NOVEL NEXT chapter 325
325. Cockroach Extermination Operation
As the Sword Master and I stepped out of Lina’s territory.
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock, their faces turning pale.
Well, that’s because the Sword Master appeared, bleeding profusely from the waist.
“G-Grandma! W-What on earth happened─!”
“W-Wait a moment! I’ll heal you right away!”
Alice, whose pupils were shaking, supported the Sword Master, and Sophia immediately cast a healing spell.
“Phew, I got beaten by that guy with a sword.”
The Sword Master said in a nonchalant voice while receiving Sophia’s healing.
“Disciple.”
“A-Ah, Master.”
Thud.
Right after that, the Master placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, you finally succeeded in smashing that woman who only has her mouth left.”
The Master nodded with a very satisfied expression.
‘No, um… Can I really say I won when I don’t even remember it…?’
As I nodded with a reluctant face, I heard a voice from the side.
“G-Grandma lost…? With a sword?”
“Phew, what can you do? Being young is indeed a good thing.”
Alice seemed unable to accept the reality that the Sword Master had lost in the sword duel.
“Hehe, anyway, Masuk. Have you been training well? You should learn the sword from me now, right?”
“Uh… I wanted to learn because Grandma is the best with a sword, but… if you lost…”
“W-What!?”
Alice’s eyes rolled and turned towards me.
“M-Masuk? I-I may have lost, but it’s not really a loss, you know?”
“Not really a loss?”
“Y-Yeah! It was because we matched our mana levels equally. If it weren’t for that─”
The Sword Master floundered in his excuses at his granddaughter’s unexpected reaction.
The Master snickered as he watched the scene from the side.
“Pretending to be calm. It’s quite ugly, the way you can’t accept defeat, Geomje. Even if swordsmanship doesn’t work, you still resort to pushing with mana.”
“No, if I had done it properly back then, you would have died!?”
It seemed there had been a similar incident during my previous duel with my master.
Ignoring Geomje’s words, my master continued.
“In that regard, your granddaughter is very wise.”
“B-but still, I’m the one teaching her…”
“Hmph. That child has already learned swordsmanship from my disciple. And she has made quite a bit of progress. She doesn’t really need your help.”
Geomje looked at Alice as if to confirm if that was true.
Alice averted her gaze and nodded her head.
“This time, the instructor for the new students is Senior Jin Yuha…”
“Hmph… They say raising a daughter is useless…”
“No, Grandma. I want to learn from you!”
Well, there was a small incident where Geomje sulked for a moment.
Geomje entered Lina’s territory again with Alice.
“How are the kids?”
My master, who had given Geomje a proper blow, turned with a smile that seemed to say it was amusing at my question.
“Hmm? Are you talking about those kids?”
“Ah, yes.”
My master narrowed his eyes and looked at the party members.
At that gaze, the party members flinched and trembled.
They merely made eye contact, yet instinctively rubbed their arms and legs, as if they were rolling just enough to avoid death.
My master shrugged his shoulders.
“To be honest, they’re far from the standard… Well, I’ve made sure they won’t die if they go out somewhere. Their innate talent was already sufficient.”
‘At that level, they should be able to manage without me leading them…’
“Thank you, Master.”
Knowing how high my master’s standards were, I couldn’t help but smile.
At that moment.
[ Shin Sehee has entered. ]
Shin Sehee, who had left to handle matters related to the demon realm gate, entered the training ground adorned with the Shin family’s elite guards.
“Shin Se-hee!”
“Yes, it’s been a while. Jin Yu-ha.”
Shin Se-hee greeted her with a bright smile.
“How’s work?”
“All the preparations are complete.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you can go clean up the cockroaches now… If it’s too much, would you like to take a little break first?”
I shook my head.
The sooner we got this done, the better.
“No. Let’s go right away. Master, is that alright?”
“Hmm.”
The Master nodded briefly.
Yes, those b*stards hiding like rats, trying to sabotage us.
It was time to wipe out the demon scum.
* * *
In a secret underground space in Texas, USA.
There sat a woman with orange bobbed hair, who had lost an arm, and a man wearing a half-mask that covered his eyes and nose, facing each other across a desk.
“Phew, so you’re saying you came from the American Hunter Association?”
The orange-haired hunter, Charlotte, raised one eyebrow and glared at the man in front of her.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then hurry up and get to the point and get lost. I’m busy as it is.”
She spat out the words sharply.
Her guild, ‘Angel’, had entered the demon realm to suppress a gate at the behest of the American Hunter Association.
They lost half of their expensive equipment and core power, and she herself lost an arm, leaving the guild in shambles.
So, there was no way this suspicious man claiming to come from the American Hunter Association would be seen favorably.
“Hm, it’s troubling when you come at me so sharply. Do you know what kind of proposal we have?”
“…Proposal?”
“Yes, a proposal. If you could just grant us a small favor, we promise not only artifacts and financial support but also elixirs. We will provide full support to help you regain a status much higher than before.”
