Chapter 118

Kim Nam-gi just recalled the man who was next to Yanagiya Riki. That guy, who looked annoyingly unlucky, was getting on his nerves.

‘What, that scrawny little punk is Yanagiya Riki’s guest?’

“…Hey.”

“Yes, boss.”

“Find out what that guy from Eternity Clan, Lee Yun-seong, does.”

“Uh… Lee Yun-seong from Eternity Clan?”

“Yeah, punk.”

The man who called Kim Nam-gi “boss” thought deeply for a moment before speaking.

“Boss, hold on. If it’s Lee Yun-seong from Eternity… that’s the guy.”

“What guy?”

“The one who screwed up our weapon business. The rare-grade item prices crashed, and we took a huge loss, remember?”

“…What?”

“And back then, we found out that only Myth Clan from the Neutral Country and Eternity had sold their items early and made a huge profit. Lee Yun-seong stayed with Myth Clan for a while, and it’s likely he advised them to sell their items early.”

“Ha… So that Lee Yun-seong guy is the one who screwed our clan back then?”

“Yes, boss.”

Kim Nam-gi’s expression twisted. It was already annoying that he was sticking close to Riki, but now he finds out this guy caused the clan a massive loss.

“No wonder I didn’t like him the first time I saw his face. That damn punk….”

What kind of place is this for someone like him? This is the Eastern Alliance, a gathering of successful people who’ve made their mark.

In other words, no place for some clueless idiot like him.

‘And damn… Riki, that bitch, was practically dripping honey from her eyes. Ugh, what a mess.’

“Boss, is there a problem…?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Hmm… No, wait. Hey, find out what kind of relationship Riki and that Lee Yun-seong guy have.”

“Huh? What connection could Lee Yun-seong and Yanagiya Riki possibly have?”

“Idiot, you see that annoying-looking guy next to Riki?”

At Kim Nam-gi’s words, the subordinate glanced subtly toward Riki.

“Ah… Is that guy Lee Yun-seong?”

“Yeah. I heard he’s Riki’s guest. Damn… What kind of guest gets brought to a place like this?”

“…Understood. I’ll look into it.”

******

It was the second day of the banquet, with just one more day to go.

Jo Yeon-joo, the woman, stuck to our group the entire time, just as she said she would, since she didn’t seem to fit in with anyone else.

Naturally, all eyes and attention were on us.

One man with two high-ranking women. You couldn’t ask for better gossip material.

“So, Mr. Lee Yun-seong, what’s your relationship with Ms. Yanagiya?”

Riki answered Jo Yeon-joo’s question. It was related to her clan, and it would’ve been awkward for me to answer.

“He’s someone who’s helped me a lot. In fact, thanks to Yun-seong, I was able to resolve this matter.”

“Ah… Really? Hmm….”

Jo Yeon-joo gave me a meaningful look after hearing Riki’s answer.

Feeling the weight of her gaze, I nervously sipped my drink. Just then, Riki stood up and said,

“I’m going to the restroom.”

‘What the hell, why now of all times…’

Was she leaving us alone to talk or something?

I couldn’t blame her for needing to go, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful.

‘Damn, this is so awkward….’

We’ve only met twice, and I’m just Riki’s guest, while she’s a high-ranking figure.

The social gap between us is huge. Of course, it might be different in the Neutral Country, but still.

‘I don’t even know what to say to this woman.’

Another strange thing was how Jo Yeon-joo’s warm smile immediately turned expressionless the moment Riki left.

As I sipped my tea, wondering what to say, Jo Yeon-joo suddenly spoke with a blank face.

“Mr. Lee Yun-seong, do you want to take Yanagiya-san down?”

“Pfft!”

I spat out the tea I was drinking at her sudden remark. Thankfully, none of it got on her.

“Cough…! Ahem… What do you mean…?”

“…….”

‘What the hell, is this woman crazy?’

I caught my breath and looked at her with a bewildered expression, but Jo Yeon-joo’s face remained unchanged.

Her calm expression made me wonder if I’d misheard her.

“Uh… What are you talking about…?”

“Hmm… No? I just asked because Yanagiya-san’s eyes were practically dripping honey when she looked at you.”

“…Huh?”

“I’d rather not have more competitors.”

‘…What?’

I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

‘Competitors? What nonsense is this? Don’t tell me…’

As if reading my thoughts from the way I was looking at her, Jo Yeon-joo continued.

“I can tell what you’re thinking. You’re right.”

“S-So… Ms. Jo Yeon-joo, are you saying… you want to, uh, take down Yanagiya, I mean, Riki…?”

Even as I asked, I couldn’t believe it. No matter what, I thought I must’ve misunderstood.

But when Jo Yeon-joo quietly nodded in response, I realized it wasn’t a misunderstanding.

‘What the hell…’

This was an absurd situation.

Putting aside the fact that this woman was misunderstanding me, why was she suddenly coming out with her preferences like this?

“So, you didn’t answer my question. Do you have ulterior motives toward Yanagiya-san?”

