42. Subjugation (1)
“Did you calm down a bit?”
“Luka.”
Luka gently listened while laughing.
Perhaps my anxiety is apparent?
…I touched my cheek.
When I was the duke’s daughter, I had to wear a façade all the time, therefore my facial expression remained unchanging.
Since coming here, I was the Duchess Merfan or the fiancée of the first prince of Haulfa no longer. Therefore, I was able to laugh as I pleased.
But was my face just now stiff to the point it was obvious to the eye?
Luka felt unnatural as he took his eyes off me and mumbled—
“—what?”
“Shut up.”
“Haa?”
“Are you ready to order?”
When he tried to complain about the rant I suddenly spat out, a woman from the cafeteria came to take our order.
It was a great help.
I stopped staring at Luka and placed an order.
“Speaking of which, I wonder how much money I’ll gain from that quest tomorrow.”
“500 dallies for those with the most contribution, 300 for medium contribution, and 50 for participants.”
“Huh!?”
I suddenly said out loud.
500 dallies for people with most contribution and 300 dallies for medium contributors!
That… if I received that sum, I would be able to return to Haulfa immediately!
The commotion I was making garnered the attention of my surroundings. Luka also appeared shocked.
“You, you’re that poor?”
Luka said so after a long silence.
I so wanted to splash this guy with water! Thank god I managed to endure. I still pitied Luka, who made me laugh a while ago.
I thought glaring at him would settle the score. My responce to Luka’s previous statement was a sharp glance.
“You keep calling people poor and poor, you’ll regret it someday, you know!”
“How would that happen, exactly?”
“I’m going to become rich enough to be able to order you to marry me on spot!”
Such was an easy feat once I returned to Haulfa, but in my current predicament, unless I found a new oil source, that threat of mine could easily be shrugged off.
While I was escaping reality, Luka laughed boisterously.
I wondered if I should just stomp on his feet. Such a thought became more and more pleasing.
It was about time for my order to arrive. I caught a glimpse of the clock and was startled at how much time had passed. Return from the guild later than this would be bad for me! My disguise applied magic would dissolve! I finished eating in a hurry, said goodbye to Luka, and ran away to my room.
Sure enough, after I got into my room, my hair color returned to silver starting from the tips.
“…Almost got me there…” I sat down and leaned against the wall.
Luka, who was left in the dining room, said some words that wouldn’t be able to reach me—
“—is she in debt?”
If I knew Luka had such a disgraceful misunderstanding about me, I would’ve corrected him immediately.
Next day.
The Aliuster Subjugation Operation started with a small briefing. Then, we departed from the guild as scheduled. The atmosphere was truly heavy, and everyone was causing quite an uproar.
I saw the pair from the cafeteria yesterday—they both had a stern look.
The only calm one was Luka. As usual, he was easygoing.
At such times, I admired Luka.
I thought Luka was really amazing. I was still nervous.
Aliuster were said to be mythical creatures that hadn’t appeared in the last few hundred years.
However, for it to appear now, of all the times…
I followed everyone with a heavy sigh.
“Fern.”
“What, Luka?”
“If it’s Fern, what would you do if it turned out that the Aliuster has an ally?”
“Huh…?”
Luka talked in his usual tone, but his voice was fainter.
I wondered if that guy knew we were going to subjugate an Aliuster soon.
“What do you mean?”
“What if it’s more than one Aliuster? You managed to seize one, but you’re still in deep water.”
“You keep on blabbering nonsense…”
It was an ominous talk.
I thought with my hand on my chin.
I didn’t know what Luka was thinking, but if he asked, then I had to think of the answer.
If it was a joke, it would be in bad taste, but if it really happened…
“Spare it…?”
“That Aliuster? Isn’t that asking for the impossible?”
“Why? Because it’s strong?”
“Indeed. If we were going harboring the intent to merely capture it instead of killing it, there would be a lot of casualties.”
“That’s true… but, doesn’t that monster’s strength increase each time it’s hit? Ganet advised me to kill it in one hit.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about… well, yeah, I guess there’s no other way.”
