Chapter 606: Dragon Raid (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 606: Dragon Raid (4)
A wide dining table was laden with an array of dishes, each one whetting the appetite at a mere glance.
Among the several people seated, two were chatting warmly.
“Hmm… The food here is quite excellent.”
“Huhu, I’m glad it’s to your liking.”
“The lack of meat is a bit of a shame.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them to include more meat next time.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“It’s nothing.”
The Saintess spoke softly and gently, while Irina was cool and direct.
The others watching were so stunned they couldn’t tell if the food was going into their mouths or their noses.
“To think I’d live to see the day those two would have a conversation…”
“Live long enough and you’ll see everything, haha.”
Angela and Merlin murmured, their gazes trailing the two with dazed expressions.
Their reaction was understandable.
And for good reason. The Vatican Orthodox Church and Russia weren’t exactly on the best of terms.
It wasn’t an overt animosity, but more like… Russia was subtly pushing the Orthodox Church away?
As proof, the number of Orthodox Church branches in Russia was small enough to count on one hand.
In fact, there were more branches in Korea than in all of Russia.
I’d heard about various incidents.
Things like local residents protesting the construction of a new branch.
Or construction being postponed indefinitely due to a sudden accident.
Or the construction permit being revoked for no reason at all.
People hushed it up, but anyone with a bit of sense knew the truth.
That the Russian government was behind it all.
Faith is belief.
And belief leads to loyalty.
That was what the Russian government hated.
They wanted the people’s faith and belief directed solely toward them.
And the man who held the real power in the current Russian government was Boris Orlov.
Irina’s adoptive father.
That was precisely why Merlin and Angela were so surprised.
They weren’t mortal enemies, but it was surprising enough that a guardian from a nation on poor terms had come to Vatican City. To see her having a rather friendly conversation with its leader, the Saintess, was another matter entirely.
After finishing her meal with a rather pleased expression, Irina’s eyes swept over the faces of those seated around the table.
“So, is everyone here participating in the raid?”
“Everyone except the Saintess.”
“Hmm, why?”
“She’s so busy, she can’t afford to be away.”
“Is that so…”
Irina nodded, her tone laced with disappointment.
I felt the same way.
Ju-yeon could partially fill the Saintess’s role, but her skills were centered on buffs.
It would be difficult for her to completely cover for the Saintess, whose strength lay in healing.
“Since we’ll be working together, however briefly, let’s start with introductions.”
Shaking off her fleeting disappointment, she rose from her seat and raised her voice.
“My name is Irina Borisovna Orlova. I’m thirty. An S-rank Hunter from Russia.”
She continued, her hand resting on her beloved sword, Snow Bringer, at her hip.
“My position is melee dealer. I can also be quite effective as a debuffer.”
Her combat style was quite vicious.
The immense chill radiating from Snow Bringer seeped into the bodies of nearby enemies.
Plagued by the biting cold, their movements and reaction speeds would drop significantly.
And those slowed enemies would then fall to Irina’s blade.
It was one of the reasons she had established herself as one of the world’s top Hunters.
With great pride in her abilities, she continued.
“I can assure you, I will not hold any of you back. The same should be true in reverse.”
Her icy gaze froze everyone present.
Finally, she spoke.
“You had better not hold me back, either. I have no desire to clean up after others, especially outside my own country.”
The air grew cold, belying the weather.
Did her words wound their pride?
Not at all.
To be wounded by such a statement would be to admit you were just that weak.
But everyone gathered here had one thing in common: immense pride in their own abilities.
Angela’s lips curled into an amused smile as she responded to the introduction.
“I’m Angela. Position: tanker. Don’t worry, I won’t be holding anyone back.”
“Hmm.”
The two women faced each other.
Those who had reached a certain level of mastery could tell just by looking into someone’s eyes.
They could tell if the other’s words were empty boasts or backed by true skill.
Realizing the truth in Angela’s words, Irina gave a satisfied nod and turned to the next person.
“I am Merlin.”
“A name I’ve heard before. You wield space magic, I take it?”
“Mm… yes, I do.”
Merlin swallowed a groan and nodded.
It was obvious. He was clearly annoyed that a woman younger than him was speaking so informally, but she was too powerful for him to dare say anything.
She continued.
“I’ve heard it’s a very useful type of magic. I’ll look forward to seeing you in action. Next…”
Her gaze fell upon Ju-yeon.
