Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 6

Well, that’s how it came to be.
It was eating a few extra portions because it tasted rather good that proved to be the problem. Even so, it was a modest sum, all things considered.
It’s bitter, but there’s no help for it.
I’ll just convert what I can to cash and prepare gradually.
This much seemed worth leaving behind as repayment for years of them not killing me and instead making my married life happy.
With an odd restlessness in my chest, I lingered outside for a long while instead of going in, when Nizela came rushing toward me in a disarray—her employee uniform not even properly fastened.
She must have overslept.
But drawing near, her expression was far from normal.
“M-ma’am, Director!”
“What’s the matter? Why are you running like that?”
“A large monster has appeared at the Western Entrance of Town!”
“What?”
The western entrance—that’s close to here, isn’t it?
People didn’t gather there much, since it was also called the back gate.
Perarium was famous, after all, for being a place where monsters never appeared.
Which meant there was no preparation whatsoever against them.
Such defense as existed amounted to relying on the mercenaries passing through the town for safety.
There was a Town Security Force, but since it was staffed by townspeople, their competence was abysmal.
So I’d often gone to restaurants or taverns for evening meals and punished rude mercenaries in their stead.
Thanks to that, establishing ourselves here had been easier, though.
So this place wasn’t a safe zone anymore? No, surely in the original it remained safe all the way through….
“It just appeared out of nowhere and is smashing up the entrance as it comes in! Director, you have to evacuate before this place takes damage too! It’s advancing far too fast!”
I glanced toward the west once, then looked back at Nizela.
“I’ll go take a look. You go gather some people.”
“What? You? Surely you’re not going yourself? This isn’t some drunken brawl!”
Nizela stammered in shock.
I pulled a hair tie from my pocket, clenched it between my teeth, and raised both hands to tie my hair up tightly and high.
It was hair Noah had personally blow-dried and styled so carefully this morning, but there was no help for it.
“It’s too late to call in our contract mercenaries! I’ll go hold it off while you hurry to fetch the Town Security Force and see if there are any mercenaries still in town.”
“Director!”
“By this hour they’ve been drinking all night and won’t have left the inn. Tell the innkeeper to ring the bell. Quickly!”
“It’s far too dangerous for you to go! What if your husband finds out? If he learns of this—!”
I smiled at her gently.
“You just make sure to get back quickly.”
After all, I do carry an S-rank Mercenary License. I was formerly the First Knight Order of the Imperial Palace—the White Dragon Knights.
I was startled myself, it’s true.
A monster appearing in this place?
Nizela wouldn’t have lied to me the moment she came in without warning.
First I should deal with the monster in question and look into this matter too. Why had monsters suddenly appeared in this peaceful place?
My head was already spinning with the Noah situation, so in a way this was a welcome distraction.
I sent Nizela off and hurried to pull out the sword I’d kept in my office for emergencies, then ran toward where the monster had appeared.
Thank goodness. If I’d worn a dress today, it would’ve been a disaster.

