Chapter 39 – Seollang (1)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Balam was an A-rank fighter.

Among the fighters ranked from F to A, one could say he was among the stronger ones when it came to combat power.

Since he had no duel scheduled in particular, he had been spending an ordinary day, relaxing with a drink in a pub he frequented.

That was, until a certain noble came into view.

The noble, perhaps because he had only just arrived in this city, was walking along without even properly trying to hide his wealthy-looking clothes.

And sure enough, he ended up getting caught by Adigo’s gang.

By Adigo, an A-rank fighter with a rank one step above most others.

Up to that point, it all felt like ordinary life unfolding as usual.

Because Balam had seen Adigo extort money or goods from merchants and nobles entering Colony who were not fighters many times before.

“Look at those fancy clothes. That’s a complete jackpot.”

“They’re going to make a lot of money.”

The fighters beside him made lazy remarks as they watched the noble surrounded by Adigo’s gang.

Not one of the fighters in the pub or the nearby shops had any intention of helping the noble.

Even though there was another A-rank fighter in this very place, it was still the same. They only watched Adigo extort the noble’s belongings with relaxed eyes and took no action at all.

That was only natural.

After all, even if they helped that noble, the fighters gained nothing from it.

Even if the noble realized that and offered money on the spot, there was not a single fighter here who would have stepped forward.

That was because there was no stupid fighter who would make an enemy of Adigo’s gang over a little money, or more precisely, make an enemy of the Baba Yaga backing Adigo’s gang.

The fighters all knew that Adigo ran wild because he trusted in Maliam the Grotesque Beast, the Baba Yaga backing him.

And so none of them stepped in. They simply swallowed their beer as if the scene before them were a side dish.

Then, the moment Adigo lightly tapped the noble’s head,

KWA-BOOM.

the unexpected happened.

“Go on. Talk.”

One of the only four Baba Yaga in Colony had appeared.

“Hey.”

With the arrival of Golden Flash Seollang,

crackle,

her trademark current began sparking around her body.

“Which son of a bitch…?”

Adigo, who had risen energetically despite having just been smashed into the wall, wore a baffled expression at Seollang’s sudden appearance.

“Se-Seollang?”

It was a mutter that made it seem as though he clearly recognized the being before him, yet could not understand the situation at all.

But.

“I’m asking what you did to my benefactor.”

At those next words, Adigo’s eyes changed from confusion to fear.

“Kgh-!?”

At some point Seollang had already appeared before him and slammed his head straight into the ground.

Crunch.

A dreadful sound rang in the fighters’ ears.

But that was not the end of it. Still expressionless, Seollang grabbed one of Adigo’s legs and threw him away.

He smashed straight into the pub with a crash, and hurriedly tried to lift himself up and speak,

“W-wait, I didn’t know, I didn’t know-”

Crunch.

Seollang seized his head and smashed it straight into the counter.

“Really-”

Again.

“Aaaagh-!”

Again.

“I-if you do this to me, my boss won’t stay quie-”

Again.

“Sp-spare me-”

Again.

Drip. Drip.

All the fighters shut their mouths and looked at the shattered pub.

Even the owner, who should have been furious that the pub had been wrecked, only trembled in fear and held his breath.

A customer who had still been sitting with his heavy beer mug in hand did not move a muscle.

And then,

thud.

By the time Seollang casually let go of Adigo’s blood-soaked head without the slightest interest, every fighter there felt a fresh shiver.

Because the sight of her swinging around an A-rank fighter like some disposable grunt at a speed too fast to even see was more than enough to inspire awe in them.

And then, after glancing at the remaining gang members standing around Alon,

boom, crack,

in the instant Alon merely blinked once, Seollang had sent every last one of them flying.

They slammed into walls and windows respectively, trembled for a moment, and went limp.

Watching Golden Flash, who had become a Baba Yaga by crushing every fighter in the colosseum cruelly and without the slightest mercy or emotion, the surrounding fighters once again felt a thrill.

Then,

“Benefactor! You came!? If you were coming, you should’ve said so!”

“?”

“?”

The moment they saw Seollang suddenly smiling brightly and swishing her golden tail as she clung to Alon’s arm, everyone there stopped thinking.

“I waited soooo long because I heard you were coming! I prepared all sorts of things, so hurry up, let’s go!”

Whether the fighters’ thoughts had stopped or not, Seollang kept grinning, tail swishing, grabbed Alon’s hand, and started leading him somewhere.

As the noble disappeared into the distance with Seollang, the fighters were left with one flustered question in their minds for a while.

Who exactly is that man? Who is he that even the Mad Hound…

They were full of doubt about who the noble was that Seollang had called her benefactor.

But Alon himself, who was being dragged away by Seollang’s bloodstained hand,

Did she kill him…?

though he felt gratitude and a strange pride, was just as flustered as the fighters.

* * *

Because Alon had arrived in Colony well into the afternoon, by the time he reached the building Seollang led him to, the sun was already setting.

“This is the place!”

Following Seollang inside with her ears perked up, Alon had one low impression.

Big.

As Alon blankly looked up at a building that rose more than nine stories, clearly different from the rest, Evan’s admiring voice came from beside him.

“Wow. It’s huge.”

Of course, the building itself was not broad in the way Deus’s estate had been, but in this city there were very few high-rise buildings to begin with, so the contrast felt all the stronger.

While admiring it with Evan, Alon entered the building and soon began heading toward the top floor.

“Ah, welcome back, Boss.”

