Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 234

234―――――

Karma

Originally, whenever a woman entered Zion’s room, a heated atmosphere always filled the air, anticipating what was to come.

But now, instead of heat, a chill that made one’s skin crawl blew fiercely.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Due to Rishikida’s summons, or rather, Zion’s call, all the women were gathered.

Luciana and Trisha, who had come down without knowing what was going on, and Lilith, who had already grasped the general situation, were all in one place.

Thanks to Zion, who had emphasized time and again that the sofa was the best place to sleep, there were two long sofas in his room. The gathered women sat on them, keeping their distance from each other, or brought chairs to sit on.

“…”

“…”

Nevertheless, the silence continued.

To be precise, except for Zann, the rest of the women were exchanging glances and having a silent conversation.

“…Master is a little late.”

Rishikida, a knight sharper than any sword before the enemy, but who became a very gentle and kind woman when it came to matters related to Zion, ended up taking the lead and opening her mouth.

She felt sorry to leave it to the other women, and she felt a sense of duty to somehow ease this frozen atmosphere until Zion arrived, since he had entrusted the task to her.

“Um, Zann Temujin.

There are some people you’re meeting for the first time, right?”

“…That’s right.

I saw you in the north, and the other two women as well.

However, that wild beast from earlier…”

Lia’s expression hardened again at the word ‘wild beast,’ and Trisha chuckled!

At that, Lilith frowned, poking Trisha’s side, telling her not to.

“Let me correct myself.

That woman named Lia and the martial artist sitting next to her, who seems to have quite decent skills, are the first I’ve met.”

Still, Luciana, who was referred to as ‘a martial artist who seems to have quite decent skills’ according to Zann’s words, smiled faintly.

At least she wasn’t described with words like ‘wild beast’ like Lia.

“I’m Luciana.”

“You can call me Zann.”

After a brief greeting, another silence followed.

The women who already knew about Zann’s identity, the reason why she came to the kingdom, and what promises she had exchanged with Zion in the north, couldn’t help but be like that.

Thanks to that, only Lia and Luciana, who didn’t know the exact situation yet, could only react with ‘Everyone’s too on edge, aren’t they?’

‘Bringing all the women together in one place like this must mean he wants something from me.’

If Zion had heard Zann’s thoughts, he might have shouted, ‘Absolutely not! I just gathered you to announce the important fact that pigeons are our enemies!’

But very unfortunately, Zann’s thoughts couldn’t reach that far.

“The rest of you, except for those two women, probably know very well ‘who’ I am.”

Zann wasn’t simply emphasizing that she was a guest from the north, or the leader of the northern tribes.

It was a kind of wide-area provocation, asking if they knew what kind of relationship she had with Zion.

The one who immediately fell for it was, as expected, Trisha, who was always burning fiercely.

“Hmph!

You’re acting all high and mighty with a mere promise you got by pressuring Zion-nim [term of respect] with force.”

Still, rather than getting angry, Trisha was just muttering as if she found it absurd.

It seemed that she had recently gained some *yoyu* [余裕 – composure] and a slightly broader mind due to Zion’s ‘reward’ that had happened before.

“I know, right.

Acting like she’s got something when she hasn’t really gotten anything.”

‘I don’t think I can eat it all alone anyway.’

‘Instead, don’t ever try to monopolize it.’

From Lilith’s point of view, who emphasized that part, Zann, who was trying to bring up marriage or whatever, was truly a thorn in her side.

‘Land with relatively less mana content compared to other places, literally a forsaken place.’

‘Just becoming that strong in such a region could be seen as exceeding human standards.’

‘Okay, I’ll grant you that far, that you’re a human Zion could find attractive enough.’

‘But…’

But, she wasn’t a woman with tremendous power that could overwhelm her just because she was strong.

If she really faced her with a determination to kill, she could kill her after some struggle.

She wasn’t a knight with blind loyalty to Zion like Rishikida, nor did she have two weapons like magic and martial arts like Luciana.

