Ch.166Episode 33. The Evil Sky Begins to Move (11)

“Fortunately, thanks to the emergency treatment with the potion, there shouldn’t be any aftereffects.”

“I see.”

Only after the doctor’s examination was complete could I and Yeon Muhui’s family breathe a sigh of relief.

I was worried that her organs might have been directly impacted and wouldn’t function properly, but thankfully, it seemed we had avoided the worst-case scenario.

“However, she’ll need to be hospitalized so we can monitor her condition. There could still be complications later.”

“Understood.”

I responded and then looked at Yeon Muhui.

She was lying in bed, sound asleep. Watching her sleep peacefully with her eyes closed finally put my mind at ease.

“Thank you. For coming.”

As soon as the doctors left, the elderly woman approached me, gently holding both my hands as she spoke.

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad there’s no serious damage.”

“Is the instructor’s arm alright?”

“Ah… yes. It’s fine now.”

I smiled at the elderly woman’s question and lifted my left arm. The swelling in my forearm had already subsided, returning to its normal state.

“How did you get hurt?”

Jin Subin, who had been looking at Muhui, turned to ask me.

“I made a mistake while trying to save other heroes.”

I said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Until now, I had only thought about the special class, and I believed I would continue to live watching over only them.

But today, I threw myself into danger for people I didn’t even know. Even if I thought everyone would die if I didn’t stop it, this action didn’t align with my usual thinking at all.

Do I really think I’ve become some kind of hero?

…How ridiculous.

“…I see.”

Jin Subin responded with a complicated expression. Looking at her as she firmly held Muhui’s hand, I asked:

“Is it okay for you to look at Muhui now?”

“Yes. I think it’s fine. My body still trembles a bit, but… Muhui is… different from Hwaryong.”

I wonder if something happened to change her mind while I was away.

Her eyes were different from when she first saw Muhui and was afraid. Now she was looking at her with compassion.

Come to think of it, Jin Subin was holding Muhui’s weapon. Did she fight alongside Muhui?

“…That’s right.”

In any case, her change of heart was a positive sign.

Just like how the relationship between Michelle and Gu Yeonhwa had been resolved, little by little, the relationship between Jin Subin and Muhui was also making progress.

It would be good if I could give them a little push from here.

“Did Muhui say she wanted to fight Hwaryong because of me?”

“…Probably. Since her mother left home.”

Muhui had been barely enduring Hwaryong’s oppressive training to prevent him from hitting her mother. She thought if she endured, their family would return to how it used to be.

But when Jin Subin gave up everything and left, Muhui no longer had a reason to endure that training.

Moreover, when everything she had been holding in erupted after her mother left, her relationship with Hwaryong also fell apart.

“So I’m the one who triggered all this.”

Jin Subin bit her lower lip hard in self-reproach. Muhui remained peacefully asleep.

“Instructor.”

“Yes.”

“Should someone like me… really stand before Muhui again? Wouldn’t it be better if you… took care of her instead?”

I wonder if she doesn’t understand who Muhui has been working so hard for all this time?

Even though she’s not my mother, hearing such words made me a bit angry.

“That would be irresponsible, ma’am. And it’s not what Muhui wants.”

“Irresponsible…”

Those words must have pierced her conscience. After all, she had evaded all her responsibilities.

“And it’s already too late. Even if your relationship with Muhui improves, she will inevitably fight Hwaryong when she graduates from the academy.”

“That’s…”

Jin Subin, feeling guilty, couldn’t continue speaking. She just quietly turned her gaze back to Muhui.

“Then… what can I do for this child? She must have endured painful times alone… Surely, somewhere I don’t know about… she must have cried, terribly.”

Jin Subin bit her lower lip, desperately holding back tears as if she didn’t deserve to cry herself.

“You don’t need to do anything extraordinary. Just answer her calls and talk happily about what’s happened until now.”

“Is that really enough?”

“Those things you call ‘just’ are what Muhui has wanted to do all along.”

The reason she was sharp toward others and treated people around her indifferently was because she had no one she could trust.

Her attitude had become relatively gentler since meeting me for the same reason.

“Be good to Muhui. That will be enough.”

“Will it…?”

“Yes.”

If she didn’t like me interfering in family matters as if I were someone important, she could simply ignore my words.

At that point, I wouldn’t interfere anymore either. Though I would still help Muhui from the sidelines to prevent her from falling apart.

“Thank you.”

As I was smiling, watching Jin Subin bow her head, the elderly woman stroked my hand and said:

“I’m so relieved that you’re taking good care of our Muhui. Really…”

“…It’s nothing, ma’am.”

Hearing the elderly woman’s words of gratitude made a corner of my heart ache.

Is it because I miss my parents from the other world?

…No, that can’t be it. I didn’t grow up in a good family environment.

If I truly missed my parents, I would have been thinking about how to escape this world rather than deciding to live here, regardless of what happened to the special class.

“I’m truly glad there were no serious injuries.”

I smiled to help the elderly woman feel at ease.

“I should get going now.”

There were still many things I needed to wrap up.

I had to follow up on asking Hayuri to protect the academy and interrogate Forest.

