Nicholas walked up to the man who had been pointed out to him.
“Excuse me. What’s your name?”
“Lukas.”
“Lukas… I don’t think you are a hunter.”
“Right.”
His casual nod felt incredibly suspicious. This was because he didn’t show any apprehension despite being looked at straight in the eyes.
He also couldn’t guess his thoughts because his attitude was calm and his face was expressionless. Nevertheless, he felt a faint pressure just by standing in front of this man.
Any person who could subconsciously release this sort of pressure could not have been an ordinary person.
As he raised his guard, Nicholas said.
“I think we will need to do a separate background check for you. So please cooperate.”
“Call Nina.”
“What?”
Nicholas’ eyebrows furrowed.
“You say it like you two are close. You do know that the name you just called is our President, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. So I’ll say it again. I’ll talk to Nina. So let me see her.”
“…”
Since he said those words confidently, Nicholas couldn’t tell if this man was serious or just bluffing.
He suddenly had the strong urge to smoke a cigarette, but he held himself back and turned to Lee Jong-hak.
“Human Dragon, who is this guy?”
“He is…”
Lee Jong-hak pursed his lips slightly.
“…Lukas.”
Nicholas’ crumpled expression told him that his answer wasn’t the one he was looking for.
“Are you joking?”
“Of course not, Sir Nicholas. Lukas is our benefactor. He saved all of our lives.”
“A civilian saved the lives of a group of hunters?”
How?
By stealing a key?
Did he use his wits?
No. The instantaneous judgement of a civilian could never compare to that of a hunter.
Nicholas looked at Lee Jong-hak with suspicion, but his serious expression didn’t change.
“Call President Rednikova. Please.”
“…”
This was a request made by Lee Jong-hak, one of the Three Dragons of the Asia branch, while bowing his head. The weight of his words was different from those of the man named Lukas or whatever.
Nicholas, who was struggling within, eventually clicked his tongue.
“…your bodies stink. We can’t let you meet the President like that. And we should remove the collars as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your consideration. We will not forget this kindness.”
“That’s enough of the awkward show. First, we’ll remove the collars . Then, we’ll let you wash up in the bathroom. When you’re done, wait for me in the reception room, I’ll take you to Nina.”
After saying this, Nicholas turned and muttered to a hunter standing behind him.
“Watch that guy named Lukas. If you think he’s up to anything funny, take him down immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
The bathroom was equipped with a bath.
While washing in it, it felt like the past few months of humiliation and fatigue were being swept away together with the dirt.
The muscles around Min Ha-rin’s mouth began to relax without her noticing. This was probably the most human she’d felt in the past few months.
This didn’t mean they weren’t allowed to wash up when they had been treated like slaves. However, it was completely different from a bath like this.
They didn’t wash themselves; they were washed.
When they got out of the bathroom, food had been prepared for them. It wasn’t anything amazing. Just cereal and high-calorie foods that were used by soldiers.
But even that much was touching for Min Ha-rin and the other hunters.
After their simple meal, they were escorted to the reception room.
It was only when her body sank into the soft sofa that Min Ha-rin realised that she’d truly escaped slavery. She was hit by a sudden wave of fatigue and couldn’t help but feel a bit sleepy.
She shook her head and pinched her thigh.
On the other hand, Drisa yawned without a care as he said.
“But why were we the only ones who were called here?”
Only Lee Jong-hak, Min Ha-rin, Allida, Drisa, and Lukas were in the room.
Allida shrugged.
“All four of us are titled. And Mr. Lukas is the president’s acquaintance.”
“Self-proclaimed.”
Drisa muttered under his breath before scratching his head.
“I’m thirsty.”
“Still? We already had so much.”
“I’ll just get something to drink.”
Drisa glanced at the table in the corner of the room. There were quite a few teabags there. He didn’t like green or black tea, so he checked again. Finally, he found a coffee mix that he’d tried before.
There was also a kettle on the table, and when he opened the lid, he found that it was filled with water.
“What luck!”
Drisa boiled the water with a delighted expression.
He put the coffee mix into a paper cup, and when he added the boiled water, the sweet and deep scent of coffee filled the room.
This brought the interest of someone whom Drisa would have never expected to show interest in anything.
“What is that?”
“Can’t you tell? It’s coffee.”
Lee Jong-hak shot a stern look at Drisa, who was talking informally again. But fortunately, Lukas didn’t seem to care. He tilted his head.
“That’s different from the coffee I know. This is my first time seeing it. Its scent is unique.”
“Ahh… this is a coffee mix. It’s sweeter than regular coffee and more refreshing.”
“…”
He said this with a mixed tone, but it didn’t seem to work on Lukas. He was just staring at the cup of coffee.
“It’s not that interesting.”
Where the hell did he come from that he didn’t even know about coffee mix?
Just as Drisa was about to take a sip of coffee while feeling suspicious…
Paak!
He felt a strong blow to the back of his head, causing him to almost pour the steaming cup of coffee onto his face.
Blood vessels popped out on Drisa’s forehead.
“Which motherfu-”
The moment he turned around and saw who hit him, the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
A young-looking woman with silver hair smiled at him and said.
“Why don’t you speak more politely when you’re in someone else’s house, n*****? You don’t want to get any darker, do you.” (TL: wtf… what the actual f…)
“…”
It was a racial insult that would have made him go wild if it had been said by anyone else, but Drisa could only avert his eyes slightly in shock and slightly in fear.
This was because he recognised this woman immediately.
She was Nina Rednikova, President of the European Branch.
She had a filthy mouth, and her personality was at least three times worse than that.
Drisa wasn’t the type of person who would back down from others, but if the rumors were true, touching this woman was tantamount to suicide.
Fortunately, Nina didn’t seem to be interested in Drisa any longer.
She walked towards Lukas. Then her lips parted and she spoke with a slightly cautious tone.
“The people here…”
“They are qualified.”
Nina’s expression brightened at Lukas’ words.
“I don’t have to hide it, then… Ahem.”
Nina cleared her throat and adjusted her expression before bowing in a polite manner.
“Nina Rednikova greets Master. Have you been strong since we last met?”