WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 368: Taboo (2)

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3.

"First, calm yourself, Gong-Ja. Murderous intent is lurking in your eyes."

Raviel lightly tapped the chair beside her.

The fan she used to tap the chair's armrest was also a fine piece that I had given her.

I bit my lip.

It wasn't just an expensive gift. It was a fan crafted with great care by NamGung Woon, once my master's formidable rival and now the retired Head of the Martial Alliance and the Great Guardian of the Celestial Martial Clan.

Raviel must have anticipated my arrival. She was wise. She had devised a way to quell my emotions far more effectively than any words of 'calm down' could.

Indeed, Raviel's intentions were spot on. Seeing an item that even remotely connected to my master, ice poured over my raging heart.

Though it was like pouring ice into lava.

"......If I am not to harbor murderous intent now, when should I?"

"Whenever that time may be, even if it's this very moment, it's clear that the place for you to harbor such intent is not before my eyes. It's not a matter of timing, but of place."

"I am aware but I do not wish for my anger to dull. The more I speak with you, the more my reason will rein in my emotions."

I spoke softly.

No, from the moment I realized Raviel's death, my voice has only flowed quietly. Not to maintain composure, but quite the opposite.

I didn't want the heat of my anger, soaked in my heart, to leak out even a bit. Not a single drop.

"I want to stain my hands with blood in pure rage, in sheer emotion. Please, tell me who dared to lay their hands on Raviel."

"All I hear is a wish to go mad."

"You heard right."

"......."

Raviel lifted the corners of her lips.

She seemed satisfied, as if discovering a new toy, and for a brief moment, it seemed she shuddered at the wave of my emotions.

Seeing the curve of her lips etched on her pale face, I realized.

It was over.

Raviel was more interested in my reaction, fueled by rage at her death, than her own demise.

"Do you wish to kill the one who murdered me?"

"......Yes."

I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. My teeth had finally bitten through to the red flesh of my lips.

"How do you want to kill them?"

"I want to tear them apart. Kill them."

I knew what terminal this conversation was racing toward and what sea it would flow into. Even knowing that, I answered, making my teeth wheels upon its course and my tongue a running stream.

I couldn't remain silent to the question of my beloved. Never.

"I want to finely slice the lips along the edge of the teeth. I want to see their voice twist grotesquely through the gaps between bared teeth and severed lips."

"And the eyes?"

"I'll gouge them out and connect the lost veins and nerves with my aura. Then, I'll place them back in the sockets. Every blink will bring them pain, wishing they were blind instead."

"......."

Raviel's laughter deepened.

Now I could see it as well. Beneath her left ear, the slender line of her neck twitched briefly. Raviel was savoring the sight of me losing my reason completely, tasting the exceedingly rare madness of her husband.

"Raviel."

"I see. I was not considerate enough. Close the door."

Raviel gestured towards the bedroom door wide open behind me.

"I cannot leave such a voice, such a face of yours to be witnessed by others. It's a luxury that should be allowed only to me."

"Close it. Please, Gong-Ja."

I closed the door.

The air in the bedroom grew more poisonous.

The poison was the scent of blue lilies.

"What about the hands? The wrists? The back of the hands. The fingers. The nails. What do you plan to do?"

The source of the poison was her red eyes.

"I want to hear."

I opened my mouth.

"Tell me, my love."

I told her.

Every hell a human being could imagine, a white-hot purgatory that would sneer at hell itself for being lukewarm, flowed from my mouth, steeped in the warmth of my heart and the venom of my blood.

Raviel indulged in my warmth and poison to her heart's content. It would be fair to say she devoured it.

The more my anger growled for red blood, the glossier Raviel's red eyes became. They gleamed. To her, my venom was as sweet as vitality itself.

"So, will you kill like that?"

Raviel asked lazily, like a lioness sated after a feast, as if all predation was done.

"Yeah."

"Among those shadows you've gathered, murderers are more common than not. Some are even mass murderers."

"Ah......"

"The one who killed me must certainly pay the price. Gong-Ja, my love, I have no intention of stopping you from executing that price. However, whether the weight of that price will be justly measured, I wonder."

I pressed my forehead.

Raviel was urging me to be fair. I, who had accepted Ester and even forgiven Yoo Soo-Ha. Raviel was saying that the same standards I set when accepting them should apply now.

"Raviel...... but."

"Wouldn't I have felt the same rage if you had died?"

My heart slowed.

"How many times do you think you've died since we exchanged rings? How many times do you think I've held back? Gong-Ja..."

Raviel smiled.

"You must endure as much as I have."

I couldn't say anything.

Raviel knew my rage. The way to quell it. And the one sentence that would prevent me from ever bursting into fury.

Even if I had more to say, it wouldn't have escaped my lips.

Raviel pulled my wrist, sealing my lips with hers. It was hot. So hot it could scald my tongue. The heat vomited from my heart, she must have stolen it all.

The closed door remained shut.

4.

It was only when the sun had set, twilight had spread, and the silver moon was peeking through the window that we finally calmed down and began to talk.

"It's the Crown Prince."

Raviel spoke in a voice that had cooled down significantly. Her voice always had a resonance as if submerged in an icy sea. It was the voice of Raviel I loved.

"Damn it."

But the content Raviel revealed included a figure I could never like.

"That noodle hair bastard. Wasn't his blond hair enough that now even his brain's turned into noodle strands, swollen and bloated?"

"Hmm. I always look forward to what you'll compare the Crown Prince to. This time too, I'm satisfied..."

