Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Seong Yona's Mana Oath
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Swearing on one's mana was a terrifying vow among magic awakeners.
If there was any falsehood in their words, they would lose all their abilities.
Seong Yona nodded and immediately conjured a small flame of green and white mana in her right hand.
If Seong Yona was lying, she would lose her mana instantly, and that flame would extinguish forever.
Her life as a hunter would end right there.
Even as she sniffled occasionally, Seong Yona now spoke in a calm voice.
"Yes, everything I said is true."
Slurp.
The mana flame didn't vanish.
On the contrary, it burned even brighter.
She had proven her own truth.
I could hear the guild members, who had been tense inside, letting out small sighs of relief.
It was good news for me.
I wouldn't even need to persuade them to shelter Seong Yona in the guild.
These kind-hearted, soft people were already fretting over how pitiful she was.
Ting.
No wonder the guild had gone under.
But I couldn't blame them for it.
Except for Im Cheong-su, whom I'd recruited myself, everyone had joined the Justice Guild after half-turning their backs on the world.
For them, the Justice Guild had once been a refuge.
And at that moment, the ever-blunt Im Cheong-su raised his hand.
"But can I ask one thing, sis?"
"Y-Yes? Of course!"
"Why'd you run to the Justice Guild?"
Oh, Im Cheong-su.
You hit where it hurts.
"Hey, Cheong-su."
Lee Yu-eul poked Im Cheong-su's side, giving him a warning glance.
But Im Cheong-su didn't care.
"No, but think about it. It's all false charges or whatever, but we did take the request to capture this sis."
For a moment, I saw the guild members' faces flicker with 'Come to think of it, yeah?'
One by one, people tilted their heads, their gazes turning to Seong Yona.
"Well, the thing is..."
Seong Yona fidgeted with her fingertips again and opened her mouth.
"I was the one who did the construction on the underground training ground... I built this sub-space really sturdy. Lately, my skills have been unstable, so I can't stay in one place for long... But I thought I could hide here safely without worrying about other hunters breaking in..."
"Huh?!"
Jang Su-ho jumped in surprise.
"The person who built our training ground was you, Seong Yona—no, I mean this lady?!"
"Oh, you didn't know?"
Come to think of it, I might have been the only one who met her face-to-face back then.
Now it made sense why the guild members had seen her sketch and just said her face was too ordinary to track down easily.
"You should've said so earlier! We're using the training ground like crazy. It's awesome."
"Th-Thank you!"
Seong Yona looked genuinely delighted at Jang Su-ho's praise.
Her face even flushed bright red for a moment.
As if gathering courage from that, she cautiously added,
"And somehow... I felt like the Justice Guild would help me. I've been checking out your articles and videos lately, even if just occasionally."
The Justice Guild had been pretty cool lately.
They'd even openly clashed with the Association.
I was smiling to myself at the thought when Seong Yona's gaze turned to me.
Me? Why?
"On the last day of the underground construction, Hunter Nayeo-ju told me that if I ever needed help, I should come find you. I didn't have anywhere else to run, so those words were all I could think of... I'm sorry."
"No, there's nothing to apologize for."
I hadn't expected her to remember that offhand comment.
The snowball had rolled just right.
But the looks they were giving me were downright cheeky.
Like, Nayeo-ju did it, huh.
Kang Han even crossed his arms and let out a smirk.
His eyes, laced with amusement, sent me a silent message.
'I'll handle her from here.'
An A-rank space manipulator walking right in?
Inside, I was dancing the samba, but on the surface, I sighed softly and shrugged as if helpless.
Just opening the door wide with a 'Come on in' wouldn't be enough for a little bunny rabbit with great potential being chased by hunters.
Time to dangle some organic carrots.
"Um, Hunter Seong Yona."
"C-Can you hide me here, please?!"
"Huh?"
The rabbit somersaulted right in.
"I can't go outside the guild, but if you just let me stay hidden in the building, I'll do anything I can!"
"No, I mean..."
Suits me just fine.
"Please, I beg you... Ev-even the storage room, no, just a closet..."
"Hey, let me speak, will you?"
"P-Please, go ahead..."
And now she was trembling like a truly frightened rabbit.
"You swore on your mana, right? Now that we know you're innocent, we won't chase you out. Our guild members are all soft like glutinous rice cakes. But hiding you comes with real risks for us too. So, one condition."
I could see Seong Yona swallow hard.
"When the time comes—and you'll decide when that is—you have to reveal the truth and officially join the Justice Guild. That way, we'll have a reason to protect you going forward."
Now, how would she respond?
Telling an A-rank hunter to join without a signing bonus or fat paycheck was pretty scoundrelly, no matter how you sliced it...
"...Is that really all?"
"Not an easy choice, is it?"
"If I just do that... you'll hide me?"
Seong Yona's eyes welled up again.
"I'll sign right now! And, and let me repair the guild building!"
"Woo! New guild member!"
"Welcome!"
As they clapped and cheered among themselves, I shuddered with a belated realization.
Ah, another softie just joined.
And then it hit me.
Right.
A rabbit fleeing from hunters couldn't possibly be a battle bunny.
"Is this spot really okay?"
"Yes! It's perfect!"
As if afraid I'd change my mind, Seong Yona, who had just signed the Justice Guild entry contract, picked out her door.
I hadn't misspoke.
It really was a door, not a room.
The boiler room door at the end of the third-floor hallway, no less.
"I'll make a sub-space here."
"Oh?"
Right.
She was a sub-space expert.
"Then couldn't you hide anywhere with that ability?"
"Well..."
Seong Yona hesitated before explaining.
"As I mentioned earlier, my abilities are unstable... Unless it's a place where I feel safe, the sub-space often collapses quickly... B-But if I set up proper facilities like during the training ground construction, it'll be fine! I can manage that much!"
Her anxious add-on, fearing I'd reject her, was heartbreaking.
I patted Seong Yona's head.
"You signed the contract. You're already a Justice Guild member, Hunter Seong Yona. No need to worry."
I'm not the type to irresponsibly abandon a rabbit I've taken in.
"...Thank you, thank you."
Tears welled up in Seong Yona's eyes again.
"You must be tired. Go in and rest as long as you need."
"Y-Yes!"
Seong Yona bowed to me, then turned and raised both hands toward the door.
She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, turned back, and bowed once more.
"G-Good night!"
"Ho ho."
The boiler room door creaked open with a rusty groan, but beyond it was now a cozy bedroom peeking through.
What an amazing ability.
As I wondered what it'd feel like to have a power like that, the door clicked shut gently.
"It'll take some time."
She'd been on the run for years.
It would take a long rest and a lot of courage to step out that door again.
That's why I'd told her to rest as long as needed.
I stretched, my body heavy as waterlogged cotton after dashing around Seoul for days, and headed up the stairs.
"Wonder how long."
A week?
A month?
Given her fragile mentality, maybe even longer.
"No rush anyway."
Muttering to myself, I climbed the stairs to my room.
The next day.
"Good morning!"
I froze solid the moment I opened the training ground door.
There stood Seong Yona, apron on, ladle in hand, greeting me cheerfully.
Maybe this rabbit's tougher than I thought?