#258
The Jegal Family (4)
Pourrr—
As the tea flowed from the teapot into the cup, a subtle fragrance spread in all directions.
An interior neither gaudy nor plain, but neat and tastefully antique.
In a room that naturally called to mind a scholar’s residence, the old man who had personally brewed the tea—Jegal Gunak, the retired head of the Jegal Family—slowly lifted the teacup and savored its aroma.
“Mmm.”
Though it had been long since he lost his sight, there was not a single wasted motion in the way he performed the tea ceremony.
After long years of cultivation, his senses had become keen enough for him to carry out such everyday tasks without much difficulty.
‘Harris… and Ha Seunghun.’
And, of course.
Those keen senses were also extremely useful in reading people.
The outsiders who had suddenly come to visit this time were no exception.
‘People from another world… These visitors exceed common sense in more ways than one.’
Even for Jegal Gunak, however, grasping the nature of those two was not easy.
In his younger days, he had interacted with a few otherworlders before, but in every respect—their dispositions, their patterns of behavior, and the abilities they possessed—these two were far too different from those he had encountered back then.
‘Still, both of them are far from wicked, and I didn’t sense any particular hostility. No, should I say it was closer to goodwill?’
Though Harris’s attitude had been somewhat rude, it was hardly something to criticize when a powerhouse of that caliber acted arrogant.
And yet this time, it was the other side that had first expressed a desire to repair relations.
By intentionally letting him know about the healing ability Ha Seunghun possessed.
‘I don’t know how they learned of Hyemi’s condition, but…’
It was an obvious ploy, yet Jegal Gunak had pretended to know nothing and moved according to their intentions.
Because he knew it was the hand they had extended first for reconciliation and cooperation.
‘There are still many questions, but…’
While conversing with Harris, he had long since noticed that the man was hiding something.
The same was true regarding that winged outsider, whom he suspected to be the source of this chaos.
But the hostility he had shown when speaking of him had also been genuine…
‘Hmm. It seems I’ll need to observe them a little longer after all.’
No additional immediate response was necessary; maintaining friendly relations was recommended.
That was the initial opinion of the retired family head, who had dealt with the outsiders in place of the busy current head.
“Hohoho, and he is also the benefactor who saved the life of my one and only granddaughter. They said she is already showing improvement, did they not? I held myself back for fear that this old body might go there and cause some mishap. It seems I’ll be able to see my granddaughter’s face for the first time in a while.”
As he enjoyed his tea ceremony in the still air and organized his thoughts, a small smile appeared on Jegal Gunak’s lips.
As the great elder of the family, the clan came first in all matters, but he, too, worried for his sick granddaughter all the same.
‘One is a Profound Realm master who inherited the lineage of the mysterious Heavenly Secrets Sect. The other is a Medical Immortal… no, a Divine Physician who saved a patient abandoned not only by our family, but even by the renowned doctors invited from outside. At this point, isn’t forming ties with them actually a gain?’
Of course, even amid all that, instinctively weighing gains and losses was an unavoidable fate of their clan.
***
Healing through divine power was not omnipotent.
Of course, since it was something bestowed directly by none other than the Saint himself, its efficacy was certain, but curing a serious illness required that much more time and effort.
This case was no different.
Once a day, on the third day since Hugo had begun divine healing on the “young lady.”
Paaat—
As before, a gentle light seeped out from the holy emblem and naturally permeated the body of the one being healed.
The sight was exactly the same as on the first day, but there was one thing that had clearly changed since then…
“Mm, how fascinating. It feels different from internal energy somehow. How should I put it? Like it’s wrapping around me more warmly and embracing me…”
The person in question, the precious jewel of the Jegal Family, Jegal Hyemi, was awake.
She had fallen into a coma, then regained consciousness during the second day’s treatment.
A faint flush had settled on the face that had once been pale as a corpse, and unlike before, her skin now held a distinct vitality.
Compared to the past, when they had barely managed to keep her alive even after using all kinds of spirit medicines, this was a truly dramatic change.
And this was only the third treatment.
‘It’s a relief that it’s working, but something about the way she reacts to divine power is different from other diseases. No, is this really even an illness?’
