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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 46
"Seojun, over here!"
As I stepped into the café, I spotted Kim Hayoon waving from a secluded corner.
I walked over and sat across from her.
Meanwhile, Vanessa and Jeanne took seats some distance away and ordered coffee.
I wanted to keep them out of sight as much as possible.
The reason was obvious to conceal my abilities.
If I introduced those two, it would eventually come out that they were Summons.
And once that happened, my power would be exposed too.
Ahn Wi had taught me that revealing one’s abilities carelessly was tantamount to walking around with a target on your back.
And with someone like me, who had a particularly special gift, I needed to be even more cautious.
You only had to glance at the internet to see what happened to people who won the lottery and went around announcing it.
There were actually quite a few top-ranked Hunters who kept their abilities secret for that very reason.
Everyone had at least one hidden trump card they could rely on to survive.
Vanessa and Jeanne agreed with me, which is why they were sitting far away.
One could argue that maybe they shouldn’t have come along at all, but… well.
Anyways.
"What brings you here?"
"Ah, well…"
Kim Hayoon glanced around the café, then leaned in and spoke softly so only I could hear.
"There's someone who wants to meet you, Seojun."
As she spoke, she pulled out a notebook and scribbled a few words with her pen.
[England, Cunningham, Eudes, Purification]
Though it wasn’t a complete sentence, the meaning was clear.
‘The cursed sword Eudes.’
A relic of the First Crusade, once wielded by Godefroy de Bouillon, guardian of the Holy Sepulchre.
It was a war trophy taken after severing the arm of Kilij Arslan I, the second Sultan of the Rûm Sultanate, and has since been known as a cursed sword bearing the ‘Sultan’s Curse’.
The family currently in possession of Eudes was the Marquess of Cunningham in England.
‘Eudes is known to have been corrupted inside a Gate, if I recall.’
In other words, the Cunningham family wanted me to purify the corrupted Eudes.
[What's the offer?]
[20 billion won.]
Twenty billion won.
An enormous sum for a single purification.
I’d only made five billion from selling Ahn Wi’s Hwando, after all.
Though, that price was low because the saber had nearly lost all its durability.
In fact, the Dawn Constellation had placed Ahn Wi’s Hwando on permanent display after the Noryang Gate raid just for show.
That sword was so fragile, it would’ve snapped after just a couple more swings.
“You’d probably need to meet them in person to discuss the details.”
“Understood.”
With that, Kim Hayoon said she’d contact me again and left the café.
I moved over to where Vanessa and Jeanne were sitting and told them everything I’d just heard.
Since we were the only ones in the café, there was no risk of anyone eavesdropping.
And their reaction after hearing it all was...
“Let’s turn it down.”
“I don’t think you should take the job.”
They were both against it.
I had a feeling why, but I asked anyway.
“Why not?”
“Judging from your reaction, it seems 20 billion won sounds like a huge amount to you.”
“Yes, it’s a lot of money.”
That much could probably buy me a whole building.
“But as you already know, there will be many more chances to earn money in the future.”
Vanessa had a point.
Twenty billion was indeed a large sum, but I had plenty of opportunities ahead.
Even if I just went around purifying cursed objects, I could easily pull in tens of billions.
If I used a Transcender’s Connector, I might even land a better relic than Ahn Wi’s Hwando and sell that instead.
So unless I was desperate for cash, 20 billion wasn’t particularly meaningful for me.
“You hold the bargaining power. Not them. Which means you should be the one setting the terms.”
“I agree with Lady Vanessa.”
I nodded at their words.
It wasn’t me who was in a hurry, it was the Cunningham family.
They were the ones stuck with the ticking time bomb of a Gate tied to the cursed sword known as the Sultan’s Abyss.
But if I wasn’t going to ask for money, what could I demand in return?
“The Cunninghams probably possess Essences.”
My eyes widened at that.
“Essences?”
“Yes. The Cunningham house is one of the knightly families close to the British royal family.”
Essences are monopolized by the royal house and its close circles. They never disclose that, of course.
Hoarding the best things in secret that’s kind of their thing.
Vanessa’s tone was calm but razor-sharp as she threw shade at the British royal family and their cronies.
Then she offered a new proposal.
“How about 60 billion won and one Essence?”
“...Excuse me?”
“If they want to save their family, that seems like a fair price to pay, doesn’t it?”
Vanessa said it with a sweet smile, as if it was nothing.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know what 60 billion meant.
She’d learned plenty about the value of money in the past few days.
“The Cunningham family is extremely wealthy. So there’s no need to worry about whether they can pay.”
Still… wasn’t the price tripling a bit much?
Even if we added the Essence.
“If it’s too much trouble for you, would you like me to handle the negotiation instead?”
“No, thank you. I couldn’t possibly burden you with that, Vanessa. I’ll handle the negotiations myself.”
I declined Vanessa’s offer.
Something told me if I let her negotiate, she’d wring out a trillion won instead of sixty billion.
Vanessa, being from the East End, didn’t exactly have warm feelings toward the British royal family.
Money was good, sure but I didn’t want it to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Still, her perspective did make me reconsider my stance.
