Destiny

Until Luna calmed down, I held her in my arms and stroked her back.

The crying stopped soon after that, but Luna, with her face turned bright red, didn’t think about leaving my arms for a long time.

If a passing villager hadn’t cleared his throat and avoided eye contact, we would have stayed like that forever.

After regaining our senses, we returned to Rotten’s house. Rotten was busily moving around, as if he had been working while we were spending time outside.

“Um, is there anything I can help you with?”

He threatened me to become his disciple, and his personality was so shitty that I had to watch his mood, but the fact that he was the one who could heal Luna’s body already made me feel a great liking for Rotten.

If not Rotten, but even Bella knew how to heal Luna’s body, I would have thought even Bella was a good person.

“Go and dig up some more Platinang flowers or something.”

At Rotten’s blunt words, I nodded and turned my gaze to Luna.

“I’ll go alone, so will you wait here?”

“I, I want to go with you….”

Luna looked up at me, not wanting to be separated, looking like a puppy, which was very cute. But climbing to the top of the mountain was difficult for me too, so I was worried about whether Luna, who was physically uncomfortable, would be able to follow me well.

“You go alone. I still have things to investigate about Luna.”

Luna slightly shook her head and made a crying face at Rotten’s voice, but I soothed Luna with the thought of going to the mountain quickly.

“I’ll be right back. Just wait a little bit.”

Saying that, I added to Rotten.

“Don’t say weird things to Luna while I’m gone.”

“Tsk, you impudent bastard. Do you think I’m that kind of person?”

Leaving Rotten’s grumbling voice behind, I headed to the mountain.

*

“How did you get to know that guy?”

At Rotten’s sudden question, Luna fidgeted with her fingers and answered.

“We happened to be in the same group during an academy practice….”

“It might not be a coincidence, but destiny.”

Rotten might have just thrown out the words without much thought, but Luna thought that her meeting with Ross might have been a predetermined destiny.

Like a reward for her loneliness, he appeared before her eyes like magic one day. Before she knew it, he filled her empty heart with warm feelings and cherished her as she was.

It was like a predetermined destiny for Luna to like such a Ross….

Suddenly, Luna recalled the feeling she had when she first met Rotten. He outwardly exuded a cold chill, but in fact, he was a person with a warmer spark than anyone else.

Luna couldn’t resist her curiosity and asked Rotten.

“Were you really thinking of taking Ross as a disciple?”

“Yes, I thought his magic would be a great help to my research.”

Rotten, who was grinding herbs in a mortar, added.

“I also personally liked him.”

At Rotten’s answer, Luna carefully asked what she was most curious about.

“Did Ross really say that…. he likes me?”

At Luna’s question, Rotten turned his head and grinned.

“You saw with your own eyes how Ross acted after hearing my proposal, right? No one would doubt that was acting.”

Luna lowered her gaze in embarrassment, recalling Ross kneeling for her and accepting Rotten’s proposal to drop out of the academy without hesitation.

Luna could fully feel that he sincerely cherished her. Because of that, when she was held in Ross’s arms, her heart was beating like crazy, and she couldn’t think of anything to do but bury her face in his arms.

“He’s sincere.”

Rotten, who had made powdered medicine, approached Luna with a glass of water.

“Eat it, I need to check how stiff your body is.”

Luna poured the powdered medicine into her mouth and hurriedly drank the water. Rotten, who was watching, asked.

“Good, is the stiff part of your body only on the left? Are your right arm or leg uncomfortable?”

Luna nodded at Rotten’s question.

“The other parts are okay….”

“Take off your left shoe.”

At Rotten’s request, Luna took off her shoes and socks, and carefully placed her foot on the table, worrying about whether it would smell.

Like a patient and doctor, Rotten fearlessly grabbed and touched Luna’s stiff left foot.

“Your toes are all curled up. Are you doing that on purpose?”

“Ah, no. They just keep doing that….”

Luna’s foot was slightly twisted. She kept giving strength to her toes without realizing it, so they were curled up, and there were calluses all over the place from rubbing against her shoes.

“Just explain what you feel when I press down with the cane.”

Rotten took out a cane and pressed it against Luna’s toes.

“A slightly hot feeling…?”

Rotten nodded and moved the cane to the sole of her foot.

“It feels like touching ice….”

Rotten pressed here and there with the cane, examining Luna’s reaction, and meticulously recorded them on paper.

“Hmm, now hold out your left hand.”

Luna, who took the book she was holding in her left hand with her right hand, trembled and laboriously held out her left arm.

