[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 297

Wuryeong, who had been blankly staring, unable to keep up with the situation unfolding before her eyes, suddenly met the gaze of Lispa Elde, who was nibbling on some boiled pork while holding a small bowl.

“Would you like to sit here?”

“……Yes.”

“So, what do you think now that you’ve seen it for yourself?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Who else? That man.”

Lispa Elde tilted her chin toward Leon, who was effortlessly drawing in all attention.

In any world, humans chase after dopamine.

The reason so many spectators gather at these branch tournaments is the same—seeking stimulation.

And now, since an unexpected scene was giving them a sudden rush of it, of course all eyes would be glued to him.

“How…… how is that even possible? Is it some famous magic from the Central or Western Continent?”

Using magic at these branch gatherings was considered heresy.

Maybe that was why so many eyes looked on him with disdain.

“Magic isn’t omnipotent. That was just pure brute strength—he threw the opponent and then used aura to cancel out the impact damage when they fell.”

“There’s no way something like that is…….”

“Mm…… I think in the Eastern Continent they call it ‘transcendent flight.’”

“That’s just an expression—hardly anyone actually…….”

Wuryeong looked bewildered, which made her giggle.

Then she pulled out a small talisman from her robes and held it out.

“Wh-what is this?”

“A charm. Carry it with you—it’s good for your health.”

“A charm?”

“Where I come from, these are famous items. Keep it close; it brings beneficial effects for your health. Who knows? Maybe the curse that plagues you will suddenly ease.”

Wuryeong’s eyes widened.

“How did you know about……?”

“I’m sensitive to such things. If you’re willing, come find me. Now that things have turned out this way, I could lend you a hand.”

Like a feather, she rose gracefully and strolled lightly out of the arena.

Wuryeong remained standing there for a long while, staring blankly at her retreating figure.

* * *

There had been an unexpected commotion during the preliminaries, and because of it, rumors began to spread.

The matches at these gatherings were essentially battles of pride between the great families.

As for participants from small or mid-sized families or groups, even if they reached the main tournament, they usually served only as stepping stones for the scions of the great clans.

But this time, the atmosphere was strangely different.

“What did you say?”

Gu Hwan, the young master of the Muyeol Clan, frowned at the man before him.

“What exactly did he do?”

“Rumors are running rampant in the streets.”

And the subject of those rumors was none other than that damned foreigner from the Central Continent—the one who had clashed with him.

A worthless beggar, yet brazen enough to challenge him twice without fear.

Because of that man, his plans had been disrupted, and the clan Elders had scolded him harshly for it.

“Damn him.”

At the banquet, he should have exposed Wuryeong’s false face mask and revealed her disfigured appearance to all.

He had even coated his sword with a special dye for that very purpose.

Because of that, Wuryeong couldn’t fight properly, forced to protect her mask—and that was why she lost.

And then some no-name vagabond ruined everything!

Well, no matter.

He would strip Wuryeong’s mask again during the main tournament.

Though whether she would fall for it so easily this time was uncertain……

“That damned man is the problem! Dark Division!”

“Yes, young master.”

“What’s the status?”

“We await only your command. Give the word, and we’ll crush him without a trace.”

“Then what are you waiting for?! Go now!!”

“At once.”

In an instant, the men vanished like shadows.

Each one of them was a veteran fighter, skilled enough that even late-stage experts would struggle against them.

Within the family, they were the elite unit honed through extreme training for covert operations. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt

In truth, sending the Dark Division after that nobody was foolishness.

But Gu Hwan’s loathing for the foreigner was too great—he couldn’t bear to let it go.

From the looks of it, the man was staying as a guest of the Sichuan Family.

But with the family consumed by matters concerning the Blood Sect, they wouldn’t have the energy to bother protecting him.

* * *

The Dark Division leader moved under the cover of night, silencing every step as he tracked his target.

As luck would have it, the target wasn’t inside the Sichuan Family compound, but wandering about outside.

The Sichuan Family was in chaos, for the Blood Sect had suddenly reappeared.

That alone was enough trouble, but to host the branch tournament on top of it meant they were stretched to their limits.

With so many guests present, if an incident occurred, the family’s pride would be shattered and their prestige would take a heavy blow.

The Dark Division leader smirked.

Under these circumstances, even if the target died, the Sichuan Family would hardly investigate deeply.

They had no reason to risk resources over some foreigner.

And since the target wasn’t even inside the compound but outside in public space, the matter would be brushed off all the more easily.

The Dark Division surrounded the target soundlessly.

From the market square, the leader watched the two people standing there.

“Would you play something for us?”

“Shall I? Ahem.”

As if oblivious to the danger closing in, the two spoke casually.

Then, a blue-haired woman wearing a veil pulled a strange instrument from her bosom.