She wasn’t even someone with a cute appearance like Lia or someone with a tangy flavor like Trisha.

Just a human woman like winter, a woman armed with confidence and certainty in herself.

Lilith’s honest desire was to no longer allow a woman who was so strong that it was difficult to mix with her to stick by Zion’s side.

“Nyaang?

What on earth are you talking about?”

“I know, right.

Everyone’s reactions are too sharp.

Didn’t you say she’s a guest from the north?

We might get scolded by Zion if we keep this up, so shouldn’t we all be careful for now?”

“I wonder?

Luciana, I wonder if you could really say that even if you knew the identity of that human woman.”

“Identity?”

In response to Luciana’s question, Lilith told her not to be surprised first and then continued.

“She says she’s going to marry Zion.”

“…Pardon?”

“She took a marriage alliance with Zion as a price for calming her tribes in the north―”

In fact, Zion and Zann had taken the lead in minimizing the backlash from the northern tribes and warriors with the huge bait of a marriage alliance, but Lilith and the other women didn’t need such political aspects.

In their eyes, it just seemed like that barbaric northern woman suddenly rushed in and snatched Zion away like an eagle snatching something.

“…”

Swish―.

Lia drawing out her bluish claws again, like a sharp blade.

The difference from before was that this time, a bluish current was flowing at the end, and a eerie blue light was swirling in her eyes.

“Ahaha.

Lilith unnie [term of endearment for older sister/female friend], your jokes are too much.”

Even Luciana, who was laughing with an ‘ahaha’ sound but whose eyes and expression were not laughing at all.

Lia and Luciana, who knew very well that Lilith was by no means a woman who would play such low-level tricks, stared at Zann as if demanding an explanation.

As if warning her not to dare take their prey when she was just a sudden guest.

“This is why you can’t do anything with the people below you.

Are you just complaining without even thinking about what your master, Zion, was thinking when he made such a promise with me?”

Rather, Zann said that with a fairly confident voice, elegantly crossed her legs, and confidently accepted the women’s gazes.

She scratched her cheek and immediately continued before the other women could say anything.

“Don’t you all know that there’s a high probability that it will be a promise that can’t be kept anyway?”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

“What are you all pretending not to know?

Just because I’m the leader of the barbarians that the kingdom talks about so much, did you think that even my head is full of muscles?”

Zann smiled faintly and laughed out loud for a moment.

But soon that laughter stayed only for a moment like the warm energy of winter, and only the dryness of winter remained on her face.

“A marriage alliance is just a formality.

A formality that this alliance between our tribes in the north and the kingdom will definitely last a long time.

So everyone, rest assured, put aside your animosity towards each other, be faithful to your own lives, and don’t show your teeth to each other.”

“Ah…”

“Knight, you should say it once.

If a woman like me, a woman whom the kingdom calls a barbarian, is connected to a noble of the kingdom, what do you think the other nobles will say?”

“…There will be a lot of unpleasant things to hear.”

Rishikida, who knew about the lives of nobles to some extent, answered that way.

At her answer, Zann nodded as if she was right, closed her eyes, and muttered.

“When the relationship becomes closer than it is now and you realize that fighting each other is a loss, I will give up first without you saying anything, so don’t worry too much.”

A part that they had never even thought of.

Since Zann herself said that she had no intention of pushing the marriage alliance firmly, Rishikida, Trisha, and Lilith were quite embarrassed.

“Nyaang, then, Zann.”

Lia, who had put away her other claws and only put out the claw on her index finger, opened her mouth slightly.

“Do you really have no feelings for Zion?

Is the marriage alliance just something you put out for your people, and you have no personal feelings?”

“That’s…”

The moment Zann was about to answer Lia’s question.

As she felt a presence in the distance, Zann immediately closed her mouth and returned to her usual cold appearance as if nothing had happened.

“That’s a relief.

I thought you were already having a sword fight.”

Zion and Kim Yoo-hyun entered as the door opened.

