N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 465
Ariel glared at Raon, her red lips trembling.
‘Is that guy really insane?’
Words just don't get through.
Whether she initiates the conversation or tries to answer a question, Raon cuts her off abruptly, ending with remarks like "you should have come sooner."
It felt like talking to a rock. The conversation wasn't flowing, and it seemed maddening.
‘There's no answer.’
Raon had no intention of continuing the conversation. It was frustrating not having a solution to the aggressive interruptions and pressure. Despite his attempt to disrupt the flow of conversation in a crude manner, there was no way to counter it.
"...I apologize for not coming earlier."
It was unclear how many apologies had been made, but she reluctantly apologized.
She sent a glance to Glenn, hoping he would intervene, but he was merely observing the situation with an interesting expression.
"How many times are you going to apologize? If you had come sooner, you wouldn't have needed to apologize."
Raon clicked his tongue dismissively.
‘That constant 'sooner' is driving me crazy.’
‘Damn it.’
This was all planned.
Whether it was a belated puberty or not, if it hadn't been planned in advance, this smug monkey wouldn't have acted this way.
Ariel bit her lip.
‘But I have to endure.’
Currently, she was losing in terms of power, authority, and reason. Even though a rage that felt like her heart would burst was rising, she had to endure.
"Hoo..."
Taking a slow breath, she cooled her head. Thinking of herself as an emotionless stone, she raised her head.
"As the vice division leader of the Light Wind division said, I've prepared appropriate compensation for impulsively invading Zieghart's territory and initiating two preemptive attacks. But before that, I would like to offer my apologies."
Heukgeumje, straightening his shoulders and waist, looked at Glenn.
"All the trouble my subordinates caused was due to my shortcomings. Ariel of White Whale apologizes to the Conqueror of the North."
She elegantly bent at the waist. A posture with perfect courtesy. Even while confessing her mistakes, she didn't lose her dignity.
‘This is something even that scoundrel can't argue with, right?’
Without making excuses and directly mentioning compensation, she immediately admitted her fault. Even though it was Raon, there was nowhere to pick at.
But Raon wasn't an ordinary rascal. Just when Ariel was about to relax, that damn voice came from behind.
"Ugh! If you had come sooner, you would have already gone home, smacked your subordinates, and taken a nap, right? Isn't that so?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess?"
Raon squinted his eyes, and Rimmer nodded in agreement.
‘That damn bastard!’
Ariel clenched her fist inside her sleeve. It felt like the fragile mental state she had just regained was collapsing like a sandcastle.
‘That guy is not just a rascal. He's a damn rascal!’
Ariel narrowed her eyes, thinking of Raon as the worst of the worst.
Suppressing her emotions by biting her tongue, she lifted her gaze.
Woo-woo-woo!
When Ariel drew a circle in the air with her finger, a spatial rift opened, pouring out gold bars, gems, elixirs, and various treasures.
"These treasures won't be of much help to Zieghart. Please consider them as a token of my and my subordinates’ sincerity.”
She murmured that it was fine even if forgiveness wasn't granted, hoping they would accept the offerings.
"Ugh..."
"Is she giving all of that?"
"It's not just the quantity; the quality is exceptional too. Are these gold coins or platinum coins?"
"This is beyond our expectations."
Even Zieghart's high-ranking executives were astonished by the quantity and quality of the treasures Heukgeumje presented.
‘Yeah. The quantity and quality are excessive. However, this is nothing.’
Ariel thought to herself.
Ariel knew that if she could just rescue her subordinates and return, she would gain fame and prestige that could not be compared to these treasures.
She did not regret spending the money and treasures, as she could easily find more if she sold information.
"Wow, how much is all this? If you had come earlier, you could have paid only half there. Must have been tough to get those. Don't you think?"
Raon sneered, and Rimmer’s jaw clenched so hard that it made a clicking sound.
‘Ignore him. Ignore him. He’s not a person.’
Ariel’s throat quivered. She tried to keep her expression from crumbling, but she gathered her strength and looked at Glenn.
“In the future, we will not enter the territory of Zieghart, and if we do, we will first seek permission….”
“Ah, wait a minute.”
Raon waved his hand to interrupt Ariel.
"I think that might be a little insufficient."
“Yes?”
Ariel blinked her eyelids.
‘What the hell is this bastard up to now….’
He had been so surprised that he had said, “How much is all that?” just a moment ago, but now he said it was not enough. He was really an unpleasant human being.
“Are you saying that the compensation is not enough?”
“Yeah, it feels a little bit off.”
“Hmm….”
Normally, people would not say such a thing directly because of their status, reputation, and age, but it seemed that such things did not apply to this bastard.
“Hmm, as I said, this is our sincerity….”
Raon grabbed his shoulder, wincing as if in intense pain. He even broke into a cold sweat.
“ughh”
“The pain is coming from the place where I was stabbed by White Wolf!”
He really looked like he was in pain, bowing his back and sweating profusely.
‘That bastard….’
According to the information, Raon had easily subdued White Wolf. He had not been stabbed, and he had not even been touched, so it was clear that this was a ruse.