* * *

The monster came into view even before I reached the entrance.
A deep, threatening growl accompanied dripping saliva as a monster in the shape of a buffalo with blood-red eyes and horns stood with its jaw gaping wide open.
This is real.
It was large enough to swallow everything in its path at any moment.
A size like that was hard to see in town—you’d only encounter it on an actual subjugation expedition.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a Follower Monster, marked by the purple gemstone embedded in its forehead.
In that case.
I flicked my hand to meet the monster’s gaze.
Shriek!
As if taking it for provocation, the monster bellowed even louder.
The sound struck like thunder, and I clapped a hand over one ear.
“You’re really loud, aren’t you.”
The monster began advancing, swinging its arms wildly from side to side.
With such a massive frame, even the slightest flourish brought the surrounding trees and walls crashing down.
I’d need to finish this before it destroyed anything else unnecessarily.
When using Illusion Magic outside of active warfare, channeling through the eyes was always fastest.
That meant Target-type Illusion Magic.
It required less energy than other methods and had a higher success rate, so it was my go-to approach.
But since I had to draw power through my eyes, they’d sting and my pupils would change color accordingly.
When I pushed myself to draw the maximum amount of strength, I’d heard the whites of my eyes turned black as well.
I’d never gone that far, so I wasn’t entirely sure, but supposedly at that point I looked like a necromancer or a malevolent spirit.
The original Hazel Love always gave her all, which meant she’d always overexert herself with power.
Since arriving in this body, there was one time I’d drastically overdrawn my strength, and my pupils had shifted to a violet shade that didn’t fade easily—I’d suffered for days afterward.
Today, there was no need to go that far.
I took a deep breath and opened my eyes sharply. They warmed slightly, tingling with exertion.
The monster flinched, its crimson pupils dilating as they met my power-infused gaze.
‘Why red eyes, of all things! The same color as Noah’s!’
Irritated, I wrenched a thornbush up from the earth.
This was different from Target-type Illusion Magic—it was Area-type Illusion Magic instead. In this technique, I designated a specific radius and deployed the illusion within it.
When I spread an area-type illusion like this, everything inside felt perfectly real, and the thorns could even draw blood if they pierced you.
Deliberately, I continued pulling up thornbushes to create an impressive display for the breathless onlookers gathering around us.
The monster, unable to evade my gaze, growled and thrashed its body, trying to escape.
With each movement the creature made, thorns harder than steel raked across its skin, opening wounds rapidly.
I gripped my sword, timing my moment.
I could’ve suffocated it and ended this easily, but I needed to make a show of a real fight so the onlookers would think it looked impressive.
So what if I looked materialistic about it?
This way I’d uphold the reputation of the Mercenary Guild and make life easier in multiple ways.
I tapped the ground with my feet, waiting for people to gather.
“There! There!”
“A monster appeared over there!”
“Our leader is fighting it alone!”
I heard Nizela’s roaring voice and the shouts of the crowd.
“Good.”
The moment people appeared, I sprang lightly forward with my sword drawn.
“Gasp!”
A man cried out in shock at the sight of the colossal monster’s size.
Tap. Tap-tap!
I landed on the thick thorny stem I’d conjured in mid-air, and with a light bound, touched down directly atop the monster’s head.
Trapped and immobilized, the monster’s eyes flew wide open.
Indignant that such a small human—smaller than its own arm—now stood upon its skull, it snorted and began thrashing its body about.
Whoa, whoa, you crazy thing—knock it off!
Whoosh!
Without missing the moment, I drove my sword straight into the monster’s eye.
Shriek! Screeeeech!
The creature’s body trembled violently as a tearing wail ripped from its throat.
Crackle! Crackle!
Like lightning striking down the blade, magical force coursed through the monster’s body, piercing it completely.
“Hah.”
After catching my breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and plunged the sword in once more—deep.
Ah, this really isn’t my style.
Crack-crack-crack!
The monster let out a grotesque moan before its face began splitting open like parched stone.
God, that’s disgusting.
I yanked the sword free before falling with it, then bounded backward to safety.
Tap!
Using the sword to steady my center, I planted my feet on the ground just as the monster collapsed behind me with a thunderous crash.
A moment of silence.
Then, simultaneously, a roar of applause burst forth.
“The monster fell!”
“She brought down that enormous monster all by herself!”
As I withdrew the Illusion Magic, the thorny brambles vanished without a trace.
“Oh my goodness! Aren’t you the Guild Master? You’ve saved our town again! Everyone, let me tell you who this is!”
One of the innkeepers who recognized me launched into praise as if boasting about his own daughter.
Breaking up a few fights at the tavern hardly qualified as saving the town, but I felt a touch of pride anyway.
“No, no! You must have been terrified, weren’t you? I didn’t expect Monsters to appear this far in.”
I laughed, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand for no particular reason.
“True. I do wonder if this area will become more dangerous going forward.”
“And when exactly are we going to repair all this damage…?”
One of the townspeople who’d come running caught their breath, glancing nervously at the fallen Monster again and again.
I could see the mercenaries who’d arrived with the townspeople eyeing the Monster with obvious interest.
They’d brought their weapons without exception, apparently eager for a real fight.
“It looks like this needs to be cleaned up. Would you mind if we handled the disposal?”
I decided to leave it to them rather than bother with the cleanup myself just for a share of the loot.
My heart felt restless.
A large Monster like this could fetch a decent sum if they flayed the hide and sold it.
“Ah, you really will? As you can see, it’s quite a massive specimen.”
“If the spoils from this are yours to keep, we’ll clean it up spotlessly.”
“Oh, is that so? Well then, I should be going—wait, that building over there is the Mercenary Guild I operate. There are requests from clients who want us to collect spoils, so if you haven’t stopped by yet, do visit. The commission rates are quite reasonable! Take care!”
Having finished my advertisement, I stumbled slightly, and Nizela appeared as if by instinct, steadying me.
“Our Master needs rest, so step aside, everyone!”
The crowd parted like the sea splitting in two, moving sharply to either side.
I acknowledged their concerned greetings with repeated nods as I made my escape.
Once I’d slipped free from the throng, I straightened up from where I’d leaned against Nizela.
“See? Things work out easily that way.”
“Even so, it was far too dangerous. If even a Follower Monster had appeared, it would have been a true disaster.”
“As if I’d go down that easily. Look at you now—those mercenaries who didn’t trust me as Master are already heading here, aren’t they?”
Nizela shook her head disapprovingly.
“I should’ve taken the Monster Heart separately. What a waste.”
“Master!”
“I know, I know.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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