Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Black Market Family Act
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"Honey! Over here!"
A beaming Warden waving enthusiastically.
The people he was greeting were a young woman accompanied by a little girl.
The three of them looked for all the world like a newlywed couple.
"……."
The black wizard merchant and several others stared at them simultaneously.
No one had ever heard that Derek Minster was married.
"What? Yormungand of the North is married?"
"The Minster family is infamous for its womanizing. He probably had a kid before even getting hitched."
The black wizards and sorcerers around them nodded in understanding.
Everyone in the shadowy underworld knew full well about the Minster clan's playboy reputation.
"Still, his wife looks awfully young, doesn't she?"
"Look at that figure. Bet she was curvaceous even back in her teens."
Conan's eyelid twitched violently.
No matter that she was a soldier exposed to all sorts of unpredictable situations...
This moment flustered her more than any other.
"Th-that snake... what the hell is he saying...?"
"Haha, come on over. I told you to hurry up."
I gently took her hand with the tender expression of a doting husband.
And lightly led her toward the black wizard merchant.
"Derek Minster, have you lost your mind?"
Golden eyes glared daggers from beneath her violet hair.
Those noble unicorn-like orbs transformed in an instant into the black demonic gaze of a hellish overlord.
"You're the crazy one. The Northern Commander showing up in a place like this."
"It's obviously an undercover patrol. No one's recognized me."
"You only got away with it because I called you my wife. Otherwise, you'd already have tails on you."
"Ridiculous. Think a Swordmaster like me wouldn't notice?"
I gave her a subtle glance, her face redder than usual.
Pointing out the black-cloaked figures watching us from afar.
"High-ranking black wizards. They've been eyeing you since earlier."
"What...?"
Conan cautiously turned in the direction I indicated.
The figures melted into the shadows like ghosts.
"Being a Swordmaster doesn't mean you catch everything. Think that's why they call this the black market?"
If I hadn't approached her, Conan would have faced a black wizard ambush later.
Of course, the Northern Commander wouldn't lose, but the fallout from even one clash would be massive.
This honey pot of a black market would shut down, and who knows what would happen to Francka.
"And why'd you bring her? She's a prisoner too."
"She just wanted some sunlight... Turns out she knows the way to the black market pretty well."
I looked down at Francka with the eyes of a sleek serpent.
Our 200-year-old progenitor rolled her pink eyes, dodging my gaze.
"Since we're in this deep, we have to play husband and wife for the day. At least until we leave."
"Husband and wife...? I don't do that mushy crap. I'll just head out now."
Conan fiddled awkwardly with the strap of her sleeveless top on her shoulder.
Like wiping sweat from her fingers.
"I've already called you 'honey.' If you bail alone now, it'll look suspicious."
"Hah, are you getting revenge for that rewind in our spar?"
Her wheat-blonde ponytail swished sharply.
I waggled my eyebrows shamelessly and whispered.
"I'll get you a separate black market pass later. Make your undercover patrols even easier, right?"
"……."
Conan crossed her arms sullenly by herself.
Her ample curves lifted beautifully between her arms.
"...You mean it? Top customer pass?"
"That one's pricey."
"Forget it. Maybe I should just bring the army and raze this place."
"I'll do it. Just play along properly today."
Only then did Conan smirk.
For that moment, she wasn't the stern soldier—just a mature woman.
"Fine. Leave it to me."
The Northern Commander, forged from rigid military stock, answered confidently.
But in truth, she had no clue how couples acted.
When we actually stood before the black wizard merchant, she froze up like a statue.
"Are you really the Warden's wife?"
The black-haired twintailed black wizard looked up with curious eyes.
She tilted her witch hat, staring at Conan like a black cat.
"Yes, that's right."
"You look too young to have a daughter. You didn't have her at 15, did you?"
Conan hesitated, awkward at lying.
Straight-laced soldiers were such a hassle.
"She's thirty, you know. Swordmasters age slower."
"I'm how old—?!"
The Empire's Northern Commander bristled, ready to snap.
But my wink reminding her it was acting made her take a deep breath and calm down.
"Oh, thirty? No wonder you have such a mature vibe despite the Warden's age."
"Living with a younger husband isn't easy."
Conan replied with sincere tone.
"Guess I'll get an earful when we get home."
"Daddy, you buying weird stuff and getting in trouble again?"
Francka chimed in with expert acting.
Worthily skilled at beguiling humans to drain their blood.
"Hmm... But as a Swordmaster, you'd be famous. Why do I feel like I've never seen you?"
"Maybe because I'm from the shadows like my husband."
Conan smiled innocently, her delivery stiff.
"Assassins can't be famous, after all."
"Right, right."
I chimed in supportively.
And smoothly shifted to business.
"Honey, help me with the checkout."
"...?"
Conan blinked in total shock, never expecting this.
She stared at me like a beautiful pony trapped in a sly serpent's snare.
But now that we were this far, I had to ham it up even more.
"Just two hundred gold."
"Honey? Did you leave two hundred gold with me? Talking like it's pocket change for baby formula."
"You always run short on your allowance, honey—."
"……."
Conan finally snapped, leaning toward me.
She whispered softly with the world's purest smile.
"Want me to confiscate your assets and dole it out as allowance?"
"Sorry, got too into the role... I'll give it to you back at the prison. Just cover it for now."
Only after my promise to pay up immediately did Conan sigh deeply.
She reached into the back pocket of her military-style pants.
Afterward.
"Pfft..."
She pulled out a wallet utterly at odds with her tough soldier style and mature looks.
A cute little coin pouch with an adorable dragon keychain dangling from it.
"Don't laugh. Camillia and I won it in a gacha way back."
"Yes, ma'am. No one's saying a word."
Conan boiled inside like a thousand embers.
