Chapter 230 - Beautiful, but Frightening

* * *

"Whoa..."

Hermann could not close his gaping mouth.

Being bundled onto the plane almost against his will, then treated to every conceivable luxury in the cabin, had left him bewildered enough. But humans were adaptable creatures. Over the several hours of the flight, most of his bewilderment had faded. After all, he had once been called the world's greatest sculptor. In his prime, he had experienced all manner of lavish hospitality.

Yet now, the sight that greeted him the moment he stepped off the plane was enough to leave him dumbfounded all over again.

Yu Na-gyeong, perched on Limon's shoulder, was no exception.

["... What on earth is all this?"]

"What do you think? They've come to welcome us."

["A welcome? This?"]

Yu Na-gyeong was incredulous. After taking another look around, she asked with an even more dubious expression,

["Are you sure this isn't some sort of state reception?"]

It sounded like a joke, but her question was entirely sincere. The runway had been cleared before they even landed, and a splendid carpet had been laid out across a broad stretch of the airport. Honor guards in striking green uniforms stood in ranks along both sides, flowers were being scattered through the air, and a limousine waited at the carpet's far end.

This was the kind of treatment reserved for visiting heads of state from reasonably prominent nations.

Limon gave her a pitying look.

"We may not have a state guest, but we do have someone even more important right here."

["Oh."]

With newfound realization, Yu Na-gyeong turned to look ahead. She stared blankly at the black-haired girl, who was watching the reception with a calm expression, as though this much fanfare were nothing unusual.

Seeing her so often had made it easy to forget, but Li Qingyu was the Black Dragon Princess. As one of the seven owners of the Seven Dragon Group, she was a real "princess," entitled to a state welcome in any country in the world.

["... Now I understand why you insisted on leaving the White Dragon Princess behind."]

"Don't even suggest it. Do you want to see this airport bursting at the seams?"

["True. That probably would have happened."]

Yu Na-gyeong reluctantly conceded the point. They had gone this far for Li Qingyu alone, one of the Seven Dragons Society's least publicly active princesses. Had Ainsha, renowned as a world-class singer, come along too, her fans and the welcoming crowds might have overwhelmed the airport.

["I don't remember anything like this when you or the White Dragon Princess came to our country, Princess..."]

"Those were unofficial visits."

["So this one's official?"]

"Why else would we have come in something this damned slow? We'd have just teleported."

Limon snorted.

Even the most advanced airplane was slower and less convenient than Teleportation. The very fact that Li Qingyu had gone out of her way to visit by private aircraft was meant to make this meeting public knowledge.

While Limon and Yu Na-gyeong whispered together, the woman standing in front of the honor guard respectfully bowed to Li Qingyu. Her green hair was long, and her red outfit oddly revealing.

"Barbara of the Green Dragon Clan greets the descendant of the Awe-Inspiring Black Dragon Lord."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Barbara."

"First, as the person entrusted with Your Highness's reception, I must apologize for the shortcomings of this welcome. We had little time to prepare."

"Not at all. Preparing this much in a single day is quite an accomplishment."

"You are too kind."

Yu Na-gyeong tilted her head. Despite Barbara's courteous words and manner, the look she directed at Li Qingyu was quite insolent—as though she resented some harm she had unfairly suffered.

Still, perhaps befitting an elite sent to welcome them on behalf of her clan, Barbara continued with impeccable courtesy, apart from her eyes.

"Her Highness awaits you at headquarters. Separate vehicles have been prepared for your attendants, so..."

But she suddenly fell silent mid-sentence. Narrowing her eyes, she looked behind Li Qingyu, then asked quietly,

"Forgive me, but are all those behind you indeed your attendants, Your Highness?"

Her question was reasonable. Hermann was plainly not a member of the Black Dragon Clan, and Limon had a bluebird perched on one shoulder. Neither looked particularly convincing as an attendant.

Li Qingyu did not answer Barbara's question. She merely smiled and asked one of her own.

"If you know the question requires forgiveness, then you must also know I am under no obligation to answer it?"

"... I apologize for my impertinent question."

"Don't concern yourself. It's only to be expected."

Li Qingyu calmly brushed the question aside. The Black Dragon Clan was accustomed to being viewed with suspicion by the other clans.

But she had not missed how Barbara's gaze had lingered particularly long on Limon before asking.

'Just as I thought.'

