Where Did the Mark Go?
Huh. Where did she go?
Seo Eun-ha had a lot on her plate.
Gate anomalies had been cropping up more and more often lately — and with particular frequency at the gates under Origin Guild's management. That was enough to set her instincts humming. She opened an investigation, and before long she had her hands on one suspicious lead.
A week of CCTV footage from the gate entrances told the same story every time: whenever an anomaly hit, the same pair of shady hunters had been there. Their clothes changed day to day, but one detail never did — both of them kept their faces covered.
The only reason anyone had even noticed them was the regulars — the freelancers who made a habit of clearing the boss monster every run.
"I thought it was weird from the start. Not a lot of teams bother going after the boss, you know?"
Most hunters made their living farming ordinary monsters for materials. Freelancer teams willing to push all the way into the boss room, kill the boss, and still walk out with the loot were vanishingly rare. You couldn't help but know each other by sight, even if you tried not to.
"The teams are close enough to call each other hyung and noona. There's even a group chat. We know pretty much everyone. But those two? First time we'd ever seen them. And the wild part? Just the two of them, going after a boss monster. That's why they stuck in my head. I figured they had to be pretty strong."
A standard hunter team ran four or more. Two people clearing a boss? And right after they did, the gate started glitching?
Hard evidence was thin, but Seo Eun-ha's gut was pointing straight at those two.
"It's those bastards."
No — she was already sure. The recent spike in gate anomalies was their doing. She had already briefed every team leader on what she'd found. Every team leader, that is, except the one currently lounging in a hospital bed: Han Yuseol.
Which was exactly why Seo Eun-ha had come to the hospital herself. Officially, it was business. Unofficially, she also just wanted to see the little sister she doted on.
And then—
"……?"
She blinked at a completely empty room.
"Where the hell did she go?"
I was on my way back to the hospital room with Han Yuseol and Lee Chaerin after lunch and a stop at a café. Once again, I never got the chance to pull out my card.
"Hey now, Ellie unnie. Put that away. I was the one who asked you out — I'm paying."
Chaerin covered the meal.
"I'll get this one."
Hunter Han Yuseol covered the café.
From their point of view, it was probably gratitude for the last time I saved them. Still — taking free meals from a high schooler? Was that really okay?
Ah. Right. I'm thirteen right now.
I was still keeping that from Han Yuseol and Lee Chaerin, but technically my current age was thirteen. I settled the argument with myself and kept walking toward the room.
The door swung open — and someone was sitting on the edge of Han Yuseol's bed.
"Huh? Unnie?"
"Guildmaster? You're here?"
"Oh, you're back. Looks like you went out for food— wait."
She started to rise from the bed, then froze mid-motion. Her eyes locked on me. In a careful, almost hesitant voice, she asked:
"A-are you, by any chance……?"
"Ah — yeah. This is Ellie."
Han Yuseol introduced me. Since I barely spoke, people had gotten used to covering for me; the handoff felt almost automatic by now.
Then Seo Eun-ha suddenly dipped into a crisp, formal bow and extended her hand — the exact posture of a professional greeting someone far above her station.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Seo Eun-ha, Guildmaster of Ori— hiiiik!"
That was when it happened.
The fairies who had been tucked against my chest shot out in a rush of wings, planted themselves between us, and fixed her with a ferocious glare.
"Ppi!"
"Ppyu!"
"Ppya!"
They snarled up at Seo Eun-ha like a pack of tiny chihuahuas.
Huh? Wait — kids?
I was honestly thrown. Why were they suddenly acting like this? And Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha, who a second ago had been pure professional polish, was staring at my fairies like they were about to eat her.
Looking that terrified of something this small and cute was… not a great look for her image.
The fairies, for their part, had a very specific reason.
"Ppi! Ppi-ppi!"
"Ppyu……."
"Ppya-ppya! Ppya!"
They could feel it — the aura of the mark on Seo Eun-ha's wrist. The kind of mark carved only into those who had committed unforgivable sins against the fairies. Anyone bearing that brand was, without question, beyond redemption. That was why the fairies had turned hostile on sight.
Of course, Ellie was not about to stand there and watch.
She gathered the fairies into both arms and started soothing them.
"Ppi! Ppi-ppi! Ppi!"
"Ppyu-ppyu! Ppyu!"
"Ppya-ppya-ppya!"
