Chapter 39
“This is the end!”
Marco dusted off her hands with a satisfied grin.
“We’re done here too.”
“All done on this side, boss!”
Members of the Yan Family gathered around her one by one, each carrying the bodies of monsters or unconscious bandits under their arms.
“Good work.”
Of course, the one with the most achievements was Marco herself. Piles of monster corpses lay around her like towers, dripping dark red blood.
“Urgh…”
“P-please… spare me…”
They had also captured and bound all the suspicious or hostile individuals in the area.
The reason Marco was doing all of this?
“Now the West will be safe!”
Naturally, it was for the West, or more specifically, for Alben.
If ‘they’ were after the princess, it meant that Alben, who protected the princess, was also in danger.
So, Marco had been removing all the nearby threats in the area.
The news of Princess Angela’s survival meant that Alben was in Centinium right now.
“As expected of the boss!”
“Now we can rest easy!”
“Just imagine how happy our brother-in-law will be when he finds out!”
The family members raised their thumbs in approval, praising Marco.
After all, protecting one’s chosen mate was a trait of wolves.
“The boss truly is the best bride material!”
“Ahem… Is that so?”
“Of course! Men are naturally drawn to strong women who can take care of them!”
One of the family members, who fancied themselves a love expert (despite having no experience), puffed out their chest proudly.
“But boss, aren’t you going to see him yourself?”
“Ugh…!”
Marco flinched as if pricked by a needle.
“I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you, boss!”
“With strength like yours, he’s definitely a perfect match for you.”
“We should also apologize to our brother-in-law for the rudeness we showed that day, don’t you think?”
“Then, why don’t we all head to Centinium together?”
“But how will we find him?”
“We’ll just do what we always do, take control of places and people will—”
As the conversation spiralled out of control, Marco stepped forward and stopped them.
“Hold it!”
“B-boss? Why the sudden stop?”
“It’s… It’s not time to meet my mate yet!”
“Huh?”
Although she managed to stop them, she couldn’t come up with a good excuse.
As they said, there was no reason not to meet someone who was clearly a fitting mate.
“Well… you see…”
The real reason Marco wasn’t going to see Alben was…
‘I have no idea what to do when I meet him!’
It was purely out of embarrassment.
All the men she had liked before were merely toys or objects of temporary affection.
She would have them pour drinks for her, then discard them once bored.
But Alben was different.
The memory of that one night lingered, tormenting her heart to this day.
As her feelings deepened and became clearer over time, Marco found herself unable to control them.
So, she had been keeping herself busy, dealing with nearby threats.
But if she were to meet him again, she had no clue what to do or say.
However, if she let that fact slip, her dignity as the boss would take a hit.
“Ah, the cleaning isn’t done yet. We’ve taken care of the northern forest, but now we have to go crush the ones still lurking around. And block off any related requests too!”
“Ooooh… going that far! The boss really is a pure-hearted woman!”
Marco forced a relaxed smile.
She planned to delay their meeting as much as possible until she sorted out her feelings.
At least, that was the plan.
“Didn’t know cleaning was your hobby.”
Until she heard that voice from behind.
“…You are?”
“It’s been a while, Fist Demon.”
A woman, dressed like a saint in a white robe, appeared before the Yan Family.
Her face was covered with cloth.
“W-who are you?!”
“How did you get here without us noticing?!”
The family members tensed up, preparing for battle, but Marco stopped them.
“Stand down. She’s not someone you can handle.”
“But, boss…!”
“You’re smarter than I thought. I expected you to charge in recklessly.”
“Heh… I may be a bit rough, but I’m not so incompetent that I’d throw my beloved family to their deaths.”
Marco spoke while slipping on her gloves.
“So… why has one of the ‘Apostles of the Apocalypse’ graced us with their presence?”
Apostle of the Apocalypse.
Hearing that term, the color drained from her family members’ faces.
“A-Apocalypse?”
“Followers of destruction…!”
The person Marco referred to as an apostle was none other than the 4th Apostle of the Apocalypse.
Scarlet.
She spoke in a calm tone.
“Fist Demon. We know you’ve failed to uphold our contract.”
“Let’s be clear. A contract requires something in return. This wasn’t a breach of contract; it was a failed negotiation.”
The task of assassinating Princess Angela.
Marco had an instinctive desire to remain free and avoid being tied down.
That’s why she hadn’t taken any advance payment for such a significant task.
Though there had been some thought of using Angela’s situation to advance her position in the centre, she hadn’t made a firm decision.
