21. "Only those who have suffered long, can see the light within the shadows –
Zoro Roronoa
One Piece
.....
I looked at the raging flames before using my speed and disappearing from the location. Stopping at an empty alleyway, I took a deep breath and fixed my appearance, returning to my normal clothes.
"The money isn't a problem, which means I need to look for the target now..." I cleared my head from all that I saw inside that place before I started working on my plan.
I didn't know how long I would be here or if I was stuck here, or even if I would be able to return back. It was a highly unlikely outcome.
Whatever the case, I had to find a way to get back to my universe.
Honestly, I don't know how, but I have a hunch that if I am not wrong, the ticket I got is limited in time, and after it's over, I will be thrown back to my universe. That's the reason why one of my shadows always stays with Esdeath and why I want to get this over with as soon as possible.
I frowned before one of my shadows stretched, and a small portion of my army scattered around the place. These are my spies who will send their reports about the Empire's condition or any changes that occur. Any change in the plot or history will definitely be something to look into, as well as my dirty work.
After finishing these preparations, I walked away from the alleyway because I had a lot of shopping to do and a lot of things to see. I also needed to rob and kill a lot of nobles. I needed to buy food, water, spices for cooking, and a lot of other stuff, so I needed to be quick.
(Time Skip 4 hours)
*POV Switch*
The sun went down, and the sunset turned the sky into a beautiful red-orange color.
Esdeath was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, as she looked at the tombs of her subordinates. There was a bittersweet smile on her face.
The entire land had turned into a frozen wasteland, with huge ice spikes and spheres, as well as massive ice weapons like swords, shields, spears, hammers, bows, and even cannons and siege weapons, as far as the eye could see.
She had never felt this mad in her life. How could she forget about her army in all the battle and lust? This fact annoyed her to no end, but she couldn't bring herself to regret what she did.
As she finally found her significant other, the one she always wanted to spend her life with, she couldn't help but feel annoyed with herself for not following the protocols.
"Hey, you can finally move, so soon," she heard a melodious voice from her side. She turned her head with difficulty and saw him smiling at her.
"Welcome. Where have you been?" Esdeath used all her energy to say those few words, but Jinwoo only smiled as he said, "Just having fun, doing some shopping as well. Anyway, it seems not only have you recovered, but you've gone beyond your limits."
"Yes, I have. But it's nothing. I'm sure you can do much better," she said while trying to get up, shaking. She didn't want to show him her weakness.
"No, I can't, at least not with ice. Not without consuming copious amounts of energy. Unlike you, I'm an all-rounder who's not specialized in ice," Jinwoo said as he sat down beside her.
Upon hearing his answer, a prideful smile bloomed on her beautiful face. She knew that at least there was something in which she could beat him.
"Not knowing that Jinwoo could specialize in any element without losing his status as an all-rounder," Jinwoo said as he placed his hand on her belly. Suddenly, she felt a warm current in her body, and most of her injuries and exhaustion disappeared. She felt her energy recovering faster.
Esdeath could only see a golden aura around her body, but Jinwoo was using Divine Recovery, the highest-tier healing skill at his disposal. He didn't need to use it, but he did anyway. He didn't even need to place his hand on Esdeath's body to heal her wounds.
"Well, good job there," Jinwoo said as he got up and stretched his hand. Esdeath took it and stood up, saying, "Of course, it was good. I'm strongest just before you arrived. Even if the enemy crawls out of hell, I'll never lose."
"Yeah, yeah..." Jinwoo rolled his eyes before saying, "You totally didn't get your ass kicked by me."
In Esdeath's angry eyes, Jin was just smiling, but that smile made Esdeath even angrier. He took a deep breath and calmed himself.
"So what if you're different, from a place I couldn't even reach? And if it's defeat by you, then I don't mind getting more than just my ass kicked," Esdeath said with a calm face and a provocative voice. Her words held more than one meaning. On the other hand, Jinwoo didn't know how to answer her. This was his first time meeting a woman so blunt with her words, as if she didn't care. And that was the truth, and both of them knew it.
"So... anyway, did you go to that capital?" Esdeath asked Jinwoo, but her voice was a little weird now.
"Yeah..." Jinwoo walked forward, and Esdeath followed him as she asked, "So, how is it?"
She wanted to know how he felt in such a place, as she wanted to know him better so she could serve him better.
