Chapter 21

It hasn’t been long since the profession of Hunter was established in this world.

Even the most experienced Hunter only has a history of a few decades at best.

While that’s not exactly short for one person, when compared to traditional jobs where folks might stick around for decades like in the military, it feels like a relatively new gig.

Maybe that’s why the Hunter standing before me doesn’t have that much of a presence. I mean, when you think of an academy head, you usually picture a gray-haired old timer, right?

The person in front of me doesn’t fit that mold at all. Judging by age, he seems much younger than my father from my past life. He looks like he’s just hit his 40s.

Considering being a Hunter is a career that puts a toll on the body, he might even be younger than that.

“Chaeun!”

The Hunter’s face lit up like a kid’s upon seeing Ria, and he waved energetically. His arm, wrapped in bandages, was stained a deep red, making me feel a prick of guilt again.

“Uncle!”

He wasn’t Ria’s real uncle, but more like a close Hunter friend of her father.

I remembered his name. There was only one person in the story that Lee Chae-eun refers to as ‘uncle.’

So, it was ‘Hyun-gang,’ right? Kim Hyun-gang. Yes, that’s it. A third-tier Hunter, quite competent, but frankly, he was much more capable when it came to running organizations, making his status within the association way higher than his ranks suggested.

In fact, most Hunters would tremble at just hearing his name, even if they’re from a different association. Our protagonist Lee Si-yoon certainly felt dwarfed in front of him.

He was also someone Lee Chae-eun would contact whenever she wanted to back Lee Si-yoon up.

…Now that I think about it, he might not have much to do with me. As a member of an association, it’s a bit ambiguous how much influence he’d have over the Church.

After happily greeting Ria, his gaze shifted towards me. Then he turned back to Ria and said,

“Who is this…?”

“That’s right. Oh, but please call her ‘Sister’ instead of ‘that title.’”

That ‘that title’ is certainly referring to the designation of Saint Candidate.

“Sister.”

Hearing Ria’s words, the uncle displayed a somewhat respectful attitude towards me.

“Thank you for coming to help.”

“Ah, no, I haven’t done anything yet…”

“In battles, the psychological aspect plays a huge role too.”

With that said, I didn’t have much to counter. Generally, I had heard that my ability to wield Saint Power wasn’t widely known among the other priests of different churches.

A Church without a Saint Candidate wouldn’t even bother to care about such things. If there is a Saint Candidate, then there’s no need to worry about me either. After all, I’m just a nominal Saint Candidate without any real rights.

Not to mention, there are very few civilians that seriously need healing by a Saint.

So, the Hunters who had been treated by me might casually mention it, but in reality, my name is more infamous than famous. I’m the only Saint Candidate who got publicly reprimanded by a Cardinal and effectively expelled.

Still, whether being famous is a good thing for Hunters or not remains debatable.

“…By any chance, are other Saint Candidates supposed to arrive?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that about two more are due to come. And—”

The uncle glanced at me cautiously, bent slightly at the waist, and whispered.

“…I heard that those two are coming here because of you, Sister.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small sound of discomfort.

“You don’t have to worry too much. We’ll make sure to keep things separate.”

“Well…thank you.”

Whatever the case, the highest-ranking clergy in this country is the Cardinal.

Add to that, this clergy position isn’t like a president or legislator, with a fixed term. Most of the time, they hold the position as long as they don’t make a tremendous mistake.

The longer they stay, the more influence they gain.

…Although Hunters don’t have as long tenures, most clergy members were often previous religious figures from other denominations. They all knew each other, so their influence shouldn’t be underestimated.

After I sent a letter to the Cardinal claiming “the concept of God is faulty,” I didn’t just receive a reply from the Cardinal either.

Some Saint Candidates similar to me were in the response list.

Since I lost my rights, I hadn’t met them face-to-face, but they were the ones who heard my complaints through letters, so honestly, it’s all pretty awkward.

“…So, can you take a little break? We have plenty of snacks here.”

Could I really relax eating snacks in this situation?

But then again, if I refused, it might make things awkward with this uncle too, so I just nodded silently.

*

Snacks and tea were brought out, but I couldn’t even touch them, sitting there feeling restless.

Ria observed my demeanor and briefly pondered what to say, but in the end, chose to say nothing. I appreciated that because my current thoughts were far from positive.

It’s unreasonable and irrational to worry about something without any basis. It’s like panicking thinking you’ll get in a traffic accident when trying to cross the street, or stressing out before flying, convinced that today’s the day the plane will fall.

But sometimes, no matter what, you can’t help but worry about things that don’t make sense.