Rotten, who examined and recorded in detail from her fingers to her shoulder, wiped his hands and sat back down, saying that she had worked hard.

“The good news is that there’s nothing wrong with your body itself. It’s just that a piece of bone is embedded in the brain, which sends signals to the body, and the passage that used to send normal signals has narrowed. That’s why your left body is receiving excessive signals, unlike others.”

At Rotten’s words, Luna swallowed hard with eyes full of anticipation.

“Th-then….”

“Even if I remove the bone fragment, your body won’t immediately return to normal. It’s because your muscles have been excessively tense and twisted for over ten years, causing your body to stiffen.”

As Luna lowered her head in disappointment at Rotten’s words, Rotten, who had been pausing, continued in a playful voice.

“Of course, if you work hard on rehabilitation for about a year, you’ll be able to live like other people. I’ll go up to the capital myself around the weekend of next week. I can’t treat you in a place like this.”

“Th-thank you…!”

At Rotten’s words, Luna teared up and got up from her seat, bowing and expressing her gratitude.

“Hmph, Ross is meeting a good teacher and solving something that someone couldn’t do even after decades of effort.”

“Excuse me…?”

When Luna, who didn’t understand Rotten’s sudden words, asked again, Rotten shook his head.

“It’s nothing. I’ll organize the records, so rest.”

Luna closed her mouth, thinking that Rotten’s eyes, which seemed to be filled with sadness for some reason, must have a story behind them.

***

There were no flowers in the place I went to last time, so I had to go over to the opposite side of the cliff to dig up three Platinang flowers.

When I returned to Rotten’s dilapidated house, Luna was leaning against the sofa and sleeping, as if she was tired of waiting.

I approached Rotten, who was sitting at the desk next to her and writing something diligently.

“I’m back.”

After putting on the thick protective gloves placed next to the desk, I took out three Platinang flowers from the space warehouse, and Rotten’s eyes lit up with joy.

“As expected, it’s a useful ability. I can’t help it, just become my disciple!”

At Rotten’s words, I replied in a dumbfounded voice.

“You said you didn’t need me earlier.”

“The mind changes quickly when you get old.”

Saying that, Rotten carefully received the Platinang flowers and went down to the basement.

While looking at Luna’s cute sleeping face, I suddenly noticed that she was covered with a blanket placed next to the bed.

What the hell is this? I had been curious about it since earlier. Without much thought, I lifted the overturned blanket, and there was a statue of a beautiful woman that looked like it would move at any moment.

While I was observing the statue with curious eyes, a shout suddenly came from behind.

“What are you doing!!!”

Rotten, who came up in anger, slapped my hand that was lifting the blanket away. I scratched my head and apologized at Rotten’s appearance, who was breathing heavily and had an angry expression.

“I’m sorry. I was curious about what was there….”

“Never, ever touch my things without my permission. I won’t give a second warning.” I realized that Rotten was genuinely angry at his warning gesture, and hurriedly nodded.

Luna, who seemed to have woken up from Rotten’s shout, looked at me with sleepy eyes.

Rotten, who was catching his breath, sighed and said.

“It’s late, so go back now. There’s nothing more to help with.”

At Rotten’s words, I asked about Luna’s treatment.

“What about helping Luna…?”

“I’ll go to the capital myself next weekend.”

I smiled with joy at Rotten’s words, who had returned to his usual grumbling voice.

“Thank you. Master-nim.”

When I grabbed Rotten’s hand and expressed my gratitude, he pulled his hand away as if he was displeased.

“Master-nim my ass! Just get out of here!”

I laughed at Rotten’s angry appearance and said goodbye to Luna.

“Then I’ll be going. When you come to the capital next week, I’ll introduce you to the other members who you haven’t met.”

“Hmph, do as you please.”

I said goodbye to Rotten, who was grumbling until the end, and came out of the house with Luna.

“That’s great.”

Luna flinched at my words, then fidgeted with her fingers and answered.

“Yeah, thank you…. It’s all thanks to Ross.”

At Luna’s shy words, I silently took the book from Luna’s left hand.

When Luna, surprised by my sudden action, looked at me with bigger eyes than usual, I put my hand into Luna’s left hand, which was curling up as the book disappeared.

“Let’s go.”

Holding Luna’s left hand, which was gripping mine tightly enough to hurt, I said that. Luna smiled beautifully and answered.

“Okay…!”

Feeling the warmth coming from Luna’s hand, I matched my pace and walked towards the carriage.