Chapter 271: The Tang Clan, Are They Really Okay?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 271: The Tang Clan, Are They Really Okay?
“Hgyak!”
Even if it was Soyeong, it was still nice to see her after so long.
“Gekgek.”
“Ugh… This can’t be right…”
Seeing Soyeong rub the bump on her forehead, I felt like I was finally back in my nest.
I think I was starting to understand why the previous Gomodo was so close to the Tang Clan.
It’s because they have foreheads that are just perfect for smacking with a tail.
But why did she suddenly do that?
Was she really trying to hypnotize me?
She’s usually so quiet, but now she’s showing her true colors… Did Tang Muyeong teach her something while I was away?
As I stared at her, she looked guilty and started tapping her index fingers together.
“Hehe… Actually, my brother told me to win you over, Hero Go, no matter what.”
Win me over?
What’s that supposed to mean?
“He said that if you’re a member of the Tang Clan, and someone who serves Hero Go, you should at least be able to touch his scales, you know?”
Right, there’s no way Tang Muyeong would have told her to use hypnosis for some impure purpose.
That Tang girl must have misunderstood something and done something weird on her own.
“But who am I? I’m Tang Soyeong, the one who already plucked one of Hero Go’s scales, aren’t I?”
That’s right.
My scale was already…
“Gek?”
When did you pluck my scale?
“But when my brother saw the scale, he suspected I just picked it up off the ground, you know? After I worked so hard to pluck it. Anyway… Huh? Hero Go. Why do you look like you’re getting sharper?”
I thought it was getting a little chilly lately, but it turns out you were the culprit.
I gently pressed down on Soyeong’s head with my chin.
Squeeeze.
“Kyaaaaak!”
Even as I punished Tang Soyeong, a question arose.
I knew she was a ruthless brat capable of plucking my scale, but how on earth did she do it?
My scales weren’t something a mere Second-Rate martial artist could just pull off.
“Th-that’s a secret!”
“Gegegek.”
You’d better start talking.
Waaaang.
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! D-don’t bite me! Kyak!”
Too late.
“Mmph, mph!”
I put Soyeong in my mouth and then took her out again.
“Hic… I’m all wet…”
Soyeong was covered in drool.
“Chiiirp… Cheep… Chirp?”
Chirpy, who had been sleeping far away, was talking in her sleep, flapping her wings as if she were anxious about something in a nightmare.
Could it be because Soyeong went into my mouth?
Chirpy went into my mouth the first time we met, so she might be claiming that act as her own personal trademark.
We’re not a crocodile and a plover, so why does everyone want to get in my mouth?
Besides, it might have been possible before, but putting Chirpy in my mouth now is out of the question.
She’s gotten bigger than Soyeong’s head, so I can’t just pop her in my mouth recklessly.
And I can’t exactly use Gigantification just to put Chirpy in my mouth.
Plus, for some reason, I have a feeling that if I put Chirpy in my mouth, some giant bird lurking nearby would deliver a father’s retribution.
A storm would probably brew as he’d lecture me about a father’s heart or something.
“Ugh… I’m not supposed to talk about this…”
Soyeong glanced around cautiously.
That tone meant, ‘I’m going to talk, but please acknowledge that I tried to resist.’
Everyone else seems to be training, and no one else came out to greet me, so you can speak freely.
Soyeong looked around, realized only Gakisu was there with its ears perked up, and gave a slight nod.
“W-well… sometimes you fall asleep first, Hero Go, right?”
When I fall asleep first?
“You know… when we have banquets and drink? Well, your followers exchange glances.”
I asked how she plucked my scale, so why is she suddenly changing the subject?
Still, it sounds interesting. It’s a chance to learn about my followers’ actions from another perspective. I’ll just listen quietly.
“That’s when it starts. They pour alcohol into your cup, Hero Go, while secretly dumping their own on the ground.”
“Gekgek!”
This was not something I could listen to quietly.
What, they poured that precious alcohol on the ground? It’s not like I was forcing them to drink, so why would they do that? And they kept pouring for me, but for themselves…
Wait, so I kept drinking while they only pretended to?
No wonder they all seemed to have such high tolerance for alcohol. They weren’t drinking at all.
“And once you get drunk and fall asleep first, Hero Go… everyone’s eyes sparkle as they gather around you.”
“Geeeeek?”
I was slowly awakening to a truth about the world I never knew. No, what did they do to me after getting me drunk on purpose?
“From then on, they bite, suck, and taste you, Hero Go… Ah, that’s a metaphorical expression.”
…It is a metaphor, right?
“Umm… I didn’t do anything much! …Probably?”
What do you mean, ‘anything much’? And that means the others did do something.
“Hey, but no one crossed the line. They tried to do something more, but you know that accessory around your neck, Hero Go? They said it made things difficult.”
I clutched my necklace tightly. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would have become a dried-up lizard.
“But they said they couldn’t give up, so they tried to gently remove one of your scales. Especially that Snake Queen? She was persistently aiming for your lower body.”
Parsil, you too!
No, it’s not ‘you too.’ Actually, the Snake Queen was the most likely suspect for this kind of thing.
“Geeeeng…”
So, the scale Soyeong has is one that the other followers tried to remove while attempting… something? So… a scale from my lower body?
My scales are so dense that it’s not noticeable, but this feels a little weird.
