Chapter 62 - Would You Let Them Think You’re a Fool?

The baby bird’s name was settled: Bluey. It was the result of the most dramatic negotiation of Yu Na-gyeong’s past and present lives, reached only after she threatened to bash her head in rather than be called Chirpy.

They had agreed, however, to keep it secret that Bluey was Yu Na-gyeong reincarnated.

“This is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d take such a liking to this bird that you’d raise it yourself, Sword Lord.”

That was why Yu Na-gyeong, perched on Limon’s head, had been doing her best to act like an ordinary bird under Li Qingyu’s gaze.

“Ah, she was Na-gyeong in her past life.”

“Peep?!”

And that was why Limon’s casual reply left her dumbstruck.

She was so startled she nearly slipped off. Only by clutching Limon’s hair with her wings did she avoid falling, and she let out a sigh of relief.

But she was the only one taken aback. Li Qingyu merely tilted her head and asked, “By Na-gyeong, do you mean the person whose blood debt you wanted to collect?”

“She’s also the one who left me with the children.”

“Since you’ve gone out of your way to introduce her to me, I take it she isn’t simply reincarnated—she remembers her previous life?”

“Yeah. Looks like she can use Teleportation, too.”

“I see... I did find her mind strangely hard to read, even for a bird. It must be because she was a high-level player, not because she was just an animal.”

They could hardly have been calmer. Yu Na-gyeong stared at the two of them in disbelief as they discussed her as casually as if they were talking about a pet breed. Then she snapped out of it and hopped furiously atop Limon’s head in protest.

“Peep! Peep-peep-peep!”

“What? You’re asking why I told her when I said we’d keep it secret?”

“Peeep!”

“Tsk. You’d have better luck fooling a ghost. Did you really think that clumsy bird act would fool a princess of the Black Dragon Clan?”

“Peep, pee...”

“Perfect acting, my ass. You nearly got caught by a cleaner yesterday while searching the internet on a smartphone. You’ve got some nerve saying that.”

“Peeep...”

There was only so long she could fool Li Qingyu, who could even read minds. Better to come clean from the start than be found out anyway, Limon told her flatly.

The bluebird gave a miserable chirp. Experience from her previous life had taught her that when Limon was this certain, she was better off listening to him.

“Quit poking me. Is my head your nest?”

Apparently still dissatisfied, Yu Na-gyeong kept jabbing the top of his head with her beak in protest. Limon paid her no mind. He simply lifted his teacup.

Li Qingyu, watching the two of them from across the table with a curious look, spoke up. “Sword Lord, when did you learn to talk to animals?”

“I never did.”

“Then what was that conversation just now?”

“What conversation? I just have a fair idea of what nonsense this ditz would say, so I answer accordingly.”

“For guesswork, you seem to understand each other remarkably well.”

“She was my only team member, after all. We went on enough operations together. I wouldn’t have been much of a boss if I couldn’t manage this much.”

“That’s another thing I envy.”

“What’s there to envy? It’s a pain.”

Limon’s reply was indifferent. Na-gyeong’s reactions had always been obvious enough that they could hold something like a conversation. But in the end, he was talking to someone who couldn’t speak, and having to guess every word was both tiresome and frustrating.

“Which brings me to a favor. Could you get me an item?”

“An item?”

“Yeah. Something telepathic that she can use. Better yet if it lets her communicate over a distance.”

“Peep?”

Yu Na-gyeong’s eyes widened at his words. Li Qingyu, meanwhile, nodded as though she finally understood and smiled.

“So that’s why you told me who she was? I’d have had to find out anyway to get the item.”

“Well, you’d have figured it out regardless.”

Limon shrugged. With Yu Na-gyeong still on his head, looking impressed now that she understood his intention, he added casually, “Though another reason is that I can’t afford to buy one.”

“... Peep.”

In an instant, the admiration in the bluebird’s eyes turned into the look she might give a shameless crook extorting money from a young girl. Even the cheapest items cost hundreds of millions of won—practically the price of a house. No wonder her gaze cooled when he asked for one so brazenly.

But Li Qingyu readily nodded. “Don’t worry about the money. A basic telepathic communication item isn’t particularly rare, so I can get one easily.”

She was a princess of the Seven Dragons Society. Fallen though the Black Dragon Clan might be, an item or two was pocket change to the owner of the Leviathan Hotel. More importantly, the Seven Dragons Society was the power behind the Players Association’s manipulation of dungeon byproduct prices, driving them sky-high. Knowing that secret, Limon had no reason to feel awkward about asking for a single item.

“I wouldn’t quite call it a trade, but may I ask a small favor in return?”

“A favor?”

“Yes. It isn’t very difficult.”

“If it’s nothing difficult, I don’t mind... What is it?”

Limon agreed readily. This was the first thing she had asked of him since he accepted her proposal, and he intended to grant just about any reasonable request. Yet when Li Qingyu smiled and spoke, he was left momentarily speechless.

“Please take charge of a company.”

“... Come again?”

“The Black Dragon Clan has many subsidiaries. I’d like you to join one and work there. And if you could produce some results worth showing off, so much the better.”

Limon stared at her blankly for a moment. Once he realized he hadn’t misheard, he asked with an uneasy look, “Where did that request come from all of a sudden?”

“You don’t think I’m asking because I want to?”

