Compensation from the Cheonma
'Damage compensation? What the hell does that mean?'
I'd been momentarily dazed by the announcement that Cheonma herself would become my guardian, but Han Se-ah's follow-up words made me wonder if I'd misheard.
"What do you mean, 'what about me'..."
No matter how I racked my brain, the phrase "What about me?" in the flow of our conversation could only sound like she was offering her body. There was no way someone of Han Se-ah's stature would pull such a drastic move just to snag a guy like me, so it had to be a slip of the tongue or my misunderstanding.
But hearing that made it impossible not to let my eyes drift to her figure. Even in the loose-fitting martial arts uniform designed for ease of movement, the curve of her slender waist and the swell of her ample breasts stood out prominently. And her face, flushed with embarrassment and surprise, carried a fresh, feminine allure that made it hard to believe she was so much older.
"Ah, that...! Haa..."
At my question, Han Se-ah looked flustered, starting to say something before letting out a deep sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose and spoke.
"That... forget I said it. It was a slip."
"Haha, yeah, right? Almost had me there."
I tried to brush past the awkward topic, but Han Se-ah shook her head.
"Hoo... It's not a misunderstanding. Truth be told, I did feel that way for a moment."
"...You're joking, right?"
At my question, Han Se-ah met my eyes with a serious expression.
"Do you have some hidden power you're keeping under wraps?"
For a split second, I wondered if she'd sniffed out my Unique Authority, sending a chill down my spine. But in this situation, there was no reason to suspect that, so I answered confidently instead.
"No. The Unique Ability I showed you earlier is everything I've got."
"Hm, you must be unaware, then. Have there been any strange incidents around you lately? Like, say, someone you just met suddenly acting overly friendly."
"If you mean people getting chummy right off the bat... hmm..."
I thought it over carefully, but no one came to mind. The only recent new face was An Jeong-hwa, but she followed me because I treated her well and helped her make money.
Siriel was someone I met before and just reconnected with, so she's out. Jeon So-young was crazy from the start, friendly or not. Uncle Abigail and Master Hose have always been like that, so no... Yeah, nothing really.
The most recent person I'd met was the Cheonma standing before me, and far from being friendly, she'd eyed me suspiciously and nearly attacked on sight. No matter how I turned it over, nothing matched what she was describing.
I had no idea why she was asking, but I answered honestly.
"I thought about it, but nothing like that."
"...Is that so? That's odd. Or maybe you're just oblivious...? Hm."
Han Se-ah muttered to herself at my response, then suddenly grabbed my wrist. The motion was so natural I didn't react in time before her Cheonma ki flowed in through my skin.
"Eut?"
"Can you see it? This is the aura you've been emitting without realizing."
Her Cheonma ki didn't enter my body but spread evenly across my skin like a wrapping vapor, steaming up and becoming visible. Amid the rising blackish steam of her Cheonma ki, I spotted something—an indescribable colored aura.
Despite the suddenness, I could tell this hazy energy was rising from my own body, separate from her ki.
"What is this?"
"This is why I said something strange earlier. It's an aura that makes others feel unfounded affection toward you. It's innate, tied to your disposition rather than mana, so it wouldn't show up in your status window."
How had Han Se-ah noticed an aura I didn't even know about?
"I felt drawn to you more than I should have, so I checked with my Heavenly Eye as a precaution. Understand it was self-defense. Anyway, it revealed your captivating aura as the cause, and since you seem unaware, I thought I'd mention it."
I had no idea I was giving off something like that. But then why hadn't anyone I'd met so far shown me any special favor?
Especially Jeon So-young—she was dying to devour me.
When I asked about it, Han Se-ah hesitated before answering.
"Well... It seems your captivating aura only activates if the other person already has some fondness for you. So if they have no interest, they might not feel its effects."
That led me to one conclusion.
"So you're saying... you do have feelings for me..."
Before I could finish, Han Se-ah cut me off in a fluster.
"O-of course! Even platonic fondness as a person would be enough to trigger it! Don't misunderstand! As if I'd have those kinds of feelings for you! Haha..."
"Y-yeah, figured as much?"
Her vehement denial of romantic interest stung a little inside, but I kept a straight face and chuckled awkwardly. Sure, I'd always admired her as a hunter for her skills and good deeds, but I couldn't deny her stunning looks played a part. For a moment, I'd hoped. But someone like the Cheonma? What would she see in a guy like me?
As Han Yeoul's expression turned subtly downcast, Han Se-ah caught it and flinched inwardly.
Eut... Shouldn't have denied it so outright?
She hadn't shown it outwardly, but seeing Han Yeoul hurt by her words made her feel deeply uncomfortable. She wanted to blurt out that it was romantic, but she swallowed it down—no more slip-ups. She turned her gaze out the window.
"Ahem..."
"Mm."
An awkward silence hung between us as the sedan pulled up to the heart of the Cheonma Shin-gyo Autonomous District—the Cheonma Divine Palace.
"...Follow me."
We stepped out and entered the palace. To avoid drawing eyes at the main gate, which also served as the district's city hall, we slipped in through the back and headed straight to Han Se-ah's office.
"Hoo. Sorry for making things awkward. Let's get to the point—about the compensation."
"Ah, sure."
There'd been a little hiccup, but this was the main event. For the Cheonma herself to bring me here and promise fitting reparations had me quietly excited.
"First, for the damage to your home. We'll provide a brand-new build nearby, worth double the market value of your old place, and compensate separately for the furnishings inside. The new house will be designed by our church's construction firm—top-notch soundproofing and security. I think you'll like it. We'll cover all moving costs and furnish it completely. Anything specific you want, just say."
The "double market value" part already soothed me plenty. I listened intently as Han Se-ah gauged my reaction and pressed on confidently.
"As for attacking you and your summon, injuring you both—I'd like to offer something other than material compensation, if that's alright?"
Already mollified, I nodded. Brina's wounds were healed with my semen potion, and mine were fully mended by the recovery potion Han Se-ah had given me. From here, it was about mental reparations.
"Thank you for understanding. I think this will be more useful to you than money. Your military service records show you cleared up to 7th-grade dungeons—even before awakening your Unique Ability. And now you're stuck on 10th-grade ones. Must be frustrating."
She was spot on. Excluding the tutorial with Brina and Nuker's hidden 7th-grade dungeon, I'd only been hitting 10th-grade ones. Lower-grade dungeons mostly spawned monsters too alien for humanoid forms, so to leverage my Onahole Master authority, I needed higher-grade spots. But laws to protect rookies forced ten 10th-grade clears, limited to one per day, so I'd been grinding them to build An Jeong-hwa's skills too. I'd gained Slami, but I doubted I'd get more onaholes from 10th-grade runs.
"The dungeon where you rescued our follower was a 7th-grade hidden one. Everyone knows hiddens are tougher than standard ones for the grade—and you soloed it. Without your summon, even."
Brina hadn't been combat-ready then, but Han Se-ah didn't know that. She seemed to think I'd cleared it effortlessly without my ability.
"Factoring in your Unique Ability, you could probably handle 6th-grade. So, as your guardian, I'll vouch for your skills and bump your hunter rank to 6th-grade for free access. No strings—just my apology and goodwill. Sound good?"
It was perfect—exactly what I needed.