[ Traditional Play (4) ]
— Kraaaaa!
A massive black dragon let out a deafening roar. The A-classes stumbled backward instinctively, taken aback by the sheer weight of its pressure. A fear-resistance message briefly popped up in front of my eyes before disappearing. My ears were ringing.
— Now then.
Liette raised her long neck, looking down on the humans. If it weren’t for the serene, Alps-like backdrop of a clear spring day, this could have been a perfect Dragon vs. Humans showdown. Although I wasn’t really part of the “VS,” more like the prize for the winner.
Being squeezed in the claws of a dragon beneath a bright blue sky? Yeah, this is fantastic.
— I’ll kidnap the princess! If you dare challenge me, defeat my minions and come to the top of that tower!
What could Yuhyun be doing right now? Hopefully, the kids are having a peaceful time without any fighting.
— Honey, at this point, you should be screaming, “Save me, Prince!”
“No, thanks.”
What’s Seong Hyunjae doing, just watching from the sidelines? Sure, things would go smoothly if Liette just up and left, but his attitude, like he was munching on popcorn and enjoying the show, was a bit much.
Grrrrrkkk.
Liette’s hind legs scratched at the ground. The tightly packed muscles under her tough scales twitched.
— Hold on tight, darling~.
Hold on to what? Damn it, wait—
Boom!
All three of Liette’s feet slammed into the hill. With a thunderous rumble, the earth quaked, cracked, and chunks of soil tumbled down. She crushed the small hill like a sandcastle and launched herself into the air, her massive black form soaring upward.
For a moment, the pressure made my ears go numb. Then another deafening crash echoed as the ground beneath us crumbled. The castle walls, once intact, and the nearby buildings, including a smaller tower, all came tumbling down under Liette’s feet and tail swipes.
At some point, the connection to the Teacher’s Skill had been severed, leaving nothing in my view but clouds of dust and black scales. For a brief moment, I was tempted to use the Teacher’s Skill on Liette, but if I fainted right now, that’d be game over. I wouldn’t even be surprised if I woke up at the top of the tower, tied up in a fancy dress. Thunder crashing, a dragon rampaging, venom filling the air, Noah crying… yeah, that sounds about right.
Would staying focused change anything, though? Well, at least I could avoid the dress. That’s a pretty big win.
— Han Yujin!
Just then, Noah’s voice rang out. I was grateful he had followed, but imagining his frightened eyes filled me with concern. I didn’t want Noah pushing himself for my sake.
“Noah, don’t—Ugh!”
Liette’s claw, gripping me, jerked as she rose onto her hind legs. With one of her front claws, she grabbed the base of the massive tower. Through the swirling dust and her black scales, I caught a glimpse of Noah. Though his platinum-colored dragon form was by no means small, he looked like a chick in front of an eagle at this moment.
— Grrr!
Noah snarled fiercely, clinging to Liette’s head with his claws. He bit at her scales, but with one rough shake of her head, she flung him off easily. With Liette’s resistance to venom and curses, all Noah had left was physical combat… and it was obvious he couldn’t compete with her.
How are these two even twins?
“I’m fine! Go help Seong Hyunjae!”
Reluctantly, Noah veered off course. As Liette continued to climb the tower, she looked down at me with gleaming eyes.
— You’re really good at raising kids, darling! Do you know how long it’s been since someone dared attack me?
Her voice was full of amusement, leaving me dumbfounded. What kind of parenting criteria does this dragon have?
Despite the massive dragon clawing her way up, the central tower held steady. Liette tossed me lightly onto the balcony at the top of the tower, as if throwing down a toy.
The room inside the tower was spacious, befitting its size. From the remains of the once intricate decorations and the high, domed ceiling, it was clear this place had once been lavish. The table and chairs, though scratched and worn, still looked elegant, and the bed, with its bare frame and top, was far from ordinary, judging by its sheer size.
“Darling~.”
I was absentmindedly walking deeper into the room, glancing around, when I heard Liette’s voice from behind me. She had reverted back into her human form. …Should I turn around? Instead of looking directly at her, I glanced down at her feet. Sure enough, she was wearing shoes and clothes.
“Even though you transformed fully, your clothes are intact.”
“I used a curse skill for that. It only works with A-rank gear for now, though.”
So you can use it like that too, huh. That’s a pretty useful ability. Liette, who had waltzed in, placed a picnic basket on the table. When did she prepare that?
“My dream at five years old was to be the evil dragon from fairy tales~.”
“Congratulations on fulfilling your dream.”
