The Cliff (1)
The next afternoon.
I paused, spoon halfway to my mouth, as the flavorless hospital food turned even more unappetizing. The TV droned on with the latest headlines.
The morning’s press conference from the Gujae Church dominated every channel. They claimed they had known in advance that a Gate would open at Toyland. Since all Gates normally fall under the Association’s jurisdiction, they had sent multiple warnings. Yet the Association ignored every report. In the end, the Church had no choice but to dispatch their own people.
While they were in the middle of subjugating the beast Gaura, Association hunters—including Academy instructors—mistook the Church’s forces for terrorists and opened fire. A violent clash ensued, resulting in casualties on both sides. They expressed “deep regret” over the tragedy.
“…”
These were the same bastards who had charged in wearing anti-personnel gear specifically designed to slaughter hunters, not beasts. Hearing them spin the story like this made my blood boil. Even though I had jumped in midway, I knew enough about the situation to find their claims utterly absurd.
“…Haah…”
I swallowed the anger lodged in my chest, turned my eyes away from the screen, and forced another spoonful of food down. At least there were plenty of people who could prove the Church’s claims were lies. Me, Haeseon, and… Soyeon too. If everyone who had lived through that terrorist attack spoke up together with the Association, the truth about the Gujae Church would come out quickly.
…Or so I had thought.
The Gujae Church was far more prepared than I expected. The moment the Association tried to issue a rebuttal, the Church unleashed a flood of so-called evidence they had clearly been holding in reserve. They released footage of the frenzied Gaura being suppressed, along with clips of their own followers being attacked by Association hunters. They even published every official warning they had sent to the Association in the past, completely flipping public opinion.
In an instant, the terrorist organization known as the Gujae Church transformed into a heroic group that had acted out of necessity to protect civilians. The Association, meanwhile, was painted as incompetent and arrogant. Even though the Association desperately insisted they had never received any such reports, the public had already chosen a side.
Click—
With only a few bites of rice left, the heat finally got to me. I snatched the remote and turned the TV off, then shoveled the rest of the meal down with grim determination.
Sons of bitches…
If it were up to me, I’d wipe every last one of them out alongside my wife. But now wasn’t the time. First, I needed to finish this tasteless food and head upstairs to see Soyeon.
The previous afternoon.
After barely escaping while carrying the unconscious Soyeon and Gong Haeseon, we were met by belatedly dispatched Association personnel and rushed straight to the hospital. Perhaps due to the side effects of overusing my mana, I had passed out again. By the time I woke up, it was already night.
The first thing I did upon regaining consciousness was call for a nurse and ask about Soyeon. I was told my wife had summoned a “Saintess” who healed her with ease. Having witnessed that near-miraculous power myself, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Gong Haeseon, who had been transported with us, was in relatively good condition. She only needed minor treatment before being discharged. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about how she had desperately cried out for someone—“…Unnie!”—and kept trying to run back toward the plaza. It weighed on my mind.
Who had she been calling out to like that? …Was she really okay?
As a comrade who had fought alongside her, I wanted to check on her, but my phone had been destroyed during the battle. I had no way to contact her right now.
Lost in those thoughts, I mechanically moved my spoon until finally—
“All done…!”
I had somehow managed to finish the nutrition-packed but utterly flavorless hospital meal. The moment I thought I could finally go see Soyeon, I stood up and grabbed the IV stand—
Slide—
The door to my hospital room opened.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I found myself face to face with my wife, her eyes carrying a distinctly chilly glint.
*
“You said Soyeon is sleeping…?”
At my dejected tone, I slowly nodded and quietly sliced another piece of apple. My husband glanced around nervously, then snuck a cautious look at me and asked in a probing voice.
“…Then can I just go see her face for a second?”
“No. Don’t disturb a sleeping child. Just eat your apple quietly, alright?”
He instantly looked crestfallen. He took the apple slice I offered, popped it into his mouth, and drooped his head weakly.
“…”
The more I watched him openly show his disappointment, the more certain I became of what I was thinking.
For the time being, I absolutely could not let my husband meet Min Soyeon.
He was already a complete daughter-obsessed fool. Having watched his own daughter get hurt right in front of him, it was only natural that he would lose his mind. Even I had nearly flipped this entire hospital upside down the moment I saw him lying in that bed.
From my experience, he was definitely blinded by his love for her right now. He would accept anything she said and forgive anything she did. If that girl tried to pull any tricks, he would go along with it whether he knew better or not.
…I could never allow that.
What I wanted was for that girl to slam into a wall and fall on her own. I had no interest in my husband reluctantly accepting her out of obligation.
Until the scales fell from his eyes, I would not let the two of them meet.
Hiding my true intentions, I stabbed another piece of apple with a fork and held it out to him.
“Here.”
“…Thanks.”
The moment he reached for the fork, I quickly pulled it back and offered it again. He moved his lips as if to say something, then gave up and simply opened his mouth slightly, slowly meeting my gaze.
No matter how much his body had changed, his adorable side remained exactly the same.
…How nice would it be if he would just stay quietly by my side like this for the rest of our lives?
*
My wife fed me snacks and potions one by one with utmost care, tending to me with devoted attention. When she eventually left the room, saying she would go check on Soyeon, I seized the opportunity and slipped into the bathroom.
I pulled up the Message window and checked the updated content.
EMERGENCY: Save Lee Daesan
📍 Status:SUCCESS!
🎁 Reward: Tears of the Mermaid — 2mL (Obtainable)
The clear “Success” marker floated before me. It seemed my desperate efforts to save Lee Daesan had paid off.
“…Haah…”
Only now could I truly relax. Thank goodness it succeeded. If I had failed the mission on top of Soyeon getting slashed by a scythe and ending up in the hospital, I would have been utterly devastated.
I let out a heavy sigh while thinking of Soyeon, who was lying in a room upstairs, and slowly reviewed the Message again.
Hmm… Since it said “Obtainable” for the success reward, it looked like I could claim it whenever I wanted. I didn’t need the mana boost immediately, so it would be smarter to think it over carefully and come up with the most efficient way to use it before accepting the reward.
Each 1mL of Tears of the Mermaid dramatically increased mana capacity. If I drank all 2mL, I could probably recover about eighty percent of my original mana.
Originally I had planned to drink it all myself, but now that I considered the effects, I started to hesitate.
What if I gave it all to Soyeon?
She already possessed an outstanding natural mana vessel. If she consumed the Tears of the Mermaid, the efficiency would be incredible. She might even surpass my wife’s mana capacity. Since she had inherited my talent, she could also focus on the relatively safer path of magic rather than close-range swordplay.
But… that would create too large a gap between us as partners.
Partners worked best when they were at similar levels or differed by only one stage. Right now, Soyeon and I were nearly two full stages apart. No matter how excellent one’s mana control technique was, without enough mana to actually cast spells, it was useless. A mage without mana was worthless.
The greater the power gap, the more the weaker side relied on the stronger one, and the stronger side ended up constantly protecting the weaker one. That limited the types of Gates they could enter together. In the long run, it often led to financial arguments as well.
Of course, I had no intention of depending on Soyeon, nor did I plan to fight with her over money. Still, letting one side become overwhelmingly dominant wasn’t healthy for either of us.
Since things had come to this, splitting the Tears of the Mermaid evenly between us seemed like the best option. I would miss out on a bit of mana, but I wouldn’t collapse after one or two spells anymore. I could also look for ways to use magic more efficiently than before.
“…This is tough…”
Caught in a dilemma, I stared at the Message and mulled it over. In the end, I decided it would be better to see Soyeon first before making a final decision. Whichever choice I made, I would pick the one that helped her the most.