Chapter 420: Sabbatical Month (3)

Han Jin-ah and Han Seon-ah entered the treatment room, looking like they had just crawled out of a dungeon.

It had only been about a week since I started working at this treatment room, and today was merely my fourth day on duty.

Yet, the two sisters, Min-ah’s younger siblings, who had just walked into the treatment room, were the type of regulars who showed up almost every time I was working.

Well, even as regulars, I don’t exactly charge the younger sisters, and this was actually only their third visit anyway.

“If you’re coming, don’t wait in line, contact me beforehand. You two can just come through the back door of the treatment room.”

“Aww, we only waited about 30 minutes. Why go through all that trouble, Oppa?”

“I believe that rules lose their meaning when they aren’t followed without exception, Oraboni.”

“…If you put it like that, I guess I don’t have much to say.”

Ruffling my hair awkwardly after Seon-ah’s sound argument, which hit like a bone-crushing blow, hit home, I offered them a slight smile.

Immediately, I began treating Jin-ah, the twin who seemed more injured, first.

It was difficult for them to enter the same dungeon due to the rank difference, so meeting outside like this and providing treatment was the best option.

If the younger sisters wanted it, we could arrange separate meeting times instead of using this treatment room, but they didn’t seem to expect such special treatment.

“Jin-ah, where is it this time? Your foot again?”

“Yeah…. When I entered the dungeon earlier, I kicked a Goblin, and I guess I missed my footing or something? My heel feels a bit throbbing….”

“Give me your foot.”

“Aweet, O-Oppa! Ah, it hurts, be gentle….”

Han Jin-ah reacted dramatically, grimacing as I gently held her foot just to get a closer look.

Her reaction seemed unusually severe, so I took off her shoe and sock and checked inside.

Just as I expected, a swollen ankle greeted me inside.

“…I told you yesterday not to push yourself to the point of getting hurt like this.”

-Kuk, kuk.

“Aak, O-Oppa! Don’t poke the swollen part with your finger…!”

“How does this look like an ankle that swelled up from accidentally hitting something? It’s clearly an ankle that you kept swinging despite being in pain. Are you going to keep lying?”

“Aaaak, Tae-Taekyung Oppa…!”

Even though I’m temporarily working as a healer, Jin-ah’s injuries seemed to be getting more severe lately.

Seeing Jin-ah hurt this badly suggests that Seon-ah probably isn’t doing much better either.

Getting a similar hunch, I shifted my gaze to Seon-ah, who had been watching Jin-ah and me from behind, and said.

“Han Seon-ah, you hold out your hand for a moment too.”

“…Here you go, Oraboni.”

“Haaah…….”

Seeing her fingernails chipped and cracked all over, a deep sigh escaped my lips involuntarily.

At my reaction, Jin-ah and Seon-ah immediately started making hasty excuses, watching my expression.

“N-next time, I won’t get hurt this badly, Oppa! Okay?!”

“I just wasn’t used to facing new monsters until today. Starting tomorrow, nothing that would make Oraboni worry will happen…”

These were similar excuses I felt like I heard yesterday.

Looking at this, it seemed likely they’d show up with similar injuries the next time they visited the treatment room.

Preventing their injuries in the first place seemed much more important than blindly healing them.

“By the way, Jin-ah and Seon-ah, how long are you two going to fight with bare hands? Why don’t you learn how to handle daggers, like Min-ah?”

“I-i-it doesn’t really matter, does it…? W-we can still fight sufficiently in this state…”

“Seon-ah and I have animal-type awakened abilities, so we can get up to C-rank like this, right…?”

…Based on what I’d been hearing from Min-ah about their recent performance, both of them would probably reach C-rank without too much delay.

Unless something unusual happened, they would likely both raise their Hunter ranks within half a year at the longest.

However, the strange sense of unease I felt from the two sisters stemmed from Jin-ah’s subsequent, excuse-like statement.

“With your skills, you’ll probably reach C-rank within half a year.”

“Yep, yep. Once we reach C-rank, the weapon problem will be solved somehow…”

“‘Once we reach C-rank…’? What do you mean?”

“…Ah.”

Jin-ah shut her mouth as if she’d instantly realized she’d misspoke, while Seon-ah turned her gaze away, feigning ignorance as if she knew nothing about it.

But the moment I heard their words, I understood what they meant by ‘C-rank’.

Hoping desperately that the guess forming in my mind was wrong, I asked them about what they had just mentioned.

