Live Well Without Me-Chapter 12

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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“Ugh…….”

The Sword Sovereign groaned as she regained consciousness.

As her blurry vision cleared, she saw a man licking his lips.

Namgung Bin.

A few years ago, he had been the Military Advisor of the Martial Alliance, a hero of the war.

She moved her arms, feeling no restraints.

There was nothing binding her now.

But she couldn’t move freely.

Her dantian, the core of her internal energy, was as immobile as if drugged.

“What are you doing?”

“…Military Advisor…….”

“Ah, I’m so tired of this, but don’t ask where we are. I won’t tell you even if you ask.”

“…….”

The Sword Sovereign, who had been about to ask where she was, closed her mouth.

Looking back, her conversations with Namgung Bin had always been like this.

Namghum Bin had always been able to read her thoughts, and even the thoughts of the Blood Cult members, maneuvering like Zhuge Liang.

At times like these, she couldn’t help but feel inferior, wondering if she was truly fit to be the Alliance Leader.

Even now, as she lay before him, subdued and powerless.

“……What happened to those two?”

“Are you referring to the Flame Heaven Blade Sovereign and the Dragon King of the Water? They’ve been buried. Considering their past achievements, I buried them in a sunny place.”

“……!”

“I hope their spirits rest in peace. To the future generations of the Peng Family of Hebei and the Water Dragon Sect.”

At Namgung Bin’s chilling words, the Sword Sovereign was momentarily speechless.

“You… you won’t get away with this.”

She forced the words out, her voice trembling.

She was afraid.

Honestly, she wanted to beg for her life right then and there.

To plead for her life, to grovel like a dog, to do anything to survive.

But her meager pride as the leader of the Central Plains Martial Alliance urged her to maintain at least some dignity.

“Get away with it? What do you mean? Do you think I’ll face consequences for killing those two? How have I changed from years ago?”

“Ugh…….”

“To put it simply, I have nothing to do with their deaths. If anything, you’ll be the one implicated.”

“What… what do you mean? How could I be implicated when you killed them……?”

“We’ll discuss that later. First, let’s take care of this. It’s very important, so read it carefully and sign.”

As the Sword Sovereign trembled and questioned him, Namgung Bin handed her a piece of paper.

The appearance of the paper, stamped with an ominous seal, made her flinch.

She had seen similar seals in the southern barbarian lands and the western regions.

“What… is this?”

“Simply put, it’s a contract. I may look like this, but I’m a top student who studied in the Demonic Cult’s academy. I learned a bit of their curses there. This is a contract bound by such a curse.”

“A contract? What kind of contract?”

“Read it yourself. You’re not illiterate, even if you’re stupid.”

“Ugh…….”

Feeling indirectly insulted, the Sword Sovereign bit her lower lip and took the paper.

Even as she bit down gently, afraid of causing injury, her fearful nature was evident.

Rustle-.

As she unfolded the paper and read its contents, her expression gradually hardened.

The contract was a master-servant agreement.

It stated that the servant must obey any command from the master, no matter what.

A dark shadow fell over her face.

“……Don’t… don’t mess with me.”

She dropped the paper and stuttered.

But once a wolf has its prey in its jaws, it doesn’t let go.

Especially when that wolf is a seasoned predator who has brought down kings.

Thud!

Namgung Bin punched the Sword Sovereign in the solar plexus without a word, and she knelt helplessly for the second time.

“Ugh……!”

Her frail body bent at a right angle as she clutched her stomach.

“Say it again.”

“You… bastard…….”

Before she could finish, Namgung Bin’s kick struck her solar plexus again.

Thanks to that, even the hand clutching her stomach was shattered.

“Uuuugh……! Stop! Stop it! Please stop!”

“Hmm, you should have done that earlier. Our Alliance Leader has always been a troublesome woman, hasn’t she?”

“……! You…!”

“What’s this? Are you crying? How pathetic. The leader of the Martial Alliance, crying over a few punches. Still as pitiful as ever, Alliance Leader.”

“Ugh… ugh……!”

Her already fragile pride crumbled further with each word from Namgung Bin.

Of course, he was deliberately hurling insults to break her down.

But what Namgung Bin wanted wasn’t just her breaking down.

“Still trying to ignore it? Face it. All this suffering and what’s to come are the karmic retribution for your irresponsible actions.”

“I… didn’t mean to…….”

“Of course you didn’t. You’re too stupid to think that far ahead. You didn’t even consider that your actions would come back to haunt you. But I want you to know what you’ve done and regret it.”

“Regret……?”

“Ah! If only I hadn’t done that! If only I hadn’t abandoned that righteous and devoted Sword Saint with my ugly heart! If only I had shown even a fraction of his righteousness and helped him! Something like that.”

If the Sword Sovereign had been in her right mind, she would have realized that such thoughts would destroy her.

Unfortunately, her mind, already shaken to its core, took Namgung Bin’s words at face value.

“If… if only I hadn’t ignored the Sword Saint…….”

Once the thought entered her mind, the roots of regret dug deep into her heart.

As the Alliance Leader, she had often been close to the Sword Saint.

Especially during the war against the Blood Cult, she had spent countless hours discussing various matters with him.

He always prioritized righteousness and justice, always taking the lead.

He ensured no innocent lives were lost, and when the Blood Cult committed atrocities, he would charge in alone even when others hesitated.

Each time, the scars and wounds on his body increased.

Even after reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, where he could regenerate his body, the scars remained.

His body, impervious to swords and blades, bore dozens of sword marks.

His body, indestructible as diamond, bore hundreds of fist and palm marks.

Even his body, immune to all poisons, would occasionally show signs of poisoning, leaving her in awe.

Above all, she was grateful.

