Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: First Time Seeing a Saintess Good at Magic?
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Dayoung rubbed both eyes with the back of her hand.
She looked at the scene unfolding in front of her once more.
'What...?'
Even after a second look, she couldn't make any sense of it.
What on earth was going on here?
Seo Jihan, the promising young talent of the Wings Guild, was sprawled out on the ground in a pitiful state.
And standing over him, Sihyun was chatting with Hankyeol, who was grinning from ear to ear.
The first question that popped into Dayoung's head: How did this happen to Jihan? Oh, right—Sihyun was that strong.
She could accept that much.
But her next thought was: Why were those two bullying Jihan?
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, the pieces didn't fit together.
Dayoung furrowed her brow.
At that moment, Jihan staggered back to his feet.
He shoved Hankyeol aside and rushed desperately toward Dayoung.
Thud!
Jihan collapsed right in front of her and cried out.
"M-Master—! Please, save me!"
His voice was pathetically strained.
To any outside observer, he looked like a victim of bullying.
Sihyun looked down at Jihan with a cold, detached expression.
Hankyeol let out a massive sigh of frustration.
"H-He picked a fight with me out of nowhere! Then those two beat me up!" Jihan accused.
"Picked a fight? Who did?" Dayoung asked.
"That white-haired bitch!"
Dayoung looked up at Sihyun.
Sihyun stood there with her arms crossed, staring at Jihan with an icy glare.
"Si... Sihyun...?"
"...Yeah."
"Did you assault him...?"
When Dayoung asked in a trembling voice, Sihyun replied in a completely flat tone.
"I didn't lay a finger on him. ...Well, I did flick my finger once."
"...?"
Dayoung's mind grew even more chaotic upon hearing Sihyun's answer.
It didn't sound like a lie, and Sihyun wasn't the type to lie anyway.
She wasn't the sort of person to go around picking fights.
And even if she did—if she hadn't actually touched him herself?
"Jihan?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Then who beat you up? Was it Hankyeol?"
"......"
Jihan couldn't answer immediately.
It seemed like that white-haired girl had pulled some kind of trick, but she was technically just an E-Rank hunter.
Admitting the truth would mean he'd been purely wrecked by Hankyeol.
He'd been bragging about becoming B-Rank soon.
How could he admit that he'd been thrashed by a D-Rank and was now whining about it?
The cause and effect simply didn't line up.
The whole situation was bizarre.
"H-Hankyeol-hyung! He's C-Rank but he's been hiding it!" Jihan blurted out.
"......"
"No, seriously, beating up your junior like a dog! Isn't that going way too far?!"
Jihan desperately spat out whatever excuses came to mind.
Dayoung watched him for a moment, then turned her gaze to Hankyeol.
Their eyes met, and Hankyeol slowly shook his head.
Dayoung began to piece the real story together.
If you asked who the kindest and most diligent person in the Wings Guild was?
Every single guild member would say the same name: Hankyeol.
As for Sihyun picking a fight and beating someone for no reason?
Dayoung hadn't known her long, but she knew one thing for certain.
Sihyun didn't even give strangers the time of day.
She was more likely to ignore them completely than start trouble.
Dayoung also knew Jihan's personality was rough around the edges.
The full picture finally came into focus.
"...Jihan, we had a deal, remember?"
"Y-Yes...?"
"When we started this guild, you promised to tone down the attitude and live properly. Did you forget?"
"Th-That was..."
Jihan looked up at Dayoung's face.
Tears were welling up in her eyes as she gazed down at him.
Her expression was one of deep sorrow.
In that instant, Jihan realized too late that he had messed up.
Come to think of it, they had made that promise.
Why had he left a major guild for Wings in the first place?
He had lost his way somewhere along the line.
Before he knew it, he was acting exactly like the toxic jerks from his old guild.
"...Sigh."
Dayoung raised her palm.
Jihan knew exactly what was coming, and he accepted it quietly.
