Ch.226Side Story 1: Modern Family (3)

#01_Modern Family_3

The basics of fighting against multiple opponents is knowing where they are and how many there are.

Dexter could assess how many of Seward’s subordinates were approaching and how strong they were with just a quick glance.

‘This level should be manageable.’

Dexter raised his fists into position while looking around to evaluate the situation.

The next important thing is establishing dominance.

No matter how many opponents there are, if one gets brutally defeated, the others won’t rush in so easily.

Even alien races known for their combat prowess don’t escape this rule.

Dexter grabbed the head of the nearest man, pulling it down, then raised his knee to strike him directly in the face.

-Crack!

As the subordinate staggered, Dexter swung his right fist toward the man’s temple, knocking him unconscious with a single blow before looking for his next target.

Though one had fallen in an instant, Seward’s subordinates didn’t show fear or hesitation like common gang members would. They simply drew thick batons from their sides.

While Dexter’s expression hardened, the women with him and the Rivero couple, standing at a distance, were merely puzzled.

‘What are they planning to do with those short sticks?’

“Extend batons!”

“Extend!”

-Zzzzzap!

‘Those damn batons again.’

Dexter clicked his tongue at the sight of the batons but moved toward the subordinates, targeting their weak points.

The batons on planet Alucard looked similar to the three-section batons used on Earth, but with one major difference:

High-voltage current flowing through the entire baton.

The moment someone was hit by these batons, their body would temporarily freeze up as if struck by a taser or electric shock.

Sometimes when flying insects or dust particles stuck to them, sparks would crackle, making them appear quite threatening.

“Shouldn’t we help Dexter?”

Worried by the electric batons and the tense atmosphere, Judy spoke up, but Jessie scratched her cheek and replied:

“Huh? Why should we help?”

“Well, Dexter is about to fight. We should at least…”

“Nah, we’d just get in the way. Didn’t you see how Dexter fought inside Jupiter?”

“That’s true, but…”

“Jessie’s right. You don’t need to help.”

Dexter snorted as he spoke.

The batons were indeed dangerous, and the subordinates were certainly stronger than ordinary people.

However, while they might be dangerous to civilians or criminals on planet Alucard, to Dexter they were merely annoying nuisances.

Seward’s subordinates charged at Dexter, swinging their batons as fast as they could.

-Whoosh!

“Damn it!”

Though five or six attacked at once, Dexter easily dodged while counterattacking—kicking one in the solar plexus or diving in to deliver an uppercut to another’s jaw.

As they say, the best defense is a good offense. Dexter’s hands moved in a blur, taking down subordinates while twisting his upper body to avoid attacks from the few remaining opponents.

Seeing his subordinates unable to land a single hit despite outnumbering Dexter, Seward shouted:

“How can the South’s finest officers fail to hit one man!”

“H-he’s dodging too well!”

“Is that your excuse? Hit him properly!”

Seward jumped up and down in frustration.

The subordinates’ biggest mistake was assuming Dexter would be slow because of his size.

They thought his large build meant he’d focus on power rather than speed, so they attacked rapidly.

-Whoosh!

Dexter dodged a baton aimed at his head by tilting it, then struck the subordinate’s wrist with his fist.

“Argh!”

The impact was strong enough to crack bone, causing the subordinate to drop his baton, which Dexter quickly scooped up.

He then began targeting the other subordinates with the baton, and soon they started falling one by one, electrocuted into unconsciousness.

It was already difficult to attack on the sandy beach where their feet sank with each step, and Dexter’s ability to nimbly dodge every attempt made Seward’s subordinates attack even more desperately.

Defying their expectations, Dexter was evading with flexibility while cracking their skulls one by one with his overwhelming strength and reaction speed that they couldn’t match.

Since this was a real fight, it wasn’t flashy, but the Rivero couple’s expressions changed as they watched Dexter systematically take down Seward’s intimidating subordinates.

‘He’s even more impressive than the security guards our company employs.’

‘My goodness! I didn’t know people could fight like that!’

Until now, Dexter had shown the Rivero couple only polite and respectful behavior, as one would expect.

But that image had completely disappeared, replaced by a ruthless, machine-like efficiency as he took down Seward’s subordinates, forcing them to reconsider their impression of him.

-Whack!

After dealing with the last subordinate using the baton, Dexter twirled it in his hand and said:

“Anything else you want to say?”

“You scoundrel! You’ve assaulted officers of the Southern Admiral! I’ll report this outrage to the Earth authorities and make sure you’re properly punished through official channels!”

“Go ahead.”

“W-what did you say?”

“I said go ahead with your ‘official channels.’ I’m curious to see who’ll win—you or me.”

Dexter said with a smirk.

“And you said you’re Seward, the Southern Admiral’s eldest son? I heard the Southern Admiral failed miserably in raising his son—that you’re the worst of the worst troublemakers.”

“…What nonsense is this! Failed in raising his son?!”

Seward shouted in confusion when this Earth commoner-looking man mentioned facts only known among Alucard’s nobility.

“I heard you’re still in your early twenties, unmarried but with several illegitimate children, squandering your family fortune, and even using your father’s soldiers for personal matters. Am I wrong?”

With each truth that flowed from Dexter’s mouth, Seward’s expression hardened. Behind Dexter, Himena and Jessie each added their own comments.

“What a real piece of trash.”

“Seriously. His father must have worked incredibly hard to reach the rank of Admiral, and this son of a bitch can’t even live up to that.”

“My goodness, Himena! Who taught you to use such language?”

“…But he’s a bad person, so it’s okay to curse him…”

Though Himena hung her head after being scolded by Pablo, Seward had already heard everything she said.

“How dare you, woman!”

