Chapter 18

The Hunter Association’s training grounds were so vast that you couldn’t take in the entire landscape with just one glance.

According to the original novel, it was said that even over a thousand people could fit here comfortably.

I figured if I ran around myself to check out the whole place, it might take at least an hour or two.

‘Anyway, the important thing is that this huge place naturally draws a lot of people.’

And where there are lots of people, inevitably, there’s a lot of trash too.

In other words, Chae-a’s beloved red bottle caps would be everywhere!

As I watched Chae-a running toward me with the happiest expression in the world, I worried she might fall—but surprisingly, she never did! She reached us with a proud grin on her face.

“Found the treasure castle… I’ll show you where it is!”

Suddenly formal speech?

I tilted my head in confusion when I noticed a janitor auntie following behind Chae-a, also speaking formally.

“Oh no, miss, you shouldn’t run.”

Apparently, Chae-a had picked up the polite speech from the janitor. Thinking how cute this was, I smiled softly.

“Chae-a needs protection.”

Unlike me, she’s truly a little girl. No matter what, I decided I must protect both Chae-a and Seorin. With that thought, I stepped away from Han Arin’s embrace.

Once on the ground, Chae-a jumped up and down excitedly while telling me something.

“Bring the princess too!”

Chae-a pointed to the janitor as she mentioned “princess.” Apparently, the “castle” referred to the area where PET bottles were collected, and the person organizing them was called the “princess.”

‘Seems like Seorin calls us princesses too.’

Thinking that for Chae-a, “princess” probably meant someone amazing or special, I bowed respectfully to the janitor to thank her for playing with Chae-a.

“Thank you so much for playing with Chae-a! If it’s not too much trouble, please have some snacks.”

“Oh, thank you!”

It amazed me how politely the janitor treated the kids.

I thanked her again, smiling warmly, and gently patted Chae-a’s head.

“Did you find the castle?”

“Yeah! There were so many treasures! The contractor will love it too!”

Chae-a seemed thrilled about discovering piles of PET bottles, continuously talking nonstop about how incredible her “treasure castle” was. Finding her excitement adorable, I nodded and then turned my attention to the incoming hunters, deciding it was time to wrap up our party preparations.

—

[What?! The kids threw a dessert party at the training grounds? Featuring insane levels of cuteness]

– Hae-un and Chae-a apparently grabbed loads of desserts and handed them out to all the hunters at the training grounds.

OMG, I’m so jealous… I wish I got some of Hae-un’s dessert!!

Ugh, why did the gate have to open right now?!

– One teacher, please calm down lol. But yeah, I ate some, and the kids are super cute.

– Saw it on the broadcast, they were so adorable it made my heart flutter.

– Seriously, even the usually stoic trainers who don’t talk much were standing around with big smiles.

—

The Hunter Association community was buzzing with chatter about Hae-un and Chae-a. Some even referred to them as the association mascots, showing just how much everyone adored them.

There was an unspoken rule though: nobody should approach the kids unless they initiated contact first, to avoid overwhelming or scaring them.

“Too many people approaching them could stress them out.”

Consultant Jung Soo-a thought this trend was great, smiling warmly. She noticed the community’s overall aggression and sensitivity had dropped significantly.

“Thanks to Hae-un and Chae-a, the hunter community feels much cleaner these days.”

Hunters often dealt with mentally taxing situations, killing creatures or being pushed to their limits, which left many emotionally drained. However, since Hae-un and Chae-a arrived, the atmosphere had improved greatly, bringing relief and joy.

While browsing through the community posts, she came across an interesting one.

—

[Hae-un awakened her healing ability!!]

– A friend who knows dragons mentioned that normally hatchlings take years to develop their abilities.

But Hae-un just prayed briefly and instantly unlocked hers!! Incredible!!

She’s beautiful, talented, AND has healing powers? I just want to pat her head and buy her cookies!

