I checked Nam Yuri's status window.
‘Her stats rose dramatically. Especially her internal mana capacity and magic power….’
Most likely, by retrieving her heart, she had regained her original power.
Nam Yuri's sudden growth must have also been related.
I welcomed her change.
Even so….
‘This is embarrassing. Where am I supposed to look?’
Currently, Nam Yuri was not wearing even a single thread.
Facing her naked body, I couldn't help but feel troubled.
Moreover, perhaps it was just my imagination, but….
"…."
It even felt as though I were receiving glares from the women around me.
Among them, Yeon Haneul and Yeon Bada's gazes were particularly piercing.
…Scary.
‘Avert my gaze, avert my gaze, avert my gaze….’
I had to look away quickly.
Although my evasion instinct didn't trigger, I instinctively sensed danger and let out an *ahem* dry cough.
I opened my mouth as nonchalantly as possible.
"How long are you going to stay like that? Shouldn't you get dressed already?"
"Hm? Clothes? Ah, right. I threw them off earlier for the experiment. Hmm, but I don't know where they are? I think I left them nearby from what I remember…. but seeing as they're gone, they probably got caught up in the attack earlier and flew off somewhere, or burned up in the fire?"
"Then cover yourself with your hair at least."
"My hair? Um…. like this?"
Nam Yuri grabbed a handful of her curly grey hair with both hands.
She moved her hair to cover her ample chest.
That was a bit better.
Just as I thought so.
"Ha!"
"…."
"How is it? Did you see? Barely visible, barely visible…."
Suddenly.
Nam Yuri lifted her hair, exposing her naked body again.
She giggled as if her prank had succeeded.
"Gyeonu, Gyeonu, your expression looks weird right now? I think it's the first time I've seen you make that face! It's funny!"
"Please…. just cover up…. I'm going to get scolded. Is this the time for that?"
"Are you angry? Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I'll cover up!"
I let out a sigh.
Only then did Nam Yuri move her hair at will, unlike before, covering parts of her body.
Thanks to her hair having grown longer along with her growth, it was enough to cover the important parts.
Fortunately, Go Eunbi, who had crossed through subspace, also helped.
"Good thing I brought this just in case. These are my clothes, so hurry and put them on!"
"Ah, Eunbi-kkabi! Thank you for coming! And I'll put these clothes on properly! Wow! It smells like Eunbi-kkabi! Nice!"
Go Eunbi handed over the clothes.
At her urging, Nam Yuri put on a shirt that came down to her knees and began buttoning it up.
I was finally relieved.
Meanwhile.
"To dare oppose the Yeonseong Nam Clan…. Is this the will of your clan? Are you saying you don't care if this leads to discord between the clans?"
Nam Sieon, the Patriarch of the Yeonseong Nam Clan, who had been held back by our group, revealed an enraged aura.
He unleashed pressure.
The oppressive force weighed down on us.
"You have committed a grave transgression today. Do you think I, that the Yeonseong Nam Clan, will let today's matter pass quietly? No, I shall formally lodge a protest to your clan and to the academy at the clan level. Before that…."
"…."
"You shall be scolded by me. Those who commit wrongs must receive punishment. Especially you, Nam Yuri—I will never let you go. How dare the likes of you scheme such things…. You must have made bad friends and been tainted by foul water. That was not the reason I sent you to the academy…. I've made my decision. Drop out of the academy. A life as a proper human and a life as a Hunter are utterly useless to you. This place suits you better. So live here for the rest of your life, as a test subject until you die. Your sole reason for existence now is to serve as nourishment for the next generation."
"Ah, really? How scary…. So I'm ruined? What ever shall I do…."
"It's no use begging for forgiveness too late. There will be no reversing my decision. I shall extract your heart once more."
His eyes flashing with killing intent.
Nam Sieon scoffed.
Even so, Nam Yuri responded with a provoking attitude, unconcerned.
I asked her.
"How is it? Do you think it's possible?"
"Yeah! Of course! So everyone, don't be intimidated by the Patriarch!"
Nam Yuri shouted brightly.
At that, as if we had promised, the corners of our mouths rose.
We weren't afraid of Nam Sieon's threats.
‘Did you think we hadn't worried about the aftermath? We picked a fight because we have countermeasures.’
I—we don't fight battles we can't win.
I decided to let Nam Sieon know that.
Nam Yuri immediately took action.
She gathered her energy.
Infusing her voice with mana.
"Kneel. And shut up."
"…!"