Smack!
A heavy slap echoed through the open lot.
"Guh..."
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Her continuous slaps whipped his head back and forth mercilessly.
But it didn't last long.
Dayoung stopped, her breath hitching in a sob.
Jihan's lip was split open, and a trickle of blood ran down his chin.
Still, he slammed his forehead to the floor.
"I-I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I won't... I'll never do it again!"
His tone rang with genuine sincerity.
Dayoung turned toward Sihyun.
"I'm sorry, Sihyun. We made you feel uncomfortable."
"...No, it's fine."
Sihyun shook her head, accepting the apology.
Then Jihan stood up and bowed deeply to Sihyun.
"I'm sorry for ruining your day! If you want to punish me, I'll take it gladly!"
"...It's fine."
Sihyun waved it off lightly.
Honestly, when she first saw him acting up, she thought he was a lost cause.
But Dayoung seemed to have a massive influence over this guy.
With the apology out of the way, her mood had lifted.
There was no need for her to bother punishing him herself.
She'd already used Hankyeol as a proxy punching bag anyway.
Ignoring him hadn't worked, so she had provoked him—that part was true enough.
Sihyun slowly turned to leave.
"Dayoung, mind if I have a cup of coffee before I go?"
"Huh? Of course!"
"With vanilla syrup, please."
"Oh, how did you know we had that?"
Dayoung watched Jihan apologize to Hankyeol as well, then she followed Sihyun inside.
And so, the commotion ended peacefully.
Sihyun really did just have her one cup of coffee and then left quietly.
As Dayoung cleaned up the cups, she glanced over at Jihan.
He was sitting there meekly, his head bowed in shame.
Dayoung muttered something that had just occurred to her.
"Jihan, you're still C-Rank, right?"
"...Yeah?"
"Last time we were out drinking, I saw Sihyun take down a C-Rank hunter with one hand. Or was it a B-Rank? I can't remember now."
"...What?"
Jihan's eyes went wide.
"Wait, isn't she an E-Rank magic hunter?"
"Nah. She's a close-combat type."
"...What the hell?"
Jihan's mouth snapped shut.
Why did he lose today? Had Hankyeol-hyung really hit C-Rank?
Did he lose in a fair one-on-one?
No, more importantly—taking down a mid-tier hunter with one hand?
Cold sweat trickled down Jihan's back.
If he hadn't apologized in time... he might have been beaten into a pulp.
Never mess with that woman Sihyun again.
Jihan made that vow to himself, over and over.
Back home, Sihyun immediately merged with the sofa.
She turned on the TV with the remote and flopped onto the armrest.
The sunny warmth of the afternoon made her feel languid.
"Yawwwn..."
She let out a long yawn and rested her cheek on her arm, flopping back down.
It was so soft and fluffy. Sofas really were the best.
All of today's tasks were done...
Now she just had to turn on the TV, watch Momo Bin's stream... and...
....
......
.........
'...Hm?'
Sihyun looked around.
Worn-out carpet. Shabby walls. Floors made of old wood and stone.
It was a familiar sight.
This was exactly how the inn rooms looked in that other world.
Right. She was on a journey to defeat the Demon King.
Sihyun nodded to herself and sat up on the bed.
It was hard, but it felt familiar.
- Knock, knock.
- It's me.
Someone knocked lightly on the door.
Sihyun unlatched it and opened it up.
A plain-looking woman with brown hair stood there—the Porter from the Hero's party.
She was the only woman in the party who wasn't hostile toward Sihyun.
She would visit like this late at night sometimes.
The woman entered Sihyun's room.
Sihyun silently closed the door and sat back on the bed.
The Porter's gaze drifted to the table.
Books on elemental magic theory, holy scriptures, an introduction to martial arts, and more.
They were the traces of Sihyun's diligent daily studies—all done to earn the Hero party's approval.
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?" the Porter asked.
"...I have to... I have to prove my worth."
