* * *

THUD. RUMBLE.

The impact that began in the lobby spread like a wave, making the entire building tremble faintly. Nothing shook hard enough to fall over, but even the dullest guest could feel it. As the guests grew uneasy, Leviathan’s staff threw themselves into their respective duties: calming them, guarding their assigned areas, or fielding calls from the subsidiaries.

But at the very top of the building, the man and woman in the penthouse remained where they were, untroubled by the commotion below.

“It seems they’re a formidable opponent after all.”

“Well, they must have some confidence to come barging in alone.”

“If they were truly confident, they wouldn’t have wasted time on schemes.” Li Qingyu smiled and added, “Just as you didn’t in the old days, Sword Lord.”

“I’m just a simpleminded swordsman.” Limon shrugged.

Then he asked casually, “So, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“The intruder who just broke in. Can the Ink Dragon Unit really handle them on its own?”

“I can’t make a hasty judgment when we know nothing about the intruder yet... But this is Leviathan.”

Qingyu gave him a meaningful smile. Understanding her point, Limon chuckled.

“True. Few things are trickier than fighting a snake in its own den.”

“Calling it a snake’s den is a little harsh. It is the world’s finest hotel, after all.”

“But it isn’t just a hotel, is it?”

“No, of course not.”

Before it was a hotel, Leviathan was a Black Dragon Clan stronghold: one of the Seven Dragons Society’s fortresses scattered across the world. Even Limon, who had reigned as an absolute being during the Age of Heroes, had been unable to strike at them lightly. Knowing Leviathan’s true nature better than anyone, he found the very idea of calling this place a hotel laughable. It was only natural, then, that Qingyu looked out the window despite feeling the tremors rising from directly below.

“The subsidiaries are the problem.”

“Worried?”

“If even the place where Family Head Wang is has only a fifty-fifty chance of holding out, as you said, every one of our domestic subsidiaries could fall.”

Qingyu calmly acknowledged that the subsidiaries could not stop the Ryu Gang-cheol currently running amok with their own forces. It was a cold assessment, but an obvious one.

Ryu was a count-class player who could barely be opposed without either an expert of at least unit-captain caliber or dozens of experts working together in a formation. Few Black Dragon Clan subsidiaries had forces of that strength. And if even the Wang family of Shanghai, with the master-level Wang Gi-neung and its combat unit, had only a fifty-fifty chance of holding out? By daybreak, it would be a miracle if more than ten domestic subsidiaries remained.

“No, it won’t be that bad.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

Limon dismissed that obvious conclusion with ease. He took a sip of whiskey, then leisurely explained to the puzzled Qingyu, “That’s what we prepared Plan B for.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

She acted as though it had slipped her mind. Limon chuckled at her feigned innocence.

He had realized the Ryu Gang-cheol he cut down was a fake the moment his blade struck. He had even seen through the Liberation Brigade’s plot and predicted that something like this would happen soon. There were many reasons he had taken no special measures despite that, but the greatest was his certainty that no further preparations were needed. The Plan B they had prepared together was that reliable.

“Taking that into account, what do you think our chances are?”

“Hard to say. About ninety-nine percent?”

“That’s an awfully generous estimate.”

“I thought I was being stingy.”

Qingyu gave him an odd look. The odds had gone from an even chance with the Black Dragon Clan’s strength alone to virtually certain victory. Limon chuckled and, speaking as a former PAB agent rather than a Sword Master, added spitefully, “No matter how impressive your Seven Dragons Society or the Liberation Brigade might be, the real thugs around here are somebody else.”

“That’s a rather harsh assessment, too.”

“Why? I’m not wrong. You know how much money those bastards squeezed out of me?”

He sounded thoroughly fed up. Qingyu giggled at his grumbling.

“You needn’t worry about an expense like that. It’s a bargain for guaranteeing the subsidiaries’ safety.”

“That ‘bargain’ could buy a country.”

“That’s why I called it a bargain.”

“... Oh. Is that so?”

A continent might be another matter, but surely a country or two wasn’t all that expensive? Qingyu tilted her head as if to ask just that. Looking at her, Limon was privately astonished. He had always known the Seven Dragons Society had a strange sense of money, but hearing her say that drove home anew that she really was a “princess.”

‘And I somehow managed to fight people who spend money like water for hundreds of years.’

Qingyu studied his expression curiously for a moment, then asked, “But Sword Lord, Plan B only covers the subsidiaries enrolled in the Guardian System, doesn’t it?”

“Of course.”

“Then the others are still in danger, aren’t they?”

After several attacks had been repelled, more subsidiaries had entrusted their security to Guardian, but that increase was only relative. Less than half of the Black Dragon Clan’s domestic subsidiaries had joined the Guardian System. That was how many clan members still resented Limon, bore grudges against him, or distrusted him.

“It can’t be helped. They’re the ones who dug in their heels and refused when I offered to protect them.”

Limon had no particular regrets about it, either. He and the Seven Dragons Society were enemies to begin with. A twist of fate had led to his engagement to Qingyu, but just as the Black Dragon Clan did not trust him, he felt no attachment to them.

