Chapter 46: The Saintess’ personality

At my words, Jeon Tae-yeon’s face twitched for a brief moment.

She was probably trying to maintain her composure.

She let out a deep sigh before speaking slowly.

“No matter what, all 2 billion is too much. That’s unreasonable.”

Of course.

Taking away 2 billion would not only hurt the guild but also her pride.

If she backed down now, she’d feel like she’d have to keep backing down.

If I insisted on the 2 billion, her pride wouldn’t allow her to budge a single penny, and she’d rather throw money at the problem to solve the issue with Kim Hyung-jin.

Alright, let’s negotiate again.

“Fine. How about 1.5 billion?”

I threw out the number like I was making a grand concession.

“That’s not possible. 1 billion. That’s the most I can offer.”

“Alright.”

I cut it in half.

This should be enough.

If I had asked for 1 billion from the start, it probably would’ve gone down to 500 million.

“Why do I feel like I’m losing in this deal?”

“What are you talking about? Not being able to fully erase the debt of a precious elf, as dear to me as mint chocolate, is a humiliation!”

“That… is that really important to you?”

Of course, it’s important.

In its own way.

At least it’s better than Erin.

“So, what about Kim Hyung-jin’s fate?”

Kim Hyung-jin’s fate.

Jeon Tae-yeon probably wants him.

After all, he tricked her, and on top of that, he caused trouble for me, bringing negative attention to the guild.

She likely wants to kill him.

“Since you didn’t deduct the 2 billion, I’ll handle him myself.”

“No, that’s…”

“Or would you prefer to give me the 2 billion?”

Everything can be solved with 2 billion.

That’s the point.

As I didn’t back down, Jeon Tae-yeon sighed, seemingly giving up.

“Fine. Take him.”

“Oh, one more thing.”

“What now?”

“There’s someone I’d like to inquire about. Since you’re the guild master of Heavenly King, you probably know them.”

If it’s the Heavenly King Guild, they’re bound to know.

“Who is it?”

“Lee Si-yeon.”

Lee Si-yeon is fairly well-known.

I don’t know which guild she’s in, but she’s the type of person Heavenly King would be interested in.

“If it’s Lee Si-yeon… Are you planning to target her guild?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Why is she treating me like a gangster?

“Then?”

“This man here is Lee Si-yeon’s boyfriend. So I plan to send him back to her.”

“Ah, I see. You’re being awfully kind.”

Of course, I’m being kind—though this time, it’s also to provoke her a little.

Why?

Because it’s odd that Kim Hyung-jin suddenly sought me out.

I think Lee Si-yeon might be involved in some way.

Maybe, maybe not, but honestly, I just want to mess with Lee Si-yeon after what happened last time.

After getting some information from Jeon Tae-yeon, I headed to Lee Si-yeon’s house.

Of course, I hitched a ride in Jeon Tae-yeon’s car.

“Oh, what brings you here this late at night?”

When I showed up, Lee Si-yeon ran out like an excited puppy, happy to see me.

Well, my reason for being here is simple.

“I just have something to give you.”

“What is it? I’ll do anything you ask, but why don’t you come inside first?”

“No thanks. I prefer my own place. But what I want to give you is this man here.”

I handed over Kim Hyung-jin, who had been dragged along like a sack of meat behind me.

This is the Saintess’ special delivery service.

“Kim Hyung-jin?”

“This guy attacked me. He probably thought he could use his abilities on me. You really should keep a tighter leash on your boyfriend, don’t you think? Trying to assault a woman like me, letting his lower half do the thinking?”

At my words, her face turned deathly pale.

It was as if she thought I had completely misunderstood everything.

Ah, I’ve been wanting to see that look.

There’s something beautiful about a person weighed down by guilt.

“No, he’s not my boyfriend…”

Sure, he’s not your boyfriend.

But that’s none of my concern.

“Oh really? So, after Park Si-woo died, you just moved on? Or maybe, in those 15 years, you’ve dated plenty of other guys too?”

“No, I only…!”

Only what?

Don’t tell me she’s about to say she still loves Park Si-woo?

Over those long years, there’s nothing wrong with dating.