Luka bitterly said so.
That creature became more active in warm temperature.
I hadn’t met the creature yet, but I wondered if Luka was also intimidated by it.
Back in Haulfa, I had never heard about that creature because our climate was colder than Talia’s.
Of course, I, as the daughter of a duke, should never been able to see one.
However, if I admitted such, my noble stature and also the fact that I wasn’t even from here would be exposed.
I had to convince people that I was born in Talia.
While conversing with Luka, we arrived at the mountain.
The anxiousness of the people reached my ears.
I could also hear someone gulping.
The leader stepped into the mountain while everyone followed him. Of course, Luka and I did the same.
But, along the way, there were those who abandoned the quest.
I could hear a scream coming from behind me—a slender man was sitting down.
“Hyyiii…! As I thought, I’m going home!” Fear could be heard clearly from his voice.
Luka just stared at him while everyone else anxiously gazed off somewhere.
The leader seemed ashamed, but he spoke in a firm voice.
“I understand, you can go home, then.”
“Y, yes!”
The man made a pitiful voice as he returned while still crawling on the floor.
If all he wanted to do was demoralize the other party members, he shouldn’t have come since the start…
I glanced at Luka while pondering so, and he had a fearless smile. What was he thinking about?
“Well, the amount of people who might receive 500 dallies has gone down.”
I heard him remarking casually.
***T/N:
“I’m going to become rich enough to be able to order you to marry me on spot!”
Look straight into my eyes and tell me this bitch ain’t playing the role of those dense af, loves to send mixed signals to every men ever, heroine lead in a generic shoujo manga. She’s super fucking presumptuous and upholding etiquettes before, now you expect me to believe she’s dense enough to not know the meaning of her words and how her actions and words might be perceived by others?
You don’t want to completely become an adventurer and leave your old life behind, you also don’t want to completely break off your engagement, and now you’re stringing along man… Is this your definition of being outgoing, Tia? A bitch?
“Huh!?”
I suddenly said out loud.
Stop overreacting at every little thing possible and act human for once, it’s getting fucking old and no you are not being cute at all you cheap excuse of a generic, “”””cute””””, utterly fucking dumb heroine.
If all he wanted to do was demoralize the other party members, he shouldn’t have come since the start…
I’m sorry, who the fuck is she again? Who give her the right to look down on other people like this? Isn’t the author trying to make us believe she’s a people-person? Then, to keep her being in character, shouldn’t she be empathising instead of being a judgey ass bitch? I fucking read your thought bitch, you acted like you know everything about Aliuster when you’re just nodding along because the most important shit to you is keeping up your facade, and not keeping up with the monster you’re about to fight. You think you’re all high and mighty now, just because you tag along as a useless sack of potato?
I, I, I don’t know who is the real ML anymore. This woman is confusing me just like how she confuses poor Luka.
My advice is don’t look for the ML, just think of him as if he is dead.
Now you sound like a mom ditched by her husband.
Gabe, what happened?
I’m just dreaming of a universe where Vioris is male lead, and this story actually made sense.
IF you could fix this story IF… IF! what would you do first and IF you had the motivation to do so… Why would you?
I would rather straight up make a fanfic where i slap the bitch until my palm is sore
Which bitch… there’s a few heh ?
The main one. The one who give me the highest risk to acquire heart attack.
TIA
LOL its the author to blame though that is the one to rage at lol… those system transmigration stories into one of their novels is where the author should go… be either that ho or fern… lets see how ya like that huh!
I know that but i try to not directly judge people here, we dont know whats going on in their life after all. Lets just judge her through the character she made.
This story makes me appreciate Beware of a Villainess even more…
Woah is this a twitter feed :O gosh… 1000000m rupees bet that Luka is a prince…
I am not sure what game she is playing right now… she wants to buy his hand in marriage? well… why not right… she would get out of marrying the prince if she is already hitched lol…
I am always curious why she wants to return? she seems to think no one gives a shit about where she is since no one came looking ? like she wants to be looked for or something? shes living the life she wanted but that schizo personality keeps coming out in the Author ?
