Chapter 29: Counseling (2)

After handing over the colorful drink carrier to the girl,

The sisters were dragged away by the Guild Master’s telekinesis, looking deflated.

Just how much scolding did he plan to do, calling them aside like this?

If we’d known, we wouldn’t have gotten so close to the child!

But how could anyone ignore such a cute kid?

If a third party had seen the sisters like this, they might have joked, “Those crazy girls are scared?” or “They must be acting again,” but

To the Guild Master, it was just pathetic.

He’d brought them in since their student days, noticing their talent.

He knew how cold and distant they usually were to everyone except each other.

It was obvious they were acting, knowing that pretending to be pitiful might lessen their punishment.

So, as the door slammed shut, the Guild Master deliberately maintained a cold atmosphere as he began.

“It’s fortunate that you like the child. I’d like you to stay by her side and help her for a while.”

“…What?”

It might sound random, but it was connected to their previous conversation.

He’d assigned them to help the girl adjust to the guild as punishment for acting in ways that made even an innocent child misunderstand them as “crazy psycho lesbians.”

Ironically, this provided a plausible reason to assign the sisters to the girl.

“Why are you acting like it’s the first time you’ve heard this? It’s about your punishment.”

“Ah!”

The sisters, who had been subtly trying to push each other forward in the tense atmosphere, belatedly perked up their ears and focused.

S-class Awakened still acting like children.

Perhaps this incident would be an opportunity for these immature sisters to learn responsibility.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll briefly explain the child’s situation. We can start from when you first met her on Bukhansan.”

Thus began the Guild Master’s story.

To sober up the playful sisters, he told them everything he’d heard from Monk Jamyeong and the girl, without censorship.

Nearly dying from eating poisonous mushrooms.

Being swept away by a stream during the rainy season, hitting her head and passing out.

Eating hallucinogenic mushrooms like a drug addict, saying she wanted to see her deceased parents.

Sometimes talking to herself as if she had two selves, like a mentally ill person.

“Uh… Ah?”

It was a horrific past that even made the composed Monk Jamyeong momentarily doubt Buddha and resent the cruel world.

And this didn’t even include anything related to the cult yet.

“D-did this happen because… we left the child behind…?”

Han Dayeon stepped back, unable to bear hearing this with a clear mind.

She covered her mouth with a trembling hand, staring blankly.

Hoping desperately that their thoughts were wrong, that it wasn’t because of them…

“Yes. Not just you, but if anyone had helped the child, if there had been an adult she could trust and rely on, these things might not have happened.”

The Guild Master was firm.

If anything, the story was just beginning.

“You know about the cult, right?”

He revealed the stark truth without embellishment or omission.

His suspicion that the girl had been brainwashed by the cult for at least several years.

And the keyword “demon” that confirmed this.

Information about the suspected keywords “flame,” “divine punishment,” and “flash.”

That today’s virtual reality experience was to confirm this fact.

As the story went on, as they got closer to the truth about the girl, the sisters’ expressions became a mess.

Ah…

If only we hadn’t been so careless and left the child behind back then.

If only we’d tried to talk to her properly one more time.

If only we hadn’t misjudged her based on her appearance, thinking she was well-raised.

Things could be so different now.

Han Dayeon’s legs gave out, and she sank to the floor in shock.

Han Yuyeon seemed more composed than her sister, but…

“…Those bastards, picking on such a small child when there are plenty of others. I’ll kill them all.”

She wasn’t composed; she’d just gone mad.

She was emitting killing intent even in front of the Guild Master.

If they’d just thought a bit about why such a small child was so afraid of people and tried to avoid them, they would’ve realized something was wrong.

Belatedly, they remembered a parenting show host’s constant nagging that indifference is abuse.

“So I plan to take several protective measures until we can definitely break the child’s brainwashing.”

The sisters could no longer focus properly on the Guild Master’s words.

Instead, they stared blankly at each other, swallowing their unbearable disgust.

The sweet drinks they’d ordered at the cafe?

If they could swallow them after hearing this, they wouldn’t be human.

