Chapter 230
The woman, who was smiling faintly, adorned herself entirely with a flowing dress and ornaments. The extravagant appearance, not fitting the situation, made her seem like a nightclub singer.
"Tsk, what on earth were you doing to arrive so late?"
Baek Ilyong soon staggered, rising to his feet. He complained irritably, freezing the wounded area as he addressed the woman who had appeared.
"I surely gave orders to assassinate the military leaders. So why are they still perfectly alive and pressing us?"
"Ugh, you're so noisy..."
The woman covered her ears tightly, like a child trying to block out annoying scolding.
"I had my reasons too, you know. Because Alpha overloaded, even we had to... ah, that was supposed to be a secret."
She shook her head from side to side.
"And could you phrase it correctly? It was a request, not an order."
"This is..."
"But you, you don't seem to be in good shape, do you?"
She cheekily stuck out her tongue and changed the subject.
"The encirclement is tightening, and you're injured..."
"There's still plenty of room to maneuver, as long as you properly do your part from now on."
The man coldly retorted, cutting her words off.
He looked down at Seoyeon, who was barely supporting herself, kneeling a few steps in front of him.
With the appearance of the unfamiliar woman, the positions of the two had been instantly reversed.
"On top of that, we've just caught the culprit who had been disrupting the chain of command all along."
"Hmm..."
The woman who appeared glanced at Seoyeon with a strange expression.
She looked as precarious as a dying torch. Even in such a state, she shot Baek Ilyong a gaze brimming with hatred, but even that wouldn't last long.
"...I admit it. Your magical skills are extraordinarily exceptional, beyond comparison. The evaluation that you are one of the rare talents destined to surpass Hae Wolhwa is no mere exaggeration."
He coldly spoke, looking down at her as she panted dangerously.
"Though your overly submissive attitude toward your father always lingered in my mind, even that was to keep the dagger hidden within you undiscovered."
"Ha, ha...!"
"That's why, for a moment, I had expectations. If you had truly desired the path of a tyrant, I would have gladly offered my life. The intense desire for power, backed by unparalleled skill—indeed, it was the incarnation of the iron will I had longed for."
"Ha, shu...t...u...p...! Who...who said I wanted something like that...!"
Seoyeon stood up with a gush of blood but soon lost her posture and plummeted back to the ground.
The man, staring at her, sighed as if disappointed.
"However, I'm deeply disappointed. The reason you raised a blade against your father was nothing more than a petty tantrum from the past. I had momentarily reevaluated you, but..."
He soon turned his body.
And gave a slight nod to the woman.
"I'll personally step onto the front lines from now on. You fulfill the task as promised. Kill the military's key figures to disrupt their chain of command."
"Yay, yay."
"Ah, there's one more thing to do before that."
He turned his head and gazed indifferently at Seoyeon with cold eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Kill her."
"Hmm... are you really okay with this? I hate to say it, but she is still your daughter, no matter what..."
"I have no daughter. Just get it over with quickly."
The man's immediate response interrupted the woman's mocking tone as he turned away.
"...Hah."
The woman lightly pouted her lips and shrugged her shoulders.
Then, without even composing any magic formula, she instantly forged dozens of sharp particle blades and suspended them in the void.
"Well, that's how it is."
She then spoke, looking at the devastated Seoyeon.
"Sorry. I have my reasons too, you see. But there's no need to worry too much."
"Ha, ha..."
"I'll finish this quickly. I don't enjoy tormenting people, after all. Besides, I'm an anthropologist by name, so I can't go around doing things like that."
It was an excessive kindness that felt almost mocking.
Without any omen, dozens of blades were instantly forged, and their bizarre movements couldn't even be explained by magic.
The being in front of Seoyeon was closer to a living calamity than a magician.
There was no way to figure out the woman's identity. However, the fact that she was secretly attached to Baek Ilyong was enough to make her seethe with resentment.
Because of that, even her last resolve crumbled in vain.
Seoyeon was now in a position where she couldn't even properly atone. Perhaps this situation itself was a punishment.
A punishment for someone who hadn't comforted anyone's heart but instead left deep scars.
In that case, perhaps accepting death humbly was the right course of action.
"Well then... goodbye?"
The woman snapped her fingers.
At the same time, the dozens of particle blades floating in the void rushed fiercely toward her.
The sound of them slicing through the air was so intense it seemed as if they would tear her apart. But Seoyeon quietly closed her eyes instead of responding.
Her consciousness dimmed further, perhaps due to the pouring blood. In that moment, which felt like an eternity, she found herself on a hill where a gentle breeze blew.
The sunlight was warm, and white flowers bloomed all around. In her childhood, she was lying face-to-face with someone, talking about eternal happiness.
"..."
A faint smile appeared on Seoyeon's lips. At least the last sight was a pleasant flash of memories. She touched the texture of the cheap ring on her left finger as if to never forget it.
