Under the Bridge (14)
Choi Ayoung had always chased speed. That was why she felt such a thrill whenever she rode her electric kickboard. It wasn't the act of driving itself that excited her—it was the sensation of velocity. Or at least, that's what she'd always believed… until today, when she learned the truth. Speed alone wasn't enough to be enjoyable. Only when you could control that speed did it become truly exhilarating. And if you were helplessly dragged along by it? She was experiencing exactly what that felt like right now. Mostly in her stomach.
-Thud!
“Gwek!”
Serpina's foot slammed against the asphalt. Her body shot forward like a bullet, tearing through the night streets. Each time she did, her shoulder dug hard into Ayoung's belly where the girl was slung over it, sending fresh jolts of pain through her.
“S-slow down a little… ugh!”
“Shut your mouth. You wanna bite your tongue off?”
“Ughhh… hwek!”
It felt like her ribs were throbbing all over again. She'd even drunk that witch's potion, so they should've healed perfectly. Ayoung clenched her abs and tried to endure it, while keeping an eye on the scenery whipping past them. The speed Serpina was moving at now was faster than most cars. Vehicles racing down the night roads would sometimes run alongside her, or even get overtaken. Yet not a single person spared them a glance. It had to mean she'd cast some kind of magic to hide their appearance, but Ayoung couldn't even guess when she'd done it.
-Thud!
“Keeng!”
Oh god, my stomach. With all that incredible power, it'd be nice if she showed her disciple a little consideration… Whether she knew what Ayoung was thinking or not, Serpina's pace didn't slow in the slightest.
…….
Cropa Kest. Also known as Cat Mom. She loved cats. She loved them so much that she considered it vulgar to go on and on about why. And she loved mages and other races even more than humans. After all, they could do everything humans could, plus things humans couldn't. Naturally, that made them superior. So it only made sense that she would adore magic beasts that were both feline and capable of wielding mana—far more than something as trivial as human laws or alliance regulations.
Magic beasts weren't creatures that should be trapped in tiny houses or raised like pets just to satisfy human greed. As an intelligent being of this era, she believed it was her duty to rescue these suffering magic beasts and grant them freedom.
“There, there. Just wait a little longer, darling.”
Cropa stroked the head of one particularly eager magic beast that kept trying to rush ahead, calming it down. Before her stood the very bridge where she'd sent the werewolf the day before. Since the werewolf had used the syringe she'd given him right under that bridge, there was no doubt her long-awaited new feline magic beast would be there too.
She wanted to dash down and rescue it immediately, but there were steps she needed to take first.
Tap.
She reached out and touched a point in midair. An invisible wave rippled outward, dissolving the incredibly thin barrier of mana that had been stretched across the area.
“An alarm spell? Not bad. No wonder that man failed.”
But now the alarm had been disabled. Even if she and her beasts entered, it wouldn't react at all. Cropa stepped past the boundary line the spell had been guarding without a worry.
She descended the slope and arrived beneath the bridge. There was no sign of anyone around. It seemed she'd arrived at the perfect moment when no one was present. She looked around and clicked her tongue.
“Tsk, tsk… To think our youngest was being kept in such a terrible environment. I should have come sooner.”
One of the magic beasts silently approached and licked the back of her hand. The rough cat tongue left her skin bright red. Still, she gazed down at the beast with nothing but affection in her soft eyes.
“Are you trying to comfort me? How sweet. Yes, you're right. Instead of standing around, we should rescue our youngest as quickly as possible. Where is our baby?”
As if it understood her words, the magic beast swished its tail and walked off in a certain direction. There stood a cardboard house.
-Smash!
The magic beast threw a full-powered cat punch straight at the cardboard house. The blow carried enough force to knock out a grown man in one hit, yet…
-……?
The cardboard house remained standing firm. The flimsy-looking shelter that seemed like it would collapse if a random thug kicked it in passing only dented slightly where the beast's paw struck. This was thanks to Serpina casually reinforcing it with magic every time Han Heerin patched on more cardboard.
-Smash! Smash!
The curious magic beast struck a few more times. Cropa gently soothed it.
“Calm down, darling. You might hurt our youngest inside. Leave it to Mommy.”
She opened the door of the cardboard house and stepped inside. There she found Heemang curled up in the corner, trembling violently.
“Oh dear, were you scared? It's alright now. Your kin are waiting for you.”
-Hiss!!
When she reached out, Heemang spat and raised its claws, scratching and biting at her fingers with its teeth. But despite the desperate resistance, all it managed was to draw a few drops of blood before it was caught in her grasp.
“Hehe. The rescued children are always anxious at first. You'll get used to it soon.”
