Chapter 175 – Pertinax Auction House (4)

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

======================================

The commotion at the Pertinax Auction House came to an end. The villains were butchered. Pertinax the Ninth, the man in charge, lost that treacherous head of his.

The remnants who had been hiding backstage were dragged out by the assassins as well. They rubbed their hands together frantically while drooling yellow spit. They begged pathetically for their lived.

“P-please… spare us……!”

Auditore bestowed on them well-honed blades.

Seugeong!

The way Auditore handled its work was horrifyingly meticulous. The sight of them taking heads as though picking fruit. They gathered up every last one of the dead enemies’ severed heads into sacks without omission.

The participants knelt with their heads bowed like criminals. Auditore removed their masks and carefully checked their identity information.

“Sob. For Auditore to raid the place today of all days, damn it.”

“Be quiet. If you don’t want your head cut off.”

“……”

Nox rebuked him in a dry tone. The participant could only whimper softly, his face full of humiliation and misery.

Among them were everyone from high-ranking officials to celebrities. Names that would be plastered in giant print across tomorrow’s newspapers.

Even a celebrity who could never become famous no matter what he did would become a superstar tomorrow, though in the worst possible sense.

Participating in the Pertinax Auction House was not illegal, but there was not the slightest benefit in having it exposed. The more famous and highly placed they were, the more so.

Especially since a member of the demon race had appeared as a product today. Strictly speaking, it would not have been strange for them to be charged with aiding and abetting a crime.

Even if the judgment of the law passed them by, they would never escape a social death sentence. Even so, they let out sighs of relief, at least inwardly.

Because it was still better than being one of the villains waiting to have their necks cut over there.

“F-fuck……! You vicious assassin bastards……!”

Seugeong!

The history of the Pertinax Auction House came to an end. Cleanly and without excess. It was something accomplished in the span of a single night.

* * *

Clack.

I removed all of the baby dragon’s restraints. She had been bound in rusty iron shackles, but they were not ordinary handcuffs.

If they were, how could they have restrained a dragon, even a hatchling.

My guess was that they carried a property that suppressed magic power. Even so, the moment I put the sashimi knife against them, they snapped apart as easily as thread.

I looked the dragon over carefully.

Though the name was certainly dragon, her outward appearance looked almost exactly like a human’s, save for the ears, which stretched sharp like an elf’s.

“Grrrr……”

The dragon growled with a rattling sound in her throat. She glared at me through narrowed eyes. There was the wildness of hostility in that gaze.

Even so, I had expected fiercer resistance. She did not look as though she were about to devour me.

It was about the same level as a stray cat drenched in rain staying wary of a person. She must have been kidnapped by humans and abused for some time. Compared to that, it was an incredibly meek response.

If I had been her, I would have run wild the instant the shackles came off. I would have cursed the humans who had made me like this.

‘Which one of us is supposed to be the demon race here……’

After feeling hollow for a moment, I went over to the patriarch and said:

“Patriarch, would it perhaps be possible for you to arrange a place just for me and this dragon.”

After blinking once at my words, the patriarch nodded.

“Good grief, I had only just begun feeling the nostalgia of being with the former patriarch again after so long, and already it is time to return to reality. Very well, I shall clear the place immediately.”

“Thank you.”

“If anyone should be giving thanks, it should be me, should it not. Thanks to you, something that might have ended in an unpleasant muddle was handled cleanly. In any case, I shall leave for about thirty minutes. After that, we must continue the investigation, you see. My apologies.”

I smiled faintly.

“That much consideration is more than enough, Patriarch.”

The patriarch answered with a broad smile. Then, without any lengthy explanation, he gave instructions to the assassins. Remove the people currently present in the auction house at once.

Auditore carried out that order faithfully and swiftly. They tied the onlookers together with ropes like sausages and dragged them outside.

I told Choi Seol-ah to wait outside as well. Pouting her lips, she offered a timid protest. Something about how she absolutely wanted to remain by her liege’s side. The moment I scolded her with my eyes, she left her spot at once.

…Silence descended upon the interior of the auction house, which had been so clamorous. It was the kind of stillness where if one said ah, it would bounce off the walls in an echo.

Only then did I come to a stop before the dragon again. She shrank back reflexively.

I frowned in pity and crouched down in front of her. I matched her eye level. Then I said in a low voice:

“I’m sorry.”

“……?”

The dragon tilted her head. It was not that she had failed to understand the meaning of the words. She had picked up human speech as though beggars’ scraps, and could follow the language.

But why? Why was this human in the crow mask apologizing to her. Up until now, the humans she had met had all been arrogant. They were a species far removed from apology.

‘Why is this human acting like this?’

While the dragon’s mind was in confusion, Kang Geom-ma reached out his hand.

Once again the dragon curled up like a ball. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Her heart dropped coldly.

So humans were still humans after all. Like all the others, he would lure her into lowering her guard and then use violence.

Even so, the dragon could not even resist and only trembled. The memory of abuse had been carved into her skin.

…And then.

A warm energy wrapped around her whole body. How long had it been since she had felt such softness.

While her mind grew hazy from the drowsy feeling, the dragon cautiously lifted one eye.

At that instant, her eyes widened hugely. The wounds on her body where the crow-human’s hand touched were healing.

[Your human rank rises.]

Without even having the leisure to check the status window forming across his vision, Kang Geom-ma manifested the Blessing of Regeneration. Forgetting even his purpose, he devoted himself silently to treatment.

