Chapter 29: Rookie Ghostcatcher
“W-what?”
“I want to become a Ghostcatcher too!”
‘What is this supposed to be…….’
The completely unexpected declaration left Diesel speechless.
The daughter of a magic tower lord—and a Half-dragon—wanting to become a Ghostcatcher.
“No, why would you of all people want to be a Ghostcatcher…….”
“It’s been my dream since I was little!”
“Hm…….”
“Isn’t there some way to make it work!”
When a dragon became stubborn, even mountains and rivers changed.
Such a strange proverb suddenly came to Diesel’s mind.
“Then what about the magic tower?”
“…….”
“You’re not planning to go back at all?”
To Diesel’s question, Betty answered firmly.
“Yeah. I’m not going back.”
“Why?”
“I told you. I fought with my dad and left almost like I was kicked out.”
“Then what about your mother’s side?”
When the topic of her dragonkin maternal family came up, her expression darkened slightly.
“They care about me even less.”
A dragon not caring about their own family?
Was that even possible?
As Diesel pondered the question, Betty continued.
“I don’t have anywhere left to rely on anymore. So…… I have to make a living on my own.”
So the reason she had applied for an interview at Podvig wasn’t just a joke—she really needed a job.
Looking into Betty’s eyes, it didn’t seem like she was lying, at least.
‘What am I supposed to do with this…….’
She wanted to become a Ghostcatcher.
Diesel thought for a moment about how that might be possible.
‘For now, I could take her to a Fixer.’
But which Fixer?
The first person who came to mind was Boss Kim.
‘Hm……. That dwarf guy is really busy these days.’
What about the half-android Alfred Han?
No, that side still hadn’t built that level of trust yet.
‘Then that leaves only Madam…….’
To think he only knew three Fixers.
Diesel was reminded once again of how narrow his connections really were.
Just then, a transmission came in from Little Sister.
Almost as if she had been listening to their conversation.
[Diesel. Can you come over here right now?]
She continued in a slightly excited tone.
[With that ‘Half-dragon,’ too.]
“My goodness……!”
The Underground Great Hall.
Inside the elevator descending to the ‘White Floor’ located on the VIP level.
Betty kept staring out the window, letting out exclamations of amazement.
“My goodness, my goodness, my goodness……! Diesel, did you see that just now? That was the ‘Deep Abyss Floor’! The level that mainly researches deep-sea creatures among marine fantasy lifeforms! I heard they use spatial magic to peer into parts of the deep sea—so it actually exists……! And look at that……!”
At this point, one would expect her to be exhausted, yet she showed no signs of fatigue.
‘Is it because she’s a Half-dragon? Her stamina is insane.’
A short while later.
With a ding announcing its arrival, the elevator doors opened.
“Waaah…….”
A pure white silence, with no clear distinction even for the floor, spread out before their eyes.
As he stepped into the white space, a now-familiar guidance voice flowed out.
[Welcome. Mr. Diesel.]
“Ooooh……! Did you hear that? It just said your name, Diesel……!”
[And, Ms. Betty Barosi.]
“……!”
At the sound of her own name, she flinched in surprise, then gave a deep bow toward empty space.
“Hello! I’ll work hard! I look forward to working with you!”
‘Work hard at what, exactly…….’
Diesel grabbed the repeatedly bowing Betty and pulled her further inside.
Then he saw Little Sister, surrounded by massive machinery.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
“Y-yes……!”
Sis smiled brightly at Betty and extended her hand for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Betty, right?”
“N-n-nice to meet you!”
Somehow, she looked even more nervous than during the Podvig executive interview.
“Sit comfortably. Have you eaten?”
With a flick of Sis’s hand, a sofa and table suddenly popped out of thin air.
“Ah! N-no! But I’m fine! There’s something more important than eating……!”
Despite her words, an enormous growling sound echoed from her stomach.
“Oh no……. I’m sorry!”
“You haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”
At Diesel’s words, Sis was horrified.
“What? Then you should’ve said something sooner!”
She snapped her fingers, and furniture that looked like it belonged in a kitchen thudded down onto the floor with heavy sounds.
“Waaah…….”
“I’ll make something for you. Can you handle spicy food?”
“Yes! I’m crazy abou—no, I mean, I love it! Actually, I eat pretty much anything well!”
“Good, then…….”
She opened a large refrigerator, selected several ingredients, pulled a kitchen knife out of thin air, and began prepping them skillfully.
“Sit down for a bit. And you can relax here, Betty.”
“Y-yes……! I’ll relax!”
Betty trudged over to the sofa and sat down in a stiff, rigid posture.
“No, what I mean is……. Maintaining that form is a hassle, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“You can really be comfortable.”
“Is that really okay……?”
“Okay.”
At Sis’s words, Betty glanced around nervously, then sucked in a breath—hup!.
Suddenly, horns and a tail pop appeared.
‘Is that what she considers a comfortable form?’
A pair of green horns jutted out sharply from between her blue hair, with pointed elf ears visible beneath them.
At the end of her thin, blue tail swaying gently back and forth, fluffy fur was attached.
It wasn’t the perfect Half-dragon form complete with wings and scales, but it seemed to be the most comfortable shape she could take.
“Haaah……. I’m hungry……. Ah, no! Just hiding the horns and tail alone actually takes a surprising amount of energy…….”
“Yeah, I heard it’s like that. Just wait a bit. I’ll have it ready soon.”