They flailed and chattered in protest, but Ellie only stroked their heads, calm and steady.
Behave yourselves, you three.
You can't go hostile on someone you've just met. Look how badly you've rattled Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha. And this is the person who gave me ten million won — I owe her.
"Ppi-hihi……."
"Ppyuuu……."
"Ppyaaa……."
They couldn't hear her thoughts, of course — but being petted by their queen was enough. Their fierce little faces melted into soft, blissful smiles. And once the queen herself had chosen to forgive the bearer of the Mark of the Great Sinner, there was no longer any reason to treat her as an enemy.
With the fairies settled, Ellie stepped toward Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha, who was still trembling as she stared at them. Ellie simply held out her hand—
"Hiiik!"
"……."
……Okay, that was a little much. Anyone watching would think Ellie was about to hit her.
"N-no, I — excuse me. I'm Seo Eun-ha, Guildmaster of Origin Guild. It's an honor to meet you, Ellie."
She pulled herself together and took the offered handshake.
Touch of Abundance dwells in your hand.
Dispelling Leaf's Curse.
……Huh?
Leaf's Curse? What was that?
A curse?
Had Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha been under a curse this whole time?
Ah. That explains it.
No wonder the fairies had been growling at her. Of course my sweet little fairies wouldn't snarl at a complete stranger for no reason. There had been a cause all along. And a curse, of all things — from the look of it, she hadn't even known she was carrying one.
I thought back to the man I'd seen cursed once before. Just remembering him still made my skin crawl.
Anyway. Good thing it worked out.
One of my skills must have kicked in — the S-rank passive, Touch of Abundance. It had purged whatever was on Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha. I'd always wondered what that skill was even for. Turns out, this. Accidentally discovering a skill's real use wasn't a bad outcome at all.
I looked at her. She was clearly trying to stay composed, but a fine tremor still ran through her frame.
Ah. I should probably let go of her hand. She looked miserable.
"So…… I originally came to talk to Yuseol about something, but I think I'll come back another time."
Ah — so it had been guild business. In that case, I really shouldn't hang around and get in the way. We'd already done all the fun stuff for the day, and Guildmaster Seo Eun-ha clearly wasn't comfortable around the fairies. Better for the outsider to make herself scarce.
I looked at her. I wanted to say something simple — I'll be going, then — but of course Dreamy King's Dignity had locked my tongue into silence. Still, a skill was only as strong as the will behind it. I'd managed to speak a few times even while it was active. Drawing on that experience, I opened my mouth.
"That will not be necessary. If the two of you have matters to discuss, it is only proper that I take my leave."
Oh. It worked.
The words weren't in my usual register, though. Under the skill's influence, something far more elegant and archaic had rolled out of me without effort. The important part was this: even with the skill running, I could still force speech through by sheer will. So that was how you did it.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
The moment I spoke, Hunter Han Yuseol and Lee Chaerin both reacted like they'd been hit with a stun spell.
"Ah — yes. Then I'll see you another time, Ellie."
"Ah. See you later."
"T-take care, Ellie unnie."
I left the room under their send-off. Something about Han Yuseol and Chaerin's last reactions had felt a little off, but—
Alright, then.
Time to head home. The bus sounded like a hassle. Maybe I'd just call a taxi. Money wasn't exactly a problem right now.
Meanwhile, inside the room Ellie had just left—
"Whoa. Ellie unnie actually talked."
"Yeah. She can speak, you know. I've heard her twice already."
"I've heard her once before too, but…… Guildmaster, you're seriously lucky. Ellie unnie almost never says anything."
"R-really?"
"Really. Including today, I've only heard her twice."
"I see."
Seo Eun-ha had already sensed something quiet and reserved about the girl, but she hadn't realized it ran that deep. Between the atmosphere she carried and the impression she left, "mysterious" really was the only word that fit.
"Pfft — still, I never saw that coming. I didn't think the Guildmaster would be scared of fairies."
"Th-that's not — I mean……"
"Sure, sure. My lips are sealed. But are fairies actually that scary? They just look cute to me."
Seo Eun-ha let out a long sigh at Chaerin's teasing.
"Ha. It's not like I can just tell them the truth."
As she said it, she tugged her sleeve down to check the curse-mark branded on her wrist.
She meant to check it, and then—
"Huh?"
……Where did the mark go?