Dragonback to Iceland
“Father, why is Lord Metatron so quiet?”
“He’s probably got a lot on his mind.”
Baal gently stroked his daughter’s hair with a warm smile.
Ever since they had parted ways with the Dragon God and returned to Baek Do-ha’s house, Metatron had climbed up onto the rooftop of the building and done nothing but stare at the sky. From time to time he would glance at a strange mirror, but for the most part he simply gazed blankly upward.
“That bastard isn’t taking a dump up there, is he?”
“……Do you actually think Metatron is a pigeon?”
Baal let out a hollow laugh as he watched Baek Do-ha casually munching on snacks. If those words ever reached Metatron’s ears, even the blank-faced archangel would probably lose his temper.
“Anyway, what do you make of it?”
“Of what?”
“The truth the Dragon God told us.”
“That the Heavenly God and the Demon God are in cahoots?”
“No…… not in cahoots. That they were originally one and the same being. I still can’t figure out how you managed to twist that into ‘in cahoots.’”
Baal frowned at Do-ha’s wording. Being a single existence and being allies were completely different things.
“Same difference. If they were one being, they would’ve shared the same thoughts. They were probably snickering together while watching the angels and demons.”
“Isn’t that going a bit far? We don’t even know if it’s true.”
“Well, that last part was a joke, but one thing is certain.”
“?”
“The Heavenly God isn’t someone we can trust either.”
If the Dragon God’s words were true, then the Heavenly God had concealed the truth even from his own angels. Why hide the fact that he had once been one with the Demon God? Because there was something that must never come to light.
The angels already worshipped him. What would change if he simply told them the truth? Confusion? Sure, there would be some at first. A number of angels would be shaken, and a few might even leave Heaven. But things would gradually settle. Once they accepted that he was now a separate being, the angels would rationalize it—after all, he was a god, so there had to be some profound reason beyond their understanding.
Yet what was the reality? He had hidden the truth even from an archangel like Metatron. That alone proved the Heavenly God was no pure, trustworthy deity.
“Usually the ones who reek of something rotten are the ones with the most secrets and the most things to hide.”
Rustle, rustle.
Crunch, crunch.
“Fine, I understand your point. But could you eat somewhere else? You’ve been chewing so loudly it’s driving me crazy.”
“?”
Do-ha tilted his head, staring at Baal, who stood with his arms crossed, eyes closed, and a long sigh escaping him.
“I’m not eating anything.”
“?”
At those words Baal opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. Then who had been making that chewing sound this whole time?
“……I-I’m sorry. I won’t eat anymore.”
It was Eilas. The moment Do-ha had approached, he had handed her some snacks, and she had been happily munching away. She simply hadn’t realized how noisy it was.
“M-my dear! That’s not what I meant!”
Baal panicked at his daughter’s words. Damn it. When had Eilas even started eating snacks? Her hands had been empty just a moment ago!
“Ugh, talk about a real demon—can’t even hold back from snapping at his own daughter. ‘Chewing so loudly’…… Eilas, go inside the house and watch TV while you eat comfortably. Nobody’s going to give you a hard time.”
“No, that’s not—!”
In the end Baal could only wear a pitiful expression as he watched his daughter’s retreating back.
Ding.
“Finally got a reply.”
While Baal was busy consoling his dejected daughter, Do-ha smiled down at his phone. The Iceland trip he had requested from the Association President had at last been arranged.
“Still, I asked for this a few days ago. They’re taking their sweet time.”
Since it was an official schedule, they had needed to send formal documents to other countries and request cooperation, so it had taken longer than expected. He would have preferred to simply teleport over, but that would throw his entire plan into disarray.
“I should call Canteas…… nah, never mind.”
Do-ha glanced toward Canteas’s house and shook his head. Several days had already passed since Canteas received the Book of the Dead, yet he still hadn’t come outside. Better not to disturb him for no reason.
Just then—
“Looks like I’ll have to go alone this ti— huh?”
Flap, flap.
BOOM!
Something enormous plummeted from the sky and landed right in front of Do-ha.
“Uh…… Yong-yong?”
It was the black dragon Yong-yong. Do-ha had assumed the little guy was still rolling around inside Canteas’s house after not seeing him for months. Instead, Yong-yong had already grown to the size of a wyvern.
“What the hell? How did you get this big?!”
Not even two years had passed since Yong-yong hatched. Reaching wyvern size normally took at least fifty years.
“I’ve grown a lot, right!”
“Huh??? Did you just…… talk?”
Hearing a familiar voice form actual words, Do-ha let out a disbelieving laugh. Only a few months ago Yong-yong could communicate, but he couldn’t hold a conversation. At best he managed little peeps and chirps.
“What have you been doing all this time?”
“Dad made a special space just for me with magic! I stayed there!”
