85.
‘It’s here.’
Tiamat, who had been swimming in the sea, jumped up. Her target was a ship directly above her. They must have sensed her presence, hurriedly maneuvering to evade, but it was already too late.
Thud!
The boat rocked loudly with a roar.
Then, Kai, who was waiting opposite her, bumped his body once more and drew attention.
“It’s a monster!”
A shout was heard, and people’s eyes were drawn to it. In the meantime, Tiamat transformed into a human and climbed onto her stomach.
“Let’s see the location.”
Just sinking the ship and killing everyone would solve the problem. She wondered if she should make this more complicated by doing that, but what should she do? She needed to be quiet until she got what she needed.
As long as the riots in New York had subsided and the Awakened gathered again, there were plenty of ways to recruit people from the other side, even in the middle of the sea.
‘Let’s get the item first.’
It was the item that was currently restraining Bacardi.
[Hero’s Chain (Unique)]
Constrains one targeted target, rendering it unable to exert its power. It was once used to catch a dragon.
That was the needed item. She was also looking for Bacardi, who was on the same side as she was. She was wondering if she could save the weak human and use it somewhere.
When Tiamat arrived at the previously delivered location, she saw a large door. In addition, another human waiting for her greeted her.
“You’re an intruder, after all.”
The man who was reading a small book looked at Tiamat with a tense expression. No matter how restrained he was, the other was Bacardi, who was strong on the human axis. There could not be no watchmen.
“Well, it’s kinda like that.”
Tiamat pulled out her nails and pounced on the watchmen. He drew his weapon and fought desperately but was unable to defeat her. He eventually lost his mind when his arm holding his weapon was cut off.
“Oops!”
Tiamat, who was obsessed with blood, came to her senses belatedly. It wasn’t difficult for her to open the sealed door. Items were also used on the door, but the level was low. After violently tearing it off, she saw Bacardi tied in chains.
“Have you come to save me?”
Bacardi asked, raising his head.
“Yeah.”
“Then quickly release me from the chains. It’s annoying.”
He was pretty weak for something she could catch. Tiamat waved her hand in annoyance. Her sharp claws cut through the flesh and ripped off the chain that was digging into it.
Blood flowed from his weakened body, but neither Bacardi nor Tiamat paid any attention.
“At last!”
Bacardi, now free, jumped up and shouted.
“I won’t lose this time! I’ll avenge you!”
Meanwhile, Tiamat grabbed the chain and looked at Bacardi with pitiful eyes. She heard that he was beaten one-sidedly by Hyeon-woo. How was he going to get revenge? As if feeling the gaze, Bacardi smiled, showing his teeth.
“I have good strength that can suppress weak things. But sometimes strength isn’t the only thing.”
“Ooh?”
He looked ignorant on the outside, but his head seems to be working quite fine.
“Ji Seon-woo, I’m after him.”
“Is he strong too?”
“Sure, but he’s not as good as Hyeon-woo.”
It was the right decision. Would this make the story interesting? Tiamat licked her lips with her tongue.
Thud!
Then the boat rocked again.
“We must leave now.”
“What about the other people?”
“On the signboard.”
“Can I kill them all?”
“I’ve got what I wanted.”
Now they could kill. Even if reinforcements arrived, there was plenty of time to bounce before that. Tiamat shrugged, and Bacardi burst into a frenzy.
“Then I’ll go ahead first.”
Bacardi broke through the ceiling and disappeared upward. And before long, screams took over the place of the sound of the sea breeze.
“He’s strange for a human.”
Didn’t normal humans care about their own people? But seeing that he didn’t, she wondered if he was similar to herself. Anyway, hearing the scream made her hungry for blood. Tiamat raised the corners of her mouth as she looked at the fallen watchmen, lost in her mind.
***
“There’s trouble! Bacardi, he escaped!”
It wasn’t long before news of Bacardi’s escape reached Leon as well.
“Escaped?”
“Yes! Periodic contact from the ship did not come, so we dispatched some people, but it was already late.”
All that was left there were fragments and bodies of wrecked ships floating on the sea.
Leon pressed his head gently with his hand.
“That’s my fault. We should have sent more escorts.”
He regretted sending only one boat without anyone knowing.
“But there’s no time for regrets.”
