t/n: cw for mention of sexual assault. Around 2/3 of the way through the chapter, there is an attempt at sexual assault, and unfortunately, it’s treated lightly and dismissively by the narrative and the relevant characters themselves. It’s referred to pretty vaguely, but if you want to skip that part, please stop at “I fooled you the first time we met” and you can pick it up again at the “Riette! Riette, who had tossed a crazy joke…”.
< Traditional Play (4) >
-Keuahhhhh!
The giant black dragon howled. At the roar filled with heavy intimidation, several A-Ranks unconsciously stepped back. The fear resistance message popped up and disappeared in front of my eyes, too. My ears hurt.
-There, now.
Riette raised her long neck and looked down at the humans. If you excluded the background that was like a sunny spring day in the Alps, it was a plausible Dragon VS Humans scene. Although I was left out of that VS. It wasn’t that I wasn’t involved, but I would probably be something like the prize?
I was clenched in the dragon’s front foot under the bright blue sky, so it sure felt great.
-I will kidnap the princess! If you have the confidence to go against me, beat back my subordinates and come to the top of that tower!
What was Yoohyun doing right now? The kids would probably be playing well without fighting.
-Darling, you should scream, ‘Save me, prince!’ in these situations.
“I don’t want to.”
And why was Sung Hyunjae, that person, just watching? Of course, if Riette left like this, it would be convenient. Still, it was too much to just watch with an expression like he was opening a bag of popcorn.
Geugeugeugeuk
Riette’s back legs scratched the ground. The well laid leg muscles under the rough scales twitched.
-Grab on tight, honey~.
What grabbing, fuck. Wait.
Koo-oong!
Three feet powerfully kicked the hill. Ooreureung, along with a sound similar to thunder, the ground trembled and split, as the soil poured down. Trampling on and breaking the small hill like a sand castle, the giant pitch black body shot up into the air.
After briefly feeling enough pressure to block my ears, I heard another boom of the surroundings collapsing down. It was the castle walls. Of course the castle walls that had been intact comparatively, but also the surrounding buildings and even one comparatively smaller tower. Under Riette’s steps, at one swipe of her tail, they collapsed.
In the meantime, the Teacher skill’s connection had cut off, and I didn’t see anything properly other than dirt and black scales. I was tempted to try using the Teacher skill on Riette, but if I happened to pass out now, then it really wouldn’t be manageable. I was certain I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that I would open my eyes to being in a loose dress, tied to the top of a tower. In the surroundings, lightning would strike down, and the dragon would run wild, and the miasma would be thick, and Noah would be crying… wouldn’t it be something like that?
If you asked if a different result would come out if I stayed in my right mind, then, um. I wouldn’t need to wear a dress. It was a big difference.
-Han Yoojin-ssi!
Just then, I heard Noah’s voice. I was thankful he chased after us, but when I thought of the fearful eyes, I felt worried first. I didn’t want Noah to overexert himself because of me.
“Noah-ssi, by yourself, you cannot, ugh!”
The foot gripping me shook strongly, as Riette raised her body and stood on just her back legs. One of her front feet grasped the base of the giant tower. Past the jolting black scales, I briefly saw Noah. The white gold dragon also wasn’t small compared to humans, but right now, he seemed like a chick in front of an eagle.
-Keureureu!
Letting out a fierce growl, Noah stuck to the black dragon’s head. He let out his claws and scratched the scales with his teeth, but with one rough shake of Riette’s head, he fell off. Riette also had poison resistance and curse resistance, so Noah only had hand-to-hand combat left… It was obvious he couldn’t match up.
Really, how were they twins in any way?
“I am fine, so please come with Sung Hyunjae!”
Noah, who was circling the surroundings, turned around as if he had no choice. Riette, who was crawling up the tower, looked down at me with sparking eyes.
-Darling, you really have a talent for raising kids, huh? Do you know how long it’s been since he lunged at me?
At the tone of voice sounding like she was having fun, I became dumbfounded automatically. Exactly what was this person’s caregiving criteria?
Even while a giant dragon dug her claws in and crawled up, the middle tower was luckily holding up well. Riette lightly tossed me toward the inside of the round balcony at the top of the tower.
As the tower was big, the inside room was also really large. Looking at the faintly left traces of sculptures or the decorations of the round and high ceiling, the original would’ve been considerably fancy. And the cracked table and chair, the cabinet with its door missing, etc. all looked high class. The decorations had all fallen off and only the frame and the surface was left, but just looking at the size of the bed, it wasn’t a common thing.
“Darling~.”
I had thoughtlessly walked inside the room and was looking around the surroundings, when I heard the voice of Riette turned back into a human. …Was it okay to turn around? When I lowered my gaze and turned to glance at just her feet, she was wearing normal shoes and clothes.
“You transformed your entire body, but your clothes are fine.”
“I applied a curse skill. Though I can only use it on A-Rank equipment for now.”
Could you use it like that, too? Her abilities really were great. Having strode in, Riette put down a picnic basket on the table. When did she take care to bring that?