Thank goodness she'd come in just a sleeveless top today because of the heat.
"You two really do seem like a couple. Sorry for the misunderstanding."
The black wizard woman giggled, pleased by their chemistry.
Her own tension eased, her attitude softening considerably.
"Haha... yeah, right—."
"Daddy, buy me that one."
Francka pointed at the blood potion, seizing the moment.
I ignored her fiercely and poked her hat down over her eyes.
"Since you paid in full on the spot, I should throw in some service."
"Daddy, service blood potion reeecharge...!"
I pinched our progenitor's chubby cheeks, muffling her lips.
We'll settle this later, for real.
"Can't refuse good intentions. What is it?"
I stood on tiptoe, feigning interest.
The merchant slipped it to Conan instead, whispering secretly.
"This is werewolf tonic. Your husband will thank you for it."
"...What does it do?"
Conan asked with her clear unicorn eyes.
The black wizard grinned slyly with her dark-circled eyes.
"Gives stamina that never tires at night. Rumor has it the previous Prime Minister used it."
"Previous Prime Minister...?"
"Yes, the one with seven wives. If he used it, you know it's effective."
"……."
Conan closed her eyes gently.
"This is a bit much to accept..."
"Eh, couples always love it. Does Lord Derek not need it because he's so virile?"
"Virile? He's just cunning—no stamina at all..."
"Ah, so he's the technique type."
The twintailed merchant gave a knowing look.
I jumped in hastily to snag the potion.
Did she think permanent stamina boosts were common?
True to her soldier roots, the Commander was too straitlaced about this stuff.
"We'll take it. She's just embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? Who's embarrassed?"
Conan flared up like a snorting pony.
Only then did the merchant chuckle and shake her head.
"You're still in the honeymoon phase. Here you go. Looking forward to more business, Warden."
"You bet. Big money deals like this come with solid perks."
A satisfying transaction indeed.
This would greatly aid my rise to Grandmaster.
"Of course. Trust is everything in business."
The two with eerily similar shady eyes grinned conspiratorially.
Conan stared at them with a pouty expression.
"Next deal my ass. I'll come back and burn this place down."
"Mommy, blood potion..."
She gripped Francka's hand tightly.
But the experience wasn't all bad—she soon smirked.
"Is this the fun Camillia had with him?"
She watched my return with a bittersweet smile.
Aware it was time to snap back to reality, she donned her soldier's stern face again.
But...
I still had one more thing to delight her with.
"Here, honey. For you."
"...What's this?"
She realized there was extra service elixir.
Unlike the blue werewolf tonic, the one I offered was red.
"Goddess Potion. Boosts flexibility."
"Why give it to me? You hog all the good stuff."
Conan tilted her head, taking the vial.
My sly grin reflected in its smooth glass.
"Saw yesterday your lower body strength is great, but flexibility's lacking. So I haggled for this."
"...?"
Conan's brow furrowed sharply.
"What's wrong with my flexibility?"
"When you ambushed me yesterday, your hip movement was kinda slow. That's why."
The Northern Commander stared at me blankly.
With eyes screaming, This guy, really...
"And this is for our daughter."
"Blood potion?"
Francka asked with the cutest girl expression and voice.
Makes my skin crawl every time, knowing the vampire queen hides behind that face.
"No, sunscreen. Alchemist-made, so it's top quality."
"……."
Francka pouted and raked my leg with her long nails.
Conan grabbed my wrist, attacking from both sides.
The black wizard merchant watched their affectionate(?) antics fondly.
Perfect timing for the service.
But her satisfied smile vanished completely soon after.
"What was that just now?"
She sensed someone in the black market watching that picture-perfect family with palpable killing intent.
Intent beyond words.
"……."
The twintailed black wizard swallowed hard.
Instinct told her to close up early today.
"……."
At that moment, in the aerial garden of the Northern Palace.
Someone visited Camillia as she leisurely sipped tea while handling state affairs.
A Black Knight tasked with reporting on Derek Minster since the crystal ball broke.
She'd ordered it purely for his protection.
Right before his duel with the Tutton Grand Duke's daughter, her faction might ambush him.
Yes, purely for protection.
"What is it?"
"Well..."
The black-haired Black Knight hesitated.
"Don't hold back. When have I ever gotten mad?"
The knight still couldn't speak easily.
Not after delivering the image of her childhood friend rolling in the sand with the Warden.
The killing intent then...
It was chilling, like facing a massive cave lion in the dark.
"I have a report, so I drew it."
The Black Knight mustered courage and showed what he'd seen in the black market.
"Conan again. Well, she said she was patrolling the black market, so meeting Derek makes sense."
Fortunately, Camillia viewed the drawing calmly.
Then her brow furrowed slightly.
"But what's with those glass vials they're holding?"
"……."
The knight swallowed hard.
And recited what he knew.
"I was too far to hear clearly, but the Warden's was something for better nighttime stamina."
Her grip tightened on the drawing.
"Nighttime stamina...?"
"At, at night..."
"Fine. And what Conan has?"
"That one's for better hip movement. Flexibility enhancer, I suppose."
Camillia's lake-blue eyes blinked quietly.
"So Derek got stamina for late nights, Conan got smoother hips, and they'll use them together?"
The couple in the drawing began to warp.
The paper crumpled, scorched by golden heat rising from the princess's hand.
"Yes, and they called each other 'honey' and 'dear'..."
The carefully drawn image turned to ash.
Camillia shoved aside all her state documents.
"I need to visit the palace."
"The palace...?"
The princess rose with lifeless eyes.
"Gotta see His Majesty."
She seemed to have made a grave decision.
She would declare something to the Emperor, then punish that unworthy woman.
The friend she'd once called childhood companion.