Chapter 150: Dragon Siblings (3)
— Mister Civil Servant, don’t you think using someone’s pet to threaten them is just plain dirty? You’re supposed to be a public official!
“This is simply a request for you to behave in a rational manner.”
Technically, holding a beast hostage is a form of leverage, but asking someone to stop destroying a city hardly qualifies as a threat. Liette growled, her throat rumbling, and in response, the jeweled snake in Song Taewon’s hand bared its fangs. Its glittering venom dripped from its sharp teeth, but the black shadows nullified it instantly. The tiny snake hissed furiously, wriggling and twisting its body in frustration.
Just like its owner, it seemed to have a fiery temperament.
“…Um, is this going to get reported to the guild?”
Kang Soyeong, looking like someone caught at a DUI checkpoint after a night of partying, carefully climbed down from Liette. At least she seemed to realize she’d gone too far.
“Yes.”
“Uh, but nothing that bad happened yet, right?”
Song Taewon’s gaze swept across the partially destroyed dungeon building and the ground, which now looked like an earthquake had struck. The pavement and sidewalks were so thoroughly wrecked that there was no trace of their original form.
Faced with that quiet yet firm gaze, Kang Soyeong’s face crumpled into an expression of despair. While Liette was the primary cause, Kang Soyeong wasn’t entirely blameless for the chaos caused by Liette’s transformation.
“Mister Song, can’t you let me off just this once? I’ve already racked up a bunch of speeding tickets this month, and if I get another penalty, I might lose my auction rights for equipment! I need that equipment for Comet!”
“No exceptions.”
Song Taewon cut her off bluntly. His unyielding demeanor really drove home how essential he was. Who else could impose the law so strictly on an A-rank combat hunter? And forget about A-ranks—confronting an S-rank hunter was something almost no one could do.
Just look at him now. Who else would dare hold up a pet and face off against a furious S-rank hunter in dragon form, covered in armor-like spiked scales? Any normal person would be too terrified to even open their mouth.
‘No wonder there are countries where S-rank hunters act like kings.’
Especially in smaller nations with only one S-rank hunter, there would be no way to check or replace them. Recruiting free hunters to balance the scales during a dungeon overflow wasn’t exactly an easy task either.
“Mister Han Yujin!”
Blocked by Song Taewon’s unyielding stance, Kang Soyeong turned her attention to me. Since my Fear Resistance had been lowered, I’d retreated to a safe spot after descending from Noah’s back. Now, Kang Soyeong approached me in quick strides, her bright blue eyes pleading desperately.
“Can’t you put in a good word for me with our guild leader?”
“…What?”
“You’re close with him, aren’t you? I really need those auction rights! Without them, I won’t be able to outbid Hyunah, even if I have the money. S-rank equipment gets prioritized for S-rank hunters, and without the guild leader’s auction rights, I won’t stand a chance!”
S-rank equipment for mounts? That made me think about Yuhyun—he might need something like that too. Before I could dwell on the thought, Kang Soyeong quickly added,
“It’s designed for flying monsters.”
Ah, so that’s why Moon Hyunah was interested. It must’ve been because I’d hinted at entrusting Blue to her.
“I’m not close with him. Why don’t you ask the Sesung Guild Leader directly?”
“Disciplinary points for public image violations don’t just go away, you know. It’s no use. The only exception is our guild leader.”
Kang Soyeong pouted. Well, it was true that large domestic guilds prioritized managing the public image of their high-ranking hunters. Accidents outside dungeons were harder to clean up than those inside. They left vulnerabilities that could easily be exploited.
“Then I’ll be of no use to you. I already told you I’m not close to him.”
“That’s not true! Please, just once! I’ll do anything you ask in return! You can even make me clean your house!”
What’s with the cleaning? Does she hate it that much?
“That’s enough, Hunter Kang Soyeong.”
Yuhyun, who had come up beside me, spoke coldly. His tone was icy, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the rumors of a past romantic scandal with her were just baseless gossip. Or maybe it was because he was in Kim Minui’s form right now. If he acted kindly while disguised, it could create misunderstandings, so being cold was the right choice.
“I’ll pass along the message.”
I smiled politely at the disheartened Kang Soyeong. Considering her skill, having her owe me a favor wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t get your hopes up, though.”
“Thank you!”
Kang Soyeong beamed and bowed deeply, looking as if all her problems had already been solved. I told her not to expect much…
“…Why are you even humoring her?”
Yuhyun muttered quietly.