“Yes. They brought it on themselves.”

Knowing that better than anyone, Qingyu readily nodded. Then she continued, almost casually, “But wouldn’t it be a shame to leave the subsidiaries to suffer because of their arrogance?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Qingyu explained calmly. “The Black Dragon Clan’s subsidiaries are structurally linked. Damage to one becomes a loss for the entire clan.”

Most large corporations worked that way, but the Seven Dragons Society’s subsidiaries were particularly closely connected. That was partly to maximize profits, but also because of the Society’s traditional structure as a criminal organization that prized unity within each clan.

“If nearly half the domestic subsidiaries collapse at once, the losses will be even greater.”

“Compared to your clan’s total assets, wouldn’t that be a speck of dust?”

“Money isn’t the issue. Our clan’s influence and holdings are.”

Qingyu answered evenly. Seven Dragons’ subsidiaries were companies, but they were also bases for maintaining the Seven Dragons Society’s influence.

“If one subsidiary after another falls and leaves gaps in our influence, there will be plenty of others ready to move in.”

“The ten great guilds?”

“Or companies belonging to the other clans.”

“Hmm...”

Limon could see the sense in her argument. He knew next to nothing about running a company, but he had experienced more than enough war. He had seen time and again how even allies, let alone enemies, bared their teeth when a power’s sphere of influence weakened. Given Qingyu’s aim of taking over the Seven Dragons Society and standing against the constellations, it was only natural that she worried about gaps left by the subsidiaries. It was natural, but...

“You’re the one who said you’d accept that risk.”

“Yes, I am.”

“And now you’ve changed your mind?”

“I never imagined there would be an attack on this scale.”

Even she had not expected Ryu Gang-cheol to have a skill that let him create dozens of clones and attack the subsidiaries, Qingyu said with a soft sigh. Limon looked at her and tilted his head.

“You didn’t foresee even this? You?”

“I’m not the White Dragon Princess.”

She swept back her silken black hair as though she regretted that. Limon studied her for a moment with a strange look, then scratched his cheek.

“Fine. Let’s say the damage is worse than expected. What do you want to do about it? It seems too late to ask for additional contracts now.”

“Yes, it is.”

“And we don’t have any more combat units or experts we can deploy immediately.”

“Exactly.”

“... And you still want to protect the remaining subsidiaries? Even though it could ruin our plan?”

“As a princess, it’s my duty to protect my clan.”

Limon looked at Qingyu as though she were the world’s greatest liar. She neither looked ashamed nor averted her eyes. She merely smiled.

“So, may I ask you a favor?”

It was a request with almost all the substance left out, as baffling as a fish-shaped pastry without its sweet-bean filling. But as her fiancé, Limon could guess what she meant. He gazed at her for a moment before speaking.

“You promised I could laze around as long as I married you. Aren’t you working me a little hard?”

“We’re engaged. We aren’t married yet, are we?”

“That’s the sort of answer a shameless swindler would give.”

“I am the Black Dragon Princess.”

She answered with a beaming smile, as though that explained everything. Limon let out a small laugh.

He drained his whiskey and rose.

“All right. Even if a few foolish members of my future in-laws’ family do something stupid, I suppose it’s a groom-to-be’s duty to help when his bride-to-be begs him to at least save their lives.”

Whatever happened to the subsidiaries, he didn’t care. He was going along with this transparent ploy only because she had asked. Having made his reason for acting perfectly clear, Limon shot Qingyu a sidelong look.

“But Princess, I’ll make sure you repay this debt in full.”

“If there’s anything you want, just say the word. Everything I have is yours anyway, Sword Lord.”

“Oh, really?”

Limon chuckled at her blithe reply. He bent slightly, took Qingyu by the shoulder with one hand, and kissed her.

“??????”

Perhaps the kiss was too unexpected. Qingyu’s eyes widened. But he did not pull away. He kept hold of her shoulder so she could not escape and savored the softness of her lips until, after what seemed like question marks popping up one after another over her head, she finally grasped what was happening. Her face, ears, and even the back of her neck flushed bright red.

“Hah!”

Only when Limon released her some time later did Qingyu remember how to breathe and let out a hot breath.

“Ah, um, Sword Lord? That just now... What was...?”

As if her brain cells had been destroyed in those few moments, she had forgotten all her usual composure. Limon chuckled at her dazed question.

“Why are you so surprised? I was just sealing the deal.”

“Sealing... the deal?”

“Yeah. Now you can’t claim later that you don’t remember making it.”

A kiss for a groom-to-be on his way out was his bride-to-be’s privilege, wasn’t it? Speaking as though it were the most natural thing in the world, Limon walked to the window.

“Well, good luck. Don’t overdo it.”

FLAP!

With that casual farewell, he leaped out the window and vanished. Qingyu stared for a long while at the empty spot he had left behind. Slowly, she raised a hand and touched her lips with slender fingers. They still held an unfamiliar warmth.

“... That’s a way of making contracts I could develop a bad habit of.”