Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: My Patron (2)
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"According to a Four Stars guild member who was at the training hall at the time, Tae-soo burst in, claimed one of the trainees was his family, and took her away to the temple."
Even after Chil-seong finished his explanation, no one could easily speak.
Everyone looked bewildered.
After all, there wasn't a single person here who didn't know how desperately Tae-soo had wanted to see his daughter again.
But it wasn't something we could simply celebrate.
It wasn't just Tae-soo; many in the Golden Lion Guild longed to see their families from the real world again.
But no one would have wanted to meet them here, rather than back home.
I was also a bit taken aback.
Tae-soo might be my patron, but the real patron who recognized me first and showed interest was his daughter.
"But why did they go to the temple?"
"Ah... It would be best for you to hear that from Tae-soo directly later."
What was he hiding?
"Well, I should head to the temple for now."
"Me too..."
Just as everyone was about to follow, the door opened, and Tae-soo walked in.
Beside him was a very thin girl, who I assumed was the daughter Chil-seong had mentioned.
That girl must be...
"Guild Master!"
"Sir! Is the person next to you..."
"Ah, it seems you all heard from Chil-seong. Say hello. This is my daughter, Ha-young."
"Hello, I'm Lee Ha... Ung-jjang?"
As she was introducing herself, her eyes met mine, and she rushed over.
"It's really Ung-jjang! Wow!"
I didn't particularly like being called 'Ung-jjang' in front of others, but this time, I couldn't help it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my Patron. I'm Oh Hyeon-ung."
"Wow, I've only ever seen you in videos, but you're even more handsome in person!"
Uh... Judging by her high energy, her personality in the chatroom and in real life seemed quite similar.
"Thank you for the compliment. I never expected we'd meet in a place like this."
"So you were here too, little brother."
"Yes. I came to buy a few things and..."
"Are you really on 'big brother, little brother' terms with my dad?"
"I told you. Have I ever lied to you? Little brother, I'll head to Kavisa tonight, so let's talk then."
Honestly, since it was none other than my real patron, I wanted to talk more, but it seemed he needed time to greet and introduce her to the guild members, so I agreed and left the hideout.
My companions were waiting, after all.
On my way back, as I wondered why they had gone to the temple, I suddenly remembered something Tae-soo had told me before.
I'd heard that Tae-soo's daughter, who had a congenital heart condition, had been living in hospitals since birth.
Fortunately, she had overcome the most dangerous hurdles through several surgeries, but she still hadn't been discharged.
I heard she had to take medication regularly and might need additional surgery depending on her progress.
The reason they went to the temple was likely because of her illness, which worried me.
In the modern world, it might not have been a major issue, but there were no doctors in Elsia.
I had heard there were healers similar to doctors, but it was impossible for them to have the same knowledge as modern physicians.
There was no advanced medical equipment, either.
Of course, in Elsia, supernatural powers like magic and divine power existed.
I just hoped she was treated well at the temple...
Lost in thought, I arrived in front of Kavisa before I knew it.
When I went up to our room and opened the door, my companions rushed out to meet me.
"Hyeon-ung!"
"Mister! What took you so long?"
"Ah, something came up."
"What about my cake?"
Rina asked, her eyes sparkling. I was in trouble.
"I... I forgot. But I have plenty of other snacks, so please let it slide this once."
I took out a few of the snacks I had bought through Go Hwa-yeon earlier and handed them over.
Because of my patron's sudden appearance, I had completely forgotten not only Rina's cake but also Hanna's and Alpen's things.
"I'm fine, but did something major happen?"
"Ah, well..."
Terms like 'internet streaming' and 'patron' would be unfamiliar to my companions, so I explained, changing the words as best as I could so they would understand.
"So she's someone you're incredibly grateful to, Hyeon-ung?"
"That's right. She's a one-of-a-kind benefactor to me."
She was the one who supported me without asking for anything in return when I was at my lowest.
Of course, the money came from Tae-soo's pocket, but he never would have helped me if my patron hadn't asked him to.
If not for her, Tae-soo would have never even known I existed.
"Then you should have stayed and talked with her longer. Didn't you come back too soon?"
"I wanted to, and while she is an irreplaceable benefactor to me, family comes first for him."
I had also hoped to meet her someday, but my feelings couldn't compare to Tae-soo's.
"So, you were thinking more about us, after all?"
"Hyeon-ung, I'm so touched."
"Mister, even I'm a little impressed this time."
...I was talking about Tae-soo, but it seems they all thought I came back early for them.
"Haha, well, something like that."
There was no need to correct them.
I took out more snacks for us to share and we passed the time playing games.
*Ding-*
"I'm done! The loser is Mister again!"
"Hyeon-ung, present your forehead."
"Hyeon-ung, aren't you going easy on us?"
"What do you mean, going easy? This is pure skill!"
Rina puffed up her shoulders and struck a pose.
To be honest, it was true that I wasn't going easy on them.
But I couldn't stop thinking about my patron, so I couldn't focus on the game.
"Should we stop now? I'm supposed to meet Tae-soo tonight."
"Didn't you say he was coming to Kavisa?"
"I'm going to head down a little early. I'll order you all some food."
"Mister, are you quitting? Even if you have to go, you have to face the penalty first!"
Aigoo, where did our Rina learn to say things like that... Ah, right, I said it before.
"Fine. Here."
I stuck my forehead out.
"I'm sorry, Hyeon-ung."
It seemed Hanna was the winner this time.
Hanna approached with an awkward expression and bent her finger.
*Flick-*
"Ouch!"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm... I'm fine."
She said all her strength was gone, but I have no idea why her flick stung so much.
"Now you know how I felt earlier, right?"
"It... It didn't even hurt that much. Rina, you're really something when it comes to exaggerating."