She prepared herself for the pain to come.
"...?"
But soon, she tilted her head in confusion. Several seconds had passed, yet there was no pain tearing through her body. Instead, it felt as though a warm light was enveloping her.
And then, she heard it—a voice she had missed so dearly.
"You're still as much trouble as ever."
"Huh...?"
Her eyes, unknowingly closed, opened, and she unintentionally let out a faint gasp.
Beyond her blurred vision, sparkling light particles fluttered like snow. The well-forged, sharp particle blades were nowhere to be seen. It was as if they had disintegrated into particles in an instant.
Soon after, her strength completely drained, and she collapsed weakly to the side. Yet what she felt wasn't the cold ground but the firm and warm embrace of someone.
"Nothing has changed at all."
Soon, the familiar voice again caressed her like a gentle touch.
"Just like when you were a child, and even now..."
"Hyun...?"
And in the hazy boundary between dream and reality,
Enveloped in the warmth that cradled her, Seoyeon finally let go of her consciousness entirely.
***
How long has it been since I last saw this child up close?
That said, there was no particular sense of unfamiliarity.
Fluttering long eyelashes, eyes elegantly tapering downward, well-defined and sharp facial features.
All those features were still vividly etched in my memory.
Seeing Yeon collapsed as if she had fainted, I felt a flood of emotions. The hatred and resentment I had held onto disappeared, leaving only a sense of relief.
"Oh my..."
And at the sound of an exclamation, I raised my head. A woman dressed flamboyantly was covering her mouth and making a fuss, as if she'd just seen a prince from a fairy tale.
Even without asking, I could immediately tell what she was. Beyond her eccentricity, the uniquely familiar and intimate aura was already wrapping around me.
And recognizing the disheveled man behind her wasn't difficult either.
"You...!"
Unlike the woman, the man, full of anger, twisted his face.
"For a filthy mutt of Heukryeon to dare step into the main family of Paechun...!"
The difference from the gentlemanly demeanor he showed during the hearing a few weeks ago was night and day. Does he no longer feel the need to hide his true nature?
First, I checked Yeon's condition.
Although I had barely saved her moments ago, the situation was still far from ideal.
While I had stopped her bleeding, she had already lost too much blood. Even though the mage's resilient body could recover, the immediate risk was undeniable.
In this situation, a two-versus-one fight was absolutely unreasonable. On top of that, I was already at my limit.
Just strengthening my body to get here had put an extreme strain on me.
That Baek Ilyong is someone who deserves death, but both his and Paechun's downfall is already inevitable.
The witch, too, is a creature that must be eliminated, but her extermination can never take precedence over Yeon's survival.
I was able to make a quick decision. In that case, there was only one answer.
Escape this place first.
Carefully, I placed Yeon down on my outerwear. Then I turned my body and raised the Blade toward them.
Baek Ilyong snorted as if he found it ridiculous.
"Ha, you've at least done one thing properly. All that talk about charming Heukryeon's successor and whatnot... and you've fallen head over heels for that skirt, haven't you?"
"..."
Did Yeon say something like that?
I was deeply curious about her intent, but that was something for later.
Instead, I took a step forward, bracing my momentum—as if I were about to lunge at them.
Trying to blatantly escape would only expose my weakness. Therefore, I had no choice but to hold my ground and look for an opening. Or stall for time until reinforcements arrived.
Baek Ilyong, too, cautiously took a step back while signaling to the witch beside him.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and kill them."
"Eh? No way."
However, for some reason, the woman shook her head vehemently, visibly repulsed. Baek Ilyong asked in disbelief at her unexpected behavior.
"What did you say?"
"A human with our power, you know. Even Alpha lost, so how do you expect me to win against that? I want to live long. Dying here is just... no thanks."
"You, you've got to be kidding me...!"
She still refused to fight me. For a witch, she was quite an unusual individual.
Had my presence being known actually worked to my advantage? Polaris's Authority was, after all, an overwhelmingly dominant force against them.
In that case... I would exploit this situation to its fullest.
"You know well. Even your commander tucked his tail and fled like a dog."
But as I made a show of intimidation and took a step closer—
"Just wait a little, and I'll make you end up the same... Cough, cough...!"
Suddenly, a violent fit of coughing erupted, and excruciating pain swept through my entire body. I spat out several clumps of blood from my mouth. The divine power and magic that had been filling the surrounding space flickered and vanished once again.
"Cough, cough...!"
I cursed internally. Damn this body. It's utterly useless. I just needed to hold out a little, just a little longer.
I barely managed to get my coughing under control and steadied myself, but by then, the situation had long since shifted.
The woman in front of me was now glaring at me with the sharp gaze of a predator.
"Hmm..."
Then, with a chilling flick of her tongue, she murmured.
"Now... this changes things a bit, doesn't it?"