“Besides, it’s an issue for another guild. Getting involved won’t do you any good.”
“I’m just passing along a message. What’s the harm?”
It’s not like Seong Hyunjae would actually agree to help.
By this point, Liette had reverted to her human form. Her displeasure was obvious—just looking at her made my spine tingle. Song Taewon, however, didn’t so much as blink. He must be used to this kind of situation—unfortunately for him.
“Release Belare, and how about we settle this with a fight, Mister Civil Servant?”
“If you cause any more commotion, I will have you deported.”
“So harsh, as always.”
Liette smirked viciously, her expression making it seem like she might pounce on Song Taewon at any moment. But she remained still, likely because she was concerned about the jeweled snake’s safety. It seemed she cared about the snake more than expected. Since it could transform, she probably didn’t intend to use it as a mount—perhaps it had another purpose.
‘A jeweled snake… what kind of traits does it have?’
This monster has never appeared in domestic dungeons. I think I saw it briefly in a “Beautiful Monsters” special.
“But Pebble.”
Liette tilted her head as she looked up at Noah, who was still hovering in the air in his dragon form. Noah’s neck scales bristled, and his light gray eyes darted nervously, unable to hide his tension.
“I’m really shocked you handed over the monster I raised to someone else. I taught you where to find it, just in case, and you went and did this?”
— You taught me that so I could take care of it in your absence.
Noah trembled but managed to reply.
— You’re far too reckless, Sister. Even when Mister Han Yujin was trying to stop you, you didn’t listen at all.
“Why are you acting like this is new? It’s not like this is the first or second time I’ve done something like that.”
— Just because I’ve gotten used to it doesn’t mean I like it. And I am Noah, not Pebble.
Noah spoke through gritted teeth, causing Liette to snicker softly. She pressed the tip of her foot into the ground before suddenly launching herself into the air.
“Noah!”
I reflexively tried to rush forward, but Yuhyun grabbed my arm and pulled me back. His quiet voice came with a warning: it was dangerous. A dragon’s growl followed, and a black-scaled hand grabbed onto Noah’s golden wings.
Thud!
Noah’s massive body was slammed down to the ground. Liette twisted her hands, gripping her younger brother’s wings and neck as if she were a leopard pouncing on its prey.
“My little brother, you’ve gotten even cuter, haven’t you?”
— Grrrr…
Noah’s tail swung toward Liette, but she effortlessly kicked it aside. His claws scraped at the ground, and his body struggled to flip over, but her grip on his wings and neck tightened.
“Hey! Liette! Let him go!”
“What are you going to do if I don’t? Stay put. If I intended to kill him, it would’ve been over already, so don’t worry.”
Don’t worry?! How could anyone not worry in this situation?! Yet I couldn’t break free from Yuhyun’s grip. As expected, I couldn’t budge him an inch. At that moment, Kang Soyeong, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally moved.
A curved blade appeared on the back of her hand. It had no handle, and aside from the outer edge being a sharp blade, it resembled a boomerang.
The dull side of the weapon rested against the back of her hand, circling her entire hand as her arm moved in a wide arc.
Whizz—
The spinning blade shot toward Liette. Its entire surface was sharp, making it impossible to grab without risking severe injury.
Clang!
Liette caught the blade mid-air without so much as a scratch on her scales. At the same time, Noah took advantage of his now-free wings and gave a powerful flap. The force of his movements caused Liette to release her grip on his neck and step back.
“Sweetie, are you siding with my brother?”
“I came here to help Noah from the start.”
Kang Soyeong replied shamelessly. Though, considering how far off track she’d gone earlier, that was a bit hard to believe.
“Noah, come here!”
I couldn’t approach him, so I had no choice but to call him over. After a moment’s hesitation, Noah returned to his human form and came to stand beside me. With Yuhyun and Song Taewon nearby, Liette wouldn’t be able to recklessly attack.
Liette glanced at Noah, who was healing the marks on his neck, before turning her attention back to Kang Soyeong.
“Do you like my brother better than me, my lovely one?”
“No, no! Unnie, you’re the best! That’s for sure.”
“Then?”
“But I also like Noah. And of course, I love Comet too.”
“Such greed.”
Seriously, I didn’t expect that. I thought having one high-ranking dragonkin would’ve been enough for her, but now she seemed to want every noteworthy one she saw.
“Is that so wrong?”
Kang Soyeong’s wide eyes gleamed with a deep blue hue, though they held a heat that didn’t match their cool color.
