Please Quell Your Wrath
“Looks like Santa paid a visit—there was an absolute fortune next to my pillow.”
“...Gulp.”
“And the news is going on about some mysterious attackers. Several S-ranks from other countries ended up dead, so they’re saying, huh? Korea’s in danger?”
“Th-that’s...”
Han Yuseon spoke while sweat beaded on her forehead. Her red eyes darted wildly in every direction. She looked completely flustered. It seemed like she was scrambling for an excuse, even if it was too late.
You two don’t get to make excuses.
Crazy bitches.
“If Yuseon and the others hadn’t stepped in, it would’ve been over... Did you raid their branch or something? Huh?”
“W-we had no choice. We were protecting you, Puppeteer-nim...”
Han Yuseon looked at me with desperate, pleading eyes, begging me to believe her.
Aish...
My head was pounding, so I pressed hard on my temples. Han Yuseon hung her head low. The very picture of remorse.
“I know. You’re unregistered hunters, and you’re the first ones to break into the Transcendent rank, so of course you’d draw attention.”
“That’s why...”
“But! Still!”
I’m not done talking, you idiot. Han Yuseon clamped her mouth shut. She usually kept that cold expression perfectly in place, so seeing her fidget like this was almost cute.
Given the circumstances, it’s pretty much one hundred percent those two.
Seol Yeon showing up with holes punched all over her body. And the sudden eighty million won on my pillow? The first thought that crossed my mind was exactly three letters.
We’re fucked.
The best move in this situation wasn’t to gently scold these precious idiots. I needed to drive the point home sharply.
“Haa...”
I let out a long sigh. Han Yuseon flinched. She knew exactly what it meant when I sighed like that.
“Ugh...”
“Even though you two took action, the attackers’ identities still haven’t been revealed. And the fact that I wasn’t specifically named tells me you covered your tracks.”
Actually, when I thought about it, Han Yuseon and Seol Yeon’s actions had been perfectly rational. They’d killed foreign S-ranks who were stationed at the branch. Those people had probably gathered because of me. Those arrogant S-ranks had assembled for one person.
Otherwise there’d be no reason for them to show up so suddenly.
Even if they left my [Hikikomori] and [Social Anxiety] traits alone, I doubt those S-ranks would’ve been friendly.
It’d be lucky if they tried to recruit me for the state. The moment they realized I was just a frail girl, they’d probably try to kill me instead. They didn’t need an S-rank to recruit someone, after all. If anything, the message would be:
Hand her over nicely. We sent S-ranks, didn’t we?
That was when Han Yuseon and Seol Yeon appeared. They basically wiped out the entire force in an instant and made the danger crystal clear... That was the gist of it.
But there was one problem.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We thought you would oppose it, Puppeteer-nim.”
“Yeah... I probably would have.”
I nodded, acknowledging the point. That much was obvious.
I’m too soft-hearted. I could never make a decision like Han Yuseon.
Looking at the results alone—S-ranks dead, China shocked, Japan envious, whatever—we could set that aside for now. The fact that S-ranks had come to Korea meant they’d pinpointed my location. They’d claimed it was “for a meeting,” but...
If it was a real meeting, they would’ve held it in America or another superpower.
If I had opposed it, Han Yuseon might not have moved. But then S-ranks from elsewhere would’ve smashed up my one-room apartment and barged in, or shouted “FBI, open up!” Either way, it wouldn’t have been pretty. Once I lost the protection of my apartment, my traits would’ve killed me from shock.
“I was worried.”
“...Pardon?”
Han Yuseon looked dazed, as if she hadn’t heard correctly. Her puzzled gaze turned toward me. I spoke quietly.
“I know you two are incredibly strong. That level of firepower makes sense against a floor boss.”
“...”
“But Seol Yeon came back with holes all over her body.”
I turned my head. Slurp. Seol Yeon had been eating ramen, but she froze when she felt my stare. Her wide eyes filled with panic, as though she hadn’t been listening at all.
That crazy parasite...
In this situation, she was still shoving ramen down her throat. She was already hurt, so I hadn’t scolded her together with the others, but I’d have to talk to her separately later.
“U-um... Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Just eat. Recovery comes first.”
“Y-yes...”
As Seol Yeon nodded and went back to her ramen, Han Yuseon stared at her like she was looking at an actual lunatic. When I saw the thick aura of irritation radiating off her...
