Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Dad Protecting the Nest (2)
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After Lee Ha-jun left.
The dragons peeled their ears away from the front door.
"He's gone?"
"Yeah, he went upstairs. Probably to the rooftop."
"Hmm, I wonder what happened..."
Choryeon was worried about Lee Ha-jun.
She still remembered how he'd come home covered in bruises after getting beaten up by Gu Bong-gu before.
"I hope Dad doesn't get hurt..."
"Hmph, Dad almost beat me! You think he'd get hurt?"
"Huh? Didn't Dad win?"
"It was a draw! I didn't lose!"
Hwaryeon said that to reassure Choryeon.
Even so, Choryeon couldn't shake off her worry easily.
"What do we do... What do we do... What if something big happens..."
"Ugh, stop with the nagging! It'll work out somehow!"
Fidgeting—
Worried Choryeon.
Frustrated by worried Choryeon—Hwaryeon.
And frustrated by worried Choryeon—Hwaryeon being dumb—Suryeon.
"'It'll work out somehow' is way too irresponsible."
"Then what! What should we do!"
"If you're curious, we solve it. Let's open the door and go out."
Suryeon stood on tiptoes and turned the doorknob.
Creak—
"It's open."
Suryeon's bold action swung the door open.
Hwaryeon immediately charged toward the open door.
"Outside! Let's go quick! Where's Dad!?"
Once they were out, Hwaryeon was the most excited.
"Red Dragons really are impossible to understand."
Shake, shake—
Suryeon shook her head as she stepped outside.
Choryeon followed her sisters up the stairs.
And so, the kids peeked their faces through the gap in the rooftop door and quietly watched Lee Ha-jun.
"Where'd you come from?"
Lee Ha-jun was interrogating Tubby and Scrawny, tied to chairs.
It was a pretty unfamiliar sight to the dragons.
"W-What's that? Is that Dad? He feels different!"
"...So that's what he's like around other people."
"But Dad looks fine! That's a relief!"
A very serious-looking Lee Ha-jun.
In response to Lee Ha-jun's question, Tubby lowered his voice.
"Who the hell are you...? You think you'll get away with messing with us...?"
"So, who are you guys? Tubby and Scrawny?"
"..."
Tubby bit his lip hard, his identity exposed.
Seeing that, Lee Ha-jun raised his fist high.
"Not gonna talk, huh? Guess I have no choice but to do this."
"...Just hit me! Better than dying! I can't say!"
At Tubby's words, Lee Ha-jun raised his fist high and said,
"For the record, I'm a D-rank Hero."
"...For real? Y-You're a hero?"
"Yeah."
"..."
At that, Tubby quickly opened his mouth and yelled.
"W-We were sent by Isaiah!"
"Isaiah...?"
"You live here, so you must know! Angel Isaiah! That crazy psycho junkie bastard!! He told us to investigate around here!! Because weird stuff's happening in the area!!"
"Yeah?"
Lee Ha-jun lowered the fist he'd raised high.
He'd gotten all the info he could from Tubby.
The dragons gave their impressions of Lee Ha-jun.
"Why didn't he hit him! If you raise your fist, hit him! So frustrating!"
"It was because of the trouble we caused that those two came. Things seem to be getting more serious than we thought."
"A forceful Dad is pretty cool too!"
Each muttering their own thoughts.
Anyway.
Lee Ha-jun switched targets and asked Scrawny.
"That all? Just sent to investigate?"
"Yeah, to be honest... We got guns shoved in our faces and threatened too. It's bullshit. Isaiah always does shit like that. You're a hero, right? Can't you just take that bastard away? He's getting worse because he thinks he's king."
"Hmm."
Lee Ha-jun thought it over.
Wondering what to do.
'...Say I silence them and send them off. Would that make this district safe?'
No.
Even if not, they'd probably keep investigating.
The fact that they sent investigators meant they already suspected something here.
Even if things stayed quiet for a bit, they'd want to check inside the villa.
"This won't do."
"W-what?"
"Isaiah. I need to meet him."
"It'll be dangerous..."
"No choice."
He'd tried to live quietly in hiding.
But no helping it.
This needed resolving.
Lee Ha-jun untied Tubby and Scrawny.
"You guys guide me this time. To where Isaiah is."
"Y-Yes...! Got it...! Hero Lee Ha-jun...!"
Tubby and Scrawny quickly tried to start leading the way.
"Hey! They're coming this way!"
"Let's run quick."
"Back to the house!"
Pat pat pat—
The dragons hurried back home to avoid getting caught.
Then, they gathered in the living room and talked.
About what just happened.
"Dad got dragged into something. Because of us. It looked dangerous."
"We drew attention, didn't we?!"
"Probably..."
The mood sank.
The atmosphere was bad.
The dragons knew it was because of the trouble they'd caused.
That this had happened.
"Then let's help! We'll handle it!"
"If we cause more trouble, Dad'll be in even deeper shit."
What they could do now.
"Wait quietly for Dad to come back."
Trust and wait.
They had to trust and wait for the dad taking on danger for them.
Suryeon judged the situation rationally.
Biting her lip, suppressing her emotions as much as possible.
"That's the best we can do."
"Ugh, so frustrating!"