She always contradicts herself, it is as though the Author cbf keeping tabs on their own plot… life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what youre gonna get on the inside… well I do… I look at the packaging and it tells you right there ok? Author seems to have lost the packaging… (but if you eat chocolate as much as I dream about you would know by sight what each one is…) This author is a bipolar fake chocolate lover!
I wish Melissa would make a cameo… I want her to pwn all these noobs! (sorry dva for taking your line sif its your line! you dont own that! pft!)
As the story slowly progress to climax, its time we get serious in bashin this biatch
Interesting… Analogies…. As usual
Even if Luka does turn out to be a prince. I am still dead set on the possibility ghat he would die
In this chapter we can see a dragon awakening from its deep slumber…..(if you are asking where is the dragon I am referring to look at the T/N section..hahahaha)
“The only calm one was Luka. As usual, he was easygoing.”
Death flag no.1 was successfully raised…..
“At such times, I admired Luka.”
Proof of being a bitch has appeared…..
“Luka talked in his usual tone, but his voice was fainter.”
Death flag no. 2 was successfully raised……
“What if it’s more than one Aliuster? You managed to seize one, but you’re still in deep water.”
Death flag no. 3 was successfully raised…….
“It was an ominous talk.”
Death flag no. 4 was successfully raised…..
“If it was a joke, it would be in bad taste, but if it really happened…”
Death flag no. 5 was successfully raised…….Congratulations!!! Luka has succesfully raised the required amount of death flags required to unlock Luka’s death ending……from here onwards Luka would be unable to save the game.
…..The Proof of being a bitch has appeared while raising flags for Luka’s death ending…..BONUS cut scene for “Confessing using Luka’s last breath” is unlocked.
Maybe, but I also feel like that the last minute like right after he dies, Tia has like an explosion of magic or something and somehow brings him and others back to life or some other random thing that makes no sense. I dunno, I’m mostly reading this for T/N’s comments and your comments since that’s what’s getting me through this roller coaster of a story.
Roast this story together with us sis
LMAO YOU GUYS IS SO SET ON THE IDEA OF LUKA DYING. what did the poor guy do to deserve this
Probably because he shows signs of liking Tia and Tia is raising all sorts of flags with him not just the love flag but also the death flags….
I mean tia is basically a thot also SO DIE TO THE THOT!!! DIE TO THE THOT SUPPORTER!!!
Yes!!! Lets make it today’s mantra!!!! DIE TO THE THOT!!! DIE TO THE THOT SUPPORTER!!!
Now let us all repeat!!!
DIE TO THE THOT!!! DIE TO THE THOT SUPPORTER!!!
LOUDER!!!
DIE TO THE THOT!!! DIE TO THE THOT SUPPORTER!!!
DIE TO THE THOT!!! DIE TO THE THOT SUPPORTER!!!
Oh!! commander I have a song recommendation to help you aleviate the annoyance Tia has brought
https://youtu.be/6m_p1HUeb1Y
Its a song from my fav band Fly by Midnight….come on commander join me in having a last song syndrome
What is a last song syndrome gabe
It’s that thing when the song you last heard keeps on playing in your mind in a loop and your ear keeps on wanting to hear that song.
Gabe Gabe whats the title, for some reason i cant just copypaste the link
LA Lonely is the title.
I AM LOVIN IT EVER SINCE THE FIRST SEC!!! THIS IS SO MY KIND OF SONG!! THANKS GABE!!
Try their other songs, heres my top 3 favorites that you can try:
1. Vinyl
2. Brooklyn
3. Sad about you
Possible, the Author might give Tia a skill to revive or heal the injured as a power up……well this situation can also be considered to happen after all the author has added too many twists already that it might surpass the number of times the word twist was mentioned in this song https://youtu.be/ZvYnH2SOpyE.
I read this just for the translators comments, they make my day. Thanks for the chapter!!