Chapter 607: Dragon Raid (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 607: Dragon Raid (5)
The Alps.
A massive mountain range stretching across several countries, including France, Switzerland, Italy, and Germany.
One of Europe's most famous tourist destinations.
That was why it was so hard to believe.
There's an old saying: to hide a tree, use a forest; to hide a person, use a crowd. But a dragon hiding among the throngs of tourists?
It would be strange to believe such a thing so easily.
The Pope had felt the same way.
When he first heard the information from his Paladins, who were like his own limbs, he couldn't readily accept it. He had them repeat the search several times before they obtained meaningful results.
Only then was he able to pass the request on to Kim Do-jin.
At the same time, he became certain.
A dragon with stealth skills so exceptional it could hide among humans for decades wouldn't suddenly reveal its tracks without a reason. It had to be a ploy to lure him in.
Some might ask, why walk willingly into the enemy's trap?
Unfortunately, there was a reason.
‘A dragon is a calamity in and of itself.’
A dragon. A disaster for humanity. And this one had lost its father to humans, a species it considered mere prey.
It was a being that would, one way or another, bring great harm to humankind.
If so, wouldn't it be better to hunt it while it was still young?
Besides, the moment the dragon revealed itself, the Pope was left with no other choice.
What if he were to die without confronting it?
There was no telling how the dragon would act once its primary target of revenge—the Pope himself—was gone.
Thus, to sever the chain of resentment he had created, the Pope sent Kim Do-jin.
And Kim Do-jin, in turn, had gathered his own people and come here to achieve his own objectives.
“Whoa, it's chilly.”
The moment he stepped off the plane, a biting cold seized his body.
It felt like the dead of winter, or perhaps even colder.
But to Kim Do-jin and the others, it was merely brisk.
The powerful mana within their bodies naturally prevented any drastic drop in their body temperature.
Irina, in particular, didn't feel the cold at all.
“The wind is quite refreshing.”
She even commented that the Vatican had been too hot and that this temperature was perfect for her.
It was only natural. She had spent her entire life in the permafrost, where the snow never melts.
Even more so, considering the power of the sword she wielded.
“The air is so clean. It wouldn't be bad to live in a place like this after I retire.”
“Dream on. You think the British Royal Family would ever let you go?”
“Hmph...”
Merlin and Angela chatted as they breathed in the crisp mountain air.
Han Ju-yeon, the last to get off the plane, came up beside Kim Do-jin and gently pressed her shoulder against his.
“Did you know, Brother-in-law?”
It was a dangerous habit. A bad habit, if you could call it that—calling him 'Brother-in-law' when others were not far off.
Whenever she did, a faint blush would grace her cheeks, as if she savored the sense of immorality.
“What is it?”
Kim Do-jin asked with a wry smile, and she answered in an even more suggestive voice.
“Switzerland... is a very popular honeymoon destination...♥”
As she subtly leaned her weight against him, he could clearly feel the soft, full sensation.
It was strange.
Hadn't he caressed those breasts so many times before?
Yet, just from the touch of her arm against his, even through layers of clothing, why was he getting so worked up?
He whispered into the ear of the woman who kept provoking him.
“After the raid, I'm going to fuck you until you're half-dead, so be ready.”
“Ahng...♥”
Han Ju-yeon responded with a plaintive moan.
Ever since she had taken Kim Do-jin—no, Son Si-woo—for herself, she no longer hesitated.
A woman sleeping with her own sister's husband?
She couldn't care less.
No, in fact, she liked it.
She could act like an animal without any restraint, because there was no lower she could fall.
‘That's right. I'm an animal.’
She repeated it to herself, wrapping her arms around Kim Do-jin's arm. Tightly.
A way to seek affection, or perhaps to relieve her anxiety.
He didn't know which was the greater reason, but whenever she did this, Kim Do-jin would quietly accept it.
Her anxiety wasn't a burden for her to bear alone; it was a weight he had to carry with her.
Whenever this anxiety surfaced, they would both ask themselves: Do you regret it? If you could turn back time, would you change your choice?
And every time, they both declared, ‘No.’
Even if they had known they would be plagued by this anxiety, they would not have changed their decision.
That was how irresistibly drawn to each other they were.