‘What? They’re offering artifacts, money, and even elixirs?’
Her guild, ‘Angel’, which had once been among the top ten guilds in the world, now found it nearly impossible to even make a comeback.
In such a situation, what if I were to receive support from the American Hunter Association in the form of artifacts and elixirs?
It’s not as if I’ve never stood at the peak before.
So, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Even if I lost an arm, with the aid of artifacts and elixirs, there was a possibility I could become even stronger than before.
However, there was surely something rotten lurking behind such a sweet proposal.
Charlotte tapped her fingers on the desk, frowning.
“First, let’s hear what this small request is before making a decision.”
“Hehe, you’re wise. Our proposal is simple. All you need to do is provide one testimony.”
“······Testimony?”
“Yes, we’re not asking you to lie, per se. You fought bravely at the demon gate, after all. All you need to do is tell the people that the Utopia appeared at the end and took down the exhausted demon kin.”
“Ha.”
Charlotte let out a hollow laugh, incredulous.
‘Not a lie, you say?’
What a ridiculous notion.
At the demon gate, the 200 people, including herself, along with the late-arriving British hunters, truly did nothing.
They were simply overwhelmed and crushed by the sheer disparity.
Just when it seemed they would die in such a futile manner, Utopia appeared and, in the blink of an eye, dispatched those monsters, saving them all.
But, what?
As she made a displeased expression, the masked man waved his hand as if to say not to misunderstand.
“We’re not denying what Utopia accomplished. After all, you all risked your lives to tackle that horrific gate, didn’t you? So, we’re just claiming our rightful share. A fair portion of the rewards from the demon gate.”
Tsk.
Charlotte clicked her tongue.
‘Now I understand roughly what happened.’
So, they had ignored Utopia’s warning, gone in, and got utterly wrecked.
Now they wanted to hitch a ride on whatever benefits they could.
While part of her wanted to accept this proposal when considering reality…
She too had lived as a human hero.
Though she didn’t possess the influence or power of Utopia.
I applied to join the Demon Realm Gate Subjugation Team for the safety of people and humanity.
Yes, even if it seems like a truly foolish decision to those around me…
“…I refuse.”
Charlotte spat out in a low but firm tone.
At that, the eyes behind the mask sparkled with light.
“Oh, a refusal. Are you truly not going to regret this?”
Charlotte let out a deep sigh.
“Regret? Damn it, I’ll regret it terribly. But after receiving a favor, you want me to stab you in the back? I can’t do that. I haven’t lived my life that way.”
“Hmmm, this is not good.”
“Exactly. Get out of my sight right now.”
The masked man openly showed his disappointment, slumping his shoulders.
“Well, your will never mattered from the beginning anyway.”
“What the hell are you talking about…”
“I simply enjoy watching a person with conviction fall from grace. You can consider it my little hobby. In that sense, it’s unfortunate for you…”
Beep—
The man pressed a button on the remote control placed on the table.
Vroom.
Then, a video began to rise in the center of the table.
On the screen, a young boy was crying, bound and helpless.
Orange hair and green eyes.
A face so familiar.
It was her son, David.
“Mom—!!!”
“David!!!”
Charlotte gasped, springing to her feet and pointing her sword at the masked man.
“You, you! What is this—!”
“Fufufu, didn’t I tell you? Your will never mattered from the beginning.”
The tip of the sword trembled like a quaking aspen.
Realizing the situation, Charlotte bit her lip.
She had already fallen into a trap the moment she was summoned here.
I want to kill this damn man in front of me right now.
But.
If I did, it’s obvious what would happen to my son, who is currently kidnapped.
Charlotte tightly closed her eyes and sat back down in the chair.
“…I understand. Yes, I will do as you say. Let David go.”
“Of course. It’s nice to have a quick conversation, Charlotte.”
The masked man flicked his tongue like a snake.
At that moment.
Whoosh─!
Suddenly, a pitch-black sword shot out from the masked man’s chest.
“…!?”
“Yeah, it was you. A-class demon, the Mask of Transformation.”
A cold voice echoed from behind the flustered masked man.
As soon as he heard that voice, the masked man’s entire body trembled, and his pupils shook violently.
He slowly turned his head.
“W-wait, could it be… d-dismemberment—”
Creeeak─
As the embedded sword twisted.
Red blood splattered.
“You know I don’t like being called by that name. Have you already forgotten?”
“Gaaah!! H-how did you get here—!!!”
“Well, there’s a good-smelling puppy here too.”
[ A good-smelling puppy, you say? Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh, instructor? ]
A woman appeared in the video showing her son.
“Cheon…hwa?”
And a man with black hair appeared next to Cheonhwa, holding her son, David, in his arms.
[ Angel Guild, Ms. Charlotte. Your son has been safely rescued. ]
Charlotte’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns upon seeing his face.
“Jin…yooha…!?”