As soon as Kim Jin-seo saw me, she hid her cigarette and skillfully extinguished it. She hastily threw the cigarette butt anywhere and immediately tried to escape from the spot as if running away.
"Ugh, urgh."
To be precise, she tried to do that. Kim Jin-seo collapsed on the spot with a groan while trying to escape.
Looking closely, she had a cast on her ankle as well. There wasn't a healthy spot on her body. Everywhere was wounded and injured.
Even after collapsing, Kim Jin-seo couldn't get up and groaned in that spot.
Her face was contorted, and cold sweat had formed on her forehead. Anyone could see she was writhing in pain. The pain looked severe enough that she might faint at any moment.
Although her injuries were severe, no matter what, the pain seemed excessive compared to the injuries.
"You… don't tell me."
The reason was not difficult to guess.
Kim Jin-seo, who received the holy name of Patience, handles the 'Blessing of Iron Will.' A blessing that takes away others' pain with the left hand and transfers one's own pain to others with the right hand.
During the incident, she had used the Blessing of Iron Will to absorb the pain of 30 people. While it was hard enough to take care of her own body, she had taken on others' pain as well.
Some praised it as noble sacrifice, but in my view, it was just foolishness.
Though she didn't show it, Kim Jin-seo was writhing in pain. The cold sweat on her forehead, her trembling lips, and her distant gaze proved it.
The price of sacrifice is always tragic. That's why I hated the word sacrifice and considered those who chose to sacrifice themselves foolish.
Because my father had done that.
"That's what you get for doing that."
I said while looking at Kim Jin-seo trembling in pain. It wasn't something to say to a patient, but Kim Jin-seo looked that foolish to me.
If she was going to suffer like that, she shouldn't have chosen to sacrifice herself in the first place.
[Hahaha. That's funny to hear. You're not one to talk, are you?]
I had also almost died using Granboa's power.
Come to think of it, I wasn't qualified to say such things either. I too had chosen to sacrifice myself while accepting losses.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat to brush away my embarrassment.
Kim Jin-seo was still taking deep breaths and suppressing her pain. Her dazed eyes eventually looked at me.
"Are you going to tell?"
"Tell what."
"This."
Kim Jin-seo pointed to the cigarette butt that had fallen on the ground.
"What. Are you asking if I'll tell about you smoking?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what should I do."
Though I said that, I had no intention of reporting her from the beginning.
I only felt pity, wondering how much pain she must have been in to rely on something like this.
Hearing my words, Kim Jin-seo hung her head and opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
"I really, sob, hurt. Just. Can't you let it slide? If this gets out, I..."
Her voice was full of tears. Her emotions seemed heightened from the pain.
Though her words were incoherent, there was no difficulty understanding them. She roughly meant to please overlook it.
"If it hurts that much, you can transfer it to someone else."
"What?"
"The Blessing of Iron Will. You can transfer pain to others with your right hand, can't you?"
To be precise, if you place your right hand on someone's forehead, you can transfer pain. Conversely, if you place your left hand on their forehead, you can take on pain. As long as the conditions are met, the ability activates regardless of the caster's will.
Kim Jin-seo looked up at me with reddened eyes.
"Are you crazy, who would I transfer this to. I'm not trash. Unlike you."
Even while groaning in pain, she said everything she wanted to say.
I had spoken out of concern for her, but being called trash made me feel bad inside.
"Why am I trash?"
"If others are going to hurt, sob, it's better for me to hurt."
"Ah, I see."
You'll probably be called a pushover a lot.
"And don't speak carelessly."
Kim Jin-seo's voice was intermittently cut off by waves of pain.
"If you're not going to hurt instead, don't just talk, sob, easily."
"Then transfer it to me."
At my words, her eyes widened in surprise.
However, soon deep suspicion and distrust appeared in those eyes.
"Ha. What are you saying."
She let out a hollow laugh. Her eyes were chasing distant emptiness. She seemed to treat what I said as unimportant.
It's just a polite gesture, she seemed to think that way and not even have expectations.
"You don't even intend to receive it, sob, but words are easy."
From her words, I glimpsed a symptom.
Those who lived difficult lives without time to rely on others become distorted in two ways.
First, affection deficiency. In this case, they try to rely excessively on others, and fall into severe depression when they lose someone to rely on.
Second, distrust of humans. The type who thinks only they are unhappy and others' unhappiness is nothing. They extremely avoid relying on others and tend to unconsciously despise others. Sometimes it develops into misanthropy.