Leon had to think of other issues than that. A boat that had been secretly launched was attacked. That meant that confidential information had leaked somewhere, and that perhaps the traitor might still be around.
It wasn’t just Leon who noticed him. Amber, who had brought the information, already knew that.
“Why–”
Amber let out a complaint.
“–Why is he betraying his humanity? Doing such a terrible thing in a situation where even if we join forces, it won’t be enough!”
“Amber.”
“Leon-nim, I don’t understand.”
“I’m having the same thought as you. Still, we have to move. For the sake of others who are still there.”
“Yes, it is. I got too worked up.”
Biting her lips, Amber calmed her emotions.
“That’s alright”
“What about Bacardi’s escape?”
“I feel like I should let some people know. If it’s Bacardi I know, he would do something dangerous.”
‘I’ll pay back as much as I have suffered.’ Bacardi lived by those words. As such, there was a considerable risk that he would seek out and retaliate against those who had done this to him.
“Should I inform Ji Hyeon-woo?”
“Yes, please let him know.”
Leon said firmly.
***
After a while, Hyeon-woo, who was still staying at a hotel in New York, was greeted by a familiar guest.
“Hello.”
Amber greeted Seon-woo politely.
“Amber? What’s going on here?”
“I stopped by with some urgent.”
“Please come in first.”
Seon-woo took Amber inside. The party that occupied the top floor was lazily spread out. Hyeon-woo was sitting on the sofa and watching the TV blankly and Do-jin and a boy named Alberg were sitting next to him. In fact, he didn’t know that Amber would come, but before she came, Seon-woo was also in the middle of them.
Ga-jun was sitting on the other sofa to his left, his hands busy with a tablet and papers spread out on the table.
“Amber?”
“Hello, Ji Hyun-woo-ssi.”
“What brings you here?”
Amber felt guilty when she saw Hyeon-woo asking back with her eyes wide open. She received so much help, and yet she endangered his benefactor. She should have been more careful.
“I’m sorry!”
Amber bent down.
“Amber?”
“Bacardi has escaped.”
“What?”
“What?”
Startled voices came out.
“Everything is our fault. For now, we are tracking Bacardi’s whereabouts, but the investigation is delayed because the place where the incident took place is the sea. We discovered someone else’s intervention in the middle, but we don’t know who it is.”
Amber took a deep breath and continued.
“Bacardi is an evil person. He might even try to retaliate against Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi. I really have nothing to say.”
“Are there any countermeasures?”
When Seon-woo asked, Amber slowly released what she had thought of beforehand.
“I’m thinking of assigning an escort to you for now. It’s just in time, most of the Awakened have returned, and now New York is in order.”
In fact, there were not enough people yet. However, they could not tell the truth to those who had been harmed because of them. That was why Amber was thinking of recruiting manpower to protect them.
“It will be difficult to add a lot right now, but we’ll gradually increase it.”
“Do you have the manpower to do that?”
“It’s possible.”
Amber answered, hiding her feelings.
“It’s a lie.”
Alberg threw a word at Amber.
“That person is lying.”
“Are you saying I’m lying?”
“Yes.”
It was an embarrassing situation for Amber. It was true that it was a lie, but the person who pointed it out was a young boy.
He was known to be a tamer-type ability, but did he also have mental abilities? Even so, Amber had a strong mental barrier. Most psychics could not read Amber’s thoughts.
While hesitating, Hyeon-woo spoke up.
“Isn’t it difficult to assign a lot of escorts?”
“Tha-that’s.”
Amber stuttered for the first time.
“Then it’s okay if you stick it to a minimum.”
It was a little annoying, but there was no danger. First of all, Ga-jun, who has the weakest power among them, was one of the most prominent Awakened in Korea. Not to mention Do-jin and Seon-woo. Although Alberg was also weak, he was unimaginably strong even under such circumstances.
What about Spotty, Kero, and Two-eyed? They were monsters who cannot lose even if they want to lose.
“But I can’t do that. You are in danger because of us.”
“What do you mean danger? Of course, I just had to help.”
“Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi.”
Amber’s eyes twinkled. How could there be such a good person?
------
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Davine, YaagRabRag
YRR: Why did they even let him live? They should have just killed Bacardi to prevent this very thing from happening.
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