Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Does the Saintess Dream of the Sacrificial Lamb? (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
* * *
***
After staring at the dwarf's outstretched hand for a moment, Yeomyeong gave a curt reply.
"…I refuse."
Perhaps he hadn't expected the rejection—the dwarf's face, still holding out his hand, cycled through a flurry of expressions.
Anger, bewilderment, indignation, confusion, and then realization.
The dwarf clenched his fist to avoid awkwardness and lightly tapped his forehead.
"…Ah, damn. I got too excited and missed the most important part. When proposing a deal, you have to offer the reward first."
He continued with a smiling face.
"If you succeed in this commission, I can give you anything you want. Money, stocks, elixirs, magic tools, and if you desire… even those sorts of things."
What the hell were "those sorts of things"? Yeomyeong pulled back slightly, eyeing the dwarf's suggestive smile.
"No matter what you imagine, I promise more than that. Aren't you the bold sort who could give up a dragon's rib? I have no intention of buying you off cheaply."
"…"
"What do you say? Does that make you inclined to accept my proposal now?"
The dwarf grinned confidently, his face screaming that there was no way she'd turn down such an offer.
But the moment he heard Yeomyeong's response, his expression crumpled miserably.
"I refuse."
"If you're just playing hard to get to raise your price… I advise against it. We dwarves don't like haggling."
"I'm sorry, but I'm sincerely refusing."
As Yeomyeong turned to leave, the dwarf hurriedly continued.
"Ah, is it because of the rib? No need to feel slighted. Kwon Captain here only claimed the stake to test you. The rib is entirely yours."
Not satisfied with that, he added in a desperate tone.
"If you want, our company's artisans can craft a weapon directly from that rib. Completely free of charge, of course!"
Yeomyeong paused, pretending to mull it over by stroking his lips.
Was he tempted by the dwarf's offer? No, not at all. It was just an act to buy time to think.
Why was this dwarf clinging to him so desperately?
As the dwarf said, because he was a superhuman who could cut a dragon's rib? Unlikely.
He might be rare in the Manchu base, but the world was vast.
If a chaebol like the dwarves threw money around, they could easily find a superhuman capable of butchering a dragon.
So, there must be some hidden agenda behind this proposal…
'What do I have that the Dwarf Chaebols would covet?'
Talent? Unless the mercenary band had been tailing him for years, which they hadn't—Kim Mansu and the mercenaries didn't even know he was a superhuman until yesterday.
So, it had to be something from last night's dragon battle that caught the dwarf's eye.
The first thing that came to mind was the secret relic. The comet sword and the dagger containing the Star's Will were treasures beyond monetary value.
But if it was the dagger, there'd be no need to circle around like this. Seizing it by force or offering cash would be more straightforward.
That left only one possibility.
"…The Saintess."
Of course, there was no deep connection between Yeomyeong and the Saintess.
But to an outsider, it might look like they were close.
They'd faced the dragon together and even done a joint interview. Plus, hadn't the Saintess defended his claim to the dragon's rib?
It was a plausible hypothesis. If the dwarf's true goal was indeed the Saintess…
Having sorted his thoughts, Yeomyeong dropped his hand from his lips and bowed slightly to the dwarf.
"…It's an overly generous offer, but still, no."
"You're refusing. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes."
"…What exactly is the reason? If my test offended you, I apologize again."
"No need for apologies. I simply don't want to fight a dragon."
"Ha, are you scared?"
"Yes. After fighting one, I can't even fathom facing another."
Yeomyeong spouted words he didn't mean at all. He glanced up subtly to gauge the dwarf's reaction.
If all this was just his misunderstanding, the dwarf would back off gracefully here…
"If that's the case, don't worry! Monsters like Kahal Magdu are rare. From what we've confirmed, the one guarding the treasure is just a young dragon."
The dwarf didn't give up. If anything, he pushed harder to persuade Yeomyeong.
'As expected, there's another motive.'
Yeomyeong swallowed a sigh inwardly. Oblivious to it, the dwarf kept babbling.
"Besides, you're not going alone. Kwon Captain and the mercenaries from First Death Mercenary Band will be…"
"…That's enough. Darulma."
