Chapter 189: Vacation in Rome (5)

Roberto quickly bowed, rubbing his shin that had been kicked.

“I-I apologize!”

Isabella snorted and crossed her arms. “Anyway, nothing unusual happened in Rome, right?”

“

Hmm

. Actually, there is one thing.”

Isabella narrowed her eyes. “What is it?”

“The Celestial Boat Star has appeared in Italy.”

“Damian?”

The Celestial Boat Star, Damian Salvatore, was a high-ranking Awakener of Libra and a member of the Seven Stars. He was well-known for his immense strength and always working alone.

However, what made him truly famous was his title, the Sword of Justice. True to that name, he roamed the world like a secret investigator, punishing thousands of evildoers.

From the Sword of Justice’s perspective, vampires who sustained themselves by drinking human blood were undoubtedly evil and had to be punished.

“Yes, things have gotten troublesome.”

“Why did he suddenly come to Italy?” Isabella asked.

“We haven’t figured that out yet.”

“

Hmmm.

”

Isabella frowned, not liking how the situation was playing out.

The Leech faction was thoroughly hidden under the Colgrande name. Unlike other factions in the Black Star Society, they had never harmed anyone. If anything, they were being helpful. Nonetheless, the Sword of Justice’s unexpected visit left her feeling uneasy.

“Keep a close watch on Damian and find out why he came to Italy.”

“I understand.”

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Roberto bowed deeply and vanished into the shadows.

Swoosh.

Isabella deeply sighed, “

Haaa.

”

She had been all excited about using this opportunity to completely win over Kwon Oh-Jin.

The Curse of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure and the Sword of Justice... there are too many obstacles.

She bit her lip and dragged her sandals against the ground. Raising her head, she stared up at the scorching sun.

“I’ll have to lay low until night for now.”

The curse that gnawed at her Stigma would lose its power once night came.

Isabella turned and walked back toward the van parked on the road, deciding to save her strength until sunset.

***

In the dark alley devoid of any signs of life, Kwon Oh-Jin had hidden his presence using the Black Curtain and eavesdropped on Isabella and Roberto’s conversation. He squinted at her walking back toward the van.

So the curse hasn’t been lifted yet.

No wonder she suddenly clutched her chest in pain.

“Anyway, the Sword of Justice, huh...”

Kwon Oh-Jin had heard plenty of rumors about Damian Salvatore, the Celestial Boat Star.

I hope he doesn’t get tangled up with Isabella.

As he eavesdropped, it became clear that Isabella had feelings for him that went beyond mere acts of kindness.

He had suspected it before from her obvious behavior, but hearing it from her true self and not her Saintess of Rome persona felt different.

“W-What if he rejects me?!”

He recalled that line and laughed out loud. "

Pffft! Hahaha!

"

He felt like he had finally glimpsed her true self. Not the Saintess of Rome or the Leech Queen, but simply Isabella Colgrande.

Though she’s still hard to read.

Even so, maybe he could let down his guard a little around her now. Maybe he could approach her just as Kwon Oh-Jin and not as the North Star apostle or the Thunder Wolf.

I better head back before Isabella spots me.

If he stayed any longer, Song Ha-Eun would start looking for him and run into Isabella. That would definitely cause another mess.

Kwon Oh-Jin quietly moved to a blind spot behind the van that Isabella had entered and returned to the beach.

“

Grrr! Kugh!

”

“

Aaagh!

You little dog!” Song Ha-Eun shouted.

“

Haha!

A true warrior never backs down from a challenge!” Riarc said.

At the beach, Song Ha-Eun and Riarc were still splashing around and playing.

A column of water shot several meters into the air, almost like an explosion.

Rumble!

Boom!

Whether this still qualified as mere playing was questionable.

Either way, Song Ha-Eun and Riarc enjoyed themselves quite a bit as they bickered back and forth.

Vega, leisurely sunbathing on a floating donut tube, paddled over to Kwon Oh-Jin.

Splash, splash.

“Where were you?” Vega asked.

Kwon Oh-Jin lowered himself into the warm sea water and met her at eye level.

“I just walked Isabella back. She wasn’t feeling well.”

“

Hmm...

She’s not planning anything suspicious, is she?” Vega asked with concern.

It made sense that she would be a little worried since she also knew Isabella’s true identity.

“I don’t think there’s anything to be too wary about.”

He shrugged and recalled the conversation he had just overheard in the alley.

Vega narrowed her eyes. Something about his change in attitude clearly bothered her. Then, her eyes widened as if she realized something.

“Oh no! Breasts! It must’ve been those breasts!”

“What?”

“That evil witch’s breasts have charmed my child!”

