To resolve Selene’s misunderstanding required a great deal of effort.
“Selene, there are circumstances here! Please, listen to me!”
No matter how much I protested, she showed no signs of listening.
The flaming sword of wrath burned with a brilliance I had never seen before, and I realized the uncomfortable truth that Selene had never truly exerted her full power until now.
In response, Karne spread her black wings without hesitation and drew the 5-star weapon I had gifted her in the game.
Clang!
The flaming sword clashed with the scythe.
Immediately afterward, a fierce battle ensued, too fast and intense for mere human eyes to follow.
Unable to stand by, I summoned a 4-star Disaster Rock Crusher to try and stop their fight, but within less than a minute, our golem was left with only one arm.
“Mirien, can’t you try to meditate?”
“Huh? Why should I?”
Surprisingly, Mirien, the Great Calamity known as the Storm of the North Sea and the only one capable of mediating this fight, was casually munching on popcorn.
In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the spectacle of their battle.
“Wouldn’t it be great if they just fought until they destroyed each other? Then Actor could stay with me, wouldn’t that be nice?”
“…”
As expected, there was no sense of camaraderie between them.
I sighed, wondering how to resolve this utter chaos.
In the end, the fight only ended when both sides were incapacitated.
Selene’s shoulders were dislocated, her arms dangling limply by her waist, while Karne had a chunk of her left wing sliced off.
Well, they would return to their original state after some time back at the base, so it wasn’t a major injury, but the aftermath of two Great Calamities going all out was devastating.
The nearby mountain was stripped bare, the stream had evaporated, and even the surrounding caves were completely destroyed.
“…How am I supposed to clean this up…?”
This level of damage wasn’t from fighting Karne, who harbored hostility toward me, but from the aftermath.
What excuse could I possibly give to the Chinese Awakener Alliance when they arrived?
As I pondered, I noticed the one-armed Rock Crusher and came up with an idea.
First, I rolled around in the blood-soaked area near the cave, then messed up my hair to make it look disheveled.
I tore off a few buttons from my cheap shirt and ripped the sleeves with a sharp rock.
“What are you doing? Stop it. Actor, self-harm is bad.”
“It’s not self-harm, it’s a disguise. I’m creating an alibi.”
“An alibi?”
Mirien didn’t understand, but I ignored her and continued to make myself look like a complete wreck.
Finally, after doing a few sets of burpees, I was utterly exhausted.
A few minutes later, Lei Fu and Yoo Junseo arrived.
“Nam Jooyeon!”
Yoo Junseo was the first to rush toward me as he got out of the car.
His running posture was awkward, likely because he had been slightly scared by the commotion.
“What happened! What’s with that state! Are you okay?”
Yoo Junseo asked the obvious question, and I calmly lied while catching my breath.
“Yeah, well. The situation’s more or less under control.”
“Under control? Don’t tell me you cleared that dungeon…”
“Not cleared, just drove out the dungeon’s owner.”
Lao Ying translated my words to Lei Fu, who covered his mouth in disbelief.
Lei Fu’s gaze naturally shifted to the devastated surroundings.
Yoo Junseo looked at me with a mix of doubt and suspicion.
“Nam Jooyeon, don’t tell me all of this is from your fight?”
“Well, you could say that.”
I forced a bitter smile as I glanced at the Rock Crusher, still summoned.
The poor Rock Crusher, which had lost an arm after intervening in Selene and Karne’s battle, now looked like a revolutionary hero who had just finished a war against the Nationalists—or perhaps even a founding father.
Of course, the Rock Crusher no longer had the arm to point at the “harmful bird.”
“So… Nam Jooyeon, you’re saying you defeated all these Calamities and drove out the owner…”
Yoo Junseo let out a hollow laugh.
“…How about becoming the head of the Awakener Association?”
“No thanks.”
I refused outright.
In any case, things proceeded smoothly from there.
With such clear evidence of battle, the Chinese Awakener Alliance, including Lei Fu, couldn’t doubt me.
Instead, they praised me as the savior who had rescued China from crisis, showering me with all sorts of compliments.
According to Lao Ying’s translation, they even used terms like “leader of the martial arts alliance,” which showed just how grateful the Chinese, who were obsessed with martial arts, were toward me.
“So, the Alliance plans to hold a celebration banquet to commemorate this victory. As the main contributor, they’d like you to attend…”
“I’ll pass.”
I declined with an awkward smile.
“I’m a bit tired, so I’ll rest today.”
“…Ah.”
My disguise was perfect.
I looked completely exhausted.
No one questioned my decision to rest.
Lei Fu looked worried and said something, which Lao Ying translated.
“They’re offering to send a doctor.”
“No, that’s fine.”
After all, I wasn’t actually injured. However, Yoo Junseo interpreted my refusal differently.
“Yeah, you can’t trust those Chinese doctors.”
As always, he added his own unnecessary comment.
*
While the Chinese Awakener Alliance was in a celebratory mood now that everything was resolved, for me, the work was far from over.
In fact, it felt like things were just beginning.
“That harlot dared to do something despicable to our lord! She must have used some kind of brainwashing magic!”
“My, Selene. That’s harsh. A child caring for their mother, and a mother embracing their child—what’s wrong with that?”
“That tone of yours is the problem!”
As expected, Selene and Karne, whom I had summoned back to the residence, started arguing again.
Fortunately, they both had enough sense not to draw their weapons openly in the embassy.
Selene was pointing at Karne with a twisted expression, while Karne wore a faint smile.
“From the beginning, you acted with malicious intent toward our lord. That alone is sacrilege.”
“There was no harm done. I’ve already apologized to Actor. Isn’t that right?”
Karne glanced at me for confirmation, and I nodded awkwardly.
Selene reacted even more violently to my response.
“My lord, that woman is impersonating your mother!”
“That’s something the child asked of me. How could I refuse when they begged so cutely for me to be their mother? More importantly, isn’t it unbecoming of a loyal servant to question the child’s decision to accept me?”
“My lord, do you truly intend to allow that black-haired beast into this sacred domain? That harlot was ready to destroy the world just half a day ago!”
Instead of talking it out between themselves, Selene was addressing me as if pleading her case. I responded vaguely.
“…Well, that’s true, but not anymore…”
I could understand Selene’s anger.
I, too, never imagined Karne would smile at me just because of a little mother-child roleplay.
It was both good and bad.
While I was glad the external issues were resolved, managing this internal conflict wasn’t easy.
Moreover, Karne was kind to me but not to Selene.
“…However, Selene, as this humble mother, I find something questionable.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You failed to protect Actor, didn’t you?”
“W-What are you…?”
“Am I wrong? Just a few hours ago, you were defeated by me. As a mother, I’m not sure I can entrust my precious child’s safety to such a weakling.”
“…”
Crack.
A sound that could never come from a human echoed from Selene.
It was the sound of her sanity snapping.
I braced myself, fearing she might draw her weapon, but instead, she trembled and turned to Mirien for support.
“Magic brat! Say something!”
“Huh? Well… I guess neither of you is entirely wrong? Or not.”
Mirien answered nonchalantly, and Selene’s eyes narrowed.
“…Magic brat.”
“What?”
“Why are you sitting on our lord’s lap?”
“…Because it’s comfortable? Just ignore me and keep fighting.”
“…”
Mirien had somehow ended up sitting in my lap.
She was like a middleman, exploiting the situation.
Of course, being caught in the middle, I was miserable.
“…Can’t you all just get along?”
In the end, I could only repeat what I had said countless times before.
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