Not long after, Sis set the finished dish down on the table.
“Here, seafood pajeon. I added plenty of chili peppers, so it’s a bit spicy.”
“Wow…….”
“Brain Dragons like seafood, right?”
“I go crazy for it! I mean, I really love it!”
“Eat up quickly. Before it gets cold.”
Once she was given permission, Betty picked up her chopsticks.
She tore off a long strip of pajeon, dipped it lightly into soy sauce, and put it into her mouth.
“Mmmmmm……! It’s so good!”
Watching Betty chew on squid with a blissful expression, Sis smiled in satisfaction.
“That’s a relief.”
Then she turned her head toward Diesel.
“What about you?”
“It’s good.”
“Cooking’s my hobby. I’d been thinking I should let you try it someday too.”
In this world, cooking was a very luxurious hobby.
Just obtaining good ingredients alone cost an enormous amount of money.
“So, our Half-dragon Miss Betty wants to become a Ghostcatcher?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“Why?”
“It’s been my dream since I was young, and more than anything, Ghostcatchers are…….”
Betty trailed off slightly, then added,
“They’re free! People who aren’t bound by anything in this world and have their own convictions!”
“Hmm…….”
At her words, Sis nodded faintly to herself.
Then she looked at Diesel.
“Why?”
Instead of answering, she gave him a small smile.
As if telling him to speak the truth.
Diesel made an annoyed face, but soon began speaking calmly.
“Betty.”
“Huh?”
“We’re not that romantic.”
“……?”
“On the surface, we might look free at a glance. Especially since the magic tower you were in was such a closed-off place. But most Ghostcatchers live bound to something called ‘jobs.’ Once you step into this underworld, you almost completely lose the freedom to look for another line of work.”
“…….”
“And convictions……. There’s nothing in this world that changes as easily as that. In one job, we fight for android freedom, and in another, we hunt down androids and lock them up. That’s what we do.”
Diesel gave his final conclusion to the blinking Betty.
“Ghostcatchers aren’t what you think they are.”
He wondered if he was being too cruel, revealing such a harsh truth to a Half-dragon who had just come into the world.
But maybe making her realize it as early as possible was the right thing for her.
Yet there wasn’t the slightest change in Betty’s resolute expression.
“I don’t care. I’m going to become a Ghostcatcher.”
At those words, Diesel shrugged and stood up from his seat.
“Well, that’s what she says. The rest is up to you, Sis.”
Then Betty spoke with wavering eyes.
“Y-you’re leaving? Yuri? No, Diesel……?”
“Yeah. I’m kind of tired, so I need to rest.”
“Ah…….”
“Whatever choice you make, I hope it works out for you, Betty.”
Betty, who had been looking down, lifted her gaze to Diesel and asked,
“Will we see each other again?”
“Who knows.”
Diesel stepped into the elevator, which had arrived with a ding.
“If you become a Ghostcatcher, then someday.”
The elevator doors slid shut.
Through the narrow gap, Betty’s innocent smile flickered into view.
[What? A Half-dragon Ghostcatcher?]
A quiet elevated roadway in Seoul.
Riding his motorcycle, Diesel sped along the road while communicating with someone.
[So, Diesel, you hooked up the Half-dragon you seduced with Sis?]
[Seduced? Try to refrain from such cheap expressions, Raksha.]
[What are you talking about, you pitch-black angel bitch. Let’s see how long you can keep that shell of yours.]
Diesel was talking on a closed channel with the members of the ‘Witch of the Electrosphere’ job.
[Let’s talk details when we meet. Everyone’s on the way, right?]
Sis spoke while emphasizing the location data.
[Yeah. Raksha and I are already here.]
[Hurry up. Being around this winged thing makes it hard to breathe every second.]
[Like you’re enjoying it?]
[But why do you keep insisting on meeting at the Underground Great Hall? There are tons of other places we could meet.]
[Why. Don’t tell me you’re scared of Madam?]
[Sc-scared? Who’s scared?]
‘They really are a perfectly matched pair.’
Thinking that, Diesel increased the speed of his motorcycle.
A short while later, at the entrance to the Underground Great Hall.
As he approached the back entrance, he saw Little Sister leaning against the wall.
Diesel casually greeted her.
“Why aren’t you going in?”
“When I arrived, I saw you coming.”
The two entered together, passed the guard, and headed down the stairs.
“How’s Ar? Last time, I didn’t even get to say hello properly.”
“She’s fine.”
At the sound of her name, Ar peeked her head out from Diesel’s arms.
“Oh my, how cute. Nice to meet you, Ar.”
The Electrosphere Spirit stared blankly at Sis for a moment, then slipped back into her owner’s arms.
Just as the loud music spilling out from Count Zero reached their ears, Sis suddenly stopped.
“Diesel.”
“……?”
“When you brought Betty earlier, things were hectic so we just passed by, but……”
She looked straight at Diesel and said,
“Good work.”
“What for.”
At Sis’s words, Diesel shrugged.
“It’s not like I did anything. If Betty hadn’t pushed through to the end, she probably wouldn’t have passed.”
“No.”
Little Sister smiled softly.
“If it weren’t for you, the job wouldn’t have gone this smoothly.”
Leaving behind those words whose meaning he couldn’t quite grasp, she headed inside.
‘What’s with her?’
Tilting his head, Diesel followed her into the bar.