“We can’t let one of your precious scales fall on the ground, right, Hero Go? So I quickly picked it up. And since we couldn’t leave any evidence…”
Is this my fault for not educating my followers properly?
No, what did I do to deserve such a heinous act while I was drunk?
And not a single one of them protected me. This means Tus, Pus, and Nephila all went along with it.
No, I can perfectly picture them jumping at the chance with excitement.
Tus would have quickly put my tail in her mouth, and Pus would have put her hands on my butt. And Nephila…
I prayed that I hadn’t stimulated her appetite.
They say you can’t trust a single spirit beast, and here they are, stabbing me in the back.
“Ahem, I don’t really know the details, but they all said it was your fault, Hero Go.”
“Gek?”
Look at these shameless brats.
“Especially Baek Rang? That white wolf and the Snake Queen seemed to have a lot of complaints. One said you bite her neck but don’t mount her, and the other said you won’t give her a full month of your time.”
…I can understand the Snake Queen, but Baek Rang said that?
This is certainly interesting. Is this what they call ‘girl talk’?
But what does biting the neck even mean for them to act like that? I just gave it a little nibble because my mouth was bored while we were sleeping together.
‘You started it!’ they’d say, while persistently…
For the time being, I should sleep alone. I need to protect my body, and it’ll also be a punishment for the followers who dared to try such things behind my back.
……Tsk, but then it might get a little cold. Maybe that’s not a good idea?
I was examining the scales on my lower body, wondering how I should deal with my followers.
“Ah, Hero. I trust you have been well?”
Tang Muyeong, the one who taught Soyeong hypnosis, greeted me.
You haven’t gone home yet?
“Gekgek.”
And what did you teach Soyeong?
“…Haha, I taught her a few of the Tang Clan’s techniques so she could be of some small help to you, Hero. And I thought it only proper to pay my respects before leaving, so I stayed a little longer.”
Hmm, unlike Soyeong, he seems to be a decent person.
But of all the Tang techniques to pass on, why hypnosis?
“I have passed on all the theoretical aspects of the Tang techniques created to serve the Hero. From now on, our Soyeong, though her skills are meager, will surely be of help.”
Why are the Tang Clan’s techniques for serving a Gomodo… hypnosis? That’s a little scary.
“…Hoh, but Great Master. Might I ask what those poisonous insects following you are?”
Tang Muyeong looked at the poisonous insects with an expression of interest.
As a member of the poison-wielding Tang Clan, and the young master at that, it was only natural he’d be intrigued.
“Gekgek.”
They’re the poisonous insects I just recruited.
“Incredible! As expected of the Great Master! Every single one of these poisonous insects is…! Slurp… Haaah…”
Huh?
Tang Muyeong’s expression turned a little strange.
He was the young master of the Tang Clan, and his martial prowess was at the Supreme Peak Realm.
It was Tang Muyeong who had somewhat salvaged the Tang Clan’s reputation, which had been ruined by Tang Soyeong.
Unlike his younger sister, he had a dignified side to him, shall I say? He seemed like a key figure who would lead the next generation, and he appeared to be very knowledgeable. He was the type who would be quite reassuring to have as an ally.
Tang Muyeong was the one who made me think that maybe not everyone in the Tang Clan was like Soyeong, and that she might just be the family’s mutant.
But what is this now? Isn’t that strange expression on his face just like Soyeong’s?
“The Black Armored Mantis! Hehe… Those two hard scythes… Ehehehe…”
For some reason, he even sounded like he was laughing like Gakisu.
“And the Heavenly Thunder Millipede…! For a millipede to grow this large! If this isn’t a spirit beast, then what is! And that glossy armor…”
Tang Muyeong drooled as he looked at the millipede.
“And on top of that, the Grotto Spider and the Ghost Poisonous Locust…!”
The Black Armored Mantis must be the mantis. The Heavenly Thunder Millipede is the millipede. The Grotto Spiders are the spiders. And the Ghost Poisonous Locust must be the locust.
The scary part is that he knows the names of all these poisonous insects so well.
It feels like he knows the names of a hundred different species of locusts.
Those green eyes of his feel a little frightening.
“Truly… you are the rightful heir to the Gomodo…! To have so many poison-wielders follow you!”
Tang Muyeong knelt, his face filled with emotion.
Well, he is the young master of the Tang Clan, so it’s no surprise he’s knowledgeable about poisonous insects.
“Haaah… those twin blades… and that carapace… Grrrr…”
What’s wrong with you?
Not you too.
“Kireuk? Let go, let go! Let me go, you bastard!”
The mantis shrieked, but it didn’t seem to reach Tang Muyeong.
“B-Brother! This crazy human…! Kraaak!”
“Come heeeere! Oh, Hero! May I examine the poisonous insects for a moment?”
Is it okay to ask for permission after you’ve already pounced on the mantis?
I stared blankly at Tang Muyeong, then shifted my gaze to Soyeong.
“Aigoo, I was wondering why that guy was holding himself back for once.”
It seems Tang Soyeong wasn’t the family mutant after all.
Maybe everyone in the Tang Clan is like this.
And these two are the family head’s son and daughter. The eldest son and the precious, treasured youngest daughter, no less.
The Tang Clan, are they really going to be okay?
……And what on earth was the previous Gomodo thinking, joining hands with people like this?