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SSS-Class Suicide Hunter (Web Novel) - Chapter 274: Swordsman (1)
Chapter 274: Swordsman (1)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Translator/Editor: Ryuu
The Paladin had said when she abstained on the 34th floor,
『If you have to choose just one person, make it me.』
『It's fine.』
『I’m saying this now, but I don’t necessarily want the Gill Fish Tribe to have continental dominion. Just having enough to live and protect is sufficient.』
Was the Paladin lying to me, or was it all an act?
I don’t think so.
Probably, after hearing about the [Kim Gong-Ja Test Plan] from the Countess, she agreed to participate. But not so much out of suspicion about me; rather, she joined because she trusted me.
『I leave the rest to you, Gong-Ja.』
She just didn’t tell the whole truth.
The Paladin.
Patricia was almost always that kind of person.
“I expected you wouldn't fail.”
The Paladin stroked the cat in her arms.
“The issue was how you would control the failure.”
“Control?”
“Discrimination against the Fairy Tribe by the Earth Spirit Tribe is inevitable. Conflicts will surely arise. And even if resolved once, they won't disappear overnight. Gong-Ja, even if you mend the wounds of conflict, they will reopen over time. That’s why......"
The Paladin smirked.
“I thought you’d be a bit frustrated.”
"......."
“Who would have imagined you’d introduce a new art form to the Fairy Tribe? I didn’t see that coming. Blood Fire Drama! Right, Countess? Neither you nor we thought of such a clever solution!”
The Paladin’s strokes became a bit more vigorous. Receiving the petting divine art, the Countess cat meowed, Maah, Maah.
“Nya. Choosing the Fairy Tribe as the revivalists of Blood Fire Drama was an excellent move. Blood Fire Drama isn’t just a stage art; it's beyond a normal performance. It’s not martial arts, even though it uses aura. It's both art and martial arts. Martial arts and art. Truly, a martial artistry. ……But vice-captain, your touch is a bit, well, overwhelming......"
“People discriminate and despise everything! It's impossible to heal discrimination and contempt!”
Pet, pet.
The Paladin, seemingly oblivious to the Countess’s complaint, started getting excited.
“But there are two things where people willingly, voluntarily abandon their contempt. Strength and beauty. Physical strength prevents others from physically provoking them, and aesthetic beauty makes people open their hearts voluntarily!”
“V-Vice-Captain…? Maybe stop petting for now……"
“Blood Fire Drama encompasses both! Brilliant. Who among the Earth Spirit Tribe would look down on fairies who elegantly dance and scatter strong aura? Aah. The perception of the Fairy Tribe must have changed. No, it might have been a turning point for the Earth Spirit Tribe to soften their view of [different races] completely! Completely!”
“Miyaaaah…!”
Hmm.
I understand the Paladin is excitedly praising me, but it's a bit awkward focusing on her words while watching the cat, melting like ice cream in real time.
Wait a minute. Could it be the Countess, walking around transformed into a cat and mandating cat ears for the Sang-Ryun guild members, is not her own taste but the Paladin’s?
That’s a dangerous thought. Surely not. Even if it's true, I’ll faithfully respect the privacy of my friend….
“……You’re not listening and again daydreaming about something strange, aren’t you.”
The Black Dragon Witch seems to be reaching max level in reading my expressions.
“Well, sure. I’m great, but Blood Fire Drama was originally a culture the Earth Spirit Tribe kids had. I just helped their talent to fully bloom.”
“Did you hear that! Countess!”
The Paladin became even more fervently excited.
“I have the [Lie Detection] skill on now! That statement is utterly true without a hint of falsehood. Even when he said [I’m great], the [Lie Detection] didn’t go off. Isn’t that amazing! Countess, when you speak, the detector buzzes annoyingly 8 seconds out of 10, but this is a different level!”
“Miyaa, Miyaaaah…!”
“That's how it is. Countess, you think the same way. Great! No more need for tests. Kim Gong-Ja, you not only passed the Countess’s test, but you also solved the difficult problem in the most effective way. If you are our leader, I will gladly follow you.”
Leader.
“I, of course, agree!”
The Heretic Inquisitor chimed in.
“Some of you may not know this. Right after clearing the 32nd floor, I already swore loyalty to the King of Death! I was a bit faster than the rest of you!”
"......Loyalty and such are irrelevant, but yeah. Talking to him seems pointless.”