"Hmph. As if it didn't hurt."
I did my best to ignore the teasing Rina and cleaned up the board game.
After ordering room service, I went down to the first floor.
I ordered a cup of tea and waited for about ten minutes before the door opened and Tae-soo came in.
"Over here, hyung-nim."
I raised my hand, and Tae-soo walked toward me.
I thought his daughter would come with him, but he was alone.
"Little brother? Were you waiting? How did you know when I'd arrive?"
"I figured it was about time. But your daughter didn't come with you?"
"Ah, I introduced Ha-young to the guild members earlier, and now she's with Seol-hwa. I don't know what they have so much to talk about..."
He sat down across from me with a helpless expression.
"Would you like a beer?"
"You don't even drink. It's fine. Is that tea? I'll have the same as you."
I called an employee to order another cup of tea and glanced at him. His expression was slightly different from usual.
He always had a bright face when he met me, and today was no different, but I could sense a faint shadow.
Is her health really that bad?
"Hyung-nim, about your visit to the temple earlier... Chil-seong told me to hear it directly from you. Was it because of your daughter's illness?"
"Uh... How did you know that...?"
"You mentioned it before."
My guess was right.
"Yes. My Ha-young was born with a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. It's often cured with surgery in childhood, but my Ha-young had other complications with her heart, so she's spent her whole life in a hospital..."
I had heard about it before, but this was the first time he'd told me the exact name of the disease.
I listened calmly without interrupting, and the summary was simple.
She had to live in a hospital, but as long as she was there, her life wasn't in danger.
But in Elsia, they couldn't expect any help from modern medicine.
"So you thought of that right away and took her to the temple. That's amazing."
A father is truly a father.
If it were me, I would have been so overjoyed that I wouldn't have even remembered she was sick.
"No. I knew because of her trait."
A trait?
"My Ha-young's trait is..."
He seemed overcome with emotion and couldn't continue, so I took his hand.
"It's called 'Time Limit,' a trait exclusive to the terminally ill. As soon as I saw that, I found Ha-young and took her straight to the temple."
He went to the temple, offered to pay any amount of money, and even met with a bishop, but they said she couldn't be cured...
He used up all the contribution points he had earned from temple quests in the past just to find out how much time she had left.
His daughter had 50 days left.
Not even two months.
...The situation was worse than I had imagined.
"So, I was wondering... what floor are you on right now?"
"Pardon? Ah, I'm on the 65th floor."
"Is it possible... to reach the 100th floor in 50 days?"
Impossible.
I couldn't stay in the labyrinth for 50 days straight, and I wasn't even sure if I could clear the 65th floor on my next attempt.
"I don't think that's possible."
"I knew it... I know it's a ridiculous thing to ask... This is no time for that. Could you perhaps meet the lord with me tomorrow?"
"The lord?"
"The bishop at the temple said there might be a chance if we go to a place called the Holy See in the capital."
Ah, he's planning to ask the lord for help.
But 'might be a chance'...
"Meeting the lord together isn't difficult, but I don't think you'll need to do that."
"What do you mean, I won't need to? What on earth are you talking about right now!"
I was a little startled by his sudden shouting.
He had never once raised his voice at me, let alone gotten angry...
"Isn't there a saying that a person's fate is decided by the heavens?"
"Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense? For the sake of our friendship, please, just help me this once..."
Instead of answering, I opened my inventory and took out a translucent flask sealed with a cork stopper.
An elixir, with green liquid sloshing inside.
"What is this?"
"It's an elixir. You can check its effects yourself."
He cautiously reached out a hand, and his eyes widened in shock.
"An... An elixir?"
"The Golden Dragon brought this to me this morning as a reward. I think it was meant for our patron."
"Little brother... no, Ung-jjang... something this precious..."
It was certainly a valuable item that could serve as an extra life in an emergency, but I didn't feel it was a waste at all.
"She may be your daughter, but she's also my patron, isn't she?"
Tae-soo seemed deeply moved, his eyes welling up with tears.
"No, but still, how can I ever repay this kindness..."
"What kindness? I'm simply returning what I received. You should hurry back and treat her. Actually, would it be alright if I came with you?"
I had already told my companions I might be a while, so it was fine.
Tae-soo, still in shock, was silent for a moment before pointing at the elixir.
"I'm afraid I might drop it if I carry it. You should hold onto it, little brother."
"Understood."
He seemed very nervous, so I carefully placed the elixir back in my inventory.
"Yes. Let's go."
I left Kavisa with Tae-soo and started walking, but huh?
"Guild Street is faster this way."
"She's at my house with Seol-hwa."
His house... Ah! He must mean the place where we ate kimchi-jjim before.
It was some distance from Kavisa, but we both walked quickly and reached our destination in ten minutes.
When I opened the door and went inside, I saw Seol-hwa and his daughter sitting at a table, chatting amiably.
"Hyeon-ung?"
"Oh? It's Ung-jjang!"
"Yes. It's your patron's one and only cute, sexy, charming, adorable Ung-jjang."
"Hye... Hyeon-ung? Have you been drinking?"
Seol-hwa cringed at the embarrassing line, but I'd said it on purpose.
It was something my patron often had me say after making a donation when she joined my stream...?
For some reason, my patron also looked a little flushed and flustered.
Oh my god, don't tell me.
"Tae-soo? Don't tell me you were the one who made me say that?"
"Wha... No! It wasn't me!"
"It was me, but hearing it in person is a bit embarrassing. Still, can you do it one more time?"
That was a relief, but I couldn't bring myself to say it a second time.
Besides, that wasn't what was important right now.
I opened my inventory, took out the elixir, and stepped closer to her.
"Ung-jjang?"
Come to think of it, this was another thing I used to say all the time.
"It's time to take your medicine, my Patron."