Chapter 408

〈Chapter 408〉 Part 1, Chapter 17, 16

Defeat.

Hydra succumbed to my ruthless kisses. At one point, Hydra tried to take the lead and counterattack, but once I struck Hydra’s weak points, Hydra collapsed effortlessly.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

Hydra panted heavily, lowering their head. Their knees seemed to tremble so much they couldn’t breathe properly. A deep sense of pleasure mixed with humiliation lingered on Hydra’s face.

“Ceres, you’re a monster under Lord Ji Ryun’s command, right?”

I shook off the incomplete restraints forming around my wrist. Since Hydra had restrained me just enough, breaking free was easy.

“So let’s get along well, alright? It worked out perfectly.”

“…What are you even thinking?”

Hydra claimed to be a subordinate monster. And Hydra was an enemy of Phoenix. Neither Hydra nor I were supposed to be this friendly.

“Hydra is Phoenix’s enemy. Don’t you know that?”

“An enemy, yes. But that’s the higher-ups’ business. What’s the problem between us lower-levels? Honestly…”

I grabbed Hydra’s wrist. Though they wore a smartwatch like me, I didn’t wrap it in magic to block communication like Hydra did. I merely tickled their wrist lightly.

“It’s not a problem as long as we don’t get caught, right?”

“You’re completely insane!”

“Beautiful people make me lose my mind. And if you’re a monster? Then there’s nothing more to say.”

“……Haa.”

Hydra eventually gave up. It was a sigh that signaled abandoning any judgment about me altogether. Hydra pointed at their lips. The crimson lips, devoid of lipstick, glistened with our saliva.

“Why didn’t you do this yesterday if you’re so good at it?”

“That’s because I didn’t know you were a monster. I don’t do humans. It’d feel awkward using a monster’s physique to push things too far.”

“You have weird priorities. Does that mean it’s okay to go all the way with monsters?”

“Hmm…”

I hadn’t received such permission yet. Even if I did, or if orders were given, I wouldn’t do such a thing. Unless Chang-yeom’s synchronization condition involved fighting and winning Hydra’s heart through battle…

That would still be somewhat unfair to Hydra, but since Chang-yeom commanded it, there was nothing I could do. Surprisingly, Chang-yeom was quite friendly toward Hydra.

“Anyway, you don’t need to worry at all. Are you planning to report this to Ceres? Huh?”

“…No, Lord Hydra doesn’t wish to hear reports. I’m on vacation anyway.”

“Is that so? Well, I don’t care either way. I just follow the orders given by our boss. My mission is to assassinate the mustached cardinal, not to hunt down beautiful monsters in Rome.”

“Are you really that reckless? What if we get caught?”

“I already told you. If we don’t get caught, there’s no problem. And if we do, so what?”

I interlocked fingers with Hydra. It was time to head out again.

“We’re going to burn brightly until the end of our lives.”

“…I give up.”

Hydra sighed deeply.

“Hehe, just go with the flow. Think about it calmly. Didn’t you say you wanted to enjoy yourself and eat to your heart’s content for the remaining three months?”

“I didn’t exactly say it that way… but it’s not wrong.”

“That’s right. There’s absolutely no need to worry. Once our time together ends, you’ll only have one thing to worry about, right?”

Because once you awaken to Ji Ryun, all concerns will converge into one. As for me, after dealing with Huan Long, Seok Harang, and Karna, another hunting spirit targeting me might appear, but there’s nothing I can do about that.

“What concern?”

“Where we’ll go for our next date.”

“…..You’re already talking about next time? Do you really think I’ll go anywhere with you again?”

“Yeah.”

I interlocked fingers with Hydra as we stepped out of the alley. Despite following me, Hydra continued to glare sharply.

“Was everything you did today part of some preparation? How do you plan to kill that cardinal? You picked a terrible day. There’s Gawein, one of the Round Table heroes, in this city. If you kill the cardinal, Gawein will come after you.”

“There’s always a way, so don’t worry. I won’t do anything that harms you.”

“I’m uneasy…”

“I’m worried you’ll leave me and run away.”

