Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Is This Your First Time Seeing a Saintess Who's Good at Magic?
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After clearing the A-rank dungeon and returning home,
I’d been holed up inside, basically fused with the sofa.
Even for a sofa, it was puffier and comfier than any bed I had used in that other world...
When Siyun asked me if it wasn't uncomfortable,
I honestly wondered if we even needed to bother buying a real bed.
Well, I suppose it’d be different once we found a new place.
For now, this was more than enough.
Today, as usual, I was watching the Vtuber Momo Bin's live stream on the TV
when the doorbell rang. When I checked the intercom, Jia was there.
Oh yeah, she had texted earlier saying she’d drop by this evening.
I’d been so glued to the stream that I completely forgot.
"Hello."
"Come on in!"
As we headed to the living room, Jia's eyes drifted naturally to the TV.
«Ahhh...»
Momo was back at it, stuck in the starting village again.
I’d been cheering her on for a while, but she wasn't even close to beating the game.
I sat back down on the sofa and snuck a peek at Jia.
Her gaze was still locked on the screen.
Hmm...
"Uh, so... do you want to switch to something else? Is there anything you'd rather watch?"
"Nah, it's fine. I actually watch her sometimes too."
"...! Really?! For real?"
"Yeah."
I was stunned.
Legitimately stunned.
Who knew Jia was a Momo stan too?
I never thought I'd find a fellow fan right under my nose.
My embarrassment evaporated instantly, and a wave of joy flooded my chest.
"Hehe... Momo's adorable, right?"
"Oh my."
Jia covered her mouth, laughing.
She totally agrees, right?
"I like her way more than those big corporate streamers. Honestly, she should be huge by now. It's weird that she isn't."
"Are you bummed about it?"
"Totally! Good stuff is meant for sharing."
«Why on earth...?!»
Right on cue, Momo lamented on screen as if she were in actual physical pain.
Back to the village for the third time. Poor girl.
Jia giggled.
Meanwhile, I grabbed my phone and checked the chat flow.
I should probably join in.
«Kyaahhh...!»
Momo cracked up on stream. Streams really were the best form of entertainment.
I set my phone aside, and Jia spoke up.
"Siyun is still working, right?"
"Yeah. She said absolutely no disturbing her during work hours. She’s very strict about it."
"Hehe, figures."
Jia flashed a mischievous grin.
I stared at her, wondering what that face meant, but she just shrugged it off.
After that, we began unpacking the groceries Jia had brought and putting them in the fridge.
It was mostly various types of alcohol.
"Drinks?" I asked.
"Oops, did I forget to mention it? We were going to have some together tonight."
"...I didn't hear anything about that."
"Ah, I guess I only chatted with Siyun about it. Hmm... but you still like booze, right?"
"Yeah."
The problem was, I had gotten significantly weaker.
I didn't hate the feeling of drinking, though.
"Have you drunk anything lately?"
"Once with a friend. Two or three beers was my max. Any more and I’m pretty sure I’d black out."
"Hmm, you're way weaker than you used to be."
"...It'll build back up as I drink more."
Everyone starts out as a lightweight, after all.
Whatever it takes, I'll adapt bit by bit and get back to my normal tolerance. Yeah.
As I steeled my resolve, Jia—who had finished sorting the bottles—plopped down comfortably in a chair.
"Hey, Sihyun. You know Section Chief Jang Hansu from Management, right?"
"Yeah? Sure do."
"I met him today. I realized a few things while we were chatting."
"...?"
Jia stared at me intently.
She paused for a beat, then opened up.
"You're planning to keep hiding your identity for now, right?"
"Uh... for the time being, yeah."
"Got it. Then I should give you a heads-up on a couple of things."
"Yeah?"
I tilted my head, confused, and she held up one finger.
"First off, you’re using the Hunter app. All your dungeon runs are logged."
"...Huh?"
"Solo clears, who you partied with—everything is tracked."
"...Ah, aah! Shoot, I didn't think of that at all..."
"You just got back not long ago. It makes sense that you wouldn't know the system."
I thought I was being sneaky, but I was practically an open book.
So that’s why he called for that follow-up chat?
Suddenly, all of the Section Chief's moves made perfect sense.
"...H-how much do they actually know?"
"You're actually hiding the details pretty well."
"R-really?!"
I yelped in shock, and Jia smiled with her eyes.
"They suspect something is off, but they have zero concrete details."
"I see, I see."
"He said he hasn't reported any of your 'odd moves' up the chain specifically. It's safe to say most people are still clueless."
"Oh..."
That was good news. My trust level for the Section Chief went up slightly.
As I nodded, Jia raised a second finger.
"Next. Sihyun, how much do you surf the net? Communities and forums?"
"Here and there?"
"Have you ever seen posts like 'Mystery nun-habit figure crashes A-rank gate'?"
"...Nope."
Thinking about it, I hadn't seen anything like that even once.
Even without identifying me, headlines like 'Enigmatic gate crasher!' should have blown up.
"The Section Chief recognized your outfit. He covered it up under his own discretion."
"Whoa..."
Trust level: rising rapidly.
He was a much nicer guy than I’d figured.
I decided I would pick up his next call properly.
