Chapter 17
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“The fact that you’re here means…”
Seo Yeonhee bit her lip.
“Yekaterina is here, isn’t she?”
The Red Knight also served as Yekaterina’s bodyguard. The only times he would be alone were when he received a direct order from Yekaterina herself, or when he was eliminating a threat.
“Yes.”
For example, when he was ordered to eliminate Seo Yeonhee from the building where the Heavenly King resided.
The Red Knight spoke calmly.
“Start the car.”
“What if I refuse?”
“I don’t want to cause trouble in Osung’s territory. Start the car and drive.”
“No.”
Seo Yeonhee instantly activated her stealth skill.
The Red Knight stabbed the seat as she had been sitting there just a moment ago, but Seo Yeonhee had already moved to the passenger seat, opened the door, and gotten out of the car.
“Seo Yeonhee.”
The Red Knight slowly got out of the car.
“As I said, I don’t want to cause trouble in Osung’s territory. Retreat quietly.”
“What if what I want is for you to cause trouble in Osung’s territory?”
The Red Knight spoke calmly.
“You overestimate your abilities.”
Thud! Thud!
Daggers plunged deep into the Red Knight’s neck and side.
But the Red Knight casually reached out into the air.
“Ugh!”
Her stealth was fading.
The Red Knight’s hand was gripping Seo Yeonhee’s neck.
“This is your last warning. Get back in the car and start the engine.”
“No…!”
“Your chance is gone.”
Wham!
The Red Knight’s fist struck Seo Yeonhee’s abdomen.
‘No…’
Seo Yeonhee felt her consciousness fading.
‘Mason…ssi…’
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Yekaterina looked at Mason.
Her gaze was deeper and brighter than the sapphire in her necklace.
Profound wisdom and brilliant intelligence.
If a beast could subdue a person with a murderous gaze alone, she was overwhelming him with a gaze filled with dignity.
However, that was only for a moment. She lifted her glass with a playful look.
“Cheers?”
“Long live the Queen.”
Mason also clinked his glass playfully and took a sip.
“…”
Mason’s face contorted in disgust.
“What is this cheap alcohol smell?”
Originally, Mason’s sense of taste was delicate.
This was partly due to his enhanced senses from the Barbarian System, but even without it, the future foods designed for gourmet experiences were filled with diverse and colorful flavors that could induce synesthesia.
When he ate for nutritional purposes, he simply ignored the taste.
But Mason, who was drinking alcohol from the past for the first time, had high expectations for its taste. With his expectations raised so high, the taste of gin, a cheap distilled liquor, was too inferior for Mason.
All he felt was a burning disgust and unfamiliarity in his mouth. It was like a teenager who had just received his first shot glass of soju from his parents…
“Mason, you have a lot to learn about appreciating alcohol.”
Yekaterina was simply smiling, as if she had expected this reaction.
Annoyed by her reaction, Mason grumbled.
“I don’t know why ancient people drank this kind of stuff.”
Yekaterina laughed and ordered a different drink.
“Two Long Island Iced Teas, please.”
“Yes.”
Mason took a sip to taste it.
A faint cola scent. It tasted similar to iced tea.
“This is a bit better.”
Mason sipped and drank.
Yekaterina asked with a smile.
“Another one?”
“Before that, I have a question.”
“Go ahead. I’ll answer if it’s a question I like.”
“What did you do… to Seo Yeonhee?”
Everyone who saw Seo Yeonhee said that she was an enemy of the Heavenly King. The fact that Yekaterina was here meant that it was worth considering her relationship with Seo Yeonhee.
“She’ll be sleeping in her own house.”
“Are you sure?”
Yekaterina extended her pinky finger.
“I promise. I’ll take responsibility if I harmed her.”
“Alright.”
Mason linked his pinky finger with hers.
Yekaterina spoke to the bartender.
“Screwdriver. With canned juice, not fresh orange.”
“Yes.”
Yekaterina looked at Mason.
“I think you have a lot of questions for me.”
“Well, yeah.”
“I’ll answer one for each drink. Of course…”
Yekaterina gestured towards the bartender with her eyes.
“…If it’s a question that’s okay for others to hear.”
“Alright.”
The Screwdriver tasted like cheap orange juice. A sharp, piercing sourness spread throughout his mouth, followed by the sweetness of the juice filling his refreshed palate.
“This is good, by the way. Doesn’t taste like alcohol at all.”
“Well, that’s because…”
As the bartender was about to say something, Yekaterina quietly shook her head.
The bartender silently closed his mouth.
After emptying his glass, Mason tapped it ostentatiously.
“Why are you fighting with Seo Yeonhee like that?”
“Because she’s picking a fight with me.”
“That sounds like a half-assed answer.”
“Because it’s a half-assed question. You should ask her why she wants to fight me.”
“…Fine.”
Mason gestured to the bartender.
Yekaterina then spoke.
“Daiquiri. Hemingway Special.”
Two glasses were served.
Mason emptied his glass in one gulp, while Yekaterina sipped hers slowly.
“Delicious…”
Yekaterina only smiled instead of answering.
Mason tapped his empty glass and asked.
“Is there no way to reconcile with Seo Yeonhee?”
“I’m ready to stop. If she stops, it will be over.”
“Half-assed answer.”
“Because it’s a half-assed question.”
Yekaterina, who had given a blunt answer, asked curiously.