Nam Yuri's voice echoed.
In that instant, Nam Sieon flinched.
He knelt on the floor with an expression of disbelief.
"Wh-what is this…."
"Why? I told you to kneel, so you knelt. What's so strange?"
"What on earth did you do!"
"But you didn't shut up, did you? Patriarch, be quiet."
"…!"
He tried to rise from his spot, but his body wouldn't obey his will.
That was exactly how Nam Sieon looked, kneeling and trembling.
Bewilderment emanated from him.
It was a stark contrast to the face that had been filled with fury just moments ago.
"Bash your head against the ground, Patriarch."
"Kuk! Kuaaaaargh!"
"It's no use trying to resist. Hurry up and bow."
"Naaam Yuriiiiii!"
"Yes, good. You bowed well."
"…!"
With a thud.
Nam Sieon bashed his head against the ground.
Nam Yuri, having received a grand bow from him, giggled as if amused.
"H-how could this…."
"Are you asking if I forced the Patriarch? I did use a bit of a shortcut. Just like the Patriarch did to me."
Nam Yuri moved her steps.
Soon, she gently pressed her foot down on Nam Sieon's head.
She rubbed it as if dusting off the dirt stuck to her sole.
"The thing is, this is how it happened."
"Kuk…."
"We worried a lot. It's great to get my heart back, but what about after? Obviously, the Patriarch wouldn't stay still. If it's the Patriarch, you could easily defeat us and take my heart again, couldn't you? So we decided to do this. Using the power I regained along with my heart, I would renew the contract relationship between me and the Patriarch."
Expose your belly and flip over, Patriarch.
Nam Yuri commanded.
Nam Sieon had no choice but to follow the command regardless of his own will.
Having lifted his top and lain down with his stomach exposed, he looked up at her with an expression of humiliation.
She seemed to feel even more satisfaction at that gaze.
She lifted his chin with the top of her foot and slapped his cheek with her sole.
"In Geumgang Academy's vault, there was an artifact with the power to reverse contract relationships. So we borrowed its help. I bet you've realized by now, but you and I had formed a contract in a vertical, not equal, relationship, right? So when I reversed the contract relationship…."
"…."
"Tada! This is the result. I become Party A, and the Patriarch becomes Party B. Ah, this is wonderful. Thank you, Gyeonu! Thanks to you, I borrowed the artifact without any trouble! Or should I say thanks to Hanbyeol? Anyway, thank you!"
Nam Yuri stepped on Nam Sieon's forehead.
She exerted force with her heel, grinding it as if trying to bury it in the ground.
She sneered.
"Do you understand the situation now? The Patriarch has become my slave. A slave bound by the soul. How does it feel now that the positions are reversed? Don't you feel like a dog? I've been like this from the moment I was born."
"Y-you…! You've gone mad. Stop this at once…."
"Oh? You haven't fully grasped the situation? Flip over again and bow your head. No, shall I have you lick the ground this time? Put your hands behind your back."
"Kuhuk! D-do you think the clan will leave you be if they find out! You beast, worse than an animal… keok!"
"It would be a problem if the clan found out, wouldn't it? But would they be able to find out? Of course, the Patriarch could tell them, but it would damage your dignity, wouldn't it? To begin with…."
"…."
"If I command you not to speak, the Patriarch won't even be able to speak, will he? Are you stupid? Is the head I'm stepping on not a head? Ah, did it go stupid because I stepped on it? Tsk, don't manifest your internal mana. This won't do. Flip over again. Both hands and both feet, reach for the sky!"
"Naaam Yuriiii!"
"You still can't understand the situation? I said the Patriarch is my slave now. A dog that must bark when I tell it to bark, and bite when I tell it to bite. Don't forget that I am above you. In that sense…. the Yeonseong Nam Clan is mine now."
"…!"
"To think I can now manipulate at will a clan I'd love to annihilate—I feel so good. Gyeonu, Gyeonu! Am I the true power behind the scenes now!? The true power behind the scenes of the Yeonseong Nam Clan!"
Nam Yuri waved her hand at me.
I let out a bitter smile.
Then I gave her a word of advice.
"I get that you're in a good mood, but are you going to keep doing that? You need to take proper measures."
"Okay! I'll do that!"
Nam Yuri replied with a bright face.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she looked down at Nam Sieon with icy eyes.
"But I know very well that the Patriarch is no pushover. I can't feel safe with just this. So… I'll give you an order."
"…!"
"Give me your heart. Right now."
