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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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I should have just told them all to fuck off and disappeared without a trace back then.
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“Haa…”
“Guild Leader, are you alright?”
“Do I look alright to you?”
“No. You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“Then why did you ask if I was alright?”
“You called me here and then just kept sighing, so it was awkward.”
“Haha… It’s been a while since someone spoke so freely in front of me, an S-rank Awakened.”
“I don’t care what happens anymore. I’m already fired.”
“Oh, right, fired. Agh! Why did that bastard do that without even asking me?!”
“Guild Leader, why are you acting like you have no responsibility and it was all your subordinate’s fault? You didn’t even care about me until yesterday’s incident.”
“Oh… Y-You saw through me? You’re a perceptive young man. Anyway, did you see what happened yesterday? The guild headquarters turned to ashes because you were gone! The Rate family is covering the costs, but it seems your presence is crucial to the guild’s safety. So come back to Liar’s Trap. Okay?”
“Why are you acting like you’re doing me a favor? Don’t I have the upper hand here? Guild Leader, you seem to think I’m just some naive twenty three year old, but I’ve been through a lot. Don’t underestimate me. Try asking again.”
“Ha… Haha! Right, you need that kind of guts to capture the heart of a woman like Scarlet. I was wondering what she saw in you, but now I think I understand.”
“Capture her heart? Scarlet’s just crazy. She burned down the guild because her favorite servant was gone. That’s it. So, what are you going to offer me if I come back?”
“I’ll pay you well. A-rank combat Awakened level salary. But it’ll be our little secret.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“Come here. This is the guild’s salary and incentive structure by rank. Since you have to deal with that monster, Scarlet, every day, let’s assume you’re doing a B-rank dungeon daily… How about this much?”
“You know how to handle people, Guild Leader. I’m in.”
“Great, thanks. But there’s a slight problem. Even with the Rate family’s backing, we can’t just sweep this under the rug. What Scarlet did was… excessive. We have to discipline her, at least temporarily. A month’s suspension, probably.”
“Wow. That’s amazing! A month without seeing Scarlet? That would be a dream come true.”
“But… Scarlet kept yelling your name while she was rampaging through the guild yesterday. So everyone thinks you quitting was the cause of the incident. They can’t be angry at Scarlet, so their anger will be directed at you.”
“Wait, why?”
“That’s just how people are. Anyway, while Scarlet’s suspended, there will be no one to protect you in the guild.”
“Can’t you protect me, Guild Leader?”
“I’ll be too busy dealing with the aftermath of this incident… I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s Scarlet’s fault. So, can I just stay home while she’s suspended? Paid leave?”
“I wish I could do that, but giving a month of paid leave to an F-rank Awakened with no abilities would raise eyebrows. Favoritism is dangerous, especially in our line of work. There’s already talk of expelling or firing Scarlet, and if I give you special treatment on top of that, things will get messy.”
“So you want me to star in ‘Liar’s Trap Survival’? The guild members were giving me some… intense looks yesterday. I might actually die.”
“No, no. I know what will happen if you disappear. I wouldn’t let you die. I have a plan. Just trust me, Faster.”
“Huu… So, what’s the plan?”
“Spend a month with Team 3. Just show your face to the team leader and do nothing. Just stay there for a month. The Team 3 leader isn’t interested in people, so she won’t bother you… probably.”
“That’s… unsettling… But okay. Everyone knows Team Leader Silk isn’t interested in people, so I should be fine, right?”
“R-Right! Just think of yourself as… invisible. Stay there, play on your phone, and then go home. And you’ll get paid like an A-rank combat Awakened! Haha! I’ll contact the Team 3 leader, so you can go over there now.”
“Strike while the iron is hot, huh? Okay. I’ll get going then.”
“Yeah. Be careful. And oh! Don’t go to the basement of Team 3’s annex! It’s full of high-rank monsters Team Leader Silk tamed! You might never be found! Well, you probably can’t get in there without her permission anyway!”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
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“Huu… I’m nervous.”
I’d acted relaxed in front of the Guild Leader. There was no point in appearing vulnerable.
But the thought of meeting Silk Blonde, the leader of Liar’s Trap Team 3, the Taming Master, made my heart pound.
“To think I’d meet Silk Blonde like this. Maybe am i actually lucky?”
I’d been dragged into Liar’s Trap against my will, thanks to Scarlet, but as an Awakened, the guild members were my idols.
And Silk Blonde, the enigmatic Tamer, who rarely appeared in public except for dungeon raids, was someone I’d always wanted to meet.
“Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Okay. Let’s do this. I’ll greet her politely and make a good first impression. Maybe I can even get her autograph.”
I took deep breaths to calm my nerves and opened the door to her office. Inside, I saw a woman with short, blonde hair, watching fish swim in an aquarium behind her desk.
It was Silk Blonde, the S-rank Awakened I’d only seen on TV, the one I’d always wanted to meet.
“Hmm~ Hmm~ Fishy. Today, you get a special treat. Meat cubes made from North Elk leg. Grow big and strong.”