‘I should at least ask for 40 billion.’
If they were as rich as she claimed, that didn’t seem unreasonable.
And of course, the Essence too.
Without even realizing it, my way of thinking had started to shift under Vanessa’s influence.
***
Later. The day of the meeting with the Marquess of Cunningham.
“Benefactor, it might be dangerous. Please take this with you.”
Standing at the front door, Vanessa handed me her golden scissors.
“You're giving this to me?”
“You can keep it, Benefacto.”
It was only natural that Vanessa’s combat power would drop without her personal relic.
And yet, she handed over her golden scissors without hesitation, as if it didn’t bother her at all.
I was honestly touched.
“Thank you, Vanessa.”
She just smiled silently in response.
Though now that I think about it…
“I don’t actually know how to use these scissors.”
“Just cut things. That’s all.”
Vanessa smirked and made a gesture with her fingers.
Cut what, exactly?
I was a little too afraid to ask.
“Sir Seojun, please take my flag too.”
Seeing Vanessa hand over her relic must have made Jeanne feel like she couldn’t just stand by. She offered me her flag without hesitation.
==
[Saint’s Banner]
[Rank: Epic]
— A banner created by Saint Jeanne d’Arc.
==
‘It’s been upgraded.’
Her banner, which previously had the description ‘crude’, had risen from Rare to Epic.
Since Jeanne herself was a living legend, it seemed her relic was gradually becoming legendary over time as well.
Give it a bit more time, and it might even reach the level of the Banner of the Saints, a sacred relic I’d seen during the Hundred Years’ War.
Still, that aside...
==
[Vanessa Walker’s Golden Scissors]
[Rank: Legendary]
— The golden scissors of seamstress Vanessa Walker, known in the records as Jack the Ripper. Possesses terrifying cutting power that can slice through anything.
Attack Power: 2800 ~ ???
==
‘That’s some insane scissors.’
While Vanessa’s scissors had slightly less attack power than my twin dragon swords, they had the advantage of being lighter and much faster.
Shhk—
I tested them on the shoe rack nearby.
It sliced through it like tofu.
‘Gotta be careful with these.’
One wrong move and I’d be chopping off my own fingers.
I carefully tucked the scissors into my pocket and placed Jeanne’s banner in my dimensional backpack.
Both relics, for the record, didn’t take up any item slots. Since they were bound to Jeanne and Vanessa, they were considered linked items.
“Call us if you need help.”
“I will. If things get dangerous, I’ll summon you.”
After dismissing both of them, I waited for the resummon cooldown to end and then headed toward the café in Cheongdam-dong to meet the Marquess of Cunningham.
The café was completely empty, as if they had rented out the whole third floor.
Marquess Cunningham sat on the terrace, flanked by a few attendants.
“Welcome. You must be the purifier.”
He rose from his seat, greeting me with a warm smile.
But I froze for a moment when I saw his face.
— I am Alexander Cunningham.
The first Swordmaster of Britain I had ever encountered.
A knight I once exchanged blades with in the back alleys of East End.
The Marquess’s face was identical to his. Even his presence was the same.
“I am Gerald Cunningham.”
So it was the Cunningham name… I had a feeling.
He must’ve been a descendant.
Now I understood why Vanessa showed hostility toward him.
Even if he had only carried out a royal decree, the fact remained:
The Cunningham family was one of the main forces that branded Vanessa as Jack the Ripper.
Meanwhile, the Marquess eyed me with a flicker of surprise.
‘So the purifier is a young man?’
Purifiers capable of cleansing magical corruption were usually elderly priests or monks.
In contrast, Choi Seojun looked far too young.
At most, he seemed to be in his late twenties.
But Gerald Cunningham wasn’t foolish enough to judge someone by appearances alone.
Anyone who had managed to purify cursed equipment wasn’t to be underestimated.
Still, he couldn’t entrust a family heirloom to just anyone.
So he decided to test him.
“I hear you were the one who purified the cursed tack.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then… Can you purify this sword as well?”
The Marquess drew the blade from his waist.
A dull, grim weapon, its steel stained with murky energy.
The Cursed Sword Eudes.
It was called a cursed sword for a reason anyone who wielded it would fall under its influence.
If someone unworthy picked it up, the blade would drive them to swing until their mana was completely drained and they dropped dead.
Gerald handed the blade to me.
If I truly could purify Eudes, then I would show no sign of being affected.
“It's possible.”
The moment I grasped the sword, I felt nothing.
— The Saint’s Banner repels the Sultan’s curse.
Jeanne’s banner, which I had received earlier, was already suppressing the curse embedded in Eudes.
Of course, the Marquess didn’t know that.
All he saw was me holding the cursed sword without flinching or even showing the slightest hint of strain.
Composed demeanor.
Unshaken voice.
He’s more than capable.
I can trust him.
Without even realizing it, I had passed the Marquess’s test.
But what he didn’t realize was this.
He wasn’t the one doing the testing.
“Forty billion.”
“…?”
“And if you throw in some essence, I’ll purify it for you.”
“E-essence?!”
The Marquess’s jaw dropped open at the unexpected, lightning-strike of a proposal.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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