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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Disaster
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A narrow, dark corridor.
At its end, in a room barred by iron grates, she was confined.
A beautiful woman in a black dress, blindfolded, exuding an ominous air like a crow in a graveyard.
The Vile of the Paljongyungma.
—The Calamity Princess, Pandora.
*Drip.*
From the cramped space and the water dripping from the ceiling to the iron bars that served as a door.
It was a place too squalid for her reputation—not even a cell, but a pen for breeding beasts.
Yet, despite being confined in such a place, Pandora was neither agitated nor despondent.
She simply sat demurely on the floor, lost in silence.
*Clomp, clomp.*
How much time had passed?
As if she were a statue.
What roused her from her motionless silence were two sets of footsteps echoing down the corridor.
At its end, a boy and a dark elf appeared.
"Hello, Pandora."
"You've come."
Though the visit was rather sudden.
Pandora was not surprised.
Just as she had been each time he invited her for tea over the past few days, she calmly greeted Dion and Arsha.
"This is somewhat unexpected."
"What is?"
"That you were permitted to see me, I mean."
"I didn't exactly get permission."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. It's such a mess out there that no one was even guarding the place."
"Having lost their master overnight, it is only natural they would be in chaos."
The Goemokjang was in an uproar.
Outsiders and insiders alike.
Everyone was raising a clamor, unsure of what to do.
Yet Pandora, the very cause of it all, spoke as if it were someone else's problem, despite her imprisonment.
Dion asked her bluntly.
"What happened?"
"Are you asking why I murdered the lord of the Goemokjang?"
"No, I'm asking how you ended up being framed for it."
"...Why do you think that?"
"Because if you'd really done it, you wouldn't be sitting here so quietly."
There was no way the retainers of the Goemokjang alone could have subdued Pandora.
She fell silent for a moment, watching Dion as he spoke with a faint smile.
Then, Pandora began to speak calmly.
"To be honest, I came here to negotiate with the lord of the Goemokjang."
The real reason she had participated in the hunt of a minor estate like the Goemokjang.
She quietly revealed the secret order given to her by Urk, the Lord of Nakrangseong.
"—To forge a feudal contract with this Goemokjang."
* * *
The Goemokjang was a common minor estate in Odobaekryeong.
But it was also unusual in that it was composed of only about fifty family members and relatives.
The Kobold Leader tribe was a superior species.
Born with the [Shepherd]☆ Trait, they were more capable than lesser species, but most only had 1 or 2-star Classes, not enough to become nobles.
This middling level of ability led them to live on their estate with only their own kind.
Accepting commoners who weren't even Awakened Ones would have brought more harm than good, and the estate's shell-like structure meant there was barely enough space to raise their beasts in times of peace.
This had its pros and cons.
The advantage was that the entire clan consisted of tamer-type Awakened Ones, allowing a small elite force to command numerous beasts.
The disadvantage was the immense cost of raising those beasts.
But they couldn't simply stop raising them, so even with their regular hunts, the Goemokjang was perpetually short on funds.
However, there was someone who coveted the Goemokjang for these very characteristics...
"...So, you mean he tried to buy the Goemokjang's loyalty with money?"
"That is the gist of it."
"Hmm, that could have been a decent deal."
Dion nodded.
Nakrangseong was a high-ranking estate with several manors under its control.
No matter how high the Goemokjang's operating costs were, providing some financial support was well within their means.
Especially if they could use the beasts in return.
There was just one problem.
"If that orc fellow intended to pay a fair price, that is."
"So the Calamity Princess's participation in the hunt was, in itself, a way to lower the price."
"A carrot and a stick, I suppose. Right?"
"Just as you say."
Pandora readily admitted it.
Urk, who wanted to acquire the Goemokjang as cheaply as possible.
And Las, who had no intention of pledging his loyalty for a pittance.
To break the stalemate between them, Urk's move was to send in Pandora.
The benefit of her regular participation would be a more stable hunt.
And it also served as pressure, showing his determination to acquire the Goemokjang one way or another.
"And there was one more thing my father offered the lord of the Goemokjang."
"The selection of the heir, right?"
"With Nakrangseong's backing, he could have pushed for his daughter to be the successor."
"The lord of the Goemokjang thought so as well."
Practical benefits.
And a political deal.
Because those two factors aligned reasonably well, Las reluctantly accepted the deal with Nakrangseong.
"So, for the past few days, I met secretly with the lord each night to discuss the details of the negotiation."
"Makes sense. His nephew would have interfered if he knew about the political deal."
"...So inviting you for tea every day was a smokescreen to hide the secret negotiations, in addition to being a form of pressure."
"Yes, and I intended to finalize the negotiations last night, but..."
"You went to see him, found the old man dead, and got caught, so you were framed. Is that it?"
"That is correct."
After hearing the whole story.
Dion crossed his arms and fell into thought.
"Based on the story, the nephew is the most suspicious."
"As you say, my lord, he is the most likely suspect, but..."
"You don't think so, Arsha?"
"...Would it have been possible for him to quietly assassinate the lord all by himself?"
"Hmm, you have a point."
Dion nodded at Arsha's point.
The Kobold Leader tribe are fundamentally tamer-type Awakened Ones, born with the [Shepherd] Class.
