The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 249

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 96

Upon opening the door and entering, a strange stench that seemed to mix damp moss and metallic scents assaulted their noses.

The interior was quite spacious.

Contrary to the deserted streets that made Medeia wonder if she had come to the right place, the shop was bustling with people.

On one wall of the shop were weapons, and on the opposite wall was a row of taxidermied heads of magical beasts.

“…”

All eyes turned to the three people entering.

This was a lawless territory with no governing country or laws.

It was a place where the law of the jungle reigned—bowing to the strong and preying on the weak.

Medeia, who wore a thick robe but appeared small in stature, and the relatively slender Tom and Neryl.

The unpleasant gazes that either grinned wickedly or observed them continued until Medeia passed by them and reached the counter.

“Welcome. What can I get you?”

A rough-looking man sitting at the counter rubbed his hands together and stood up.

Greasy hair and a large build that suggested he was a former mercenary.

His eyes were filled with such dark pupils that the whites were barely visible, making him look cunning and eerie.

“Three-legged henbane juice mixed with dried fire ant lime powder, blue poison water parsley, and Luna digitalis—do you have them?”

At the words flowing from under the hood, the shop owner raised his eyebrows as if surprised.

“If you don’t have henbane, belladonna is fine too.”

“Looking at you, you don’t seem to be from around here, but how do you know all the local specialties? And all the unusual mutant poisonous herbs at that?”

“Do you have them or not? Just tell me that.”

“Of course, nothing grows in this area—whether herbs or magic stones—that doesn’t pass through our shop. How much do you need?”

The owner boasted.

“All that you have, bring them right now.”

Along with the curt command came a gold coin pushed forward.

The owner’s greedy eyes glanced over her.

‘Looking for rare poisonous herbs like that, she must have quite a bit of money… The guys following her look pretty weak too.’

“This won’t be enough. Especially Luna digitalis only grows on Moonlight Cliffs, so it’s harder to obtain.”

Just as Medeia was about to offer another gold coin in response to the innkeeper’s complaint,

Medeia’s robe sleeve was suddenly grabbed and yanked.

“Hehehe. Pretty, so pretty. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such white hands. Are you married, miss?”

He noticed through the exposed sleeve that she was a woman and leered lecherously.

“With such white and soft hands, you couldn’t even cut a low-grade goblin’s neck.”

Drool glistened on his beard.

“First time in the Swamp of Gluttony? This place may look like this, but it’s nice to live in—quiet, good for hiding… hard to find…”

His murky black pupils lecherously scanned Medeia’s entire body as if gauging what was under her robe.

“How about we send away those lackeys behind you and have a quiet talk somewhere, just the two of us—”

At that moment,

Flash—! With a brilliant light, the innkeeper’s words were cut short.

“I don’t have time to play along.”

A sharp dagger had cut the sleeve the innkeeper was holding and simultaneously drove that piece of fabric straight into the counter.

The spot where the dagger was embedded so deep that only the handle was visible was just a paper’s width from the innkeeper’s fingers.

If the blade had twisted even slightly, two or three fingers would have flown off.

She missed the drawing, the process—everything.

Even the innkeeper, who had been around dangerous territories quite a bit, could only catch a glimpse of the silver flash that passed by.

‘A, a master…!’

His face turned pale.

“Among travelers who cross the wilderness, there’s a saying: All who block my path are enemies—pluck out their eyes and cut off their feet to prepare for future troubles.”

A low, dry voice echoed.

“How about it? Just fingers seems rather generous in comparison, doesn’t it?”

The innkeeper realized he had messed with a skilled person who even knew the unspoken rules of the wilderness and begged desperately.

“I, I made a mistake! I failed to recognize a hero and was rude! I’ll prepare the powders you need right away!!”

“…”

However, even when he tried to turn around, he couldn’t easily pull his hand away from beside the dagger that pierced the cut fabric.

The sharp blade seemed ready to cut flesh and bone with the slightest movement. He trembled in terror.

“Please, just once, spare me. I won’t take any money! I’ll give you everything for free, so please be merciful…”

Only then did Medeia retrieve her dagger as if she had been waiting.