The Black Dragon Witch sighed.
“I agree too.”
“……Anastasia.”
“I know you don’t need the title of leader.”
Her eyes, holding the colors of the night sky, looked at me.
“But we need you. It’s not me, the Paladin, the Heretic Inquisitor, or the Countess, but all of us, the guild masters who act independently. To call us ‘us’… Kim Gong-Ja, we need you.”
"......."
“And you also need us.”
The Black Dragon Witch nodded. Was she unconsciously showing that she had convinced herself? Or did she connect this conversation to some other thought?
The answer came straight from the Black Dragon Witch’s mouth.
“We’ve been together for quite a while, haven’t we?”
“……Yes.”
“I’ve never heard a single joke about Ukraine from you.”
I tilted my head, not understanding at all.
"What?"
"Ukraine. My homeland.”
"No, I’m aware of that… A joke? What do you mean?”
"Aren’t I pretty?"
"......."
Is Anastasia sick?
Worried, I examined my respectable friend, but she just looked at me expectantly, as if it was the most natural question in the world.
“I’m pretty, right?”
“B-Beautiful, certainly. It’s not for nothing that you’re on magazine covers with the Heretic Inquisitor.”
“Then why haven’t you ever joked? Because I’m from Ukraine, like ‘You’re beautiful because you’re Ukrainian’?”
What's she talking about?
It’s not just a cold but a flu-level issue?
Did she become infatuated with her own appearance while fighting with mirrors summoned by her skill? Was there a warning in the skill description like [*However, you may become somewhat addicted to your own appearance]?
“……Yes, that’s right. That expression. ……It seems a bit like you're treating me as a fool, but anyway, it clearly shows your way of thinking.”
“Sorry. I’m still not getting what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve heard that joke over 300 times. Also been asked if I’m a communist over 200 times, and about my thoughts on the Nazis about 50 times. I’ve received countless questions about which side I supported in the civil war.”
“I-Is that so?”
"Yes."
The Black Dragon Witch turned her head to look at the Paladin.
The Paladin, too, gave a slight nod and moved her chin.
“Gong-Ja never made a joke about Venezuela to me. I sometimes use beauty jokes or oil jokes to lighten the mood, but I can’t recall him ever doing so.”
Uh.
…I just didn’t know much?
“Nor have I!”
The Heretic Inquisitor laughed.
“I’ve never heard Kim Gong-Ja delve deeper into my past! Aha. It's curious. Normally, one would ask out of curiosity!”
“C-Cat jokes too, I’ve never heard them from him.”
While enduring the Paladin's assault, the Countess in her cat form managed to speak.
“Weren't you curious about our religion? Whether we are atheists or not? Didn’t you want to ask?”
“Uh….”
“Have you even thought about it?”
I hadn’t.
“Maah.”
The Countess laughed.
“You have no interest in that area. None at all.”
None.
“Your indifference is comfortable for us.”
"......."
“We’re not indifferent to humans themselves. Rather, we've been very passionate in learning about you. You know almost fervently about what we said, what we did, the mistakes we made. Frankly, you like us. But interestingly, your interests seem quite limited, aren’t they?”
"......."
“The Black Dragon Witch and others call you a virtuous person for that.”
Blam.
Finally, the Countess jumped out of the Paladin’s arms.
As she fell through the air, she was a cat, but by the time she touched the ground, she had transformed back into a human. Her beautiful emerald sari fluttered like a cape for a moment. Flap! The sari concealed the shadow of the Countess between the sky and the earth.
“I don't care whether you are a virtuous or evil person.”
The sari gently settled.
There, the Countess stood, holding a fan with a crafty smile.
“Your character might simply be the result of not wanting to be disliked by others. Deep down in your heart, there might be a strong desire to be recognized by others, so maybe your attitude towards us is all flattery and fawning.”
"......."
“But that doesn’t matter to me. What I care about is not where a person's character originates from but where it is going and where it has arrived. The destination you’ve chosen is quite comfortable for us.”
Isn’t that an overestimation?
Of course, I want to appear good in front of these people.
But suddenly, I was worried. What if my wish was too successful, earning their favor more than I could handle? Can I always meet their expectations, my comrades' trust, my friends' belief? Was my success too excessive?
Will I disappoint them?
“Nisha.”
"......."
“That's my real name. You must have heard the Paladin casually call me by my real name.”
Indeed.
