Chapter 20 - I'll Think About It

"What a shame."

"What is?"

"That I can't call you my husband."

"... I told you not to call me that."

"I could call you darling. Or oppa."

"Could you please restrain yourself?"

What was she so happy about? Watching Li Qingyu beam at him, Limon thought she was a princess who would be difficult to handle in more ways than one. Of course, he'd known she was no ordinary princess from the moment she'd come to make him her live-in son-in-law, then offered him a generous stake in the Leviathan. But calling him her husband already, as if to make their marriage a settled matter? It was enough to leave him shaking his head.

'She acts like a sly little fox, but somehow she looks strangely innocent, too.'

Strangest of all, he couldn't read what Li Qingyu was thinking. Having lived as long as he had, Limon trusted his eye for people to a degree, yet even he found her hard to gauge. Her skill at making proposals and negotiating while concealing her intentions made her seem like a calculating strategist. The trouble was, the delighted smile on her face and her oddly familiar manner didn't look like an act at all.

'Why would she feel close to me?'

This was only their second meeting. The first had been a few days ago, when she'd proposed marriage, so they were practically strangers. Why, then, did she seem so glad to see him? He couldn't make sense of it. Given the long-standing grudge between Limon and the Seven Dragons Society, she had every reason to hate him and not the slightest reason to like him.

'The sensible explanation is that it's all an act, but...'

"Sword Lord? Is something wrong?"

Limon studied Li Qingyu. Then, looking at the girl who seemed puzzled by his gaze, he muttered, "... What do I care?"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. I've just decided to stop thinking about it."

"...???"

Li Qingyu blinked blankly. But Limon no longer bothered wondering whether her reaction was genuine or an act. It didn't matter. He had already sworn on his sword that he would not abandon her so long as she did not turn her back on him. That was enough for him. Whatever her intentions, he had no reason to care unless she stabbed him in the back. If she betrayed him, he could make her pay then. So he gave up worrying about it.

Instead, he raised the glass of whiskey Yo U-in had brought him and asked, "More importantly, what are you going to do now?"

"About what?"

"The flies outside."

Li Qingyu's eyes widened. She knew he wasn't talking about actual insects. "You knew they were there?"

"They're practically broadcasting their presence. How could I not?"

Had the "flies" heard that, they would have protested that it was impossible. They were top-tier Tracers, specialists in tracking and infiltration whose concealment would not be easy for even a high-level player to see through.

"I suppose you would know," Li Qingyu said.

"Even we detected them," Yo U-in added.

But neither of them doubted Limon. As members of the Black Dragon Clan, they knew better than anyone how pointless it was to try to hide one's presence from him.

"They're hiding fairly well for the government's half-wits... Are they the Infinite Monarch's people?"

"Yes. More precisely, I think there are also some Tracers from other guilds hired by the [Infinity] Guild among them."

That, too, would have horrified the "flies." Li Qingyu had not only detected them but identified the people stationed around the hotel. Limon took it in stride.

Lying in ambush to watch the Leviathan Hotel, of all places? It was surprising they'd gotten away with merely having their identities exposed. In the old days, every one of them would have vanished without a trace before anyone bothered identifying them.

'Actually, why would things be any different now?'

Limon tilted his head. They might have gone legitimate, but they were still the Seven Dragons Society. Given the nature of the Leviathan Hotel in particular, leaving those people alone was anything but normal.

"Is it because of the Infinite Monarch that you've left them alone even though you know who they are?"

"That's about half the reason."

Li Qingyu readily agreed. The Seven Dragon Group might dominate the world's economy, but Monarchs were the absolute powers of this age. Even for the Society, going after the Infinite Monarch's subordinates simply for being nearby was not a step to take lightly.

"And the other half?"

"My future husband is here. It wouldn't do to start something bloody while you're visiting, would it?"

"... Oh. Right."

Should he thank her for being considerate, or pretend he hadn't heard that? After giving the matter serious thought, Limon simply changed the subject.

"I thought you were leaving them alone because you were worried about the bastards behind them."

"Pardon?"

"Huh?"

Li Qingyu's bafflement and Limon's puzzled tilt of the head came almost at the same time.

"What people behind them?"

"Wait, you didn't know? The rest of their crew is standing by a little farther away."

Li Qingyu had no answer to Limon's uncertain question. She only looked to Yo U-in in confusion. But the unexpected news had caught him off guard as well.

"We haven't detected anyone else within at least ten ri—about four kilometers—of the hotel..."

"Huh? You only watch that far these days?"

"Times have changed. We monitor farther out with devices, but our personnel only guard the area within that radius."

"Well... The world really has changed for the better."

Limon clicked his tongue.

It wasn't hard to understand. Now that the Seven Dragons Society had successfully gone legitimate, they probably had less need for vigilance. Still, he hadn't expected even the Leviathan Hotel to grow this lax. Feeling the passage of time in an unexpected way, Limon got to the point.