“Dad? You mean Canteas?”
“Yep!”
Yong-yong flapped his wings happily.
“A dragon whose dad is a lich…… that’s one hell of a combination.”
Do-ha burst out laughing. Well, Yong-yong had adored Canteas ever since the day he hatched.
“Yong-yong, want to go play with big brother?”
“Yeah! I wanna go play!”
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Whoosh!
Do-ha lightly jumped and settled onto Yong-yong’s back. Now that the dragon had grown as large as a wyvern, he could easily carry three adult men.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
BOOM!
Whoooooosh—
Smiling, Yong-yong shot into the sky so fast he created a sonic boom.
Thud, thud.
“Welcome, A…… no, Lord Baek Do-ha.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Thank you for coming all this way.”
The moment Do-ha set foot on Icelandic soil, three men who commanded the hunters here approached him. All three were SS-rank hunters—the strongest from Norway, Sweden, and Finland respectively.
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Baek Do-ha.”
Do-ha nodded and slowly looked the three over. They were smiling at one another, yet a subtle undercurrent of tension ran between them.
One of them—Norway, Sweden, or Finland—is trying to swallow Iceland whole.
Do-ha grasped the situation at once. As fellow Nordic nations, they naturally coveted the now-empty house that was Iceland. Moreover, this place had once run its entire country on mana stones. Whoever seized Iceland would pocket that revenue entirely.
Well, I don’t care who ends up owning this land.
As he walked alongside the three, Do-ha casually glanced up at the sky. He had left only a departure record in Korea, ridden Yong-yong the whole way, and dismounted a kilometer outside Iceland before approaching on foot.
No need to draw unnecessary attention.
This time he intended to move very quietly, very carefully. Even from a rough scan he could feel demonic energy everywhere.
Just as I expected—they’ve swarmed in like a pack of dogs.
Do-ha’s lips curled into a cold smile. He planned to move like an assassin and eliminate them one by one. The Pope must be truly desperate. Even a rough count put more than a hundred cultists scattered across the island. Including those still hiding, the number would be far higher.
“Still, we were surprised when we heard Lord Baek Do-ha would be providing support.”
“That’s right. All the other Cheon-oe-cheon from other countries said they were too busy to come……”
At the words of the Norwegian hunter Dvalin, the Swedish hunter Leo nodded. Iceland had no high-risk gates, but there were simply too many of them; they needed one powerful hunter to serve as the core. Yet no country had sent support—until, unexpectedly, Korea alone had stepped forward.
“Is there something you want in return for coming?”
The Finnish hunter Viktor spoke up, eyeing Do-ha.
“Something I want?”
“Ah…… if my words offended you, I apologize…… I just wondered if you were looking for something.”
Meeting Do-ha’s gaze, Viktor hastily rephrased. He had only been casually probing with a smile, but the look in those eyes was far too cold.
“……”
Watching Viktor, Do-ha clicked his tongue inwardly. What an idiot. His eyes were full of greed, so of course he was wary. He was clearly fretting that Do-ha might claim Iceland for himself.
This is exactly why the other Cheon-oe-cheon refuse to help. Bunch of bastards.
The other absolute-rank hunters probably already knew: get caught between these three nations and you would only end up with a headache. Just looking at the three standing here made it obvious. Dvalin, Leo, Viktor—none of them were presidents. Yet they were still treating the man who had come to help with open suspicion.
Of course Henry offered to come help……
Do-ha had stopped him. Even if Henry arrived, there was nothing they could really coordinate on.
“I have no interest in Iceland’s land. Neither does Korea.”
“Ahh.”
Only then did the three men’s faces brighten. Neither the Cheon-oe-cheon himself nor the nation of Korea wanted the territory. Excellent news.
“Before I start moving, let me say just one thing.”
“Yes, please speak!”
“Anything at all.”
Their expressions now cheerful, the three smiled as they looked at Do-ha. Do-ha, however, regarded them with an icy face.
“When someone has gone out of their way to come support you, don’t greet them with suspicion and wariness. And don’t try to sound them out either.”
“……”
At those words the hunters’ faces instantly hardened.
“I understand you’re worried about losing the land, but if you repay goodwill like this, I’ll carve all three of you into pieces and scatter you into the sea. Keep that in mind.”
“Y-yes……”
“Yes, we will keep it in mind……”
“We apologize.”
Spoken in a completely expressionless voice, the words made the three hunters bite their lips and bow their heads deeply. The murderous intent laced through a Cheon-oe-cheon’s speech left them tense.
“From now on I’ll head for the gates with the highest mana readings first. If anything unusual comes up I’ll let you know, so don’t go wandering around looking for me.”
“Yes.”
“Understoo—”
Crack!
Whoosh!
Do-ha unfolded Noeryeongsinbo and vanished from the spot.