Hydra pressed their nails into my hand. It didn’t draw blood but stung sharply, signaling “stop talking nonsense.”

“Cut the crap and explain your plan. We need to determine if it’s reasonable before deciding whether to help or not.”

“Let’s infiltrate, shoot, and escape. That’s it!”

“Crazy bastard. Do you even have the skills for that?”

“Ceres, think about it the other way around.”

I presented an answer Hydra could immediately agree with.

“If I lacked such ability, would our boss have sent me alone to operate in the heart of Rome?”

“……That’s true, isn’t it?”

Though hesitant, Hydra seemed to acknowledge it. When judging an enemy, one must never underestimate them. Hydra wouldn’t dismiss outright the possibility of someone doing something they themselves would consider feasible.

Phoenix wouldn’t have sent me alone without reason—either I’m capable, or another ally is nearby, or some other method exists. Hydra watched closely, curious to see how I’d carry out the assassination from close range.

“Alright. Show me, Miss Xian.”

“Of course. First, there’s somewhere we need to go.”

I flagged down a taxi and opened the door.

“Let’s rest for a bit at the hotel.”

“…….”

I cheerfully ignored Hydra muttering ‘green light…’ under their breath.

* * *

Xian and Hydra returned briefly to the hotel. Hydra headed straight for the shower.

Bang bang!

The marble wall resonated. Hydra clenched their fist and pounded the marble wall. Of course, they used magic to muffle the sound, ensuring there was no noise. Meanwhile, Xian had already finished a quick shower and was preparing for the operation.

‘How can she remain so calm despite revealing we’re both monsters?’

Logically, if Phoenix and Hydra are enemies, then their subordinates should naturally be adversaries too. Hydra had referred to themselves as Ceres under Hydra rather than directly as Hydra, but Xian simply saw them as Ceres, a beautiful person worth kissing.

“Idiotic brat.”

Their face was decently attractive, and their figure was impressive, but their behavior was incomprehensibly insane. There was no telling what other crazy things they might do.

‘Why on earth did Phoenix recruit such a lunatic as a subordinate?’

No matter how much Hydra thought about it, it made no sense. The more they thought, the worse their headache became, so Hydra eventually stopped trying to understand.

‘Anyway, we’ve already revealed we’re both monsters.’

Once Xian learned Hydra was a monster, they immediately changed their behavior. It was as if they had been consciously holding back but suddenly floored the accelerator upon discovering Hydra was also a monster.

As if only a monster’s physique could handle being with them.

“……”

Hydra placed their hand over their lips. The sensation of wet kisses still lingered on their tongue and mouth. Despite Hydra’s confidence in their tongue skills, they were powerless against Xian, who expertly targeted and exploited their weak points, leaving Hydra breathless.

“She really knows how to kiss.”

Even though Hydra had excused themselves to return to the hotel due to a slightly damp long sweater, the real reason for the shower needed no explanation.

‘Am I the crazy one…’

Hydra had already been paid. Following that, they decided to temporarily cooperate with Xian.

While it seemed absurd for Hydra’s monster to eliminate someone who might become a monster of Azidahaka, the potential for triggering World War III was indeed a problem for Hydra as well. Hydra intended to present an intact Earth to Seongju, not a world ravaged by war.

Besides, this was an opportunity to get rid of that old, ugly, and jealous man who had dared to request sexual favors after making Hydra his monster. So, let’s cooperate with Xian on the surface. If Xian succeeds in their mission, Hydra would forcibly take them away from Phoenix. If they fail, Hydra would simply discard them after enjoying a brief fling. Regardless of how skilled they were, capability remained crucial.

– Are you done showering?

“Yeah. Just a sec… Ah, I didn’t bring any clothes.”

– Don’t worry. I’ve prepared some inside the towel.

Hydra waved their hands to dry off the water. Inside the neatly folded towel lay a white latex-like outfit. Just one piece.

“……Miss Xian? This feels a bit lacking, doesn’t it?”

– That’s correct. Just wear that and come out.

