The Cheonma's Profuse Apologies
The fierce momentum with which Han Se-ah, the Cheonma, had seemed ready to kill me at the slightest suspicion of wrongdoing had vanished entirely. Now she was repeatedly bowing and apologizing to me in a flustered manner.
"So, you're saying the people I rescued from Nuker's Maze back then were followers of the Cheonma Shin-gyo?"
"That's right."
"And upon hearing the news, since you were already in Korea, you came personally to my home to express your gratitude and offer some reward to the one who saved your followers?"
"Well... yes, that's about it."
"Then you arrived at my place, I wasn't home, and there was a high goblin inside, so you attacked on sight, turning my house and the surroundings into this mess? And on top of that, you severed one of my summon's arms."
The spot where my house had stood was still shrouded in concrete dust that hadn't fully settled, looking as if a demolition crew had come through and razed it completely.
Han Se-ah, the Cheonma, naturally took in the sight and bowed even deeper in apology.
"I... I'm truly sorry. I merely thought a monster had invaded my benefactor's home and acted accordingly. I had no idea it was your summon. The damage to your summon, the destruction of your house, and the surrounding area—we at the church will make full restitution for all of it..."
"And you peeked at my status window without permission too, right? Since you suddenly knew my name and started apologizing."
"...I have no excuse, even if I had ten mouths. I'm truly sorry."
Unless it was a legitimate investigative authority wielding their powers on a crime suspect, no awakener was allowed to casually view another awakener's status window.
Someone of Han Se-ah's stature might have special privileges and avoid punishment for peeking, but this was a matter of feeling violated.
She had come to repay the favor of saving her followers, yet she'd already caused me massive damage, so the Cheonma—true to her reputation in name only—kept adopting a humble posture.
Her image had taken a bit of a hit from today's events, but wasn't she originally a hunter I respected? When someone like that kept bowing so low, it was hard for me to keep berating her.
In truth, she had lowered herself first, allowing me to act this way. If she'd tried to crush me with raw power, I wouldn't have been able to say a word.
"Cough...!"
Suddenly, after speaking so much, a cough brought up blood-tinged phlegm.
Seeing it, Han Se-ah hurriedly pulled a potion from her inventory, uncapped it, and handed it to me.
"A recovery potion. Drink it."
"Guh... gulp."
My injuries must have been worse than I thought; my stomach started aching faintly, and the coughing wouldn't stop, so I quickly downed the recovery potion she'd offered.
It was an expensive one—effects kicked in immediately, soothing my insides and stopping the cough right away.
With my condition improving, my mood eased a bit too. As she bowed her head again the moment I finished the potion, I spoke to Han Se-ah.
"Whew, enough with the bowing. It was a mutual misunderstanding, and the situation was understandable enough. But you will make full compensation."
Forgiveness was one thing; I still needed to claim what was rightfully mine.
With my house in that state, living there was out of the question now.
A figure like the Cheonma wouldn't be short on cash, so I decided to just think of it as an opportunity to move somewhere better.
'Ah, my hard drive collections are probably all gone too.'
Thinking of my best collections, gathered since my teens, made my gut twist a little.
"Thank you for your forgiveness! Not just the house—we'll provide compensation you'll be fully satisfied with. I stake my name on it."
At my words, Han Se-ah finally raised her head, her face showing relief.
-How shameless. If she truly regrets it, she should spread her legs right now and offer her body as apology—and even that wouldn't suffice...!
Brina vented her anger telepathically, clearly displeased.
She wasn't speaking aloud—likely still stinging from the one-sided beatdown earlier—which was kinda cute.
Maybe because my life had become so steeped in lust since gaining my authority, using my onaholes constantly. Normally, I wouldn't even entertain such thoughts, but deep down, I found myself somewhat agreeing with Brina.
Awakened mana users, especially high-rankers, had their bodies optimized by mana, granting them beautiful appearances.
Han Se-ah, one of the world's top awakeners and a top ten hunter in the New Daehan Republic, lived up to her fame with a refined, lofty beauty—like a solitary black heron, elegant and alluring.
She brushed her fallen bangs behind her ear, cleared her throat, then clasped her hands in a formal pose and addressed me with dignified authority.
"First off, I've been rude upon our initial meeting. Allow me a proper introduction. I am Han Se-ah, leader of the Cheonma Shin-gyo and one of the Ten Great Hunters of the Republic."
