Chapter 47 — Oppa, I Waited So Long
Chapter 47 — Oppa, I Waited So Long
Translation: GodTL
'What... is this?'
I couldn't close my mouth at the astonishing spectacle unfolding in the sky.
I had already known that Sia was strong—so strong that comparing her to any ordinary Hunter would be downright disrespectful.
Still, isn't it said that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times?
I had only known she was strong. I had never actually witnessed Sia fighting at full strength.
Until now, I had only imagined—what if Sia were to fight seriously?
And now, that very scene was unfolding before my eyes.
Meteor.
Even an S-rank mage would struggle with it—the Meteor spell was notorious among mages for being notoriously difficult to cast.
Yet, just within my line of sight, there were already five of those colossal meteors.
Maintaining that many meteors alone would consume an enormous amount of mana, but Sia showed not the slightest sign of strain. Instead, she controlled them as effortlessly as if she were playing with marbles.
No matter how formidable Wyverns were, they wouldn't stand a chance against those meteors.
With just a single gesture from Sia, the Wyverns either staggered midair or plummeted straight to the ground—utter chaos.
But.
'If this keeps up...'
It would take only seconds for those Wyverns to die, but that wasn't the problem. If their corpses crashed into densely populated areas, the resulting casualties would be catastrophic.
Yet, just as I wondered if I should step in to prevent potential civilian casualties—
The falling Wyvern corpses suddenly floated midair before neatly stacking themselves, one by one, onto the rooftops of nearby buildings. Amidst the chaos, Sia continued striking the surviving Wyverns with her meteors without the slightest falter in control.
'......!'
And more than that.
At first, I had missed it, but as I observed the flow of battle, I realized something instinctively.
From the very beginning, Sia had been using Dragon Fear to paralyze the Wyverns' movements.
Despite being deadly monsters that had claimed the lives of countless Hunters, the Wyverns couldn't even muster the courage to flee—let alone mount a proper attack. They were frozen in place.
In that moment, there were only two kinds of Wyverns left.
Those that had already died and were falling—and those still alive but unable to move an inch.
Meanwhile, the meteors Sia had summoned—each the size of a house—soared through the sky like acrobats, while dazzling lights erupted dozens of times per second, unleashing an incomprehensible barrage of spells.
How long had this been going on?
Dozens of Wyverns—monsters that could have turned this entire district into a wasteland—were subdued in an instant, without even getting a chance to fight back.
All in just five minutes.
And all because they had dared to interrupt Sia's date.
"What the hell... is that?"
I had clearly told everyone to take shelter in the corner, yet a man's voice reached my ears from right beside me.
When I turned my head, I saw a man staring out the window, muttering in a dazed voice.
He must have quietly moved to the window after the battle started, watching the entire scene unfold.
'Seriously, I told you to stay put.'
There's always that kind of person—the one who just has to ignore warnings.
Thankfully, Sia had already taken care of everything. If she hadn't, this would've been a real headache.
But instead of scolding him for taking such a risk, I announced to everyone in the café that the situation had been resolved.
"You can all relax now. The situation's been dealt with, and the Gate seems to have closed."
People like him were always around, and there was no point in making a scene now that it was over.
"Phew..."
"Really? Already?"
At my words, the people sighed in relief, patting their chests before hesitantly returning to their seats.
"Guess it wasn't that dangerous of a Gate Break after all."
Not long after the situation had been resolved, a woman sitting behind me spoke to her friend.
But then—
The man who had been secretly watching everything from the window just moments ago suddenly cut in.
"Absolutely not! I saw it—that wasn't an ordinary Gate Break. I think Wyverns came out...!"
I had no idea why this stranger felt the need to barge into other people's conversation and make a fuss, but at the word "Wyvern," the women startled and began listening intently to the man's words.
Soon, others also seemed genuinely surprised that the Gate hadn't been a normal one, and they too started paying attention.
"Wyverns?"
"Wait, if it was Wyverns... we could've actually died."
"But... if Wyverns really appeared, how could the raid have ended so quickly?"
"Mr. Min-jun, were there really Wyverns? No, wait—was the raid even properly completed in the first place?"
I had planned to quietly wait for Sia, but thanks to that man, the crowd's attention was now turning toward me.
From those who couldn't believe it to those who still doubted whether the situation had truly been resolved—
I spoke up, trying to calm them down first.
"Yes. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."
"That's impossible..."
Considering how absurd it was to eliminate that many Wyverns so quickly and without significant casualties, people huddled together in disbelief, murmuring among themselves.
But regardless, I quietly waited for Sia to return.
And before long, she did.
She looked so relaxed that it was hard to believe she had just been fighting dozens of Wyverns.
If anyone saw her, they'd think she hadn't gone to stop a Gate Break but had just stepped out to the restroom.
"Oppa, sorry. Did you wait long?"
"No, more than that, uh..."
Since others were listening, I hesitated slightly, but Sia casually cast a Silence spell around us before answering.
"We can't let that ruin our date, right? So I made sure to hurry back."
Calling an S-rank Gate Break—something dangerous enough to throw the entire country into chaos for days—just that...
Once again, I was reminded of just how extraordinary Dragons truly were.
