Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: 1-1. The Hyena Dreaming of Retirement
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“Phew…….”
I let out a sigh without realizing it. At that, Suiel, who had been smirking, bristled up.
“Hey! What’s with that sigh? You looking down on me just ‘cause I’m a low angel?”
“No, ma’am.”
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen an angel before. Aren’t you a ten-year veteran hyena?”
“Would a hyena like me ever have the chance to meet angels?”
“Fair point. Guess I overestimated you.”
Her counter to my sigh came flying back instantly.
“Well, since I owe you one this time, I’ll let that rudeness slide.”
Suiel plopped down on the sofa in front of me and draped her arm arrogantly over the armrest. Her girl-next-door looks made her haughtiness come off as downright cute.
“Anyway, thanks for this time. My kids owe you big. That’s why I made time for you, even with my busy schedule.”
She put special emphasis on “busy.”
I knew damn well she had nothing going on today. Did shopping count as work? This angel was becoming harder and harder to trust in all sorts of ways.
“Even though you got into it with my kids, you still saved them. I respect you for that.”
“Oh? You knew about that?”
“Of course. You think I’m an idiot? Those two punks think they hid it well, but I’ll deal with them soon enough. With some loving discipline from yours truly. Heh heh heh!”
I didn’t want to know the details.
Looks like I’d made a pretty good impression.
That explained why she’d agreed to meet a hyena like me so readily.
“Anyway, enough with the pleasantries. What’s the real reason you’re here today? I hope your efforts for my kids pay off.”
“I have a question.”
Suiel raised one eyebrow and nodded for me to go ahead.
Every little gesture of hers was pretty and charming. Angels really were angels. If a low angel was like this, what must an archangel be like?
“I want to know about another angel.”
“Who?”
It was a sensitive topic, so I caught my breath before saying it.
“Metatron.”
“What?”
Suiel jolted in surprise, half-rising from her seat.
“Why her? You seriously asking something this ridiculous?”
She referred to Metatron as “that bitch.”
I knew even other angels were wary of her, but she was way above a low angel, wasn’t she?
From what I knew, Metatron was number one among the prestigious archangels.
“Is it okay to call her ‘that bitch’?”
“…Maybe not. There’s some history. My bad.”
From her evasive explanation, it turned out her superior, Archangel Michaela, had once been insulted as a coward by Metatron.
Suiel seemed to admire Michaela greatly.
That must be why she felt so negatively about her.
“I see.”
“Yeah. So this topic makes me uncomfortable. Hmph!”
Suiel turned her head away sharply, signaling she didn’t want to say more.
But I had to hear it.
Even if I had to coax and cajole her.
“Still, I’d appreciate an answer to my curiosity. Isn’t this your way of repaying me today?”
“Check out the thick skin on this hyena. You’ve been way too casual with me from the start.”
“Aren’t angels supposed to be friendly and kind to humans? Even if you’re not real angels, if you’re claiming to be, you should treat humans that way. And calling me a hyena is hardly angelic behavior.”
Pushing back with straight talk left Suiel speechless, like she’d swallowed honey.
Then she promptly apologized honestly.
“Sorry.”
She had a refreshingly straightforward side. Rumor had it some angels had twisted or nasty personalities.
Take Metatron, the center of this topic—she went by bitch, dog-bitch, that bitch.
Quite the lavish and consistent set of nicknames.
“You know, I don’t get why you’re interested in that bi—er, Metatron, but you’d be wise to drop it. Her wings are black like a crow’s. Her heart’s gotta be just as shady.”
That was the usual worldly judgment.
My perspective was a bit different. Before coming here, I’d dug deep into Metatron and noticed something peculiar.
“But I think this: maybe we’re the ones painting her with our expectations and prejudices.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Simple. Was Metatron really evil?
It was true she didn’t act the way we expected or hoped. But reviewing records of her, she’d never harmed humans directly.
A few massive city destructions stained her reputation, but monsters were always involved.
I explained she probably wasn’t the monster rumors made her out to be.
I broke down past incidents one by one, adding my own insights.
“Of course, she does seem like a nasty-tempered angel.”
“Hoo…….”
Suiel’s face lit up with genuine interest.
Or rather, her expression changed completely from before. I could even sense admiration.
“A hyena with some intriguing views. Yeah, so you’re saying Metatron isn’t black—we just see her that way.”
“Something like that.”
Suiel leaned back against the sofa and propped her chin on her small hand.
“I heard you’ve been a hyena for ten years. Figures it’s no accident. You’re way better than my kids.”
“What do you mean?”
Suiel, who’d been lost in serious thought for a moment, soon flashed her bright smile again.
Back to that shopping-face from earlier.
“Intriguing. Been a while since I’ve seen someone worthwhile. …Alright. Maybe a lowly hyena like you could stir things up with her. Ask what you want.”
Jackpot.
She’d given permission.
I’d prepared my questions about her in advance. I asked what happened to Metatron’s followers, if the rumors about her were true, and a few other things.
After I promised to keep it secret, Suiel shared more details than expected.
