Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Baek Seol-hwa
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"Ah, Father... Seol-hwa, she..."
The fidgeting daughter-in-law.
The warriors of the Celestial Prosperity Sect gazed at him with quietly subdued eyes.
If Baek Tae-san said just one word, the Celestial Prosperity Sect members would rise without hesitation to find his granddaughter Baek Seol-hwa.
Baek Tae-san closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
'First my son... now my granddaughter...'
Baek Tae-san replayed the duel in his mind.
Solid fundamentals and utterly simple attacks.
But he had been utterly defenseless against those simple strikes.
The overwhelming speed and destructive power were the problem.
Attacks that seemed to read his every movement perfectly.
Even if that man possessed an extraordinary physique, wielding such a weapon so freely was beyond common sense.
The weapon was burdensome in size, granting it a wide attack range.
Yet it came swinging at absurd speeds without giving him a moment to dodge, forcing him to block recklessly.
And the man exploited that cunningly, dragging him into a quagmire.
The finale was even more astonishing.
Baek Tae-san had thought of death in that instant when the massive greatsword shattered his blade and bore down on him from above.
But the man halted a sword strike loaded with irrepressible destructive force.
If it had been an ordinary weapon, there might have been some way to rationalize it.
But to cleanly stop a swing from such an outrageously large and heavy blade...
'Is that even possible?'
The only possible explanation...
Was that it wasn't even his full power.
Because it wasn't his full strength, he could pull it back.
That made sense.
His abilities were even greater than they appeared.
Baek Tae-san, having clashed with him directly, could feel it.
He hated to think it, but a terrifying notion crept in.
That even if the entire Celestial Prosperity Sect mobilized, they might not be able to touch him...
"..........Accept the result..."
"Urk!!"
"Miss..."
"Master..."
With Baek Tae-san's declaration, the mood among the Celestial Prosperity Sect members, who had lost Baek Seol-hwa, sank into despair.
The kids were still up, waiting for me.
The Celestial Prosperity Sect had launched a raid, and I'd gone straight to their headquarters.
I'd told them not to worry, but they couldn't just take it at face value and relax.
When I returned from the Celestial Prosperity Sect with the prisoners and Baek Seol-hwa in tow, everyone's eyes went wide.
"O-Oppa. Who's this?"
"She'll be living with us starting today."
"L-Living with us?"
Did she not get what that meant?
Ji-a's eyes shook with unease.
"O-Oppa, you're not... throwing me away, right?"
Did she think since I brought home a new girl, I'd toss her aside?
"Why would I throw you away?"
Hearing that, Ji-a's expression eased a bit.
Ji-a was stunningly pretty.
The idea of just discarding a girl like that was unthinkable for someone like me, with a strong possessive streak toward attractive women.
"This is our first time meeting properly. I am Baek Seol-hwa, the girl who will serve my lord from now on."
But then Baek Seol-hwa, standing beside me, dropped a bombshell out of nowhere.
"L-Lord?!"
"L-Lord husband?!"
Everyone was stunned by Baek Seol-hwa's declaration, and Ji-a's eyes bulged as she shrieked in shock.
"O-Oppa, y-you got married?!"
Ji-a's eyes flashed dangerously.
Caught off guard by her intensity, I denied it reflexively.
"N-No..."
"Th-Then what is she talking about?"
"I will serve Un-ho for the rest of my life. Thus, Un-ho is naturally my lord husband."
Despite the shocking words, Baek Seol-hwa spoke calmly, her expression unchanging.
"I-I can't accept that!!"
"If I may ask, what is your relationship to my lord husband?"
Ji-a's eyes wavered under Baek Seol-hwa's not-so-subtle interrogation.
"M-Me? I-I'm Oppa's girlfriend!!"
"Whew~"
Su-ji whistled, watching the confrontation with Chae-won like it was some trashy morning soap opera, utterly engrossed.
"So you're saying you were already set to marry my lord husband before me."
"M-Marriage!?"
Baek Seol-hwa's eyes sharpened at Ji-a's flustered reaction to the word marriage.
"Is that not the case?"
Was this pressure to break up if it was just a casual fling?
Ji-a flinched but, meeting Baek Seol-hwa's gaze, declared she couldn't back down here.
"Y-Yes, that's right!!"
For some reason, she kept glancing at me nervously.
"Hm... In that case, you must be the principal wife."
