Ch.176Chapter 176 – Baek Yuwol Takes a Step Toward Honesty

Hmm. I’ve never seen the atmosphere this wrecked before.

I came looking for Baek Yuwol out of concern because I heard she was just endlessly drinking…

“What do you know anyway?!”

She suddenly started shouting out of nowhere.

…Actually, I think I understand why she’s shouting.

From what I’ve gathered from her mutterings so far, using my not-so-brilliant brain:

‘It must be because she rejected the offer I made in the carriage back then.’

There’s no other reason she would react this sharply.

‘Hmm. I wish Baek Yuwol would be a little more honest with her feelings.’

Personally, I was hoping Baek Yuwol would be more honest with herself.

If she had asked me to fix her hands, she would have had pretty hands by now.

But right now, she’s completely soaked in alcohol.

‘Whew, the smell of alcohol. I guess she really does like to drink.’

Just counting the bottles visible to me, there are fifteen of them.

If an ordinary person drank this much, wouldn’t they die from acute alcohol poisoning?

Yet I’m newly impressed by Baek Yuwol, who’s maintaining her wits despite drinking so much.

Perhaps her shouting at me was also because she’s had so much to drink that she’s lost her senses a bit?

If that’s the case, I could conclude that I should use this situation to build favor with her.

“You… you shouldn’t play with people’s feelings like that!”

Baek Yuwol seems to be having difficulty controlling her emotions because she’s drunk.

That must be why she’s angry at me.

No, it’s not anger—it seems more like irritation.

“You’re very drunk, Lady Baek Yuwol.”

I tried somehow to calm her down.

After all, I needed to calm her first if I wanted to fix her hands.

“No, I’m not drunk at all!”

With your face all flushed red, that statement has zero credibility.

After refuting my words, she stood up.

But perhaps because she had drunk so much, she staggered slightly as she tried to walk and looked like she might fall.

“My, you should be careful.”

And as luck would have it, she was about to fall in my direction, so I had no choice but to catch her with my body.

Baek Yuwol’s body in my arms was surprisingly firm.

She looked soft on the outside, but seeing how solid her body was, she was definitely a martial arts master.

“…uh, uhhh, uwaaaaah!”

Perhaps because she ended up nestled in my arms, Baek Yuwol’s face turned as red as a radish, and she pushed me away.

“Ugh.”

Suddenly pushed by her, I fell to the floor.

I felt pain rising from around my buttocks, probably from landing hard on them.

“Count! Are you alright?”

Seon Yuhwa rushed over after seeing me fall to the floor.

I tried to get up with her support, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate—she must have pushed me quite forcefully.

Wait, just how hard did she push me?

“I, um, that is, I’m really sorry!”

Baek Yuwol’s face turned pale as she rushed over to me and took my hand to help me stand.

It was difficult for Seon Yuhwa alone to lift a man like me, but with the martial arts master Baek Yuwol joining in, I was able to get up quickly.

After standing up and adjusting my clothes, I finally had a chance to have a serious conversation with Baek Yuwol.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Y-yeeeees…”

Unlike earlier when she was confidently expressing her inner thoughts, the Baek Yuwol standing before me now looked as pitiful as a puppy that needed to poop.

The image of the proud warrior of the Han Dongbaek family who had reached the rank of one of the Fifteen Great Masters at a young age had completely vanished.

The person before me now was just a woman who wanted her hands fixed.

I asked Baek Yuwol:

“Lady Baek Yuwol. What is it that you want from me?”

I was asking if she clearly knew what she truly wanted from me.

This question wasn’t meant to test her at all.

I asked her this to see if she had the courage to set aside her pride and seek what she truly wanted.

Since I knew she had the “Heavy Drinker” trait and had consumed over a dozen bottles, I figured she would use the courage from the alcohol to reveal her true feelings to me.

“Well, that is… that is…”

But perhaps she still wasn’t being honest with herself.

Baek Yuwol seemed hesitant to answer my question.

“Lady Baek Yuwol. What you want is to have your hands healed, isn’t it?”

“H-how did you know?”

Baek Yuwol was startled when I guessed what she truly wanted.

Of course I would know.

When I offered to fix her hands, she acted all prim and proper, saying she didn’t need it.

People typically become fixated on something when they claim they’re not interested in it.

“Anyone could have figured it out from how you openly rejected my offer, and then showed obvious regret when I accepted your refusal.”

“Ugh… uuugh…”

Baek Yuwol’s face reddened again after hearing my words.

If you put a tomato next to her, you wouldn’t be able to tell which was which.

“Lady Baek Yuwol. Sometimes, you must be true to your desires.”

“My… desires…?”

A look of confusion appeared on Baek Yuwol’s face after hearing my words.

Of course, her face was still flushed.

“Let’s say you want something. But people can’t see through others completely. So if you don’t say anything, how would anyone know what you want?”

“That’s… true…”

Normally, if you keep your mouth shut, the other person won’t know what you want.

They say that after living together for a very long time, some people can tell what the other wants just by looking at their eyes or actions, but such cases become famous precisely because they’re rare.

So Baek Yuwol needed to be a little more honest about her desires.

“If you want to reach a higher level, you must be true to your desire to become stronger.”

Even my use of my abilities here and there to gain people’s favor is a manifestation of my desire to survive and live well.

“Now, tell me, Lady Baek Yuwol. What is it that you truly want?”

I deliberately lowered my voice, gently provoking Baek Yuwol.

Only if she could clearly state what she wanted could I give her what she desired.

Hands? Burns were something I could easily restore to their original state.

For me, burns were just a minor ailment that could be fixed with three taps of a hammer.

So what was important now was for Baek Yuwol to clearly express her will.

“What I, what I want…”

Baek Yuwol’s voice grew increasingly thin. It seemed she still couldn’t properly express her desire.

“Say it clearly. With your own voice, distinctly and precisely.”

“What I, what I want is! What I want is!”

Yes, yes! More, more!

“I, I, Iiiik!”

Baek Yuwol was gaining courage. It’s not good to hide one’s desires too much.

Moderately expressed desires can serve as motivation.

“What do you want? What do you want me to do for you?”

“M-my hands! Please fix these hideous hands!”

In the empty tavern, Baek Yuwol finally revealed her desire.

A cry to fix her hands.

It was her wish, clearly expressed after setting aside her pride.

“Well done. Sometimes, you need to set aside your pride and be honest.”

I took Baek Yuwol’s hands.

Her hands, slightly rough from burns, were quite unsightly compared to Sister Regina’s.

“Now, it’s time to say goodbye to these unsightly hands.”

I took out a hammer, a transformed version of the Infinite Shadow, and struck both of her hands three times.

“Ah…”

Her hands, which had briefly been enveloped in light before it disappeared, were the very embodiment of cleanliness.

If there was such a thing as delicate jade hands, Baek Yuwol’s hands would be the perfect example—they had become very fair and beautiful.

“Thank you. Thank, thank you… thank you so much…”

Seeing her hands become beautiful, Baek Yuwol began to cry endlessly.

I don’t know what episode is tied to her hands, but at least her wish has been fulfilled, so that’s good, right?

‘While I’m at it, having her owe me a favor will be helpful when fighting the Demon Cult later.’

With this, Baek Yuwol now owes me one.

Heh, I’ll make good use of this when fighting the Demon Cult.