Mmm.
In my dream-like state, a pleasant hand gently stroked my head, and I instinctively leaned into the touch.
It was the comforting sensation of my mother’s loving caress as I napped with my head on her lap in childhood.
Hee-hee.
A soft chuckle reached my ears.
‘Who was that? The sound felt unfamiliar—yet, I vaguely recalled hearing it recently.’
‘Wait, when did I fall asleep?’
Startled, I snapped my eyes open, only to meet the equally surprised, wide eyes of Cheon Yiryeong, who was gazing down at me.
****
“Awake already, my little Saintess?”
“Huh?”
‘What in the world?’
As I simply blinked in utter bewilderment, Cheon Yiryeong burst into laughter once more.
“Ahaha, why such a startled look? Do you perhaps not recall what happened yesterday?”
‘Yesterday… Ah, I ran out of mana while healing the child.’
‘Yet, Cheon Yiryeong spoke with an unsettling nonchalance, her words carrying a dangerous undertone. The way she phrased it made it sound as if we had done something… intimate.’
“…Wait, yesterday? How long was I unconscious?”
“A full day? With mana exhaustion, that’s to be expected. You nearly got into serious trouble. What would you have done if your Primal Energy (TL Note: 원기, ‘wongi,’ refers to the fundamental life force or vital essence of a person, often associated with spiritual or physical vitality.) had been damaged?”
“A whole day?!”
‘Good heavens.’
‘I thought I’d only passed out for a moment, but I was unconscious for an entire day?’
Moreover, the room was adorned with lavish lighting and furnishings—the very office I had visited during my interview with Cheon Yiryeong.
“Surely, you weren’t like this the whole time?!”
Coming to my senses belatedly, I quickly lifted my head from her lap and sprang to my feet. Cheon Yiryeong, meanwhile, offered an enigmatic smile.
“Well, now—?”
‘That’s not a “well, now” answer!’
While I had no idea how long she had been tending to me, a blush immediately flared across my face, a mix of embarrassment and mortification.
Perhaps to soothe my trembling embarrassment, Cheon Yiryeong stretched leisurely, a smile playing on her lips.
“Don’t worry about it; I haven’t been here long myself. Oh, but it seems you’ve caused quite a stir again, haven’t you?”
‘Was she mocking me, tapping her leg as if it had fallen asleep?’
‘But “causing a stir”? I helped; I certainly didn’t cause a stir…’
Then, a morning newspaper was thrust before me, its front page emblazoned.
****
[The White Saintess Resurrects a Child from the Brink of Death.]
[A Saintess Devoted to Others, Not Herself. The Advent of Holy Radiance.]
[A Merciful Touch That Discriminates Against None. Proof of God’s Existence.]
Beneath the sensational headlines, a photograph of me, my hands radiating brilliant light as I leaned over the child, was plastered across the front page.
‘…Right, a stir indeed.’
Although most of the pictures were taken from the side or behind, rather than head-on, my silver hair and youthful appearance were unmistakably visible.
‘They practically ran an advertisement.’
Seeing that pages two and three were also filled with speculation about my identity and interviews with witnesses, I let out a sigh.
“You photograph quite well. Though you’re a little less striking in person.”
“That’s hardly comforting… Ah, do you happen to know how the child is?”
“The child is safe. They say their life was saved, at least.”
“Hah, what a relief.”
‘After all that commotion, it was fortunate the child survived.’
The interruption in healing had left me anxious, but it was an immense relief.
However, the child’s leg… the bones had shattered like shards of glass, making me doubt if even modern medicine could fully mend it. That worried me.
“Well, thank you so much for this. I’ll definitely repay you someday.”
“You truly don’t have to worry about it. After all, you know what I desire, Iroha? Just think positively about it.”
“…Yes, for now… I’ll try.”
I mumbled a vague reply to Cheon Yiryeong, who never missed an opportunity to recruit me, and bid her farewell once more.
‘No matter what, guild life was just too difficult.’
After exchanging an awkward smile and greeting with Lee Jaehoon, whom I seemed to keep encountering, I settled into the back seat of the sedan, a place that had already become surprisingly familiar.
“Are you feeling alright now?”
“Yes, thanks to you. And thank you for your help yesterday.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Thanks to Lee Jaehoon, who had lifted the car pinning the child, the healing process had been able to commence quickly.
‘If not for Lee Jaehoon, things might have become quite dangerous.’
‘But are all Enhancement-type Hunters that strong?’
‘To lift a car with one hand—it was an incredible display of strength.’
Catching my gaze, Lee Jaehoon, whose demeanor had softened ever so slightly, offered a subtle nod through the rearview mirror.
It was an awkward, yet not unpleasant, atmosphere.
****
“The child has been admitted to Seoul Hospital. In case you were wondering, I’ve already inquired about their progress.”
Seoul Hospital. It was the largest hospital in the country.
‘That offered some reassurance… but had the child’s leg been operated on?’
As I gazed in the direction of Seoul Hospital, which wasn’t far, Lee Jaehoon met my eyes again in the rearview mirror.
