My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 44 - To England

We were listening to the secretary’s report.

“Guild Master. Reports about porters keep coming into the guild.”

“They were quiet for a while, and now the porters are acting up again?”

Han Woori frowned.

Porters were those who only took the materials needed for weapon enhancement from magical beasts and didn’t actually clear dungeons.

They ranged from collecting low-grade to high-grade materials, all for personal gain.

It was likely them who had extracted only the tusks of the Lake Geese from the White Sand Lake Dungeon.

The secretary handed over some documents and said,

“Yes. The ‘materials’ seem to be distributed through the black market.”

Instead of being registered and traded on the official Hunter Association-managed site, they were secretly traded through individuals on the black market.

Since the black market operated in a decentralized way, it was difficult to control.

These troublesome pests were at it again. Clicking our tongue lightly, we set down the documents and said,

“Strengthen enforcement. And have anyone who spots a porter report it immediately to the Hunter Association’s Hunter Management Division.”

“I’ll issue the directive to the guild members.”

The secretary nodded and handed over additional documents. As we skimmed through them, a curious expression crossed our face.

“Why is Gold Star doing weird things again? Why are they stockpiling things like ‘Persephone’s Pomegranate,’ ‘New Sprout of the Millennial Tree,’ and ‘Crystal of Snowflower Glass’?”

“Well, we don’t know the reason. According to our investigation, nothing unusual has been found.”

The secretary looked at us uneasily, troubled.

“Are they trying to stock up and drive up prices again?”

Gold Star Guild was infamous for monopolizing mana stones, which were relatively easy to mine in dungeons, and reaping profits.

Mana stones were basic materials for weapon enhancement, so the demand was high. If market supply dropped, the damage was severe.

Moreover, in modern times, mana stone batteries had become widespread. There was no place that didn’t use mana stones.

New hunters or lower-ranked hunters, who often weren’t in great financial shape, had a hard time buying them if the supply dropped and prices soared, affecting even their daily lives.

Since the Geumseong Group was backing Gold Star Guild, no one could speak up against them.

Even when they were reported to the Hunter Association, the worst they got was a verbal reprimand during government audits. Corporations were even worse than expected.

“They may be rare materials, but they’re not that useful. Even if they try to raise the price by hoarding, it won’t help much.”

Even though they were rare due to low drop rates, the characteristics or effects of each material hadn’t been revealed yet, so their prices weren’t high, nor were they popular.

But there was no way a guild like Gold Star would collect those materials without a reason.

“Let’s quietly start buying them too. There’s definitely a reason behind it.”

As the head of the Dochun Guild, we had always been keeping Gold Star in check—this was our gut feeling.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Taking advantage of the moment when Byeol and the magical beasts were napping, Eunsae was sorting through the mail that had arrived at her home.

It ranged from international to domestic mail.

“Ugh, such a hassle.”

Most of it was invitations addressed to Eunsae from all over the world, with all sorts of excuses.

Of course, stories about Byeol and Bomi weren’t left out either. A rare dragon and a magical beast it seemed they were drawing a lot of attention.

“These go in the ignore pile.”

Eunsae sorted the read letters into one stack. There were probably emails with the same content too, so she’d likely have to clean out her inbox later.

“Oh, this one.”

Eunsae, who had looked annoyed all this time, finally brightened up. A familiar seal was stamped on a sky-blue envelope.

Her eyes sparkled as she swiftly sliced it open with a letter opener and unfolded the letter.

Her black eyes scanned the contents quickly.

“I have to go to this one.”

The sender’s name was Stella Vaughn. A British hunter, blind, but gifted with the ability to hear the voices of the stars.

She was one of the few foreign hunters Eunsae was close to—and someone she owed a favor.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone abroad. What should I do about Bomi and Byeol?”

Should she take them along with the other magical beasts? Or leave them with Belquior? Eunsae fell into deep thought.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Fortunately, Eunsae’s worries were quickly resolved. When she expressed concern about Byeol and Bomi’s safety, Belquior readily offered to come along.

Excited by his agreement, Eunsae picked up her phone.

[Yoo Eunsae: I’m going to the UK for a few days. Lend me the guild’s private jet.]

After sending the message in the group chat, Eunsae showed up at the airport the next day with her security team.

She left only a quick “I’ll be back safely” to the swarming reporters before heading into the private gate.

Following her was Belquior, holding Byeol and Bomi in his arms.

