WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 83: A Black Dragon Clan Kind of Thing
──────
Weiling watched Rimon trade friendly banter with Li Qing-yu for a moment, her expression complicated.
Then she spoke quietly.
“If the Sword Duke guesses wrong and damage is done, Your Highness will bear responsibility as well.”
“It’s fine.”
“This is not something to take lightly. At worst, the Elders may revoke the permission for the betrothal that Your Highness worked so hard to secure.”
“Yes, but if the Sword Duke’s prediction is correct, I’ll finally have something to show off to the Elders.”
Weiling fell silent as Li Qing-yu completely disregarded the possibility that Rimon might be wrong.
Rimon looked at her and snorted.
“What are you so worried about? It’s not like this can hurt you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’d be happy if this betrothal fell through.”
As though that thought had never occurred to her, Weiling lapsed into silence for a moment.
Then, with an utterly earnest and diligent expression, she said,
“Now that I think about it, I believe your prediction is likely correct. I will take action immediately.”
“... Aren’t you agreeing a little too readily?”
“I dislike you, and I believe this betrothal will never benefit Her Highness.”
This went beyond not caring whether he was wrong. Her change in attitude practically screamed, Then be wrong!
For an attendant to openly say she disliked him like that, Rimon stared at Weiling in disbelief for a moment before turning his head.
“Princess, why exactly did you assign someone like this to me?”
“Because she is capable and trustworthy.”
“That’s all?”
“If I had to add one more thing, she is cute.”
“... I was asking seriously.”
“Yes, so I gave you a serious answer.”
Li Qing-yu tilted her head as if she could not see the problem.
Rimon gave her a strange look, then finally snorted.
“Well, that works for me. What I need is not a flatterer, but an agent who will handle matters properly.”
“Do not worry. I will handle them very properly.”
Whether Rimon’s prediction proved right or wrong, she would carry out his instructions.
Whether he gained fame from it or had to take responsibility and be driven out, he would have to deal with the consequences himself.
Rimon chuckled at Weiling’s not quite a threat before speaking as though something had just occurred to him.
“And, you little clever fool. Just in case, if you run into those killers...”
“Should I contact you immediately?”
“No. Run immediately.”
“... If your intention was to insult me, I will say that you have succeeded.”
A warrior who had to protect her clan.
Especially for someone from a prestigious clan, being told not to fight an enemy but to flee was the greatest insult imaginable.
If her beloved princess had not been standing beside Rimon, Weiling might have challenged him to a fight to the death on the spot.
Rimon gave serious advice to Weiling, who glared at him with icy eyes.
“Quit looking so pissed off. I’m not saying it to tease you. It’s objectively sound advice.”
“What about it is objective?”
“Unless you fight alongside a combat force at least on the Dark Silence Squad’s level, your skills are not enough to handle even one killer.”
Weiling furrowed her brow at that cold assessment.
“No martial artist fights only battles they are guaranteed to win.”
“But fighting a battle you cannot win over pride when you do not even need to fight does not make you a martial artist. It makes you an idiot.”
“Hmm, the Sword Duke is certainly right about that.”
“...”
Perhaps she resented Li Qing-yu taking Rimon’s side.
Rimon grinned at Weiling, who looked at him with the murderous eyes of a young man whose lover had been stolen.
“If you really hate running away, why not learn swordsmanship?”
“From you?”
“Yes. Your talent is somewhat lacking, but your fundamentals are solid. If you take an intensive course for three or four days, you should at least become capable of holding out.”
Like he was addressing a child who had just picked up a wooden sword, the white-haired man spoke as if he were generously offering to teach her the basics.
Weiling stared quietly at his beaming face for a moment.
Then, while keeping one hand out of Li Qing-yu’s sight, she politely raised her middle finger at Rimon.
“Fuck you.”
After bowing politely to Li Qing-yu alone, Weiling left.
Rimon collapsed across the sofa, shaking with laughter. Then he looked back at Li Qing-yu with a mischievous smile.
“She really is cute, that little clever fool.”
“Right? Within our clan, she is practically an endangered protected spirit.”
“Well, I would not go that far... Still, I admit that there are not many Black Dragon Clan members who can say something like that to my face.”
Rimon snorted.
They might scheme behind his back, but she openly showed hostility to his face while reliably getting the job done.
For a Black Dragon Clan member, she had a truly adorable personality.
She was like an insolent cat that snarled at you, yet subtly offered its back when you reached out to pet it.
“So, how likely do you think it is?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The possibility that we can stop them if the killers target one of our subsidiaries again.”
“How would I know that?”
Li Qing-yu tilted her head as if that answer surprised her.
“You predicted the site of their next attack.”
“That was less a prediction and more of a half-informed guess. Besides, it is not even certain that they will target one of your subsidiaries again.”
Rimon shrugged.
His prediction was closer to instinctive intuition.
