Chapter 67: Reward (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Reward (2)
“Two weeks?”
Two weeks had passed while I was unconscious.
I’d figured it was a few days at most. This was a much longer gap than I’d expected.
It seemed my condition had been more serious than I thought.
“It was hopeless,” the Old Man muttered grimly. “There was almost nothing we could do.”
“Lady Sophia did her best, but…”
Even though she, the leader of the Paladins and a high priest, had personally used her Holy Method, my condition hadn't improved.
Hearing all this, it was starting to feel like a miracle that I was even sitting here having a normal conversation.
So I asked.
“How did I survive?”
“Moon Spirit Water.”
The Old Man’s reply was calm.
“Arcadia authorized its use.”
“What?!”
I couldn’t help but be surprised.
Moon Spirit Water.
An elixir created from the condensed sacred energy of the full moon, found only in Arcadia's Holy Land.
That mystical liquid… only two drops could be collected each month. It was an elixir that took decades of gathering just to fill a single bottle.
It was never to be used by anyone other than the Saintess and the Hero.
That was the policy of the Cult.
Therefore, the Hero's faction and the Saintess's faction were each meant to possess one bottle.
It also helped maintain the balance of power between the two factions.
I knew better than anyone how much weight it carried. And what a momentous decision it was to give it up.
The Saintess's supporters.
If any faction were to use the Moon Spirit Water on me, it would have been them, of course.
“That’s not all.”
The Old Man continued, his eyes closed.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard what happened on the battlefield, but the Yu Family offered up a Restoration Pill, and Glory brought out a hidden elixir. They threw everything they had at you.”
Only then did I notice the unfamiliar energies surging inside my body.
They were still unrefined, boiling and bubbling within me. As if they could erupt at any moment.
Moon Spirit Water's healing properties were overwhelmingly powerful, it was true, but in the end, it was natural energy filled with divine power.
It was safe to say it was an elixir with tremendous potency.
“You’ll probably have a tough time after you’re discharged,” the Old Man said with a smirk.
“After all, they shoved so much into you. I’ve managed to suppress the rampaging energies, but it’s only a temporary fix.”
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
“That’s fine by me.”
I’d welcome this kind of trouble any day.
After all, I was filled with things you couldn’t get anywhere, no matter how much money you had.
And the Moon Spirit Water… I never would have imagined it.
The Cult must have accepted a significant loss. It made me think I did the right thing building a good relationship with them.
Arcadia, the Yu Family, Glory.
It felt like I’d somehow made quite a few friendly groups.
These were all groups I expected would be difficult to build relationships with, but somehow, we’d formed pretty good ones.
This, too, was a good sign.
“…That’s all I have to say.”
The Old Man stood up from his seat.
I looked at him and spoke softly.
“Leaving already?”
“I’ll be back with Sion this evening.”
A short reply.
He said nothing more and walked toward the hospital room door.
He probably had a mountain of work to deal with, yet he had taken the time to come see me personally.
Just then, the Old Man stopped at the door.
He turned his head slightly and said in a low voice, “…You’ve been through a lot.”
I flinched, drawing a sharp breath. Those few words carried a heavy weight.
A moment of silence passed.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he added, “When you graduate, you and Sion come to Vanquisher. I’ve already made a place for you.”
It was the first time the Old Man had made a direct scouting offer.
It was true there had been an unspoken understanding, but hearing the words out loud felt different.
For a moment, I was overcome with emotion.
I almost teared up, but I just shook my head with a small laugh.
“I’ll think about it.”
The Old Man closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he gave a quiet smile.
“I’m leaving.”
And with that, he left the room.
I leaned my head back against the pillow. Raising one hand, I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist toward the ceiling.
“Not bad.”
I let out another small laugh.
*
I spent the next few hours sitting there, trying this and that.
I checked my physical senses one by one and prodded at the unfamiliar energies inside me.
I tried to bring my body back up to speed by organizing my scattered mana through meditation and slowly relaxing my stiffened muscles.
I think I’m starting to feel better.
My body, which had felt so heavy and sluggish just a moment ago, was gradually becoming lighter.
It felt like if I could just sort out these energies a little more, I’d be back to my usual condition.
According to the tests, there was almost no physical damage left.