“When I was five, what I wanted to be when I grew up was a wicked dragon from a storybook~.”
“I would like to extend congratulations for realizing your dream.”
“It’s all good, but not having wings – that one thing was a regret. Normally, I should have majestically spread my wings there and flown over, for it to be perfect! Next time I should exit more perfectly and awesomely. Should I try looking for a flight skill?”
What next time. Let’s end it with once.
“Now what should I do? Do I gobble you up?”
Riette said, tilting her head.
“Why would you gobble up a hostage? You should nicely store me away until people come to rescue. If you’re hungry, eat a sandwich from the basket or something.”
Though I didn’t know if there were sandwiches in the basket. Suddenly I was curious exactly what Sung Hyunjae would’ve brought. He probably wouldn’t have packed it himself, and either his secretary or surrounding people would’ve prepared it, so it might be surprisingly normal.
Riette took the one chair, so I perched on the bed. Sung Hyunjae would do well on his own, and while I had the free time, let’s organize things.
‘Originally, it was Sung Hyunjae who collaborated with the cult, and he betrayed them later, but while I regressed, it was exposed.’
It seemed like it was certain that the cult also knew about before the regression. So they had dragged in MKC and Soodam and even Riette to kill Sung Hyunjae. Though I didn’t know why they were interested in me. Did they know I regressed?
‘Then, Sung Hyunjae is on the system’s side… should I say?”
I couldn’t be sure yet. Instead of taking one side, wouldn’t he have been thinking of taking the benefits and then throwing them away? Or raising his hand whichever way he wants.
“What are you thinking so hard about, darling?”
Riette, who had approached without a sound, stopped in front of me. When I lifted my head, I saw gold eyes that were emitting a strange light. In the slightly dark indoors without any lighting, they had light like a cat’s.
“Riette, how did you get caught in the curse or brainwashing?”
This was also important. To think that an S-Rank, and the born S-Rank Riette at that, had followed someone’s order. Wouldn’t that mean that the same method could work on other S-Ranks, too?
At my question, Riette pouted as if her mood had gone bad.
“I don’t really know well either, but there were horrible guys wandering around since before. The first time I got to know them was about 3 years ago? It wasn’t much after I Awakened. They approached, saying they would let me become stronger faster than others, so I didn’t like it and kicked them out. After that they made a pass asking if I wasn’t curious why the world had changed like this, and said that they would give me information about items or skills.”
If it was 3 years ago, then it was completely in the beginning. Riette and Sung Hyunjae, and even Yoohyun. Did they only approach born S-Ranks first?
“You sure rejected them well.”
If it were me, I think I would’ve been taken in.
“It’s boring. If I was like ‘instead, I’m taking the side of fighting and winning!’ they might have accepted it? Of course, with a condition of possible revenge. Anyways, I kept on rejecting, so they even tried to bother my brother, so every time I saw them, I beat all of them up. For about over 2 years?”
At the words that they even tried to bother her brother, I automatically frowned. Wouldn’t Yoohyun have been in a similar situation, and so that was why he became more distant from me? There would’ve been enemies like Yoon Kyeongsoo, too. But I wondered if the main problem wasn’t the cult or whatever it was.
And it seemed like his mouth was shut for him so he couldn’t properly say either.
“But then, they suddenly appeared a while ago, and gave an order. …To the curse and poison dragon Dio Valshesis’ eldest.”
Riette’s voice became very low. Her two eyes gleamed with slight bloodthirst.
“That’s right, that guy. That guy also felt a little similar to darling. A curse and poison dragon type that’s higher rank than me.”
“Curse and poison dragon type?”
And if it was high rank, then would Riette being released from the order, be because of the Dragon Slayer title? Or it could’ve been the combination of Lauchtas’ Natural Enemy and the curse resistance. Since, if what had bound Riette was a curse and poison dragon type’s curse, my curse resistance skill could show a doubled effect.
Whichever it was, it was a really lucky coincidence……
‘……Was it a coincidence?’
Curse and poison dragon type. Not any other dragon type, but solely this dragon type kept on popping up. Continuing from the Lauchtas before the regression to the Dio Valshesis that originally shouldn’t have been, and even the cult side. …Though Blackie was probably really a coincidence.
If, just if. If the curse and poison dragon type Lauchtas appearing in the dungeon I went into, wasn’t a coincidence.
“Darling!”
“…Hm?”
Riette bent down and rubbed my cheek with one hand.
“Darling really is unusual.”
“Ah, well, I’m not normal.”
“But unlike before, you became soft?”
The tips of Riette’s mouth slid up. An ominous hunch hit me. Though it was expected that my state would quickly be exposed if we met again.
“Even though everyone said you were stat F-Rank, I thought it wasn’t so. But you can’t move against me? A while ago, you could say it was because there were other people’s eyes on us, but… you seem soft now, too. What do you think?”
“What do you mean what.”
Fiddling with the necklace’s bead, I opened my mouth.
“I fooled you the first time we met.”
“Really? That’s fascinating. Right now, you’re stat F-Rank, right?”
