"I cannot purify a losing battle, high priest. If I do that, I'll just waste my power." A girl with platinum colored hair argued.
"You are ◼◼◼. If you cannot do that, then what would the public think of the church?"
The woman looked down, unable to refute. She cared about the church more than her own life.
"I understand. Then..."
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
I was a perfectly healthy woman, so I didn't understand why the doctor wouldn't let me be discharged.
And besides that, Jinhyuk-ssi had been delivering food every single day, lunch and dinner, for the past two days.
He only ever dropped by briefly, like he was always in the middle of something. In and out before I could say much. Yet he still made the time to come.
I wouldn't say I hated it. I mean... I was getting free meals that were clearly top quality, so objectively this was good for me. What wasn't good was not knowing when I'd be discharged.
No. This won't do. I need to talk to him properly.
The door opened. It was exactly lunch time, so as expected, Jinhyuk-ssi arrived carrying the usual bag.
"Wait—" I said before he could set it down and leave. "How about staying and eating with me? Just this once."
He paused. Looked at me for a moment with that unreadable expression of his.
Then, without a word, he pulled out the chair.
I'll take that as a yes.
Since there was a small table by the window, we set everything up together. Today's lunch was haejang-guk, still steaming, along with a soft portion of bibimbap with the sauce on the side, and two small portions of japchae.
We ate in silence for a while. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't relaxed either. It sat somewhere in between.
"...You wanted to say something." It sounded more like a statement than a question.
I set my spoon down.
"When am I being discharged?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"Jinhyuk-ssi." I pressed gently. "I feel completely fine. I've felt fine since yesterday. The doctor keeps giving me vague answers and I have a feeling that has something to do with you."
He picked up his chopsticks again. "You almost died."
"No I didn't. I'm fine."
"You almost did." He repeated. Quieter this time.
I didn't know what to say to that.
The sunlight coming through the window made the silence feel less heavy than it probably was. Outside, the city was moving like normal. Hunters at gates. People going to work. No one knowing how close things had come two days ago.
"...Two more days." He finally said. "Then you can go."
I wanted to argue, but decided not to.
"Okay." I agreed. "Two more days."
He glanced at me briefly, then back at his food.
We finished lunch without another word and he left quickly before another guest greeted me right at the same moment as if they've been waiting for Jinhyuk-ssi to leave.
"Oh, Mr. Kim," I stood up. "What brings you here?"
"Please have a seat, madam."
Is he still misunderstanding my relationship with Jinhyuk? But we're not that close. We're just friends... right?
Actually, now that I think about it, I've never really asked. How do people even become friends?
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
The winter boy is back!
My eyes flicked to the blue screen before I quietly dismissed it. For some reason, they always got more active whenever that man was around. Just who was his constellation? It felt rude to ask, so I let the thought go.
"What brings you here, Mr. Kim?" I asked.
"I apologize for coming so suddenly," he said. "I'm currently in charge of the investigation regarding the incident, so I'd appreciate your cooperation."
Up close, he looked even more exhausted than before. His hair was slightly disheveled, and the dark circles under his eyes made it obvious he hadn't been getting proper rest.
"Of course," I said. "Please, ask me anything."
He clicked his pen and opened his notebook. "How were you kidnapped?"
"I was grocery shopping for my café," I explained. "After I left the store, I suddenly lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already there."
He wrote everything down without missing a beat. "Do you have any idea why you were targeted?"
"I think so," I said slowly. "I overheard them talking. They mentioned that healers have the purest mana... although I don't really understand what that means."
"Pure mana..." he repeated under his breath. "Then it's likely they were extracting mana from healers."
His pen paused briefly before continuing. "Have you noticed anything unusual recently?"
I thought about it. Other than my terrible luck, getting dragged into dungeons, and constantly ending up in situations I had no business being in... there wasn't much.
"...Actually, there was someone suspicious who came into my shop once," I said, frowning slightly. "I don't know if he's connected, but I've also had the feeling that someone's been following me."
His pen stilled for a moment. "I see. It's possible they were targeting low-rank healers specifically."
"There was another healer with me," I added quickly. "Is she... alright?"
He nodded. "Yes. If she weren't an A-rank healer, she wouldn't have survived." His expression darkened slightly. "But that raises another question. How did an F-rank like you survive?"
For some reason, that made me feel guilty.
"I don't know," I admitted.
He studied me for a moment before speaking again. "You do understand that lying about your rank can result in up to fifteen years in a mana-imbued prison, correct?"
My hands tensed slightly. People are born with their rank, and while reawakening's do happen, they're rare enough that most people never experience one.
"I... actually haven't registered it yet," I said carefully. "But I recently reawakened to D-rank."
He looked at me, his gaze sharp and assessing. "Only D-rank? You understand that if you're lying—"
"I'm not," I said quickly. "Mr. Kim, why would I lie to you? Besides... Jinhyuk-ssi should be able to see my status, right?"
If anyone could confirm it, it would be him.
He let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his temple as if a headache was starting to form. "That won't be necessary."
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a lamp-like device from a suitcase beside him. At its center was a floating crystal, glowing faintly as it emitted a soft aura.
"I brought a newly modified assessment device. We'll verify it directly."
...It looks straight out of a fantasy story. What is that?
"This is a fragment from an S-rank monster," he explained. "Its abilities were mainly detection and analysis. Our guild leader and I personally subjugated the dungeon it came from, so I'd say it's quite reliable."
Wow...
An S-rank gate that required two top hunters to clear... just how expensive is something like this?
"It adapts quickly after analyzing its target," he continued. "So it should be able to determine your actual rank."
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
This kid is quite good at testing my patience.
『 Above The Broken World 』
We need to punish this insolent brat.
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
A mere device cannot measure your power. Do not agree to this.
"Be quiet, all of you," I muttered, dismissing the blue screen.
"So what do I need to do?" I asked.
"Just place your hands over the crystal," he said. "The color it emits will indicate your rank."
I nodded and carefully placed my hands over the lamp.
A minute passed.
Then, slowly, the white light began to shift... turning into a soft yellow glow.
What does yellow mean?
"It seems you weren't lying," he said after a moment. "I apologize for my earlier suspicion. As you can imagine, we've had cases where individuals concealed their ranks for malicious purposes."
"I see... that's understandable," I replied.
After a few more questions, Mr. Kim eventually packed up and left. The moment the door closed, I felt my entire body relax.
Isn't this supposed to be a place to recover?
Why does it feel like I'm losing health just being here...
...I really need to rest.