"N-no… kuaaaaack!"
Nam Sieon thrashed about.
He desperately tried to resist.
But it was no use.
Nam Yuri's command was absolute.
In the end, he had to stab his own chest and pull out his heart.
"Wow, it's still warm. But Patriarch, you could have wiped it off first…. now blood is getting on my clothes."
"Heuk-heuk…. keuk…."
The heart in Nam Yuri's hand pumped with loud thuds.
Blood dripped between her pure white fingers.
Nam Sieon's eyes reddened as he watched her.
Having surrendered his heart to her, his face was incredibly pale, having lost a significant amount of his original power.
Whenever he took rough breaths, a sound like wind leaking from a punctured lung could be heard.
Regardless.
"So the right to decide the Patriarch's life and death has completely passed to me now? This means you can't die or live as you please without my permission… you understand, right?"
Nam Yuri still didn't lose her smile, filled with joy.
"Y-you heaven-defying… beastly wretch…."
"A beast? Hmm, I am a beast indeed. If you insist, I'm closer to a phantom beast than a human… and I obtained genetic information from the Patriarch's sperm. The Patriarch is the beast, aren't I right?"
Nam Yuri tossed the heart upward.
She caught the falling heart and rubbed it between both palms.
Nam Sieon cried in agony, twisting his body this way and that until he convulsed.
No matter how transcendent a being he was, having his heart taken away was no big deal.
* * *
Not only had we retrieved Nam Yuri's heart, but we had also subjugated Nam Sieon down to his very soul.
The operation had ended successfully.
But unfortunately.
Kwakwakwakwang!
It was still too early to raise a toast.
The experiment that had been forcibly halted by us had gone berserk.
Mana that had slipped free of Nam Sieon's control scattered throughout the area and ran rampant, and the machinery caused explosions.
More than anything.
Kuoaaaa!
‘Damn….’
The Black Dragon Casus, which was supposed to have been used as material to strengthen Nam Yuri and as a test subject, had awoken from anesthesia.
To break free of its restraints, the creature swung its massive frame wildly.
In the process, cracks formed, and the surrounding equipment was being destroyed.
If this kept up, it would break free and try to kill us.
If we combined our strength, injuring the already wounded creature wouldn't be too difficult, but….
Kururung! Kwaang!
"Damn it."
Suddenly, a black bolt of lightning filled with ominous energy pierced through the research facility and fell upon the Black Dragon.
The Black Dragon roared.
Enveloped in black lightning, the creature began to recover its body rapidly.
Taking in that spectacle, I clicked my tongue hard.
Curses came out on their own.
"Ah, why again…. why again!"
"…."
Go Eunbi and some other friends seemed to feel the same way as me.
They let out groans.
Before long.
Kuoaaaa!
The Black Dragon, flashing red eyes, was finally freed from its restraints.
Spreading its wings wide, the creature passed straight through the ceiling pierced by the black lightning and flew up into the night sky.
It dropped bombardments.
As a result of the aftermath.
Krueeeng!
Kyang! Kyang!
Monsters emerged from the cracks.
At the same time, chimeras that had been managed in the research facility, which seemed to have opened their eyes from dormancy, began to approach where we were.
Sensing presences caught in our detection network, we hardened our expressions.
‘I thought things might go smoothly for once….’
Can't I live without going through hardship?
We really seem to have bad luck.
The heavens… no, the heavens aren't at fault.
Yeon Haneul is so pretty, after all.
If there's fault, it lies with the world.
I really resent the world.
"Ha, this sunfish of a world…. everyone, prepare for battle."
I let out a sigh.
Then I spoke to Nam Yuri.
"Yuri, while we fight, try knocking your Patriarch out. We don't know what tricks he'll pull in the meantime."
"Yeah, sure! Patriarch, did you hear? Just stay asleep until I tell you to wake up!"
"…!"
At Nam Yuri's command.
Nam Sieon, eyes bulging and body rigid, collapsed flat on the floor.
Then his eyes slowly closed.
I praised her.
"Well done."
"Hee-hee, did I do well? You have to pat my head when this is over!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
We couldn't delay any longer.
We decided to engage in battle in earnest.
‘Still, I don't know about the others, but that Black Dragon won't be easy to deal with? It'll be tricky.’
Just as I was thinking that.
Nam Yuri, who was still beside me, abruptly proposed.
"Hey, Gyeonu. Why don't you make a contract with me too while we're at it?"
I had become the childhood friend of the mid-boss.