at 18th of October 2020 07:36:37 PM\nChapter 103
Kurats could see that when she tried, Marika was just as beautiful as Lunaria and Frigga . Â
Her intelligent black eyes had a deep radiance to them, and her splendid red hair fell on her shoulders with a powerful luster .
Her chest wasnât that big but still had a well-defined shape, which did not emphasize her appeal excessively . Â
That was a nice fit with Marikaâs intellectual-beauty style .
Unlike the way she looked at work, today she seemed to be somewhat less confident in herself . Â
There was a different atmosphere to her, the kind that would make men want to protect her .
As a matter of fact, even though she was wearing a big hat to hide  away her shyness from the date to come, she had been approached by more  than ten men already while waiting . Â
ăâGeez, so slow⌠. âă
Clodette was the one who had claimed she wanted to do a proper  meet-up now that the long-awaited date had come, and yet she wasnât here  yet .
That being said, there was admittedly still some time before the time they had agreed on . Â
Marika, serious as ever, had shown up 30 minutes early . Â
ăâWhoeverâs making you wait, he ainât worth it . How about you and I go hang out andâŚâăăâI refuse . âă
Marika gave an immediate answer without letting the man finish his sentence .
Of course, the man was enraged . Â
Though she was a beautiful woman, the man felt that his pride was  hurt seeing as she had given him the cold shoulder and made herself  completely unapproachable .
ăâWho do you think you are to act so high and mighty?!âă
He clenched his fist in an attempt to intimidate Marika through violence . Â
Had he come 5 minutes earlier, the man might have had the time to attack her and even take her away .
However, Marika had long seen the giant figure approaching from the street corner .
ăâRaising your hand against Marika? Youâve got some guts . âăăâWh⌠W-who the hell are you?!âă
As his arm was suddenly grabbed before he could swing it down at Marika, the man startledly looked behind him .
Though Kurats showed a beaming smile, there were flames of fury in his eyes . Â
He looked down at the man, who could not be considered to be short by normal standards .
The man could tell at one glance that the giant behind him had a profession that specialized in violence .
Though he did not want to admit it, he knew he was not his match . His   instincts, rather than his reason, sensed the overwhelming difference  in  power . Â
It felt like he was surrounded by a regiment of fully armed knights . Â
ăâYou know, she has a hundred bodyguards assigned just to her whoâd  be willing to die for her . And more importantly, sheâs my important  woman . âă
The man groaned in pain as Kurats tightened his hand around his wrist .
Using both arms, the man desperately tried to push himself away, but Kurats did not budge in the slightest .
In his confusion, the man went for a kick and head-butt, only to end up suffering a concussion himself and collapsing . Â
ăâHey, come on, are you alright?âă
Kurats shook the man by the shoulders until his consciousness came back .
Struck by fear, he took out his pocket knife .
ăâAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!âă
He thrust the knife forward towards Kuratsâ wrist, which was one  whole size thicker than his own, and he pierced right through it⌠Or so  he wished .
The knife made an empty sound and slid down Kurats wrist . He had absorbed the shock .
The man was able to feel that the knife had been repelled through the power of the muscles around Kuratsâ wrist alone . ăâI-iiiiiih! I-Iâm sorry!âă
The man felt weak in the knees, he couldnât stand anymore . Thankfully  for him, he did not have to stand seeing as Kurats grabbed him and  easily threw him away with a small spin . Â
The man spinned in the air, breaking the board fence of a stable  more than 12 meters away, smashing through a piled up hill of straw, and  finishing his journey face first in a pile of horse dung .
ăâI guess thatâs why should never make a beauty wait . âăăâNo, thatâs⌠Heâs the only one at fault here⌠so I guess what Iâm saying is⌠ Thank you very much . âă
A prince had gallantly dashed to her rescue to protect her from ruffians .
Faced with such a fable-like situation, Marikaâs maiden gears were turning at full throttle .
It was at this moment Clodette barged in with no regard for the mood .
ăâUnfaaaaairď˝! Why is there a nice atmosphere when I havenât even made it yet?!âă
Clodette pressed her hands on her belly and fell to her knees .