‘What’s even more ridiculous is that the direction is different!’
Currently, Raon was holding his right shoulder, but when he complained about pain earlier, he had definitely touched his left shoulder.
“You were rubbing your left shoulder just now….”
“Both sides hurt!”
Raon sweated profusely and twisted his body while holding both shoulders.
‘I’m going to go crazy.’
While openly being insulted, there was nothing to say, and it felt like her patience was about to burst.
“…I understand.”
Ariel shook her head and opened the spatial pocket again. She poured out all the emergency supplies she had brought with her in case of an unexpected situation.
“Humph…”
She sighed in annoyance and turned around, but Raon was twirling his shoulders as if he had never been in pain.
The sweat that had been on his forehead just a moment ago had also disappeared as if it had been washed away.
“I’m feeling a little better now. If you had come earlier, you wouldn’t have had to pay the additional compensation, but it’s all karma. Karma.”
Raon smiled and wiggled his fingers.
“Grk…”
Ariel trembled all over with anger that was rising from her toes.
‘I’ll hold it in. Not now.’
She could not kill Raon here, no matter what she did. She had to endure it now and plan for the future.,
“My lord.”
Ariel suppressed the anger that was burning inside her like lava as she looked at Glenn.
“I don’t expect forgiveness just for this. We will definitely reflect on the part where we caused problems and never again….”
As she was about to continue speaking, Raon’s voice came from behind her again.
“That’s not all, right?”
"Please, have some restraint..."
Ariel turned around, and when she faced Raon, a reddish gleam flickered in his eyes, reflecting a chilling light.
"Now, this is just the beginning. What do you mean by 'restraint'?
Her temples ached slightly at his teasing yet cold tone.
"You haven't mentioned the most important thing."
* * *
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“W-What are you talking about….”
Raon scoffed as he looked at the shaking eyes of Heukgeumje.
“What made us really angry is not that you invaded Zieghart or attacked us first.”
“Then….”
“The hostage.”
He slowly lifted his eyelids and met Ariel’s eyes.
“The fact that you didn’t move even though you knew that the black tower’s barrier was being maintained by the hostage’s life force is not something that can be forgiven with this kind of treasure.”
Raon wrinkled his nose at the mountain of treasures that Heukgeumje had laid out.
“We didn’t expect the black tower to be holding a hostage either.”
“Blood Cloud Blade knew, and you gave him the order, so how could you not know?”
He twisted his jaw as he revealed the information he had obtained while torturing Blood Cloud Blade l.
“That’s Blood Cloud Blade’s….”
“Five Divine Rulers has declared that it will not belong to either Six yor Five Demons and has planted its flag in neutrality.”
He cut off the Heukgeumje words as she tried to make an excuse and continued with what he had to say.
“If you’re neutral, do you have to stand by and watch even when you see a hostage? It’s amazing that you just stood by and watched as innocent people were killed in a pool of blood in order to gather information.”
Raon drew a cold sneer with his voice stretched out.
“The only order I gave Blood Cloud Blade was to gather information on Zieghart and the black tower.”
Heukgeumje shook her head at Glenn as if to say that it was not true. That statement was not a lie, but there were additional instructions.
“I really didn’t know that the black tower was holding a hostage.”
She sighed, saying that she would not have made that judgment if she had known there was a hostage.
“No, that’s not the end of it.”
Raon shook his head and stepped forward.
“Ariel-nim, you gave Blood Cloud Blade an additional order not to reveal himself under any circumstances, right?”
“Hmm….”
Heukgeumje’s eyes slightly narrowed.
“I think that’s too strange. No matter what? Isn’t that something someone who knows there’s a serious problem would say?”
“The magicians of the black tower are unpredictable. I thought it was best to think of the safety of my subordinates as much as possible….”
“Then, when giving orders, shouldn’t you have said not to clash with the black tower at all instead of not to reveal yourself under any circumstances? That would have been more believable.”
Raon let out a smug laugh.
“If I had given orders like that, what would have happened when they met a magician of the black tower….”
“Oh, well, it doesn’t matter what happened.”
He blocked Heukgeumje’s words as she tried to make an excuse. She must have prepared many answers as she came here, and she must have had some reasonable excuses. He didn’t need to hear them.
“In conclusion, White Whale witnessed the innocent people dying.”
“Hmm, I don’t have anything to say about that part. However, Blood Cloud Blade….”
Heukgeumje acknowledged his words and bowed her head.
“Oh, you admitted it. That's fortunate."
“Yes?”
"Somehow, this story reached the ears of the hostages as well."
Raon smiled faintly.
“What do you mean….”
"While explaining the events to the hostages, I accidentally mentioned that White Whale knew about it but chose to remain silent. Is that alright with you?"
“Hmm, it is our fault, so it doesn’t matter.”
Ariel nodded.
‘It's fine. I can handle it.’
I heard that all the hostages are inside Zieghart. If I give them carrots and sticks, I can stop the rumor from spreading.
“I would like to meet them in person and ask for their forgiveness, can you give me the opportunity?”