"Anyway, that explains why you missed them. They're about twelve kilometers away."

"Thirty ri away?"

"Yeah. The Tracers are probably bait. That group will be the main force, ready to use any move you make against the Tracers as a pretext to act."

"I see..."

Li Qingyu finally looked as though she understood.

Yo U-in, on the other hand, still had a question. "How did you know they were there, Sword Lord?"

"I looked out the window and saw them."

"... You mean you saw them from here?"

"They're over there."

Yo U-in followed Limon's casually extended finger and looked out the window. The Leviathan lived up to its name as a towering hotel; from this top floor, one could easily survey the surrounding area for dozens of kilometers. For a master of psionics like Yo U-in, spotting people more than ten kilometers away was not especially difficult. But having keen eyesight and picking out suspicious people were two different things.

"I don't see anything particularly suspicious..."

"That'll be the barrier."

"A barrier?"

"Looks like they put one up to hide. Focus on any spot where something feels off about the presence there."

"..."

For a moment, Yo U-in was at a loss for words. If he understood Limon correctly, Limon had sensed something amiss from that distance and found the ambush: people concealed behind a barrier a full twelve kilometers away, almost certainly high-level players from the Infinity Guild. It hardly seemed humanly possible.

'... As expected of the Sword Lord.'

Astonished though he was, Yo U-in did not doubt him. He merely sighed, remembering all the desperate measures the Seven Dragons Society had once taken to try to bring down this monster. He was a warrior from an older age. Unlike the young people of today, who strangely underestimated Sword Masters, he knew what a Sword Master was.

"If you're right, Sword Lord, we can't leave them there," Li Qingyu said.

"Why not? It'll be taken care of once I leave anyway."

"I can't do that."

"What, would it hurt your pride?" Limon asked with a faint laugh. The Seven Dragons Society had always been an intensely proud organization, not one to tolerate such a blatant show of force. That was why her answer surprised him.

"No. Because I might be their target."

"What?"

"They've had people tailing me ever since I entered this country."

"... They've been following you? Why?"

"I wonder why?"

Did she not know herself, or was it something she couldn't tell him? Limon did not press her as she smiled and returned his question. He simply understood.

'No wonder she didn't seem bothered that I'd clashed with the Infinite Monarch.'

Marrying him now would mean making an enemy of a Monarch. No matter how much she needed Limon's strength, it was reason enough to reconsider. He had found it strange that Li Qingyu had taken the matter so calmly, but it made sense if she'd already had trouble with Lee Cheon-gi. Whether Lee Cheon-gi was the one behind it or someone pulling his strings, the fact that his people had followed her meant a clash with the Infinite Monarch was inevitable anyway.

"If they really are watching this place because of you, what are you going to do?"

"Take the necessary measures, I suppose."

"I'm asking what those measures are."

Li Qingyu did not answer Limon's question directly. Instead, she quietly spoke. "Yo U-in."

"The Silent Shadows and the Black Fiends can move at once."

"If possible, please have the Ink Dragon Unit stand by as well."

"Are you sure?"

"We're up against the Infinity Guild. Better to be thorough and get scolded by the elders afterward than do this halfway, don't you think?"

"Indeed. You're right."

Yo U-in agreed gravely with her smiling suggestion. Limon was dumbfounded.

"... Are you two planning to start an all-out war with the Infinite Monarch?"

"They're the ones who crossed the line first."

"Not that I'm defending them, but they probably didn't even know there was a line."

"Not knowing doesn't undo what they did, does it?"

"Well, no, but..."

Limon scratched his cheek. He had no particular intention of stopping them. He understood Li Qingyu's sharp reaction. Whether he knew it or not, Lee Cheon-gi had touched the Seven Dragons Society's most sensitive nerve, and from their perspective, that was something they could never let pass.

"Even so, charging straight at them in this day and age seems like a bad idea. Your business would take a hit for a start."

There was only one reason Limon had spoken up: he didn't want a commotion at the Leviathan Hotel. He'd finally been promised a stake in it, and there was no telling what that stake would be worth if the Infinite Monarch and the Black Dragon Clan fought an all-out war here.

"Do you have another suggestion?"

"I wouldn't call it that."

Limon drained the whiskey he'd been sipping, set down the empty glass, and continued calmly. "I thought I'd show them why people used to be so afraid of making an enemy of a Sword Master."

"Uh, well..."

"Hmm..."

At that moment, Li Qingyu's and Yo U-in's expressions both shifted subtly. Li Qingyu looked at Limon as if he were a puppy rolling around on top of a bomb, her face a peculiar mixture of sympathy, anxiety, and pity. Then she spoke cautiously.

"... Um, Sword Lord?"

"What?"

"You'll show them at least a little mercy... won't you?"

Hearing the genuine concern in her voice, Limon considered it for a moment. Then he smiled coldly and answered, "I'll think about it."

Unfortunately, it wasn't reassuring in the least.