After letting the warmth passing between their arms quell her anxiety, he spoke.
“Shall we go?”
“...Yes.”
Their destination was a hotel arranged in advance by the Orthodox Church.
* * *
There isn't much time. Not for me, and not for the people gathered here.
That's just how it is for S-rank Hunters.
If we're gone for too long, someone else has to cover for us.
Especially when you're talking about the wizard of the British Royal Family or the guardian of Russia. It goes without saying how much effort it takes for others to fill the void left by such big names.
That's why, as soon as we arrived at the hotel, we got straight to business, listening to the report from the Paladins who had been dispatched earlier on the Pope's orders while we had dinner.
“Where exactly was the dragon's location identified?”
A Paladin answered my question.
“Near the summit of the Matterhorn, about 10 kilometers south of Zermatt, Switzerland.”
I read the information about the Matterhorn in the report they had prepared.
One of the peaks of the Alps, situated on the border between Switzerland and Italy, with an altitude of 4,478 meters.
It was once a popular goal for professional mountaineers, but now, no one is permitted to enter.
The reason was that after a rift appeared, the temperature near the summit of the Matterhorn had plummeted so drastically that an ordinary person would freeze to death in less than a day.
“Hmm.”
Through the wide window, I could see a dense fog. Hidden within it stood the majestic Matterhorn.
To me, the magnificent sight looked distinctly artificial.
“...This isn't natural fog.”
I could see traces of dense mana woven into the thick fog.
This meant someone had created it artificially using mana.
Indeed, the report stated that the fog had rolled in a month ago and hadn't cleared since.
Nine times out of ten, the one who created this fog had to be the dragon hiding inside.
Shaking my head at the thought that this wouldn't be easy, I asked another question.
“What's the evacuation status of the local residents?”
“We began the process a month ago. As of now, everyone except for a handful of essential personnel has been moved to shelters we've prepared. The remaining individuals will also be evacuated the moment the operation begins.”
So, I don't have to worry about civilian casualties.
“The exact location?”
“We discovered a small rift about 300 meters from the summit of the Matterhorn.”
“A rift...”
According to the report, the small rift serves as a kind of passageway.
Someone who went inside described it as a vast forest constantly battered by powerful cold waves...
“And the dragon is hiding somewhere in there?”
“Circumstantially, yes.”
Probably.
There was one thing I didn't understand.
A location like that should have been well within the range of the detectors installed throughout Switzerland.
“Why wasn't this rift discovered until now?”
“Well... the spot where the rift formed was a perfect blind spot, just out of reach of the nearby detectors. The mana concentration emanating from the rift itself is also quite low. On top of that, the area around it is completely covered in snow and ice, making visual detection nearly impossible.”
How convenient.
No, perhaps it chose this location precisely because it was so convenient.
Convenient enough for a Red Dragon, which should prefer a volcano a hundred, even a thousand times more than a snowy mountain, to decide to hide here.
Maybe even the abnormal drop in temperature near the Matterhorn's summit was part of its scheme to keep people away.
I continued to extract all the necessary information from the Paladin.
Then, I started mentally listing the supplies we would need to prepare.
Cold-weather gear to withstand the abnormal temperatures that even Hunters would find difficult to endure.
A generous supply of food to sustain us during the search.
And various other equipment.
Listing it all out, the amount was substantial.
Enough that it would significantly hinder our mobility even if we split the load among ourselves.
However, this problem was solved in an instant.
“You're worried about the weight of luggage when I am here?”
Thanks to old man Merlin, who made his presence known with a voice full of pride.
Right. We had a master of spatial magic with us.
He said to the Paladin.
“All the items that fellow just mentioned, bring plenty of them. At least double the amount.”
“Understood.”
Double the amount.
With that much, we wouldn't have the misfortune of running out of supplies and having to turn back.
Just as I was once again appreciating the outstanding utility of spatial magic and thinking I should really learn it properly...
“There is one thing I do not understand.”
Irina, who had been listening quietly, posed a question to us.
“This place is tantamount to a weakness for a Red Dragon. Setting aside the reason it chose to hide here despite that...”
Her cool, sharp gaze swept over everyone present.
“What is its intention in luring us into a space where it cannot use its full power?”
“......”
An unexpected conundrum brought our steps to a halt.