SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 118

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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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Chapter 118. The Black Wedding (4)
5
Stage Clear.
It meant that this world—the Sormewin Academy story—had been formally incorporated into our Tower.
Now Hunters could traverse this realm.
Though not, of course, freely. They had to pass scrutiny by the Major Guilds. For instance, an ordinary Hunter wishing to enter the Aigim Empire required a special permit.
What I mean is…….
Swoosh!
Moments after the Stage Clear was declared, white light blazed through the Wedding Venue. Flash! Swoosh! Light erupted from all corners. It was the sight you saw whenever Hunters were transported.
“The Four Kings! No—Kim Gongja! You!”
As the light faded, familiar faces came into view.
“How could you possibly marry without consulting us first?!”
People who could traverse floors freely without a permit. The heads of the Major Guilds. One of them—Rank 2 Hunter, the Black Dragon Lord—had flushed scarlet with fury.
“I’m against this marriage!”
“…….”
“The Four Kings is our Tower’s representative Hunter! Naturally the wedding should have been held on Floor 1 of our Tower, in Babylon City! It should have been broadcast live to the entire world! This marriage is completely void! Entirely void!”
She wasn’t the only one who spoke up.
“Ahem. Well. Four Kings.”
Rank 1 Hunter. The Sword Saint also cleared his throat.
“First, congratulations on clearing the Stage. Sincerely… it was quite a rapid romance. No, I do realize it’s discourteous to broach such a matter here, but still, as an old man, I must say something…….”
“Please don’t.”
“Mm.”
The Sword Saint fell silent. He was the sort of person genuinely trying to reform his outdated sensibilities these days.
“There was quite an uproar while you were conquering the Tower. Everyone’s been asking why the two of you fell for each other. Four Kings. But I steadfastly took your side. Those struck by love at first sight are the only ones who truly understand such a thing. Don’t worry. I understand. Leave the Black Dragon Lord to me—I’ll console her.”
And for some reason, the Holy Paladin stood with a stolid expression, his chin held high. The way he looked at me seemed to silently say, “I understand your love completely.” I couldn’t fathom his meaning.
I turned to look at Rabiel.
“Hmm.”
Rabiel’s face was expressionless. Or so it appeared at first glance. But I love Rabiel, so I could read the meaning beneath her stillness.
Rabiel was watching the Black Dragon Lord’s faction with keen interest. Honey pooled and overflowed in her crimson eyes.
“My lord. My love.”
“Speak freely, my love…….”
“It seems you have many people who should introduce to me.”
Ah, yes…….
A bit late, perhaps.
But our formal family introduction was beginning.
6
I had naturally assumed the formal family introduction would take place before the wedding. Yet here too, there were cultural differences. In the Empire, it was customary to hold the formal introduction after the wedding ceremony.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Rabiel tilted her head instead.
“Among those who belong to a house, many dwell in distant provinces. It is the wedding itself that summons and gathers these distant relations. On the very night the wedding is held, the bride and groom, along with members of both families, meet for the first time.”
“Ah… that certainly makes sense.”
I understood at once.
Yes. Marriage was also a union of house with house. For Hunters like us who had fled from the outside world, lineage was hardly a concern—but the Empire was different. It valued the house far more than the individual.
And this wedding was not merely a union of two houses.
It was a State Marriage. Or rather, a World Marriage.
Rabiel, representing the Empire. I, representing the Tower. Our marriage was thus a marriage between worlds.
“Sigh…….”
The Chief Butler—my adoptive father—wore a wry smile throughout.
“I never imagined such an occasion would come to pass……. I’ve no idea how many dispatches I’ve sent to His Majesty the Emperor today alone. Now I haven’t the faintest idea what to report next.”
“Yes. This too was unintended on our part.”
The Black Dragon Lord opened her mouth. Gone was her earlier agitation; she was now perfectly composed. The powerholders of the Empire and the powerholders of the Tower sat side by side at the table, watching each other warily and equally bewildered.
“But rather than unforeseen misfortune, I believe this is unforeseen good fortune. Chief Butler. We consider it a blessing that our first meeting with your esteemed nation takes place at the wedding ceremony itself.”
And beyond their caution and confusion, they conversed.
“You say you crossed over from the Otherworld? It is a remarkable and curious matter, difficult to explain even to His Majesty, and certainly not something to be readily announced to the people.”
“Yes. Entirely apt words. We fully understand your nation’s position.”
The Black Dragon Lord nodded. She was clearly at ease in such diplomatic matters. She knew how to walk the line between deference and competence.