What remained was purely a matter of my own senses.
In other words, as long as I, the patient, felt no strain when moving my body, then theoretically, I could be discharged.
Of course, even so, the hospital would probably keep me for a few more days.
At this rate, maybe tomorrow or the day after…
-Slam!
Jeez, you scared me.
The door to my room was suddenly thrown open.
“Who… huh?”
The person who strode confidently through the door was…
Kang A-rin.
“Kang A-rin?”
-Thump.
Kang A-rin rushed over in an instant and cupped my face in her hands.
Then she started turning my head this way and that, searching for something.
As if checking to see if any scars remained.
Kang A-rin’s expression was incredibly stern.
As she examined my skin with a focused gaze, she suddenly furrowed her brow and opened her mouth.
“Are you really…?”
Her gaze met mine.
I had been watching her in silence ever since she’d walked in.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
Kang A-rin seemed flustered and turned her face away slightly. But her hands holding my face remained firm.
Uncharacteristically, a faint blush spread across Kang A-rin’s face.
I smoothly pulled her by the arm.
And gently, I hugged her.
“I’m so glad.”
“Ah…”
Really, I’m so glad.
Kang A-rin’s body flinched for a moment.
But I paid it no mind.
Cheon Yeo-wool, Yu Hana, Kang A-rin, Sion.
None of those four would have ever come to the battlefield if it weren’t for me.
Therefore, you could say they were there purely because of me.
And yet, they were kidnapped by an Apostle.
It’s 100% my fault.
I couldn’t help but think that.
No matter how hard I fought, if they hadn’t been able to come back—could I really have handled that situation?
But now, as if to mock such worries, Kang A-rin was standing right here in front of me, perfectly fine.
I’m so glad.
I couldn’t think of any words more fitting.
-Squeeze.
“Really… I’m so glad.”
I hugged her tighter and gently stroked her back.
“Hh…”
Kang A-rin’s lips parted slightly.
She flinched at first, but soon, the tension in her shoulders slowly eased.
She quietly leaned against me, only the sound of her shallow, trembling breaths audible.
But in that moment…
“…”
I felt something was slightly off.
I’d thought it was a natural hug. But when I focused, I realized Kang A-rin had somehow maneuvered herself so that one of my thighs was wedged deep between hers.
It wasn’t exactly a proper position, so I shifted my shoulders slightly and gently pushed her away.
She stood up as if she’d been nudged from behind.
Since we’d lived together in the mountain lodge for seven days while acquiring the Fragment, I’d grown strangely used to this kind of physical contact with her.
Because of that, I often accepted it without much thought.
I think I need to be a little more careful about this.
I stretched lightly and asked Kang A-rin a question.
“What about the Exchange Match?”
“Huh?”
It was a natural change of subject.
Two weeks had already passed since the battle while I was unconscious.
If that was the case, the Exchange Match, which was scheduled for a week after the incident, should have already started.
Kang A-rin seemed to understand what I meant and shook her head.
“It was postponed.”
“It was?”
“Gaon’s top students, including me, were completely wiped out. How could they possibly go on with it?”
Kang A-rin shrugged and added, “We can’t lose to Carlos, right? The Chairman fought tooth and nail to get it postponed.”
“I see.”
Times like these were when the Chairman’s profit-at-all-costs personality really shined.
In the end, it was a relief.
Ah. I want to get out of here quickly.
I was suddenly getting antsy.
Truthfully, I could rest more if I wanted to, but I had a mountain of things to do.
From the Exchange Match to the Remains of the Evil God, there were more than a few things that required my personal attention.
The problem was, there was no way the hospital would let me be discharged right now.
This wasn’t the kind of hospital that would just stamp your discharge papers because the patient “looked fine.”
This was Glory Hospital, a place notorious for being so thorough it was second to none.
But…
Wait a minute.
Glory Hospital?
I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at Kang A-rin.
Her dark black hair flowing like waves, her red eyes.
Meeting my gaze, Kang A-rin tilted her head.
Glory Hospital.
And the real power of the Glory Group, Kang A-rin.
“Kang A-rin.”
“Yeah?”
Ah, I suddenly felt the urge to fast-track my discharge.
“Get me discharged.”
Come to think of it, I had a cheat code standing right in front of me.