The one who cut off the dwarf's rambling was Captain Kwon Mongju. Standing a step back, his cold gaze swept over Yeomyeong.
"Didn't I tell you it was a petty test? The newbie is a superhuman too. He's already caught on."
Kwon Captain shot Yeomyeong a look as if to confirm. Yeomyeong shrugged instead of answering.
The dwarf glared back and forth between Kwon Captain and Yeomyeong, then clicked his tongue.
"Then the only options left are… violence or sincerity. Not very dwarven of me."
The moment his ring-laden hand balled into a fist, Yeomyeong's hand rested on his sword hilt.
"I recommend sincerity over violence."
He couldn't gauge Kwon Captain's full strength, but escaping this spot wouldn't be too hard.
As tension rose between the two superhumans, the dwarf sighed and nodded.
"Whew, sincerity it is. Fine, Cheon Yeomyeong. I'll be frank."
"…"
"Could you bridge the gap between the Saintess and our mercenary band?"
So the target was the Saintess after all. Too bad—he'd aimed at the wrong person.
"…I don't know what misunderstanding you have, but I have no connection to the Saintess."
"Come on, answer sincerity with sincerity. You expect me to believe the Saintess pressured the military to defend the rights of some random stranger?"
"How would I know her intentions? Maybe she just looked out for a comrade who fought the dragon alongside her. That's all I think."
"Then what about the Saintess leaving the Manchu base to find you? What do you call that?"
What the hell? Yeomyeong's eyebrow twitched. He answered honestly.
"…First I've heard of it."
"It's common knowledge among the Manchu base soldiers and mercenaries. The GPS on the bike she stole pointed straight to you. And you claim she's a stranger?"
Ha—the dwarf burst into incredulous laughter, but Yeomyeong felt wronged. He truly knew nothing.
Misreading Yeomyeong's stiff expression? The dwarf anxiously drummed the desk and pressed on.
"Just to clarify, no bad intentions. All the proposals I mentioned earlier are genuine. Finding the treasure, the dragon guarding it…"
As the dwarf tried to say more.
Bzzz. Kwon Captain's phone rang. The dwarf shot him a glance and continued.
"…And the rewards I offered are all real. If I lied about anything, it's only that I hoped to use you to contact the Saintess. As you know, the Saintess is…"
At that moment, the flustered Kwon Captain interrupted.
"Hold on, you need to take this call."
"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important?"
"It's more important. The Blue Rat's boss himself…"
The captain held out the phone mid-call and whispered something.
"That damned KGB wraith dares to…"
Confirming the caller's number, the dwarf muttered something incomprehensible, snatched the phone, and started talking.
Dissatisfied with the call? The dwarf scowled deeply, listening silently to the other side.
At some point during the conversation, the dwarf's expression changed drastically. He stared at Yeomyeong with eyes half shock, half fear.
'What the…?'
What kind of call was making him react like that? As Yeomyeong tilted his head, the call ended.
Click.
An uncomfortable silence filled the base camp.
The dwarf's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
Finally, Yeomyeong spoke first.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
Instead of answering, the dwarf fired back a question.
"You… you're really not involved with the Saintess at all?"
"I've told you several times already. No connection whatsoever."
"…They say the Saintess was in the same recovery room as you last night. That's a lie too?"
"…What?"
What nonsense was this now? Yeomyeong furrowed his brow involuntarily.
The first person he saw upon waking in the recovery room was indeed the Saintess, but that didn't mean they were in the same room.
…Probably.
While Yeomyeong pondered, the dwarf asked again, urgently.
"Please be honest. You and the Saintess… you didn't do anything like that, right?"
"…"
The utterly unforeseen question froze Yeomyeong. His head rang like he'd been hammered from behind.
"Ha, of course not. No one would be stupid enough to risk assassination threats from billions of devotees."
Me, with the Saintess? Regaining his senses, Yeomyeong felt anger beyond absurdity.
They'd known each other for barely two days. Forget affection—they'd barely had proper conversations. What, was she some back-alley whore from Incheon's slums?
At this point, Yeomyeong had to ask.
