Hotel Leviathan.
Contrary to its grand reputation as the finest hotel, its entrance was generally quiet.
This was not merely because there were few visitors due to the extremely strict screening of guests.
It was because, from the very beginning, customers rarely used the main entrance.
In that sense, this very moment was quite unusual.
The entrance of the Leviathan remained wide open even after midnight.
Specifically, since the moment it opened until now, a beautiful young girl had been guarding the entrance like a statue.
“
…Princess, why do you not head inside for now?”
Perhaps unable to watch any longer, a masked figure dressed in black warrior attire emerged from the shadows.
Chao suggested she rest.
It was already late into the night.
Even setting aside the fact that the girl had been out here for over half a day, it was a time when rest was certainly needed.
“I appreciate the concern, Chao, but I will decline.”
“Being out in the cold wind is not good for your health.”
“Chao, you know as well as I do that my body won’t be harmed by something as minor as this, right?”
The black-haired girl gave a bright smile.
Chao remained silent at Li Qingwei’s question.
If he agreed, he would lose the justification to urge her to rest; if he denied it, he would be telling a lie.
After giggling at his stiff behavior for a moment, Li Qingwei asked as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“Is there still no information coming in?”
“I am sorry to report that is the case.”
“It is not something you need to apologize for, Chao.”
Li Qingwei shook her head slightly at Chao, who bowed as if he were disgraced.
“In any case, it is currently impossible for anyone to obtain information from inside the Blue House.”
That was by no means an exaggeration.
In fact, until a few hours ago, information was easy to come by.
Even now, turning on the TV would show news on every channel like [Live Broadcast of the Sword Master’s Hostage Situation] and [Limon Aspelder’s Reasons for Treason].
However, after Lee Chun-gi stepped forward, all information related to the Blue House had been cut off.
This applied to journalists, the Capital Defense Command, and even the support units of giant guilds.
This was because everyone originally deployed around the Blue House had followed Lee Chun-gi’s instructions and retreated, cutting off any leakage of information.
It was a ridiculous state of affairs.
Even if one accounted for broadcasting stations or guilds, it was absurd that the military would move according to the instructions of a single private citizen in such an emergency.
Yet, people accepted it as natural.
In this Age of Steel, the authority held by a Sovereign far surpassed that of a mere head of state.
“If you grant permission, I will dispatch the Shadow Unit to the Blue House to gather information.”
“Do not bother. You would only be wasting lives for nothing.”
Chao could not bring himself to deny that fact.
It wasn’t that he lacked faith in the Shadow Unit.
Whether it was the treasure vault of a giant guild or the core facility of a national institution, the Shadow Unit could infiltrate anywhere as long as it was not physically impossible to reach.
But this time, the opponent was too dangerous.
Since Lee Chun-gi had already entered the Blue House, sending the Shadow Unit there was no different from sending them to their deaths.
A monster who handled thousands of skills, leaving no weaknesses and making even prediction impossible.
That was the Infinite Sovereign, Lee Chun-gi.
To the point that even the Shadow Unit of the Black Dragon Clan, who had once dyed the world in terror, would have to stake their lives just to get near him.
That was why Chao asked after some hesitation.
“Do you truly believe that man can defeat the Infinite Sovereign?”
“If I didn’t, why else would I be standing here?”
She spoke as if to say there was no point in waiting for a corpse.
Looking at Li Qingwei as she spoke with a faint smile, Chao could only feel more conflicted.
Unlike her joking tone, he felt a conviction within her that Limon would surely win and return.
“I still do not understand.”
“I understand. It’s rare to find a gamble where it’s harder to win money than in a one-on-one fight.”
“…I am speaking of why the Princess trusts that man so much.”
Chao revealed his honest feelings.
Even considering that Limon might defeat Lee Chun-gi was incomprehensible.
No matter how strong he had been, that was in the past.
A man who knew nothing but how to swing a sword could not possibly be a match for the Infinite Sovereign who wielded thousands of skills.
That was the common sense of this era.
Still, he could understand that much to a degree.
Perhaps because they had fought for hundreds of years, the upper echelons of the Seven Dragons Association had a strange tendency to overrate Limon.
That was also the reason why Chao distrusted Limon.
“In the first place, isn’t that man our enemy?”
Enemy?
In fact, this was an extremely softened expression.
Nemesis, arch-enemy, natural predator, old foe, sworn enemy—even using every word in the world was insufficient to explain the relationship between the Seven Dragons Association and Limon.
In fact, a slang term had even been coined to describe the relationship between Limon and the Seven Dragons Association: ‘Between the Dragon and the Duke.’
It meant they were enemies ten thousand times worse than cats and dogs.
The rift between the Seven Dragons Association and Limon was that deep.
Because of this, Chao could not understand Li Qingwei’s choice at all.
“He is a man who might cause who knows what harm to the Princess, so why such a person…?”
“Chao.”
Anxiety toward the long-time nemesis, Limon. Concern for the Princess he revered. Doubt regarding her choice.
Chao, who had been speaking with all those emotions, shut his mouth instantly.
Having cut off Chao’s words with a simple, light call, Li Qingwei continued with a bright smile.
“I am always grateful for your loyalty.”
Even though Li Qingwei was the Princess of the Black Dragon Clan, she did not receive absolute loyalty from every member of the clan.
In that sense, Chao was someone to be grateful for.
Absolute loyalty was a given, but those who could honestly express their opinions like this were always precious.
This was especially true now, as her position within the Seven Dragons Association had become unstable due to various circumstances, and she had lost a significant amount of support from the clan.
Thus, Li Qingwei spoke firmly.
“However, I will not forgive any more verbal abuse toward the person who will become my husband.”
Chao winced.