Thanks, Section Chief.
"Anyway, he told me to pass it on: He'll play ball with whatever you want, as long as you stay in Korea."
"Huh? I'm Korean, of course I'm staying here."
"He probably picked up on your 'sis-con' vibes."
"..."
No, that makes me sound weird.
We're just very close siblings, that's all.
"Hehe, I'm not badmouthing you. So, do you want to ask him for D-rank access?"
"Is that even doable?"
"The Bureau is flexible. Exceptions happen for special cases."
"Hmm..."
"Do you want me to pass the message along for you?"
A proxy offer. It was a solid offer, I couldn't lie.
"Nah, I'll handle it. I'll talk to him directly if needed."
"Hehe, smart call."
Jia nodded approvingly.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Siyun shuffled into the living room.
"Jia-unnie, you're here?"
"Yeah. Work wrapped up? Should we order food?"
Siyun nodded and flopped onto the floor. Momo's stream had ended by then.
I handed Siyun the remote meekly.
"...Unnie."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"You and Jia-unnie were watching Momo together?"
"Yeah. She said she tunes in a lot too."
"Sigh..."
Siyun let out a heavy sigh. She looked super wiped out.
"I think I'm going to turn into 'Happy Temple' at this rate..."
"...?"
Did that name ring a bell?
...Nah, I was drawing a blank. It was probably just my imagination.
"Oh, what about this for food?"
"Where, where?"
Jia held out her phone, and Siyun perked up immediately, scooting closer to her.
The menu was their call.
I leaned back on the sofa, just chilling.
"Won't unnie hate it if it's too spicy?"
"Is even this level too tough for her now?"
"..."
Hold up.
"What are you two looking at?"
"Fried food! And maybe some Tteokbokki?" Siyun piped up brightly.
Tteokbokki. That actually sounded really good.
"Go full spicy. No holds barred."
"For real? No take-backs?"
"I can handle spicy fried udon with no sweat now."
I’d been training my tongue daily. They shouldn't sleep on my progress.
"Fair enough. Unnie just uses Holy Power to nullify the pain anyway. Total cheat."
"...Please praise my challenger spirit as something beautiful."
"Yeah, yeah. It’s epic! Here, drink some milk first today, then."
"...Sure."
The praise felt a bit half-hearted, but whatever. Milk it was.
Gulp, gulp.
I downed a small carton in seconds. They had already placed the order and were chitchatting away.
I sat there with my ears perked, listening in.
The delivery arrived quickly, and we piled the food onto the table.
Jia headed to the fridge.
"Sake for me. What about you two?"
"Huh? You have that too?"
"It was an impulse buy at the mart."
Jia pulled out a chubby black bottle and gave it a light shake.
Junmai Daiginjo...?
I only knew about soju and beer. I was clueless about anything else.
"Want to give it a shot?"
"Hehe, if you hate it, we can swap for beer. It’s just a taste test."
She set it on the table. The label read 16.5%.
"Isn't that a bit strong?"
"It's like cheongju."
"Aha."
Siyun grabbed the glasses fast. Jia poured three rounds.
"Cheers!"
We all took a sip. Hmm... it had a sweet-tart wave to it.
It wasn't bad at all.
"Are you digging it?"
"Yeah? Yeah, it’s solid. It's a nice occasional vibe."
The same old drinks can get stale. A switch-up now and then was nice.
I sipped again to catch the flavor. A pleasant buzz was already creeping in.
This was hitting the spot just right.
I gazed at the contents of my glass, then looked up.
Siyun was hyped up, grilling Jia with questions.
"Jia-unnie, your name is everywhere lately! What are your plans?"
"Plans?"
"Are you joining a big guild? Or a famous party?"
"Ah." Jia nodded at Siyun's question. "Same as always. Bureau gigs. Quasi-civil servant style."
"Why stick to that?"
"Hmm..." Siyun prodded, and Jia glanced my way.
Her cheeks were pink—she was definitely buzzed. She looked back to Siyun.
"Doing long hauls with sketchy people? It's draining."
"That's true."
"I'll stay solo until I find someone I can truly bank on to cover my back."
"Aha!" Siyun bobbed her head, getting the point.
Then she turned to me. "When are you going to be independent, unnie?"
"...!"
"N-no! I'm not judging! Just..." Siyun wiggled her fingers. "Sleeping on the sofa bugs me..."
"The sofa is prime real estate. Why would I miss out on its appeal?"
"...Yeeah, right." Siyun shook her head and chugged her drink.
Jia giggled. "Oh yeah, Sihyun."
"Yeah?"
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"I've got time to burn. Why?"
Jia eye-smiled, her hands clasped at her chest.
"Want to hang out? I have to visit the Academy President. A solo trip is just dull."
"Hmm... no tasks for me?"
"Nope! Just airing you out for a bit."
"Cool then."
She beamed, clearly pleased.
Academy this, Academy that. It was all I’d heard about lately. Why not take a peek around?
"Another round?"
"Yeah."
"Cheers!"
We clinked glasses at Jia's cue. Booze with buds—it was pure bliss.
"Cough, cough!"
"Unnie! Water!"
And then the tteokbokki burned my throat.
Dang it...