Vega hadn’t fully grasped human standards of beauty, but it wasn’t hard to conclude that Isabella carried some truly dangerous weapons from how the men at the beach reacted when they arrived.

“Get out of my child’s head this instant, you evil being!”

Vega paddled up to him furiously and slapped his forehead.

“

Ow.

”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not like that, so don’t worry.”

“

Hmm

. Are you sure you haven’t been charmed by that woman’s witchcraft?”

“Well...”

To be honest, my eyes might’ve wandered a little.

“

Aha!

I-I knew it!”

Pouting, Vega tried to manifest into her true form right then and there. He barely managed to calm her down.

Then, he slowly moved deeper into the water until his shoulders were fully submerged. As he took a deep breath and relaxed, he felt a warm sensation seeping into his damaged mana circuits.

“Does it seem to be helping with your internal injuries?” Vega asked.

“Yeah. It feels refreshing and warm at the same time.”

He wondered if this was what it felt like to soak in a carbonated hot spring known for its healing properties.

The mana in the seawater gently brushed against his skin like a soft breeze, tickling him before soaking through his pores and warming his wounded mana circuits.

“This feels way better than I expected.”

Now he understood why a select few powerful individuals secretly monopolized this place. The healing effects of this Star Zone were no joke.

“Is that so?” Vega smiled in relief.

“If I soak here for a few days, I think my internal injuries will fully heal.”

“

Haha

, very good. Use this opportunity to relax and don’t worry about anything else.”

With a light hop, Vega leapt from her tube and settled onto Kwon Oh-Jin’s head. She gently brushed back his wet hair and kindly smiled.

“You’ve always pushed yourself too hard, crushed under the title of the Heaven-Defying Star.”

Almost exactly a year had passed since she first met Kwon Oh-Jin. It was an incredibly short time for a Celestial, but he had grown at an incredible pace with his knowledge and experience as a Regressor.

No, he hasn’t just become stronger from that.

Vega knew because she had been watching by his side the entire time. Just how desperately he struggled and how fiercely he trained to become stronger. So much so that even she trembled in anxiety from simply watching him. Just how hard would it be for him, who was living it?

“You’ve done so well.” Vega proudly patted his forehead.

Kwon Oh-Jin smiled bitterly at her gentle touch on his forehead.

“Wanna head a little farther in?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

With Vega still perched on his head, Kwon Oh-Jin swam further out into the sea. The water gradually grew warmer as he moved away from the shore. It felt so hot that it made his skin flush red.

“

Hmm?

”

As he swam farther, he spotted a floating buoy with a warning sign written on it.

Is this where that gate is?

Intrigued, he dove beneath the surface to look around. The gate still seemed quite far away since he couldn’t see it with his naked eyes.

“This place might have a Dragon Vein running through it,” Vega said.

Kwon Oh-Jin went back up to the surface. His eyes widened at Vega’s sudden comment.

“A Dragon Vein?”

“The sea and climate in this entire area have changed, haven’t they? If this area has been affected by this much mana from the stars, it wouldn’t be surprising for a Dragon Vein to flow through here.”

Dragon Veins were channels where star mana flowed in abnormally dense concentrations. Like Vega said, a real possibility of one existed here, where the climate itself had changed.

If that’s the case...

Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes lit up.

He could absorb its power using the Black Heaven.

Though I can’t right now.

His internal injuries hadn’t fully healed yet. He also couldn’t use the Black Heaven either with Vega by his side.

Guess I’ll come back to check it out later.

With that thought, he turned back toward the shore.

“Let’s head back to where Ha-Eun and Riarc are.”

“

Hmph

. I wanted to spend a bit more time relaxing with you.”

“

Haha

, we can come again tomorrow.”

He planned on coming back a few more times anyway to investigate the Dragon Vein.

“Very well. Let us return.”

Placing Vega back on his head, he swam toward the beach.

Splash!

Kwon Oh-Jin sped across the water like he was water skiing. Just as he reached the shore, a panicked voice rang out.

“P-Please help! Someone is drowning over there!”

He turned around and saw someone thrashing in the water.

There aren’t any lifeguards around... figures.

They probably didn’t want to risk exposing this Star Zone to outsiders, so they didn’t even have lifeguards around.

“My child!”

Vega urgently tugged at his hair.

Kwon Oh-Jin clicked his tongue and rapidly swam toward the drowning person.

Splash, splash!

The woman flailed wildly like one of those inflatable balloons outside a newly opened store. He grabbed her arm and began pulling her back toward the shore.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

There was no reply.

Huh?

Kwon Oh-Jin frowned and turned to get a better look at the woman he was holding.

Her lower body had melted away from her belly button down. Her entrails gushed out and floated on the water like buoys.

“The fuck?”