Their true strength lies in commanding their beasts, making them weak in direct combat.
Of course, a high-ranking Awakened One of 3-stars or more would possess some minimal combat ability...
But the same was true for Las.
And if he was attacked by the nephew he was already wary of?
Unless poison was used, there would have certainly been a commotion.
"Perhaps he did not act himself."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever heard the name Cheonbyeonmanhwa?"
"Hm?"
And that was why.
Dion's expression turned curious at Pandora's sudden remark.
And why Arsha's face stiffened.
"...Are you referring to the Cheonbyeonmanhwa, the greatest assassin in the Deformed City?"
"The very one."
"You think the nephew might have hired Cheonbyeonmanhwa?"
"I cannot be certain, but if the rumors are true, the method is similar."
Cheonbyeonmanhwa.
An enigmatic assassin whose face and name are unknown.
As are their species, origin, and even their gender.
Yet Cheonbyeonmanhwa was called the greatest assassin in the Deformed City because of their cunning methods.
Just as Pandora was framed this time.
They eliminated targets by using others or faking accidents, leaving no trace that an assassination had even occurred.
The terrifying thing about Cheonbyeonmanhwa was that no one even knew how many people they had killed.
"So please, be careful."
With that explanation of Cheonbyeonmanhwa.
Pandora looked directly at Dion with her blindfolded eyes and finished her words softly.
"If it truly was Cheonbyeonmanhwa who murdered the lord, then they must still be hiding somewhere in the Goemokjang."
* * *
"What are your thoughts?"
"Well."
After leaving Pandora's cell.
Dion, who had been strolling leisurely down the corridor, shrugged after a moment of thought.
"Well, I don't think we need to worry about it."
"...Do you mean you won't bother finding the real culprit?"
"There's no reason to. I don't need to worry about Pandora just because she's been framed."
Pandora was one of the Vile.
A member of the Paljongyungma.
Unless she allowed it, no one in this Goemokjang could harm her.
The same was true outside the Goemokjang.
Urk, the Lord of Nakrangseong, could easily clear Pandora's name of such a false accusation.
That's why Dion added casually.
"If anything, it's the Goemokjang that should be worried."
"...What do you mean? Explain...!"
"The person in charge...!"
"Everyone, calm down..."
What he meant by that.
Arsha didn't need to ask.
The commotion erupting from down the corridor was already explaining it for him.
Following the noise, the two arrived at a spacious banquet hall.
More precisely, they were met by a crowd of over a hundred people rioting in the middle of it.
"The lord was killed by the Calamity Princess? What is the meaning of this!"
"There's still time left on the schedule, so what's going to happen with the hunt? Don't tell me you're canceling it!"
"Give us a refund, now!"
The hunt participants gathered in the banquet hall were lodging one protest after another.
The rumor that the lord of the Goemokjang had died had already spread and was being treated as fact.
It was only natural.
For anyone else, perhaps not.
But there was a limit to how long the death of a lord could be concealed in such a small estate.
This was especially true since the Divine Beast, Daedalus, who had led the Goemokjang alongside Las Hara, had also ceased to move.
Thanks to that, the chaos only grew.
They were already in shock from losing their lord and had no energy to spare to calm the participants.
But most importantly, another factor was throwing the Goemokjang's family into turmoil.
"The position of master should rightfully be inherited by his daughter, Lady Rea."
"What are you talking about? Based on ability, his nephew, Lord Chavera, should obviously become the new lord."
"Chavera's 'ability' is just his two wives' families, isn't it?"
"In uncertain times like these, being able to borrow the strength of other families is crucial!"
"Do that, and the Goemokjang will end up being taken over by another family!"
"That's better than the entire clan being ruined!"
Las's daughter, Rea.
Las's nephew, Chavera.
Even though they were blood relatives...
No, it was precisely for that reason that the members of the Hara family were engaged in a fierce debate over the succession.
There were a few neutral parties who argued they should handle the situation first, but they were a tiny minority.
Both sides knew.
If they didn't seize the position of heir now, there would be no second chance.
And Dion's assessment of this whole situation was simple.
"What a mess."
"..."
"You think so too, don't you, Lucky?"
*Nod, nod.*
The huntress girl had appeared beside Dion at some point.
Unlike Arsha, who could neither agree nor disagree, Orr Kai did not hesitate to answer.
Even to the eyes of an ignorant slave, the Goemokjang was in complete disarray.
And so, as Dion let out a small laugh at the sight.
A maid approached.
"Young Master White Mask. If it's not too much trouble, there is someone who wishes to greet you."
"Who?"
"That would be..."
...
"...Hmm, alright. I wanted to meet him anyway."
After hearing the name the maid whispered in a low voice.
Dion nodded.
He then gave Arsha a few errands to run while taking Orr Kai back to her room.
Then he leisurely followed the maid.
Thus, at the end of a complex corridor, in a room deep within the Goemokjang, he finally met him.
"A pleasure to meet you. This is the first time we've had a formal introduction."
A middle-aged man of the Kobold Leader tribe, resembling a therianthrope with his pointed ears and stiff fur.
He stared at Dion with piercing eyes and introduced himself.
"I am Chavera Hara. The next lord of this Goemokjang."
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