Turbulent Hearts
My angry little sister snapped at me, completely losing her temper.
"You look down on people way too much! You speak so casually to people who are older than you—do you have any idea how anxious that makes me?"
"You don't need to worry. It's fine."
With my abilities, I could easily win even if I had to fight another S-class hunter.
"What? Are you planning to fight other S-classes too? Are you just going to beat them into submission?"
I flinched. Her words pierced right through my inner thoughts.
"How can you try to solve everything with violence? You have to talk things out! That's how disasters happen."
My complacent thoughts and actions would cause a disaster...? I don't know about that.
"That's by ordinary people's standards."
I was different.
"That attitude is exactly the problem! 'I'm fine. I'm strong.' I know that! But I'm telling you to show some manners and read the room! How long do I have to keep covering for you?"
Covering for me...?
"Wait, what do you mean you're covering for me?"
I knew my sister was looking out for me in her own way, but what did she mean by covering for me?
"Everyone keeps quiet because you're an S-class, but people talk. They say you're arrogant, rude, and clueless. They talk behind your back."
I was momentarily speechless.
That was...
Because my personality had warped during my ten years as a Saintess... because doing so didn't cause any problems... because I just didn't think about it... and so on. For various reasons, I had behaved recklessly.
From a Saintess's perspective, it wasn't a big deal.
Who would look down on me? Who would stop me? The Demon King was still alive, and the Goddess was backing me up...
But it wasn't like that on Earth.
My behavior just made me look like a rude, crazy bitch who threw manners out the window. It was looking down on and ignoring others just because I was capable—exactly what the trash I despised did.
"..., sigh."
Come to think of it... why didn't I keep the manners I learned when I was young? Respecting elders, being kind to neighbors... Back when I was a man, I wasn't like this...
"Haha."
I knew my personality was warped, but having it pointed out so bluntly... it made me feel bad, but more than that, I felt a deep self-loathing.
"Do you know how I feel every time I hear those things behind your back? I'm so tired of going around telling people you're not that kind of person."
Ah... I didn't know, but my sister did that... She cared about me that much...
If she was helping me behind my back like that, her anger was only natural. It must have been frustrating to help someone without them even realizing it.
"Do you know how it feels to hear people badmouthing my own sister?"
I had nothing to say...
"Do you know how it feels to have to make excuses and tell them you're not that kind of person?"
I didn't...
"Ha, whatever. It's my fault for expecting anything."
I needed to apologize... but I couldn't open my mouth. My completely warped personality kept me silent.
My sister tossed the sack she was holding onto the ground and walked out of the gate alone.
"Ah..." Only then did Ah-young and Gyuri, who had been holding their breath, make a sound.
"Sigh..." I felt absolutely fucking terrible. I was angry. I was annoyed at myself for keeping my mouth shut instead of apologizing.
"Ha!"
"Are you okay...?" Ah-young approached with worried eyes.
"Yeah, I'm..." I tried to say I was fine, but my heart swelled with emotion. "Actually, I'm not."
Right now... if Nix Hemera had any family, my sister Kim Seohui was the only one. Since I was no longer the male Kim Seoyul, it was hard to call my parents my parents... and they didn't know my situation. My sister was the only one who knew everything and accepted me...
"Sigh..."
"Why are you sighing so much?" Gyuri said bluntly. "You should go and apologize quickly."
"Apologize...?" Would my sister even accept my apology? Wouldn't she just ignore me, saying she was sick of me? That was how mean and petty my behavior had been.
"Y-yes. You heard what Seohui said. She said it was her fault for expecting anything."
"Exactly. That means she was expecting something from you."
That was... But my pride wouldn't allow me to apologize. Damn pride, damn personality... Why was I so twisted? I hadn't cared much until now, but now it was annoying.
First, I picked up the sack my sister had thrown down and left the cleared gate.
"Come on, let's go apologize quickly." Ah-young and Gyuri tried to grab my hands and pull me, but I didn't budge.
By the way, she wasn't around... Since she wasn't caught by my senses, she must have gone somewhere far.
"Ah-young, Gyuri. Don't waste time needlessly. Let's run the gates."
"But..."
"My sister isn't around right now."
Considering my sister's abilities, there was a possibility she hid herself because she really hated me right now. I didn't know all of her skills, but I knew she had a stealth skill. So...
"Are you really okay?" The two of them were restless.
"Yes... I need to cool my head, and my sister needs to cool hers too before we can talk properly."
Only after stepping out of the gate could I calm down a bit... and I thought I should cool off. We entered the gate again.
"I plan to fight this time, you know?"
"I'll handle the luggage." Thankfully, Gyuri stepped up on her own.
When we entered the gate again... the fucking desert environment welcomed us.