Based on his vast experience, he merely considered where he would target next if he used this kind of swordsmanship.
“Still, if another one of your subsidiaries is attacked, two things will become clear.”
“What things?”
“First, that you have something they want.”
“Do you mean they are committing these crimes for profit?”
“Their methods and pattern of killing are far too peculiar for this to be simple thrill-seeking or revenge.”
Remembering the corpses he had examined at Black Dragon Construction, Rimon continued quietly.
“I do not know whether they want money or something special. But they will likely continue attacking until they get it.”
“Something special... That is troubling.”
“Do you have any idea what it might be?”
“If I must say, the problem is that too many things come to mind.”
Li Qing-yu wore a troubled expression.
The Black Dragon Clan had enjoyed immense wealth and power across its long history, so it possessed no shortage of treasures.
Every prestigious clan had several heirlooms, whether unique weapon artifacts, artworks, or secret manuals.
“... Having too much money is a problem too.”
“I suppose so. Things like this should not happen to our subsidiaries... What did I do wrong?”
Rimon’s superhuman hearing somehow caught the mutter that barely left her lips, and he answered indifferently.
“How could this be your fault? The ones at fault are the bastards who caused it.”
As if she had never looked gloomy at all, Li Qing-yu smiled brightly at Rimon’s comfort before asking as though she had just remembered something.
“Come to think of it, what was the other thing?”
“The thing their attack would make clear?”
“Yes.”
Was it pure curiosity?
Or something else?
Meeting the strange gleam in her obsidian-like eyes, Rimon spoke calmly.
“That I am going to get busy.”
Of the three subsidiaries Rimon had designated, one was attacked by the killers exactly two days later.
* * *
“What? There was another attack?”
“Those pups who do not know to fear dragons...!”
“Where was it this time? How much damage was there?”
When they heard that the killers had appeared once more, the Black Dragon Clan was furious.
The fact that the killers had attacked their subsidiaries twice in succession meant they looked down on the Black Dragon Clan.
For those who took pride in being the rulers who had once dominated the world, it was enough to make them see red.
“There was not much damage?”
“It is fortunate that a combat force had been deployed there.”
“Hmph, it was only natural. So long as we were not careless, how could our clan fall to the likes of them?”
And when they heard the killers had been stopped, the Black Dragon Clan relaxed.
Stopping the consecutive attacks had preserved their pride and prevented the share prices of their subsidiaries from falling.
It was a shame that they had not captured the killers, of course.
“Whoever it was has rendered a great service.”
“They stopped the people who even harmed Great Hero Wang of the Shanghai Wang Family. It is indeed a tremendous accomplishment.”
“I should send a letter to the Council of Elders and inform them of this achievement. Then the Elders will be able to grant them a great reward without hesitation.”
For that reason, it was only natural that the Black Dragon Clan showed favor and interest toward those who had stopped the killers.
Which was why, after learning the details, the Black Dragon Clan was stunned.
“... What?”
“Wait, who?”
“Guardian...? You do not mean that Guardian, do you? It cannot be. Even if it is, say it is not!”
Many clan members unanimously cried that something must be wrong, that it could not possibly be true.
But the information they uncovered through every means available was ultimately much the same.
“Well, someone from that Guardian thing said our company might be the next target.”
“Of course, I did not believe them. I threw them out, but then they came back with a letter from Her Highness.”
“Her Highness promised that if we adopted the Guardian System, a combat force would be dispatched.”
“Traitor? Nonsense!”
“I merely used the clan’s combat force at Her Highness’s recommendation to protect clan assets! How is that selling out the clan’s pride?!”
It was a complete disaster.
True chaos and confusion.
If they had simply received help from a passing Player, their pride would have been hurt a little, and that would have been all.
But the fact that Guardian, represented by Rimon, had played a decisive role in stopping the killers was enough to send them into a complete meltdown.
“It makes no sense that that mad dog helped protect our clan’s subsidiaries!”
“But it is true that Guardian contributed to stopping the killers’ attack.”
“Hmph! What help? It is common knowledge that the Sword Duke puts all his work aside and spends his days idling about!”
“This is a scheme! The Sword Duke must have stolen credit for the work others did!”
“Perhaps it was all staged by the Sword Duke...”
“Is that not a bit of a leap?”
“Hmph, do not speak if you know nothing. The Sword Duke is exactly the kind of man who would do that! Do you have any idea how many of our clan members he has killed?!”
“I do, but...”
“Just in case, let me be clear. Do not even think of relying on Guardian! That would be betrayal!”
“Of course! We must protect our company with our own strength!”
“Fine, I understand. Guardian is certainly difficult to trust.”
That very evening, after three Black Dragon Clan subsidiary CEOs met and resolved never to join Guardian, three more subsidiaries adopted the Guardian System.
On the condition that Guardian kept it absolutely secret that they had entrusted their security to it.
It truly was a Black Dragon Clan kind of thing.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