I knew the Countess's real name.
When fighting against [The Immortal Missionary of Happiness], the Paladin undoubtedly shouted the Countess's name. Although she never told me her name directly, it was registered in a corner of my memory.
“But you never mentioned my name. Not even a hint or suggestion that you knew it in front of me.”
“That’s because obviously......"
“Obviously, you were just practicing common courtesy, you must be thinking that now.”
The Countess flicked her fan.
“That’s precisely why we, I, want to endorse you as our leader.”
"......."
“Become a natural existence for us, Kim Gong-Ja.”
As the Countess smiled broadly.
[Quest Progress.]
[The Pure Humans Tribe voting begins.]
I looked at the Sword Saint.
The intimidating aura he had when he first approached us had completely vanished. Now, the Sword Saint was just gently smiling at us.
“Before coming here, I told the kids to start the vote if they didn't hear any sounds of a fight after 30 minutes. They listened well to my words.”
“Elder.”
“I already agreed with the Countess's opinion. I observed if you could really cooperate to advance through the stages without giving any help, without participating as much as possible.”
[Vote Completed.]
[Option 2 votes: 23.81%]
[Option 1 votes: 76.19%]
“Not just me, but all the races who watched your actions directly through [The Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages] have been watching you.”
"......."
“Responsibility is heavy. I too once took the lead in the tower's conquest, bearing responsibility. And to take even a piece of responsibility for the purge, I stepped back from the front lines, never to involve myself in the tower's politics again."
The Sword Saint chuckled.
“In other words, standing before you is a [failure].”
"......."
“What you are seeing now is [the worst case], the end of my merciless failure, and the fears and worries you have becoming reality. Now, tell me, King of Death.”
The old man's eyes twinkled.
“Does this failed creation look truly unbearable?”
“……No.”
I spoke.
“Elder… you are not… terrible. Not at all. At least, to me, Mr. Callenbury is not.”
“That’s good to hear.”
The old man nodded.
“Then your failures won’t be so terrible either.”
"......."
“Although I may not be the most reliable source, don’t fear failure too much. Perhaps, like me, you will also get a second chance. Someone might appear, bringing you back from retirement to active duty.”
[Stage Cleared.]
[The 46th floor has been cleared.]
"......."
Heretic Inquisitor.
Real Name, Bambolina.
In charge of the Mountain Calamity Tribe.
Vote Percentage, 77.50%. Stage Cleared.
Countess.
Real Name, Nisha.
In charge of the Fairy Tribe.
Vote Percentage, 88.40%.
Stage Cleared.
Paladin.
Real Name, Patricia.
In charge of the Gill Fish Tribe.
Vote Percentage, 98.68%.
Stage Cleared.
Black Dragon Witch.
Real Name, Anastasia.
In charge of the Vampiric and Dream Demon tribes.
Vampiric Tribe Vote Percentage, 97.55%.
Dream Demon Tribe Vote Percentage, 100%.
Stage Cleared.
Sword Saint.
Real Name, Marcus Callenbury.
In charge of the Pure Humans Tribe.
Vote Percentage, 76.19%.
Stage Cleared.
King of Death.
Kim Gong-Ja.
In charge of the Earth Spirit Tribe.
100%.
Stage Cleared.
“---Hey, hey.”
Then.
“Nobody objected except me. Is this for real?”
Everyone’s too naively good-natured. “Ah? Your relationships are like, ‘Hey, I like you,’ and ‘Hey, I like you too,’ but if it ends there, therapists would be out of work and wandering the streets. Eh? Emotions, you see, they don't resolve with words.”
Crushing the shadows of the jungle, the one-eyed swordsman walked forward.
“Hey.”
The swordsman started the conversation with a casual greeting.
“I've been through a grand retreat just as you said. Now, I feel like the protagonist of a martial arts novel. You know, a martial arts protagonist should first converse with the sword before agreeing with words. That’s the way of the martial realm. My kids also said they would ignore the voting and everything unless we have a rematch.”
Among all those gathered here.
Excluding the Sword Saint, he was the first to reveal his real name to me.
“Draw your sword, Kim Gong-Ja.”
Viper.
Real Name, Liǎofàn.
In charge of the Ghost Tribe.
“Let's have a bout.”
Vote Percentage.
Undetermined.
[Quest Progress.]
[The Ghost Tribe voting begins.]
Voting initiated.