“You’re only asking questions about Seo Yeonhee?”
“What I’m curious about…”
Mason glanced at the bartender.
“Seems like I need to choose the right time and place.”
“Then, shall we get going?”
“Where to?”
“I got a room.”
“Alright.”
As Mason tried to get up, Yekaterina placed her hand on his shoulder.
She wagged her finger.
“One question per drink. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“…Fine.”
Yekaterina looked at the bartender.
“Two Blue Skies.”
The clear blue liquid was layered. It was as if the sky with clouds had been captured in a glass.
Mason emptied his glass in one gulp, and Yekaterina also enjoyed the taste leisurely.
Mason tapped his glass.
“Alright, we’re done.”
“Shall we go?”
Yekaterina linked her arm with Mason’s.
Mason felt strangely good.
“You… smell like my father.”
“…Don’t people usually say they smell like their mother?”
“I don’t have a mother. I’m a clone of my father.”
Yekaterina laughed.
“Try using that the next time you have an argument with someone. No one will be able to beat you.”
“Really?”
Mason laughed heartily.
Yekaterina’s room was clearly the best room in the hotel.
As the two entered the room, Yekaterina’s two subordinates naturally stood on either side of the door.
Mason felt strangely hot and short of breath. His movements were sluggish, and his surroundings felt dizzy.
Mason sat on the bed.
After sitting for a while, he collapsed onto the bed.
‘Something’s wrong with my body.’
His body felt strange. It felt strange… but good.
It was an experience he’d never had before.
“Yekaterina.”
Yekaterina was sitting at the vanity, taking off her necklace. She spoke without looking back.
“Please call me Kacha. It’s my nickname.”
“Hmm. Alright, Kacha. You have something to tell me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“What are you up to?”
“It’s going to be a long story.”
Yekaterina was already standing next to Mason.
And at some point, she was straddling him.
“But as for what I’m up to right now… I think you’ll find out soon.”
Her weight was on his thighs. The warmth she felt through her soft touch. As if they were floating on a cloud, only the places where her touch reached were awakening Mason’s senses.
Yekaterina was already taking off her top, and Mason’s clothes were coming off as well.
“What… what are you… trying to do to me?”
She slowly leaned down and kissed his neck.
Mason’s heated body was getting goosebumps. Something, something inexplicable, seemed to be spreading from within him.
Dark blue eyes. Deep and subtle like the bottom of a deep lake, her eyes were looking down at him. With a look that understood the longing he himself couldn’t comprehend.
Yekaterina licked his lips.
“Do you understand now?”
Yekaterina’s soft lips covered his.
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It was morning.
“Ugh…”
When Mason came to his senses with a splitting headache, it was already late for morning.
“…What the…”
The room looked as if a typhoon had passed through.
There was almost nothing in its place, and quite a few things were broken.
But more important than that was the pain.
His head hurt.
Yekaterina was sitting at the vanity, putting on her earrings.
“…What the h*ll did you do?”
“We slept. Together.”
“Besides that. To my head.”
“Ah.”
Yekaterina chuckled and said.
“It’s a hangover. Drink some water.”
“Hangover? I wasn’t drunk.”
“You were.”
“No way. We just had a few glasses of juice yesterday.”
“You’ve learned a good lesson. When drinking cocktails, beware of sly people.”
“…”
Mason pressed his temples.
And he gathered the remaining alcohol in his body to a single point and expelled it.
“Hmm…”
Now his body felt a little more comfortable.
Mason grumbled.
“I’ll never drink cocktails again.”
Mason stood behind Yekaterina.
She then handed him her necklace from behind.
Mason unconsciously grabbed the necklace and looked down at her long, elegant neckline.
“…”
Mason swallowed unconsciously and was puzzled because he didn’t know why he did.
Yekaterina held his fingertips and put on her necklace.
Whatever she was last night, Yekaterina now had a queenly dignity.
But the problem was, Mason still had memories of last night…
“…Why did you sleep with me?”
“Love at first sight.”
“You must like men with good bodies.”
“I don’t dislike them, but not to the point of falling in love at first sight.”
Yekaterina chuckled.
“There are people in the world with extraordinary talents. And… I have a different eye for people.”
“Do you see infrared or something?”
“No, spiritual vision. A spiritual eye. To ordinary people’s eyes, Mason is an attractive man… but to my spiritual eye, you are a radiant and powerful being like the sun.”
“The sun?”
“Yes, the sun.”
Yekaterina said with a smile.
“How could I not fall in love at first sight after seeing a man with such karma?”
“…I don’t know.”
Mason scratched his head.
“Maybe my uncle or father, but I’m just an ordinary person.”
“Okay. Let’s leave it at that.”
Yekaterina turned around.
“But was that the question you wanted to ask me?”
“…No.”
Mason said in a calm voice.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m building a nation.”
“A nation?”
“A nation for pseudo-humans. A land of salvation where they won’t be persecuted or massacred for not being human.”
Mason crossed his arms.
“Like Andrei or Gwendolyn?”
“Yes.”
Yekaterina said calmly.
“As you’ve seen, Andrei is a werewolf, and Liza Kronen, who’s traveling with him, is an elf.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Yekaterina looked out the window.
“What we want is power. The financial resources, authority, and above all, military power to protect ourselves. And we’re using the Player System and the nation of South Korea to achieve that.”