“Everything’s perfect, except for one thing: I don’t have wings. You know, to make it perfect, I was supposed to dramatically spread my wings and take off into the sky! Next time, I’ll make sure my exit is even cooler and more perfect. Maybe I should find a flight skill?”
What do you mean “next time”? Let’s make sure there’s no next time.
“So, what do I do now? Should I eat you?” Liette tilted her head curiously.
“Why would you eat the hostage? You’re supposed to keep them safe until someone comes to rescue them. If you’re hungry, help yourself to a sandwich from the basket.”
I doubted there’d actually be sandwiches, though. I suddenly grew curious about what Seong Hyunjae had packed. Surely he didn’t prepare it himself; his secretary or someone else must have. Maybe it would be surprisingly normal.
Since Liette had taken the only chair, I sat on the edge of the bed. Seong Hyunjae could handle things on his own. With some extra time on my hands, I should probably go over everything.
‘So, originally, Seong Hyunjae teamed up with the cult, but then he betrayed them. Except, because I’ve regressed, he got caught earlier than planned.’
It seemed certain that the cult knew about events from before the regression. That’s why they roped in MKC, Sudam, and even Liette to try and kill Seong Hyunjae. But why were they so interested in me? Do they know I’ve regressed?
‘Does that mean Seong Hyunjae is aligned with the system side… or something?’
I wasn’t sure yet. He might not be siding with anyone, just taking advantage of whatever comes his way. Or maybe he’s supporting whichever side suits him at the moment.
“What are you thinking about so deeply, darling?”
Without a sound, Liette had approached and stood in front of me. When I looked up, her golden eyes glowed mysteriously. In the dimly lit room, they resembled a cat’s eyes, capturing the light.
“Liette, how did you end up getting caught in that curse or mind control?”
This was important. Liette was an S-rank—an innate S-rank at that. If someone managed to make her follow orders, that meant it could work on other S-ranks too.
Liette pouted as if my question had soured her mood.
“I’m not exactly sure, but there were these creepy guys hanging around me for a while. The first time I noticed them was about three years ago, not long after I awakened. They came up to me, offering to help me get stronger faster than everyone else. It creeped me out, so I kicked them away. After that, they tried getting close by asking if I wasn’t curious about why the world changed like this, or offering me item and skill info.”
Three years ago, huh? That was very early on. Liette, Seong Hyunjae, and even Yuhyun. Did they approach all the innate S-ranks first?
“Good job turning them down.”
If it had been me, I might have been tempted.
“It was boring. I’d rather listen to whoever wins in a fight! If they’d challenged me, I might’ve accepted—of course, only with a condition for revenge. Anyway, after I kept rejecting them, they tried to mess with my brother, so I beat the crap out of them whenever I saw them. That made things quiet for a while. About two years or so?”
The mention of her brother made me frown. Yuhyun probably distanced himself from me for similar reasons. There must have been enemies like Yun Kyungsu, sure. But I had a feeling the real problem wasn’t just people like him. It was whatever cult or group was behind this.
It seemed like Yuhyun wasn’t able to speak openly, either, as if someone had gagged him.
“But then, recently, they suddenly appeared and gave me an order… from Dio Valsesis, the first of the Venom and Curse Dragonkin.”
Liette’s voice lowered. Her eyes gleamed with a soft but deadly glow.
“Yeah, that guy. He had a similar vibe to me. He’s an upper-class Venom and Curse Dragonkin.”
“Venom and Curse Dragonkin?”
If he’s an upper-class one, then could it be that Liette was freed from the command because of the Dragon Slayer title? Or perhaps it was the combination of Lautitars’ Natural Enemy and curse resistance. If the curse binding Liette came from a Venom and Curse Dragonkin, my curse resistance skill would have had double the effect.
Either way, it was incredibly lucky… or was it?
‘…Was it really just luck?’
Venom and Curse Dragonkin. Why do they keep showing up? First, there was Lautitars before the regression, then Dio Valsesis, who shouldn’t even exist, and now even the cult seems connected to them.
But if—just if—Lautitars showing up in the dungeon I entered wasn’t a coincidence…
“Darling!”
“…Huh?”
Liette leaned down and rubbed my cheek with one hand.
“You’re definitely different from other people.”
“Well, I’m not exactly normal.”
“But compared to before, you’ve gotten softer.”
Liette’s lips curved into a sly grin. A bad feeling struck the back of my head. I’d expected her to realize my situation sooner or later, but…
“Everyone used to think you couldn’t possibly be F-rank, no matter what the system said. But today, you couldn’t resist me at all. Maybe you were holding back because of all the people earlier, but… even now, you’re soft. What do you think?”
