Solo Swordmaster - Chapter 118

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Chapter 118: You’ll Pick Up Bad Habits

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Thud. Rumble.

The shockwaves that began in the lobby spread like ripples, making the entire building tremble faintly.

It was not enough to make objects fall or topple over, but more than enough for even a fairly dull person to notice. The guests grew unsettled.

To calm those guests.

To protect their assigned areas.

Or to take calls from subsidiaries.

Leviathan's employees were busy with their respective duties.

Yet on the very top floor.

The man and woman in the penthouse remained calmly in place, unconcerned by the commotion below.

“It seems the opponent isn't an easy one after all.”

“Well, they must have some confidence if they boldly invaded alone.”

“If they were truly confident, they wouldn't waste time resorting to schemes.”

Li Qing-yu added with a sweet smile.

“Like the Sword Duke did in the old days.”

“I was just an uncultured swordsman, you know.”

Rimon shrugged.

Then he casually asked,

“So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“The intruder who just broke in. Can the Ink Dragon Squad really handle them on their own?”

“Well, we still know nothing about the intruder, so I can't jump to conclusions... but this is Leviathan.”

Li Qing-yu smiled meaningfully.

Understanding what she meant, Rimon let out a quiet snort.

“True. Few things are as troublesome as fighting a snake in its own den.”

“Calling it a snake den is rather harsh. It is, after all, the world's finest hotel.”

“But it isn't only a hotel.”

“That is true, of course.”

Before it was a hotel, Leviathan was a Black Dragon Clan stronghold.

It was one of the Seven Dragons Society's fortresses spread throughout the world, a place even Rimon, who had reigned as an absolute being during the Age of Heroes, had not dared to touch lightly.

Someone who knew Leviathan's true nature as well as he did could only scoff at the notion that it was a hotel.

That was why it was only natural for Li Qing-yu to turn her gaze outside, even as she felt the vibrations coming from directly below.

“The subsidiaries are the problem.”

“Are you worried?”

“If, as you said, even the place where Clan Head Wang is has only a fifty-fifty chance of holding out, then all our domestic subsidiaries could collapse.”

Li Qing-yu admitted it calmly.

The subsidiaries alone could not stop the Ryu Gang-cheol currently running rampant.

It was a cold but obvious assessment.

Ryu Gang-cheol was a duke-class Player who could barely be dealt with only if at least a division-head rank master stepped forward, or dozens of masters deployed a formation array.

Yet few Black Dragon Clan subsidiaries possessed that level of force.

And if even the Shanghai Wang Family, with Wang Gi-neung, a grandmaster-level master, and its combat units, only had a fifty-fifty chance of holding out?

By dawn tomorrow, having more than ten domestic subsidiaries still standing would be considered a miracle.

“No, it won't be that bad.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes.”

Yet Rimon dismissed that obvious fact with absurd ease.

After taking a sip of whiskey, he leisurely explained why to the head-tilting Li Qing-yu.

“That is what we prepared Plan B for.”

“Right. Of course.”

As though she had completely forgotten, Li Qing-yu feigned innocence.

Rimon snorted as he watched her.

He had realized it was a fake from the moment he cut down Ryu Gang-cheol.

He had even seen through the Liberation Brigade's plot and expected something like this to happen in the near future.

There were many reasons he had not taken special measures despite that, but the greatest was his certainty that no further preparations would be needed.

The Plan B they had prepared was that reliable.

“Taking that into account, what do you think the chances are?”

“Let's see. About ninety-nine percent?”

“That is an extremely generous assessment.”

“This is an extremely stingy estimate, as far as I'm concerned.”

Li Qing-yu wore a subtle expression at the odds, which had been no better than fifty-fifty with the Black Dragon Clan's strength alone, suddenly rising to nearly certain.

Rimon chuckled.

Then, not as a Sword Master but as a former PAB agent, he mischievously added,

“No matter how impressive your Seven Dragons Society or the Liberation Brigade are, there's another bunch of local thugs around here.”

“That is another harsh assessment.”

“Why? It's not wrong, is it? Do you know how much money they shook me down for?”

As though he was thoroughly sick of it, Rimon grumbled.

Li Qing-yu stifled her laughter.

“You needn't worry about that much spending. It is a bargain in exchange for guaranteeing the subsidiaries' safety.”

“That bargain is enough to buy an entire country.”

“Which is why I called it a bargain.”

“...Ah, is that so?”

A continent might be another matter, but were one or two countries really that expensive?

Li Qing-yu tilted her head.

Rimon inwardly clicked his tongue as he watched her.

He had known for a long time that the Seven Dragons Society had a strange sense of money, but hearing her say that made him realize anew that she really was a princess.

‘I somehow fought people who spend money like water for centuries.’

After looking at Rimon curiously for a moment, Li Qing-yu suddenly asked,

“But, Sword Duke, Plan B only covers subsidiaries enrolled in the Guardian System, doesn't it?”

“Of course it does.”

“Then the remaining subsidiaries will still be in danger, won't they?”

Several attacks had been repelled.

More subsidiaries had entrusted their security to Guardian, but that was only true in relative terms.

In terms of the overall proportion, not even half of the Black Dragon Clan's domestic subsidiaries had joined the Guardian System.

That was because so many clan members still held resentment, grudges, and distrust toward Rimon.