"Hmm..."
The woman shook her head, cleared the books aside, and set down some simple snacks.
Then she approached Sihyun, who was sitting with her head hanging low.
"Hide this in your bracelet."
"...?"
The woman pressed a small trinket into Sihyun's hand.
She gently stroked Sihyun's hand and looked into her eyes.
"It's from the Hero, so hide it well. Got it?"
"...What is this?"
Sihyun's voice was weak, as if her soul had fled her body.
The woman gave a wry smile.
"They say it's a gem that grants wishes."
"...No way."
"I-Is that so? Ahaha..."
It sounded so absurd that Sihyun dismissed it immediately.
And truthfully, she knew it wasn't real.
But the woman met her eyes again, desperate to keep Sihyun from giving up on life.
She placed a hand on Sihyun's shoulder with a serious expression.
In that instant, Sihyun woke up.
"Oh... are you awake? Sorry."
"......"
Sihyun rubbed her eyes and looked at the person in front of her.
It wasn't the Porter—it was her sister, Siyun.
Siyun had been covering her with a thin blanket.
Sihyun must have dozed off briefly and dreamed of the old days.
"Nah... I just nodded off for a second."
Sihyun shook her head and sat up properly.
Siyun stared at her sister's face for a moment longer, then headed to the bathroom.
She had to get back to her work.
Sihyun fiddled with the TV remote to play Momo Bin's live stream.
It was a 'Just Chatting' stream, but Momo was currently away from her seat.
Sihyun checked the broadcast info.
Today's game was a simulation with nurturing elements.
Sihyun stared blankly at the screen.
Siyun came back from the bathroom, but Momo Bin still hadn't returned.
Sihyun waited endlessly for her favorite Vtuber.
Several minutes passed; it felt like forever.
Finally, Momo returned.
- Mo-ha!
- Finally!
- Why is the streamer taking so long lately?
The chat exploded with activity.
Momo brushed it off smoothly and ran the stream like a seasoned pro.
The planned game started, and the story began to unfold.
An ordinary adult saves a group of students in danger.
Recognized for their ability, they become a homeroom teacher at an academy.
They teach the students, counsel them, and occasionally go on dates.
They earn recognition from everyone around them and from the students themselves.
It was a tale of overcoming hardships to seize happiness and love.
"......"
Sihyun, completely immersed in the game's story, lost herself in her own imagination.
She imagined captivating students with brilliant lessons—her charismatic self leading them to crush monsters.
She saw relationships built on respect and cooperation, not oppression.
Just imagining it felt like pure bliss.
If there had been no Great Cataclysm, she would have graduated college and become a teacher by now.
Sihyun found herself envying the game's protagonist.
At the same time, she grew curious about Momo's thoughts on the matter.
She agonized over it for a moment, then finally sent her very first donation.
Anonymous donated 2,000 KRW!
- What do you think about jobs like being a teacher or a professor?
It was a very broad question, and Sihyun knew she might not get the specific answer she was looking for.
But she was fine with it either way.
- Right lol.
- Agreed.
- A sense of duty?
- Yeah, when you put it that way.
- For real lol.
- That's true lol.
Not every viewer agreed with Momo, and some negative comments popped up in the chat.
But that wasn't what mattered to Sihyun.
Momo saw the profession in a positive light.
A "sense of duty." The phrase alone had a noble, satisfying ring to it.
"Should I just ask...?"
Sihyun muted the TV briefly and searched the internet on her smartphone.
She decided it was better to look up the basics herself before asking blindly.
Once she'd sorted the information in her head, Sihyun called a contact.
- Hello?
A moment later, Jia's pleasant voice came through the line.
"Um, about being an academy professor..."
Sihyun exchanged a few quick questions and answers with Jia.
They made plans to meet up tomorrow, and then Sihyun hung up.
Sihyun placed a hand on her chest. Thump, thump.
Her heart was racing with excitement.