It had been worth forcing her paperwork onto the troubled-looking Yo U-in and the dumbfounded Wei Ling to come in person. Though she murmured this inwardly, Li Qingyu gave no sign that she had noticed anything. She simply followed Barbara's guidance and boarded the limousine with Limon and Hermann.

Naturally, there was no immigration inspection. Traffic had apparently been restricted in advance as well. As the limousine glided down the empty roads, surrounded by numerous motorcycles and escort vehicles, Yu Na-gyeong murmured blankly.

["Team Leader, aren't those BOPE officers? The organization that deals specifically with high-level players, sort of like our PAB?"]

'More precisely, they're a cut above the PAB. Their average levels may be similar, but their equipment and training are different.'

["And they've assigned people like that as a ceremonial escort? That's amazing."]

'This much is only natural.'

Limon snorted.

Brazil was the Green Dragon Clan's home territory. At least in this country, there was nothing they could not do, and no one who could defy them. As Limon explained this in a mocking tone, Yu Na-gyeong murmured uneasily,

["... You make it sound as though Brazil belongs to the Green Dragon Clan."]

'It doesn't just sound that way. It's a fact.'

["What?"]

Yu Na-gyeong blinked, unable to understand what he meant, but Limon did not bother explaining further. He merely frowned at the streets, empty of even a single pedestrian, seemingly displeased by something.

While Yu Na-gyeong puzzled over his behavior, the limousine continued speeding unhindered along the empty roads. Perhaps thanks to that, they reached their destination well before even a few dozen minutes had passed: a strange building rising in the heart of São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, its two towers twisting around each other in a spiral.

Barbara got out first in front of the building's distinctive, majestic facade. Bowing once more, she respectfully welcomed Li Qingyu.

"Welcome to the headquarters of Quetzalcoatl, the world's foremost pharmaceutical company."

* * *

"Arbella of the Green Dragon Clan greets the descendant of the Awe-Inspiring Black Dragon Lord."

Arbella, Quetzalcoatl's chief research officer, greeted Li Qingyu and her party by elegantly lifting the hem of her white lab coat as though it were a dress. She continued courteously,

"We have taken great care to prepare a banquet for Your Highness. You must be tired after your long journey, but please enjoy it to your heart's content."

["...?"]

Yu Na-gyeong blinked involuntarily. Arbella's speech was certainly elegant and her behavior polite, yet something about her tone felt strangely off, just as Barbara's had.

"After you've gone to the trouble of preparing a banquet, I could hardly refuse as your guest."

Perhaps Li Qingyu had not noticed that dissonance. She nodded calmly and willingly followed Arbella to the banquet hall.

["Wow."]

The moment they entered the hall, Yu Na-gyeong let out an involuntary exclamation of admiration.

The claim that they had taken great care with the preparations had evidently been no exaggeration. The banquet hall was extraordinarily lavish.

Beautiful red lanterns and silks hung in profusion from the ceiling, decorating all four sides of the room. Terracotta warriors stood here and there. Hundreds of dishes covered long tables extending to either side of a green jade throne on the dais at the far end. Musicians along both walls plucked seven-string zithers, beat drums, and played pipas. Dozens of beautiful dancers in daring outfits danced in the spaces between the tables.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether this was Quetzalcoatl's office building or some imperial palace.

["They really went all out with the preparations."]

Yu Na-gyeong marveled that they had prepared such a splendid banquet in little more than a day. But she failed to notice that not only Limon, with his furrowed brow, and Li Qingyu, with her peculiar expression, but even Hermann were surveying the hall with misgivings.

"We made a special effort to decorate it in the style of the Seventy-Seven Federations of China. What do you think?"

After briefly surveying the hall with an odd look, Li Qingyu smiled in response to Arbella's triumphant question. Arbella seemed very confident in the banquet she had prepared.

"It is truly a grand reception."

"It's nothing terribly remarkable. As the Green Dragon Princess's chief attendant, this much is only my duty."

Hermann's expression grew even stranger as he watched Arbella preen. At last, unable to endure any more, Limon strode forward and opened his mouth.

Or rather, he would have—had Li Qingyu not gently extended a hand to stop him and signaled with her eyes.

'Please bear with it.'

'You're going to let this slide? This absurd spectacle?'

'It is not proper for a guest to embarrass the host.'

'It's just as improper for the host to insult a guest like this.'