Zion examined all the fragile glasses and flowerpots that he had installed here and there in the room, wondering if these women had already had a fight and were sitting there pretending nothing had happened.

“Do you think we fight every day?

Everyone’s not a child.”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

“If you have a conscience, Lia, at least stay still.”

The house cat immediately shut her mouth at Zion’s sharp warning.

Still, she was grumbling as if she was quite resentful that she had been targeted and attacked, and Luciana chuckled, perhaps because that appearance was quite cute.

Kim Yoo-hyun closed the door, checked to make sure that no one was eavesdropping anywhere, and signaled with his hand. Zion decided to explain why he had gathered these people.

“I’m going to talk about something important now.

The reason why I called everyone is…”

“Is it a hierarchy arrangement, Zion?”

“Lilith-nim [term of respect], I’m as serious as I can be right now.”

“Okay, okay.

Don’t be so serious.

It doesn’t suit you.

So, what’s that important story?”

“It’s a problem related to the Celestial Race.

Furthermore, it may be quite a serious problem.”

The moment the word ‘Celestial Race’ came out, the energy disappeared from Lilith’s face, which had still not lost its smile.

Luciana, who already knew the general facts from Zion, had an expression that the time had come.

And Kim Yoo-hyun and Rishikida, who had already fought with the Celestial Race, had hardened faces.

“Nyaaang… the atmosphere is strange.”

“What is it?

Why is everyone like this?

It’s like a funeral home.”

However, only Lia and Trisha, who still didn’t know the exact situation, were just looking around.

Zion thought that he should slowly tell them about the picture he was drawing and the true colors of those who called themselves the light of the world around this time.

‘It would have been an overreach if I had said these words at first.’

Now, trust had been built to some extent not only between Zion and the women, but also between them.

Although they had different races, different powers, and very different personalities, they were ultimately moving forward together with the same goal, so camaraderie and comradeship could not help but bloom.

Zion slowly opened his mouth, starting with the fact that the fairies had targeted the royal castle.

The part where those called the Celestial Race attacked him and he could have died if it weren’t for Lilith.

The fairies who were targeting the Klausen territory and the forces behind them.

Stimulating the traitors of the Holy Prussen to stir up the pirates again and confuse the kingdom.

Finally, he told the story of the Celestial Race who appeared in front of Rishikida and Kim Yoo-hyun and fought them.

While subtly avoiding the conclusion that ‘the Celestial Race are actually the worst bastards.’

However, by appropriately mixing and stretching the story so that such a conclusion could not help but be drawn.

That way, until they themselves made their favorability towards the Celestial Race a zero.

“Yeah, I knew it.

These pigeon bastards.

They’re only white on the outside, but their insides are very black!”

As expected, Lilith was the first to snarl and get angry as if she was going to grind them up and drink them right away.

Trisha had already lost half of her reason at the part where ‘they tried to kill Zion,’ putting everything else aside, and she was gritting her teeth, and that was the same for Lia and Luciana.

Rishikida didn’t show it, but she was as angry as they were, because she had actually clashed with the Celestial Race and felt how strong they were firsthand.

Lastly, Zann opened her mouth with a face that was even colder and more hardened than before.

“From what I’ve heard, wasn’t the Celestial Race a kind of guardian force that protects humans?”

“That’s how they are perceived in Hispania, Nudia, and the Holy Prussen.”

“They may be like that to you, but to our tribes, they are just illusions.

If those people threatened Zion’s life, then they are immediately enemies to us.

Our northern tribes owe you a debt, so we will naturally fight those who are hostile to you.”

Yes, good.

As expected, there are no side effects when you detonate the truth after doing enough work.

Zion thought so and looked at those who were only angry at the news that the Celestial Race was trying to kill him, without any reaction to his story that the Celestial Race were actually the worst bastards, and shouted ‘Done!’ in a small voice.

“Zion, then what are you going to do now?

If the Celestial Race really acts with hostility towards humans.

If no one knows that truth and only you know it.”