Kim Jin-seo seemed to be the latter type.
I don't know what kind of life she has lived. I only know from rumors that she's the daughter of Florence's chairman.
I don't know what happened to make her distrust others so much, but anyway, I could vaguely tell she had lived a difficult life.
"These two types are easy to evangelize. Such people have nowhere to rely on, so they usually rely on religion and gods. So when you see such people, actively evangelize them."
My father taught me this fact and added such words. And he got hit on the back by my mother.
I remember my father did all the housework that day too. Though he usually did it anyway.
Anyway, I decided to make good use of Kim Jin-seo's psychology.
I approached her as she sat crouched on the ground.
"I can get up by myself, ugh. So... Huh? You, what are you doing."
I brought Kim Jin-seo's right hand to my forehead.
Normally it would be impossible, but whether from pain or injury, Kim Jin-seo couldn't resist.
Snap.
Soon with a sound like something snapping, unimaginable pain rushed in.
My breath stopped and all my muscles stiffened rigidly. My fingertips, lips, and eyelids trembled. It was difficult to maintain consciousness. Even my brain felt numb and tingly. Even the blowing wind felt sharp like a blade.
Just a few seconds. I almost lost consciousness from that... Kim Jin-seo had been enduring such pain for days.
Her unusually sensitive words and actions also made sense. If it hurt this much, there wouldn't be time to consider others. Dare I say, even a saint would curse.
While writhing in such pain for a moment.
Soon the trembling stopped. My breathing gradually stabilized. The tension throughout my body relaxed and drowsy sleepiness washed over me. The pain had long since disappeared.
[Is this hot potato? I absorbed it for now. It stings.]
It was thanks to Legba absorbing the pain.
The pain received through the Blessing of Iron Will is treated as a kind of 'curse,' so it was possible to transfer that pain to Legba. For Legba, who had lived for unimaginably long eons, this level of pain was nothing. Just slightly stinging.
"What are you doing."
Kim Jin-seo looked at me with dazed eyes. Thanks to transferring the pain to me, there was no interruption in her speech.
"What did you do? Give it back. Come here, quickly!"
She frantically placed her left hand on my forehead. She seemed to intend to take back the pain. However, it ended in failure.
It was because her left hand was wrapped in bandages. Kim Jin-seo looked at her bandaged hand with empty eyes.
"It's okay. I can endure it."
Though it was actually Legba who endured the pain, not me, anyway it was true that it was endurable.
"Don't lie. What if you faint, you idiot. What are you doing, really!"
However, Kim Jin-seo didn't believe my words. She stomped her feet and desperately tried to bring her left hand to my forehead. She seemed to think of somehow retrieving the pain, but it was impossible.
The Blessing of Iron Will doesn't activate through bandages.
Anyway, I succeeded in taking away Kim Jin-seo's pain. Now it was time to move on to the next action.
Ping!
A sharp, thin sound echoed through the alley. Along with it, Kim Jin-seo's wounds were healed.
To be precise, it would be more accurate to say they were 'restored.'
[You're really amazingly good at restoration sorcery. I don't like how you don't use it when told to use it, but use it when told not to.]
Legba gave his review of my sorcery.
What I used on Kim Jin-seo was 'Low-grade Restoration Sorcery.' Since I had reached the level of mastery in restoration sorcery, I didn't even need to draw spell circles when using low-grade restoration sorcery.
With this, not only were the minor wounds here and there healed, but her finger that was about to fall off would have been perfectly reattached.
"What did you do again?"
Kim Jin-seo looked at me as if dumbfounded.
"Healing. Your finger should be attached."
It was actually 'restoration,' but anyway it was the same in terms of treating wounds.
Hearing my words, Kim Jin-seo's face turned pale.
"You, you. You failed at healing during the practical."
"I succeeded though? Low-grade healing."
"That's why! That's failure!"
By my standards it was a tremendous success, but... I was inwardly dejected but didn't show it.
Kim Jin-seo had a pale face, sweating profusely, and clutched her bandaged left hand.
"This, if you treat it roughly, it'll scar. The healing priest said to do it later when it's stable."
"Ah, really?"
"Why do you keep doing useless things? You won't take responsibility if it scars..."
Kim Jin-seo was worried that scars might remain. But as I said again, I had reached the level of mastery in restoration sorcery.
With just low-grade restoration, I could reattach even a severed arm, so there was no way scars would remain from something like finger reattachment.
"I'll take responsibility if there are scars. But there won't be any anyway."