“…Don’t tell me.”

“Hm…?”

“…What’s wrong, Oraboni?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been fighting with bare hands until now because of the equipment support you receive starting from C-rank Hunters?”

“…….”

“…….”

“Haaah…….”

Even though they were Han Min-ah’s younger sisters, I never expected them to be exactly like their older sister in this aspect.

I thought that once Min-ah’s younger sisters started earning money from their Hunter careers, Min-ah might gain some financial breathing room, but that was apparently my mistake.

It seems they’ve just changed from a miserly eldest sister and twins to three miserly sisters.

Is it even logical to go into the Hunter life, where your life can hang by a thread over a piece of equipment, without even proper weapons?

Noticing my increasingly serious expression, the two younger sisters hastily started spouting various excuses.

“B-but it’s such a waste…! If we just rank up to C-rank, the company supports us with decent equipment, so buying equipment we won’t even use for a year feels like a waste of money….”

“No, you two are earning money now too. Didn’t you just get your first salaries recently? If you’re short on money, you should have just asked me or Min-ah to lend you some….”

“…It’s not that our financial situation is so bad that we need to ask Oraboni for help, but thinking that it’s money earned through my own blood and sweat makes it somehow harder to spend…”

“A-and maybe if we save up, there might be other uses for it?! Maybe we can contribute to the funds for Unnie’s move, or maybe use it for other necessary furniture…”

What meaning did that have, when the person who would be living in that new house was getting injured like this every day?

Still unable to come to their senses and talking nonsense, I grasped Jin-ah’s ankles with both hands and deliberately flowed more holy power into them as a form of punishment.

“That’s a great thing you’re doing. Really, huh?”

“Aaaak! O-ouch! Oppa, it hurts! Aaaak…!”

“If you get hurt like this every day, the cost of recovery magic will pile up. Or are you thinking you can get hurt all you want because I don’t charge you for treatment?”

“Aaaak! Ack, aaaak!”

Han Jin-ah let out continuous painful groans within the well-soundproofed treatment room.

Only after the swelling in her throbbing left foot subsided did Jin-ah’s voice finally calm down.

“H-haah, it hurts….”

“If you’re going to say it hurts, then don’t get hurt this badly in the first place.”

“Hiiing….”

Han Jin-ah, clutching her subsided ankle, busily picked up and put on her socks and shoes again.

Han Seon-ah, who had been watching the situation with a tense expression, cautiously approached me as soon as our eyes met and held out her hands.

“Seon-ah, what is this all about too? Your fingernails are all chipped like this.”

“…I’m sorry, Oraboni.”

“Don’t you know that a Hunter’s body is their most important asset? I can heal this much with my recovery spells, but what if you get into a more serious injury because you fought without a weapon and came back?”

“Still, usually we only handle monsters that we won’t get hurt by. On days when we hunt slightly stronger monsters that make injuries hard to avoid, we only do it when Taekyung Oppa is working. The pain is temporary, and if it can speed up the promotion timing, we think it’s a good result…”

“…Hold out your hand. You need treatment first, after all.”

“……I’m sorry for making you worry, Oraboni.”

Han Seon-ah carefully offered her hands, which were scratched and had cracked fingernails, to me.

Gently wrapping my hands around hers one by one, I slowly flowed holy power into them.

Seon-ah’s previously wounded hands slowly began to return to their original, pretty state.

“……”

“H-how unfair, Oppa! You treated me so painfully!”

“Seon-ah is genuinely reflecting. Jin-ah, don’t you still even know what you did wrong?”

“…I-I know…?”

“Yeah, right.”

Even after this, they’d probably return with similar injuries next time.

Of course, since the twins usually acted together, if Jin-ah got hurt and came back, Seon-ah would likely be injured together with her.

This was the third time I’d tried reasoning with them, but judging by Jin-ah’s attitude, she didn’t seem like she would truly listen.

Moreover, after February passed, I couldn’t guarantee if I could even see to their injuries anymore.

It was time for a fundamental solution, for their own good.

“…I’ll be off work in 30 minutes anyway. You two wait in the company lobby until I finish work.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“You two are coming somewhere with me today.”

The two tilted their heads, looking at me with puzzled expressions.

It was about time I visited someone to get a sword checked anyway, so bringing these kids along would serve both purposes.

This was necessary, so that these miserly younger sisters wouldn’t recklessly charge into monsters bare-handed anymore.