25-146

EP.146 [The Barbarian Woman Mina Grabs Eugene’s Cock.♥] 

“Oh my, look who it is! Mina!” 

A middle-aged woman wearing a turban called out to Mina with delight. 

Judging by the woman’s appearance and surroundings, she seemed to be the owner of a fairly large shop. 

“Have you been well, Aunt Himena?” 

The woman’s name was Himena. 

Mina greeted Himena with a bright smile. 

Mina, too, was wearing a turban, and her outfit was different from usual. Specifically, Mina was now dressed in clothing typically worn in the desert. 

Himena responded to Mina’s greeting with a hearty laugh, making light of her desert homeland. 

Mina was at a market near the western desert. This was the so-called Sahara Market, a trading hub at the entrance to the desert, where the Barbarian tribes, having begun to interact with outside civilizations, now held their own market to buy and sell goods. 

“Isn’t it hard to stay so cheerful after all that you’ve been through?” 

“Thanks to that, I get to see you again, Mina. What’s the point of complaining? Honestly, at my age, I’m just grateful to be alive.” 

Barbarians are often described as either aggressive or, more positively, hearty and straightforward. This is more a matter of culture than innate personality. Since Mina didn’t grow up among the Barbarian tribes, she has the values of someone from Pangaea. To her, Himena’s ability to keep smiling through hardship seemed remarkable. 

Mina was amazed by Himena’s forthrightness, while Himena simply expressed her joy at seeing Mina again. 

“Oh! Baramion steel?” 

Inside Himena’s shop, Mina and Himena began a serious conversation. When Mina brought up Baramion steel, Himena’s eyes widened. 

Baramion steel is a special metal from the western desert, named after the legendary Baramion Tiger, whose hide was said to be incredibly tough. It’s difficult to work with and not widely known except among desert insiders, so Himena’s surprise was understandable. 

“I have a client who needs armor made from Baramion steel. He has considerable mana abilities, and I think ordinary steel won’t be able to handle it.” 

Mina explained, indirectly, why she was seeking Baramion steel. As Eugene Schneider’s exclusive blacksmith, she wanted to craft armor worthy of him. While there are other special metals for sword experts, Mina judged Baramion steel to be ideal for durability and mana conductivity. 

“Hm... For you to want to use Baramion steel, this client must be very important to you. You’ve always avoided using materials from here.” 

Himena’s remark touched on something significant. Mina doesn’t have fond memories of the western desert or Barbarian society. She’d first met Himena in the Empire. For Mina to now seek out a symbol of Barbarian society like Baramion steel was noteworthy. 

“He’s a client who trusts me deeply, despite my background as someone from the underground city. I want to do my absolute best for him, regardless of my personal history.” 

Mina smiled deeply as she spoke her heart. 

Not long ago, Mina had learned that Eugene and Jeanne were in a relationship she’d even seen them having sex. Still, Mina couldn’t help but like Eugene. She’d always thought of him as someone to admire from afar. At the very least, she wanted to do everything she could for him as his blacksmith, hoping to remain close to him in that way. 

“Oh, that’s wonderful news! If you feel that way, of course I’ll help. I’ll check how much Baramion steel we have available. Wait here a bit, Mina.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

Himena found Mina’s hardworking spirit admirable and felt sympathy for her struggles. Seeing Mina take a step forward, Himena wanted to support her project. 

‘Hm?’ 

Himena went to the back of the shop to check on the Baramion steel. While waiting, Mina’s eyes widened slightly. 

‘That voice…?’ 

She heard a familiar voice from somewhere. 

Tap tap tap! 

Mina quickly moved outside the shop toward the source of the voice. 

“!!!!” 

Approaching, Mina’s face turned even more surprised. 

‘That’s a member of the White Wolf Mercenary Band.’ 

Someone who had once caused trouble at the Black-Haired Forge with Kyle was now here at the Sahara Market, far from Pangaea. 

Sensing something suspicious, Mina began to secretly follow the White Wolf mercenary. 

‘Sahara Assassins???’ 

After about 20 minutes of tailing, Mina witnessed something even more shocking: the White Wolf mercenary was meeting with members of the Sahara Assassins, a secret group of barbarian assassins. 

‘I suspected it, but to actually see the White Wolf Mercenary Band hiring Barbarian assassins to kill Eugene… They’re insane.’ 

Swipe...! Swipe...! Swipe...! 

Mina shook her head as she wiped the feverish Eugene Schneider’s forehead. 

She hadn’t been able to learn more after witnessing the White Wolf and Sahara Assassins meet, as they disappeared into the assassins’ hideout. Still, the fact that a human mercenary from Pangaea had come all the way to the western desert and met with a secret assassin group was highly suspicious. And everyone in the Pangaea mercenary district knew Eugene was the White Wolf’s main revenge target. 

But Mina couldn’t just go to the Red Fox Mercenary Band or Eugene with this suspicion alone. She had no concrete evidence only circumstances and intuition. 

So, she quietly warned Marie and decided to support Eugene’s group herself, following them in secret. 

‘But after seeing the poison used, I get why they did it. It’s almost impossible to trace. The effect is obvious, too.’ 

Swipe... 

Mina glanced at the weapon lying next to Eugene. 

When Eugene fell from the cliff, he’d instinctively grabbed and held onto the weapon, so the Red Fox Mercenary Band could later identify what had been used to attack him. Thanks to that, Mina could determine that the poison used by the Sahara Assassins, hired by the White Wolf, was a rare type. 

‘Sahara scorpion venom so rare in the Empire, no one would recognize it. Of course, the antidote is hard to come by.’ 

The first weapon’s poison was a standard paralytic, meant to hinder Eugene and confuse the search for the real poison. The true assassination attempt used Sahara scorpion venom on the second weapon. 

Sahara scorpion venom is extremely rare, found only in certain areas of the western desert, and used by only a handful of Barbarian assassins. 

‘I used to get bored when my master told me about this, but it’s coming in handy now.’ 

Mina’s Barbarian blacksmith master had taught her all about Barbarian society, magic, and even the video-recording stones that once amazed Eugene. That’s how she knew about the venom. 

‘Of course, I’ll have to use a different method to treat Eugene’s scorpion venom poisoning than my master taught me.’ 

Her master had taught her the antidote, but Mina only realized what poison was used after bringing Eugene to the cave, so she hadn’t prepared the antidote in advance. Still, she wasn’t worried she had another way to save him. 

Swipe... 

Mina picked up a small vial from beside Eugene. 

Pop...! 

She uncorked the vial. 

Gulp...! Gulp...! Gulp...! 

She drank the contents herself. 

Grimace...! 

Mina’s face twisted at the strong taste. 

“Whew... huuuh... whew...” 

The effect kicked in immediately. Mina’s breathing grew rough, her face flushed, and her body temperature rose. 

Swipe... 

She looked over at Eugene’s lower body. 

Eugene, naked, lay there with his cock limp from fever. 

Mina knelt between his legs. 

Then  

Grab...! 

She gripped Eugene’s limp cock with her right hand.