Honestly, marriage should be the least of it.

“So, it’s only Kim Hyung-jin, huh? I really support such steadfast love. Ah! I hate to break it to you, but… you won’t be able to share a bed with him. His lower half is completely destroyed.”

Her face twisted into something even more devastated.

Ah, even I think that might have been too much.

“W-Wait! Park— No, don’t go. At least let me clear up the misunderstanding…”

But no matter how desperate she sounds, that foolish woman will just continue to bow her head and act submissive.

It’s ridiculous.

“There’s no misunderstanding. I’m just telling you to manage your boyfriend properly. So, there’s no need to explain anything to me.”

With that, I turned my back on her.

-Honestly, our dear saint seems to hold grudges too, don’t you think?

Maybe, on the surface, that’s how it seems.

But this is a bit different.

Lee Si-yeon is still trapped in the past.

And since that past is intertwined with me, I have every right to torment her.

In other words, Lee Si-yeon is someone I can harass, and it’s perfectly justified.

Like I said, this is a small revenge for the trouble she caused me last time.

It’s likely to leave a significant psychological impact.

-So, what you’re saying is…

“Yes. I just enjoy tormenting people. Look, when someone basically begs to be tormented, are you really going to let them go?”

Besides, if she keeps her distance after this, it’ll be for the best.

After using Kim Hyung-jin like this, she won’t dare approach me again.

-Wow, your personality…

Think about it.

Isn’t it fun to get to harass someone like Lee Si-yeon for free?

There’s nothing quite like it.

Saintess Karina left, her expression calm as if relieved, laughing as she disappeared.

Kim Hyung-jin looked at Lee Si-yeon, who stood there devastated, completely baffled.

That’s supposed to be Park Si-woo?

“Hah, hah… Hey, do you really think that’s Park Si-woo?”

Barely surviving his encounter with Karina, Kim Hyung-jin asked, looking utterly terrified.

But then, Lee Si-yeon suddenly pressed a blade of ice against his throat.

“You’d better tell me exactly what happened.”

Having no other choice, Kim Hyung-jin confessed everything.

His powers were gone, and essentially, he was as good as dead.

Revenge?

After being humiliated like that, he couldn’t even think about it.

“You idiot, you thought you could rely on your powers and mess with her, and then you even dragged me into it?”

“Is that the issue here? Look at the state I’m in!”

“And what do you want me to do about it?”

What was he hoping for?

Becoming a eunuch was just part of his fate.

Right now, Kim Hyung-jin wasn’t the problem.

“She’s a monster. That’s not Park Si-woo.”

“A monster?”

“Yeah. She didn’t come after me for revenge. She just wanted to mess with us, digging up the past to hurt us for fun. In her eyes, we’re nothing anymore!”

Yeah, that might be true.

Maybe she used Kim Hyung-jin this way just to get back at me for the nuisance I caused her last time.

It’s probably all just payback.

But so what?

“And?”

“What?”

So what?

“Even if that Saintess isn’t Park Si-woo, she’s still someone who was him in a past life, right?”

Yeah, Karina might not be Park Si-woo.

In the worst case, she might not be him at all.

The past could even be a lie.

But still…

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying if she wants revenge, I’ll take it. Even if she’s just using the past to hurt me, I’m willing to endure it.”

She says she’ll accept the revenge.

She’ll take whatever comes.

Kim Hyung-jin screamed in frustration.

“You’re crazy! Do you even know how many times I’ve died to that woman?”

“In any case, the Saintess was Park Si-woo. So what?”

At that moment, Kim Hyung-jin finally realized.

Not just the Saintess, but Lee Si-yeon, too, was crazy.

Driven by guilt over Park Si-woo, she’d convinced herself that the woman who might not even be Park Si-woo was indeed him.

She just needed someone to apologize to.

‘They’re both insane.’

Both of them, completely mad.

And now, he was a eunuch.

Could there be a worse outcome?

Kim Hyung-jin looked down at his mangled lower half and let out a deep sigh.

*

Back at home, I immediately posted a party recruitment notice on the forum.

If I want to meet up tomorrow, I need to prepare now.