“Fortunately, Princess Vanessa also thinks that the Celestial Race is plotting something strange, Lilith-nim.

I won’t be fighting alone.

And it’s not certain that the Celestial Race will really do ‘bad things,’ so it’s better to just prepare for it for now.”

Unfortunately, there is no way to strike the Celestial Race first yet.

If he went out and shouted ‘Celestial Race are bastards’ right now, the followers of light would flock to demand an apology.

So, rather than igniting more hostility in this place, he just needed to pour more oil and firewood on the suspicion, make it burn, and manage it so that it wouldn’t go out.

Since it was a combination with almost no normal people anyway, there were no people who would easily withdraw their animosity towards the Celestial Race.

“Rishi, you said you fought with the Celestial Race, right?”

“Yes, Lilith-nim.”

“And you were pushed back so badly that it was almost a defeat.”

“…That’s right.”

“Yeah, the Celestial Race doesn’t just say that they are the most superior race for no reason.

I’ll make it clear here, don’t step up if you judge that you can’t fight.

Because you’ll be a hindrance.”

Lilith’s words contained the meaning of worrying about them dying if they fought unnecessarily, but as Zion said, there were almost no normal people here, so that meaning was being taken strangely.

“…That word is quite offensive.”

Starting with Zann, all the women gathered in the room opened their eyes wide and appealed that they were by no means weak.

Even Rishikida, who could be said to have been defeated by the Celestial Race, was exuding a strong will as if she would never lose if she fought next time.

“No, what’s with these stubborn people?

Do you think the opponent is some human or something?

It’s the Celestial Race.

They call themselves the descendants of light, and they’re unlucky, but there’s a reason for that!

You’ll really die if you mess around?”

“We worked really hard.

We’re still doing it.

In order not to be a hindrance, in order to be helpful.

Lilith unnie, you know that too, right?”

“No way.

You guys are still far off?”

“There’s a saying that you have to compare to know who’s longer and who’s shorter, Lilith-nim.”

“What’s with these frustrating people?

Okay, I’ll judge the confident ones first.

Whether you’re really in a state where you can fight the Celestial Race, or whether you’re just a punch away.”

No, why is the atmosphere like this again?

The energy that seemed like they were going to cheer each other on until just a moment ago had been given to the dogs, and it had become a situation where it seemed like they were going to have a fight here right away.

Zion sighed and reacted as if he knew this would happen.

He glanced at Kim Yoo-hyun.

With the intention of asking him to calm this situation down by saying something since he had defeated the Celestial Race.

“…”

Kim Yoo-hyun seemed to understand Zion’s intention, bowed his head slightly, and stepped forward.

And he looked at the women and slowly opened his mouth.

“As someone who has fought against the Celestial Race.”

“…?”

“You guys are terribly weak.

You’ll definitely die if you fight now.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Nyaaang?”

“Still, if you want to step up, follow me.

If all of you rush at me and make even one scratch on me, then I will retract these words.”

No, what the hell?

What is this bastard doing now?

“Okay, Yoo-hyun.

I guess you’re taking me lightly because I only used magic and now I’m doing martial arts.”

“Sir Kim Yoo-hyun.

You know how scary I’ve grown.”

“Nyaaang!

I’ll slash you like this, like this!

And slash you!”

“I heard that burning to death is the most painful.”

“You’re an arrogant man who just clashed swords in the north for a while.

Victory and defeat are common in war.”

The women sitting in their seats all stood up in unison.

Even though the sun had already set and the moon had risen, they were about to run out right away.

Zion sighed as the situation grew into a picture he had never expected.

‘What the hell is this all of a sudden, not even a midnight exercise!’

‘Kim Yoo-hyun, I told you to stop it, but he’s shooting up the Hell Severing Demon Sword!’

What the hell!

―――――――Author’s Afterword―――――――

Cry,,, Hell Severing Demon Sword,,,!

/I’m really sorry for taking a day off….

I’ll come back after resting….

ㅠ