But Hugo, the one actually performing the treatment, merely wore a subtle expression at the inexplicable feeling.
He could tell that something was different, but since he was merely transferring divine power through a medium and had not even received baptism, his senses could not accurately determine what the problem was.
‘If Heinrich could check it himself right here, he’d know more for certain.’
Of course, that was impossible, so for now, he had no choice but to observe long-term changes and indirectly check the trend.
Judging by the situation, this treatment did not seem likely to end in a short period anyway.
‘Still, it’s true that she’s recovering for now. If we combine this with their existing treatment, the time needed might be reduced even further.’
It was a somewhat materialistic thought, but from another perspective, that period could also serve to strengthen their bond with the Jegal Family, so it did not seem all that bad.
Though Heinrich, who had to keep supplying divine power, would find it a little troublesome.
“Haa, I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt this way. No, maybe it’s practically the first time? I’ve had a weak body since I was young. Ever since I was born…”
And during the treatment process, he was also able to exchange all sorts of conversation with Jegal Hyemi.
Perhaps because she had long resented the fact that she usually did nothing but lie in her room, she chattered away to him, an outsider, without resting for even a moment.
Thanks to that, only two days after they had exchanged names, Hugo had unintentionally learned a great deal about her.
That she was the youngest with three older brothers, that her birth mother had passed away after giving birth to her, that she was a cursed child who had brought chaos to the world from the moment she was born…
Almost everything she said in a playful voice was filled with pessimism and self-mockery about herself, but among it all, one point in particular bothered him.
“Hmm, pardon me, Lady Jegal, but how old are you…?”
“Eek? Are you asking a lady’s age? Uuu— Young Master Ha, I didn’t take you for that sort of person, but you seem a little lacking in delicacy…”
This wouldn’t do.
If he left her alone like this, there was no telling how long she would keep talking by herself again.
So Hugo boldly cut her off.
“As far as I know, the world ended up like this because of the incident twenty-two years ago. Am I wrong?”
“Huh? That’s right. Though it isn’t something commonly known.”
“Then does that mean you are twenty-two?”
“There you go again. Do you really have to calculate it like that? You could have just let it pass, really.”
He looked at her with a sour expression as she puffed out her cheeks and pouted playfully.
Her appearance and her behavior alike—no matter how he looked at her, she seemed like nothing more than a girl who had not even reached her mid-teens.
‘No, she said she’d been sick since childhood, so I suppose it makes sense.’
It was entirely possible, and truthfully, that was not particularly important.
What bothered him now was that the great incident that had shaken the very foundation of this world had occurred precisely in the year she was born.
‘A coincidence?’
It was unlikely to be because of some real curse, but perhaps that incident and her illness were somehow connected…
“Come to think of it, how old are you, Young Master?”
Just as he was lost in thought.
Jegal Hyemi asked him a question in an innocent voice.
As if she had never pretended to sulk, a bright smile had returned to her face.
“Twenty-three.”
He answered firmly.
For some reason, he felt that if he said he was younger, she would drag him into her pace even more, so he deliberately raised his age. In truth, it was not exactly wrong either.
His age on Earth was still twenty, but it had now been three years since he entered the other world.
Practically speaking, he could be called twenty-three, and considering that with his many avatars, the density of time he spent within the same period was far greater than that of others, perhaps he ought to be counted as even older.
“Ah! So you’re around my age? I thought you’d be older somehow. Ehehe.”
Was she indirectly saying he looked aged?
That thought flashed through his mind for an instant, but seeing her giggling so innocently, it did not seem that she had any particular intention.
She really was a tiring woman to deal with.
“Huaaam— hup!”
Just then, as she yawned defenselessly, she startled and clapped her hands over her mouth.
Perhaps it had slipped out without her realizing it. After freezing like that for a moment, she soon began sneaking glances at him with her round eyes.
“You must be tired. Today’s treatment is finished, so you should sleep now.”
“N-no! I’m not tired at all. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Do not be stubborn. Rest is also a necessary part of recovery. Talking consumes a lot of stamina as well, so let us stop here for today.”
At that, Hugo spoke firmly and rose from his seat.
He had just been looking for a chance to get up, so he thought the timing was perfect.