“However, Chief Butler, you yourself witnessed the incursion of Otherworldly beings. If we deny the existence of what truly exists, then one day existence will deny humanity. I am concerned for such a future.”
“Indeed. Wisely spoken.”
“I am grateful, Chief Butler. What we must accomplish going forward is mutual understanding. Five years. Ten years. Twenty years. Perhaps even longer…….”
Both sides spoke with measured calm.
Rabiel had the Empire’s representatives under her control, and I held the absolute trust of the Tower’s people. Our marriage was great fortune for both sides.
Bringing the power brokers of both factions into one place was ordinarily a feat of impossible difficulty. Yet Rabiel and I had made our wedding the first success of that monumental task. We could not have asked for a better beginning.
……
I sat at the head table with Rabiel. I reached beneath the table and took her hand. Squeeze. Without hesitation, she intertwined her fingers with mine.
……
That single gesture set my mind at ease. The night was deep. The stars burned bright. Candles flickered atop the tables, and between their flames, people exchanged quiet words.
Suddenly, everything was beautiful.
“Rabiel.”
“Speak.”
A soft whisper.
“There are some people I’d like to introduce to you.”
“Beyond those already here?”
“Yes.”
“Then I should meet them.”
Rabiel rose from the head table.
The Empire’s representatives fell silent at once.
“The night is long. Let us speak calmly with one another. I shall go meet my wife’s people for a time.”
……
No one dared stop Rabiel as she left. A true Duke of Ibantia, after all. If power means leaving whenever one wishes, then my wife wielded absolute authority in this place.
I led Rabiel to where the sect members had gathered in clusters.
“Oh! The Deputy Lord! So you’re a newlywed now!”
Geomma raised his cup and laughed raucously. The sect members had all grown tipsy on the wedding venue’s liquor. They tried to stand and bow to me, but I waved them down. So instead they remained seated, pressing their fists together in salute.
“Congratulations!”
“Blessings upon you, Deputy Lord!”
“This wine here has a strange taste—it’s quite good!”
“Long live the Demonic Sect!”
“Hoo! You two are truly a perfect match!”
The wedding venue erupted into chaos at once. With a thousand sect members raising their voices, there was little choice. I let out a rueful smile.
“Geomma, come here a moment.”
“Huh?”
Geomma blinked, still holding his cup. He hadn’t expected to be singled out, his face going slack with surprise. His drunken companions laughed and snickered around him.
“See? That guy’s going to get scolded by the Deputy Lord one of these days!”
“The way he always forgets the honorific when he says the Deputy Lord’s name—what an idiot.”
“Give him a good thrashing, Deputy Lord!”
“Uh… u-uh-uh……”
Geomma set down his cup and hesitantly approached. All the boldness he’d shown when he beheaded the phantom legion’s general had vanished. He shrank back like a child caught in wrongdoing.
“I’m s-sorry. Deputy Lord. I never learned proper manners, so speaking formally doesn’t sit right with me. But in my heart, I truly respect our Deputy Lord……”
Geomma rambled on with excuses.
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Rabiel.”
And I spoke to my bride.
“This is Geomma.”
……
“He served under the man I revered as my master. My master was the leader of an organization called the Demonic Sect. From among his disciples, he selected four individuals of exceptional merit and called them the Four Demonic Lords. Geomma is one of them.”
“I see.”
Rabiel regarded Geomma carefully. He flinched.
“An honest man. His speech is rough and his manner sparse. The fact that your master did not judge people by rough speech or sparse manner proves it. That he sought talent in rough and sparse places speaks to his nobility and lofty spirit.”
……
“I am Rabiel Ibantia. Duke of the Empire and wife of the Deputy Lord you serve. I look forward to our acquaintance.”
“Y-yes. Looking forward to it… as well.”
I turned my head.
“Woryeong Demon Lord.”
……
“Come here, if you would.”
One of the sect members rose. He bowed with precision.
“Yes, Deputy Lord.”
An odd hush descended from the night sky. The chatter and laughter that had filled the space fell away. I called the Four Demonic Lords one by one, and each time, they showed the utmost courtesy.
Then I called for the next person I needed to introduce.
“Agui.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
“Come here.”
“Yes.”
Agui rose from among the congregation. She must have been waiting for my summons, for she had already arranged her clothes with care.
“This child’s name is… Agui.”
I spoke.
“Agui was born as a nameless demon—a Doppelganger. She could mimic whatever she consumed. At first, she devoured creatures: frogs, serpents, beasts of every kind. Then, by pure chance, she ate a human. And from that moment…”
Agui kept her head bowed, demure and still. Her shoulders trembled faintly now and then. A strange silence settled over the hall.
I had spoken their lives into being, and in doing so, I had spoken my own.