"P-Principal wife?!"
-Gulp.
Ji-a swallowed dryly, visibly excited by the term "principal wife."
Her face flushed, cheeks twitching with delight.
"Does the principal wife find me displeasing?"
Baek Seol-hwa asked Ji-a with a troubled look.
"P-Principal wife... Ahem... W-Well then... Heh... Hehe."
As Baek Seol-hwa yielded to her, Ji-a's stiff expression melted completely.
And just like that, I became a married man with two wives.
"No!! Ji-a!!! How can you just accept that?! Does that even make sense!!"
Su-ji suddenly hit the gas, unhappy with how smoothly things were going.
"For a strong warrior, three wives and four concubines is no flaw."
Su-ji yelled back at Seol-hwa's calm words.
"Crazy! What era are you from?! You look younger than me!"
"Forgive me, but what is your relationship to my lord husband?"
Silent pressure to step aside if it wasn't intimate.
"M-Me? Uh, w-well..."
Su-ji floundered, at a loss for words.
"You're a freeloader, then."
"F-Freeloader?! Say something, Ajusshi."
I had no idea why she was asking me...
But wasn't she basically a freeloader?
Baek Seol-hwa wasn't entirely wrong.
What was I supposed to say, jumping in here?
And instinctively, I knew.
Getting involved would bring nothing good.
"Ajusshi. Y-You're not thinking of living cozily with both of them, are you?"
"Why not..."
I wore a satisfied grin.
Su-ji and Chae-won's looks toward me soured badly.
"Ji-a!! You're okay with this? You should be chewing him out right now."
"Huh? M-Me?"
The sparks flew to Ji-a out of nowhere.
Under Su-ji's pressure, Ji-a fidgeted anxiously.
"I-I... If that's what Oppa wants..."
Su-ji was still trapped in outdated stereotypes.
Choosing just one woman was old-fashioned thinking.
This was the age of the survival of the fittest!!
Men didn't need to fixate on just one woman.
Well... that was bullshit anyway...
I just didn't want to give up either one.
If I could have both women, I could endure Su-ji and Chae-won's scornful stares.
"Alright... Enough nonsense. It's late—time for bed. You two sleep too."
I wrapped my arms around both women's waists.
"Y-You're insane... Ajusshi. You planning to sleep with both right now?!"
Ignoring Su-ji, I dragged the two toward the bedroom.
But Seol-hwa and Ji-a, being pulled along, panicked.
"W-Wait a sec. Th-This... O-Oppa... N-No way?! Th-Three of us..."
"L-Lord husband... This is..."
No helping it.
If I favored one, the other might get jealous.
I had a duty to love them both equally.
Probably...
"........."
Baek Seol-hwa woke up in a daze.
The sun was already high, filling the room with bright light from outside.
The two were gone somewhere; she was alone on the wide bed.
Normally, she'd never sleep this late.
But after being tormented by him all night, she'd overslept.
Traces of last night lingered between her thighs.
"Hoo..."
He was a man who knew no such thing as satisfaction.
He'd relentlessly ravished her and the principal wife until they passed out.
All three together...
She'd never even imagined such a thing.
-Ache.
Recalling the frenzied night tangled as three, her lower abdomen tingled, and her juices seeped out.
She calmed her slightly aroused mind and tidied her disheveled long hair.
-Slide.
Just then, Lee Ji-a opened the door and came in.
"Oh, you're awake?"
At the sound of the door, Baek Seol-hwa reflexively covered her chest with the blanket.
"We've seen everything there is to see last night—why bother? Planning to tie your hair up? Not yet. Shower first, right?"
Baek Seol-hwa's ears perked at the word "shower."
"Ah... I see."
Showers hadn't been hard in the old days, but now they were a luxury.
The prospect of a precious shower filled her with a bit of excitement.
"I'll show you."
"Thank you, principal wife."
"I don't hate 'principal wife,' but it makes me sound old."
Lee Ji-a puffed her cheeks cutely.
"You're my senior, so feel free to speak casually."
"How old are you?"
"I'll turn nineteen this year."
"Oh. A year younger than me. Then we can talk casually. Just call me Ji-a unnie."
"If 'principal wife' bothers you, I'll call you Lady Ji-a."
At Baek Seol-hwa's firm expression brooking no further concession, a wry smile appeared on Ji-a's face, as if she had no choice.