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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 90: The Mysterious Woman
A momentary silence fell.
The men's eyes widened simultaneously.
They hadn't expected such vulgar language to come from those delicate lips.
"...Disgusting?"
I was also taken aback.
But who was I?
Quickly assessing the situation, I spoke at lightning speed.
"She meant it's like a demon. You can think of it as a similar expression to saying something is awesome."
"A demon?"
"Yes. Don't mind it and please continue with the story."
"Ahem."
Having smoothly navigated the situation, I glanced at the White Horse Squad members, but Taylor and Blair showed no change in expression.
It seemed Arin's personality was more straightforward than they thought.
Moose cleared his throat and continued,
"If it weren't for me, no one would have survived the 3rd-level Demon Realm this time."
As questioning gazes gathered, Moose smiled.
"We, Urgon, were deployed midway. My brother was a bit late because he was conquering the 2nd-level Demon Realm."
Another man chimed in at the right moment.
"As expected of the Urgon Clan. With the Red Phoenix Division, Young Master Libre, and Young Master Moose entering together, the 3rd-level Demon Realm must have been a piece of cake."
"And my role was the biggest among them."
"..."
"When we arrived, those who had entered earlier had already suffered near-total casualties. The corpses, mangled by the mutant monsters, were a truly gruesome sight."
Gaby, who had been listening silently, covered her eyes with both hands and exclaimed,
"Oh my! Just the thought of it is horrifying. You did a great deed."
"..."
But Moose didn't even glance in Gaby's direction. Neither did the other men. Gaby's attempt at courage only made her look foolish.
But I was a man who knew how to seize an opportunity.
"Did you say your name was Gaby? You know how to compliment others. That's really admirable."
Gaby's eyes welled up with tears. Having gained her favor with a single sentence, I focused my attention back on Moose's words. My patient efforts were paying off.
"If it weren't for us, the vanguard would have all perished. And among that vanguard were Young Master Taylor and Young Master Blair here. I especially can't forget the look on Young Master Blair's face when we first arrived. The way he was desperately running away from the monsters..."
"Stop it."
Suddenly hearing a cracking sound, I looked at Blair and saw that the glass in his hand was cracking.
I roughly understood the situation.
So Blair and Taylor had entered the 3rd-level Demon Realm and were about to die at the hands of the monsters when the Urgon guys suddenly appeared and saved the day.
"Young Master Blair, think about it carefully. I'm just saying what comes to mind. If I were in that situation, wouldn't I be so grateful that I'd want to bow down? Haha. There are so many ungrateful people in this world."
Another man laughed and chimed in,
"In other words, Young Master Moose practically saved the lives of these two gentlemen. Oh my, I didn't know there was such a story behind their stiff behavior. Young Master Moose is truly a magnanimous person."
Blair glared at Moose and retorted,
"You conveniently leave out the fact that people who could have returned alive died because of the Urgon Clan."
"There are no achievements without sacrifices. Well, in any case, you two survived. As Argain said, I'm not so petty as to hold your attitude against you any longer."
I organized my thoughts again. From what I could gather, it seemed Urgon had put others in danger while conquering the Demon Realm.
'There must have been more to the incident.'
Meanwhile, Arin was still tasting various dishes and spitting them out. Moose, who still had something to say, continued, looking at Arin.
"The point of my story is this. The weak are inevitably nothing but burdens. You must know this well, having entered the Demon Realm. In the end, only by joining forces with strong clans like ours can we navigate this harsh world. What do you think, Lady Arin?"
Arin replied,
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"Is Lady Arin perhaps a direct descendant of Samael?"
"No."
"Then there's no problem for you to leave Samael."
At that moment, the glass in Blair's hand shattered.
"Shut up!"
Moose smirked and retorted,
"Such harsh words. I was just joking. I was simply talking about possibilities. I see Young Master Blair has quite a temper. I didn't know you had such a side, always running away. You might even throw that glass next."
Argain, understanding Moose's intentions, chimed in.
"He's not entirely wrong. There's nothing good about staying in a backwater clan. It's better to be under the protection of a strong clan in every way."
Moose smirked and nodded.
"Indeed. Such opportunities don't come easily. Besides, I wasn't speaking nonsense."
"..."
"I believe my brother took in someone from another clan in the Demon Realm this time. I think her name was... Layla, was it?"
"Moose!"
At that moment, Taylor stood up with a surge of mana.
Moose's expression changed drastically, and he awkwardly assumed a defensive stance.
It was almost an instinctive reaction, clearly showing his wariness towards Taylor.
Moose managed to compose himself and said,
"...Do you have a problem?"
"Don't cross the line."
Moose looked around and, seemingly regaining his confidence, retorted,
"What will you do if I cross the line? Get a grip, Taylor."
At that moment, Arin threw the plate in front of her.
"Everything is so fishy, I can't eat it. What's wrong with this place?"
Arin stared at Moose and frowned.
"I know why. Looking at you now, your face looks fishy, so the food tastes bad. I have a weak stomach."
"...What?"
