Chapter 2. Encounters and Opportunities (8)

The profession of Hunter in this world hasn’t been established for that long.

Even for the longest-serving Hunter, their career spans only a little over ten years.

While that’s not a short time for an individual’s career, compared to traditional professions where people stay for decades, like in the military, it’s still a newly formed occupation.

Perhaps because of that, the Hunter in front of me wasn’t someone with immense experience. How should I put it? When you think of an academy principal, don’t you picture an old person with graying hair?

The person in front of me isn’t that old. In terms of age, wouldn’t he be much younger than my father in my past life? He looks like someone who has just entered his 40s.

Considering that being a Hunter is a profession that overworks the body, he might even be younger than that.

“Chae-eun-ah!”

As soon as the Hunter saw Ria, he smiled brightly and waved. The bandage wrapped around his arm was also stained dark red, which made me feel guilty again.

“Uncle!”

He’s probably not her real uncle, but a Hunter uncle close to Ria’s father.

I remember his name. There was only one person in the story whom Lee Chae-eun called ‘Uncle’.

So, I think his name was ‘Hyun-gang’. Kim Hyun-gang. Yes, that was his name. He was a Rank 3 Hunter and quite capable, but his ability to manage an organization was far superior, so his standing within the association he belonged to was higher than his rank.

In fact, he was so famous that most Hunters, even those from other associations, would tremble just hearing his name. Even the protagonist, Lee Si-yoon, was someone who felt intimidated in front of him.

He was also one of the people Lee Chae-eun contacted whenever she wanted to support Lee Si-yoon.

…Thinking about it again, he’s probably not someone who would have much to do with me. If he’s from the association, it’s a bit ambiguous for him to influence the church.

The man, after greeting Ria warmly, turned his gaze towards me. Then, the man looked back at Ria and said,

“Is this person…?”

“That’s right. Ah, but she dislikes ‘that kind of title,’ so it’s better to just call her Sister.”

‘That kind of title’ would be the title of Saint Candidate, wouldn’p it?

“Sister.”

After hearing Ria’s words, the man spoke to me with a somewhat polite attitude.

“Thank you for coming to help like this.”

“Ah, no, I haven’t done anything yet…”

“Psychological aspects also have a significant impact on combat.”

If he says that, I have nothing to argue.

I heard that the amount of divine power I can use doesn’t spread much to ordinary people or clergy from other churches.

Churches without Saint Candidates have no reason to care about such things in the first place. If there is a Saint Candidate, they also have no reason to care about me. After all, I am a nominal Saint Candidate with no rights as a Saint Candidate.

Moreover, ordinary people rarely need healing to the extent that they need to be treated by a Saint.

Therefore, it’s only known through the Hunters I’ve healed, and it’s spread through word of mouth in that regard. In reality, my name is more infamous than famous. I am the only Saint Candidate who was directly reprimanded by a Cardinal and effectively expelled.

Still, I don’t know if it’s good or bad that I’m famous among Hunters.

“…Are perhaps other Saint Candidates scheduled to come?”

“Yes, I heard that about two more are expected to come. And- well,”

The man glanced at me, then slightly bowed his waist towards me and spoke in a small voice.

“…I heard that the reason those two are coming here is also because of you, Sister.”

I couldn’t help but let out a groan.

“You don’t have to worry too much. We will take care to ensure you can be separate.”

“That… thank you.”

No matter how you look at it, the highest person among the clergy in this country is the Cardinal.

Furthermore, since this clergy position is not like a president or a member of the National Assembly with a fixed term, they often remain in their positions unless they commit a very serious mistake.

Naturally, the longer they stay, the deeper their influence becomes.

…Even if the period as a clergyman in this order is not very long, like Hunters, most clergy members were previously clergy of other religions. Since they are people who know each other through word of mouth, their influence is naturally not negligible.

After I sent a letter to the Cardinal stating that ‘the concept of God is wrong,’ I didn’t just receive a reply from one Cardinal.

Among them were Saint Candidates like myself.

Although I haven’t met them face-to-face since my rights were revoked, they are the ones who complained to me through letters, so honestly, it’s quite awkward.

“…Then, would you like to rest for a while? We have plenty of snacks here.”

In this situation, can I comfortably eat snacks and rest?

However, if I refused here, I felt like it would become awkward with this man too, so I just nodded quietly.

*

Although snacks and tea were served, I didn’t touch them and stood around without sitting down.

Ria looked like she was contemplating what to say seeing me like that, but ultimately chose not to say anything. I was grateful for that. The thoughts I was having at the moment were not very positive.

Worrying about something without any basis is irrational and unreasonable. It’s similar to being terrified thinking you’ll get into a traffic accident suddenly when you’re about to cross a crosswalk, or being alone in terror thinking the plane you’re about to board will crash.

