WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 217: Golden Rule (1)

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1.

"Why…"

I had to ask.

"Why did you choose only such people as your lovers?"

Tower Master Jaa Soo-Jeong.

She will one day build a tower and gather everyone abandoned by every world: children sacrificed to religious fanaticism, martial artists killed by senseless disasters, and women whose lives were imprisoned by supernatural phenomena they could not resist... She will summon those abandoned, broken lives to the tower and give them a new world.

'The one who built the tower for the victims.'

Why, of all people, did she choose murderers as her lovers?

I expressed my doubt, looking at Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong.

"Such people..."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong smiled.

"Exactly whom are you referring to, advisor?"

"People who have committed grave sins. They whipped a child to death, made human flesh of people and ate it, and waged wars that drove countless civilians to their deaths. Why do you love people like that? Why do you still allow them to hold noble titles? You are someone who will build a tower in the future. You possess nearly omnipotent power. So why do you not punish them...?"

"Advisor."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong suddenly said.

"You are a very kind person."

"Yes?"

"Those climbing the tower with someone like the advisor must be very happy."

Confused by her words, I tilted my head.

However, Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong did not explain. Instead, she just sat in her chair, looking forward. I too, drawn by her gaze, saw the scene before my eyes.

"It's ridiculous to appoint someone not even 20 years old as a duke!"

The lounge was hot with heated debates.

A noble of the conservative faction… Surely it was Count Ah Ru-Ho.

A noble with hair wild like a lion's mane snapped irritably.

"Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong is eighteen. Eighteen. No matter how many rebellions she has suppressed and how many dragon countries she has conquered, there are ranks and order in the kingdom."

"Indeed."

Hoo-.

A noble from Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong's faction took a drag from a water pipe.

"The Count's words are right. I never understood why the rebels were not subdued over the past decades, but having heard the Count's words today, it's enlightening. While an eighteen-year-old child was fighting against the rebels, shedding blood and sweat, nobles like the Count were maintaining the order of the hierarchy. Thanks to this, the kingdom has not perished and has prospered."

Laughter erupted here and there.

Joining in the mockery, the nobles of Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong's faction sneered.

"Indeed. Until now, I blamed myself for leaving every burden to a young girl. Now I see that we ought to condemn the little brat for daring to win military honors."

"Exactly. If our party leader hadn't stepped in, there would have been 200,000 casualties in subduing the Golden Dragon. Or, if the Red Nails weren't subdued, millions of citizens would still be groaning in pain. But what's the use? Even if she saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and millions of citizens, she's still just an eighteen-year-old child. A dukedom is absurd."

"Right. The Count's deep concern for the kingdom's order is truly admirable!"

The nobles launched a fierce attack.

All of them were Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong's lovers.

[Child Murderer] Marquis Baek Seol-To glanced around cautiously, [Cannibal] Viscount Chun Heuk-Shin backed up her colleagues, and [Mass Murderer] Dae Ha-Ran laughed openly. Their reactions varied, but they were all gathered there for Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong.

"Ha..."

Count Ah Ru-Ho's face contorted with anger.

Was it the humiliation of losing the argument?

Flustered, the Count let the words slip out.

"The dogs of a courtesan... their barking skills are indeed first-rate."

With that one sentence, the atmosphere turned silent.

The nobles who had been mocking the Count with ease all suddenly turned cold. Their faces lost all traces of laughter. Anger simmered beneath their neutral expressions.

"How about it, Kim Gong-Ja?"

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong whispered to me.

Her voice was so soft that only I could hear it.

"Isn't it interesting?"

"......."

"All those people defending me, as you said, are all murderers. Mass murderers. Criminals. But, look. Look at their faces right now."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong leaned towards me, lifting her hips.

"They are in pain."

Her lips whispered, drawing closer to me.

"All because someone called me a courtesan. It isn't even particularly inaccurate."

"I have captivated countless nobles and royals with music, dance, and sweet words of love. Mine has been a life spent bewitching people with every art at my disposal. Hence, a courtesan. Even then, Count Ah Ru-Ho chose her words carefully. In the marketplace, people openly call me a whore."

Tug.

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong tugged on my sleeve.

"Look. Kim Gong-Ja."

Drawn by that slight force, I had to bend at the waist. When my shoulder came level with her face, Jaa Soo-Jeong whispered into my ear.

"The one who whipped a child to death, the noble who feasted on humans, the general who massacred civilians, they are just hurt because I was called a courtesan."

"......."

"It’s too funny."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong whispered, hooking her arm through mine.

A snake seemed to be slithering up my arm.

"There are hundreds of legal codes in the kingdom. According to the stated laws, we can calculate the sins of those [criminals], measure their faults, and determine their responsibility. It's tedious but an easy task. If I wish, I can execute the criminals right now. What do you think, Kim Gong-Ja? Should we kill them all?"

"That would be..."

"Yes."

The snake smiled with her eyes.

Beneath her long eyelids, the snake's pupils sparkled purple.

"[Is that a bit too harsh], you think?"

"......."