“…No. I only helped Riki a little, and she’s kind to me because of that.”

“….Are you sure you don’t want to take her down?”

‘What’s wrong with this crazy woman?’

She kept talking about “taking her down,” making me feel self-conscious about the people around us.

“That’s strange. Usually, men who approach Yanagiya-san have that intention. Do you not like men? Or do you not feel any attraction to Yanagiya-san?”

“….I like women. And it’s not that I don’t feel any attraction…”



“That’s not it either.”

I felt extreme fatigue while talking to Jo Yeon-joo. Well, the topic of conversation wasn’t normal to begin with.

‘The person herself… damn, now I get why others call her a freak.’

Her title is Shadow Sorcerer Jo Yeon-joo. Another name she’s called is Freak Jo Yeon-joo.

“This is fascinating. It’s like… the men don’t have ulterior motives, but the women do… and even that Yanagiya person…”

“….What are you talking about?”

I know that Riki has a liking for me. But ulterior motives?

“As a fellow woman, I can sense these things. The desire I feel for Yanagiya, I can see it in the way she looks at you…”

‘What the hell is this nonsense?’

“So, does Riki know? About Jo Yeon-joo… and her feelings for Riki…”

“Yes, she knows. I tried to approach her once and got rejected.”

“……”

I didn’t want to talk to this woman anymore. I wished Riki would come back soon.

Luckily, I saw Riki returning.

“Ah, sorry. Someone stopped me to talk, so I’m a bit late.”

“…….”

“…….”

“…What’s wrong with you two?”

“Nothing…”

“I just asked if she was planning to take down Yanagiya.”

‘Crazy… what a lunatic!’

“….Huh?”

“But she said no. Though it kinda feels like she might.”

At Jo Yeon-joo’s words, Riki frowned and spoke up.

“Sigh… hey, what the… ugh.”

“Why? There’s a possibility she might harm Yanagiya…”

“Hey, why the hell do you care about that? Are you kidding me?”

Riki looked visibly annoyed.

“She’s my guest. I’ll judge how to treat her, and whether she takes me down or not, that’s my business.”

‘Damn it, stop with the whole “taking down” thing already.’

I don’t even have any intention of taking anyone down, and here they are talking about it like it’s normal. It’s ridiculous.

“…Sorry. I think I made a mistake.”

“Sigh… don’t apologize to me, apologize to Yoon Seong.”

At Riki’s words, Jo Yeon-joo made a sorry face and apologized to me.

“Lee Yun-seong, I’m sorry. I think I was a bit rude.”

“…..Yeah. Just know that.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it was okay.

Riki sighed, smacked Jo Yeon-joo on the back of the head, and then spoke to me.

“She’s a bit weird, but she’s a good person. So don’t think too badly of her.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Anyway…”

Riki suddenly leaned in close, grabbed my chin with one hand, smirked, and spoke.

“So you’re not planning to take me down? That’s kinda annoying.”

“What…”

“Am I not attractive? Or am I just not your type?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I mean, you’re a man, so it’s not like you can’t. Unless you’re lacking down there…”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m normal.”

“Hmm… really? You’re not just pretending to be uninterested, are you? If you’re honest, I can give you what you want.”

“What?”

“I told you before, right? I can make anything you want happen. No matter what it is.”

Suddenly, the air felt a bit warmer. Her face in front of me looked flushed.

As I was flustered by the sudden shift in mood, Jo Yeon-joo spoke to Riki.

“…Why don’t you give me what I want? I’ve been honest about everything.”

“Sigh… you really can’t read the room. This is why we’re friends…”

“It’s not that I can’t read the room, I’m doing this on purpose. Why are you doing this in front of me? Who are you trying to provoke?”

“….Just give up. I have normal tastes.”

“No.”

“Ugh, damn it, the person I want isn’t interested, and now this weirdo is acting up. How am I supposed to stay sane?”

‘Damn it, this isn’t working.’

I had to change the topic somehow.

I didn’t want to continue this conversation anymore, and I didn’t want to see these two having their strange exchange.

“Ahem… by the way, Riki. I have a question.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“…I know there are three rankers in the Eastern Alliance, and two of them are here right now, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Is the third one also at this banquet?”

It was something I’d been curious about. I already knew Riki was a ranker, and by chance, I ended up meeting Jo Yeon-joo, who’s also a ranker.

Out of the three rankers in the Eastern Alliance, I’ve met two.

‘Is the third one not at the banquet?’

“Ah… that guy…”

‘Do they know the third one too?’

I figured rankers would’ve likely met each other.

“If you’re talking about Gwi Chang Baek Si-hoon… he doesn’t come to these events. Or rather, he can’t.”

Gwi Chang Baek Si-hoon. The name of one of the three rankers in the Eastern Alliance.

The reason I was curious if Baek Si-hoon was here was simple.

“Even though outlaws run rampant in the Eastern Alliance, a traitor can’t openly attend a banquet.”

Because he’s the only ranker who turned into an outlaw and became a traitor.