The World’s Strongest Daughter.

Ju Yeon-hee’s POV

Yoo Ji-hwan looked at me with a startled expression.

Eyes can’t lie.

Even though I threatened to kill myself, there were no negative emotions mixed in his gaze.

I’m glad.

The trust built up over time seems to have paid off handsomely.

Just as my husband trusts me, I trust my husband too.

But I can’t trust that soft personality of his.

He’s the kind of man who would dedicate his entire life without question just because he got me pregnant.

If the ‘same thing’ were to happen, he’s the kind of man who wouldn’t hesitate to dedicate his life again.

If… someone were to do the same thing to him that I did…

Would he really not leave my side?

Now that my husband has been reborn, there’s no reason for him to stay by my side, socially or physically.

Meaning we’re complete strangers with no connection.

His sense of responsibility is too strong to hold him for life with just old love.

The man who chose responsibility over eternal love…

The man who considered that measly daughter more important than me.

If a new child appeared, would he stay by my side?

As bodies drift apart, hearts drift apart too.

We’ll end up becoming strangers.

I absolutely can’t let that happen.

But I have no intention of giving birth to a new burden at this point.

There’s no need to do that when there’s a much better hostage right here.

If my husband has no intention of killing me, if his love for me is still valid, he absolutely won’t let me die.

That much time is plenty.

***

Yoo Ji-hwan’s POV

“You don’t like it?”

How could I respond?

Is it right to obediently agree when she’s deliberately pretending not to know my identity and threatening that she’ll die if I don’t comply?

My wife pushed back her chair and slightly stretched out her hand.

Then, the ring on her finger glinted and had somehow transformed into a thin, long knife.

“Wait a minute…!”

It’s the weapon my wife has favored for a long time.

Glancing at me, she slowly moved the knife as if to show me and aimed it at her own neck.

I hurriedly got up from my seat and rushed to her, but the tip of her knife was already gradually piercing into her white neck.

Pow!

Quickly drawing mana, I struck the blade and blood droplets splattered.

“Yeon-hee, are you okay…!”

She brushed away my hand and caressed my cheek, saying,

“Ji-hwan, you shouldn’t speak casually to an adult?”

Ugh…

Silenced by her subdued gaze, I grabbed both her hands and shouted.

“Ju Yeon-hee ahjumma. What the hell are you doing! What if you get seriously hurt…!”

“Call me unnie. Ahjumma is a bit much, isn’t it.”

She’s crazy.

It was my mistake thinking her condition had improved.

At a loss for words, I decided to examine her wound first, pressing my lips tightly together.

“Sigh…”

Seeing the wound that had soaked her fair skin in blood, a sigh escaped by itself.

As if she truly intended to die, she had precisely aimed for a vital point, but fortunately, it penetrated very shallowly, so it didn’t seem like it would leave a big scar.

If I had been a little later…

“Or do you want to call me Mom?”

I was slightly angered by her showing a faint smile, not even knowing how to read the room.

I glared at her momentarily, then hurriedly went down to the first floor to look for the first-aid kit.

“Huh? First-aid kit?”

“In the middle of a meal, what suddenly…”

They were puzzled to see me while in the midst of eating in the kitchen, but the story was too long to explain right away.

“First, just give me the first-aid kit, please.”

After getting the first-aid kit and returning to the room, I tried to have her sit on the bed…

“Who are you talking to?”

Grabbing my hand tightly, she started to apply pressure.

This woman, seriously…

I let out a deep sigh and pulled her hand.

“Unnie, let’s treat your wound first.”

Then, my wife smiled with satisfaction and accepted my touch.

***

Monday morning.

“I’m gonna die.”

Over the weekend, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep.

As a result, my fatigue had not lessened, and I couldn’t even rest properly, let alone study for exams.

This is all because of my wife… No, should I call her Yeon-hee unni now? Sheesh…

I don’t know how she found out, but my wife knew my identity.

But she pretended not to know me, instead shoving a sudden proposal at me and even threatening suicide if I didn’t accept.

I get that her intention is to make me listen to her, but I don’t know why she’s trying so hard to put a leash on me.

I only have eyes for one person, anyway.

In the end, I had no choice but to enter into a ‘sponsorship’ relationship with my wife, and I had to suffer all weekend regarding that.

How unworthy must I seem for her to even shove a contract at me?

She said it’s the trend these days or something.

