Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Dragon (1)
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“...Didn’t you say you’d forgive me...?”
The words slipped from Rin’s lips as she gazed at Kim Hyunwoo with an expression like the world itself had come crashing down.
“But why... is it impossible?”
Her heartrending murmur drew a strange look from Kim Hyunwoo’s face as he pondered.
In truth, he had a mountain of questions.
But even with those lingering mysteries unsolved, he could clearly infer one fact from her actions right now.
The Absolute Ruler of Darkness standing before him desperately wanted to return to Lartania.
From his perspective, that was an undeniable stroke of good fortune.
After all, acquiring a 5-star hero right now was a massive boon.
Yet despite that merit, there was a reason he couldn’t take her in.
“To be honest, your notoriety is just too high. It makes it impossible.”
It was her reputation—or rather, her infamy.
“In...famy?”
Rin echoed in bewilderment, and Kim Hyunwoo nodded.
Truth be told, he hadn’t planned on mentioning her relationship stats to her.
Explaining something only he could see to a hero didn’t seem straightforward.
But watching her spiral into what seemed like a massive misunderstanding, he felt compelled to clarify.
To him, her current expression was... well, a bit dangerous.
Honestly, it was the kind of look where she might commit some ‘atrocious act’ without batting an eye.
Kim Hyunwoo’s gaze flicked to the longsword hanging at her waist. For some reason, it looked especially sharp today.
“...Hmm.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he met her eyes and wondered how best to explain the relationship stats. Finally, he spoke.
“First off, I get that you’ve been through a lot. I don’t know the details, but I’m sure you had your reasons. At the very least, from what I know, you’re not the type to take lives lightly.”
“!”
Noticing the faintly dangerous glint in her eyes, he tossed in a subtle compliment. A flicker of color returned to Rin’s face.
“But even if I understand, I can’t take you in.”
“Eek...!”
Her expression darkened again at his follow-up.
“Your infamy would be pure poison to Lartania territory.”
Kim Hyunwoo pressed on.
“You said you’ve been watching over me, right?”
“...”
“No?”
“...! Y-Yes! I’ve been watching over you all along...!!”
“Then you know full well. Lartania is just starting to grow. We’ve finally built a proper structure, and now we’re poised to function as a real territory. Your infamy could destroy everything I’ve built.”
“If—if you’re worried about those who hold grudges against me seeking revenge—”
“If that were the only issue, I’d consider recruiting you.”
“...”
Kim Hyunwoo scratched his head with a sigh, as if weighing his options, then continued.
“The downsides of hiring you go beyond that, Rin. This labyrinth city I’ve created relies heavily on drawing in residents and diplomacy. What happens if I bring in someone with your level of infamy?”
“Eek...”
Rin’s breath hitched visibly.
No fool would miss what he meant, and Rin was no fool.
“Mercenaries will stop coming at first. Sales from territory folk will drop. Merchant groups and residents won’t want to visit because of you. Stagnant territories lose people. And then? We’re right back to square one. Plus—”
He kept going.
“—even if we ignored all that and hired you anyway, could you alone fend off everyone who’d turn hostile toward Lartania? No, impossible.”
Kim Hyunwoo had a rough gauge of the Absolute Ruler of Darkness’s strength.
He’d witnessed Merrillda’s power firsthand, even if only briefly, and she was a 5.5-star like Rin.
But no matter how strong she was—overwhelming heroes in duels or handling thousands at once—if a nation declared full-scale war and rallied alliances, it was game over.
Not even a 5.5-star could single-handedly stop tens of thousands of troops backed by 5-star heroes.
That was why.
“That’s the reason I can’t take you in.”
The moment he finished speaking,
a suffocating silence descended.
Rin hung her head, so he couldn’t see her face, but having laid out every reason in his mind, even Kim Hyunwoo felt the heavy atmosphere pressing in on him.
‘...Is she mad?’
He could guess she’d been through hell from what she’d done. But getting rejected so bluntly probably wasn’t what she expected.
Still, accepting her now would be absurd—
“I understand.”
Before the thought fully formed, Rin’s subdued voice cut in.
She lifted her head, her face etched with gut-wrenching agony. Her teeth were clenched so hard that blood seeped from her gums.
It was the face of someone who’d comprehended his reasoning in her head, accepted it, and barely suppressed the urge to wail in despair.