Moose looked at Arin and said,
"You should also choose your words carefully, Lady Arin."
"Did I say something wrong?"
"I see you're a naive young lady."
Taylor and Blair stood up abruptly, emitting killing intent, and the other men followed suit. The sudden surge of hostility filled the entire floor.
It was a volatile situation.
At that moment, the woman who had been silent until now raised her hand from her seat.
"Let's stop this."
I, who had been observing the situation as a spectator, nodded with a satisfied expression.
Finally, she makes her move.
* * *
I had sensed the strange atmosphere earlier.
While everyone was paying attention to Moose, one woman in the corner was sipping her drink alone, as if she were in a different world.
Her presence was so natural that no one paid her any mind.
However, the moment the woman stood up, revealing her presence,
The atmosphere in the room changed drastically.
Suddenly, as if their mouths were filled with honey, all the men fell silent at the same time.
It was as if they had just remembered the woman's existence, and they looked at each other with bewildered expressions. Moose also sobered up immediately and remained seated.
The woman glanced at Moose.
"You seem drunk."
Moose gulped and replied,
"I apologize for my unbecoming behavior, Lady Celestine."
I also looked at the woman for a moment.
Until now, she had been so inconspicuous that it was hard to even notice her presence.
But now it was different. With a single word, her weighty presence dominated the room. Everyone was watching her, holding their breath.
She was no ordinary woman. The atmosphere itself spoke volumes.
This kind of atmosphere couldn't be intentionally created.
It was a presence that only those born into a position of authority could possess, naturally cultivated from birth.
'Who is she?'
Celestine, the woman, looked at Moose with a disappointed expression and then spoke to us,
"You said your name was Taylor, right? You should calm down too."
"..."
As Moose and his group suddenly became as docile as puppies, Taylor clenched his teeth and sat back down.
Celestine then looked at me.
"You said you were the highest-ranking one here, right? It would be best if you left now."
"Are you telling me to leave?"
"Yes."
I locked eyes with Celestine for a moment. As expected, her gaze was strong. She was controlling the situation with her words.
But I was different.
"Leaving is fine. But..."
Honestly, I didn't care who she was.
"This seems a bit unfair."
As Celestine raised her eyebrows slightly, I looked at Moose.
"I need to hear an apology first."
I held out a glass to Moose with one hand.
"Pour me a drink."
Moose, glancing at Celestine, looked at me with an incredulous expression.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm saying you need to apologize. Of course, I appreciate you satisfying my curiosity. But no matter what, I can't overlook the way you treated Samael."
"What?"
"You quenched my curiosity, so I'll compromise. If you pour me a drink and apologize sincerely, I'll let it slide. But I can't leave before that."
This wasn't about pride. Matters between clans should always be clear-cut.
Moose let out a hollow laugh and said,
"Are you acting this way because you're relying on Lady Celestine? Get a grip."
"It doesn't seem like he intends to apologize."
"This is unbearable, Young Master Zion."
"Actually, my name is Ruin. I'm the Commander of Samael's Crazy Mage Squad."
"What are you trying to do?"
Celestine, who had been looking back and forth between Moose and me with a pitiful expression, intervened.
"Ruin, it would be best if you stopped too. I understand you're angry, but you should choose your words carefully depending on who you're talking to. I hope you realize that acting like this won't benefit your clan in any way."
I completely ignored Celestine's words and locked eyes with Moose.
"Now that I look at you, you really do resemble a demon."
"..."
"Did you know there's a type of demon that resembles a dog?"
"What?"
"I'm saying you look like a damn dog."
When Arin let out a chuckle,
Moose unleashed a torrent of curses.
"You insolent bastard!"
"So you don't want to apologize?"
"Shut up!"
I threw the glass directly at Moose's face. At the same time, I used 'Wind Cutter' to shatter the glass into pieces and scatter a rain of blades towards the men.
"You damn bastard!"
Argain, who had been acting like Moose's loyal dog, charged at me with his face flushed from alcohol.
I ducked in a split second to evade the attack, then drew Red Dagger from my waist and slashed Argain's thigh.
Slash—
Following the spray of blood in the air, I stood up and grabbed Argain's neck with my left hand.
My palm was already imbued with flames.
As sparks flew from his neck, Argain screamed.
"Aaargh!"
I forced Argain to his knees with just my grip, then kicked his chin with the top of my foot.
With a loud crack, Argain's head snapped back, and he passed out.
"Ruin! What are you doing!"
It all happened in an instant, catching everyone off guard.
Taylor was the first to jump up from his seat and glare at me.
I spoke to Taylor with my eyes.
'You stubborn brat.'
The other men, who hadn't expected me to actually resort to violence, finally came to their senses and stood up.
Moose looked at Celestine and said,
"I apologize, Lady Celestine. This is going to be difficult now."
Moose cracked his neck from side to side and looked at me.
"So you're a madman."
"You're right."
Moose smiled.
"This is actually better. There are those who can't hold back when they should. I'll show you the consequences of your childish actions."
I also smiled and picked up a bottle from the table.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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