"It was the kind of place that makes me want to drop a nuke down there," Jinwoo answered calmly, but the coldness in his words wasn't hidden from Esdeath.
And she could wholeheartedly understand where it was coming from, even if she didn't understand that it was a nuke. She was sure it must be some kind of mass destruction weapon. She believed that if it's not the enemy, then its death should be quick and painless. But if it's someone who stands in her way while being weak, her true sadistic side comes out.
"Those are some dangerous words, but it was really like that, huh..." Esdeath's voice went lower and lower until Jinwoo couldn't hear her. She was very curious to know more about him, while also wanting to understand him better. As Jinwoo said, "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh! I'm totally okay. Don't worry about it!" Esdeath's curious expression returned to its usual, but Jinwoo was frowning.
"Esdeath..." Jinwoo stopped walking and looked at Esdeath directly. He looked into her eyes and said, "Ask what is in your heart."
"Mmm, it's nothing. I just wanted to know why you feel that way. Do you feel pity for the people who live there, or anger for the people who did this, or helplessness for not coming sooner? Or maybe a mix of it all? And if you do, why?" Esdeath asked, genuinely curious about this.
"Umm, it's an interesting question, but before I answer, I want to know how you feel. You have certainly lived there much longer than I have. What are your thoughts?" Jinwoo asked, wanting to know the same thing. This was something that had never been addressed in either form of media, so he wanted to understand how she feels and what he should keep an eye on.
"Not to be blunt, but to tell the truth, I feel nothing from it. You see, I was born in an isolated part of the north, and since I learned to walk, I learned to kill. We lived like hunters, and I caught prey like animals. My father taught me to inflict pain on them without killing them. Because of this, I became comfortable with the idea of inflicting pain on living creatures. Ever since, I have been motivated by my father's philosophy, 'The strong survive and the weak perish.'
So whenever I see them getting the most gruesome deaths possible, I still feel nothing. I don't have any empathy for people who couldn't even get up and say no. The worst kind of people. So I don't even care for the weak, even if they work under me, and I have no qualms about my ruthlessness in battle and killing innocent people to get what I want," explained Esdeath with a straight face and cold voice.
"Those are some fascinating views, and I fully agree with you. The strong can do anything they want, while the weak can only curse their fate. But tell me if I am wrong, does the weak also include the noble high nobles and even the child emperor and the prime minister? What they have is nothing but politics and money, and we both know these things are like sand. One day, it's going to slip away, no matter how hard they try to hold on to it.
So they are as weak as they could come by. At least the general masses could survive even in the worst conditions, such as without food or shelter in cold winds or burning sun. So they are weaker than the people they rule," explained Jinwoo, which was something that was always in the corner of Esdeath's mind. But she never thought the way Jinwoo did was new for her.
She knew that nobles were nothing without their money and policies. But now, if she thought about it, they were really the worst, worse than even the pathetic people she thought of. And as she looked around, it felt like she was living like their dog, and they were holding the bone, unlike the exact opposite of how she lives.
It wasn't like the thought never crossed her mind, but her psyche was ignoring it. Up until now, when she was faced with the truth. This really made her look like a dog wagging her tail on their command. Even though they were the ones who gave her power, she wasn't entitled to do anything.
She frowned with every thought she had, feeling anger welling up within her. This made her really angry and want to see their heads on pikes. But she knew she couldn't throw a tantrum, not in front of him.
...
Jinwoo's POV:
Sitting in the dining hall with a book in my hands, I was reading about the world and all the dangerous spices ever documented.
"Cookies?" I asked Esdeath as she sat beside me.
"Thanks," she said, curiously looking at it, then taking a bite. The smile that bloomed on her face assured me that she liked it.
I also took one and started to chew on it.
"Are you free?" I asked Esdeath as I took a sip of the tea she gave me. I felt a little weirded out by how amiable she was, though it was natural. After all, I had enough experience and knew her character enough. A sweet smile while munching on treats, even now she kept trying to measure me.
"Well, it's quite unnatural, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I thought you were right," she said, enjoying the taste of the tea. The tea was so good that it could give even me a run for the money. Though that's natural when the materials used to create the tea cost millions, not that it's not already here.
"So, did I become a celebrity?" I asked her, referring to my presence in the Empire.
