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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Friction
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Arsha, chieftain of the dark elves.
Of course, "chieftain" was merely an honorary title; she held no real power.
The already sparse elven population was among the races that suffered most when the Labyrinths overflowed.
Especially after losing the World Tree's blessing in the calamity that struck during the Age of the Five Heroes, the elves had been cursed and driven to ruin.
It wasn't any great ability that had made her the leader of the dark elves.
Her bloodline was a bit special, and she had simply inherited the position as those more skilled and ancient than her lost their lives one by one.
But to have survived so long was, in itself, a remarkable feat.
Having led her clan for over a century in Odobaekryeong, where it was common for entire domains to be devoured, she was no longer surprised by much.
She had even been composed enough to start thinking of countermeasures upon hearing that Sirgal had captured her clan.
But in this moment.
For the first time in a very long while…
No, perhaps for the first time in her life, Arsha was plunged into a state of shock and confusion so profound it felt as if her mind had gone completely blank.
Never in her centuries of life had she experienced becoming a concubine, especially when she'd never so much as held hands with a man, let alone received a marriage proposal.
Even more so because the man in question was none other than the youngest gongja of the Unlight family, whom her own daughter had practically raised since he was a child.
"A c-concubine? Arsha? Yours?"
"Yes."
"What kind of bullshit is that?!"
"Bullshit? How harsh. I was just telling the truth."
And one of the two people just as shaken as Arsha, Sirgal, flared up as if he'd just heard the bombshell that his one-sided love was a married woman.
But the boy who had stunned them all merely shrugged his shoulders and, as always…
No, with a grin even brighter than usual, he continued.
"As you know, Arsha is a stunning beauty, isn't she?"
"..."
"Plus, she's smart, considerate, and has perfect manners. I found myself completely captivated by her mature charm."
Indeed, among the elves, the beauty of the mother-daughter pair, Arsha and Parsha, was particularly outstanding.
Her always respectful yet elegant demeanor was like that of a single, noble flower, so it was understandable why Sirgal was so infatuated.
So, as one man to another, he should understand why he, Dion, had taken Arsha as his concubine first.
Leaving Sirgal's jaw on the floor.
Causing Arsha's long ears to turn red.
And making Parsha clench her fists, Dion continued with a beaming smile.
"And the dark elves weren't running away. They were migrating to a new home."
"Migrating! What domain would ever take in the likes of the dark elves...!"
"Right. So I saved them."
"What?"
"Think about it. Like you said, unless someone helped them, where would the dark elves have to go that would make them want to leave this place?"
"Stop spewing nonsense! Someone like you could never pull something like that off!"
"Whether I could or not, who else besides me would even bother to look after the dark elves?"
"...!"
He was just taking better care of the dark elves since he'd made Arsha his concubine.
Having silenced Sirgal with simple logic, Dion's smile deepened as he spoke.
"Those 'good citizens' you mentioned? I dealt with them because they dared to hit on my Arsha."
"You were the one who killed them?"
"They deserved to die for trying to touch a woman taken as a concubine by a direct descendant of the Unlight family."
"..."
"Whether they were mere thugs or some horny mutt acting up before he's even become a minor lord."
"You...!"
"What? Did I strike a nerve?"
Sirgal's body trembled, but he couldn't openly refute the statement.
If Arsha truly was Dion's woman, then merely coveting her was a crime punishable by death.
That applied not just to mere thugs, but to himself as well.
"Don't lie! Do you think I can't see that you just made up this story about Arsha being your concubine to get out of this situation?"
"Believe it or not, it's the truth."
"Nonsense!"
That's why Sirgal denied Dion's premise—the fact that Arsha had become his concubine.
It wasn't just to clear himself of the accusation of treason.
It was because he was convinced that Dion was lying.
The proud dark elf who had dared to reject even his own proposal would never give herself to a fool like that.
"Hmm. I wanted to resolve this with words, but it seems we're not getting through to you."
Watching the stubbornly insistent Sirgal, Dion muttered as if he were obviously troubled.
Then, he turned to the side with a gentle smile.
"Arsha, would you mind telling him yourself?"
"...Me, sir?"
"Yes. Tell him who *you* and *your clan* have pledged your bodies and souls to."
"..."
Frozen by the bombshell announcement, Arsha's eyes darted around in panic.
But only for a moment.
The soldiers still surrounding them with leveled spears and swords, and Sirgal, his face twisted in fury.
The dazed, bound dark elves behind the soldiers.
And above all, the boy with the meaningful smile and her own daughter, who was radiating a murderous aura on the verge of exploding.
After a quick glance at her surroundings, Arsha seemed to make a decision. She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them and spoke.
"It is as the gongja says."
"Hah, see! I knew such a ridiculous lie would be exposed in no time!"
"I was not referring to Gongja Sirgal. I meant that it is as Gongja Dion says."
"...What?"
"...!"
"—I have already pledged my body and soul to Gongja Dion."
Parsha, her face as expressionless as ever, now wore a blatant "Mother, have you lost your mind?" look in her eyes.
But even under her daughter's gaze, she, having already steeled her resolve, did not waver.
Seeing her unwavering resolve, Sirgal's face contorted.
"You refused to be my lover, yet you'd become that fool's concubine? Why!?"
"What a strange question. Isn't it obvious that joining the Unlight family is better than the Alcan family?"
"That's...!"
"Especially as a recognized concubine—a wife—not some mere mistress."