They suddenly realized how unexpectedly considerate the girl was.

How disgusting must it have been for her when they tried to act friendly now, after abandoning and disappearing on her?

If the sisters had been in the same situation, they would’ve at least tried to make the other person feel similar pain, raging wildly.

In fact, when they were young and the Guild Master offered to take them in, they’d responded with fists, asking if he was thinking of buying their bodies.

That’s why they couldn’t just sit still now.

The sisters, looking at each other with hollow expressions, nodded silently.

Yes.

We were wrong to leave the child behind.

It’s a wound and scar that won’t disappear no matter how much we regret it now.

So, until that wound heals…

Until the scar completely fades, we’ll stay by her side and atone.

“…Then, couldn’t we make it so she doesn’t have to use her abilities at all?” Han Dayeon carefully suggested after some thought.

If the girl’s ability was the problem, if that’s what caused all this.

Couldn’t we let other adults handle the hard work and let the child live a normal life as a child should?

But the Guild Master had already considered this idea.

It was literally just an idea he’d thought about.

Thinking a bit deeper, it was easy to see how naive that suggestion was.

“These bastards survived the joint government and top three guilds’ extermination. Look at the child’s appearance. They’ll try to kidnap her again whenever she catches their eye. More importantly, don’t you know?”

At the Guild Master’s discreet words, the sisters closed their eyes as if making a promise.

That’s right.

These cult bastards brainwashed that kind girl to this state without being caught.

Moreover, the world only seemed peaceful on the surface. As members of one of the top three guilds, they knew all too well about the greater anxieties lurking beneath.

The existence of villain organizations rivaling the top three guilds.

The contaminated areas left even after handling Gates.

The collapsing ecosystem and shrinking habitable environments as a result.

Even worse, in these remaining contaminated areas, unpredictable Gates appeared suddenly and simultaneously, beyond human prediction.

No matter how talented an Awakened person was, without proper education, living normally could lead to involvement in such accidents at any time.

The sisters’ parents were among those who’d been sacrificed in such a way.

It was better to build up strength to resist on one’s own.

“So in the end… the child can’t avoid training and working as an Awakened…”

“Yes. That’s why I plan to ask for cooperation from team leaders like you.”

Only then did Han Yuyeon, who had been silent until now, push Han Dayeon aside and step forward.

She seemed to be using her ability, as an eerie aura flowed from her purple eyes.

“Tell us if you’ve located any of those bastards. We’ll just beat them all up, right?”

What’s there to talk about at length?

If there’s anything threatening the child, shouldn’t we just erase it all?

With the help of the other two top guilds, they could easily wipe out even a small country.

Moreover,

“…Sigh. For once, I agree with my sister.”

Han Dayeon was an A-class Awakened, and Han Yuyeon was S-class.

In simple numbers, they were A-class and S-class, but within Chungseong Guild, the sisters’ team was rated even higher.

Despite their unreliable behavior, when they combined their abilities, they were considered PvP specialists with synergy rivaling Guild Master Lee Sunghwan.

They had already shown such a track record.

With Han Dayeon’s agreement, Han Yuyeon continued in an uncharacteristically cold voice.

“Telling her to wear a mask and hide herself. It’s too cruel for a ten-year-old child.”

“We don’t mind doing the hard work. But isn’t it better to just crush those cult bastards instead of putting her through this?”

They looked ready to search the entire territory of South Korea if the Guild Master allowed it.

‘…At least they haven’t completely lost their original spirit.’

It was a huge relief.

He’d been worried they might be getting arrogant after earning money and fame.

Seeing them genuinely sad, empathetic, and angry, it seemed he could trust them with the girl.

“I’ve already started investigating. Until we get results, take good care of the child.”

“Leave it to us. We’ll postpone all Gate raids!”

“No, the Gate raids must continue.”

“Aww.”

Just as the sisters were clenching their fists, wondering what to do with the girl, how to help her overcome her past trauma,

The firmly closed virtual reality room door suddenly burst open, and the girl rushed out with an urgent expression.

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