“Yeah.”
And then she pushed me back. Hey, wait.
“What are you trying to do!”
“What I was going to do last time and didn’t~.”
I had wondered if she would be mad that I fooled her, but this was too different from my expectations. Fuck, let go. Don’t rip my shirt.
“Turn back into a dragon and hang onto the tower! You said it’s what you wanted to be when you grew up!”
“What? You like the beast transformation state? Your tastes are unique. I like it.”
…Crazy, why wasn’t Sung Hyunjae coming? It had been more than enough time for him to have already swept them all away. He wouldn’t be playing around with those poor people again and wasting time, right?
Just then, with good timing, I heard Noah’s wings flapping. Then, Sung Hyunjae jumped down into the balcony. I didn’t know how he lifted the attribute sealing item, but the chains wrapped around his forearm were flashing with electricity again.
He was later than expected, but he came at the right time.
“I have come to rescue you, princess!”
……The damned person shouted excitedly. My position of not being able to tell him to get lost again, was sad. Change your role at least, this ahjussi. Did you want to play the role of a prince at that age? Change with Noah.
-Han Yoojin-ssi! Are you oka……
Noah, who was pushing his head inside the balcony, was taken aback and flew away again. Shit, Riette. The kid was taken aback. In Noah’s eyes, his noona and his noona were… let’s end the thought with this.
Sung Hyunjae also stared at us as if surprised.
“Was it adult material that was pretending to be a fairytale?”
“Do not say nonsense, and follow your role and exterminate the dragon.”
“Do you want to join in?”
Riette! Riette, who had tossed a crazy joke, burst into laughter and raised her body as if bouncing up. The long sword that she was suddenly holding cut the air and Sung Hyunjae’s appearance disappeared from where he was in an instant.
Suguk
I heard a sound like paper was being cut. But what collapsed was a piece of rock. The balcony that was cut slantedly, fell, and continuing, the walls and ceiling were cut.
“There, now should we dance for the ending? Sorry, princess. Your dance partner was stolen away!”
“Take him away anytime. You don’t have to return him.”
Just leave the skill and go.
Riette jumped up between the collapsing tower. Her body disappeared to below in an instant. Then, Sung Hyunjae took me in one hand, and the picnic basket in the other, and jumped up.
Kwareureureu!
Whatever Riette did at the bottom, not just the top part of the giant middle tower, but the entire thing crumbled down. Sung Hyunjae, who stepped on the collapsing wall and shot his body up into the air, landed on the back of Noah, who was flying around the surroundings.
“I’ll leave our lunch to you.”
Sung Hyunjae placed a shirt he took out from his inventory on top of the picnic basket and put them in my arms, before turning his body and falling down.
“I will be troubling you, Noah-ssi.”
I used the Teacher skill on Noah and checked the situation. The middle tower had completely collapsed, and dust had risen up like fog.
Chareureuk!
The Seeker’s Chains extended without an end as they embedded into the buildings and between the buildings, crisscrossing the air. Above that, Sung Hyunjae turned his upside down body upright and landed. As soon as the tips of his feet touched the chains, he ran as if sliding, and right away in that empty place.
Kwagwagwa!
A sword attack[1] that was wound around with dust like a hurricane covered that place. The chains were cut and the ground was overturned. The buildings that had been fine, were all sliced up like pieces of paper. Everything in the surrounding radius of over a hundred meters showily fell over in pieces.
“…Noah-ssi, you really must have suffered a lot.”
Noah silently, but clearly, nodded his head. Choi Sukwon’s attack was also considerably powerful, but that was… it was about the level of being one rank different.
Even borrowing Noah’s sight, I couldn’t see into the inside of the part that was full of dust. But Sung Hyunjae also wasn’t just quietly accepting the attack. The cut chains had disappeared when I wasn’t looking and light raged fiercely.
Kooreureureung!
The air trembled as if it was pierced with fear first, and what followed was a tempest of electric shocks. The wreckage of the collapsing tower bounced up like corn for popcorn, and going past darkening, it burned black and crumbled into pieces. At the intense light that seemed like it would burn our optic nerves, Noah and I reflexively closed our eyes, and what we saw right after opening them was the black, swept away site of the buildings.
Sung Hyunjae, who had swept away all of the dust and buildings’ wreckage as if they were annoying, was standing in the middle of the remains of the destruction. The position was a little ambiguous so I couldn’t see well, but there was no doubt that he was laughing, that person.
Riette was the same. She was crouching on top of a pile of swept up buildings and giggling as she spread miasma. Behind her, I could see a shaking tail. With the black thorns raised viciously, it was hitting the chunks of walls and breaking them like crushing boiled eggs.
And once again, frenzied strength and strength smashed into each other. The fear resistance message popped up again. Which number of times was this?
Um… I couldn’t do anything about those people. Should I look at what’s in the picnic basket?
[1] idk, this is a made up word though it’s probably used a lot in fantasy novels, so I’m not 100% it’s this. I tried looking it up, but didn’t really find much that was helpful except for this one q&a on naver