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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 51
Right after the terror incident, Rachel returned to the hotel where she was staying.
She first took care of the task her ancestor had entrusted to her.
Two individuals who had appeared suddenly at the central hall were to subtly hint that they were from the Bonaparte family. Rachel ordered her retainers to spread that implication discreetly.
Though puzzled by the order, the retainers received no explanation from Rachel.
“My Lady, the elders are bound to say something about this.”
“They’ll find fault with anything, regardless of this matter.”
Rachel had no intention of informing the family elders about the truth.
After all, they were the type to look down even on the head of the family just because she was young.
Even if Napoleon himself had reincarnated, they would have tried to keep him in check rather than offer goodwill.
It was better to leave them in the dark.
With that matter handled, Rachel headed to the hotel gym.
Working out after meetings was part of her daily routine.
She started with some light stretching, then moved straight into squats starting at 100 kilograms.
“Hup.”
With each set, Rachel added more weight, repeating the squats.
Lower-body workouts were what she valued the most.
Because the essence of all swordsmanship began with strong legs.
A firm foundation ensured an unshakable stance.
Too light, she thought.
The hotel gym didn’t have enough plates or machines to challenge her properly. She would have to visit a specialized center back in Korea soon.
Finishing her session with a run, Rachel returned to her room, soaked in sweat.
Ssshhh...
After a thorough shower, she dried off her damp hair and body, then slipped on a white shirt.
Her fingers stopped while buttoning up right above her full chest.
It was uncomfortable to fasten the top, so when she was alone, she usually left the upper buttons undone.
Dressed like that, Rachel flopped down onto the bed.
Her thick thighs peeked out plainly beneath the hem of the white shirt.
She didn’t wear anything below when she slept.
A habit she couldn’t break, no matter how often the old butler nagged her about it.
“Hoo...”
Lying there, staring up at the ceiling, Rachel sighed softly.
So much had happened today.
She had taken the stage at the Magoo Festival in front of the hunters, dealt with a swarm of reporters, and exchanged greetings with Korea’s most prominent figures.
But the most chaotic part had been the terrorist attack in the middle of it all.
Out of nowhere, a barrier had been cast over the central hall, right in the middle of a gathering of hunters.
Rachel had been the only one capable of breaking the barrier, so she had no choice but to step in herself.
She shattered the barrier, subdued the terrorists, and rescued the trapped hunters.
There had been no time to breathe.
“……”
As she recalled the events of the day, a faint smile crept across Rachel’s lips.
‘At last... I met him.’
Choi Seojun.
The man, who she was convinced was the reincarnation of Napoleon.
Ever since he suddenly disappeared right after the Toulon Gate incident, Rachel had longed to meet him again.
She had even started studying Korean just to be able to speak with him. (She was still studying to this day.)
Because she had looked forward to the encounter so much, Rachel, uncharacteristically, had made a mistake the moment she saw him.
She had spoken to him without thinking, completely ignoring how it might have looked to others.
She had even forgotten that her ancestor was operating under the alias Connector, a masked Hunter known only by that codename.
On top of that, she’d talked far more than usual.
Rachel couldn't help but worry had she overwhelmed Choi Seojun with all that?
“Haa… idiot.”
But what could she do? The words were already out of the water under the bridge.
She just had to be more careful next time.
As a form of self-discipline, Rachel gave herself a light flick on the lips and then, unexpectedly, she smiled.
She remembered the way Choi Seojun had denied being Connector.
The way her ancestor had played dumb right in front of her… it was, in a way, strangely endearing.
“...!”
Realizing what she had just thought, Rachel quickly shook her head in alarm.
What an outrageous thought.
Maybe she was just tired.
Her mind kept drifting into places it shouldn’t.
Helping her ancestor was her duty.
‘…It wasn’t anything else.’
As Rachel saw it, her ancestor was undoubtedly strong but still incomplete.
He relied too heavily on relics rather than his own abilities.
That was likely why his physical performance, mana control, and movement were all still lacking overall.
At his current level, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the gates that would appear in the future.
Let alone survive the ‘S-Rank Gates’ that humanity had yet to conquer.
That was why Rachel had decided to support him personally, at his side.
That was her duty as the fifth head of the Bonaparte Clan.
Because Napoleon was more than just someone she admired he was the very history of Bonaparte.
It wasn’t just symbolic.
All of the Bonaparte relics originated from Napoleon himself.
And Choi Seojun was the only one who could awaken those scattered relics.
Someone like that couldn’t be allowed to fall into danger.
She was in Korea to fulfill her responsibilities and duties as the head of her clan.
Steeling her resolve, Rachel erased the impure thoughts that had crept into her mind earlier.
Even so… she couldn’t help but smile again, already looking forward to seeing him the next day.
She thought for a moment about getting up to put something on realizing again that she wasn’t wearing anything below.
But the thought passed quickly.
“Ugh… too much effort…”
Just like always, Rachel drifted off to sleep wearing nothing but a white shirt.
***
Magoo Festival Terror Incident.
People were stunned by the news of a terrorist attack in the heart of Seoul.
A festival meant to bring joy struck by terrorism?
