“Oh, yeah. I’m gonna have to make a quick stop somewhere. You can go ahead.”
Yu-Na waved the group goodbye and began walking through the hospital.
If Ye-Eun was here, her assistant Shin Woo-Seok would be here also. She had various things to ask or consult with the person who was, in a sense, her senior.
‘Because Ji-Hyuk said he’s not feeling well….’
Yu-na thought of him as she texted Woo-Seok’s number she got a while ago.
A part of her continued to feel uncomfortable, knowing that her friend was in such distress and that she had been unable to help him.
‘Besides….’
He was her employer, and she was his employee.
At times like these, she felt an almost obsessive need to do something, even if it was only nominally since she wore the cumbersome label of his assistant.
“Let’s see…”
Receiving Woo-Seok’s reply, Yu-na nodded.
As expected, he was also staying at the hospital.
She texted him that she’d be right there, and as always, she walked silently.
“…What do you mean?”
The voice startled her out of her thoughts.
It was unmistakably Ye-Eun.
She had subconsciously manipulated her magic power, reducing her presence to the limit and sharpening her hearing.
She was more confident than anyone else when it came to fine-tuning her magic power.
Only when she had perfectly concealed herself did she realize what she had done.
“What am I doing…?
Eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation.
Even if it was a reflex, it was something she hated.
Just as she was about to resume her concealment, she heard a voice that made her gasp again.
“To reiterate, your brother could die at any moment.”
Joo-Hyuk said that in a businesslike and cold voice.
Yu-Na stopped breathing involuntarily, and Ye-Eun took a few ragged breaths before asking quietly.
“Could you explain it to me properly?”
“First of all, the cause of his weakened body was the after-effects of the intense battle… but there was also a curse.”
“A curse?”
“Yes. I tried to do something about it, but it was beyond me.”
His words made me cringe, and I closed my eyes.
Joo-Hyuk was one of the world’s leading experts in healing and curses.
Yet he was saying that he had no clue how to help Ji-Hyuk.
“What kind of curse…no, could it be that you don’t even know?”
“I don’t know the details, but I’m pretty sure it’s at least debilitating. Given his current state, the wavelength of his magic, and so on, he’s weakened to the point where he’d be overpowered by a normal human, let alone a hero or hunter, maybe by even a goblin or slime… It’s not every day that a person’s powers are reduced to that extent.”
“But, that child and I are members of the World Tree Clan, so we can give…!”
“…I apologize. I have also experienced healing the World Tree clans, but I know that they are no different from the basic rules of healing; once the person is past the point of no return, we can only wish them the best.
He paused momentarily, then sighed as if trying to hide his frustration.
“I try not to show it, but… a curse like that, one that’s eaten away at all of his power, must be causing him a great deal of pain. It’s not something that can be simply dulled with painkillers. Honestly, I don’t know how he can be so nonchalant about it. A normal person would have tried to take their own life long ago.”
“Why…”
Ye-Eun’s voice was instantly filled with tears.
She struggled to calm herself down with a grunt and a shaky breath.
“…What should I do? What the hell am I supposed to do…?”
“…I may have spoken too hastily at the outset, and I apologize. First of all, I am a healer, not a shaman, and while I may have some skill in the art, I am not an expert.”
He looked at Ye-Eun as if to reassure her.
“I’m already looking for Evangeline, Laura, and others who can be considered experts in different arts from mine. Please be patient.”
“Thank you, really….”
“There is no need. It’s the right thing to do, and if anything, we’re the ones who should be thanking him.”
Ahn muttered quietly.
“…It was supposed to be our job, but your brother… no, Yoo Ji-Hyuk risked his life just so we could avoid annihilation.
Ye-Eun opened her mouth to reply, but Yu-Na couldn’t hear anything.
She manipulated her magic once more, enhancing her hearing further.
“And above all, we need to approach this with caution.”
“What do you mean?”
“The power your brother was using…wasn’t ordinary. There were a few others besides me who sensed it. It was a power close to the Seven Evils.”
Silence again.
“And when we found him unconscious, he was covered in the blood of the Minerva. The raw blood of an ordinary dragon would be poisonous enough, so being one of the Evils on top of that…”
“…So you’re saying we can’t even recklessly use some methods because of it?”
“Yes. That’s why, for now, we shouldn’t rush to treat it but instead relieve his pain and restore his strength until we’re ready. It will improve his chances…”
Why did Yu-Na even listen to that? She quickly walked away.
Because she couldn’t believe it.
Dying.
Who would die and why?
Death was something never related to her.
Nor did it belong to the people around her.
Even though she had been raised as an orphan, death had always seemed so far away.
A debilitating death after a fierce battle from a curse left by the enemy?
Such a thing could not be possible.
Suddenly, she realized that she had to see Ji-Hyuk’s face.
He’ll be okay.
He’ll be fine.
Not just Yoo Ji-Hyuk, but all her friends.