"Celebrity is a light word for you! You have no idea how shaken the Empire was when the whole bungalow of a well-known noble was burned down!" Esdeath replied with a pout. Soon, she was beside me, rubbing her hands along my body.
"I can call this sexual assault?" I said, swatting away her hands from my body while giving her a stink eye. Was I being molested?
My actions earned a smile from her, and her eyes seemed to turn happier.
'Guess I was wrong. The problem runs in all yanderes. There is a saying, 'Don't stick your dick in crazy.' But they never know the experience of sticking in crazy.'
I wasn't even given a choice as Esdeath soon made herself comfortable on my lap, leaning against my chest.
"Everyone there is looking for the culprit for the fire. They are vividly looking for you, and even the child emperor unleashed his hounds," Esdeath said, taking a suspiciously long sniff from my body. By now, I had started to just accept this as natural. Placing the teacup on the table, I placed one of my hands on her stomach, hugging her, while my other hand slowly felt her firm, fat ass. She seemed to have liked it as her body started to relax within my embrace.
"You are right. I don't know why this thought never crossed my mind," Esdeath said.
"Girl, I have been playing with your type for a long time!" Hiding my true thoughts, I continued to enjoy the moment.
"They even started to send their spies to look for me. It's been two days since they got the last report. The Child Emperor even assembled a team of Teigu users, purely breaking the balance," Esdeath said, her cheek a bit red. And if I am not wrong, she is proactively pushing her head towards my hand, definitely needing more rubbing of her lips on mine.
"While most of them are not much better, some are notably strong."
'If they are strong, what am I?'
Though I wanted to ask that, I kept my mouth shut, wanting to know more about the thoughts of the other things. I ain't in no way ignorant to imagine that I won't be pulled into the shit one day, especially for those bored Gods. I might be one ticket out of their boredom. Having played enough with her ass, both my hands now held her stomach.
"Sigh…"
"Is that a sigh of disappointment?" I held myself back from saying it out loud.
"The Child Emperor has thrown his tantrum, and now our focus came to you. But the primary subject is Night Raid. Everyone is dying to find out more about you," Esdeath said, her head turning towards me. The blue within her eyes rotating at a breakneck speed, seemingly excited. One of the qualities I built up during my travels was to learn a lot more about the ways of playboys.
Sure, the knowledge I have granted me the best way to get the girls, but I surely need the true skill of a playboy if I wish to hold my power. Hence, during my travels, I met several of those kinds and learned from them. And at my peak, I used a great number of my money to buy the information and techniques of the greatest playboy ever.
And the main lesson in all of those is the ability to see a girl and find her type. And believe me, a whole new world opened up to me when I brought the information. Of course, in worlds of imagination, it's not as useful as it was supposed to be. Who knew there could be so many different types of women and reactions?
Anyhow, to truly impress the girl, I need to, with just a glance and some words, find out what type of girl she is. And having lived here and dealt with several quirky women, I have truly gained a very good ability.
"What does that supposed to mean...~?" Esdeath asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
I took her in my arms as I grinned, "It means that you are a woman of strong character, one that won't lose even to the God of Death."
She continued to pout, "You are describing me like I am some kind of monster."
I looked at her with love in my eyes, "We can be monsters together~," I said with a smile.
"Why don't we play a game?" I said, my smile turning a bit playful, while my right hand left her stomach and gave her cute nose a flip.
"Achoo!" she sneezed cutely, and the spinning of her eyes turned faster.
"Do you think you can win against me in a game?" she said, her eyes narrowing.
"Don't act naive. Your true interest in me is all about power, right? And drop the act, I can see your love obsession and desire from a mile away," I replied, revealing my insight.
These were the words that were needed. A huge blush came to her face, while she licked her lips. Her blue eyes spun faster than ever.
As I said before, I am the richest and possibly the most powerful man in the world, both figuratively and literally.
"You know?" she asked, her breath getting even heavier. I nodded my head in response, and her hands wrapped around me while she started shaking in excitement.
"Your power is amazing! I was blown away by it! I always wanted to have a man like you! But the laws made it impossible! I really wanted to have a lover like you!" she exclaimed, her face filled with excitement.
'Yup, no normal women it seems.'
"Calm down," I said, my hands pulling her closer to me, my hands moving towards her petite ass, taking a good feel of it again as I whispered, "Calm down, I am not going anywhere."
Slowly, the hyperventilating woman started to calm down, while a blush filled her face.