Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Priest of Time (1)
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"Ah... Ah..."
I collapsed to my knees.
Lee Yun-seong's blood smeared across my knees and hands.
The moment I saw him—his entire body soaked in blood, one arm completely shattered—I couldn't think of anything.
"Y-Yun-seong..."
There was no response from him.
'Why.'
Why had it come to this?
I'd come back in time to prevent this exact outcome. And yet... here it was again?
"No... sob... Why... Please..."
My legs wouldn't support me properly, but I crawled to Yun-seong and checked if he was still breathing.
"...!"
I felt his faint breath.
"He's... alive. Priest... get a priest...!"
A voice came from ahead.
"Ugh... damn... you... bitch!"
I whipped my head toward the voice on instinct and saw someone in the Incarnation Clan's uniform.
It was obvious he'd done this to Yun-seong. Rage boiled up in me for a split second, but revenge wasn't the priority right now.
No—my mind wasn't working right at all. All I could think was that I had to save Yun-seong.
"...Kuh... that damn pest... What? Seo Yu-ju...?"
"...Sob... Yun-seong... please just hold on a little... I-I'll..."
I heard the bastard blabbering something, but I had to move Yun-seong first.
"...Fuck, things got messed up. Because of that pest...!"
As I hoisted Yun-seong onto my back and started running toward the Training Facility's infirmary, the guy hurled a dagger.
"Trainee Seo Yu-ju, too bad for you."
The dagger was about to hit me.
Someone dashed in and kicked it away with their foot.
Thwack.
Clang—
"You..."
The one who'd kicked the dagger away took in the scene and swallowed hard.
"What... is this...?"
The kicker was Yoon Yeon.
"...Joo Seung-hwan?"
"Yoon Yeon...!"
Yoon Yeon had rushed over after sensing a faint explosion and mana fluctuations within the Training Facility grounds.
The sight that greeted her was a blood-soaked trainee, Seo Yu-ju carrying him on her back, and someone who'd just thrown a dagger at Seo Yu-ju.
"Joo Seung-hwan. What the hell is this...? Did you... touch a trainee?"
"Ha...! Of all people, you...? Just look the other way. Unless you want to make an enemy of the Incarnation Clan."
"...Joo Seung-hwan. Are you insane?"
"...What?"
"Do you even realize... what you've done right now?"
As Yoon Yeon tried to press him, she suddenly felt a hand grab her.
"P-Please... Instructor Yoon Yeon! Please save our Yun-seong...!"
"...Trainee Lee Yun-seong?!"
Only then did Yoon Yeon look closely at the face of the person Seo Yu-ju was carrying.
"...!"
"Instructor! Please... get Yun-seong to the infirmary...!"
Joo Seung-hwan sensed the situation turning against him and yelled at Yoon Yeon.
"Hey! Don't listen to the trainee! Think about your relationship with the Incarnation Clan...!"
Before Joo Seung-hwan could finish, Yoon Yeon closed the distance at blinding speed and drove her fist into his gut.
—Boom!
"Guh...! Grk..."
Joo Seung-hwan took the punch to the stomach, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed.
"You crazy bastard..."
She didn't know the full details, but it was clear Joo Seung-hwan had beaten Trainee Lee Yun-seong and tried to kill him.
Yoon Yeon hurried to Seo Yu-ju.
"Trainee Seo Yu-ju. I'll carry Trainee Lee Yun-seong. Hurry...!"
"Y-Yes...!"
"...Trainee Seo Yu-ju, you're hurt too..."
"D-Don't worry about me, please just save Yun-seong first...!"
Yoon Yeon kicked off into a run.
Word that Lee Yun-seong had been gravely injured that night threw the entire Training Facility into chaos.
It wasn't just any injury—a trainee had nearly been murdered by someone from a major clan.
The raid party's members were no exception upon hearing the news.
"F-Fuck... What the hell...? This... this is Lee Yun-seong?"
"H-Hyung...!"
"Sob... Yun-seong oppa...!"
The party members couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Yun-seong lying in the hospital bed. One arm was completely gone, and his face was covered in burns.
Cha Hyun-jin asked Seo Yu-ju in a trembling voice.
"Y-Yu-ju noona... How...? What the hell happened...?"
"........."
Seo Yu-ju sat motionless by Yun-seong's side, her expression vacant.
Yoon Yeon answered Hyun-jin's question.
"...If you have any questions, ask me. I'll tell you what I know. As you can see... Trainee Seo Yu-ju isn't in any state to talk."
Yoon Yeon's face wasn't looking too good either.
"W-What happened? Why is Yun-seong hyung like this...!"
"...I don't know the full details, but it seems someone from the Incarnation Clan called Trainee Lee Yun-seong out privately, threatened and beat him, then tried to murder him."
Kang I-seo exploded in fury at Yoon Yeon's explanation.
"Th-Those... fucking bastards...! How do you do this to a person?! Those goddamn sons of bitches...!"
"N-Noona! Please calm down first! Please...!"
"Let go! Fuck! You see that?! They turned him into a fucking rag doll, and what the hell are those Incarnation Clan fuckers doing?!"