Silk Blonde dropped pieces of pristine white meat into the tank, the iridescent rainbow scales of the fish reflecting the light, making her look like an angel descended from heaven.
Wow, she’s beautiful. I didn’t know there was anyone as beautiful as Scarlet. She’s even prettier than on TV, like ten times prettier.
Overwhelmed by her beauty, I momentarily forgot what I was supposed to say.
But just standing there silently would make me look suspicious, so I quickly collected myself and delivered my prepared greeting.
“Greetings! I’m Faster, reporting for duty in Liar’s Trap Team 3! Please take care of me, Team Leader!”
I bowed deeply, finishing my brief self-introduction in a confident voice. Silk Blonde dropped the remaining meat into the tank and turned to look at me.
“Huh?”
Her languid amber eyes met mine. She tilted her head, then, as if remembering something, her mouth opened slightly, and she nodded.
“Oh… Right. The Guild Leader asked me to look after a troublemaker.”
Troublemaker? I might be a troublemaker from the Guild Leader’s perspective, but that was unfair. The Team 1 leader was the one who fired me, and Scarlet was the one who set the fire. I was just the victim of wrongful termination.
“Are you the troublemaker who burned down the guild headquarters? You look too weak to do something like that…”
“I didn’t set the fire. Scarlet did. I’m the victim.”
“Really? Then why did the Guild Leader call you a troublemaker?”
Silk Blonde poked her cheek with her finger, looking at me curiously.
Her amber eyes held my gaze, making it difficult to remain silent. The atmosphere itself seemed to be demanding an answer.
“Um… I don’t know?”
“‘I don’t know’ isn’t an answer.”
“Oh. Right…”
Remembering that S-rank Awakened were practically gods, even to other Awakened, I succumbed to her aura and spoke.
“Well… I didn’t set the fire, but I was the reason it happened. Scarlet, I mean, Scarlet Rate, is obsessed with me. She set the fire because I was gone. So, from the Guild Leader’s perspective, I guess I am a troublemaker. Yeah.”
“The infamous Scarlet Rate… is obsessed with you?”
Being in the presence of an S-rank Awakened made me feel increasingly small.
I’d been confident during my conversation with the Guild Leader because I had the upper hand. But I had no leverage with Silk Blonde, so I could only shrink under her gaze, becoming a walking, talking Faster Wikipedia, spewing information at her command.
“Uh… it’s… hard to believe, I know, but yes. It’s not like she’s obsessed with me because she… likes me or anything. She’s treated me like… a dog? A pet? Since we were kids. She’s very possessive, and she tends to… explode when her things disappear. That’s why it happened. Haha…”
“Hmm… Really?”
A spark of interest appeared in Silk Blonde’s eyes.
Just moments ago, she’d seemed indifferent, but now, she was looking at me like a cat who’d found a new toy.
What? The Guild Leader said she wasn’t interested in people. Did I say too much? But how could I not answer an S-rank Awakened’s questions? This was so unfair.
Seeing Silk Blonde get up and walk towards me, my anxiety intensified.
Her gaze was fixed on me, and I froze, like a mouse before a cat.
He said she wasn’t interested in people! She’s clearly interested!
-Step. Step. Step. Lick.
As she approached, flicking her tongue out to wet her lips, my survival instincts, honed at the academy, kicked in.
Should I run? No, there’s no way I can escape an S-rank Awakened…
“He seemed interesting from afar, but he’s even more interesting up close. He’s weak, so… he wouldn’t dare betray me.”
Silk Blonde’s mutterings interrupted my thoughts. She was standing right in front of me now.
She looked me up and down, like she was choosing a pet at a pet store, and her gaze, like a snake’s, paralyzed my thoughts.
“His physique is… not bad. He’s been working out, hasn’t he?”
“Excuse me? Oh, uh, yes.”
“Good. You pass. Welcome to Team 3.”
Silk Blonde, having finished her inspection, smiled and offered me her hand. It was a disconcerting, almost ominous gesture, but I had no choice but to accept.
What’s the worst that could happen from shaking her hand?
Rationalizing my actions, I took her outstretched hand.
Her palm was soft and warm, so soft and warm that I couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel to be caressed by her.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I’d held hands with a woman other than Scarlet. Was this the first time since I left the orphanage?
Holding her soft, delicate hand, my anxiety dissipated. It seemed my worries had been unfounded.
I was so used to Scarlet’s unpredictable behavior that I’d become unnecessarily wary around other women. I felt bad for misjudging Team Leader Silk.
My initial suspicion had morphed into guilt.
Should I apologize for my misunderstanding? Just as I was considering it, Silk Blonde suddenly wrapped both her hands around mine.
“You know, only family I choose can join Team 3.”
“Excuse me? What do you…”
“You’re my family now. Don’t worry. You’ll feel good soon…”
With those words, a brilliant golden light emanated from her hands, filling my vision. It was the same light I’d seen on TV, the light that accompanied Taming.
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Well you know the things from previous chapter tho😏
