Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 143

143

If You Don’t Want to Stand Alone

“…For that reason, we have reached a final agreement to form a marriage alliance.”

The week-long winter training… scratch that.

After Sion, having returned from Kalta, finished reporting the events in the tent where his party was gathered, everyone reacted in disbelief.

“…”

Lilith, especially, who had been silently staring at Sion, wore a truly remarkable expression.

Not angry, not disbelieving, just a face devoid of any emotional change.

Because of that, Sion swallowed nervously, probably a hundred and twenty-eight times, while awaiting the others’ reactions.

“Young Master Sion Claussen.”

“Yes, Vice Commander Schumacher.”

“…Are you certain about this?

A marriage alliance with a warrior from a northern barbarian tribe…”

“For now, yes. However, given our respective circumstances, I don’t plan to proceed immediately. This promise is intended to minimize tension between the kingdom and the North.”

Although it’s termed a marriage alliance, he was merely someone put forward as the king’s representative without any preparation.

It’s not as if he could just get married right away!

Go on a honeymoon!

Set up a home in the North and live happily ever after!

Many tribal chiefs and warriors of Kalta argued that their marriage alliance was impossible, precisely because of that point.

Of course, they were quickly silenced by Zyan’s demonstration of strength, twisting a neck with one hand immediately afterward.

“Vice Commander Schumacher, you’re from the North, so you understand how important a marriage alliance is to the tribes living here.”

“…That’s right.

Once established, it’s like an unbreakable agreement. As long as the marriage is maintained, attacking the other party first is considered the greatest disgrace.”

“There was no other way. With the goods intended to appease the various tribes of the North not even having departed yet, this method was the ‘best’ way to calm everyone down.”

Sion emphasized the word ‘best’.

It was a signal to Lilith and Trisha, who clearly didn’t know the full situation, that ‘there were circumstances, so please give me some time to explain separately.’

Leaving those two aside, Vice Commander Schumacher’s face wasn’t very good either.

He was a noble among nobles who should have been marrying into a prominent aristocratic family of the kingdom, yet he was willingly walking into a trap for the sake of his country.

No matter how strong, no matter how beautiful, her origins were still from a northern barbarian tribe.

Regardless of the reason for making such a decision, Vice Commander Schumacher knew very well that the world of nobles was not an easy place.

‘Surely, those who know nothing will snicker, saying he’s forming a bond with a lowly woman and that the kingdom’s noble blood will be mixed with barbarian blood, producing children.’

Thinking that, Vice Commander Schumacher was already trembling with anger.

Sion Claussen, that young man in his prime, was sacrificing everything to stabilize this country, but they were gleefully chattering among themselves, which made him feel murderous.

But he struggled to suppress his anger.

Sion Claussen, that great noble, couldn’t possibly be unaware of this future that he himself knew.

He must have foreseen everything and sacrificed himself for the sake of his country.

“…His Majesty the King must be very distressed. And Princess Vanessa as well.”

When Sion asked ‘Huh?’ at Vice Commander Schumacher’s muttering, he shook his head as if it was nothing and said he would take his leave, then disappeared out of the tent.

Now, the only people left inside were Sion and four others.

Lilith, Trisha, Rishikida, and Kim Yoo-hyun, who was leaning against the pillar with his arms crossed.

“Ahem, well… Lilith.”

Trisha was a problem too, but the one he was most concerned about in this situation was Lilith.

As Sion cautiously called her name, the Succubus Queen, still expressionless, elegantly crossed her legs and stared at Sion.

“I’m going too.”

She jumped up from her seat and left the tent before Sion could even grab her.

‘I’m screwed. Super screwed.’

Sion wanted to bury his head in his hands and scream right then and there.

According to the words of his father, the true great sage of this era, ‘If a woman is sulking, then the man is screwed. No matter the reason, he’s unconditionally screwed.’

Moreover, the reason for her sulking was clearly because of him, so he was even more anxious.

“…That bitch.

I should have killed her after all. Where is she? Where is that burn-to-death bitch?”

And unlike the sulking Lilith, the woman who was approaching Sion with eyes blazing as if she would explode at any moment was, as expected, Trisha.

For the record, ‘blazing’ didn’t just mean her eyes.

In fact, due to the aura of the Stigmata [holy wounds mirroring those of Christ], the mana around her was heating up, and the air was gradually getting hotter.

Sion was worried that a huge explosion might occur out of nowhere, so he decided to eliminate the bomb that had its fuse lit first.

“Calm down, Trisha. It was an unavoidable problem. This was a decision made for the sake of the kingdom.”

“I don’t need any of that. I have no meaning except for Sion. If that kingdom or these barbarians here are the problem, I’ll burn them all down. No matter how long it takes, even if I die and disappear, I’ll burn everything possible. Just say the word. Sion.”

“…”

The way she said she would burn everything down made her seem exactly like the crazy bitch he had seen in novels, which made him shudder.