“I’m Han Ju-yeon. I’ll be supporting everyone from the rear as a buffer and healer. I’ll be in your care, okay?”
She finished her introduction with a radiant smile.
Unlike with the previous two, whom she had moved past quickly, Irina’s gaze remained fixed on Ju-yeon.
“…I know it’s rude to say this when we’ve just met, but you.”
“……?”
“You seem incredibly gloomy.”
A startled Ju-yeon asked with a look of surprise.
“Me?”
Irina nodded firmly.
“Yes, you. You pretend otherwise on the surface, but you’re quite devious on the inside.”
A faint smile played on her lips as she spoke.
“Just like me.”
“……”
The way their gazes met was anything but ordinary.
It was as if they were having a silent conversation, but I couldn’t guess its contents.
Anyway, Irina and Ju-yeon are similar…? I didn’t think so.
Ju-yeon’s stiff expression relaxed, and she smiled again as she replied to Irina.
“You shouldn’t carelessly try to peer into a woman’s heart.”
“My apologies if I offended you. I’m rather inept at conversation, so it seems I’ve made a mistake.”
“Heehee… Please be more careful next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hmm…
She seems angry, doesn’t she?
* * *
No matter how skilled they were, it was impossible to achieve perfect teamwork in a real battle just from brief introductions.
So, before the raid proper, they took some time to practice together.
I wasn’t planning on going anywhere too difficult.
Just a place suitable for gauging each other’s skills.
“How about we do a few light runs through some S-rank dungeons?”
Merlin chided me for the suggestion.
“You call that ‘light,’ you brat?”
“Of course.”
Kim Do-jin genuinely thought so.
Not all S-ranks were created equal.
The wall separating the highest and lowest tiers of S-rank was even thicker than the one between A-rank and S-rank.
And everyone gathered here was a top-tier S-rank.
“With this lineup, if we ran into trouble in an S-rank dungeon, wouldn't that be a problem in and of itself?”
He wasn’t wrong.
In the end, they used the Vatican Orthodox Church to propose the dungeon clearings to the Italian government, an offer that was readily accepted.
S-rank dungeons were a nuisance that could only be cleared by S-rank Hunters.
What could be better than having foreign S-rank Hunters—who could get hurt without consequence to Italy—solve such problems instead of their own precious Hunters?
As it happened, there were five S-rank dungeons across Italy waiting to be cleared.
Kim Do-jin and his party members cleared every single one.
And in just three days.
Even that was only because of the long travel times between them.
Had the dungeons been closer together, they probably would have finished within two days.
In the process, Irina came to understand.
The skill of the teammates she would be fighting alongside.
And the true worth of Kim Do-jin, the man who had brought them all here.
‘A man worth coveting.’
His skill was, without question, exceptional.
Sword and magic.
Not only did he eliminate the constraints of distance through his flawless skill in both, but he was an all-rounder who excelled in attack, defense, and movement with the versatility of his magic.
Add to that his insight for piercing through an enemy’s weaknesses.
His tenacity in exploiting those weaknesses, and his caution, never assuming victory until the very last moment.
He was always like that.
“…It’s like he was born to be a Hunter.”
A hero born to fight the monsters that threaten humanity.
Or something more.
Seeing this, even the small embers of doubt remaining in her heart were completely extinguished.
A dragon raid?
‘It might just be possible.’
With him, it seemed possible.
With him, a man who always performed perfectly at the right place and the right time.
With him, who supported her perfectly despite having only fought together a few times.
She felt she, too, could fight even more fiercely.
‘And that’s why he is so desirable.’
It wasn’t love or lust.
She simply wanted to possess Kim Do-jin, the man himself.
For her own sake in the not-so-distant future.
‘To do that…’
First, she had to see this through.
She would perform exceptionally in the dragon raid and carve her existence into his mind.
As she was finishing her late dinner with these thoughts in mind.
Kim Do-jin, who had finished his meal earlier, spoke to those gathered at the table.
“Tomorrow, we will finally head to where the dragon was discovered.”
Tomorrow was the day.
The day they would set out to hunt the dragon.
Angela asked.
“Where did you say we were going?”
Kim Do-jin answered.
“Switzerland.”
Switzerland.
To be precise, the Alps, the long mountain range stretching across the region.
Surprisingly, the fire-breathing red dragon had hidden its nest on a mountain covered in year-round snow.