Just as Ria said, there are a lot of Hunters here, and quite a few clergy have already arrived.

I can’t say I’m thrilled about it, but after all, other Saint Candidates are supposed to come too. They’re called Saint Candidates for a reason, and their powers must be considerable. They might be able to heal a few seriously injured folks with ease.

Me included.

“…But why do I feel so uneasy?”

“Ah.”

I’m only human, so I sometimes entertain irrational thoughts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t reach conclusions. Especially when the cause and effect are relatively clear, figuring out the reason for the outcome is easy enough.

It’s only natural to worry about your commute after seeing a news story about a traffic accident on TV in the morning. If I heard a plane crashed just hours before my own flight, I’d naturally remember that my own flight could share that fate.

And I already knew that Lee Si-yoon was in mortal danger.

It had happened once before, but considering Lee Si-yoon and I being in similar places, it makes sense that it could happen again. The story hadn’t mentioned how many times it happened, as far as I could recall.

And usually in web novels, ‘danger’ strikes the moment everyone believes they’re safe.

Plus, I’m strictly not a Saint. Could this influence anything? I’d wager it might. Human relationships can affect events more than you’d think.

If, hypothetically, something goes awry in this story, and I end up being unable to heal Lee Si-yoon, what might happen?

In web novels, the protagonist is always the protagonist, no matter what anyone says.

Being destined to thwart great calamities and become a hero of the world.

What would happen if such a protagonist were to die unexpectedly?

“……”

Was I misjudging the situation? Thinking that by merely withdrawing, everything would play out as I wished seems rather naive, doesn’t it?

“Ria.”

“Yes?”

As I suddenly turned around to call her name, Ria, who had been staring blankly out the window, quickly raised her head.

“Has brother Si-yoon still not arrived?”

“I guess… he hasn’t? By now, he should be headed back toward the Gate.”

Ah, that’s right. He had already entered the Gate.

“He’s not trying to catch it right away, is he? He must be searching carefully to see if the creatures really are ‘animals’ and then finding out how to deal with them if they are. There have been quite a few injuries already, so he needs to be cautious.”

“…They said this is the worst creature among those.”

“To be blunt, isn’t it just a wild beast? It’s mostly just… bigger or faster than others. Honestly, those parasites you mentioned, or creatures smaller than a person but packing toxic punches can be more dangerous. In those cases, as long as you watch out for those specific parts, you can handle it yourself. The truly frightening thing is when the environment itself is hostile.”

That’s been the common knowledge thus far.

However, as the story picks up pace, the Gate situation escalates in severity. It’s no longer a simple wild beast, but literal monsters that can’t be dealt with alone pouring out, along with other forces preparing to invade, creating an emerging ‘enemy’ group.

With Lee Si-yoon’s skills at that time, he might be able to manage.

“…Are you really worried?”

“How can I not be worried?”

Ah, I feel like we had this conversation just a moment ago.

Ria narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at me.

“If you’re that worried—”

But before Ria could finish her sentence, a loud noise echoed from outside the building.

It sounded like the warning noise you hear when a car comes out of the underground parking lot, amplified a hundredfold.

Even though it was my first time hearing it, I quickly realized it was the signal indicating that people who had gone into the Gate were returning.

“Hey, wait!”

I bolted straight for the door, and Ria quickly shouted and followed behind me.

As I ran down the long corridor, where the injured were still numerous, curious stares landed on me. It was busier than before, likely because more people had arrived besides the original clergy.

I soon tried to locate Lee Si-yoon and his childhood friend, but there were already many people crowded around the Gate area.

With screams and shouts echoing around, it appeared many had sustained injuries again.

There were lots of people nearby, some dressed in black military-style uniforms, and others appeared to be wearing modern versions of medieval knight armor with tactical pockets patched on.

“Please step aside!”

I heard a woman’s voice coming from inside.

Then a white light shone, eliciting murmurs of awe from several people.

…Looks like one of the Saint Candidates is in there.

Eh, that’s not really my concern right now.

“Brother Si-yoon!”

I shouted, and a few people turned their heads this way. Particularly, several men looked a bit perplexed, while some women, especially the nuns—

Well, their gazes weren’t very welcoming.

I suddenly realized my outfit didn’t look very ‘Nun’-like at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if those glances were directed at me rather than because I’m a Saint Candidate.

“Sister?”

In response to my call, Lee Si-yoon emerged from the crowd looking somewhat flustered.

I sighed softly, relieved that he was at least alive.

…But before I could get any closer, someone suddenly yanked my arm from behind, causing me to spin in the opposite direction.

“Ria?”

Ria was looking at me, somewhat annoyed.