Yet somehow,
even with that expression,
her eyes burned not just with pain, but with resolute ‘determination.’
As if,
“I must step away for a moment.”
she’d just realized what she had to do.
“We’ll meet again.”
With those words, she turned her staggering steps away from him. As if promising a future encounter.
“...?”
To Kim Hyunwoo, it only amplified his unease.
####
“As promised this time, we won’t take any commission fees.”
Berta, lord of Rapengan territory, smiled at Adria, leader of the Tiinus Merchant Group, who had consigned the ‘Execution Sword’ to their auction house.
“You’re too generous. I don’t know where to begin thanking you.”
“Generous? It’s the least we can do for you, Leader.”
As Berta said, accommodating the Tiinus Merchant Group brought benefits on multiple fronts for Rapengan.
The massive gold fee was immediate profit, but ties to one of the continent’s great merchant caravans outweighed that.
Even if he and Adria were on decent terms, the more connections, the better—which was why Berta waived the fees without hesitation.
At least, that’s how Berta saw it; they were worth it.
“By the way, I heard there was some trouble during the auction. Everything sorted now?”
Adria’s question brought a faint smile to Berta’s lips.
For a merchant to voice concern over a snag meant their rapport was solid, calculations aside.
“There was a bit of an unseemly incident at the auction house.”
Indeed, something highly improper had occurred, as Berta noted.
Four great heroes had shown up—that was fine. But one woman chased them all off.
One woman against four great heroes.
Regardless of the backstory, that stark fact spread like wildfire, and Rapengan took a minor hit.
The woman had caused the uproar, but Berta had granted her auction access.
Still, the damage to Rapengan was minimal.
Because that woman was strong enough to overpower other great heroes.
Of course, appearances could deceive.
Unless it was someone like the mad dog Lalbach, dubbed the continent’s rabid hound, most great heroes avoided fights in neutral territories.
Nations shunned clashes since losing even one great hero crippled their forces.
Unaffiliated heroes, too, had too much to lose from needless brawls.
Especially since the blue merchant who roamed years ago vanished.
‘Even accounting for all that, four great heroes humiliated by one woman without a fight breaking out is worth pondering.’
In the end, thanks to ‘Kalan’s Five Swords’ vouching her into the grand auction, her strength let Rapengan escape with scratches.
Everyone knew a commercial territory couldn’t fend off such a calamity.
“—But no need for you to worry, Adria. We achieved our goal, after all.”
Plus, the Execution Sword sold in Rapengan, and fortunately, that woman paid a fortune for it—netting more gain than loss.
No, in another sense, they’d profited handsomely.
Her participation, recommended by Kalan’s Five Swords, revealed her identity.
‘She’s the hidden power behind Kalan Kingdom.’
Berta easily pieced it together: the monster who’d grown a kingdom on the brink of being swallowed by Norba a decade ago was her.
...Spreading that intel wasn’t feasible, but knowing it was a huge edge. He was satisfied.
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved.”
After some back-and-forth, Adria continued.
“Well, I should head out now.”
“Already?”
“Yes. I have a destination to visit.”
“Destination...?”
“I need to see my Guardian.”
“Ah, I see.”
The brief exchange ended their meeting.
“Hmm, there were issues, but not a bad outcome.”
Adria checked the gold piled in her cart,
‘Maybe propose delivering this and visiting the Guardian together?’
With that thought, she left Rapengan. Once the territory was distant, she dismissed her secretary and pulled out a small crystal orb from her office.
Today was the day to report to her Guardian.
She placed the crimson orb on her desk, infused it with mana, and leaned in.
Wooong—!
It glowed white, projecting a hologram-like window before her.
“I pay respects to the Great One.”
Adria bowed immediately as it appeared.
But the woman in the hologram—sharing Adria’s crimson hair—said nothing.
“Here is my report.”
Familiar with the silence, Adria began alone.
Yet even as she spoke, the woman with scars across her neck stared with vacant eyes.
A short while later.
“That concludes the merchant group report, but...”
Finishing the business update, Adria pressed on.
“Might I introduce a certain human to the Great One?”
The woman gazed down impassively.
However.
“I wouldn’t dare ask, but I suspect this human might possess what the Great One desires.”
[...Something I desire?]
She finally reacted.
“Yes. If it pleases the Great Guardian, I’d like you to use your power to let me show you this human, so you may decide.”
[...Very well.]
The dragon replied.