“I love strong and beautiful dragons. I want to have them all.”
“You’re going to overreach yourself. You should only take on as much as you can handle.”
“I don’t care if I overreach. Even if I die from it, I wouldn’t want to let go.”
Her voice and expression overflowed with raw greed. It was a ridiculous thing to say, but Kang Soyeong was unapologetically bold. Her desire was blatantly excessive. Even with Comet, who was destined to grow into an S-rank dragon, she’d been fortunate to have the Rider skill. Without it, an A-rank hunter like her wouldn’t have stood a chance of keeping an S-rank mount. And now she was openly declaring that she wanted Noah and Liette as well.
Revealing her bright-red ambition so openly…
Liette’s golden eyes narrowed before bursting into loud laughter.
“You’re adorable!”
She grabbed Kang Soyeong in a fierce hug, roughly ruffling her hair, which glowed a similar shade to her eyes.
“How can you want to gobble up more than you can handle! Sweetie, you’re going to get yourself killed~.”
“Even if I die, it’s fine!”
“Sure, sure. But Sweetie, your stomach is too small for now.”
Liette tapped Kang Soyeong’s stomach lightly.
“Should I make our Soyeong into an S-rank?”
“Really? That sounds amaz—”
“No!”
Noah shouted in alarm, and I couldn’t help but panic as well. What the hell was she thinking? As if one was bad enough, now she wanted to drag another into her mess?
“My sister is too dangerous!”
“He’s right, Kang Soyeong! Besides, you’re part of the Sesung Guild. You’d need your guild leader’s permission first!”
“Wouldn’t he allow it? Becoming S-rank would be a good thing.”
Still wrapped in Liette’s arms, Kang Soyeong tilted her head in genuine curiosity. Noah growled low, like he was still in dragon form. His narrowed eyes glinted sharply, uncharacteristically fierce.
“Let go of Hunter Kang Soyeong, Sister.”
“Try and take her, little brother.”
“Wow, my heart’s racing a bit right now. I think I really like this—this kind of thing.”
Kang Soyeong blushed as she beamed with excitement. It seemed she was overjoyed just to be caught between two dragons. Truly a hopeless case.
While Kang Soyeong was giddy and carefree, Noah looked deadly serious. But he couldn’t bring himself to recklessly charge at his sister, so he stood there with his fists clenched tightly.
The wall of reality was simply too high.
Noah, originally an A-rank supporter, and Liette, an S-rank combatant by birth, were worlds apart. Both were human and both belonged to the Venom and Curse Dragonkin species, but the practical difference in their strength was as vast as that between a golden eagle and a sparrowhawk.
“Noah.”
I reached out and grabbed his arm. The tension and rigidity in his arm eased slightly, and he turned to look at me. His gray eyes shimmered faintly with unshed tears. He must have been deeply frustrated.
“I… I want to stand up to my sister. I don’t want to run away anymore.”
“I know.”
Noah was terrified of Liette, utterly overwhelmed with fear. Even so, he had stepped in to protect me in front of Yuhyun and was now trying to intervene for Kang Soyeong. He probably understood better than anyone else in the world that he was weaker than Liette. And yet, he hadn’t given up.
“Then, do you want to give it a try?”
“…What?”
“Wait a second, Hyung.”
Yuhyun frowned and tightened his grip on my arm. He seemed to have caught on to my plan to share the double attack skill with Noah.
“No.”
“Noah will be fine.”
“Even so, no. Are you seriously going to keep doing this?”
“Just this once. Besides, Noah has helped us out a lot, hasn’t he?”
I tried to placate my brother while shifting my gaze toward Liette. Of course, with my blurry vision, I couldn’t see her clearly.
“Liette, how about you and Noah have a proper match? But I’m going to buff Noah. Otherwise, the gap between you two is just too big.”
“You?”
“Yeah. If you win, I won’t interfere in Kang Soyeong’s matters. On top of that, I’ll help persuade the Sesung Guild Leader for you.”
At my words, Liette’s expression grew intrigued, while Noah looked utterly flustered.
“M-Mister Yujin! I can never beat my sister!”
“You won’t know until you try. Trust me.”
“Alright, sweetie! Shall we start right now?”
“No way. We need some time to prepare, so wait. I’ll set a date and let you know.”
“Don’t take too long~.”
Liette grinned confidently. Yeah, even with buffs, it would be tough for Noah to win. But just wait and see. The victor of this sibling match will be Noah.
–TL Notes–
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