– Speaking of which, wasn’t it said that hatchlings haven’t been born in ages?

– Yeah, that’s why the dragons were anxiously waiting for Hae-un.

– Wow, Hae-un’s life is set! With healing powers, Han Arin’s hunter protection, and the dragons backing her… anyone messing with her would start a war, right?

– Not kidding, it could really happen. Dragons have been shedding tears because there haven’t been any hatchlings lately.

—

Jung Soo-a nodded, recalling the rumor that modern royalty were actually dragons. Dragons lived long lives and possessed overwhelming talents, wielding immense power, wealth, and influence. They used these primarily to protect their own kind.

“Which is why meddling with dragons can destroy three generations.”

Dragons never forgave those who harmed their kin. Recalling past incidents where guilds or companies were utterly destroyed, she decided to make coffee when…

“Teacher!”

Hae-un’s voice called from outside. Opening the door, Jung Soo-a saw Hae-un holding a dessert box almost as big as herself.

“I brought this for Teacher!”

Despite seeing countless human behaviors and situations due to her profession, rarely anything moved her deeply anymore. But Hae-un’s effort to bring such a large dessert box just for her was incredibly touching. Tears almost welled up, but she held them back.

“… Really? Wasn’t it heavy?”

” Nope!”

Resisting the urge to mess up her hair too much, Jung Soo-a quickly grabbed the box, concerned it might be too heavy for her.

“Thank you. I’ll treat you to something yummy later, Teacher.”

At this, Hae-un wagged her tail happily and grinned.

Just as Jung Soo-a thought about taking a picture, another voice chimed in.

“I’ll give you this!”

Chae-a confidently approached, holding out a red bottle cap. Though others might see it as trash, Jung Soo-a knew it was a treasured item to Chae-a, making her gesture profoundly touching.

Unable to resist any longer, she picked up both girls and rubbed their cheeks affectionately. They giggled and squirmed happily.

—

After giving the dessert to the counselor, I sat on the bed deep in thought about my newly acquired healing ability.

“Should I go around finding injured people and heal them?”

I heard there aren’t many people with healing abilities, so maybe mine could help. When I asked Han Arin sitting nearby for advice…

“Hmm… nope. Hae-un absolutely needs rest. At least for ten years.”

Her firm refusal surprised me. Maybe my abilities weren’t ready yet. Feeling a bit disheartened, Han Arin gave me a wry smile.

“There are still too many scary things for Hae-un to handle right now. Let’s wait until you’re older.”

Even though I wanted to argue that I was already grown-up, I knew saying so wouldn’t be convincing. So I reluctantly nodded.

“Why don’t you try something else first?”

Han Arin was right; there were plenty of things I needed to do and wanted to do. Deciding to focus on those first, I bowed slightly to her.

“Yeah, good thinking. If you ever feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to tell your sister, okay?”

“Yep!”

“That’s my good girl.”

—

Staring at my messy hair, I asked one more question.

“Then… can I practice healing?”

“Practice? Of course, practicing is fine.”

Determined to hone my skills so I could help many people later, I nodded enthusiastically.

—

To practice healing, I tried blowing on the bite marks on my tail and even on some wilting flowers and vegetables, but nothing seemed to work.

Maybe I needed real injuries to practice on. Looking at my soft palms, I hesitated—causing harm would surely upset everyone around me.

‘What should I do then?’

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly played with my tail when drowsy Chae-a mumbled in her sleep.

“Hae-un… best…”

Though slurred, her words were clear enough to make me blush slightly. Grateful, I straightened the blanket covering her as Han Arin asked me something.

“Hae-un, can I borrow your phone for a moment?”

My phone?

Without hesitation, I handed it over. Han Arin started fiddling with the settings, tapping away furiously.

‘What’s she doing?’

Curious but deciding not to interrupt, I lay next to Chae-a, watching her sleep peacefully.

“All done! Finally, we can send donations.”

From beside me came an excited voice.

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