They’ve all survived ridiculous events, even fighting against the Seven Evils.
But what a ridiculous ending…!
“Ugh!”
The sudden gagging sound brought Yu-Na to a screeching halt.
Ji-Hyuk, who should have been sleeping by now, was coughing up blood.
His hands were covered in blackened blood, and it was even sticking to them like jelly.
“Hmph…!”
It wasn’t the first time she’d seen blood.
She wasn’t one to freak out at the mere sight of it.
After all, she was an aspiring hero and had far more battle experience than her peers.
She had seen enough gruesome and ugly things to be jaded.
But this was the first time she’d ever seen a friend under a powerful curse that could kill them.
And it hit her like a ton of bricks.
Yu-Na clamped both hands over her mouth to prevent the scream from escaping her mouth.
As she did so, she could hear Ji-Hyuk quietly talking to himself.
“…It’s nothing, I just coughed up some blood.”
He said disappointingly.
…Before she knew it, Yu-Na was gone.
No, she couldn’t even tell where she was anymore.
She stared blankly up into the air and muttered to herself.
“What should I do…?”
“Sister, what can I do?”
“My friend is cursed and dying, and I can’t do anything…”
Yu-Na began to sob in a small voice.
Although mature compared to her peers, she still cried like a child.
It was not something you could get used to by growing older.
“Ah….”
She whimpered and cried.
Why the hell had she overheard that, she wondered, cursing herself.
She crouched down and buried her face between her knees.
Her stomach churned, and she couldn’t stand.
***
“I just realized something.”
“Hmm?”
I said, allowing Svangali’s eyes and mouth to appear on my right arm.
There had been a fuss about my suddenly spitting up blood earlier, but ironically, I could feel my stomach relaxing even more once I had done so.
Also, manipulating magic was easier, and I could materialize him this way.
“Why are there so many people outside?”
Svengali’s eyeballs turned to the window.
“It doesn’t look like they’re here for a sick visit. By the looks of it, they’re all trained, and there’s a lot of nationalities and ethnicities….”
He whispered quietly.
“Most likely from the World Tree clan.”
“Is that so…”
I nodded at his words.
At first glance, the sight of twenty or so people milling about outside was not something to be taken lightly.
“I don’t know what the hell that is.”
“Shhh. Someone’s coming.”
Svengali quickly disappeared.
As soon as I straightened up, the door swung open, and Ye-Eun stepped inside.
She saw that the window was open and frowned, albeit very slightly.
“Don’t keep it open too long; you might catch a cold. I heard it’s a bit windy today.”
“Clan Leader.”
I rose to greet her, but her hand squeezed my shoulder before I could.
It was a light gesture, but felt like an insurmountable weight, and I couldn’t move.
“Just lie down. I don’t want to be greeted by a patient.”
“Okay, if you’ll excuse me.”
She nodded in satisfaction as I remained in bed.
Then, she moved around the room and began to do some light cleaning and tidying.
“Evangeline Lohengrin and Laura Hartmann are coming tomorrow. Ahn Joo-Hyuk said it’s because of your medical issues… I thought you should know.”
“Those two are visiting? Were they famous for their medicine?”
“Well, I don’t know about that. But they should know better than I do. I used to just sleep whenever I got sick.
Ye-Eun let out a small laugh as she said that.
She then casually unplugged the cord from the television and looked over.
“Oh, Ahn Joo-Hyuk said that the electromagnetic waves might have a bad effect on you. I’m sorry, but can you hold off until tomorrow?”
“Uh, if the doctor says so.”
“Good boy.”
Ye-Eun smiled brightly and turned away.
She went silent for a moment, then shrugged lightly.
“…Mmm. Keep resting, then. I’ll go out for a while.”
Ye-Eun rushed out of the hospital room.
As I stared after her awkwardly, Svengali whispered quietly to me.
“Something’s going on.”
“I think so, but I have no idea what it is.”
“There’s people all over the hospital, starting with the guy down there, they’re pretty strong defenders… Hmm, judging by the heroes in this batch, it looks like they’re all guarding you.”
Svengali cleared his throat.
“Even if they were escorting a former hero, this is a bit much… I wonder what’s going on.”
I could see him shrinking back into himself again.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and two nurses opened it.
“We’d like to run a quick check.”
“Uh, yeah.”
I nodded, and the two nurses came over, checked my body, and wrote things down in my chart.
One of them, the shorter one, leaned in closer than necessary and began checking my heartbeat.
I hadn’t seen her before.
“I’m afraid I will have to speak to you in this state.”
But the voice was familiar.
The nurse’s face had suddenly morphed into Lydia’s.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice you…”
Usually, I would have noticed the disguise even before they approached.
It was a slight shock to realize that it wasn’t just my physical abilities that had diminished but my entire being.
“The Association is after you.”
Lydia continued scribbling on my chart.
“To be precise, Choi Jun-Hyung and his clique are after you. Take care.”