“What do I think?”
I fiddled with the bead on my necklace.
“I lied when we first met.”
“Really? Fascinating. So you really are F-rank now?”
“Yeah.”
Then, suddenly, I was shoved back. Hey, wait!
“What are you doing?”
“What I didn’t finish last time~.”
I expected her to be mad about me lying, but this reaction was far from what I’d predicted. Damn it, let go! Don’t tear my shirt!
“Why don’t you turn back into a dragon and hang off a tower like you always wanted?”
“What’s that? You liked me better in my dragon form? Your taste is unique. I like it.”
…This is crazy. Where the hell is Seong Hyunjae? He should’ve cleared everything up by now. Don’t tell me he’s wasting time messing with helpless people again.
Right on cue, I heard the sound of Noah’s wings flapping. A moment later, Seong Hyunjae leaped onto the balcony. Somehow, he’d already removed the restraints of the sealing item, and lightning crackled around the chain coiled around his arm.
Even though he was later than expected, he’d arrived just in time.
“I’m here to rescue you, princess!”
…The bastard yelled in glee. I felt a pang of sadness that I couldn’t tell him to get lost. Can we please swap roles, old man? You still want to play prince at your age? Why don’t you trade places with Noah?
-Han Yujin! Are you all righ—
Noah, who had been peeking his head in, suddenly turned and flapped his wings, flying off in a panic. Damn it, Liette. You freaked him out. Now Noah probably thinks… let’s not finish that thought.
Seong Hyunjae also looked a little surprised as he stared at the two of us.
“Is this actually an R-rated fairy tale?”
“Stop with the nonsense and go fight the dragon already, will you?”
“Want to join?”
Liette! That crazy joke made her burst out laughing as she bounced up from her seat. She brandished a sword that had somehow appeared in her hand, slicing through the air. Seong Hyunjae vanished from sight in an instant.
Slice.
It sounded like paper being cut. But what collapsed was solid stone. The balcony was sliced diagonally, and the walls and ceiling cracked apart.
“Now, shall we dance for the grand finale? Sorry, princess, but I’m stealing your dance partner!”
“Take him! You don’t have to bring him back, either.”
Just leave the skills, at least.
Liette leaped off the crumbling tower, her body disappearing below. Seong Hyunjae, holding me in one hand and the picnic basket in the other, leaped into the air as the central tower began to collapse entirely.
Boom!
Whatever Liette did below, the entire tower, not just the top, crumbled. Seong Hyunjae, stepping on the falling debris, leapt high into the air and landed on Noah’s back, who had been circling above.
“Take good care of our lunch.”
Seong Hyunjae tossed the picnic basket to me, placing a fresh shirt from his inventory on top before spinning around and leaping off.
“Sorry for the trouble, Noah.”
With Seong Hyunjae’s Teacher skill activated, I checked the situation. The central tower had completely collapsed, and a cloud of dust rose like a thick fog.
Clank!
The Seeker’s chain extended endlessly, embedding itself between the buildings, forming a path in the air. Seong Hyunjae dashed across the chain with incredible speed. Just as he reached the end—
Wham!
A hurricane of dust, swirling like a vortex, engulfed everything. The buildings within a hundred meters or so were all neatly sliced into pieces. Even the remaining intact structures were cut apart like sheets of paper and scattered to the winds.
“…Noah, you’ve really had it rough, haven’t you?”
Noah nodded silently but firmly. Choi Seokwon’s attack had been powerful, but this was on an entirely different level.
Even with Noah’s perspective, I couldn’t see through the dust cloud. But Seong Hyunjae wouldn’t just sit back and take it. The severed chains had already vanished, and now light was swirling around.
Boom!
The air trembled, and then came the storm of lightning. The fallen tower’s debris popped like popcorn, burning black, and shattered into fine dust. Both Noah and I reflexively closed our eyes against the blinding flash. When we opened them again, the ground below was nothing but a charred ruin.
Seong Hyunjae stood in the midst of the destruction, still and unwavering. I couldn’t see clearly from this distance, but I bet he was grinning.
Liette wasn’t faring any worse. She was crouched atop a pile of rubble, giggling softly, with her venomous aura leaking out. A long tail swayed behind her, covered in vicious black spikes, casually crushing bricks like boiled eggs.
And once again, brute force met brute force. Another message about fear resistance popped up. How many times has it been now?
Well, there’s nothing I can do about those two. I might as well check what’s in the picnic basket.
–TL Notes–
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