Marikaâs usual small hits on Clodetteâs head had escalated into a well targeted hit in her stomach . Â
Her forehead was twitching upon realizing what she had done but she still showed a bewitching smile . Â
ăââŚClodette ⌠The situations had gotten in a good place just now, so Iâm asking you to read the air, is that okay?âăăâM-marika, so matureď˝ď˝âă
Air-headed as she was, Clodette still couldnât help but see through Marikaâs current feelings . Â
She knew that Marika was actually a dreamy girl who loved plays and such . Â
ăâAlright, this is no place to fight, letâs go . âăăâIiih! Yes, letâs go ď˝ âăăââŚCanât be helped . I guess Iâll let you have this one, Clodette . âăAssessing that it was not a good call to ruin Kuratsâ mood over this, Marika upped her own mood and was suddenly perfectly fine .
The speed of that change was to be expected of the mighty woman who managed Bashtarâs finances . Â
That being said, it seemed like she was still feeling a little shy . Â
Sheâd been looking at Kuratsâ hand for a while, and when he noticed  that and grabbed her hand in return, she showed a wide, childish smile . Â
The north-western side of Narak had now turned into a night-less  entertainment district, providing the influx of workers a space to  relax . It was only able to grow this fast into what it currently was thanks to Kurats town-planning through his magic .
To gather building materials, he had cut down forests like he was  cutting through a fish with a kitchen knife . This had also spared him  the inconvenience of having to find empty land to work his magic upon .
He had also physically crushed the rubble and rocks around .
Thus, once he gathered the people and money needed, he was able to  build recreational facilities as he willed, and merchants gathered there  on their own .
Narak soon became a boiling pot for people of all trades, be they harlots, street performers, or bands . Â
In Bashtar, even the lowest workers of the Bolivia mine had some money spend . Â
ăâT-there sure are a lot of people wearing daring clothes hereâŚâă
Marika couldnât help herself from blushing when she saw harlots with  their backs and chests extremely exposed, flirting with the men passing  by the road .
However, shyness aside, Marika could not hide her interest . She stole  glances at the harlotsâ fashion choices, like a young girl finding out  about matters that pertained to physical relations . Â
Well, given how she had focused on her work all her life due to her  great talent, perhaps it could be said that she had the mental age of a  young girl when it came to that topic . Â
ăâLord Kurats, du you like these sorts of clothes?âă
Kurats answered Clodetteâs innocent question with a wry smile .
ăâIâm very possessive, so I wouldnât want my women to show themselves  like that to other men . But if we were alone together, I definitely  wouldnât mind seeing it . âăăâAah!âă
Perhaps because she had just imagined herself in that inappropriate situation, Marika became beet red and let out a wild scream . ăâOh my, youâre picturing it? Marika, youâre so lewd!âăăâRead . The . Air . âă
ăâOuch⌠Marika, you shouldnât hit a girl in her stomachâŚâăăâWhat was that?âăăâIiiiih⌠SorryâŚâăăâYouâve sure toughened up, MarikaâŚâă
Kurats spoke while averting his eyes . Be it her power over those  bureaucrats from before, or those unladylike shows of brutality, perhaps  they were proof of Marika throwing away some important human features  through her many experiences . Â
Kurats had cold sweat on his forehead . Â
Taking a left turn at the end of the harlot quarters, the group  reached the theater they were looking for, but what caught the attention  of Kurats and the girls was a street performer in front of it .
ăâCome closer and see! Raquel here is the most powerful man in the  city! For him, knight armors might as well be paper! If he can pierce  through this splendid armor, I want you to be generous with your  donations!âă
The audience cheered together as the large man, who wasnât wearing anything above the belt, showed off his muscles .
ăâOoh, looks interesting . âăăâI donât think heâs comparable to you, lord Kurats, butâŚâă
Granted, Kuratsâ strength was far beyond the realm of what was  humanly possible, but he had never made use of it for such a show . It felt fresh .
ăâYaaaaaaaaaaaah!âă
The man took a splendid stance, planted his feet on the ground, and punched forward . With a dull sound, his fist pierced right through the armor .
When the presenter of the show pointed at the now pierced armor, the spectators loudly applauded and threw money on the stage . Â
ăâNow, is there any warrior here who compares with Raquel? If you can beat him, youâll receive one gold coin!âă