Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: 3. Conviction
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Aura erupted in all directions, slamming into the walls of the counseling room.
The wind blasting right in my face flipped up my bangs.
I didn't even flinch, just met her gaze with a faint smile.
Jahwa-yeon
Main Stance
"I'm quite confused. I think the Left Protector... couldn't have done that."
The killing intent pouring from Jahwa-yeon still made the nape of my neck prickle.
Her presence remained as sharp as ever.
But strangely, it no longer carried the same terror as before.
It wasn't the threat of a predator.
It felt more like a hedgehog, a prey animal bristling with spines.
Jahwa-yeon urged me on in a low voice, as if forcibly suppressing her emotions.
"Explain yourself."
But here's the thing.
A mere counselor like me doesn't need to directly define her enemies for her.
The sturdiest walls always crumble from within.
All I need to do is slowly make her recognize that enemy herself.
Creating just a small crack, a gap in perception.
I fell silent for a moment, as if choosing my words, then spoke.
"It's exactly as you see."
Isolating her from the Left Protector, giving her space to rethink.
"This is the document that the subordinate waiting outside showed me."
"!"
At the mention of her subordinate, Geumgang, Jahwa-yeon's eyes shook once more.
I added quickly, without giving her time to think.
I avoided the term "guardian."
She might have an aversion to the word "protection."
"Your subordinate... wanted confirmation from me as a professional on whether this diagnosis was accurate."
Jahwa-yeon had seemed uncomfortable from the moment she entered the counseling room.
She was likely dragged here by her loyal subordinate Geumgang out of concern.
Despite hating it so much, she followed him all the way here.
That meant she trusted Geumgang as much as—or even more than—the Left Protector.
Now, I'm handing the judgment over to her.
By placing the two she trusted on opposite sides.
I've pulled her completely out of the safe, familiar ring.
This isn't meddling from some suspicious counselor.
She can't deny the name on this diagnosis; she'll remember going to the physician with him.
At the same time, she can't dismiss her loyal subordinate's suspicions.
This is my way.
Finding the answer herself is her part from here on.
Jahwa-yeon closed her eyes briefly, then stared straight at me.
"Physician."
"Yes, Heavenly Demon."
"There's one thing I've realized since coming to this Central Plains... no, this world."
I nodded silently, focusing on her words.
"The supremacy of the strong, survival of the fittest. That was the only law in my homeland. If suspicion arose, you'd just cut them down. If something displeased you, you'd smash it. Everything was simple and clear."
A self-mocking smile mixed into her voice.
"But this place is different. Honestly... at first, I was afraid."
I nodded slowly in response to her confession, encouraging her.
She's starting to open up bit by bit.
A good sign.
All counseling begins when the patient lays bare their truth like this.
"The strong here fight not just with swords, but with words. My martial prowess dulled before their cunning rhetoric and rules. I've been in trouble... more times than I can count."
I could feel how many worries and trials Jahwa-yeon had endured until now.
"In the end, I realized it. My experience... is somewhat lacking to survive in this strange world."
"That's why I relied on those around me more than necessary. I believed they'd handle everything. In the process, my senses might have dulled."
Her voice grew quieter.
"But..."
Jahwa-yeon's eyes looking at me trembled precariously.
The sturdy mask of the Supreme One peeled away, revealing the anxious bare face beneath.
"I still... don't quite get it. Really... the Left Protector..."
The killing intent that had crushed me moments ago was gone.
Now she finally looked her age—a young woman in her early twenties.
Someone dropped alone into a new world, terrified, lost before a truth she didn't want to believe.
This was the true face of the Heavenly Demon, Jahwa-yeon, that I first encountered.
Supporting a wandering patient isn't hard.
Just back them up and give a gentle push.
I rose silently, quietly preparing a cup of warm tea for her.
The sound of tea pouring into the cup filled the silence of the room.
I carefully placed the steaming cup in front of Jahwa-yeon.
I sat back down across from her and spoke softly.
"In the western regions of this world, there's a book called The Prince. One that aspiring rulers should read."
Jahwa-yeon's gaze turned to me.
"It says that those at the highest place can't fully trust anyone—not even their cherished vassals at times. To protect themselves, they must inspire fear rather than love."