I tried to refuse, asking why we had to do this…

But she kept threatening me, saying she was sick and missed her husband, so the clauses kept increasing one by one, and in the end, it wasn’t a blank check but a blank contract that was made.

Feeling like I had been scammed, I also demanded a few promises from her.

The first was to spend time with Min So-yeon.

Right now, So-yeon needs love and attention.

We had no choice but to live apart until now because my wife was sick, but if we spend time together from now on, it will get better soon.

The second was to take care of her health.

Whether she was once a woman who stood at the peak or not, her body has become very weak after three years of seclusion.

She’s maintaining the body of a 20-year-old thanks to her tremendous mana. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be extra diligent about health.

And the last third one I left blank.

My wife took 5 blank clauses, so how could I not get one?

It’s a bit of an unfair ratio, but the two clauses I got are plenty, so I decided to let it go.

Dragging my tired body and heading to the academy with difficulty.

“Hey, Yoo Ji-hwan.”

A familiar voice came from behind.

“Oh, So-yeon!”

My one and only daughter, Min So-yeon.

She seemed to have left for school earlier than usual because of exams.

Naturally joining me, she stared at me blankly and spoke quietly.

“Why are you smiling to yourself?”

Oops. Was I smiling?

I guess I can’t hide my happy feelings no matter what.

“Huh? Just. You look pretty today.”

“What are you saying…”

I tried to crack a joke, but she ignored me as if it wasn’t funny.

She is pretty though.

In any case, thanks to So-yeon, I was reunited with my wife, and my life, which was on the verge of being forever lonely, was saved.

Now that my wife’s condition has improved, Min So-yeon’s future is on a solid path strewn with fragrant flower petals.

If her talent is combined with my wife’s swordsmanship and my magic…

It wouldn’t be strange for Min So-yeon to rise to the position of the ‘strongest’ before long.

In this situation, how could she not look pretty to me?

I really wanted to kiss her if I could.

“Annoying.”

Perhaps because I kept grinning, Min So-yeon glared at me and walked ahead.

“L-let’s go together!”

Somehow, her behavior seemed cute to me since I was in a good mood today.

***

The long-awaited first exam.

Today’s subject is history. It’s a written test.

I did some last-minute cramming until just now since I couldn’t study over the weekend, but it was a subject I was somewhat confident in.

While waiting for the exam paper to be passed down from the front and reviewing the content I had memorized.

“J-Ji-hwan…!”

I heard someone whispering next to me.

Turning slightly, I saw Kong Hye-sun with her pink hair tied up tightly waving at me.

How cute.

When I waved back at her with a smile, she grinned brightly and clenched both fists, mouthing something.

She’s probably telling me to do well on the exam.

I smiled at her slightly and turned my head…

“Ugh…”

I ended up making eye contact with Min So-yeon, who was sitting in front of me.

Min So-yeon glared at me intently, then flung the exam paper and turned back around.

I picked up the exam paper, glanced around, bent forward slightly, and spoke to Min So-yeon in a small voice.

“Do well on the exam!”

Then, she quietly raised her left hand and gave me the middle finger.

She seems a bit sensitive, probably because it’s exam period.

After all the exam papers were distributed.

“Alright, we will begin the exam.”

The exam started with the proctor’s announcement.

I swiftly unfolded the exam paper and solved the problems one after another.

I had heard from Kong Hye-sun that easy problems are placed in the beginning, and indeed, there wasn’t anything particularly difficult.

While solving the problems without any hitches…

Huh?

=————-

[Which of the following is NOT an achievement of the S-rank hunter’ Sword Empress’ Ju Yeon-hee?]

① Subjugated 11 S-rank monsters.

② Subjugated the Green Dragon, Spring.

③ Conquered 3 S-rank gates.

④ Subjugated the A-rank monster, One-eyed Giant.

⑤ Graduated from the academy.

=————

A question about my wife appeared.

Mixed in were missions that I had done together with her, and it felt strange to see the missions we struggled with come up on the academy exam.

The question itself was easy.

The answer is 2.

The Green Dragon, Spring, is basically human-friendly and a gentle monster, even friendly with dragons of different species.

As I kept solving the problems, I could see quite a few familiar names.

The former Association President, who is now dead, Chairman Jeong Nan-do, and many names of retired heroes appeared.

Unsurprisingly, my wife’s name shone the brightest.