Unable to contain his rage, Seward moved toward Himena, but Dexter grabbed his wrist.

“Let go! Release me this instant!”

“Can’t you read the situation before throwing insults around?”

“You lowborn scum and all your companions! I’ll report to my father and make sure you’re all severely punished! How dare you ignorant fools speak to me—!”

-Thwack!

Unable to tolerate Seward’s tirade any longer, Dexter planted his fist squarely in the center of Seward’s face.

“Shut—!”

Just as Dexter’s fist connected with Seward’s face, an urgent voice called from behind him.

“Oh my goodness!”

Dexter turned to see a man and woman in black suits and sunglasses rushing toward them.

“The OSA agents finally arrived.”

Dexter said, dropping the baton on the ground with a thud.

* * *

What could have escalated into a diplomatic incident between Earth and planet Alucard was peacefully resolved through negotiations between Dexter, the Southern Admiral, and the Northern Archduke.

Seward, who had caused the most trouble, was sentenced to spend several years in Alucard’s women’s monastery to reflect on his sins.

As for Ilona, who had fled for love, she ultimately achieved a beautiful outcome—an engagement with the Northern Archduke.

“But that means we get nothing out of this? What about the cost of my medical kit? My wasted vacation? Huh?”

When Dexter heard the resolution from the OSA agent who came to deliver the news, Himena poked him in the side and said:

“No matter what, you can’t just beat up a nobleman from another planet like that—it could cause diplomatic issues. We’re lucky it ended this well.”

“No, I can’t accept this. Alucard should pay up—money, specialty goods, something. Hurry!”

“Are you a child?”

“Yes. After suffering this much loss, I’m going to act like a child.”

“How embarrassing!”

Thanks to Dexter’s tantrum, he managed to secure a promise that Ilona and Walachia would provide appropriate compensation and benefits when they returned to their home planet.

Dexter, Jessie, and Emily were delighted, while Judy and Himena were embarrassed.

“Why are you embarrassed? If we hadn’t resolved this, Dexter would have suffered a loss for nothing.”

“I’m sure they would have properly thanked us when they returned home! They didn’t seem like such inconsiderate people!”

“Would considerate people land on private property without permission and ask for help? And drag their enemies along like goldfish poop?”

“W-well…”

“I’m on Dexter’s side for this one.”

“Me too.”

“That’s right, my good wives know what’s up.”

When Dexter openly took Jessie and Emily’s side, Himena’s eyes blazed with anger.

“Dexy! What about me! Am I not your wife too?”

“The wives who take my side are the best.”

“Oh, seriously!”

“Calm down, calm down. But asking for something so directly is a bit inappropriate, don’t you think?”

“Right? Judy agrees with me, right?”

After the storm-like incident was somewhat resolved and the small commotion among Dexter’s group had passed, evening came as the sun set and darkness took over the sky.

Unlike the cheerful Rivero couple, Dexter’s group gathered in the villa’s dining room with their mouths hanging open.

“It’s not much, but I hope you enjoy it.”

As Pablo gestured toward the dining table, Emily whispered to Jessie:

“If this is ‘not much,’ what happens when they really try to prepare a meal?”

“…Maybe world hunger would disappear instantly.”

Everyone’s jaws dropped at the feast laid out on the table, which seemed ready to collapse under the weight of the food.

“I can’t tell if this is roast turkey or roast ostrich. Is there even an oven big enough to cook this…?”

“Why prepare so much food? There are only seven of us, but this could feed at least twenty people.”

“Dear, better too much than too little. Besides, your father specifically asked Raul to prepare this spread when he heard our special guest was coming.”

“My, my, you can’t keep anything from the children, can you?”

When Pablo gave Isabella a look, she giggled and said in a low voice:

“Your father seems to like his son-in-law.”

“R-really?”

“Have you ever seen your father act like this? He doesn’t even show this side to his company’s vice president. Oh my, let me carve this for you—just sit down.”

When Dexter stepped forward to carve the turkey, Isabella placed her hand on his and said:

“No, no. I couldn’t possibly let you do that, ma’am.”

“Ma’am? Is that how you address your wife’s mother? You can speak comfortably with me.”

At Isabella’s comment, Dexter glanced at Pablo, but Pablo simply nodded without saying anything.

“Um, thank you?”

“That’s better. Please sit comfortably.”

After carving the large turkey with the help of the housekeeper and distributing it to everyone including Dexter, Isabella looked at him with kind eyes and said:

“I hope you’ll always protect our daughter as well as you did today.”

“I will always protect her, just as I do now.”

Since this was something he was confident about, Dexter answered firmly, making Isabella cover her mouth as she laughed.

“Such a confident answer. Isn’t he reassuring, dear?”

“Hmph! Enough of that unnecessary talk.”

As Christmas Eve dinner continued, Dexter and Himena, who had just received the official approval of her parents, looked into each other’s eyes.

“Dexy, I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“How did you know those rumors about Seward?”

“That? It’s nothing special.”

Dexter chuckled and said:

“It’s from a romance novel where those two are the main characters.”

“…You quoted from a romance novel, and Seward was shocked?”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“What reason?”

“There’s a rumor that Lady Ilona herself is the author of that romance novel. For a novel, the content is quite detailed, and almost nothing in the descriptions is wrong.”

Combining Dexter’s explanation, it seemed that Ilona herself had written a romance novel about her forbidden love with Northern Archduke Walachia that eventually led to marriage.

“Is that even possible?”

“Well, it’s just a rumor, but isn’t it cool that a woman took the initiative to fight for her love?”

When Dexter said this, Himena glanced at her parents and whispered:

“Fighting for love… that does sound pretty cool…”

“Right?”

Dexter grinned.