"Are you... hurt anywhere?"
"Of course not! Not a single scratch, so don't worry."
As if something like that could ever hurt her, Sia casually resumed eating her tteokbokki like nothing had happened.
But.
As much as I wanted to pretend nothing had happened and just enjoy a sweet, cozy conversation with Sia...
The image of her slicing through Wyverns like vegetables still lingered in my mind.
That the cute Sia in front of me and the woman who had effortlessly slaughtered Wyverns like lizards were the same person—
It still left me dazed.
"Oppa, what's wrong? Not hungry?"
Noticing me spacing out instead of eating, Sia asked with a hint of concern.
"Nah. It's just... Thanks to you, the whole world's gonna be noisy for a while, huh? There's no way your identity gets exposed, right?"
If her identity did get exposed, it would undoubtedly cause a lot of trouble.
At my worry, Sia grinned and reassured me.
"Don't worry! I changed my appearance on the way back and erased all traces of residual mana. No one will ever realize it was me."
Well, another Dragon might notice, she added quietly.
After that, Sia recounted the details of her battle with the Wyverns.
Just as I'd expected, she had first subdued them with Dragon Fear, then swiftly and cleanly wiped them out with Meteor to resolve the situation as efficiently as possible.
On top of that, she had temporarily stored the Wyvern corpses she'd obliterated in her Lair.
She planned to either sell them later or process them into new equipment.
"Anyway! I've been talking about myself too much. I wanna hear about you too, Oppa."
"Then how about we continue that conversation at the café?"
Given the chaotic atmosphere after the Gate Break incident, staying here any longer didn't seem ideal.
"Sure! But first, Oppa, let me grab a few more servings of tteokbokki to go."
"You really do love the tteokbokki from this place, don't you, Sia?"
I should definitely bring her here again sometime.
After finishing our meal,
we spent a pleasant time at a cozy café.
Then, leaving the café, we headed straight to my apartment.
With only an hour left before we had to part, there wasn't enough time to go anywhere else.
"Next time, why don't we just spend the whole four hours at your place with some fried chicken and beer?"
"Sounds good. It'd be nostalgic, too."
After grabbing snacks and drinks from the convenience store near my place, we returned to my apartment.
"Mmm, smells nice. Oppa, are you using a diffuser?"
"No. Maybe it's the fabric softener? But I can't even smell anything."
Maybe it was because Sia, being a Dragon, had a keener sense of smell than ordinary humans.
"Ah, then it must be your scent. Oppa, how are you even this good-smelling?"
"...Ugh. Sia, you're embarrassing me."
Her bizarrely flattering remark made me cringe so hard I ducked my head, and Sia lightly patted my back, saying, "It's true, though."
Though my tiny apartment had nothing much to see, Sia diligently scanned every corner.
"The clothes I gave you last time—they're hanging up nicely, huh?"
After checking the balcony, Sia smiled contentedly upon confirming the clothes she'd given me were properly stored.
I still didn't know the exact reason she'd given them to me, but I kept them well-preserved just in case she visited like today.
"It's good for a guy living alone to have at least one set of women's clothes and shoes, right?"
"...?"
Sometimes, listening to Sia talk made me feel like I'd fallen into a gender-reversed world.
Anyway.
After touring my cramped apartment, Sia sat on the floor and started opening the snacks we'd bought.
"Remember how we used to eat like this all the time?"
"No matter how tough things got, having a beer with you here was the highlight. Back then, I didn't realize how precious these little moments of happiness were."
We chatted away, reminiscing about the past.
Then, mid-snack—
"Oh, right. I have something for you."
Sia pulled something out of her Subspace and placed it in front of me.
A sleek silver-white ring and necklace.
Come to think of it, Sia had been wearing new accessories today—a ring and necklace I hadn't seen before.
When I'd complimented them earlier, she'd smiled oddly. Was this why?
"Couple accessories?"
"Yep! I made them myself so we could match. Pretty, right?"
"Whoever made these has really refined taste."
Personally, I thought silver-toned jewelry might look a bit awkward on a guy, but the intricate craftsmanship and minimalist design made me think I could pull it off.
"Heh, I'm glad. I put so much effort into making these so we could wear them together. Want me to put the necklace on you?"
"Sure. Thanks."
The moment I agreed, Sia hummed a tune as she fastened the necklace, then slid the ring onto my finger herself.
"Mmm, as expected, Oppa looks good in anything."
Satisfied, she took a picture of me wearing the new accessories.
"Oh, and Oppa. There's a secret about this necklace and ring. Wanna guess?"
"A secret?"
Eyes sparkling, Sia leaned in expectantly, waiting for me to figure it out.
"Hmm, what kind of secret could be hidden in these?"
What could possibly be hidden in such small pieces of jewelry?
After a moment of thought, a single possibility crossed my mind.
And the moment it did—
A full-body shiver ran down my spine.
"...No way, right?"
I tried to deny it internally, but deep down, I knew.
My gut was probably right.
Hoping against hope, I cautiously asked,
"These... are they made from your bones?"
At my question, Sia's eyes curved into crescents.
"Yep! How'd you know?"
...Why is it that only the ominous hunches turn out to be right?