episode_0004

“What’s this?”

If the subject has even a little mana, I can’t open the status window.

In other words, it means that in this world where mana is included even in the air, I cannot see the status window of anything that can breathe. There are countless cases where I can’t even see the status window of flesh that has been butchered, so I’ve said enough about this point.

[Name: Mei Luina]

[Alias: Light of Humanity, Savior, Saint]

[Gender: Female]

[Age: 22]

[Grade: S-Class]

[Abilities: Sacrifice (Legendary), Miracle of Healing (Legendary), Light of Regeneration (Legendary), Holy Singing (Legendary)….]

Due to possessing multiple abilities, information is restricted until the user requests confirmation.

[Current Status: Mana deprived. Plant-human. Extreme loneliness. Depression. Despair. Regret.]

! The subject is trapped in an abnormal state called “Eternal Prison.”

Eternal Prison: A curse where the entire mana is extinguished, the soul is sealed, and the connection between body and soul is severed, leading to eternal imprisonment of the soul.

! It cannot be undone voluntarily.

! Eternal Prison Feature – Equivalent Exchange: The method of undoing the curse is permanently imprinted on the subject’s body according to the characteristics of the Eternal Prison.

[Treatment Method: Infusion of Vital Energy]

! The greater the physical and mental arousal of the subject, the higher the effectiveness.

Upon the user’s request, the imprint rises above the subject’s body.

! The curse can only be undone by infusing vital energy into the imprint.

However, right now, in front of my eyes, Mei Luina’s status window, which I should never be able to see, was displayed.

[You can listen to the inner thoughts of the subject. Would you like to listen? Y/N]

Accompanied by a notification with unfamiliar wording.

I was momentarily dazed by the completely unexpected status window, then quickly averted my gaze from the notification to the phrase written in the status window, a phrase that I must neither pass over nor ignore.

“Is Mei Luina a plant-human because she’s under a curse?”

Eternal Prison.

The status window indicated that Mei Luina was under this curse, where her entire mana is extinguished, and the connection between body and soul is severed.

Certainly, if the original mana of the body has been extinguished, it makes sense that I can see the status window. After understanding why Mei Luina’s status window came to mind, I shifted my gaze downward.

There, the method for curing the curse, in other words, the method for Mei Luina to escape from her plant-like state, was written. “Is this for real…?” Even the Holy See, which exaggeratedly claimed to be able to quickly bring back the dead, stated that there was no possibility of revival. However, the treatment method was written so succinctly in the status window. Qi infusion.

Reducing a treatment method that even the Holy See couldn’t discern to just five characters—was my status window really such an extraordinary ability?

Qi infusion—it wasn’t just a phrase to pass over. Although it didn’t exactly specify how to infuse qi, judging by the phrases written below the treatment method, one could roughly imagine the process.

“The greater the physical and mental excitement of the subject during qi infusion, the more effective it becomes… That seems to be what it implies.”

Yes, it’s expressed vaguely, but the current status window is telling me that if I want to break Mei Luina’s curse, I have to directly infuse qi. And as someone who wants to run a quiet café rather than live as a guardian of a plant-like being in this hospital room, I have no choice but to infuse qi. However, I’m law-abiding enough to live without breaking the law, and I’m not bold enough to recklessly infuse qi without the other party’s consent.

What if I infuse qi and get caught? I’d become the world’s damned fool who infused qi at will against the consent of others, like a scumbag who infused qi into the savior of the world. Without exaggeration, I wouldn’t find it strange to be immediately executed upon getting caught.

“So, I have no choice but to ask if it’s okay to infuse qi into the person themselves.” Infusing qi with mutual consent isn’t a crime; in fact, it’s a recommended and proper act endorsed by the country. When qi and energy meet and bear fruit, the nation even provides financial support.

“[You can listen to the inner thoughts of the target. Would you like to listen? Y/N]”

With her eyes closed, Baek Eun’s saintess, Mei Luina, remained motionless as I slowly raised my finger to the notification above her.

Thud.

[Selection confirmed. You can now hear the target’s inner thoughts within a certain distance.]

The confirmation message passed, and the semi-transparent blue notification window vanished from sight.

Simultaneously, from Mei Luina’s tightly sealed lips, familiar yet unwelcome voices began to emerge.

“Uh, ugh… pleeease, someone get me out of this dreadful place… please… anything… anything will do…”

“Ugh.”

Mei Luina was crying like a child, pleading desperately not once, but twice.

“What a performance.”

Her current demeanor was utterly unfamiliar to me. Despite encountering her frequently, I had never heard Mei Luina speak in such a manner before.

In fact, it was the first time I had witnessed her cry like a child, internally at least, while outwardly remaining completely motionless. Is it even appropriate to describe it as such in this situation?

Her inner turmoil left me bewildered.

I never expected her to cry like this. It doesn’t fit her image. Mei Luina, an actress by nature, had never once displayed a compassionate smile in public. However, in front of me, she unleashed all sorts of malice, using herself as an emotional dumpster.

Living according to the image of a saint feels like being trapped in a cage. I was complaining about it when suddenly, “Ugh, do you really understand how I feel? Of course not. That’s why you can’t even sympathize and just stand there with that stupid look on your face, right? Oh, I’m not asking for your sympathy. You can’t sympathize anyway. There’s nothing more disgusting than forcing empathy from someone whose world is different.” I said, proving myself to be a lunatic.

To make herself comfortable, she would turn anyone into an emotional dumpster without seeking consent, using her position and power to reject rejections, pressuring others to handle her decisions. That sociopath who could pressure you into handling the decision was none other than the Mei Luina I knew.

[Ugh, ugh… I’m lonely. It’s frustrating. Please, anyone talk to me… I’m begging you. Just once, even a very short conversation will do…]

She wasn’t someone who made such weak pleas.

Of course, I didn’t deny or get angry thinking, “I don’t know this Mei Luina!” It’s just a bit difficult to accept this unfamiliar side.

[Huh, huh… Is no one going to listen to my voice? Am I going to grow old and die alone in this darkness for the rest of my life? I really hate that…]

“Hey, Mei Luina, can you hear me?”

If it were a girl I liked crying, I’d listen and comfort her, but listening to the crying of a girl I didn’t particularly like was torture, so I spoke first.

Let’s gradually resolve the disparity between the Mei Luina I know and the one in front of me.

“If you can hear my voice, answer instead of crying. It’s hard to start a conversation when you keep crying.”

[Huh, huh… Huh?]

“You weren’t someone who cried like a child. If you were tormenting others with new methods every time just to make them cry, that’s a different story.”

[Can you hear me······? Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Finally, finally I’ve met someone I can talk to after a month! Ugh, I was really, really lonely. I don’t know who you are, but thank you so much for coming like this, I really appreciate it······!]

Except for the first day we met, I’ve never heard Mei Luina’s polite and delicate voice directly, only on TV. It’s a voice that stimulates everyone’s protective instincts, but knowing her true colors so well, it didn’t work on me at all.

B-but am I bothering you? I don’t know where you heard such nonsense, but you’re misunderstanding······. Oh. No way.

At first, Mei Luina tried to defend herself, or rather, she tried to deceive herself, but when my voice came to mind, she stopped speaking.

N-no way, are you… St-Stay, is it you?

Then, as if sensing genuine danger, she trembled and asked about my identity.

“Oh, it’s an honor that you remember even my name, Mei Luina. Yes, I’m the emotional trash can of the one and only Mei Luina in the world. The emergency room janitor, Stay.”

Aaah!!!

In response to my answer, she screamed as if she had encountered a ghost while exploring an abandoned hospital.