“If you wanted me to work, you wouldn’t have let me lounge around until now. If you’ve suddenly changed course, something outside your control must have happened. Am I wrong?”

“Sharp as ever.”

Confirming his guess with a wry smile, Li Qingyu explained, looking a little troubled. “It came from the elders, actually.”

“Your elders?”

“Yes. Once we’re married, most of our clan’s assets will pass to you as my dowry. They said they want to see how well you can run a business first.”

“So they want to make sure I won’t squander what’s left of the clan’s fortune?”

“More or less.”

“And if I fail?”

“The wedding won’t be canceled. But I’ll have to negotiate with the elders again.”

“... That’s a remarkably elegant way of saying our marriage will be delayed indefinitely unless you find more leverage to threaten them with.”

Limon clicked his tongue inwardly. ‘No wonder those old fools agreed to the marriage so easily.’

The Black Dragon Clan’s elders hadn’t truly consented. They had set a condition Limon could never meet to give themselves grounds to oppose the marriage. His mistake had been taking Li Qingyu at her word when she said the conditions weren’t very difficult.

“Why are you only telling me something this important now?”

“Because it was too minor to bother mentioning.”

“If I botch that ‘minor’ task, our marriage gets put off with no end in sight.”

“But if you succeed, you’ll not only be able to claim your share openly—you could win the clan’s support in the process.”

She spoke as though success was a foregone conclusion, so there was no point worrying about the downside. Limon gave her an uneasy look.

“Princess, I know nothing about management or business. I’ve never even earned money doing anything but wielding a sword.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Then what on earth makes you trust me with an entire company?”

“Your promise, of course. You said the Black Dragon Clan was only the beginning, and that you’d swallow the entire Seven Dragons Society.”

Li Qingyu answered without hesitation, then smiled and continued. “If you’re going to take over Seven Dragon, the conglomerate that commands wealth across the world, you should be able to manage this much. Don’t you think?”

“... If I say no, does that make me a bastard?”

“Of course not. It would only make me a fool for believing in you.”

“That’s the same thing.”

Limon scratched his cheek. Sudden though it was, this was something he had braced himself for when he decided to seize wealth and power. It was also something he would have to do if he meant to rule not only the Black Dragon Clan, but every clan in the Seven Dragons Society.

And so, after frowning in thought, Limon sighed and spoke.

“Princess.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, but would you let them think you’re a fool?”

“... What?”

Had she assumed he would agree? Li Qingyu’s eyes widened. She blinked several times before asking, half in disbelief, “You mean you won’t take charge of a subsidiary?”

“That’s right.”

“Is... is what I asked too difficult? Or are you upset that I hid the elders’ condition until now?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I wanted to do it myself eventually.”

Li Qingyu was flustered, a rare sight, but Limon answered calmly. “I can’t do it now. There’s training I need to put everything else aside for.”

“... Training? You, Sword Lord?”

“Yes. It’s essential if we’re going to achieve our other goal.”

Li Qingyu’s expression shifted at his serious words. Their aim was to take control of the entire Seven Dragons Society, but that was only a means to an end. They had a separate, ultimate goal. His meaning was clear.

“You mean it’s necessary to fight the constellations?”

“Something like that.”

“I see... Then it can’t be helped. We can’t sacrifice the greater goal for a smaller gain.”

She accepted his answer readily. What she had wanted from Limon all along was his strength as a Sword Master capable of keeping the constellations in check. Dragging him into clan politics or business at the expense of his training would defeat the whole purpose.

“I told you to ask if you needed help. I’m sorry I can’t give it when you do.”

“No. When I proposed, ‘that sort of thing’ was what I wanted from you. Leave ‘this sort of thing’ to me.”

“Can you handle it?”

“Yes. I’ll have to bend the rules a little, but if you can help just enough that it won’t interfere with your training, I’ll find a way.”

“What a dependable bride.”

“Aren’t I? Brides as capable as I am are hard to find.”

Limon chuckled at her playful smile. If the problem had been easy, she would never have asked him in the first place. Yet he trusted her assurance, because she was Li Qingyu: the Black Dragon Princess, a girl who would use any plot or scheme it took to achieve her aims.

“Peep? Peep-peep?”

Just then, Yu Na-gyeong blinked as if she’d heard something utterly bizarre. Unable to hold back, she tugged at Limon’s hair with her beak.

“Ah. Come to think of it, I haven’t told you about that, have I?”

He looked puzzled for a moment, then guessed why she was doing it, as he usually did, and said casually, “I’m going to marry her.”

“... Peep?”

Yu Na-gyeong’s eyes shrank to dots. She tilted her head, as if wondering what ridiculous old-man joke this was. But after looking from the top of Limon’s unruffled head to Li Qingyu’s face as she calmly nodded, she realized he was serious. Her beak fell open.

Whether Yu Na-gyeong was horrified by a marriage with an age gap measured in centuries, looked as though she’d been hit by a slingshot, or regarded him like a cradle robber, Limon paid her no mind. He turned back to Li Qingyu.

“Oh, and there’s someone I need for my training. Could you introduce me to one?”

“A sparring partner?”

“No. A violinist.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll find a master-level expert to represent the Black Dragon Clan... Wait, who did you say?”

It was so far from what she had expected that her confident answer faltered into a blank question. Watching her, Limon scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“It’s not swordsmanship I need to practice right now. It’s the violin.”