However, sometimes, it’s unavoidable to have worries that are useless even if you have them.

As Ria said. There are many Hunters here, and quite a few clergy members have already arrived.

Although they are not people I like, didn’t they say that other Saint Candidates were also coming? Since they are called Saint Candidates, their divine power should be excellent. Enough to cleanly heal a few seriously injured people.

And I am here too.

“… .”

Then why am I anxious?

“Ah.”

Since I am human, I sometimes have irrational thoughts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t reach a conclusion. Especially in situations where the cause and effect are clearly organized, it’s not difficult to derive reasons from the results.

It’s natural to worry about your commute when you see news of a traffic accident on TV in the morning. If you hear news of another plane crashing a few hours before your flight, you’re reminded that your flight could also have the same possibility.

And, I already knew that Lee Si-yoon would be in mortal danger.

It happened once before, but if Lee Si-yoon and I are in similar locations, it’s natural that it could happen. The novel didn’t specify how many times that happened.

And, in web novels, ‘danger’ usually occurs the moment everyone thinks they are safe.

And strictly speaking, I am not a Saint. Could this have an effect? I think it probably could. Because human relationships tend to be quite influenced by incidents and accidents.

What if, what if.

What would happen if the story slightly deviates, and I can’t heal Lee Si-yoon?

In a web novel, the protagonist is the protagonist, no matter what anyone says.

He is destined to prevent major incidents and accidents and become a hero of the world.

What would happen if such a protagonist died prematurely?

“… .”

Wasn’t I making a wrong assumption? Isn’t it too naive to think that the situation will unfold as I wish just by my absence?

“Ria.”

“Yeah?”

As I suddenly turned around and called her name, Ria, who was blankly staring out the window, looked up.

“Hasn’t Brother Lee Si-yoon arrived yet?”

“Arrived… I should say not? He should be returning to the gate area by now.”

Ah, I see. He said he had already gone inside the gate.

“They’re not trying to catch it right now, are they? They have to confirm whether it’s truly a ‘beast’ by searching little by little, and if so, where and how to strike it to deal with it. Since quite a few people were injured, they have to be more careful.”

“…You said it was the worst among the beings you’ve met so far.”

“To be honest, it’s just a beast, right? It’s just… big or fast. Parasites that you mentioned, or those that are smaller than humans but have serious toxins, could be more dangerous. Well, in such cases, you can handle it alone if you’re careful about that specific part. Rather, what’s truly scary is when the environment itself is hostile.”

That’s the common sense so far.

However, as the story progresses and gets on track, the gate incidents gradually become more serious. Not just simple beasts, but monsters in the true sense of the word, which are impossible to deal with alone, start pouring out, and other forces preparing for invasion from beyond appear, leading to the emergence of groups that can be called ‘enemies’.

With Lee Si-yoon’s abilities at that time, he could handle it, but…

“… .”

“Are you that worried?”

“Wouldn’t I be worried?”

Ah, it feels like we had this conversation a little while ago.

Ria’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me.

“If you’re that worried-“

But before Ria could finish her sentence, a sound was heard from outside the building.

It was a warning sound, like the one you sometimes hear when a car exits the underground parking lot. It was like that sound, but amplified.

Although it was the first time I heard it directly, I could quickly tell that it was a sound signaling the return of people who had entered the gate.

“Oh, hey!”

As I immediately ran out the door, Ria quickly shouted and followed me.

As I ran through the long room that still had quite a few injured people, gazes were drawn to me. It seemed like more people had arrived in addition to the clergy who were there originally, so it was a bit more crowded than when I first entered.

I tried to go outside the building to find Lee Si-yoon and his childhood friend immediately, but the area near the gate was already crowded with people.

Hearing screams and shouts, it seemed like quite a few people were injured this time as well.

There were quite a few people around, including some wearing black military-like uniforms, and some wearing what looked like medieval knight armor with a few tactical pockets attached in a modern style.

“Please move!”

A woman’s voice was heard from inside.

Then, a white light shone, and I heard some people exclaim in admiration.

…It seems one of the Saint Candidates is in there.

Well, that doesn’t seem like my concern right now.

“Brother Lee Si-yoon!”

As I shouted that, a few people turned to look at me. Especially a few men looked quite bewildered, and a few women, especially the nuns-

Hmm, their gazes aren’t very favorable.

I realized anew that my attire wasn’t very nun-like. Come to think of it, the gazes that turned to me earlier might have been because of my attire rather than because I’m a Saint.

“Sister?”

In response to my call, Lee Si-yoon emerged from among the crowd with some haste.

He had a very bewildered expression.

At least he’s alive.

I let out a slight sigh.

…But before I could approach him further, someone grabbed my arm from behind, and I was spun around in the opposite direction.

“Ria?”

Ria was looking at me with a somewhat angry expression.