"I hope Dad doesn't get hurt..."
The dragons waited for Dad like that.
Worried he wouldn't get hurt.
They came to know well how Lee Ha-jun saw them.
***
Tubby and Scrawny sure could talk.
I just raised my fist to threaten them a bit, and they spilled everything that happened.
Sending punks like these back quietly would probably end badly.
'This judgment is the safest way to protect the kids.'
If things go wrong.
Well, cross that bridge when we come to it.
I followed Tubby and Scrawny to the central district.
Every step on the street assaulted my nose with ammonia stench and thick, polluted air.
Homeless junkies attacked my eyes too.
'Gotta make money quick and move out.'
Coming to the central district after so long confirmed it.
Needed to escape this district fast.
Unless some massive force intervened.
This place seemed hopeless.
"H-Here. Hero Lee Ha-jun."
Scrawny stopped in front of a door and said.
I eyed the sturdy door and asked.
"Isaiah's inside? That junkie?"
"Yes. But there'll be other junkies too, so be careful. They'll all have guns."
"..."
That was kinda scary.
Never tested if bullets would pierce me or not.
'Damn, shoulda been more careful from the start. What a mess.'
Still.
If your kid causes an accident you can't handle.
Parents gotta clean it up.
Thinking there was no choice, I knocked on the sturdy door.
Bang bang—!
"I got business with Isaiah. Open up. Tubby and Scrawny's with me."
-What's the business?
"Got something to discuss with Isaiah. Mind making time? Oh, and I'm a hero."
-...Wait a sec.
A deep voice echoed from inside.
'By the way, they really get called Tubby and Scrawny.'
Sticks in your mouth annoyingly well.
After waiting a bit like that.
"Come in."
The sturdy door opened.
I passed the huge guy who'd opened it and headed inside the building.
"Boss is inside. Mind your manners."
"What manners in the hood? Not central district, but I've lived here 10 years. I got this."
"..."
I opened the inner door and went in.
Inside, Isaiah greeted me by aiming his gun.
Must've made bank—guy was decked in gold jewelry.
Jealous.
"Heard a precious hero's got words for me. What's up? I got nothing to say."
Swipe—
Isaiah turned his gaze to Tubby and Scrawny.
Smart one—must've connected the dots.
"You the one behind all that?"
"...Well, exaggerated maybe. But yeah, pretty much."
Ignoring Isaiah's pistol, I sat on the sofa.
The drug stench was seriously unpleasant.
Anyway.
"You investigated that area just cuz some junkie said so?"
"Type who needs to shoot a corpse again to feel sure it's dead."
Hmm.
After a short chat with Isaiah.
One thing was clear.
'Gonna clash with him eventually.'
Ambitious, meticulous, thorough type.
If I just leave, he'll surveil my villa and wait for an opening.
To a junkie like him, a hero's just a nuisance.
'Didn't expect to rack up achievements like this.'
No helping it.
I stood from the sofa and said,
"Tubby, Scrawny—out."
"Y-Yes!"
Quick-witted Scrawny dragged Tubby outside.
Then Isaiah let out a disbelieving laugh.
"Ha, you dumb fuck. You saying you're gonna fight and beat me? Some no-name hero thinks he can take me?"
"You're not an Awakener."
"Right, not an Awakener. But what about this?"
Isaiah pressed a button on the wall.
Boom—!
A transparent glass wall rose between me and Isaiah.
Looked like specially treated reinforced glass from the thickness.
Then the wall opened like a door, and a creepy beast growl came from inside.
Grrrrowl— grrr—
That growl stuck in my memory.
"No way, Werewolf?"
"You know it. The monster that'll chew you up today—Werewolf."
Isaiah smirked like he'd already won.
'Definitely lethal to a normie. Even low-rank hero'd be in danger.'
Werewolves are strong.
I learned that the hard way, nearly dying.
But right now, irrelevant to me.
"Kill him, Werewolf."
Groooar—!!
Werewolf charged at Isaiah's command.
I just stared at it calmly.
It met my eyes.
Then,
Yip, yip—
It fled to the corner and curled up.
Wrong matchup.
"Tough luck. How'd you prepare something like this against me."
"W-What? Why's the starved Werewolf suddenly..."
Isaiah panicking.
Before he could run, I punched the glass wall.
Crash—!!
Then I grabbed his collar.
"You shouldn't have taken interest in my home."
"Wh-what the—"
"Take a beating first. You stole my time."
Time with my daughters.
So, I beat him till he passed out.
Snagging a gold ring from between his fingers midway.
'Honestly jealous.'
And his underlings...
"F-Fuck! Werewolf inside! How's that bastard alive!"
Couldn't charge me because of the Werewolf.
Like that, I protected my nest from intruders today.
***
The one-room silent, no sounds.
Only the anxious dragons' heartbeats echoing.
They sat still, waiting for Lee Ha-jun.
Step— step—
At the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, they jumped up.
Then waited for the front door to open.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The kids stared at the front door.
And the moment the door opened with the key sound.
"Dad!"
"...He's back."
"Dad! Welcome home!"
They rushed to greet him and checked his body.
Lee Ha-jun smirked at the sight and said,
"What're you worrying for? Nothing happened."
Let's eat.
A bit late today.