“Yes. I hope I haven’t kept a busy person too long…”

“Not at all. I think it would be best for Muhui to stay hospitalized so they can monitor her condition. It’s vacation time now, and the doctor said it’s not too serious.”

“Yes. We’ll do that.”

“Then I’ll be going now. I’ll return to the academy first and come back tomorrow.”

“Yes. Understood.”

As soon as I left the hospital room, I took out my mobile phone. There were messages from Hayuri, the Association President, and even the special class students.

As I was leaving the hospital, I called Hayuri first. She answered shortly after.

[Hello! Yujin! Why haven’t you been answering your phone?!]

“I was at the hospital.”

[Huh? Are you hurt? You?]

“…One of the students I’m in charge of was attacked by a villain.”

[What? Really? Is everything okay there?]

“Yes. We’ve handled the situation here, so don’t worry.”

I continued the call as I got into my car. After connecting the phone to Bluetooth, I started the car.

“How’s the situation at the academy?”

[We’ve managed to contain things here too, but there are some injuries and building damage.]

“No casualties?”

[No, none.]

“That’s a relief.”

It truly is a relief. If there had been casualties this time too, the broadcasting stations would have framed all sorts of controversies to make money.

[But what the hell are these guys? We’ve captured them by freezing them, but they won’t die.]

“…Do you know about the eX potion?”

[You mean the one alchemists were secretly developing?]

“Akcheon modified it and used it on civilians.”

[That’s disgusting. Damn villain bastards.]

I could hear her grinding her teeth over the phone. She was genuinely outraged that civilians had been used.

I chuckled at her explicit cursing. I used to feel drawn to Hayuri when I saw this side of her in the original work.

While the public might criticize Hayuri’s personality as crude, she fulfilled her responsibilities and duties as a hero more than anyone else. There was a reason readers called her an unexpectedly likable character.

“Anyway, I’ll be up there soon. You can consult with the Chancellor or the Association President about how to handle this.”

[Got it.]

“…Thank you. For accepting my request.”

[Ahem. W-well, you’d better buy me lots of delicious food then.]

Her voice was prim. Is she feeling shy?

It feels somewhat refreshing to see this reaction from someone who must have received countless expressions of gratitude.

“I’ll treat you to a high-end course meal.”

[You promised, okay? If you’re lying, I’ll freeze you.]

“…Understood.”

[Good. Come up quickly.]

After ending that call, I dialed the Association President next. The call connected before the first ring even finished.

“Mr. President.”

[Yujin! Where are you right now? Why haven’t you been answering your phone?!]

“Student Yeon Muhui was injured, so I was at the hospital.”

[What…! Did the believers injected with eX potion reach there too?!]

I could hear the Association President’s surprised voice. As if he hadn’t thought to pay attention to this area.

[What about casualties? What happened to Muhui’s family and the hero Seongwoo who was guarding them?]

“Fortunately, we treated them with potions, so the doctors said Muhui and that hero should recover without major aftereffects.”

[I see…! That’s a relief.]

“By the way, what’s the situation with Anrak Church?”

[We’re handling it well. I heard from Hero Forest that this incident originated from Anrak Church and is related to the eX potion. Is there anything else specific you need to report?]

I fell silent for a moment at the mention of Forest.

I was thinking about how to persuade the Association President to provide information about Forest.

After organizing my thoughts, I sighed and slowly began to speak.

“…This incident wouldn’t have happened if Forest had acted in time.”

[Yes. I’m aware. I intend to question him about that responsibility. But S-rank heroes have busy schedules. They can’t watch Anrak Church 24 hours a day.]

“If 24-hour surveillance is impossible, shouldn’t there be a replacement? Or some other method of continuous monitoring? Does it make sense to take your eyes off without any measures in place?”

[You’re right, but Forest declined, saying it was fine…]

He declined? This really stinks.

“Mr. President, would you provide me with all information about Forest?”

[What? That… can’t be done. That would betray the trust between heroes and the Association.]

“…I think Forest might be connected to Akcheon.”

[What?!]

There were quite a few suspicious points.

Forest knew there was a monster inside the church building. Considering there was no replacement, it means he must have gone inside directly to see the monster.

However, if he had gone inside, he couldn’t have avoided fighting with the organization members, including Pagun. But the condition of the Akcheon operatives’ bodies was too clean to suggest there had been a battle.

Even if he hadn’t gone in and had seen the monsters that Starlight had brought from outside, it was clear who was responsible for leaving them alone. And of course, who was responsible for the people massacred inside the church.

When I mentioned this, the Association President clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“Either way, there’s definitely something off about Forest.”

[It might be due to his abilities, don’t you think?]

“Even if that’s the case… I believe once suspicion arises, it should be properly investigated.”

[You’re not wrong, but once we start doubting, we could lose trust with Hero Forest.]

It seemed necessary to drive the point home here.

“Mr. President, don’t forget our purpose. You and I joined hands for ‘the annihilation of Akcheon,’ didn’t we? If there’s even a slight suspicion, we need to be certain.”

[But still…]

“Alright. How about this?”

[What…?]

“If by any chance Forest turns his back on the Association and becomes a villain, I will kill him myself.”

[What?!]

I intend to eliminate everything related to Akcheon. As before, I cannot tolerate the special class students being put in danger like they were today.

“So, will you provide me with all information about him?”