoed close to Yeomyeong's ear and whispered softly.
"Well, I... kinda said something stupid. So Mom misunderstood things between us."
Said something stupid.
The moment Yeomyeong heard that, he intuited that the person the dwarf had been talking to was the Saintess's mother.
Which meant the 'that kind of stuff' the dwarf had let slip was probably...
'Oh God.'
Yeomyeong, who had only imagined something like a mere lip brush, squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and asked the Saintess,
"...What the hell did you say to cause a misunderstanding like that?"
"Just, y'know... it happened? I didn't think she'd get so mad when I said I wanted to hire you with money."
"..."
"I did mention handing over the relic and sleeping in the same recovery room, but..."
"You were in the same recovery room as me? You call that—"
"Hey, is that such a big deal? It wasn't like I could book a hotel room in a transparent cloak. Plus, I was worried about you..."
Watching the Saintess avert her eyes, Yeomyeong felt more baffled than angry.
And regardless of Yeomyeong's bafflement, the mercenaries peering in from outside the base camp watched the two with thrilled eyes.
What the hell are those two talking about? That newbie's face ain't just serious, it's fucked.
That, uh... y'know. Ain't it that? Love on the run?
We makin' the 9 o'clock news tomorrow?
Fuck off, I can't hear shit!
Unable to endure the pouring stares, Yeomyeong pressed his forehead.
Normally he'd snap, but facing something way beyond his expectations, his brain couldn't keep up.
His lifelong solitude as a bachelor made it hard to handle the situation with composure.
***
While Yeomyeong was momentarily speechless, the dwarf standing behind him cautiously approached the Saintess.
"Um, Saintess...?"
"Yes?"
"I am Darulma Dun, in charge of traditional restoration projects at Dungan Heavy Industries. If you have a moment, could we discuss some business...?"
He pulled out a business card made of antique paper and offered it to her.
"Sorry, but I really don't have time right now. We can talk after we escape..."
The Saintess refused politely, with practiced ease. Or tried to.
Bang!
In the next instant, a bullet pierced the business card in Darulma's hand. The perforated card fluttered to the floor, and the dwarf's eyes widened.
"Mom!"
At the Saintess's scream, Yeomyeong and the Kwon Captain sprang into action.
The Kwon Captain grabbed the dwarf, while Yeomyeong scooped up the Saintess and flipped the desk for cover.
"Eek!"
A bullet struck where Yeomyeong had been. A silent bullet, with no precursor or presence.
He reflexively drew up mana, but couldn't pinpoint the shooter.
A sensation he'd experienced several times before. Yeomyeong drew his sword and asked the Saintess,
"Did your mom take your transparent cloak?"
"...The transparent cloak was hers to begin with."
Crack! The moment the Saintess replied, the desk spewed sawdust. Seeing the bullet hole, the dwarf freaked out.
"Oh God. Lord Mordak!"
Before his panic subsided, the Kwon Captain hoisted the dwarf up.
"Gah, Kwon Captain! What the—!"
Without a word of explanation, the Kwon Captain hurled the dwarf out the back door.
Aaaah! Confirming the dwarf vanishing beyond the door with a scream, the Kwon Captain finally drew his pistol.
"Saintess, you'll have to compensate handsomely for this mess."
He said that, but even he couldn't think of a way to neutralize the enemy.
A transparent sniper hiding both mana and presence. How the hell do you counter that?
Even calling in the mercenaries outside would just turn it into a human shooting gallery...
As the captain pondered that, Yeomyeong suddenly popped up from behind the desk.
But no bullet came. Because Yeomyeong had a knife to the Saintess's throat.
"Uh... Taking a hostage? Good idea."
With the Saintess's words, a heavy silence crushed the base camp.
The Kwon Captain shot Yeomyeong a look like, What kind of psycho is this guy? And the enemy seemed speechless too.
After a moment, a flat voice echoed from empty air in the base camp.
"...You're even more trash than I imagined."
"Who's the one firing without warning?"
Yeomyeong demonstratively pressed the knife harder against the Saintess's throat. She flinched, trembling.
"Well. Better than being torn limb from limb by the faithful, no? One bullet's quicker."
"...What mortal sin have I committed?"
"The sin of leaving footprints in pristine snow unbidden."
Pristine snow? Yeomyeong suppressed a throbbing vein in his temple.
"I swear, I'm not that close to the Saintess."
"...Lying now too? Don't add more sins if you don't want to burn in hell."
Yeomyeong squeezed his mana to heighten his senses to the limit. But he detected nothing around him. Not yet.
He needed to buy more time, draw out an enemy mistake. Yeomyeong slowly backed away as he spoke again.
"...You seem convinced I'm lying. What's the reason?"
"..."
No answer came. Yeomyeong reached out with his empty hand and gripped the Saintess's throat.
"Hey, wait—!"
The Saintess gasped. Yeomyeong modulated his grip and addressed the air.
"I'll ask once more. What's your proof I'm lying?"
"..."
"Answer."
Only after the Saintess dramatically choked did the enemy finally speak.
"...Because you changed that child's fate."
"Fate?"
Another metaphor? These mother and daughter had a religious knack for spouting cryptic shit.
"I can't explain further. Pay the price for toying with my daughter now."
In that instant, the enemy slipped. Yeomyeong's senses locked onto the hidden gun barrel.
A tiny muzzle revealed in the air. A minuscule opening, but enough for Yeomyeong.
"Hey! Where are you touching now—!"
He didn't hesitate, hurling the Saintess straight toward the gun. Only possible because she was the enemy's daughter.
Caught off guard by the Saintess toss? The enemy neither fired nor ignored her falling daughter.
Her reaction was just like any mother's. She dropped the gun and caught the incoming girl.
And in the next moment, Yeomyeong's sword halted right before her.
Thanks to the transparent cloak, he couldn't tell if it was aimed at her head or neck... but any pressure would be lethal.
The enemy conceded defeat in silence.
"...This guy's a real vicious bastard."
With the Saintess's curt remark floating in the air, Yeomyeong could finally exhale.
"First things first, let me clear up the misunderstanding."
He spun his hand, sheathing his sword, then drew a stick from his left waist and held it out to the Saintess.
"Grab it."
"...What's this?"
The answer came from beneath the transparent cloak.
"Uragan's Hilt? How do you have that...?"
For the first time, her voice had inflection. Sharply rising, genuinely shocked.
"What is it?"
Ignoring the bewildered Saintess, Yeomyeong quickly handed her the stick.
It wasn't because of the voice echoing in his head shouting 'Virgin!' Or probably not.
...Anyway, Uragan's Hilt didn't reject the Saintess. It even emitted a soft glow, blessing her.
"Hey, wait... What? The snowfield meant that...?"
Whatever the Unicorn was telling her, the Saintess's lips twisted oddly as she gripped the hilt. None of Yeomyeong's business.
He turned pointedly toward the transparent cloak.
"Did you see that?"
"..."
"I've never trespassed in your daughter's snowfield. Nor will I ever, eternally."
The figure beyond the transparent cloak didn't reply. Instead—or rather, as the Saintess realized the snowfield's meaning—she shrieked.
"Ah, seriously. Enough with the damn snowfield talk already!"
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