Chapter 99
Chapter 99
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Pied Piper (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The children were heading somewhere, drawn by the white smoke.
Even though they were unconscious, they walked straight toward their destination.
Hwaryeon frowned as she watched the kids staggering along, chasing the smoke.
"Ugh, what is that? They look totally creepy."
The children drooled as they pursued the smoke.
Was it because they had lost their freedom and were moving at someone else's command?
Hwaryeon found the sight quite unpleasant.
"Hmph, they look like total idiots! Getting controlled by some other being! You guys are total failures as humans!"
Hwoop-!
Hwaryeon shrieked and overtook the kids, who had turned into puppets.
Her expression soured as she raced toward the source of the smoke.
"I don't like this! How dare they control my minions without my permission! They're my minions!"
Grit-
Hwaryeon scowled fiercely and ran down the smoke-filled corridor.
"There are pesky humans in the way?! Dragon Jet Kick!"
"Kugh-!"
She took out the humans patrolling the corridor one by one.
Hwaryeon shouted as she threw a punch at a man blocking her path.
"Dragon Punch!"
"Kuhk-! H-How does a damn kid have this kind of power..."
"I'm not a damn kid! You stupid human! Dragon Double-Handed Punch!"
"Kugh-!"
And so.
She dealt with all the humans blocking her way.
Finally, Hwaryeon arrived in front of a room where white smoke billowed out through the gap of a firmly shut door.
"Is this the place! The one calling to me!"
Hwaryeon crossed her arms and examined the door sternly.
"Hmm, it's just a normal door! So what's inside that's making the smoke?"
Tilt-
Hwaryeon stared intently at the door.
But that only lasted a moment.
A massive vibration came from the path she had bulldozed through.
Rumble rumble rumble-!
"W-What's that! Why are they suddenly running! They're coming this way!?"
"Uuuuugh..."
"Eek!"
Hwaryeon's minions charged through the white smoke.
Startled, Hwaryeon quickly grabbed the door handle.
Creeeak-!
"Don't come! You idiots!"
Bang-!
Hwaryeon slammed the door shut on the approaching kids.
She leaned against the steel door and caught her breath.
"Hoo, why did they suddenly start sprinting like crazy! You scared me!"
But her relief was short-lived.
Bang bang bang-!
"Uwaaak!"
The pursuing kids pounded on the steel door.
Hwaryeon desperately held the door shut and yelled.
"Why are you humans so persistent!! So annoying!!"
Heave ho-
She barely kept the door closed and locked the latch.
Only then could Hwaryeon finally relax.
"Sigh, if it's gonna be like this, I shouldn't have come! Fighting is fun, but I can't hit these guys!"
Thud-
Hwaryeon sat down on the floor to catch her breath for a bit.
She leaned against the wall, looked up, and gazed ahead.
There sat a machine like an exhaust pipe spewing white smoke.
"What's that?"
Perk-
Hwaryeon approached the machine with the curiosity of a cat.
She circled it a few times and reached a conclusion.
"Hmm, this seems to be where that weird smoke is coming from! I just need to smash it, right?"
Swoosh-
Hwaryeon raised her fist high to destroy the machine.
And then.
"Ei!"
The moment she swung her tiny fist down.
"Who's there!?"
She sensed a presence that had suddenly appeared beside her and pulled back her fist.
"If I'd swung that, my arm would've been sent to a new era!"
Hwoop-!
Hwaryeon whipped her head toward the direction of the mana reaction.
'Is that a robot...?!'
It resembled a robot she'd seen on TV or in cartoons.
Confirming the mana it contained, Hwaryeon wiped the smile from her face.
Even for a dragon, the mana in that robot was.
"I hate to admit it, but I might get in trouble if I mess with it!?"
It didn't look ordinary, even to Hwaryeon the Red Dragon.
"Ha, it's been a while since my blood's boiled!"
Grrrrr-!
Thrilled to face her favorite robot, Hwaryeon sharpened her claws and prepared for battle.
***
I arrived at the location Suryeon had texted me.
"Haa... This is freaking exhausting..."
I felt like I was dying from running so hard.
Anyway.
Fortunately, I met up with Suryeon there.
Suryeon panted as she looked at me and grumbled softly.
"Dad, you're late. I got tired waiting for you."
"Haa... This... is as fast as I could go... Suryeon..."
"Then I'll let it slide, Dad. Consider yourself lucky."
Suryeon clicked her tongue and reached out her hand to me.
"Come on, Dad. Hwaryeon-unnie and that one are waiting inside."
"Haa... Not 'that one'... Call her Choryeon..."
"That's my prerogative, Dad. Hurry up."
"Ugh, you stubborn girl."
Slide-
I took Suryeon's hand and headed inside.