The info was shocking. But even Suiel didn’t seem to fully grasp Metatron. When I pointed that out, she shrugged.
“Even the archangels don’t know Metatron’s schemes. They fear whether she’s a traitor to us angels or not.”
“Even the archangels fear her?”
“They have to. She’s the strongest angel, after all. Hate to admit it, but even my Michaela has to yield a step.”
She’s one dirty strong bitch, Suiel added.
“Sorry I couldn’t help more. That’s all I know.”
“No, this was hugely helpful. And I know stories like this can’t be bought.”
It wasn’t just a simple thank-you.
For some reason, what I’d said had touched Suiel’s heart. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have spilled even for billions.
“You get it. Can’t buy an angel with money. Hohoho, you’re growing on me. Wanna join my family?”
I refused, of course. Suiel looked genuinely disappointed.
“You sure about that?”
Suiel blinked with an adorably shocked expression. Watching her, her lethal cuteness made my heart ache.
Where’d this aegyo come from all of a sudden?
S-stop that? That look like I’m tasty prey……
“By the way. I heard your family’s pretty lacking, but you seem to be living well?”
“Tch, changing the subject, huh? Fine. Yeah, my family’s weak no matter how hard I try. Hohoho.”
Suiel’s family was lackluster due to her nature. As the Angel of the Earth, she had powers specialized in nurturing things.
She’d take in hunters, raise them quickly to rank 7, then transfer them to other families. That brought in serious cash.
“War isn’t just about hunters pushing back monsters. Few angels have that specialty besides me. So I went the financial support route. With my abilities, it’s hard to help my hunters specialize in combat if they want to. If you wanna be truly strong, join Michaela and master the light attribute.”
Michaela’s hunters were famous for their power.
They shredded even light-resistant monsters.
Anyang’s forward base held firm as an iron fortress thanks to her and her family.
“Wise choice.”
“Right? Hohoho.”
Suiel rested her chin on her hand and smiled smugly.
What an easily flattered personality.
Anyway, time to head out.
As I went to say goodbye, Suiel suddenly grabbed me.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Before you go, how about a fortune telling?”
“Fortune telling? Out of nowhere……”
Seemed like a bored whim, but I doubted any ulterior motive. Angels didn’t harm humans by default.
Might as well, like checking the horoscope in the paper.
“Sure.”
“Kyaa! Good choice. Time to dust off my skills.”
“What with? Tarot cards?”
That’s the western vibe, right?
But at “tarot,” Suiel freaked out.
“What? Tarot? That bastard child of the occult, lovechild of astrology and numerology, heretic of psychology? You mocking me again?”
“Eh?”
Was tarot held in such low regard?
Felt like I’d touched a nerve. Suiel soon unleashed a tirade.
“Tarot, that rootless thing not in any mysticism records before the 19th century? You know it was originally just educational cards for noble kids? Me? I’m doing something on a whole other level! Ever heard of numerology? Huh? A method with thousands of years of history. You comparing that to some messy tarot compiled by that Arthur Edward whatever in the modern era? Huh!”
She was pissed.
I had no clue about that stuff anyway……
And wasn’t it weird for her to talk history? She’d descended less than 20 years ago and here she was dissing tarot.
“Sorry. Numerology it is, then.”
“Hmph! This is why hyenas are no good. Think about why you can’t awaken as a hunter despite all that effort. You lack diligence.”
Totally off-topic.
Hunter awakening had nothing to do with effort. As someone obsessed with becoming a hunter who’d tried everything, I was confident. Who in Korea tried harder than me?
“Hmph hmph!”
Suiel snorted dramatically but prepared diligently. She pulled out a white A4 sheet and pen, scribbling my name.
Her handwriting was straight out of kindergarten.
Been a while since I’d seen such childish script.
Suiel scrawled “Yoo Jea” crookedly on the white paper.
“Numerology’s simple. Numbers reveal the essence of things, people’s futures, and fates. Numbers are the foundation of the universe. Numerology finds the path through them.”
Her pride in numerology was palpable.
“Everything in the universe can be unified and measured by numbers. You humans worship E=mc², right? What’s that if not defined by numbers?”
It started sounding plausible.
I felt some anticipation building. Let’s see.
“Ready? First, split ‘Yoo’ into ㅇ and ㅠ. ㅇ is 1 stroke, ㅠ is 3. Hehe! Adds up to 4!”
Hold on.
What the hell was this?
Suiel broke down my name into strokes, wrote the numbers, drew lines to sum them, then summed again.
“Isn’t this that kid’s game from when we were little?”
I couldn’t hold back and shouted. Suiel jumped in shock.
“What? Humans already know it?”
She looked shocked, like a kid whose secret got busted. Her eyes even teared up a bit.
Trembling.
“Humans stole my patent! How terrifying!”
The fact this wasn’t a joke scared me more.
“Humans are amazing. Can’t underestimate them.”
Suiel shook her head and refocused. She played with numbers for a while, then shot up with a cry of astonishment.
“Ooooooh! This is!”
“What? What came out?”
I got startled too and peered at the paper.