To You Who Will Destroy Me - Chapter 120
Irel’s widened pupils caught something out of the corner of her eye.
Is that… a snake?
A thin, thread-like snake was coiled around Jin’s ankle. The sight of it sent a cold shiver down her spine, filling her with a sense of impending dread.
Hissss.
Its dark green eyes gleamed maliciously, as if it were laughing at her.
Thud—
With a heavy sound, Jin collapsed. His body stiffened as it hit the floor, frozen in place as if he had lost consciousness.
“Oh my god! Jin, are you okay?!”
Irel rushed over, checking on him. He didn’t seem dead, but his pale face made it clear he wasn’t in good shape.
“He’s merely paralyzed for now. He’ll be fine after a while, so there’s no need to worry.”
A calm voice came from behind her. Sure enough, the snake was none other than Ryu Cheong in disguise.
“By the way, it’s the appointed time, and yet you’re still at your lodgings. May I ask what’s going on?”
Ryu Cheong strode forward, tilting his head with a playful smile.
“Oh, and aren’t you here too, Ryu Cheong? Not exactly at the meeting place yourself, are you?”
Irel was terrified, but she responded with defiance, her voice steady.
“And besides, wasn’t that supposed to be a mutual agreement? I never said I’d come.”
Ryu Cheong raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by her boldness. He had anticipated that Irel might not show up.
She’s not that foolish, he thought.
What good would it do for a powerless Risever to meet a Masaka alone? She wouldn’t be able to get his ring, and if anything, she’d be lucky to leave without losing her own earrings—or worse, being kidnapped. Irel was smart to avoid such an obvious trap.
Indeed, her logic was sound. After all, Ryu Cheong had unilaterally set the meeting, and she had never agreed to it. She bore no responsibility for not attending.
“…You’re right. If I was rude, I apologize,” Ryu Cheong said, gracefully bringing his hands together in a gesture of apology, like a true gentleman from a prestigious family.
Did that really work? Irel swallowed hard, keeping a close watch on him. But of course, Ryu Cheong had no intention of leaving just yet.
“Still, since we’ve run into each other by chance, I’d like to have a little chat,” he added, smiling softly.
Of course, she thought. It wasn’t like he was going to give up that easily. If he had any intention of backing down, he wouldn’t have knocked Jin out in the first place.
“You seem to have some business with me as well,” he said, raising his hand slightly. The red diamond in his ring gleamed brightly in the night, and Irel let out a long sigh.
Looks like Varkan’s going to be disappointed.
He’d rushed out, only to find that Ryu Cheong was still here. Poor Varkan—he hadn’t even had a chance to clean up before leaving.
“Fine. Let’s talk,” Irel said, sighing deeply as she pulled up a chair and sat down. With Jin unconscious at her feet, she had little choice.
“Smart as always. So, where shall we begin?” Ryu Cheong asked, sitting across from her.
“Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the ring. I need that ring. But I’m guessing you’re not planning on selling it to me, are you?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Ryu Cheong replied with a polite smile.
“Then what would it take for you to hand it over?”
Irel’s blunt approach was unusual for a noblewoman, and Ryu Cheong appreciated that. As a merchant, time was as valuable as gold, and people who respected that were always worth his attention.
“Well, if you were to become my fiancée, I’d be happy to give it to you as an engagement gift.”
“Is that why, I wonder? Even though I know it’s impossible, I can’t help but keep testing him.”
“I’m sorry, but I already have a fiancé. Isn’t there another condition we could consider?” Irel rejected Ryu Cheong’s offer without a second thought, her loyalty unwavering. Watching her speak so firmly, Ryu Cheong couldn’t help but smile wryly, envying the man she was devoted to.
“The condition should come from you, Lady Irel. After all, I’m not the one seeking a trade.”
He was right. Irel sighed deeply, searching for something that might interest him, but nothing came to mind.
“How about helping with the reconstruction of your inn? You must need plenty of manpower and materials.”
“I have more than enough resources to handle that myself.”
Her suggestion, offered out of desperation, fell flat. Irel’s shoulders drooped in disappointment—she couldn’t offer herself as payment, so what else could she do?
As she struggled to find another option, she heard Ryu Cheong muttering quietly.
“…It’s fascinating. The closer I am, the more it pulses.”
Of course, he wasn’t talking about his emotions but about the ring on his hand.