She wouldn't say it out loud, but Suryeon seemed scared of this alley.
'She insists on holding my hand and waited for me here because she's scared.'
Even now, it was obvious.
Suryeon gripped my hand tightly with her tiny one, more than usual.
"Just how far did those idiot dragons go..."
Suryeon held my hand and walked, trying her best to shake off her fear.
Her effort to overcome her trauma was admirable, so I decided not to tease her this time.
'I want to, but it's not the situation for it.'
Things might be way worse than I thought.
The safety of my kids comes first, and I have to protect the kindergarteners too.
And so, Suryeon and I left the dark alley, emerged onto an open road, and arrived at a rundown building.
Big guys were already passed out there.
"Looks like they had a field day."
"Yeah, especially Hwaryeon-unnie. Look at that human who flew off into the distance."
"...Yeah."
Who knew a human could become one with the wall like that.
I'd learned something new.
"They probably all went downstairs. Let's go, Suryeon."
"Okay, Dad."
Clack clack-
Suryeon and I cautiously descended to the basement.
We walked the wide underground corridor, scanning the surroundings for the kids.
"Suryeon."
"Yeah, Dad?"
"Do you sense any presences?"
"Nope. It's quiet. But I smell something."
"What smell?"
"Mangmung's foot stink."
Mangmung's funky foot odor, huh.
That scent does stick in your memory.
Suryeon grabbed my hand and dashed forward.
"This way, Dad. Just follow me."
"Got it, Suryeon. Not the best time to say this, but you're really reliable."
"...Save the praise for later, Dad."
Huff-
Suryeon turned her head forward, ears red, and ran hard.
We passed the mess Hwaryeon had made and followed Suryeon down the corridor.
"Tch, found them. Mangmung and Choryeon are over there."
Suryeon spotted Choryeon standing far ahead and waved.
I approached Choryeon, who was staring at the wall, and called out.
"Choryeon!"
"Oh, Father? When did you get here?"
"Nowhere hurt?"
"Nope, I'm perfectly healthy, Father."
Slide-
Choryeon turned toward me as she said that.
Then, the person hidden behind her came into view.
And I couldn't help but be flustered.
'...What... what is this?'
A man passed out on the floor.
What on earth had Choryeon done to him?
I pointed at the strangely adorned man and asked Choryeon.
"...Choryeon."
"Yes, Father?"
"What were you doing to this guy?"
"Hmm..."
Choryeon pondered for a moment, then beamed brightly.
"I was turning him into a vegetable person!"
"...By sticking flowers in a passed-out guy?"
"Yep!"
Choryeon smiled as brightly as the flowers stuck in the man.
The unconscious man was covered head to toe in flowers courtesy of Choryeon.
"Looks like he's still breathing, at least..."
"Hehe..."
"Choryeon, mind telling me why you committed this... er, did this?"
"Well, you see!"
Whoosh-!
Choryeon hugged Mangmung, who had been guarding her feet, and explained.
"Me and Mangmung couldn't fight! So we were supposed to go with Hwaryeon-unnie, but she suddenly ran off alone, so we had no choice but to stay put and wait for you!"
"Hm, and then?"
"While waiting for you... I got bored... so I thought I'd do something! I turned this human into a vegetable person! Like painting a picture!"
"A painting, huh..."
Hm.
Looking closely, she had put some thought into the color scheme of the flower arrangement.
Like a painting, indeed.
I stroked Choryeon's head and said.
"You really have a great artistic sense, Choryeon."
"Hehe, thanks! Father!"
"You did well waiting quietly for me to arrive."
Still, praise where it's due.
I stroked Choryeon's head and praised her.
After a moment.
"Ahem, Dad. This isn't the time for this. Don't you think Hwaryeon-unnie might be in danger?"
Suryeon cleared her throat and started worrying about Hwaryeon.
She had a point, so I removed my hand from Choryeon's head.
"You're right. Not the time, like you said."
"..."
Was she upset about the interruption?
Choryeon glared at Suryeon, but.
This wasn't the time for our little squabbles.
"Let's find Hwaryeon. We need to deal with this white smoke too. Mangmung!"
"Mang mang!"
"Guide us to Hwaryeon!"
"Mang mang!"
Dash dash dash-
Mangmung plunged into the white smoke the moment I finished speaking.
Seeing that, me and the dragons followed behind Mangmung.
"Let's go, kids!"
To find the last piece of our family puzzle, Hwaryeon.
We raced down the long corridor, following the white smoke.
"...For some reason, I smell blood."
"...Yeah. I sense a huge mana presence ahead."
"..."
I gulped down the saliva born of unease and tension as Suryeon and Choryeon spoke, and quickened my steps.