As soon as the onlookers confirmed the brutal result of survival of the fittest, they turned their heads away. And fearing they might get caught in the crossfire, they hurriedly left.

‘Damn bastards, when did they encourage this…’

The innkeeper swallowed his resentment and brought out the poisonous herbs Medeia had mentioned.

“Is this all the Luna digitalis you have?”

Medeia picked up the digitalis leaf pouch.

Though it was a poisonous herb that caused paralysis, it could also be used medicinally, so the more the better.

“Th, that’s everything. Really, as I mentioned, this can only be harvested from Moonlight Cliffs, so it’s hard to get much— Ah!”

The trembling innkeeper’s eyes caught sight of an old herb gatherer entering the shop with an armful of herbs.

“Hey, old man! Don’t you have more Luna digitalis? Huh? An important person is looking for it!”

“…It’s not a full moon right now, so I don’t have any—”

“Don’t you have any you set aside before?! What about from your group? Damn, what were you doing not preparing in advance!”

The anxious innkeeper snatched the herb sack from the old woman and scattered its contents while berating her.

The abundant herbs in the sack scattered messily across the floor.

“Stop. If you don’t have any, that’s fine.”

Medeia dropped three or four gold coins on the floor and passed by the innkeeper.

It was then that the old woman, who had been picking up the herbs from the floor, looked up.

The moment she saw Medeia’s face from her kneeling position under the hood, the old woman froze.

Creak.

The shop door closed.

“Hah, damn it. Almost became an idiot for messing with the wrong person. Bad luck stuck to me today and ruined business!”

As if she couldn’t hear the innkeeper constantly grumbling while picking up the gold coins, the old woman stared blankly ahead like someone who had lost her mind.

“Se, Sele… That can’t be possible… How could Venus… …that child be alive…”

“What? Old woman. What are you muttering about by yourself? What are you doing? Hurry up and clean this up.”

Like a fox running wild in a tiger’s empty den, once Medeia disappeared, the innkeeper shouted at the old woman as if he had never bowed and scraped.

“That person earlier, where did she come from? Where did she say she was going?”

“How would I know? I almost lost my hand trying to find that out— Hey! Where are you going!”

The old woman rushed out without even gathering her belongings. However, by the time she left the shop, she had already missed her.

* * *

“Your Highness, we’ve also obtained the remaining items you mentioned.”

Neryl and Tom each had a hefty bundle on their shoulders.

Having finished their preparations, the three turned toward the inn where Garo would be.

While walking down the street, they passed a chapel that was falling apart.

Under the gray outer wall that seemed to have been neglected for a long time stood a faded goddess statue.

Medeia stopped walking.

Then she took out a gold coin and placed it at the foot of the goddess statue.

“We should pray for blessings so we can all return safely.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

However, Medeia’s gaze as she removed her robe and prayed was actually avoiding the goddess statue.

Though it wasn’t like her, somehow she felt reluctant to look directly at the statue’s face.

She feared that the goddess might not forgive her actions of going against the oracle and trying to kill the evil dragon directly.

And she feared that her heart might weaken because of it.

“Let’s go.”

As Medeia turned around again, urgent footsteps that seemed to drag along the ground echoed.

“Se, Selene…”

An unfamiliar old woman stood before Medeia. Neryl and Tom stepped forward sharply.

“What is this about.”

“Chief, it might not be her. Coming here now will only cause unnecessary trouble-.”

Even the man who had been supporting the old woman with a tense face stopped abruptly after confirming Medeia’s face.

“H-how is it really….”

“Look, I’m right! That’s the child! How could I forget that face? I’ve spent my whole life regretting our tribe’s foolishness for not recognizing the true shaman!”

“You seem to have mistaken me for someone else. Neryl, prepare some travel money for her.”

Medeia recognized her as the herb seller old woman she had seen in the shop earlier.

Even toward an old woman struggling to survive in this harsh village, her cold personality wasn’t becoming.

“…Child of Selene, you’re the spitting image of your mother’s eyes.”

What made Medeia’s steps falter as she gestured to Neryl to give the old woman gold coins and tried to pass by was the name that flowed from the old woman’s lips.

A name she hadn’t been able to hear from anyone for so long.

It was her mother’s name.

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