It’s almost dawn, so I wonder if anyone will respond.

—

[Author: HeadSmasherSaint]

[Title: Recruiting Head-Smasher Party Members for Tower of Destruction]
TrueBattleMage and OverweightOrcare out, anyone want to join?

[Comments]

100YearOldSuccubus: No requirements?

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Yeah, I think NekoCheonma’s lightsaber will carry us.

└ 100YearOldSuccubus: What? Neko uses a lightsaber?

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Yep.

└ 100YearOldSuccubus: Why the heck Cheonma? Is it the Force instead of ki? lol, I’m curious. Count me in.

SirenLittleSis: Sis, sis! Let me join too!

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Grandma, please…

└ HeadSmasherSaint: For someone who’s been seducing people with songs and eating them for a hundred years, you’re more like a granny, not a little sister.

└ SirenLittleSis: Hey! Stick to your roleplay, you b—!

└ MermaidPrincess: If she’s going, I’m in too, haha.

Dwarf9218: Can I join?

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Are you a dealer?

└ Dwarf9218: I’m a mapper, can make sick maps. Just got divorced because of ExtremeJuju though, so I’m feeling a bit down.

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Oh, maps aren’t bad.

Harpy20YearsOfLife: Lots of people here.

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Wanna join?

└ Harpy20YearsOfLife: My relatives came over and plucked my feathers. Gotta do some feather maintenance. If it gets too busy, I’ll just stay as a backup.

—

Alright, it seems like the main team will be Succubus, Siren, Mermaid, and Dwarf.

This is getting big.

Let’s keep it to a reasonable number.

“Hmm, who should we bring? Since the Tower of Destruction entry pass doesn’t apply to non-hunters, the number of people doesn’t really matter.”

To be precise, one entry pass can admit several people.

For hunters, there are conditions like party size, but for regular people, there don’t seem to be any restrictions.

Of course, the passholder has to take full responsibility for the non-hunters’ safety.

-Honestly, I’m most curious about the 24th century.

Yeah, I admit, same here.

-Wasn’t there something about droids?

I’m just really curious about what they look like.

Right now, NekoCheonma is a “Lightsaber Cheonma,” RealBattleMage is a “Battle Mage,” and InnocentElf isn’t using archery but summoning spirits instead.

If things are this unusual, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 24th century brought Taekwondo or something.

“Can’t you just see it with your divine power?”

-Well, Earth isn’t technically my jurisdiction, and wouldn’t that spoil the fun?

Fair enough.

I guess that’s just good manners.

“Yeah, I get that.”

There’s no need to call in more people directly.

But it feels like there’s already too many here.

A new comment appeared.

—

InnocentElf: I probably can’t make it today. My wife’s asking me to do a modeling shoot for her friend’s store.

Huh?

What’s this elf up to?

Is she really trying to bail after I helped her clear her debt?

I just texted her that I wiped out 1 billion in debt.

If she’s this uncooperative, that’s a problem.

I pressed hert a bit.

—
InnocentElf: I probably can’t make it today. My wife’s asking me to model for her friend’s store.

└ HeadSmasherSaint: Hey! Who do you think made it possible for you to go?

└ InnocentElf: Please, just this once, I’m begging you. If I don’t listen to my wife today, I’m dead.

└ HeadSmasherSaint: I wiped out 1 billion in debt for you, and this is how you repay me?

└ InnocentElf: Saintess, I’ll be your slave or whatever you want, just please let me off for today.

—

Is she more afraid of his wife than 1 billion in debt?

Well, if she’s that desperate, I guess there’s no helping it.

Still, this is something we can’t delay.

Fine, looks like I’ve gained myself an elf slave.

Since she put it that way, should I go ahead and steal her from her wife?

Maybe I could hire her as a housekeeper later.

I’ll keep her as a slave for the future.

Since I’ve mentioned it, might as well move forward with this.

“So, should we take everyone along?”

-Won’t Siren and Mermaid clash?

Their roles might overlap.

“That’s what makes it fun! It’s that whole ‘same species rivalry’ thing.”

Do you think they’ll fight each other?