“Would you like to stop by and see them?”
Noticing my concern, Lee Jaehoon offered the suggestion, and I hesitated for a moment.
“…Please.”
Ultimately, we headed for the hospital.
‘I should just confirm the details, to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes.’
‘The quest was cleared, but the ending felt incomplete.’
Having lost consciousness midway, I hadn’t been able to finish properly, and it weighed heavily on my mind.
****
Upon arriving at Seoul Hospital.
The child, likely due to the fervent reporters, was said to be in a private room on a tightly controlled floor.
We arrived at the section guarded by the hospital’s private Hunters, and after Lee Jaehoon spoke a few words, entry was granted without issue.
Pulling my hood low, I pressed the elevator button for the child’s floor, eager to avoid drawing attention.
“I’ll guard the corridor to ensure no one approaches.”
“I’m sorry to trouble you.”
“It’s quite alright. More importantly, the afternoon rounds will begin soon, so you should go in.”
“Understood.”
I cautiously stepped into the hospital room.
It was a white, quiet room, feeling quite luxurious with the gentle sunlight filtering in. And there, in the center.
I saw the child, attached to multiple IV drips, lying on a large bed. Was her name Ha-yeon? Being so small compared to the bed, her already petite frame seemed even tinier.
Beside her, Ha-yeon’s mother was fast asleep, her hand tightly clutching the child’s, as if she had collapsed from exhaustion.
‘There’s no need to wake her.’
Approaching the opposite side of the bed, I quietly focused my mind.
Her life force was clearly brighter and more stable than when I had first seen her.
Overall, there was nothing left to mend; everything was pristine, save for the leg encased in a protective brace.
The finely fractured bones were still embedded in her leg muscles, disrupting the otherwise smooth flow of her life force.
‘They hadn’t operated yet.’
‘Or perhaps they couldn’t.’
Even to my untrained eye, it was clearly not a simple matter to resolve.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I once again imbued my brush with life force.
I gathered the mosaic-like fragments with the tip of my brush, then filled in the gaps with strokes of additional life force.
The bone fragments, drawn by the life force, seamlessly reconnected as if pulled by magnets, making the process surprisingly manageable.
How many times did I repeat the process of reattaching bones and mending torn muscles? Just as a bead of sweat formed on the bridge of my nose.
This time, fortunately, I was able to complete the healing before my mana completely drained.
****
“…Hoo.”
Exhaling the breath I had been holding, I raised my head to find Ha-yeon’s mother, her face streaked with tears, gazing at me, having woken at some point.
With an expression I couldn’t quite decipher, and tears that seemed endless, she bowed her head to me, then began to pray in a voice thick with emotion and gratitude.
“Thank you… truly, thank you. Thank you for bestowing a miracle upon our Ha-yeon…”
“Uh… um, e-excuse me.”
Feeling an inexplicable itch at the back of my head from the overwhelming emotions, I offered a belated apology and quickly exited the room.
The sound of her prayers echoed softly down the corridor.
Lee Jaehoon, who had been waiting, opened the elevator doors with a faint smile and inquired.
“How is the child?”
“…She’ll be fine now.”
‘Ha-yeon’s life force, which I had last checked, flowed with such beautiful clarity that she surely wouldn’t suffer any longer.’
As a smile of relief graced my lips, Lee Jaehoon spoke in a peculiar tone.
“…You shouldn’t smile so carelessly.”
“Pardon?”
‘What was he on about now?’
Glancing at the elevator’s internal mirror, I saw my own face, a faint dimple creasing my cheek.
‘…It is rather cute.’
‘Though the problem was that it was my face.’
****
At any rate, with a sense of relief finally washing over me, I could now re-enter the sedan and depart from the hospital.
Fortunately, this journey home was uneventful, and we quickly arrived near my house.
Originally, I had planned to be dropped off further away to prevent my residence from being pinpointed, but after spending a night at the Cheonhwa Guild, I figured it was pointless and got out near my home.
“I apologize for making you go back and forth twice.”
“On the contrary, I should thank you. Thanks to you, Iroha, my performance review will likely improve.”
“Is—is that so? Well, thank you very much anyway.”
“Yes, well… I’ll see you again then.”
I bowed deeply to Lee Jaehoon, who gave a small, enigmatic smile—I couldn’t tell if his words were a joke or sincere—and we parted ways.
“Phew, home at last…”
Having only been away for a day, I had already missed my room.
I flung myself onto my familiar bed, rolling around for a while before pulling out my phone.
As expected, the gallery was once again abuzz with talk of the Saintess.
****
[She’s my wife.]
‘Please, just go away.’
****
[The Saintess’s profile alone puts all celebrities to shame, doesn’t it?]
‘Even I admit she’s pretty.’
****
[But isn’t that Lee Jaehoon from the Cheonhwa Guild next to the Saintess?]
[So Cheonhwa raised her. They’ve been losing ground without a healer, so they must have been determined to cultivate one.]
‘I grew up all by myself, thank you very much.’
****
Still, it seemed that such misunderstandings had caused other guilds to ease their fervent search for the