Hyun-jin barely managed to restrain the rampaging Kang I-seo.
Kim Ho-won, who had been watching gravely from the side, spoke up to Kang I-seo.
"...I-seo. Calm down for now. The instructor here stepped in to help... There has to be something we can do."
"Uncle! Look at his arm! One arm is completely blown off! How am I supposed to calm down?!"
Kang I-seo wailed in outrage.
"The kid... the kid... how much pain must he have been in...! He was always the type who never showed when he was struggling... Look at his face. He looks like he's about to die, no life left in him at all. Sob..."
"...Calm down for now. I get how you feel, but he's right here next to the patient."
"Sob..."
Lee Yu-rim and Lee Yu-hyeon just sobbed by Yun-seong's side. Yu-rim glanced at where his arm used to be and finally broke down completely.
"Hic... What do we do... Yun-seong oppa's arm... what do we do..."
Seo Yu-ju, who had been silent, finally spoke in a dry, raspy voice.
"...Instructor Yoon Yeon... C-Can Yun-seong's arm... be healed...?"
Yoon Yeon squeezed her eyes shut and answered with difficulty.
"...No. It's impossible."
Everyone went blank at Yoon Yeon's words. They all knew what it meant to lose an arm in this world.
In truth... Yun-seong's future as a combatant was over. A mage without one arm couldn't form hand seals.
Mages who reached a certain level could cast spells without seals through silent casting, but that required years of experience and knowledge.
Seo Yu-ju hung her head, and Yu-rim tearfully asked Yoon Yeon.
"I-Is there really no way at all? Sob... Why..."
"........."
"Instructor Yoon Yeon. Please... if there's any way, tell us. We can't leave Yun-seong hyung like this..."
Yoon Yeon stayed silent for a long time before cautiously speaking.
"...There is one method, actually... but it's completely impossible."
Seo Yu-ju asked at her response.
"Wh-What is it?"
"...There's a Priest of Time on this continent. She's a native, not one of us outsiders."
"........."
Seo Yu-ju's eyes lit up for a moment, as if she understood what Yoon Yeon meant.
"Her power can rewind the target's body to up to a week ago. It's... downright cheat-level. As long as they're not completely dead, she can save them."
The others listened to Yoon Yeon, clinging to this sliver of hope, but Seo Yu-ju's eyes were lifeless.
"Then...!"
As Kang I-seo started to speak, Yoon Yeon cut her off with the crucial detail.
"However, because it's such overwhelming power, her miracle can only be used once a year."
"...Don't tell me she's already used it?"
Everyone's faces paled.
"No. As far as I know, she hasn't used it yet."
"Th-Then we just ask her...!"
"The problem is, she has no reason to use her once-a-year miracle on a mere trainee."
Everyone faced the harsh reality. Of course. Logically, why would she waste such an incredible power on a trainee?
"No way..."
"That's why I said it's completely impossible. I know it's devastating for you all, but we have to give up on healing the arm..."
"No."
Seo Yu-ju interrupted Yoon Yeon.
"There is a way."
"Trainee Seo Yu-ju. I'm telling you again, she has no reason to use her power on a mere trainee..."
"The Incarnation Clan."
"........."
"We'll hold the Incarnation Clan responsible for this and demand they bring the Priest of Time."
"...The demand is possible. But do you think the Incarnation Clan will comply? Bringing her would be a huge burden even for them."
"If they refuse, we'll drag it to trial. The evidence is clear."
"...If the Incarnation Clan pushes back hard, it'll be a tough fight. They're a major clan."
"We have to try. I can't just sit here. And we have a card to play."
"What...?"
"I think I know why the Incarnation Clan called Yun-seong out privately and did this."
"........."
"Our entire party, including Yun-seong and me, had agreed to join the Incarnation Clan. I've already signed the contract."
Yoon Yeon got a rough idea of what Seo Yu-ju was getting at.
"They pulled this right after the demonstration. It's obvious they did it because they didn't want Yun-seong's talent in the clan. And one more thing..."
"........."
"When I signed the contract with the Incarnation Clan, it was an indefinite term."
Yoon Yeon reacted with disbelief at the words "indefinite contract."
"...Is that true, Trainee Seo Yu-ju?"
"Yes. The unwritten rule for newbies was a maximum two-year term, right?"
"...You knew and signed it anyway?"
"Yes. I agreed under the condition that we'd all join the clan together."
"If what you're saying is true... the Incarnation Clan's position would definitely be weak. They're a major clan, but they can't ignore public opinion. Threatening and attempted murder of a trainee, the indefinite contract, and they agreed to Yun-seong's entry through your indefinite contract but pulled this anyway..."
"........."
"There's a chance."
"...So, Instructor, I have one favor to ask."
"...Go ahead."
"I'm truly sorry to ask this of you, but if things get serious, could you be a witness for us...?"
Seo Yu-ju looked at Yoon Yeon with desperate eyes.
"...Of course."
"Thank you so much..."
Seo Yu-ju bowed her head to Yoon Yeon in gratitude.
The others followed suit, bowing and thanking Yoon Yeon as well.