One person telling another the story of their life. Gently, unhurried. Beneath the night sky. That alone—just that—was sacred.
“And… ah. Right.”
I drew the Holy Sword from my waist.
“This one is Banjjaki.”
“Banjjaki?”
“Yes. She had a grander name once. She was sealed into a blade by a man who deceived her. Her true name, the Guardian Goddess, seemed too grand, so I gave her a nickname instead. Banjjaki—because she sparkles so brilliantly…”
“Indeed.”
Rabiel smiled softly.
“Your wife’s naming sense is rather harsh, I must say. Miserly. Had I chosen, I would have given her at least the name Brilliance.”
[Banjjaki swears her loyalty to the Master’s beloved!]
Swift, indeed, was Banjjaki’s change of allegiance.
“Well.”
And then.
“I have one more friend, though you cannot see them here now.”
The Backhoe Spirit.
“You will almost certainly never lay eyes on them, Rabiel. We cannot meet in company. This friend’s circumstances are… particular. They cannot stand before others.”
My partner.
“The way they speak is uncouth—thirty times filthier than Geomma, if I’m being honest. But they are astoundingly strong. Overwhelmingly so. I learned Sword Technique from them first, and then Aura.”
“Ah. A remarkable person indeed.”
—…
The Backhoe Spirit remained silent.
Arms folded across their chest, still wearing that tattered Martial Robe.
Rather than moving their lips as they usually did, the Backhoe Spirit simply gazed at Rabiel and me in quiet steadiness.
“If not for them… I don’t think I could have endured my time alone.”
“So it is.”
“Yes.”
“Then I owe them my gratitude as well.”
Rabiel bowed her head.
Toward the empty air where nothing could be seen.
“I have found happiness through knowing you, Gongja. Without your friend’s aid, my own happiness would never have come to pass. For this moment, for your presence—I am grateful to all that made it possible.”
The Backhoe Spirit slowly opened their mouth.
—Hey, crazy bastard, so count on us, yeah?
I spoke in their stead.
“If they’d heard your thanks, they’d probably tell you: I’m a crazy bastard too, so same to you.”
“A fine friend to have.”
I drew a long breath.
“Rabiel.”
This is it.
“This is all I have.”
Everything I hold dear.
All those who opened their hearts to mine.
My family.
……
Rabiel gripped my hand firmly.
“You there.”
“Yes.”
“Dance with me.”
Her gaze burned with intense desire. I hesitated. When Rabiel looked at me like this—when she reached for me with such unmistakable longing—I could not refuse.
“I… I’ve never really danced properly before.”
“The Butler’s memories should still linger in you somewhat. Draw upon them.”
“What if I step on your feet by mistake? I’d rather die than cause you such shame.”
Rabiel answered not with words, but with action. She bent down and removed her Black Shoes. A moment later, she stepped barefoot onto the grass and earth of the lawn.
White feet.
She had shed only her shoes, yet she seemed to have become light as wind itself.
“Come on.”
……
I hesitated, then slipped off my white shoes and socks. Rabiel took my hand at once and drew me forward.
One step. Two steps.
Rabiel brushed fallen petals across the grass with the tips of her toes—magnolia, cherry blossom, white petals growing ever whiter as they were trampled.
……
Neither of us spoke. No music drifted through the air. The chandelier that had hung in the ballroom was gone; only moonlight fell like frost upon the flower garden.
A ball for two.
“Look at me.”
I brightened my steps and smiled.
“It’s a disaster, really. I’ve already stepped on Rabiel’s feet three times. Dancing isn’t my forte at all. Are you trying to kill me with embarrassment?”
“It doesn’t matter. I can simply step on yours as many times.”
Crunch—the moment the words left her lips, Rabiel pressed her full weight down on my foot. Her playful laughter rang out.
“There. Now it’s fair.”
In all this world, she showed her smile to me alone. My red jewel. My heart. My music.
Moonlit shadows painted our silhouettes on the ground.
Our dance was not one where we never stepped on each other’s feet. Rather, it was this: no matter how we stumbled, we never released each other’s hands. And through any misfortune, we smiled softly and gazed into each other’s faces.
I was wholly hers.
She was wholly mine.
Yes. We danced. Everywhere the moonlight touched became our ballroom. With only the two of us, we could transform any world into a stage.
On this day, we were married.
Our next story would begin on a higher stage than ever before.
SSS-Rank: A Hunter Must Die to Live (Serial Publication)
Author │ Shin Noa
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204 Digital-ro 288, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daeloong Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin Noa 2019
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the express permission of the publisher and author.
Violation of these terms may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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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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