"...!"
"And most importantly..."
*Swoosh*.
Dion reached out his hand.
He wrapped his arm around Arsha's slender waist, pulling her soft body close, and grinned.
"Because you're too ugly to give one's heart to."
"Wh-wh-what did you say?!"
"They say a man's ability matters more than his face, but when a guy who looks like a livestock trough hits on you, it's only natural to want to find a man who can protect you, right?"
"!@#%!#$?!"
"Well, in that sense, I'm grateful. You played a big part in Arsha's decision to become my concubine."
"You, you, you, you!!!!!!"
As if he were genuinely thankful.
Dion, with his bright smile on a face so pretty he could be mistaken for a beautiful girl, stood in stark contrast to Sirgal's own hideous appearance.
And the dark elf, flustered by the sudden embrace, unable to hide her reddened ears.
Seeing that expression he had never seen before, the moment Sirgal felt something snap in his mind.
"IaD, Amod!"
*Drrrrrk!*
"G-Gongja-nim?"
"What are you...?"
—Darkness erupted from Sirgal's hand.
The soldiers who saw this were horrified, and the black knight and other escort knights tried frantically to stop him.
But before they could intervene.
As befitting a demon born with the 3-star class, [Black Mage], Sirgal had already unleashed the darkness.
*Kwaang!*
"...What do you think you're doing?"
Parsha's face grew cold as she blocked the arrow of darkness flying toward Dion with her steel gauntlet.
But Sirgal offered no excuse.
He simply roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"What are you staring at? Get that bastard and kill him!"
"Gongja-nim?!"
"He is a gongja of the Unlight family!"
"So what? He's the shame of the Unlight family! No one will care if he dies!"
"Even so...!"
"It's already done! If we let him leave alive, we'll be charged with treason!"
"..."
The black knight's face twisted.
The fact that Sirgal had already attacked Dion could not be changed.
And this was on top of being accused of treason for coveting the concubine of a direct Unlight descendant.
In the end, there were only two options.
Throw Sirgal under the bus, claiming it was all his doing…
*Shing.*
"To dare try and bury a blood relative of the Unlight family... your courage, at least, is commendable."
—Or bury everything and pretend it never happened.
As Parsha's expression grew colder at the sight of the knights drawing their swords, and as Arsha, after exchanging a look with the bound dark elves, closed her eyes.
Dion scratched his cheek.
"Hmm, did I provoke him a little too much?"
"Is that something you say after driving someone mad enough to risk a charge of treason?"
"I didn't think he'd actually try to commit treason."
"Enough with the excuses. Just keep up."
*Clank.*
"—I will open the way."
And so, Parsha clenched her steel-gauntleted fists and leaned forward.
The moment the steel boots encasing her slender legs dug into the ground with a *crunch*.
*KWAAAAANG!*
"Keuk?!"
"Uwaaaaah!"
The floor shattered.
A deafening roar echoed.
Blood and flesh exploded from among the soldiers who had been hesitating at Sirgal's command.
It was the result of Parsha appearing before the soldiers in the blink of an eye, her fist not only crushing their armor but obliterating their bodies as well.
Several soldiers were torn apart completely.
Even the surrounding soldiers were knocked down by the shockwave, and everyone who witnessed the scene froze.
The carnage Parsha had wrought with a single punch, and the aura shimmering like a heat haze around her fist, told them exactly what kind of being she was.
"A h-high-ranking Awakened One...!"
The soldiers wavered at the presence of a true transcendent being, on a different level from an ordinary Awakened One.
While they were frozen, Arsha and Dion broke through the newly opened gap in the encirclement and escaped the room.
Despite her clan remaining behind, she never looked back, and the dark elves, far from resentful, did not utter a single plea for help.
Their conversation had happened earlier.
It had concluded when their eyes met.
'Go, Chieftain.'
'They won't harm us easily, if only to sell us as slaves.'
'Above all, do not forget which is more important: the safety of you and the young lady, or us.'
And so, the dark elves silently saw off the escapees, praying for the mother and daughter's safety.
But of course, Sirgal would not let them get away.
"After them! Do not let them escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Everyone, follow me!"
As the black knight led the escort knights and soldiers in pursuit of Dion's party.
Sirgal hastily chanted a spell, creating a messenger crow.
"There are intruders!"
"Raise the bridge and seal Purgatorium! Let no one escape!"
"All soldiers in the domain, arm yourselves and assemble! A great reward for whoever catches the intruders!"
*Flap, flap, flap!*
After sending the crows carrying his voice in all directions.
Sirgal paused for a moment.
He looked toward the Minor Demon Castle, his expression conflicted.
Requesting support from the castle was the surest way to capture Dion.
But...
'I don't need any support! I will kill him with my own hands!'
Sirgal turned on his heel.
The escort knights had agreed to help him only because they were in a position where avoiding blame would be difficult; the lord of the castle could simply cut him loose.
Therefore, the best course of action was to deal with Dion within Purgatorium before things escalated further and bury the evidence.
Besides, there was one reason he didn't need support.
'Three high-ranking Awakened Ones and three hundred soldiers are more than enough!'
—A place for holding prisoners to be used as sacrifices for black magic, or for training slave soldiers.
In other words, the manager of Purgatorium, which served as both the prison and barracks of the Minor Demon Castle.
And so, Sirgal gnashed his teeth, his killing intent solidifying.