I'd been momentarily captivated by her looks but hastily returned the greeting, introducing Brina.
"Hunter Han Yeoul here. And yours here. This is my summon, Brina."
Brina looked reluctant but grudgingly greeted since I'd introduced her.
"...I am Brina, your master's summon."
With Brina's introduction complete, Han Se-ah eyed her curiously.
"She speaks human language fluently. And she handles a sword decently too—did you teach her?"
"Swordsmanship was something Brina already knew. The language ability comes from my unique ability."
"Monster Summoner, was it? I heard you were a swordsman, but to have such a power too. And it seems awfully convenient. You two even share skills— that's from your unique ability as well?"
Han Se-ah had apparently checked not just my status window but Brina's too when she peeked earlier, so she asked about the skills.
Since it was already out, I decided to attribute everything to my unique ability.
"Yes. I can share one skill with any summon I call forth."
"Hoo. Quite the impressive unique ability. Tremendous potential."
The Cheonma fully bought the fake "Monster Summoner" unique ability I'd hastily invented. She'd confirmed it directly via status window, so no room for doubt.
Even now, it struck me as a brilliant idea. Summon-type unique abilities already existed in abundance, and there were no cases of summons attacking people on their own, so societal perception was positive. It also explained why I had so many skills despite my low rank. For an on-the-spot lie, it was a pretty solid cover.
"Ahem. While I did ruin your summon's clothes, she's... rather well-developed for her size, which is embarrassing. Might she wear this?"
With that, Han Se-ah pulled a black hooded training top from her inventory.
"Even the Cheonma wears training clothes?"
"Haha, I'm human too. I dress comfortably when relaxing. Anyway, please get your summon clothed quickly. I'm worried someone might see."
I took the training top from the Cheonma and glanced at Brina. The outfit I'd put on her was shredded to rags, barely covering her vital spots.
To me, Brina naked was the default, so I hadn't felt much discomfort at her near-nudity.
But now that I was aware, the subtle exposure—combined with her figure—felt even more erotic than full nudity.
-Getting horny, Master?
Sensing my gaze, Brina flashed a lewd smile just for me and licked her lips, so I hurriedly dressed her in the training top.
The way she tempted me at every opportunity confirmed Brina was born to be an onahole.
"Mm. If you're alright with it, shall we move somewhere quiet to discuss compensation? I'll contact the church to handle this without issues."
With Brina now clothed, Han Se-ah looked around and said.
As the sounds of battle faded, people who'd taken cover were starting to gather. Sirens from police cars wailed in the distance, so it was best to leave quickly.
'The Cheonma Shin-gyo will handle it.'
Trusting her guarantee that there'd be no fallout, I stored Brina in my inventory for now. Her mismatched figure drew eyes anyway.
"It can be reverse-summoned too?"
"Yes, since it's a summon."
"Good. Our next stop doesn't allow monsters, even if they're summons."
Screech—
A black sedan pulled up before us—I had no idea when she'd called it.
Shortly after, more vehicles arrived, and from them poured people in plain black martial robes, who bowed deeply to Han Se-ah in unison.
""We pay respects to the exalted leader of the Cheonma Shin-gyo!""
""Handle this swiftly, with no harm to bystanders."""
""Yes, my lord!""
She naturally accepted their greetings and ordered them to clean up. It was the commanding presence of a faction leader, not the woman who'd just been bowing to me.
Dozens of black-clad warriors moved with perfect discipline to manage the scene.
Han Se-ah glanced at it once, then smiled at me.
"Leave this to the followers. Hop in the car."
"Sure."
Impressed by her effortless authority—truly the Cheonma—I sat beside her in the sedan's back seat.
"Where are we headed, anyway?"
Only now did I realize she'd said "somewhere quiet" but hadn't specified where. If it was somewhere Brina couldn't go, maybe a crowded place? But that contradicted "quiet." I couldn't guess.
'A private room cafe? Or some villa?'
I ran through mundane options, but her answer leaped far beyond my pedestrian imagination.
"Hm? Where else would one go with the Cheonma? Naturally, the Cheonma Shin-gyo. More precisely, the Cheonma Shin-gyo Autonomous District of the New Daehan Republic."
"Pardon?"
"Opportunities for outsiders to tour the inner sanctums of the Cheonma Shin-gyo are rare. Enjoy the sights."
Regardless of my surprise, the sedan sped toward the Cheonma Shin-gyo Autonomous District.