"I'm going to be active this time... so you probably won't have much fighting to do. Just keep up."
After warning the two, I drew my sword and walked at a fast pace. I even gave them a buff in case they couldn't keep up.
While crossing the desert quickly, we encountered a pack of kobolds. The distance was roughly a hundred meters... I increased my speed further, and when about fifty meters were left... I took a huge leap and jumped into the pack of kobolds.
The kobolds seemed to have noticed me through their sense of smell as I got closer... but they couldn't react to my speed.
First, I swung my sword and decapitated a kobold that couldn't even react properly yet.
After that, I kicked and sent flying another kobold that was trying to stand up and move.
Since the unattacked kobolds rushed toward me, I immediately stepped back. The kobolds' crude weapons slammed into the spot where I had just been standing.
I threw a Holy Light at that spot. Flash! Yelp! When the holy power exploded, the kobolds let out dog-like shrieks.
I dug into the panicked kobolds and swung my sword. It was a half-hazard swing, but since there were only monsters around, it didn't matter. Slash, slash. The arms and heads of the kobolds were severed and flew through the air.
After dealing with the kobolds in that spot, I stepped back again. This was to avoid a stone thrown by a kobold from behind.
After that, I kicked off the ground again to close the distance in an instant. The kobold was startled and tried to run away, but my sword was faster. Slash, another kobold's neck flew into the sky.
"Phew..." They were too weak, so it didn't feel like a proper battle. This was just slaughtering weaklings.
"Ha, annoying." If they were at least at the level of Orcs... would there be some fun in slicing them?
"I-is it already over?"
"Yes." I watched the two of them retrieve the mana stones and moved again.
Since we had already cleared it once, I knew the way roughly. There was no need to wander around; I went straight to the city. If we met kobolds along the way, I sliced them up.
The two of them found it hard to even follow my movements. Since we moved almost without rest...
"Are you tired?"
"I-I'm fine. I can just think of it as physical training."
I stared at the two of them.
"Since there's shade, let's rest a bit." We entered the building we had just cleared to avoid the sunlight. Then I conjured some holy water and gave it to them.
While the two of them quenched their thirst and recovered their stamina, I paced around, deep in thought.
Could I properly apologize to my sister...? I wanted to apologize, but my warped pride wouldn't allow it.
But I had to apologize. If I was abandoned by my sister... I would have no reason to live anymore. No reason to live...
"W-we're fine now, shall we move?" Ah-young said, standing up.
"Really? Then let's go." I left the building without even checking on them.
I glanced at the desert city again... and moved forward, heading toward the building in the center of the city. I dealt with all the kobolds on the way, and even threw away some of the mana stones.
Thus, we arrived at the boss room. As soon as I saw the boss, I conjured a massive Sacred Fire and threw it... and all the monsters burned to death.
"Ah..." Ah-young and Gyuri had slightly fearful eyes, perhaps because it was their first time seeing my full power.
Ha, but having those two by my side kept me grounded.
"It's over."
"Y-yes, it is!" While the two retrieved the mana stones, I... stood in front of the exit, staring blankly.
I... have to apologize properly. Can I do it? No, I must. But what if my sister isn't there when I go outside?
"We're done cleaning up!" While I was worrying, the two finished retrieving the mana stones.
"Then let's go." I went straight to the exit without even listening to Ah-young and Gyuri's opinions. The clear time felt like it took less than an hour.
I spread my sensory perception to the maximum to find my sister's presence. No matter how stealthy she was, it couldn't be perfect... if she was nearby, I would be able to find her.
"W-we..."
"Aren't you hungry? Go have lunch first." Leaving only the words that I would contact them when things were done, I immediately moved.
Why can't I feel my sister's presence nearby? Did I fail to see through her stealth skill? I headed to the parking lot first. If I see if the car we rode in is still there...
"The car is here?" Does that mean she didn't take the car? I looked around the parking lot, wondering if she was nearby. Of course, my sister was not found...
"What are you doing?"
?! Startled by the sudden voice from behind, I rolled my body. Rolling once to widen the distance and looking ahead...
"Se-Seohui?" My sister was standing there with her arms crossed, looking aloof.
"H-how?" I definitely didn't feel her presence?
"It's a stealth skill." I knew that. But to think I wouldn't notice... Should I have searched with divine magic?
"So what are you doing there?"
"Y-you..." I was looking for you. I tried to say that, but I couldn't open my mouth. Apologize, I have to apologize...
"Nothing to say? Then I'm leaving." My sister turned around to walk away.
A sudden sense of despair washed over me. The anxiety of being abandoned by my sister... the fear...
I grabbed my sister.
"What?" Her blunt, aloof attitude...
"I'm sorry!" Out of fear, I blurted out an apology.