Dodari and Haneuli had already been loaded onto the Dochun Guild’s private jet.

Belquior, rarely one to comment on such things, glanced at the crowd of reporters and spoke.

“Don’t you get tired of this happening every time?”

“Oh… you mean the people?”

Eunsae scratched her cheek. The flood of questions and camera flashes, the crowd packed so tightly she could barely take a step.

“I’m used to it by now. Of course, it can be a hassle, but I’ve got protocols for everything.”

Eunsae grinned. She had been through it countless times while traveling the world, so this much didn’t faze her. At her easy smile, Belquior’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed.

Having lived a quiet life protecting the World Tree Yggdrasil, Belquior found all this unfamiliar.

In truth, this entire world was foreign to him. Complicated, noisy, full of sharp, indifferent people.

If it weren’t for Eunsae, he wouldn’t have even considered coming outside.

By that logic, Eunsae was truly strange. She seemed to enjoy peaceful, quiet moments, yet she didn’t shy away from public activity.

Maybe, as she said, she’d simply grown used to it. Belquior’s gaze lingered on her face as she walked ahead.

A little later, Eunsae stood in front of the jet with her arms wide open.

“Belquior, this is your first time flying, right?”

Belquior nodded. He didn’t even know that the massive object before him was called a plane.

The baby dragon Byeol, cradled in his arms, sent an excited telepathic message.

[Noona! Is this what they call a plane?]

Byeol had seen pictures of airplanes in storybooks. Seeing one in real life—so much bigger—was surprising.

The plane looked like a giant bird with its wings spread wide.

“Yes. We’ll ride this through the sky to another country.”

[But I can already fly now!]

Flap flap!

The baby dragon fluttered up into the air. Bomi chirped cheerfully, as if saying, “Me too!”

“Right. But this will fly even higher. All the way above the clouds!”

[Woooow.]

Truthfully, Byeol could fly above the clouds if he wanted. But he hated being out of Eunsae’s sight, so he had never actually tried.

The plane door opened, and a flight attendant came to greet Eunsae and guide her to her seat. The concealment magic was especially strong today, so the attendant didn’t notice Belquior at all.

“Sit next to me.”

Eunsae whispered softly. Belquior followed her and buckled his seatbelt.

Opposite them, baby seats had been prepared for Byeol and Bomi. Eunsae carefully buckled both of them in.

“Your ears might hurt when the plane takes off. If that happens, just swallow your saliva.”

[Gulp? Like this?]

Byeol mimed swallowing. Eunsae praised him for doing it well.

“Bomi…”

[Beep–?]

Bomi seemed confused. Eunsae looked a bit troubled, but Belquior reached out his hand.

“This beast should get some sleep.”

Golden magic shimmered on Bomi’s forehead. Blinking, Bomi curled up and quickly fell asleep.

–The plane is now taking off.

After the captain’s announcement, the plane began to move. Rolling down the runway, it gently lifted into the air.

[Wow!]

Byeol clapped excitedly at the strange, floating sensation. But his joy was short-lived—he suddenly flinched at the pressure in his ears and looked at Eunsae in alarm.

[N-Noona, my ears hurt…]

Byeol whined. Swallowing didn’t help.

“Just hold on a little. Just a little longer.”

Eunsae fretted. Belquior let out a small sigh and advised him,

“Use magic.”

[…! Okay!]

Thankfully, after using magic, the pressure vanished and Byeol quickly smiled again. From that moment on, Eunsae, Belquior, and Byeol enjoyed a peaceful journey.

They ate meals on the plane, watched an animated movie Eunsae had downloaded, listened to music, and napped together.

Eunsae occasionally checked on Dodari and Haneuli in another compartment. Having traveled abroad often in the past, they stayed calm and composed.

By the time Byeol started to get tired of sitting still, the plane landed at London City Airport.

“We’re here!”

Eunsae stretched as she got off the jet. Flying with kids was no joke.

Thankfully, Byeol had been relatively calm, and Bomi had slept the whole time. The magical beasts had behaved well too—what a relief.

Surrounded by her security team, Eunsae exited the airport to find several cars waiting.

From the front car stepped a familiar face. A woman with a short bob, sharp eyes, and a cold expression—Stella Vaughn’s secretary.

“Welcome, Hunter Yoo Eunsae.”

“Hello, Linda.”

They spoke in English. After a quick handshake with Eunsae, Linda turned and said,

“I’ll take you to where Miss Stella is waiting.”