Ch.4The Saint Goes for a Walk

“That’s truly amazing, healing magic!”

This must make her a saint!

The sound of back-patting echoed through the street.

The sun had tilted toward the horizon.

Orange light illuminated the street and the people.

“That hurts.”

“Haha! Does it?!”

The man, Lee Han-guk, stopped patting Eila’s back.

“How can I ever repay this debt…”

He looked around.

An ordinary day, no different from usual.

Yet in this ordinary day, people who might not have been here had returned.

Hunters never know when they might die.

Torn apart by monsters.

Fighting with fellow hunters.

Caught in a dungeon collapse.

Or in a moment of choice after their spirit has been worn down.

A profession with all manner of deaths prepared for it—that’s what being a Hunter means.

Though the mortality rate has decreased significantly since the early days, the death rate for Hunters remains high.

Even today had been a continuous dangerous tightrope walk.

A dungeon with a danger level different from what was reported.

Monsters suddenly appearing.

Without someone’s help, perhaps six people would have died today.

Though there were many suspicious aspects, people survived thanks to her.

‘Healing magic, huh.’

Among the various magical attributes, the rarest type.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that having just one healing mage could double the survival rate.

Broken bones mended, torn wounds regenerated, and bodies rotting from poison returned to normal.

If that wasn’t called a miracle, what else could it be called? And what else could you call the woman who performed such miracles if not a saint?

At least among those who received Eila’s help today, no one would object to her calling herself a saint.

“Just tell me. Despite appearances, I’m quite a veteran hunter, so I can grant most wishes.”

After witnessing Eila’s miraculous healing and learning her age, Lee Han-guk began treating her lightly, like a young niece.

“No, as I said before, I only did what I had to do.”

“No need to be so modest! I’ve accumulated wealth with no one to pass it on to, and I have quite a wide network. You saved people’s lives. That’s worth at least that much in return.”

Lee Han-guk was sincere.

He was a veteran hunter with six years of experience. Though his rank remained at A due to his aging body and injuries, his experience and knowledge rivaled those of S-rank hunters.

Being such a person, he deeply understood how beautiful and noble the act of saving another’s life was.

After all, the number of people who had died in his own hands exceeded three digits.

If only I had been a little stronger then—

If only I had taken a different path then—

Such “what ifs” had built a tower that served as his supporting pillar.

Someone who saves lives deserves a fitting reward.

“I really am fine. When a person saves another person, are reasons or rewards necessary?”

Eila was also sincere.

Saving people.

It was obvious, a self-evident proposition.

It was only natural to use the life saved by the Hero for the sake of the Hero’s homeland.

She was merely repaying a debt.

Who gives rewards to someone for properly repaying what they owe?

Sparks flew between their gazes.

Lee Han-guk was the first to give in.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, I can’t force you.”

“Thank you.”

“Still, if you ever need help, just say so. I can help. If it’s alright, could I get your number?”

Well, help given is help given.

A rare healing ability user.

It would be a shame to let such a big fish slip away.

Lee Han-guk spoke to Eila with such thoughts in mind.

“…Number?”

“Huh?”

“What’s a number?”

What a joke.

Is this the kind of humor young people have these days?

But as he thought this, Eila’s expression was completely serious.

With a bewildered expression, Lee Han-guk pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket.

“Um, a number is for this mobile pho—”

“Ah! I know, a smart…phone, it’s a smartphone, right?”

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

What’s this, she does know.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have a smartphone, so I don’t have a number.”

“Oh, I see?”

A strange feeling came over him.

It was an odd feeling that couldn’t be defined in a single word.

“Excuse me…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Um, can you use this ‘smartphone’ thing to find people?”

“…Why? Is there someone you want to find?”

“Yes.”

Eila nodded.

Lee Han-guk’s eyes narrowed.

Finding someone, huh.

He’d heard of this before.

Hunters affiliated with the government or corporations who track down fugitive hunters.

Could this girl be one of those?

But that thought was fleeting, and Lee Han-guk gave a wry smile.

She’s a girl who saved people without asking for anything in return.

Shouldn’t he trust her at least once?

If she had truly come down for a secret mission, she wouldn’t have healed everyone so conspicuously.