“I wonder what kind of magic created such an item.”
Wait. Irel’s ears perked up as she listened. It seemed Ryu Cheong didn’t fully understand the nature of the ring. It made sense—if even people from the Western Continent didn’t know much about it, how could he, having come from across the sea?
“May I ask how you came into possession of that ring?” Irel inquired.
“Hmm.”
Ryu Cheong paused, considering the question. Watching him, Irel couldn’t help but think of a well-crafted wooden figure—like a piece of fine timber, shaped and polished with care. His long, dark brown hair always carried a faint scent of sandalwood, as if it were part of his very essence.
“If I tell you its origin,” he finally said, “will you share with me why you want it, and what its true purpose is?”
“I don’t fully know either,” Irel admitted. She was just as much in the dark. She had no idea why her quest had led her here, or why it demanded she gather the fragments of the evil god’s heart.
Could it be to resurrect something? The thought sent a chill down her spine. As far as Irel was concerned, one person hell-bent on destruction—Varkan—was more than enough. If she ended up reviving Avihushan, the entire continent might be doomed. Compared to that, Varkan might even seem tame.
Still, she had to progress with the quest if she wanted answers. If it turned out to be a dead end, she could always look for alternatives.
“I’ll tell you what I know. So, please, Ryu Cheong, how did you come by that ring?” Irel asked, lifting her head and speaking earnestly.
A fair exchange—at least on the surface. For Ryu Cheong, with little information of his own, this seemed like a valuable trade.
“Very well, I’ll tell you,” Ryu Cheong agreed at last.
“This ring came to me as spoils of war.”
He touched the ring, recalling the memory.
“As I mentioned before, there was a time when the Blood Demons crossed into the Eastern Continent, causing havoc. They weren’t targeting any one family—they were a plague upon us all.”
It seemed that at the time, even the Vlads themselves didn’t know the exact location of the Breath. They had infiltrated the land and indiscriminately used their powers, threatening people and narrowing their search in a long, tedious process.
“Then, at some point, they began focusing on my family. As you know, the Eastern Continent has very few Kitan, and thus, very few Masaka. Even though the Ryu Clan is strong, it was difficult to face monsters with ordinary human strength.”
Ryu Cheong sighed as he recounted the past. One rainy night, despite all their defenses, his family’s fortifications were breached.
“The Blood Demons didn’t miss their chance. They broke into the inner chambers of our ancestral home, killing our servants and stealing the heirloom hidden behind the walls.”
“That must have been the Breath, or rather, the jade,” Irel remarked.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Life could be cruel. Even as the Vlads wreaked havoc, the business partners of the Ryu Clan didn’t care. They pushed contracts forward, demanding deadlines be met as scheduled.
Breaking those deadlines would mean massive penalties. As the heir, Ryu Cheong had no choice but to leave his family’s side to handle business. The Vlads, seizing the opportunity, stole what they had come for.
“When I got word of what happened, I immediately returned home to track them down. Luckily, I managed to catch up with them just before they left the Eastern Continent. But… I was too late to reclaim the jade.”
Even for someone as skilled as Ryu Cheong, fighting off multiple Vlads alone was a challenge. However, he was able to buy time, delaying their departure. If he could just keep them on the Eastern Continent, he could call in reinforcements to deal with them. He fought relentlessly, and it seemed like he was on the verge of success—until one of the Vlads, holding the stolen jade, managed to escape and board the ship.
“Wait! I’m coming too…!”
By then, most of the other Vlads had been defeated. Ships traveling from the Eastern Continent to the Western Continent were rare. If he missed this one, it would be another month and a half before the next opportunity came. All hope seemed lost. The last remaining Vlad, wounded and staggering, also tried to board the ship to join their comrade.
But Ryu Cheong wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Roar!!”
In his great tiger form, he lunged at the Vlad, catching him from behind as the creature showed a moment of weakness.
“No… this can’t… be…”
The Vlad’s pale hand stretched out desperately, trembling in the air. On the ship, the Vlad with the jade shouted something unintelligible, reaching out as well, but the two never managed to connect.
Crunch—
Ryu Cheong bit down hard on the Vlad’s neck. Blood gushed out as the creature collapsed onto the muddy ground of the port.
“Gah!”
The hand that had been stretched out to its sibling fell limp, and as the Vlad died, something slipped from its sleeve and rolled across the ground.
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