It wasn’t just because of her uncharacteristic expression, ranging from a serious face to determined words.
Her eyes, sinking as deep as the night, were telling him everything.
This was a serious warning.
No matter who it was, even Chao, Li Qingwei’s will stated that if he crossed this warning, she would not let it slide.
“…I apologize for speaking out of turn.”
“It wasn’t that you spoke out of turn. It was just that you crossed the line.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Be careful not to cross the line.
Chao bowed quietly to Li Qingwei, who spoke with a thin smile, and then vanished.
This was because he understood that interfering any further would be crossing that line.
Regardless of how young she was, or whether she had lost the clan’s support, Li Qingwei was the Princess of the Black Dragon Clan.
Once she made a decision, Chao’s job was to produce the best results possible rather than complain about it.
As Li Qingwei let out a soft sigh while looking at the spot where Chao had melted away—
Thud, thud.
The starlight in the night sky faded.
The sound of unfamiliar footsteps echoed through the air.
Normally, such a thing should have been impossible.
After learning of the Infinity Guild’s ambush, Hotel Leviathan had maintained a state of maximum alert.
If someone had approached close enough for their footsteps to be heard, those on guard should have detected and reported it beforehand.
“What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
However, Li Qingwei was not surprised.
She simply gave a light answer to the question from the opponent who had appeared leisurely from the darkness as if he had just been out for a stroll.
“I’m exercising my privilege.”
“What privilege?”
Perhaps because her answer was so unexpected, the white-haired man wore a puzzled expression.
To Limon, Li Qingwei spoke with a beaming face.
“Isn’t it a bride’s privilege to wait for her husband who went out to work?”
“That’s truly a shame.”
“What is it this time?”
“Because I didn’t receive a reward from the Sword Master.”
***
On the top floor of Hotel Leviathan.
Limon, who had emerged after a quick wash of his dust-covered body in that luxurious penthouse, frowned at Li Qingwei’s sudden words.
“…Why should I give you a reward?”
“Well, usually, when a bride does something admirable, the husband gives a kiss as a reward, right?”
“There is no such law in all the world.”
“What? Why?”
“How should I know. Maybe the members of the National Assembly didn’t want to kiss their wives.”
To Li Qingwei, who asked with wide, surprised eyes as if she truly believed such a law existed, Limon threw out a careless answer.
Then, he tossed a question to her as she tilted her head in confusion.
“More importantly, what about the kids? Are they all asleep?”
“If you mean the children you brought back, I heard they’ve all fallen asleep except for one.”
“Who’s the one not sleeping?”
Limon frowned.
The fact that there was a child who hadn’t fallen asleep yet in the middle of the night, past midnight, was a concerning matter in many ways.
But the moment he heard her answer, Limon understood the reason perfectly.
“I believe it was a child named Seong Si-ah.”
“Ah, those rotten dead pollack eyes?”
“Dead pollack eyes?”
“Despite being a brat, there’s one with eyes that look like she’s already dead.”
He clicked his tongue while recalling the girl who stood out in his memory among the children of the Hanbit Orphanage he had rescued.
Shortly after, Limon turned his gaze back to Li Qingwei.
“Anyway, everything else is fine, right?”
“Yes. Physically they are all fine, and mentally they are much more stable than at first.”
“Good, that’s enough then.”
Limon nodded with satisfaction.
He then began to dry the remaining moisture from his hair with the towel draped around his neck.
Li Qingwei watched with sparkling eyes as his damp hair and firm skin were revealed through his disheveled collar.
After a moment, she spoke as if a thought had crossed her mind.
“By the way, did the work you went to do go well?”
“Work? Ah, you mean collecting the blood debt?”
“Yes, I heard you went to meet the Infinite Sovereign.”
Li Qingwei did not hide her curiosity.
No matter how much she believed in Limon’s victory without a doubt, she couldn’t help but want to know the details of what had happened with the Infinite Sovereign.
“I met him.”
Limon nodded calmly.
Then, he added a low remark.
“But I couldn’t collect the blood debt.”
“
…Pardon?”
Li Qingwei’s eyes went round.
It was as if she had just heard someone say they had been drinking but didn’t drive under the influence.
For her, it was a natural reaction.
It would be one thing if he hadn’t met the person at all, but according to what she knew, it was absolutely impossible for Limon Aspelder to meet a target and fail to collect a blood debt.
To her, as she blinked blankly, Limon asked bluntly.
“Do you know what the most important thing is when collecting a blood debt?”
“Isn’t it the power to collect the blood debt?”
“Of course, that’s necessary too. But the most important thing is not to mistake the target you’re collecting it from.”
A blood debt is the price of blood.
It is the right to pay the price of death with death and receive the value of blood back in blood.
Therefore, failure can happen.
But there must not be a mistake.
Just as it becomes a robbery if you extort money by forcing the wrong person to pay a debt, if you misidentify the target you must collect a blood debt from, it becomes nothing more than mere slaughter.
“At first, I thought the one I had to collect the blood debt from was the Infinite Sovereign.”
It was a natural judgment.
Lee Chun-gi was the root of all this trouble.
“But after intending to finish it by taking a blood debt from that bastard, there was something suspicious.”
It was something he hadn’t noticed before he regressed.
But after gaining the ability to see what couldn’t be seen, meeting Lee Chun-gi directly, fighting him, and talking to him, he gradually began to feel it.
It was a few points of dissonance.
“So, after asking a few things before killing that bastard, I found out.”
Originally, it was a simple intuition.
It was nothing more than a feeling he couldn’t even define himself.
However, Limon, who had accumulated countless experiences over a long life, finally found a single conclusion within it.
“The Infinite Sovereign was merely a puppet; there is a true mastermind behind this whole ordeal.”