He looked just like an old physician of former times, one who had worked while wearing a bird-beaked mask.

* * *

[You have obtained the third fragment of 【???】, `The Dragon with Torn Wings.` Total obtained (3/7).]

Pahht!

== ==

`She flew through the sky, displaying her wings.

Yet that symbol was brought crashing down by misguided humans.

The one who aids her recovery shall become ruler of the heavens.

And by borrowing those wings, shall touch the place where the stars shine.

Ah, please lead us there.`

== ==

♪♬♩♫♪

[NEW! By completing the hidden quest `The Dragon Who Regained Her Wings,` a reward is bestowed.]

[▷ You can now manifest the Blessing of Communication.]

[……]

[……]

[Tip: Try using the Blessing of Communication to talk with her. You might even obtain a clue about the fourth fragment?

※ Additionally, her name was Hontail. If you call her by the nickname `Hon,` you should be able to build familiarity quickly. (>▽<) Hon was cute (……)]

* * *

At a still very green age, the back of my neck was already stiff. Whenever I looked at the status window, I sometimes felt as though my blood pressure shot up.

…From the additional reward of the Blessing of Communication onward, this thing was openly telling me to go talk with the dragon. That last line in particular really left me speechless. It felt perverted.

'No, is it really right to just suddenly start talking to a dragon?'

Yes, healing her had been an unconscious act. Her skin had been damaged by shackles made by humans, and her body had been trembling pitifully.

So without any reason or purpose whatsoever, I had manifested the Blessing of Regeneration and the Blessing of Transference. It wasn't as though I had no experience treating others until now.

But conversation was a different problem. To begin with, even if I spoke to her, would she answer from the other side? It didn't seem likely.

Feeling awkward, I turned my head toward the dragon. Or rather… toward Hontail.

She was looking over her own body here and there with fascinated eyes. Even the hostility that had been burning in her gaze a little while ago had eased somewhat.

'Maybe it's because she's a hatchling, but she's incredibly tame.'

Even so, I hesitated to speak to her out of the blue. I might have healed her, but I was still a human too. Whether I knew it or not, I felt a weight of responsibility.

Moreover, I had not finished organizing my thoughts yet. The more fragments I obtained one by one, the more I was beginning to question whether the demon race was truly the main enemy.

In the second fragment, the ones who slaughtered the ancients had been angels.

And now, by the time of the third, it was humanity that had taken the unmistakable role of villain.

At this point, the flow of thought could not help but continue in a different direction.

The memories of 【???】 seem intent on emphasizing that the demon race was not my true main enemy.

'Come to think of it, around the time I was dealing with Besna, I also heard the words, `Show me the true demon.`'

Little by little, the intent of 【???】 was revealing its outline. Of course it would be nice if it would give me a definite clue, but it did not seem to have any intention of doing that, so I would simply learn it as I went, like now.

Finishing my thoughts, I stared fixedly at Hontail. Sensing the gaze, she whipped around to look at me as well.

"Huing."

She made an adorable little sound and scooted backward on her butt. No matter how I looked at her, her outward appearance was that of a girl around my age……. But her pattern of behavior was definitely that of a child. The exact opposite type from Mester.

While I was still hesitating, it was actually the other side that spoke first. She bowed her head with a quick bob. Awkwardly, but still with human manners.

"Thangk youuu."

After manifesting the Blessing of Communication, I answered:

You didn't need to thank me.

"Eh……?!"

Her eyes widened like lanterns, as though she had seen an alien. Feeling awkward, I sat down beside her.

What was your name?

Because of the tip text, I already knew her name. Even so, I asked again. We had met for the first time today, so what would she think if I already knew her name too.

"Hontail……"

Then would it be all right if I called you Hon for short? The pronunciation was a little difficult.

Hon gave a small nod.

My conscience prickled. I was approaching her while knowing the method for breaking down her guard. Even if one called it cowardly, I would have no defense.

While I was quietly groaning, Hon fidgeted with her fingers and opened her mouth.

"How can you speak the demonic tongue? You seem human, since I don't feel any magic power from you at all……"

I was human. As for the demonic tongue, well… I somehow ended up learning it.

"…Ah."

Hon looked a little disappointed. Had she maybe been hoping, because I was wearing the mask. That I might be a fellow demon.

"Still, thank you for healing me. It's the first time a human has ever done this much for me, so I'm flustered, but I know you're not a human with bad intentions. Dragons can tell whether words are true or false from the moment we're born."

……

For a baby dragon, Hon was astonishingly fluent. Then Mester suddenly came to mind.

Even the ancients had possessed a different concept of age from present-day humans. If so, the gap in common sense between dragons and humans would be impossible to put into words.

I looked into her eyes. The look in them had become much softer. In just that brief exchange, it seemed Hon had become certain that I was not evil.

After gazing quietly at Hon, I eventually removed my mask. Thinking about it, I had not revealed either my name or my face to her.

The moment my face was exposed, Hon's lips trembled. Silence flowed. For a while, not a single word passed between us.

"Ah… ah……"

Suddenly she reached out and touched my cheek. Tears gathered and wet her fine eyelashes.

"You've come back."

At that unexpected action, I stayed still just like that. You've come back? What did she mean by that? My mind, blank as white paper, began to fill with countless questions.

It was then.

Bang-

The auction-house door opened. I turned only my eyes in that direction. And my body immediately froze solid.

"…Geom-ma?"

Ah, something had gone wrong.