“I’ll help you. As I said, I have a wide network. Tell me everything you know about the person you’re looking for.”

Tell me everything you know.

Hearing those words, Eila fell into contemplation.

She knew a lot about the Hero.

She could talk all night about him.

But she couldn’t just blurt out what happened over there.

Eila swallowed her words.

“His name is… Kim Ji-woo, and he’s male.”

“Do you know his age by any chance?”

Age, huh.

He was summoned as a Hero 10 years ago, and he was 17 then…

No, that’s not right. The Hero wasn’t in this world back then.

So should she go by his age when he was summoned?

“He should be… 17 years old.”

“Is that so?”

“Ah! South Korea, Seoul! That’s his hometown!”

Since she always referred to it simply as “hometown,” it took her a moment to recall. Probably “South Korea” is the country name, and “Seoul” is the city name.

Lee Han-guk’s expression changed upon hearing Eila’s words.

“Seoul?”

“Yes, South Korea, Seoul. He definitely said so.”

“Why are you looking for someone from Seoul here…?”

“Pardon?”

“This is Jeju Island.”

“Jeju… Island?”

“Yes, Jeju Island.”

“Where is… Jeju Island?”

***

“Look, if you go straight that way, you’ll reach the mainland. And if you go further up from there, you’ll reach Seoul.”

“Hmm…”

Beyond the fence, the blue sea undulated.

Eila sighed.

An island, huh.

So all that water was the sea.

“How can I get to Seoul?”

“Well, you’d have to take a boat or a plane, though both are quite expensive.”

“…Money.”

The man was right.

Even riding a carriage requires money, so how much would it cost to take a boat or plane across the sea?

One thing was certain: it was more than she could afford right now.

“…So if I walk straight in that direction, I’ll eventually reach Seoul, right?”

“I suppose…? Not immediately, though.”

“That’s fine then. Thank you. May the Lord’s blessing be with you.”

“Huh? Wait…”

Eila jumped over the fence.

The action was so natural that Lee Han-guk missed his chance to stop her.

Regardless, Eila slowly walked toward the sea.

“Hey! Are you planning to swim?!”

Lee Han-guk’s tone became harsh.

He had to stop her.

Since the appearance of the Gates, the sea was no longer humanity’s ally.

Gates emerging from the deep sea and the monsters that appeared from them had drastically reduced humanity’s maritime territory.

For a single ship to move, it needed at least three warships as escorts.

Swimming alone in such waters?

That was suicide.

“No? I can’t swim.”

Eila’s response was preposterous.

If you can’t swim, why are you walking toward the sea?

Eila’s steps didn’t stop.

She had already reached the end of the breakwater.

One more step and she would be submerged in the sea.

“Hey! Hey! Damn it…”

She’s insane.

Eila was tapping the ground with her toes.

Lee Han-guk immediately jumped over the fence.

And just as he was about to run toward Eila—

“Hey!!”

Eila’s body disappeared before his eyes.

She had fallen into the sea.

The height difference between the sea level and the breakwater was about 3 meters.

Lee Han-guk bent down to look at the water surface.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Huh?”

Eila was standing perfectly fine.

Standing?

“Huh? What?”

“Is something wrong?”

Standing.

On water.

Perfectly fine.

On both feet.

Even after rubbing his eyes, the scene remained the same.

Eila was standing on water.

His thoughts froze.

“? I’ll be going now. Thank you.”

Splash, splash.

Eila began walking on the sea.

It looked natural.

If someone unaware of the situation saw her, they might think she was just going for a stroll, her gait was so natural.

Splash, splash.

Eila walked.

Her destination was Seoul, the Hero’s hometown.

If she found information about the Hero, she could find someone, whether a friend or family.

Then she would tell the Hero’s acquaintances about him, hand over the holy sword and necklace, and kill all the monsters.

That would make the Hero happy, wouldn’t it?

She touched the necklace.

A blue jewel with a black dot.

It seemed to have some meaning, but she couldn’t quite remember.

She felt sad.

From now on, she would only forget more of these memories.

Splash, splash.

She had already traveled quite a distance.

Eila continued walking.

Her destination was Seoul.

The Hero’s hometown.