He felt like something really big was going to happen, but no matter how much he coaxed and appeased her, Trisha wouldn’t calm down at all.

The situation was so serious that Rishikida put her hand on her sword hilt, and Kim Yoo-hyun, who had been quietly watching from behind, even rolled up his sleeves, saying, ‘Shall I subdue her?’

But Sion stopped the two knights with a gesture.

For anyone other than himself to step in here would be like throwing firewood into a raging fire, or pouring oil on it.

‘When a child doesn’t listen, the guardian has to be firm.’

Thinking that, Sion kissed Trisha’s lips without a moment’s hesitation.

“Mmph?”

“Trisha, I clearly warned you. If you don’t intend to follow my will, if you intend to harm my people, I can no longer take you with me.”

“Mmph!
Mmmph!”

“This matter is very important to me. But you’re trying to ruin it. You’re trying to ruin me. Do you want me to burn along with the flames you’ve set?”

A voice as cold as ice, eyes frozen with chill.

Sion showed the most ruthless side he could.

Then Trisha’s body trembled greatly, and the energy that had been heating up the surroundings disappeared in an instant, as if it had never been there.

After confirming that Trisha had calmed down to some extent, Sion released her lips.

She touched her lips and grumbled in a slightly dissatisfied voice.

“…It hurts.”

“I hurt more. Every time you don’t trust me and say such reckless things.”

“That’s because I’m doing it for Sion, and no one else!”

“I know. I know everything. That’s why I’m even more worried. I’m worried that you’ll cause trouble while saying you’re doing it for me, and that you’ll get hurt by my people trying to stop you. Then I won’t be able to blame anyone. I’d rather blame myself.”

“Th, that’s! That’s not true! I’ll never do anything that will hurt Sion!”

“I already hurt enough when you said you’d burn everything down?”

“Ugh… That can’t be…”

Regardless of the kingdom or peace, Trisha is a woman who is only okay with having the person she wants by her side.

And she wants to do everything for that person, while also wanting to receive their love.

It’s a fiery character that’s ambiguous whether to call it affection or obsession.

‘If you let someone else control that flame, it will only grow bigger. You have to reduce it yourself, and reduce it again, and in the end, you have to be able to control it to the point where you don’t even start the fire yourself.’

No matter how powerful a weapon, no matter how talented a person, if you can’t handle it, it’s just a dangerous thing that’s perfect for hurting the people around you and yourself.

He kept Trisha by his side, but she wasn’t completely refined yet.

The only way to control her is, of course, for himself to be the reason.

“I know your heart well, Trisha.”

He gently strokes the woman’s lips, which he had been holding a little too tightly this time.

As he unknowingly touches the soft and warm sensation a few more times, Trisha’s face quickly turns red, and she clearly doesn’t know what to do.

“I know you’re anxious and frustrated, but please wait. Until I can accept everything about you with peace of mind.”

He adds a deep gaze as a bonus.

With Sion’s perfect work, Trisha made a ‘squeaking!’ sound and didn’t know what to do, then made eye contact with Rishikida, who was standing behind Sion.

And when she realized that her face wasn’t good, she felt a sense of victory that seemed to lift her into the sky, along with a slight embarrassment.

“I, I’ll go too.”

The anger towards Zyan disappeared without a trace, and what took its place was the conviction that she had been forgiven and understood by Sion, and that they had gotten a little closer.

Trisha quickly ran out of the tent, just like Lilith had done!

She would probably go back like this, crawl into her sleeping bag, and roll around in happiness, saying, ‘Aaaah!’

“Haa.”

Sion, who sighed, called Rishikida, who was unknowingly pouting her lips behind him.

He had comforted Trisha, so now it was time to embrace this cute puppy-like woman.

“You’ve worked hard, Rishi.”

“No, Master has worked much harder than me…”

“At times like this, you just have to be quiet and nod.”

Saying that, Sion stroked Rishikida’s sparkling blonde hair.

She’s not a noble lady who spends all her time on makeup, but a woman who’s busy wielding her sword and training her body every hour, but her hair was much smoother than those noble ladies.

If she had lived as an ordinary woman instead of a knight, she would have definitely become a beauty who would shake the hearts of many men.

“Go and get some rest. Get a good night’s sleep. I don’t think you’ve slept properly while you were in Kalta.”

“…I had to protect Master. If you ask me if that was tiring, I would never say yes. Oh, rather… even the time I spent sleeping was too precious. I could be in Master’s arms like that.”

Whoa, if Lilith had heard that, the already serious situation would have become even more serious.

Thinking that, Sion quietly said to Rishikida, ‘Let’s keep that story a secret between the two of us, okay, Rishi?’ and got her to agree.

When Rishikida nodded obediently, Sion lightly kissed her forehead as a sign of gratitude, and she also quickly ran out of the tent, just like the two women before her.

‘Oh dear.’

He’s really worried about the future, worried. Sion.

Sion scolded himself like that and glanced sideways.