Limon's face twisted into a deep scowl. Unlike Yu Na-gyeong, he was familiar with banquets like this, particularly the culture of the Seventy-Seven Federations of China, and could see what a complete mess this one was. The fact that there was only one jade throne in the place of honor was enough.

If deliberate, it was an insult. If unintentional, it was a blunder. Either way, it was unthinkable when receiving a fellow princess of the Seven Dragons Society.

'That might be true if we were ordinary guests, but we have come to ask a favor.'

Yet Li Qingyu conveyed her wishes with her usual gentle smile, as though she were accustomed to this much—or would rather endure the insult than quarrel with the Green Dragon Clan over something so trivial.

Limon gazed steadily at her, still maintaining her customary composure, and finally nodded reluctantly.

'If you insist, I'll let it slide.'

'Thank you for being considerate.'

'It's not something I should be thanked for. Nor should you have to thank me.'

With Limon's acquiescence, Li Qingyu smiled and took the guest seat prepared opposite the jade throne.

And so the banquet began.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, despite Limon's scathing assessment of its absurdity, the banquet itself proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere. Oblivious to the finer points, Yu Na-gyeong happily pecked at the food the servants had plated separately for her, while Hermann marveled at delicacies he had rarely tasted in his life. Li Qingyu, too, praised the preparations and kept Arbella smiling through suitable conversation.

That made Limon stand out all the more as he sat alone with his arms folded, refusing to touch the food. But no one paid him any attention. It was a common sight at Green Dragon Clan banquets.

But that was as long as the pleasant atmosphere lasted.

CREEEAK.

"Lady Maia, descendant of the Venomous Green Dragon Lord of Medicine, enters."

The moment the doors opened and Barbara's voice rang out, the banquet hall, so lively just moments earlier, sank into deathlike silence.

The musicians stopped playing. The dancers stopped dancing. The servants fell silent. Everyone froze with frightened faces, stifling even their breathing.

Into that hushed air, she appeared.

* * *

'She's beautiful...'

The first time she saw her, Yu Na-gyeong thought her delicate. Like an ice ornament so slender that the slightest touch might snap it, so fragile that a breath might melt it.

Her milky skin seemed almost transparent rather than merely white, her waist was exceptionally slim, and her pallor made her beauty stand out all the more. The thought came naturally.

'... But she's frightening.'

Immediately afterward, however, what she sensed was danger. A chilling sensation, as though she were facing a venomous snake with its jaws spread wide.

Above all, the woman's sharp eyes and swamp-gloomy green irises stirred her animal instincts, making every feather on her body rise. Yu Na-gyeong unconsciously held her breath.

Frail, yet dangerous. Beautiful, yet sharp.

That strange contradiction accentuated both her sickly beauty and her uniquely dangerous air—like a single flower made all the more beautiful and alluring by the deadly poison it held.

GULP.

Clearly, Yu Na-gyeong was not alone in feeling that way. Otherwise, neither the musicians and dancers nor even Hermann would have been swallowing nervously with such tense expressions.

There were only two exceptions. Limon looked unimpressed, and Li Qingyu was smiling. As everyone else in the hall held their breath in tension, the woman slowly stepped inside.

STEP. STEP.

Her body was plainly as light as a feather. Yet her footsteps sounded as distinct as thunder. Was it because of the profound silence, or the weight of her presence?

Leaving that mystery unanswered, she crossed the banquet hall and came to a firm halt before the dais where the jade throne stood.

"..."

For some reason, she went no farther. After gazing steadily at the throne for a moment, she turned her head and swept her eyes over the hall. Following a brief silence, she spoke.

"Barbara."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Did you prepare this banquet?"

"Well..."

Barbara flinched, unable to give a proper answer. In her place, Arbella stepped forward triumphantly.

"I prepared it, Your Highness."

"I believe I entrusted the Black Dragon Princess's reception to Barbara. Why did you prepare the banquet, Arbella?"

"As Your Highness knows, Barbara is rather poor at arranging banquets and such. I gladly stepped in to make up for my younger sister's inadequacy."

Arbella confidently declared that it was only her duty as Quetzalcoatl's chief research officer and the princess's close attendant. Barbara's face filled with resentment. She had indeed arranged the protocol and ceremonies flawlessly, but had never thought to prepare so lavish a banquet.

"Then you are saying that you alone bear responsibility for this banquet, Arbella?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I see."

At Arbella's confident answer, Maia slowly nodded.

And the very next moment—

SMACK!

The slap to Arbella's cheek sent her body flying sideways.