"In my opinion, Kim Gong-Ja, you are that kind of person. Kind-hearted. The point at which you feel that killing those who have committed wrongs is [too harsh], you are already a completely different species from me."

"What do you mean?"

"Just killing them off isn't too extreme."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong grasped my cheek.

And she forcibly turned my gaze.

Where our eyes landed, there was a noble with snow-white hair like a rabbit, Marquis Baek Seol-To, looking flustered, surveying people from both factions.

"Marquis Baek Seol-To was a minor when she killed another minor. The marquis’ family paid a settlement to the victim’s family. One side, a prominent noble family in the capital, and the other, a normal family of free citizens. It's called a settlement, but in reality, it was more like an ultimatum, right?"

That must have been the case.

"The criminal was a minor at the time of the crime. Moreover, being a noble and having reached a settlement with the victim's family, the sentence Marquis Baek Seol-To would receive would be... what? At most, a revocation of her title? Ta-da. That’s the punishment guaranteed by the law."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong spoke playfully.

"Conversely, the victim’s family was ruined."

"......."

"Unlike a noble family, a commoner's family is shockingly easy to destroy. That family... they lived together: a granddaughter, a grandfather, and a grandmother. The granddaughter was their only descendant. And she was killed by Marquis Baek Seol-To."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong whispered in my ear.

"Do you see, Kim Gong-Ja? That family was ruined. Destroyed. Shattered. What use is receiving a fortune in settlement money? Can you assemble a broken child's body with gold? According to the great and dignified laws of the kingdom, aah, under the majestic judgment of the righteous judge, even if you miraculously succeed in revoking Marquis Baek Seol-To’s title, does that resolve the family’s resentment?"

"......."

"The criminal who wrecked my life and destroyed my family. Even if that criminal is killed, the resentment won’t be resolved. Think about it. The granddaughter died? One winter day, on a snowy white field, beaten by the whip of a noble, her back flesh torn apart, her spine shattered, dead. Can all that be settled with just one death?"

"Then... what should be done?"

I understood the viscount’s words.

It echoed the dilemma I faced while gathering the Constellation Killer.

Those who had already committed crimes. The people they had victimized.

What could be done to compensate for the shattered lives?

Even a righteous person like the Black Dragon Master had blood on her hands. I share a friendship with such a Black Dragon Master. Whether that is right or wrong, and if not, what should be done, I had not yet found an answer.

"Pain."

The owner of the tower answered.

"Pain is the only answer."

She stroked the side of my head.

"The pain of losing their granddaughter. The pain of the six years they have lived since she was gone. The pain of spending the rest of their lives knowing they will never see her again. Returning [exactly the same pain] to the criminal. That is the order this world ought to uphold, and the law I intend to establish in the kingdom."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong spoke as if advising a junior she cherished.

But her pupils, her purple eyes, had the power to make even the kindest care seem like a curse imbued with malice.

That's probably why. Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong looked both like a senior caring for a junior and like a demon seducing passersby.

"I will rebuild this kingdom, the world, under the law of pain. Not just this kingdom but the entire world. Not just here but every other world as well. Everywhere my feet tread and my eyes see, the entire universe."

"......."

"The tower is a means to that end."

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Is such a thing... possible?"

"There are two ways to make the impossible possible. One is to go mad. To be lost in delusion, to realize the impossible in fantasy."

"And the other?"

"To become a person of power."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong giggled.

"Power means possession. It means dominion. I have bewitched six dukes, seduced one sovereign, and captivated three dragon emperors."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong raised one finger.

"All to become the most powerful person in this world."

Thump.

Thump.

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong tapped the armrest of the chair twice.

"......."

At that, the nobles of the Jaa Soo-Jeong faction immediately looked this way.

"......."

Those glaring at Count Ah Ru-Ho stopped their actions and words instantly upon hearing the two taps. They turned their heads to their master's signal.

The opposite faction did the same. Initially, they kept talking, but as the other side turned their gaze all at once, they too sensed something unusual and turned to look at Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong.

The nobles, servants serving drinks, musicians selecting music, and others all looked at Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong.

13 seconds.

That was how long it took for hundreds of people in the vast lounge to focus solely on Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong. Fierce shouting, sly mockery, and cold anger all froze at once.

Silence filled the room.

"My dear noble colleagues."

With hundreds of eyes on her, Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong opened her lips.

"You must have come to the lounge to rest, yet here you all are, still debating so diligently. As a member of the kingdom, I can hardly contain my pride. I do wonder whether the council will pay you overtime. We cannot have you working extra hours in a place like this without compensation."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong used my shoulder to stand up.

"Enough rest. Let’s return to the main council chamber and resume our primary duties."

Simultaneously, the nobles of her faction stood up.

They left behind empty wine glasses, glasses not yet emptied, and glasses that had never touched a lip. Without a moment's hesitation, they gathered around Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong.

Considering their immense power compared to commoners, it was a truly bizarre scene.

"Alright."

In the midst of this strange scene, Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong grabbed my wrist.

"Kim Gong-Ja."

"......."

"Tonight, I will show you a miracle."

Viscount Jaa Soo-Jeong was beaming brightly.

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