“I figured getting involved with people like you would cause me a lot of trouble.”
She had intended to minimize her involvement with them.
“Foolish. Why did you change your mind so suddenly? There was no logical reason for you to reject this offer.”
The Apostle’s side had offered an enormous sum of money and some “information” in exchange for Angela’s assassination and the delivery of her body.
“Sorry, but I don’t care about my relatives. It’s been years since we were separated on the battlefield.”
Her family.
According to the Apostles, there is still a living blood relative somewhere.
They promised to tell her who it was if she completed the mission successfully.
“I’ve already found something more important than that. I don’t need it anymore.”
“How foolish. Or, no, are you just plain stupid?”
Stella maintained the same calm atmosphere as before.
She looked relaxed at first glance, but the tension was like walking on thin ice.
“It’s not too late. Go now and kill Princess Angela, and bring back her corpse. Kill all her followers too.”
Whoosh!
A brilliant ball of fire flared up behind her.
“The distortion has already begun. Your actions are a rebellious threat to the world’s survival. And rebellion must be judged.”
The fire took the form of two wings and a halo.
It was like the appearance of an angel descending to punish a sinner.
“…Distortion? Destruction? I don’t care about that crap.”
The person standing before Scarlett.
The Fist Demon raised her middle finger slightly.
“Anyone who touches what’s mine is my enemy.”
“I see. If you stand, then destruction cannot come.”
As the fire wings flickered, a massive ball of fire gathered in front of Scarlett.
Fwooshhh!
“Turn to ashes, child of bondage.”
The ball of fire, as brilliant as the sun, flew toward Marco.
“Guys.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Listen carefully to me.”
Marco grinned, taking a fighting stance.
Her sharp fangs were revealed, making her fierce appearance even more intense.
“From now on, run like hell. I’ll take care of this pigeon-like thing.”
“Understood!”
“Make sure to win, boss!”
Her subordinates sent her words of trust as they turned away.
They knew they couldn’t help; they’d only get in the way.
So, the best they could do was flee as far as possible and ease the boss’s mind.
Swish!
Once all her family members were gone, Marco let out a relieved breath.
“I’ve always wanted to take on something like this.”
The Apostles of the Apocalypse, who remained only legends among ordinary people.
Knowing they existed made Marco’s fists itch with anticipation.
“Even though she’s not a top Apostle,”
The 4th Apostle.
Not a bad way to start the hunt.
“Demon Fist Art: Fourth Form.”
Marco’s fists began to move.
“Heaven and Earth Reversal.”
Boom—-!
As the fireball collided with her fist, it was crushed into the ground and evaporated.
Sizzle, sizzle…
A crater burned red as if a meteor had fallen.
“That looked like your best attack. Too bad it didn’t work, sweetheart.”
“The blessing of the end will be equal for all…”
Whooshhh!
The fire wings flared up even more fiercely.
“All things shall return to ash and be recreated.”
***
“Is that really enough?”
“Yes, it’s more than enough.”
“You made it sound like you were going to buy a lot more.”
“Well, I do have a conscience, you know.”
I filled the basket with a few plain pants and some shirts.
Clothes in simple, solid colours, nothing flashy.
“Hmm. Men’s clothing certainly comes in a wide variety…”
Reina stroked her chin as she looked at the men’s clothing on display.
This place was an entire store dedicated to men’s fashion.
‘Of course, there were men’s clothing stores in my previous life too, but…’
None were this large, this fancy, or had such a stylish atmosphere.
‘Ugh, I can’t get used to this.’
I tossed a few more things into the basket and headed for the checkout counter.
“Here, for payment…”
“Oh my gosh?! Oh my, oh my, oh my, oppa, you’re so cute!”
The dog beastkin woman at the register wagged her tail as she looked at me.
‘Hmm.’
Something.
Something about this feels unsettling.
“Haha… Thank you. But, um, I’d like to pay…”
“Wait, oppa! I think this outfit would look great on you!”
“No, really, I’m fine…”
“How could I stay quiet when I see someone as handsome as you? What kind of fashion designer would I be then?”
“Uh…”
“You don’t have to buy it, just try it on! If anything, I’ll give it to you as a gift…!”
She flattened her ears and wagged her tail enthusiastically.
I turned my head slightly and gave Reina a look for help.
“……!”
Receiving my signal, she approached and spoke calmly.
“As much as you want.”
“Yay! Wait right here for 30 seconds!”
No.
Professor.
I shot Reina a look of protest, but she just smirked slightly.
“I told you, it would be a waste.”
“…….”
Damn it.
—
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