Cropa held Heemang by the scruff of its neck and exited the cardboard house. Just as she was about to disappear with her prize, she sensed people approaching.
“Donghyun, what if he's not here either?”
“He wasn't at his part-time job, so he must've gone somewhere else. Maybe we just missed each other.”
“Ugh, seriously. Where is that kid wandering off to with broken ribs?”
It was Donghyun and Goeun. They'd found a break in their duties and stopped by to check on Ayoung. Considering the association's intention to maintain friendly ties with Serpina through them, this could also be seen as part of their work.
“If he's not here, we'll have to head all the way back to Shinsi. That's such a pain…”
Goeun, who had been grumbling as she approached, suddenly realized there were other people under the bridge.
“Who are you? Wait. Isn't that the cat you keep here in your hands? What are you trying to—”
“Hold on, Goeun.”
Donghyun grabbed her shoulder. He stared closely at Cropa's face. It was a face he recognized.
“…She's on the wanted list. It's Cat Mom.”
“……!”
Goeun tensed up immediately, dropping into a combat stance. Cropa paid no attention to her reaction and simply spoke.
“Cat Mom. Cat Mom… Hehe. No matter how many times I hear it, I love that nickname. Mother of cats. Isn't it wonderful?”
There was no reply.
“You're lucky. I'm in a good mood today. It's the day I rescued my youngest, after all. I'll pretend I didn't see you.”
One of the magic beasts approached Cropa. It looked up at her and let out a silent cry. Understanding what it wanted, Cropa said,
“Hm? You want to play with those people? Alright. Do as you please. You can do whatever you want.”
It was the complete opposite of what she'd just said. But to Cropa, it didn't matter. The whims of a magic beast were far more important than any promise made to humans.
“Ah, wait—!”
Before Goeun could say anything, several feline magic beasts surrounded her and Donghyun.
…….
When Serpina and Ayoung arrived under the bridge, Serpina frowned at the messy traces of mana scattered everywhere.
“Is someone fighting?”
“What? Who would even come here… Wait, no way?!”
Not many people knew about this place. The moment Ayoung remembered that Donghyun and Goeun were among those few, her face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly ran down the slope. Her stomach, which had been battered the whole way here, throbbed painfully, but she didn't have time to worry about that.
“Guys!”
What Ayoung saw when she arrived was her friends being attacked by massive feline magic beasts. Donghyun and Goeun were each holding weapons, facing off against the creatures. Their appearances were a complete mess, but fortunately they didn't have any truly serious injuries. It seemed the magic beasts were just toying with them, true to their feline nature.
“You… bastards!!”
Burning with rage, Ayoung jumped between her friends and the beasts. She immediately swung her reinforced selfie stick, smashing it into the head of the nearest magic beast. The stick traced a much cleaner arc than before.
-Kyaaong!
The magic beast screamed and staggered back. Just as it bared its teeth to counterattack—
-Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!!
Ice arrows shot from the air, piercing straight through the feline magic beasts. It was Serpina's magic. She landed gracefully, surveyed the situation, and then froze when she saw the half-destroyed cardboard house.
Goeun, breathing heavily, shouted,
“It's Cat Mom… It's Cat Mom! She took the cat!”
Serpina examined the traces. The scent of blood. It wasn't from the magic beasts, nor from Donghyun or Goeun… An unpleasant smell of blood trailed off into the distance. And mixed with that scent was the mana of the alarm spell she'd set up. It looked easy to dispel, but the moment someone thought they'd disabled it and let their guard down, it would secretly cling and leave behind a lingering trace.
“…Ayoung.”
“Y-yes!”
Ayoung had been seething with fury at the beasts that hurt her friends, but the moment she heard Serpina's voice, she calmed down as if doused with cold water. Instead, a spine-chilling terror washed over her. At some point, Serpina's horns had appeared. The dragon's rage at having her territory arbitrarily invaded swept through the area in the form of a powerful aura.
While everyone else's mouths were forcibly shut, only Serpina spoke in a calm tone.
“No time, so I'll leave this place to you guys.”
Before Ayoung could even respond, Serpina vanished from her sight. A beat later—
Bang!
The air exploded.
“…Haa.”
Only then could Ayoung let out a sigh. Even though Serpina's anger hadn't been directed at her, it was all she could do to keep her legs from giving out. But the job wasn't over yet. The surrounding feline magic beasts had been pierced by ice arrows and hit with that overwhelming aura—none of them were in good shape. Still, they were alive.
Ayoung raised her weapon. It was her first mission from Serpina, even if it had been given because there was no time. Whether to complete the mission or to avenge her friends, she had no intention of letting this slide.