“Boss!”

As they began making their way upward, beastfolk came into view.

As befitted people using the title boss, they all bowed with strict discipline, and like Seollang, all of them had golden hair.

Then, when they finally reached the top floor, Alon saw another beastfolk standing at the door as though he had been waiting.

He had a long scar across one side of his face and, again, golden hair.

“Boss, welcome back.”

“Mm. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”

“Nothing.”

Seollang answered with an energetic smile and went inside after opening the door.

Alon and Evan followed her inside as well.

“…?”

At the same time, Alon felt the beastfolk who had been standing by the door looking at him and was about to turn his gaze away, but then,

“She really is a bit different from the rumors.”

“Rumors?”

At Evan’s next words, he could only look puzzled.

Evan spoke while looking at Seollang walking ahead.

“Yes. I heard Seollang’s reputation wasn’t very good. There were rumors that she’s extremely cruel. I heard they call her the Mad Hound. Though they also say she’s a little gentler with her own kind.”

“…Seollang?”

Alon looked at Seollang.

“Benefactor! Sit here!”

As if she was very excited, Seollang was already sitting cross-legged on some platform prepared in the office, swishing her tail and patting the seat of honor.

…What she showed earlier was a little chilling.

Alon briefly recalled what Seollang had just shown, but soon shrugged as he looked at her smiling brightly and sat down.

And from there, a proper opportunity to talk with Seollang was formed.

* * *

In truth, from Alon’s point of view, he had been a little worried about how he should lead the conversation with Seollang.

Things had ended up going well with Deus, but he had no idea how the conversation with Seollang might flow.

But compared to Alon’s worries,

“Good!”

“…Hm?”

“Good!”

the conversation with Seollang was, in a certain sense, even easier than with Deus, and Alon wore a bewildered expression.

“Are you sure you heard what I said properly?”

“I did! And Benefactor can speak casually to me!”

Seollang replied energetically.

As if she normally could not sit still, while still cross-legged she casually planted her arms on the floor and began doing a handstand.

Watching that, Alon asked blankly,

“…Even so, shouldn’t there be various things you need to think about? I heard you’re even running a guild.”

He asked because, from their short conversation, he had learned that aside from becoming a Baba Yaga in Colony, Seollang had gathered people of her own kind and created a guild.

“Mmm-”

Still upside down, she seemed to think about it in that strange posture.

Then,

“It’s fine!”

“…Is it?”

“Yep! Even if you’re not family, you’re my ben- no, my benefactor!”

At Seollang’s bright answer, Alon nodded a little awkwardly, but deep inside he felt the same sense of pride he felt when looking at Deus.

That was only natural.

From Alon’s point of view, who knew he had never once properly contacted Seollang and had not even sent her a letter, he had never expected her to help him this actively.

Honestly, I didn’t think she’d go this far.

Since Alon was the one who needed help, there was nothing bad about it for him, so feeling something almost fatherly rise in his heart, he continued talking with her about this and that.

Of course, most of the conversation was not particularly extraordinary.

Alon told Seollang stories about Deus and asked how Seollang herself had been doing.

Seollang also told Alon about her life in Colony.

Then, as if she had remembered something, she let out a low exclamation and opened her mouth.

“Because of you, Benefactor, I was able to gather our scattered clan!”

“…Because of me?”

“Yeah, this!”

Smiling brightly, Seollang showed the glove on her right hand, and Alon easily recognized it as the Essence of the Golden Mane.

“I see.”

…So when it encounters the Golden Mane clan, it really does unlock some sort of true power.

Alon felt as though he now understood why she was so favorable toward him, and they continued talking for a while.

Then,

“Come to think of it, the desert really is dangerous.”

“Hm? Why?”

At Evan’s words, Seollang tilted her head and asked.

“We got attacked.”

“…? Attacked?”

“That’s right.”

At the word attacked from Evan, Seollang’s smiling face stiffened for an instant, and Alon nodded in agreement.

“We were attacked by the Bloodsand Bandits. Even though we were moving during the day, when bandit groups usually don’t roam around.”

“Really? Bad people…?”

“Honestly, they’re not the sort I’d want to meet a second time.”

As Alon shrugged while recalling that time and looked at Seollang, she quickly went back to smiling brightly as if the momentary stiffening had been a lie, chatted a little more, and then,

“Ah, for today, rest first! You must’ve had a hard time coming all the way here, right?”

With that, she gave both Alon and Evan a room just below the top floor.

And after giving Alon and Evan their rooms, Seollang returned to the top floor and spoke with a smile still on her face.

“Ralga.”

“Yes.”

At Seollang’s call, a beastfolk with scars on his face appeared instantly.

“Bad guys, where?”

“…The Bloodsand Bandits are settled in the northeast. But there is one more thing I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“As far as I know, the Bloodsand Bandits have ties behind the scenes to Kalman, one of the other three Baba Yaga.”

Ralga spoke with concern in his voice.

“Really? But even so-”

Seollang’s tail gave a single swish at those words, and then she answered as if Ralga’s information would make no difference at all to what she was about to do.

“-they can’t touch my benefactor.”

Then, looking toward the northeast, she muttered in a voice so low that even Ralga could not hear it.

“If that person finds out, I’m definitely going to get scolded.”

Then,

“Anyway, just wait.”

with a face now endlessly expressionless instead of smiling, and with those chilling golden eyes shining,

“I’m going to kill all of them and come back.”

she vanished on the spot.

Leaving behind only a crackling golden flash.