"…Who the hell did you talk to that you're asking such bullshit?"
"That…"
The answer didn't come from the dwarf, but from behind him.
Creak.
The base camp door, which had been closed, swung open, and an unexpected figure entered.
***
Deep in Siberia, which the Manchus called hell.
A skeletal dragon beat its wings over the horrific land where twisted mana mingled with blizzards.
Kahal Magdu. The calamity born from Earth's reckless greed.
He flew through Siberia's skies for a long time before reaching the city once called Verkhoyansk.
All that remained in the city where thousands had once lived were frozen buildings and cars, and an eerie silence.
After gazing down at the cityscape for a moment, the dragon folded its wings and descended.
Thud!
As its massive body landed amid the blizzard, icicles fell and snow scattered.
In the bone-chilling cold, the dragon drew up mana to find its target. Soon, it sensed familiar mana from a frozen school.
"You're late, Kahal."
There were already visitors on the school rooftop. Four humans bundled in thick winter gear.
"The one with wings shows up last?"
All but one exuded twisted mana. The dragon placed its head on the rooftop to meet their eyes.
Is escaping first something to brag about, Ekaterina?
As the dragon sneered, the woman in a pure white parka bristled. She snatched up a massive spear beside her and growled.
"Shut up! If you lot hadn't gotten pierced like idiots, I wouldn't have had to run!"
Pathetic excuses. By arrival times, weren't you the first to break?
Ignoring her chatter, the dragon snorted. History had no "ifs," and they'd failed the commission.
That's why they were gathered here, groveling like this.
"Both of you… stop…."
Amid the tense atmosphere, the red-parka man mediated between the dragon and the woman. In a voice as low as a corpse's, he said.
"No need… to fight among ourselves. None of us… got pierced…"
"Bullshit. Then how'd the reinforcements get there? Did the Korean government backstab us?"
"No… this time, even the Korean government… couldn't predict it. The Saintess… intervened…"
"The Saintess? Why's that bitch from the academy in Manchu?"
"Don't know… the reason. But she's here… for sure. Right… Kahal?"
As the red parka looked to the dragon, it exhaled in affirmation.
Yes, the Saintess was there. Unlike the previous one, she seemed a bit off mentally… Anyway, what does the Saintess have to do with the plan's failure?
"Precognition… the true Saintess… can use precognition. She moved the army… before we even intervened. That explains everything…."
As soon as the man finished, heavy silence descended on the rooftop. They all shared the same thought.
Precognition. A power to torment us relentlessly from now on.
"Kill her? Not like she's in the Holy Land or Australia. In North Manchu, we could snap her neck easily."
Ekaterina bared her teeth. The red-parka man shook his head.
"If the Saintess dies… war will break out. It's not… time yet…."
So we just back off?
"No… keep the goal, change the plan…"
The red parka turned to the dragon and the others. All eyes were on him.
"The Xing'an Mountains… in Manchu… one person is enough… to find the treasure. The rest… go to the conflict zones…."
"Me! Me! I'll stay then!"
"Ekaterina… no. Too… reckless…."
Rejected outright, Ekaterina slammed her spear into the rooftop. Thud! The frozen concrete cracked, spewing cold snow and dust.
Hmph. She crossed her arms and turned away, but that was it. No further rebellion.
Only then did the red-parka man scan the rest. Meeting his gaze, the dragon pulled its head back slightly and said.
I'll pass. Met a good connection, so I'll wait for it to ripen.
"If Kahal's out… between the remaining two… who'll go…?"
Of the last yellow and black parkas, the black one raised a hand.
"I'll go."
A clear voice like a boy's before puberty. The red-parka man tilted his head.
"Pasun… you sure…? Stealing treasure… doesn't suit you…."
"Not just that anyway. Got something to check too."
"Check…?"
"Felt a gaze from beyond the stars when burning North Manchu?"
"Beyond the stars…? I felt… nothing…"
"Could be my imagination. Or maybe your eyes finally went bad."
The black parka chuckled and looked up. Beyond the blizzard-shrouded sky, the starry darkness met his gaze.
"Ha… then go. The treasure… is yours…."
* * *