But the real shock came right after the news coverage aired.
[Number of deaths: 0]
[Number of injuries: 0]
Despite it being a full-scale terror attack there had been no casualties.
The only ones who had died were the terrorists themselves.
In fact, not a single civilian had been injured.
└ They even put up an isolation barrier, right? And still no injuries at all? How is that even possible?
└ Honestly, I could’ve pulled off a better terror attack than that, lol;;
└ Seriously, what was that??
People were baffled how there could be zero injuries or deaths from a premeditated terror attack, complete with a magical barrier?
At first, everyone assumed it was thanks to Rachel quickly breaking through the barrier.
After all, the video of Rachel destroying the ward had already gone viral across YouTube and community forums.
└ God-tier. Rachel noona never disappoints.
└ Insane… she broke something even Hunter-class couldn’t touch.
└ But it took her a bit of time, no? How does that add up to zero casualties?
└ Guess the terrorists decided to take a nap while they waited, lol.
Still, it was hard to believe Rachel alone could have prevented all injuries.
Then, security footage from inside the hall started surfacing.
And only then did people begin to understand how nobody had gotten hurt.
└ What the hell is that?
└ …Is that holy magic?
└ Can light magic even go that hard?
└ Damn, that’s gotta be S-rank level. Never seen her before. Is she newly awakened or something?
What stunned people was a blonde girl.
Every time radiant white light flared out from her body, the wounds of nearby Hunters seemed to heal almost like time was rewinding.
Even if someone started to get hurt, the light would instantly seep into their body, erasing the injury before it could form.
There was literally no way to get injured.
So of course there were no casualties. Not even minor ones.
But that wasn’t all.
└ That’s insane…
└ How the hell does that even work?
└ Is that her awakened ability too?
A separate storm was brewing in the forums, one focused on a mysterious woman who had ambushed the terrorists.
The only evidence was a few seconds of shaky footage, spreading like wildfire in gif form.
It showed a dark silhouette darting across the stage quick, clean, and lethal.
Possibly using some sort of perception-disruption ability, the camera couldn’t capture anything clearly. Just a blur of motion an inky black shadow.
The only thing anyone could make out was… she was a woman.
And that alone was enough to make jaws drop.
The assassin in the video had single handedly driven the terrorists out of the auditorium.
Yes, the blonde girl had prevented casualties by healing everyone.
But the main reason no one got hurt to begin with… was because that mysterious woman had forcibly removed the terrorists before they could harm a soul.
└ Who is she??
└ Never seen that kind of ability before.
└ Definitely not Korean. She’s not in our awakened database.
└ Probably one of the Marquess Cunningham’s people.
└ Nah, might be French. Rachel noona broke the barrier, remember? That was crazy.
└ Link pls.
Online communities exploded with speculation over the two mystery women.
And as if to feed the frenzy, articles began pouring out one after another.
[Mystery Hunters Revealed to Be from the Bonaparte Clan?!]
[Rachel Bonaparte States She Had to Break the Barrier Quickly to Rescue Trapped Family Members…]
[Bonaparte Clan Declines to Reveal the Identity of the Person Inside…]
An official statement from the Bonaparte clan had been released.
Yet despite all the buzz, not a single known member of the Bonaparte family was actually confirmed to be inside the hall.
Still, people naturally linked the two mystery Hunters to the Bonapartes.
└ Now that you mention it, that blonde girl totally looked French.
└ Fr fr, she looked like a literal porcelain doll.
└ Maybe she’s Rachel’s little sister?
└ Nah, different hair color.
└ And witnesses say the assassin lady had red hair too.”
“Thank god they haven’t mentioned me.”
I let out a silent sigh of relief as I scrolled through the online articles.
Thanks to Rachel honoring my request, people had completely mistaken Jeanne and Vanessa as members of the Bonaparte clan.
When I summoned them, it was in the middle of chaos, no cameras, no phones.
No one even saw my face.
Anyone who so much as twitched back then got immediate retaliation from the terrorists.
There wasn’t a single idiot brave enough to whip out a phone to film.
The only footage that made it out were blurry clips taken after the situation had settled, and even those were overshadowed by the viral video of Rachel smashing the barrier.
Plus, the media was far more focused on the terrorists themselves.
With Ambassador Wang Wei captured, it was now almost certain that China had orchestrated the attack.
China, of course, was busy denying everything.
“Seems like we got through that pretty cleanly.”
“If we hadn’t, I would've flown straight to China myself.”
Vanessa said it like a joke but it had just enough bite to sound serious.
I wasn’t entirely convinced she wasn’t serious.
“Anyway, let’s start with this.”
I picked up a clear glass vial.
Inside it swirled an iridescent, multicolored liquid.
It was a high-grade essence I’d gotten from Marquess Cunningham.
I popped the cap open and poured the contents directly onto the snowflower stone.
The stone began to glow as it absorbed the essence.
And then.
Ding!
─ A summoning slot has been added.
[Summons: 4/5]
My available summon count had increased.
“Guess a new Transcendent will be arriving soon.”
I felt a flicker of anticipation.
Who would come next?
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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