“Uuuu… Will you come tomorrow too?”
“Of course. I plan to come every day for the time being.”
“…All right, then.”
At that, Jegal Hyemi, looking dispirited, wriggled about and tucked herself back into the bed.
It was an excessive degree of familiarity to show someone she had met only recently, but from her perspective, he was her lifesaver, so it was not strange.
‘Perhaps she needed someone she could comfortably open her heart to.’
Not family, nor someone of the clan—but an outsider completely unrelated to the life she had lived.
When he recalled the things she had said, he felt he could understand.
“…See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, I will see you tomorrow.”
And so, together with this new connection, Hugo smoothly began to establish himself in the Ganghwan Realm.
***
In one corner of a battlefield that had become a mess, as though a fierce battle had taken place.
Wooooong—
A heavy air lingered around a man kneeling in a reverent posture with both hands clasped together.
He was merely praying quietly without making any movement, yet that solemn figure emitted such overwhelming pressure that it stole the breath of those who looked upon him.
And just then, there was someone gazing at him with eyes full of admiration—
‘As expected of Lord Heinrich! He never ceases his prayers, not even for a moment.’
It was none other than Riesta, the Saintess of the Church of the Chief God.
Right after they had subjugated another white giant that had appeared.
Having returned after helping the victims in the area she had been assigned to, she looked at Heinrich, who was praying whenever he found a spare moment even today, and her eyes sparkled.
‘I can’t lose either!’
The divine power rising from his body like flames seemed to set the heat of faith ablaze within her heart as well.
So she carefully took a place beside him and began praying in the same posture.
After the battle, she had just used an ultra-wide-range healing holy art in the vicinity, so she was considerably fatigued. But Heinrich, who had taken the lead in battle and even helped with the aftermath, was showing such a devout appearance. How could she possibly complain?
Within that space where reverent divine power flowed with dignity.
The Saint and Saintess sat side by side and offered prayers to the Chief God—
‘Mm, this should be enough, right?’
And today as well, Heinrich successfully refilled the divine power he would send to the Ganghwan Realm.
***
“Here’s another one. This really is a bonanza, isn’t it?”
Harris smiled contentedly as he picked up a large plant root the size of his forearm.
This place was Mount Wudang, located not far from Mount Longzhong, where the Jegal Family resided.
It was a sacred mountain where the Wudang Sect, one of the massive organizations even in the Ganghwan Realm, was situated.
‘Of course, right now, it’s nothing but my vegetable patch.’
Having come here, where the energy was still abundant, he could clearly feel it.
The reason why the energy dwelling in the spirit medicines he had dug up until now had been less satisfying than expected.
‘It was the same at the Jegal Family. They said the overall medicinal effect of spirit medicines was declining.’
It was all because they were so sensitive to the surrounding energy that they were affected by the drying up of the world’s qi.
Unless they had grown in a dragon vein, most of the other spirit medicines remaining in this world were probably in a similar state.
Which meant the value of spirit medicines produced from dragon veins had risen all the more.
‘And the things our Hugo eats should always be top-grade!’
Even with spirit medicines, if one ate a lot of them, resistance would build up and their effects would diminish. He could not fill that limit with random, inferior things for no reason.
For our child, even stuffing him full of only the most carefully selected ingredients would not be enough.
‘Thinking about it that way, handing over the spirit medicines I dug up elsewhere to the Jegal Family was an excellent choice. I was able to make a decent show of generosity too.’
Nodding in satisfaction, Harris busily flew about and gathered the spirit medicines that caught his eye one by one.
As a bonus, since he had no time and did not want annoying friction to arise, he hid his presence as much as possible and avoided the eyes of others.
‘Of course, even if not now, I do intend to come whenever I get the chance. Still, it would be good to prepare at least the things Hugo will need immediately in the meantime.’
As he continued gathering with that thought, the amount swelled beyond what he had expected, but with things like this, having too much was better than having too little.
If he truly could not use them all, he could always scatter them to others as though doing them a favor.
‘Mm, this should be enough for now. Then it’s about time to…’
The tenth day since Harris entered the Ganghwan Realm.
It was a moment of honest labor that took place just before he returned to Auterica.