That such a powerful man, who could have easily sided with the Blood Cult, fought tirelessly on their side.

With unwavering righteousness, he faced every adversity without complaint.

When news came that the Blood Demon was hiding in a forest, he went alone, refusing to let any subordinates follow, and subdued the Blood Demon.

And how had she treated him…?

“Ugh… sob……!”

The terrible crimes he was accused of… no, the crimes he was framed for.

“No… I didn’t ignore him…….”

She had ignored him, saying it wasn’t profitable.

The war was over, after all.

Righteousness and justice were no longer needed in an era where dragons and tigers had vanished, replaced by jackals and wolves.

“If only… sob, I hadn’t ignored him……!”

Unlike the rumors, he hadn’t changed at all.

Just as he had always been.

If anything, it was she who had changed.

After inheriting the Martial Alliance following the death of the previous Alliance Leader, she had vowed to lead it well.

But she had lost her initial resolve.

She had become so lazy that she didn’t even bother to respond when one of the Twelve Supreme Masters, the Blade Sovereign, came running to her.

She had become so materialistic that she wouldn’t help the Sword Saint if it wasn’t profitable.

Her already abundant fear had grown with the arrival of peace.

Her inflated pride as the Alliance Leader had plunged her into arrogance.

“Ugh…….”

Self-destruction and self-loathing.

She was being roasted to perfection, just as Namgung Bin desired.

And Namgung Bin, to make the meal even more delicious, sprinkled some seasoning.

“By the way, do you know how the Sword Saint looked when he left? His eyes were sunken, his hair was white and disheveled. His body was emaciated, unfit for his level of martial arts. In short, he looked like a ghost. That’s how he ran out of here, screaming, cursing, and losing his mind.”

“What…? That iron-willed man…?”

“Haha, how much must he have suffered to reach that state? The Sword Saint, who never faltered even during the Great War against the Blood Cult, who rejected all their temptations, went mad. Can you imagine his pain? All of it could have been avoided if you had just acted properly.”

“No… it’s because of me… the Sword Saint……! Sob……!”

“Hehehe.”

“I’m… not……! If I had known it would come to this, I would have helped no matter what…!”

“Hahahahaha-.”

“Even if it hadn’t come to this… I would have helped……!”

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Finally, unable to hold back, Namgung Bin burst into laughter.

For someone who had violated countless women, a new preference was born.

‘I used to think the most beautiful thing was when they struggled to resist, but this is truly the pinnacle.’

Namghum Bin’s thick hand moved back to the Sword Sovereign’s undergarments, but she no longer resisted.

Instead, she muttered to herself, alternating between self-deprecation and denial.

—

Alone in the family head’s office, Namgung Bin organized his thoughts.

He seemed unsatisfied, licking his lips.

‘Should I have just taken her?’

Regret over letting the Sword Sovereign go made him look back.

‘No……. Maybe I’ve been too abstinent, and I lost my mind for a moment. I decided to save her for later. And now is the time to focus on something much more beautiful.’

Namgung Bin thought of Yoo So-eun, Namgung Cheolbin’s wife.

Excluding the fact that she had been Namgung Cheolbin’s, Yoo So-eun was a gem among gems, one that required meticulous care.

A gem on a completely different level from other women.

‘Enough of these unnecessary thoughts.’

After organizing his thoughts, he softly called out into the air.

“White Serpent King.”

From the ceiling, a white-haired man with slit-like eyes slid down.

“What is it, my lord?”

The former leader of the White Serpent Squad, once the sharpest blade of the Martial Alliance, now Namgung Bin’s loyal left hand.

“I have an order.”

“Command me.”

Though he had carried out countless impossible orders during his time as the White Serpent Squad leader, the next words from Namgung Bin made even him widen his eyes.

Though they were still slit-like.

“You’ve heard about the traces of the Blood Cult, right?”

“Yes, I’ve heard everything.”

“Covering the sky with one’s palm is too troublesome, so I’ll have to kill the Sword Saint instead.”

“The… the Sword Saint……?”

“Of course, I’m not asking you to kill him. Even with all the things I have to think about lately, I’m not that fickle.”

“Then what…?”

“How many absolute masters in the world are capable of killing the Sword Saint? Barely enough to count on one hand.”

As Namgung Bin held out his thick hand, the White Serpent King stared at it, then seemed to remember something.

“Are you planning to hire the Assassin’s Guild?”

Namgung Bin smiled and nodded.

“Yes. The preferred assassin is the guild leader.”

“The… the guild leader of the Assassin’s Guild……!”

“Only the best assassin in the world can take the head of the best swordsman.”

The White Serpent King’s face turned pale.

Even the Blood Cult, which had hidden so well that no one knew the location of its branches, had never dared to touch the Assassin’s Guild.

And the guild leader of such a guild, the best assassin in the world… any martial artist would know one title.

“Besides, they’re both part of the Five Ultimates of the World.”

‘That… that woman……!’

“And they share the same ‘star’.”

“This is… too dangerous……!”

“You have to take risks to catch giants. Only a ‘Killing Star’ can wield a blade large enough to behead a giant.”

The appearance of the title ‘Killing Star,’ which he had feared, made the White Serpent King’s back drip with cold sweat.

Though the sweat itself was cold, his spine was so chilled that it felt hot.

“Go now. It’s cold.”

“……Yes.”

But it was an order from his lord, whom he respected and revered above all else.

The White Serpent King shook off his hesitation and set off.

Once again alone, Namgung Bin began to ponder.

‘Traces of the Blood Cult…….’

He started to turn his thoughts.

‘Why have they appeared? Nothing comes to mind.’

But with so little to go on, he stopped thinking.

Instead, he chose the best conclusion he could draw from the current situation.

‘I should go to the basement.’

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