Is that really in it?
Who knows.
It doesn't matter.
But my words define and resolve the confusion and anguish she's feeling now.
'It's not your fault. It's just the natural trial of a ruler.'
A sweet absolution.
"No one becomes an excellent ruler from the start. Lacking experience can simply be filled."
I met her eyes directly.
Then, I took the piece of brownie I'd been holding and slowly pushed it between her lips.
She didn't resist.
She just stared at me with empty eyes, accepting it like a child.
Gazing into her eyes, I quietly spoke.
"However... if war can't be avoided, it's better to start it sooner."
This much, at least, was definitely in The Prince.
"......"
Jahwa-yeon quietly closed her eyes and chewed, swallowing the brownie.
I didn't miss her subtle changes.
Her tightly shut eyelids trembled faintly, and the fingertips gripping the teacup twitched ever so slightly.
Now, she had only two choices left.
Acknowledge the betrayal of the Left Protector, who was like a mentor who raised her.
Or suspect the loyalty of her devoted guard, Geumgang.
I hoped the sweet treat would help with that bitter choice.
How much time passed?
Finally, Jahwa-yeon spoke.
"The taste... isn't bad."
With those words, she opened her eyes.
The precarious trembling in them was gone.
The settled gaze was sharper than before.
"Physician."
"Yes, Heavenly Demon."
"What should I do?"
She curled the corner of her mouth slightly, giving a languid smile as she asked.
Instead of answering right away, I tapped the table lightly with my fingertip.
My gaze wasn't on her face but on the empty space beyond.
"......"
As expected, she'd already decided.
I didn't bother checking the satisfaction response.
Anyway, I only have one thing to say.
Just push her toward that answer.
I shifted my gaze from the air to her, meeting her eyes.
"As you wish."
I answered with the same faint smile as hers.
At that moment, the corner of Jahwa-yeon's mouth curved up even deeper.
"...Truly mysterious. It feels like you can see right through me."
I responded to her words with just a smile.
Leaving those words behind, she rose silently.
And looked down at me.
"Physician."
"Yes, Heavenly Demon."
"My name is Jahwa-yeon. Remember it... well."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back to me.
From someone I thought wanted me dead to sharing her name.
Quite a moving moment.
"See you next time."
With that, Jahwa-yeon opened the door without hesitation and left.
- Click.
With the sound of the door closing, silence returned to the counseling room.
"Whew..."
My first client.
"That was intense."
Was over like this.
Jahwa-yeon and Geumgang left the counseling center.
Leaning back in my chair, I stretched my stiff neck and let out a long yawn.
Time to get up.
I had a lunch appointment.
But just then.
The closed counseling room door cracked open silently, ever so slightly.
And through the gap, a pair of playful golden eyes peeked in, hanging onto the door.
They met mine, and she whispered excitedly.
"...Done?!"
I chuckled and replied.
"Nice timing."
She flung the door wide open and came in.
A mischievous smile and sparkling golden eyes.
My coworker—no, former coworker now.
S-Rank Hunter Jin Sea.
"...Isn't the first client way too scary? That's the Heavenly Demon."
I asked indifferently.
"You know her?"
"Yeah, I do. She's famous! So, what's she like in person?"
Apparently famous.
"What do you mean, 'like'?"
No particular impression.
The first impression was too intense.
Did I have the luxury to care about the looks of a woman who cratered the table the size of a human head?
At my lukewarm reaction, Jin Sea stifled a laugh.
"But seriously, what was Wi Jae-wan thinking?"
The first client was a referral from Wi Jae-wan.
He'd said he was bringing a big-shot customer.
Crazy bastard.
"Gonna report him to the cops."
"Hee hee."
Jin Sea laughed, then asked with curious eyes.
"So... how'd the session go?"
"Confidential."
Client info is secret.
No matter who it is.
"...Yeah?"
She tilted her head, then shrugged.
"Well, hope she gets better anyway."
At her words, I recalled Jahwa-yeon's final state.
Jahwa-yeon
Main Stance
"She is demanding certainty about her own resolve."
What she needed from the start wasn't healing.
Well... probably.
"She will."
She'll be fine.