Seated before a stone statue nearby, she began to pluck at the strings.

It was unlike any instrument from the Eastern Continent, both in shape and in tone.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Diriring……

Passersby stopped in their tracks, their eyes drawn to the sound.

Unconcerned, the woman kept strumming, her beautiful, clear voice joining the melody.

A song of unmatched beauty, unlike anything heard before.

Her voice was so enchanting, it seemed to hypnotize the soul itself, leaving everyone who heard it spellbound.

Different culture, unfamiliar language—yet no one found it strange.

Even without understanding, they understood.

Even though the instrument was foreign, it sounded familiar.

The Dark Division leader, too, did not realize that he was staring blankly, utterly captivated.

For even stripped of her title as Archangel, Lispa Elde—once the Archangel Remiel—her performance carried such overwhelming force.

And so, for a moment, everyone stood there in a trance, bewitched by her song.

When her hands finally stilled and the impromptu performance came to an end, the leader of the covert unit gave a start and glanced around.

It wasn’t just him—most of his men were watching with vacant expressions, entranced by the music.

‘Damn sorcery! He noticed our ambush!’

Leaving behind the cheers and attention of the crowd, the two people rose from their seats and strolled leisurely toward the outskirts of the village, not the direction of the great clans.

The leader snapped his men out of their stupor and silently pursued the pair.

And then—

It was only once they reached a deserted spot that the two finally stopped walking.

The covert unit quickly took positions around them, poised to draw weapons the moment the signal was given.

The leader swept his gaze over his men and raised a hand to give the order.

But the hand never came down.

“Hey!!”

An unexpected figure strode quickly toward the pair.

—It’s So Wuryeong of the Sichuan clan. What should we do?

—We can’t harm the target. She must live until the gathering. Abort the attack.

The leader clicked his tongue.

So Wuryeong had to remain alive until her true face beneath the disguise was revealed before the assembly.

Only then could the plan begin—when the curse tainting her visage was exposed to all.

“This… this talisman!! What is it?!”

The leader chose to observe for now.

There were three of them together at the moment, but once she left, he planned to commence the operation.

“Talisman? Ah. Works pretty well, doesn’t it?”

“How did you…?”

“Has it already started?”

“Turns out it’s not that big of a curse after all.”

‘Not that big of a curse?’

A chill ran down the covert leader’s spine.

A curse?

Could it be that he had seen through the elaborate curse the Wuyeol clan had spent years weaving onto So Wuryeong?

No one in the Sichuan clan had ever recognized the abnormality in her body as a curse.

“So Wuryeong. Sorry, but—could you take off that mask on your face?”

At Lispa Elde’s quiet request, So Wuryeong flinched violently.

“That’s…”

“I need to see your condition first to check how the treatment is progressing, right?”

“How… how did you know?”

At her question, Lispa Elde glanced at Leon and then replied:

“The human-skin mask? Anyone could tell at a glance. And there was the stench of a curse. That’s why I helped you at the banquet.”

“…”

“So? Are you going to let me treat you, or not?”

“P… please treat me!”

In desperation, she grabbed Lispa Elde’s hand tightly, her face full of urgency.

“It’s nothing complicated. Just take it off first.”

Though clearly afraid of showing her face to others, So Wuryeong lowered her head as if making a decision, and slowly removed the mask.

The covert leader sucked in a sharp breath.

Once, she had been so beautiful that she was hailed as one of the flowers of the Eastern Continent.

But now—her bare face could no longer be called beautiful, not even out of courtesy.

The grotesque discoloration of her skin and the twisted features spoke of the agony she must have endured.

That her condition had even improved to this point was astonishing.

“Hm. As I thought—this curse was malicious from the very start.”

“C… can it be cured?”

At her question, Lispa Elde gave an unbothered nod.

“The density of the curse is strong, but…”

Seeing her hesitate, So Wuryeong’s expression darkened.

Leon then spoke up,

“Doesn’t that mean the affinity’s actually good?”

“How’d you guess? Yeah, a curse like this—I could unravel it in my sleep.”

“You’re quite capable.”

“Heh. Unlike Luna Basilin, I’m not just some brainless musclehead.”

‘Impossible!’

The covert leader sneered inwardly.

This curse had been meticulously crafted over years by a master infamous for his vicious curses.

And yet he claimed she could unravel it so easily?

Absurd!

Just then—

Lispa Elde plucked her lyre, drawing it from the void, and golden waves of melody wrapped around So Wuryeong.

The covert leader then witnessed the unthinkable.

The talisman clutched in her hand resonated with the golden harmonies, producing a unique vibration within her body.

With each pulse, her face gradually began to return to its original form.

The leader, who had been scoffing inwardly, realized something was going terribly wrong.

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