My anger, which had barely subsided over four hours, reignited.

However, after the fire had swept through once, only ashes remained. Just as Raviel intended, a fury comparable to before didn't arise.

Moisture seeped into places unburnt by the flame. It was reason. Cold judgment. Like old dampness clinging to my skull, reason let me make almost habitual judgments.

"...Indeed. No one but the imperial family would even dare contemplate killing the Duchess of Ivansia."

Once the lubricant started flowing, the rest was easy.

My thoughts raced.

"However, the current Emperor is a wise ruler. He knows that the balance of power in the empire has tilted toward House Ivansia. This is not a scheme by the imperial family as a whole. It must be the Crown Prince acting alone."

"Hmm."

Raviel rested her chin on her hand.

She was enjoying herself, encouraging me to continue with a gesture.

"But if Raviel dies, everyone will immediately suspect the imperial family. The Emperor will insist that he is innocent, but he will have difficulty stemming people's suspicions. That is when the Crown Prince will rebel against the Emperor."

Crack.

I gritted my teeth but continued with my deduction.

"[The Emperor, blinded by power, assassinated a loyal subject of the empire, the Duchess of Ivansia. As the Crown Prince, I cannot stand by and watch the empire fall. With tears in my eyes, I take up arms in rebellion. Although I’m commiting a great disloyalty to my father, if I alone can bear this shame to save the empire, I will gladly draw my sword.]"

Raviel did not contradict my words.

Her reaction confirmed my conclusion. That lunatic. That noodle-brained bastard blinded by power. I spared him because he was the empire's heir. I turned a blind eye out of consideration for the Emperor and the dignity of the imperial family. And yet he dared...

"The Crown Prince was once Raviel's fiancé, though their engagement has now been broken. [Even if our engagement met an unhappy end, I cannot stand by while a noblewoman to whom I was once betrothed dies.] He intends to shout some plausible justification like that and win the support of House Ivansia."

"Truly unfortunate......"

Raviel sighed as if savoring a sweet.

"People are always astonished by your martial prowess. None of them know that a well-honed blade is hidden in your mind as well. Then again, what do people know?"

"......."

I cleared my throat.

"......If the Crown Prince secures the support of the Ivansia family, it's essentially the same as having the backing of the noble faction. He probably calculated that the coup has a high chance of success. Yes, in his own way."

I looked at Raviel.

"For this plan to succeed, people need to be convinced that [the Emperor is the assassin of the Duchess of Ivansia]. Raviel, where were you supposed to meet your end tomorrow?"

"If the moon of Ivansia is this wise, the people of the empire should rejoice."

Raviel fully affirmed my reasoning.

"I was waiting to meet His Majesty in the palace."

As I thought.

"......So it wasn't an assassination, but a poisoning. The idiot who dallied with Goldencup after leaving Raviel is the culprit. He probably seduced a palace attendant with his half-decent looks."

"Correct. Even if I were to score your answer sheet 120 out of 100, no one would blame me."

"Of course, the Crown Prince himself wouldn't have been in the palace at that time. He needed to avoid suspicion. Was he on a hunt, perhaps?"

"150 points, then."

"Ha. He must have taken at least a few of the Imperial Guard with him under the pretext of hunting. That way, the moment he heard that Raviel was dead, he could put the soldiers in front and storm the imperial palace!"

"Two hundred points... This is troublesome, Gong-Ja. Even if I am the Duchess, awarding more than twice the maximum score will inevitably cast doubt on my fairness as a judge. Do you intend to subject me to accusations of biased judgment?"

"Fine. I'll go kill the Crown Prince and his sycophants who joined his hunt and be back."

"By returning to 100 points, you've shown great consideration."

"......."

I looked at Raviel.

Raviel looked back at me.

"Thinking about it, five hours seems too short to quell my anger."

"Indeed?"

"Come to think of it, how long has it been since I met Raviel and we had time alone like this? It seriously pisses me off that we cannot fully enjoy it because of that worthless Crown Prince. That son of a bitch!"

"And so?"

"Let's just play all day."

"Do you intend to give the Crown Prince's party an entire day?"

"No. After playing for a day, we'll turn back the day."

"An excellent plan. I see no reason to refuse your proposal."

We played all day.

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]

And then we played another day.

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]

Playing made it hard to find a reason not to play for yet another day.

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]

The world? Assassination? Power struggles and political infighting? They can all fuck off.

For now, I'm going to play with the person I love.

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]

It took us a whole week to come back to our senses. The silver moon still twinkled from the same spot beyond the window. Raviel and I, side by side, propped our chins, pondered together, and murmured in unison.

"Did we go too far?"

"It does seem we might have gone a bit too far..."

"Indeed, a week was too much..."

"Perhaps a week was indeed excessive..."

"Then we should play for just one more day."

"Yeah, let's play for just one more day and then exercise restraint."

[You have died.]

[You will return 24 hours back to the past.]

And so, two weeks passed.

I will remain silent about the utter mess we made during those two weeks. Just imagine what you might do if you could turn back time and no one remembered anything you did during the time that was erased. We did roughly three times whatever you just imagined.

We were utterly satisfied.

"Now, what do you plan to do, Gong-Ja?"

Fully satisfied, Raviel asked as I shrugged my shoulders.

"First, I'll go see the Crown Prince."

"Don't kill him. If you must, it shouldn't be now but later. When no one cares, quietly remove him."

"Yes. I'll be back."

Right. I won't kill him.

I'll just show him pain worse than death.

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