“Ah, that’s unfortunate, it’s not possible.”
Raon shook his head slowly.
“They have already left the house.”
“Yes?”
She blinked his eyes when he heard that the hostage had moved.
“Oh, when….”
“Oh, when Ariel-nim arrived here, we sent them away. They might have met with the people following Ariel-nim by now."
“Ah….”
Ariel swallowed dryly as she looked into Raon’s sunken eyes.
‘Was this what you were aiming for?’
At the moment, she was trapped inside, and she couldn't issue orders regarding the hostages. Even if there were White Whale's warriors among the followers, they wouldn't be able to move freely with Zieghart right in front of them.
‘This bastard…’
If rumors spread that White Whale ignored the hostages, not only would his reputation and status not increase, but there would be concerns about it decreasing from before.
The reason for coming here will be gone.
‘Damn it…’
She couldn’t manage her expression in a situation that was completely beyond her predictions. Her eyes naturally frowned.
“So I have something to say.”
Raon rubbed the back of his neck and narrowed his eyes.
“I have a strong sense of responsibility, so I plan to keep checking if they got home safely. If they are injured or disappear, I think the first place to be suspected will be the White Whale. Do you agree?”
He just said what other people would not say out of respect for the other person.
This was coercion—an oppression that conveyed the message: if you lay a hand on the hostages, we won't stay silent.
White Whale will have to protect the hostages rather than harm them, even though she is forced to do so.
“…….”
Heukgeumje did not say anything and glaring in burning silence in his direction.
Since she attempted to use Zieghart similarly, it felt refreshing.
“Hmm….”
Glenn also had a slightly upturned mouth, as if he felt refreshed.
"There shouldn't be such an occurrence...."
"Well, that's fortunate.”
Raon nodded with a smile.
'In truth, I don't need your help.
He had already contacted the Black Market in advance, making two requests: one for the protection of the hostages and the other for the spreading of the hostages' story throughout the continent.
The fame and prestige that Heukgeumje had hoped to gain would now have been lost in the dark.
“You said your name was Ariel?”
Glenn's call redirected Arielle's gaze. Even in this situation, she seemed to have honed not only her martial skills but also her mental strength to maintain a forced expression.
“Yes.”
"We'll overlook it this time. If you pull off a similar stunt next time, we'll make sure the name White Whale disappears from the continent."
"...I will keep that in mind."
A chilling aura emanated from Heukgeumje's eyes. She showed no intention of concealing her emotions, nodding with eyes full of venom.
“And…”
Heukgeumje pulled out a white envelope from her embrace and extended it forward.
"There's a festival next year to commemorate the establishment of the five factions under the Five Divine Rulers. If the opportunity arises, please attend it."
"I'll consider it."
Glenn nodded, and the envelope in Heukgeumje’s hand floated up like a cloud and fell onto the armrest of the throne.
“Roenn.”
“Yes.”
Roen stepped down from the stage and approached Heukgeumje’s side.
“I will escort you to where the others are.”
“Thank you.”
Heukgeumje nodded and turned around, following Roenn.
As she walked slowly, she glared at Raon. Her eyes were like a hellfire burning with anger and malice.
Raon swallowed his saliva as he met Heukgeumje’s gaze.
‘That was a hell of a threat.’
Raon swallowed dryly, meeting the fiery gaze. Even though she was not actively provoking or making a move, cold sweat trickled down his back. An incredible master; it would have been impossible to withstand her properly in any other situation.
‘But…’
In this place, it's our turf.
And it was a place where he had been granted permission to lie down with the owner, so he could go further.
“Ariel-nim.”
With a faint smile on his face, he called out her name, and Heukgeumje stopped.
“Would you like a shoe?”
“Shoes? What do you….”
"You seem to have a lot on your mind, and you'll have to walk back when you leave. If you plan on playing the neighborhood boss again even when you leave, wouldn't new shoes be nice?"
It was a sarcastic remark that echoed the excuse she had given when she explained why she was late.
“…….”
Heukgeumje bared her teeth. Her eyes, which had become filled with more vicious malice than before, curled up like crescent moons.
“Kekekekekeke!”
Rimmer finally couldn’t hold it in and started laughing, holding his stomach.
"You're truly insane!"
He said he had never seen a bigger idiot than himself and giggled.
“Quiet down. Do you know where you are?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Rimmer nodded in a daze.
‘Wait, a minute!’
This is too weird.
After acting crazy all day, blaming me for 'what's wrong with you!' he wanted to argue, but he was scared of Glenn, so he just kept quiet.
“I’ll think about it.”
Heukgeumje smiled and nodded. Of course, that smile was enough to make your hair stand on end.
‘Now’s the time.’
He clenched his fist. He had to ask that question now that Heukgeumje’s composure had been completely broken.
“Dragon Helmet.”
At that word, Heukgeumje’s footsteps came to a sudden stop.
“I heard you met someone wearing a dragon helmet.”
Raon continued, meeting Heukgeumje’s chilling gaze.
“You, what is your relationship with Eden?”