Hm. Maybe I don’t need to scold her myself?
It looked like Han Yuseon would take care of Seol Yeon automatically later.
Anyway.
“As you both know, S-ranks are beings who can ‘change the rules.’ No matter how strong you are, they’re enemies you can never let your guard down around.”
“...That’s true.”
Han Yuseon nodded. They might have been holding something like a final trump card, like Argos. Being S-rank wasn’t simply defined as “strong.”
“You two went to a dangerous place even though you knew the risks. Look at the state Seol Yeon’s in. I don’t know what happened, but...”
“I tried to stop her. Haa... Seol Yeon.”
Han Yuseon let out a deep sigh, as if she’d been burned too.
“The point is this. You both had your reasons, but at the very least... Hey. At the very least...”
I bit my lip lightly.
“Don’t get hurt.”
“...”
Han Yuseon stared at me blankly. I turned away as if there was nothing more to see and sat down in front of the computer.
“I know you made the best choice possible. I would’ve opposed it no matter what. Because I’m human. I don’t want people to die. I’m not saying you did well.”
“...”
I could feel Han Yuseon’s confused gaze on my back, but I deliberately ignored it.
“Still, don’t get hurt in a way that worries me. That’s my only wish.”
“Understood.”
Han Yuseon lowered her head deeply. It looked like some emotion had welled up inside her, but I didn’t turn around to check.
Instead, I just said,
“How was that? Pretty cool, right? I tried to make the line sound heavy.”
The same old joke.
“...As I always say, Puppeteer-nim, at the important moments you... Haa, never mind.”
“Try not to kill people if you can help it. I’m human too. I don’t want you thinking you might kill me someday.”
“It’s fine. Even if you die, I’ll be the one to kill you.”
Han Yuseon let out a small laugh.
“You call that comforting?”
“At least if it’s a beautiful girl you see at the very end, wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Bullshit... You are not a beautiful girl.”
I scrunched up my face in disgust. Han Yuseon pouted like she’d been wounded.
“It seems your aesthetic sense is severely broken.”
“...My eyes are perfectly normal.”
When I turned on the computer, the wallpaper was a picture of me sleeping.
What the hell?
I looked at Han Yuseon with an incredulous expression. There was only one person here who would do something like this. She gave me a thumbs-up.
“But it’s cute, right? You said anything cute is forgiven.”
“I’m seriously going to kill you...”
I had to admit, it was kind of cute.
Rustle.
The sound of someone tearing open a plastic bag came from somewhere. Both Han Yuseon and I turned toward it. Seol Yeon tilted her head with a confused “Eh?” In her hand was a pack of raw ramen.
“...”
Red broth stained the corners of her mouth from how deliciously she’d been eating. Several empty packets already lay scattered on the floor. Her eyes spun in circles.
“Ah... Uweh?”
“Master, shall I kill her?”
Han Yuseon pulled threads from her hand. She radiated murderous intent, ready to end her right then and there.
Eating the ramen itself isn’t the problem.
But in this situation, acting so utterly oblivious was a very serious—extremely serious—offense.
“My servant.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Beat her up!”
“As you command.”
Han Yuseon wrapped Seol Yeon in threads, hung her upside down, and lectured her for several hours.
“Hwaaahng!”
...
“Hooo...”
The man removed the cigar from his mouth and exhaled a hazy cloud of smoke. His sunken gaze was fixed on the massive screen.
The report that the S-rank sent from America had died. And the footage of two women utterly crushing everything in their path.
“So... what was it that bitch said?”
The six angelic wings on his back flared up as if excited. The simple-looking man standing beside him trembled as he answered.
“D-don’t touch her...”
“I see.”
The man nodded. A grin spread across his lips. His gold tooth glinted. The simple-looking man let out a terrified “Hiiik!”
“Saying not to touch her means she has something to protect.”
“Y-yes!”
“Let me give you some advice. People with something to protect are weak.”
The man smiled amiably at the trembling subordinate and patted his head. He could feel the body shaking violently with fear through his hand.
“Right?”
“Y-yessir!”
The moment the man nodded—
Crunch!
His head exploded. The headless body collapsed to the floor with a thud. The man casually shook the gore and brain matter off his hand.
“Looks like I’ll have to go to Korea.”
America’s greatest fighting force. Six Seraphim. Commonly known as an Angel.
No.
“This... is Judas.”
Judas.