"How can there be no scars with low-grade healing. Again, just talking easily..."
Kim Jin-seo was about to vent her resentment at me, but suddenly stopped as if something occurred to her.
I could roughly guess what she was thinking now.
I'm not someone who just talks smoothly. I only speak when I have real confidence. Like earlier too.
"Go home and unwrap the bandage to check. If you're really worried."
"..."
Kim Jin-seo silently hung her head. In her eyes were worry, anxiety, and some anger. Other negative emotions like helplessness and loss were also reflected.
She remained silent for a long time like that. Tears that had formed in her eyes flowed down her cheeks.
In that awkward silence, we just stood there without saying anything to each other.
Vrooom!
Then, with a loud exhaust sound, a car entered the alley entrance. It was a white foreign car.
A strange man stuck his head out through the car window and looked back and forth between me and Kim Jin-seo.
"Miss?"
From his appearance and way of speaking, he seemed to be Kim Jin-seo's driver.
The driver looked at Kim Jin-seo who was crying, then turned his gaze to glare at me. There was clear hostility in his sharp eyes.
I felt a bit wronged. I wasn't the one who made Kim Jin-seo cry.
[If you think about it, you did make her cry.]
Legba said. I thought that might be true.
When my head was getting complicated, Kim Jin-seo got in the car.
The car quickly left the alley and headed somewhere. The acrid smell of cigarettes and exhaust lingered in the alley.
[You should have gone when I told you to just pass by. What were you expecting? Did you think she'd fall for you if you helped her?]
"She's the chairman's daughter, so I thought it might be helpful someday if we became friends. It doesn't seem to have gone well though."
[Becoming friends, what. You should be grateful if she just doesn't avoid you. That's how I see it.]
Legba spat harsh words in a completely nonchalant tone. I had nothing to say.
[You have too much unnecessary affection. And you're ashamed of it. The words about approaching her because you thought it might be helpful someday are also lies.]
"Stop it. My head hurts."
[Ending conversations when your true feelings are exposed is also a bad habit. Fix it.]
"Ah, yes."
I answered halfheartedly.
* * *
Kim Jin-seo, who returned home, threw herself on the bed. Her mood was depressed the whole way back.
It was good that the pain had disappeared.
The problem was her finger.
'...I'm scared.'
She was afraid to unwrap the bandage. Reattachment treatment through low-grade healing always leaves scars.
There are even cases where the reattachment isn't done properly and the finger shape becomes grotesquely twisted... In that case, you'd have to live with a deformed finger for life. In that case, it would be better to die.
"I'll take responsibility if there are scars."
Suddenly Do Seon-woo's words flickered in her head. She didn't know what he trusted to be so confident.
Despite struggling and being unable to do even low-grade healing properly. Despite sleeping from the entrance ceremony because he couldn't control his sleep. Even during the demon race extermination practical, he acted individually!
Of course, thanks to Do Seon-woo, they got first place then, but anyway.
Kim Jin-seo lay there blankly staring at the ceiling and resented him.
After harboring resentment for a while, she finally pulled herself together and sat up abruptly in bed.
"Please."
She sat and slowly began unwrapping the bandage on her left hand. Her hands trembled. She felt like she might cry for no reason. Each layer of bandage that was peeled off made the trembling more severe.
When all the bandages were unwrapped and the severed middle finger was revealed.
"Huh. Huh? What. Wow!"
Kim Jin-seo unconsciously exclaimed in amazement. Her eyes that had been moist as if about to shed tears at any moment suddenly dried up.
It was clean.
The reattachment site was clean without a single scar. The reattachment was also very well done.
Kim Jin-seo moved her intact finger this way and that, and also touched it. Both sensation and touch were completely intact.
"...!"
Kim Jin-seo let out a soundless cheer and jumped around. At this level, it seemed she could start daily life immediately from tomorrow.
Not just daily life. It was good enough to start the exercise she had been resting from.
Kim Jin-seo laughed at her past self who had worried meaninglessly about 'what if there are scars' and 'won't I be abandoned again.' Do Seon-woo's words that there would absolutely be no scars were right.
...Do Seon-woo's words were right.
Now that she thought about it, she had shown a very unsightly appearance in front of Do Seon-woo. Why had she done that?
To excuse it by saying she was in a bad mood was too much, considering she owed Do Seon-woo such a huge debt.
It was questionable how he, who had struggled with low-grade healing, could perform such perfect healing.
However, before having doubts, saying thank you should come first.