“……Are you kidding?! Are you seriously asking me to wear this?! What kind of clothes are you wearing that you’d suggest something like this?!”

Hydra burst out of the shower booth, wrapping the curtain around their body. And then they saw it.

“I’m ready.”

Xian was wearing a tight-fitting trunk-style swimsuit.

Just a swimsuit.

“Uh, if you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll go alone then. You stay here and rest.”

“…….”

In the end, it took Hydra two whole hours to step out of the bathroom dressed.

* * *

Time passed, and the sun began to set. The queen visiting Vatican proclaimed to the world to unite and defeat the Dark Legion. I turned off the TV in the hotel room and looked back.

“Words are easy, aren’t they?”

“…….”

Hydra stood silently behind me. Their hands covered their groin but were positioned forward, revealing the curves underneath.

“Why are you like this?”

“…Are you really planning to go out dressed like this?”

“If you hadn’t outed yourself as a monster, I would have provided more modest attire. Monsters should wear outfits like these. Besides, yesterday you slept in just your underwear with me, so why the fuss now?”

“That’s different! People might see us now!”

Hydra shouted loudly, criticizing the outfit. They were wearing nothing but a white high-cut leotard swimsuit. While their chest was appropriately covered, the fabric rose dangerously high on their hips.

If they moved their hands, it would reveal far too much. Hydra was clearly embarrassed by their current state.

“What’s the problem? Clothes don’t define us, right?”

“Have some shame!!”

“Why should you feel ashamed? You can’t stop staring at my body right now. Aren’t we both blessed with bodies we don’t need to hide?”

“We’re supposed to be going on an assassination mission!”

Hydra pointed at the mirror and exploded in frustration. In the reflection stood Baek Cheonghwa wearing only a rash guard bottom, holding a black model gun. That was me.

“Ceres, would you feel embarrassed sneaking into the Vatican like this?”

“Of course it’s embarrassing!”

“So if we don’t get caught, it’s fine, right? If nobody sees us, it’s all good. We’ll approach with the mindset that it’s over if we’re spotted.”

I winked at Hydra while shaking the gun. Hydra’s gaze wavered dramatically. Just as Hydra wore only a leotard swimsuit, I too was clad in a skin-tight rash guard swimsuit.

“Are you not embarrassed wearing just underwear?!”

“These aren’t underwear, so I’m not embarrassed!”

“Miss Xian, is there something wrong with your brain?”

“Did I say anything wrong? If swimsuits are embarrassing, why do people wear them at the beach during summer? Ceres doesn’t wear swimsuits often, does she?”

“Ugh…”

Hydra’s expression betrayed being hit at the core. They disliked water so much that they’d choose an active volcano over the sea anytime. Counter-effective attribute.

“Let’s go then. It’s almost sunset.”

“Hold on! The sun hasn’t fully set yet, and you want to go out like this?”

I stopped opening the balcony door due to Hydra’s fierce resistance. Hydra resisted staunchly even at the last moment. Ultimately, I resorted to my final tactic.

“Ceres, once we complete this mission, let’s go somewhere with a great view.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere nice. Anywhere.”

I pointed at my smartwatch while opening the balcony door.

“With money and magic power, we can go anywhere.”

I boldly started climbing the wall towards the hotel rooftop, and eventually, Hydra followed, running vertically up the wall. Despite their chest bouncing significantly, Hydra was more concerned about their exposed body.

“You’re truly out of your mind…”

“Ceres.”

I tightly embraced Hydra’s waist on the rooftop.

“Swimsuit skin is originally a symbol of Paeo’s, you know.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go!”

I jumped off, carrying Hydra toward the park, the starting point of the infiltration route I scouted during the day.

With thirty minutes left until sunset, our destination was Holy Angel City, where the cardinal would visit.

* * *

“Claiming I only teased with my tongue and didn’t use my hands… pfft. Not necessary, really.”

Chang-yeom lounged comfortably, giggling while watching Hydra walk in front of Phoenix, covering their buttocks. The rash guard was Chang-yeom’s choice.

“After awakening to Ji Ryun… puhuhu.”

Chang-yeom laughed.