There, Kim Yoo-hyun, who had been trying to say with his whole body, ‘I didn’t see or hear anything,’ with his arms crossed and staring at the wall, was in his place.

“Thanks for pretending not to know, Kim Yoo-hyun.”

“I’ve always been told not to interfere in matters between men and women, so it’s only natural.”

You little rascal, you’ve learned that part well.

Sion muttered and stared at Kim Yoo-hyun.

It would have been fine for him to leave in the middle, but seeing that he had stayed until the end, it seemed like he had something to tell him.

“Sion. Actually, I have something to tell you.”

And the story that Kim Yoo-hyun told him was very interesting to Sion.

―

“Lilith.”

Sion, who had arrived at the tent where Lilith was staying, cautiously called her name and went inside.

He didn’t know if something might fly at him, but he didn’t think Lilith would kill him, and he slowly moved his feet to carry out his father’s teachings, ‘If you think you’ve done something wrong, apologize no matter how angry the woman is.’

“Hello?”

No answer came back.

Suppressing his increasingly anxious heart, Sion looked around and soon found something wriggling inside the sleeping bag and slowly approached it.

“…Lilith.”

Swish, swish―.

A pale, beautiful arm popped out of the sleeping bag and waved.

It was a sign for Sion to come closer, and it was the moment he approached her.

Swoosh, whoosh!

“Gah!”

He didn’t know where such terrifying strength came from in that delicate hand that seemed like it would break if you grabbed it.

Sion was grabbed by the collar and slammed his face into the sleeping bag.

He struggled and tried to get up, but Lilith’s hands and chest were pressing him down, so he couldn’t even do that.

“You, didn’t you listen to my warning at all?”

A chilling woman’s voice was heard whispering in his ear, and Sion shuddered.

It would be nice if he could at least know what kind of expression or eyes she had, but he couldn’t observe any of that and was just listening to her cold voice while being embraced in her arms, which made him feel even more like he was going to die.

“S, Sister. Please listen to me first…”

Suddenly, Sion’s chin was jerked upwards!

Lilith, who grabbed his chin, looked down at her man for a moment, and then, without any hesitation, began to devour Sion’s lips.

Sion felt like his mind was turning white as if he had been shot by a gun in the most intense and passionate kiss ever.

“To be honest, I was angry at first.”

That was a pretty scary thing that came out of Lilith’s mouth right after she took her lips off.

Sion swallowed hard because it seemed like flames would pour out of her sparkling red eyes at any moment, and then she giggled and opened her mouth, licking her finger.

“But when I thought about it, I realized you didn’t lie. So I felt a little better.”

“Yes?”

“You said you like my style. To be honest, when I see Ria, Trisha, and that girl, I was wondering if your taste was suspicious. But when I saw you immediately fall for that human, I realized that you really do like my style.”

“…”

Sion was sincerely grateful to his sister for thinking that way again.

It’s not that Lilith is stupid, so she’s saying those things.

Rather, she’s giving Sion an excuse or a refuge, saying that she can understand this situation.

“…I’m sorry, Lilith.”

“I understand. I know that you humans live much more tired lives than I thought. It’s possible to be connected to another aristocratic human, even if it’s not that woman. You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to say something like I’m going to burn everything down like Trisha, that rude little brat. Instead.”

Lilith’s eyes sparkled even more intensely.

Even a fool could tell that the emotions contained within, such as possessiveness, jealousy, and desire, were blazing.

Sion, who wasn’t slow to notice either, waited for her next words with great tension.

“It could be something that brings my hunger forward even more. You’re aware that this sister next to you is the Succubus Queen, right? If I keep getting rivals, I can’t always act like a generous main wife, even if it’s me. Surely, Sion, you don’t want me to jump into that arena of endless competition, do you?”

“Of course not! My number one is you, no matter what anyone says! Yes, of course!”

As he flailed and answered like a sycophant, Lilith said, ‘Yes, of course. I’m yours forever, and you’re mine forever,’ and poked Sion’s nose with her finger, which she had been licking all along.

“It’s mine. I’ve already claimed it. I’m holding back because I can’t monopolize it, but if I don’t have enough to share, I’ll become a gangster at that time. Do you understand. Sion?”

Oh, yes! Of course!

As Sion begged and said that, Lilith slowly crawled out of the sleeping bag and sat in front of Sion, as if her heart had softened a little.

Then, she made eye contact with him and continued.

“So, explanation.”

“Yes?”

“Oh? Are you looking at this sister like I’m a fool? Are you saying that you just fell for a woman and accepted it? There must be something else that benefits you, so you did that. Isn’t there?”

Wow, as expected of Lilith.

Sion muttered and shook his head.

As she said, the reason why he accepted Zyan’s marriage alliance was partly because of the relationship between the kingdom and the barbarian tribes, but also because it had a reason that benefited him.

“Lilith.”

“Yes, Sion.”

“I might be able to get a little, very ‘slightly’ stronger!”