“It can't be helped. They were the ones who stubbornly refused, even when I offered to protect them.”

Likewise, Rimon did not particularly regret that fact.

He and the Seven Dragons Society had been enemies from the start.

By some twist of fate, he had entered into a betrothal with Li Qing-yu, but just as the Black Dragon Clan did not trust him, he was equally indifferent to them.

“Yes, they brought it upon themselves.”

Knowing that better than anyone, Li Qing-yu readily nodded at Rimon's words.

Then she gently continued,

“But would it not be a waste to leave the subsidiaries' losses unattended because of their arrogance?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Li Qing-yu explained calmly.

“The Black Dragon Clan's subsidiaries are structurally interconnected. Damage to one subsidiary becomes a loss for the entire clan.”

That was true of most major corporations, but the Seven Dragons Society's subsidiaries were particularly closely intertwined.

It was to maximize profits, but also because of the Seven Dragons Society's traditional structure, which valued clan unity as a criminal organization.

“If nearly half of our domestic subsidiaries collapse at once, the losses will only grow.”

“Even so, isn't that no more than an ant's eyelash compared to your clan's total assets?”

“Money isn't the problem. The problem is our clan's influence and holdings.”

Li Qing-yu answered calmly.

Seven Dragons subsidiaries were companies, but they were also footholds for securing the Seven Dragons Society's influence.

“If subsidiary after subsidiary collapses and leaves gaps in our influence, there will be no shortage of people ready to exploit those gaps.”

“The Ten Great Guilds?”

“Or companies belonging to other clans.”

“Hmm...”

Rimon understood that her argument had merit.

He knew next to nothing about running companies, but he had experienced enough war to be sick of it.

He had seen countless times how, when a sphere of influence wavered, not only enemies but even allies bared their fangs and rushed in.

From that perspective, it was natural for Li Qing-yu, who intended to swallow the Seven Dragons Society and stand against the Constellations, to worry about the gaps left by the subsidiaries.

It was natural, but...

“You were the one who said you would accept that.”

“Yes, I was.”

“And now you've changed your mind?”

“I didn't expect such a large-scale attack.”

Even she had not expected Ryu Gang-cheol to possess a Skill that let him create dozens of clones and attack the subsidiaries.

Li Qing-yu let out a soft sigh.

Rimon tilted his head at her.

“You didn't expect even this? You?”

“I am not the White Dragon Princess.”

Rimon watched Li Qing-yu sweep back her silky black hair as though regretful, his eyes strange.

Then he scratched his cheek.

“Fine. Let's say the damage became worse than expected. What are you going to do about it? It seems too late to request an additional contract.”

“Yes, it is.”

“There aren't any combat units or masters we can deploy right away, either.”

“Just as you say.”

“...And yet you want to protect the remaining subsidiaries too? It could ruin the plan.”

“Protecting the clan is my duty as its princess.”

Rimon looked at Li Qing-yu as though he were watching the greatest liar in the world.

But she neither looked embarrassed nor avoided his eyes.

She merely smiled sweetly.

“So, may I ask you?”

It was a request with no apparent substance, as obscure as a fish-shaped pastry with no red-bean filling.

But as her betrothed, Rimon could guess what she meant. After gazing at Li Qing-yu steadily, he casually spoke.

“You said you'd let me live a life of leisure if I married you, yet aren't you trying to work me awfully hard?”

“We are betrothed, but we aren't married yet.”

“That sounds like the answer of a truly vicious con artist.”

“I am the Black Dragon Princess.”

As though that alone was reason enough, Li Qing-yu answered with a beaming smile.

Rimon gave a quiet snort, then drained his whiskey in one gulp.

He rose from his seat.

“Fine. Even if some useless relatives on my future in-laws' side are doing something stupid, if my bride-to-be begs me to at least save their lives, it is a groom-to-be's duty to help.”

Whatever happened to the subsidiaries.

He did not care in the slightest.

Even so, he was willing to fall for such an obvious ploy solely because she had asked him to.

Making perfectly clear why he was moving, Rimon glanced at Li Qing-yu.

“But Princess, I will collect this debt in full later.”

“If there is anything you want, simply say the word. Everything I have is the Sword Duke's anyway.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Rimon snorted at Li Qing-yu's brazen words.

Then he leaned down slightly.

He placed one hand on Li Qing-yu's shoulder and kissed her.

“??????”

Perhaps because the kiss had come so unexpectedly, Li Qing-yu's eyes went round.

But he did not pull away until Li Qing-yu, who had question marks popping up over her head, finally grasped what was happening, her face, ears, and even the nape of her neck turning bright red.

Holding her shoulder so she could not flee, he simply savored the feel of her soft lips to his heart's content.

“Haa!”

And so, after a long while.

Only when Rimon let her go did Li Qing-yu finally remember how to breathe and let out a hot breath.

“Ah, um. Sword Duke? That just now, that was...?”

Had her brain cells been destroyed in that short time?

Li Qing-yu had completely forgotten her usual composure as she asked with a dazed expression.

Rimon snorted.

“Why are you so surprised? I only put my seal on it.”

“My seal...?”

“Yes. I need to do this much so you can't claim later that you don't remember.”

Wasn't it a bride-to-be's privilege to give her groom-to-be a kiss before he went out?