“I’m not an auntie. I’m your big sister.”
“......Auntie.”
“Brother Proprietor, can I hit this child just once? I think she needs education on heresy.”
“No.”
What was this, a battle of nerves before I had even introduced the instructor?
“And Saintess, it was only something a child said. Let it pass lightly.”
“......This is the first time in my life I have ever been called auntie.”
“To children, even a five-year age difference looks large. Much less the age difference between you and this child......”
“Fine, fine. I was wrong. But exposing a woman’s age is rude.”
If she disliked it that much,I decided not to say any more about it and simply buried the matter.
Instead, she would have to handle being called auntie herself.
“Hye-rin, this is the Saintess. You heard earlier, yes?”
“......If she’s a Saintess, does auntie control monsters too?”
“Again with aun—no. Why are monsters coming up?”
“Saintesses command monsters. That’s why I was told we had to catch and kill them.”
A new piece of apocalypse common sense had been added.
The Saintess blinked, but quickly understood how the situation was unfolding.
“She has not had an easy life either, has she?”
“As you can see, she lived in a place like this.”
“Phew, yes. I should be the one to understand. But I should correct the misunderstanding.”
The Saintess closed her eyes and brought her hands together.
The flippant attitude she had shown until just now vanished without a trace.
“I will show you a true Saintess.”
The one present here was merely a chosen one offering a prayer for someone else.
“Baba yangu, asante...... (Our Father, grant me fortune......)”
With a small resonance, a blue aura soared from the Saintess’s body.
The aura that surged upward became a single tree, and the leaves that scattered from the grown tree touched the earth and bloomed into sprouts.
“Waaa.”
A large-scale purification blessing that drove away impure things and purified the space.
Even though her connection with the Lord God had been severed, she could display this much power. She was a person perfectly suited to the name Saintess.
The Saintess, who had turned the world green in an instant, slowly opened her eyes.
“I do not know who is using the name Saintess strangely or where, but originally, a Saintess is this kind of being.”
“Yeah! You’re amazing.”
“Well, you are not such a bad little sister.”
“Auntie, you’re amazing.”
“......I need to teach this child more common sense.”
The Saintess, wearing a peculiar expression, approached the little one.
The little one, who had lowered her guard, did not step back any further.
“You will be able to use this kind of power too. I will teach you.”
“Ueh, really?”
“Of course. Though Brother Proprietor is more outstanding.”
“Well, that cannot be helped.”
The Saintess was merely borrowing divine authority, while I stood two stages above that.
In a sense, when it came to education tailored to a child’s level, the Saintess might be a little more suitable.
The little one touched a drifting leaf of the blue aura and looked up at me.
“Can you do this too, mister?”
“Of course.”
“With magic?”
“With magic, and with divinity as well.”
“I want to see.”
I smiled faintly.
“Only lightly.”
Let me see.
Something a child would like.
“Manifest.”
It was only a single word I murmured.
However, what spread from it were dozens of rays of light, and a power that changed the world.
The broken debris returned to its original form.
The rotten earth was purified.
Everything was returned to its starting point so all things could live once more.
The little one’s eyes went round, and her mouth fell open.
The Saintess standing beside her also let out the same hollow laugh.
“......Brother Proprietor, you really are frightening.”
Though the way she expressed it was a little strange,I was pleased that she was surprised.
***
Sacred power lessons were naturally added, but they were only a supplement among supplements.
I had no intention of holding lessons every day.
If one asked why, it was because she wanted to learn magic.
Mm.
Even I had not expected that.
“Didn’t sacred power look more fascinating?”
It was not really my place to say this,
but in terms of what could be seen with the eyes, sacred power was more splendid.
There was no reason not to choose sacred power.
After drying her hair with warm wind, I lightly combed it down with my hand.
‘Should I apply some nourishing treatment while I am at it?’
Taking care of it from childhood would help prevent hair loss later too.
While I pondered and chose an essence, the little one swung her legs and spoke.
“It was fascinating. When I watched it, my heart went thump, thump.”
“Then why magic?”
“Mm, because with magic, I can dry my hair?”
Could that be a reason?
When I carefully applied the essence throughout her hair, the little one smiled brightly.
“Hehe. You can make water, dry hair, and it’s totally convenient.”
“There is that aspect.”
If sacred power was focused on purification and recovery, magic was versatile.
I gently brushed her hair with a comb made from dragon bone and asked,“Then do you not want to learn sacred power?”
“Mm, is it good to learn?”
“It is. Your dimension is especially heavily corrupted. Do you not get hurt often too?”
“That’s right. If you get hurt, you die.”
“......That is too extreme.”
Though it was probably true.
“Done.”
“Waaa. My hair is soft.”
Once I had even brushed her hair neatly, the child was all fluffy and fresh.
Good.
The little one leaped up and pattered over to the bed, then sat on it.
“But if I learn that, can’t I learn magic?”
“Not necessarily. I am not sure if I told you before, but to handle magic better, you need to see and experience many things.”
“Sacred power too?”
“That is about right. Now, lie down.”
It was clear that blessings would be helpful to this girl.
I pulled the blanket up to the child’s chest and sat beside her.
“Then I’ll learn it. But only a little.”
“You mean you want to learn more magic?”
“Yes. I like magic.”
“All right, then. We will reduce the number of sacred power lessons.”
“Hehe, okaaay.”
“Close your eyes.”
The little one squeezed her eyes shut.
I filled the inside of the blanket with warmth so she would be comfortable, then stroked her hair.
The child’s face, feeling my touch, soon relaxed.
“Haahm. I like it when you touch my hair, mister.”
“Do you?”
“It feels like Dad is touching it, so I get sleepy too, hwaaam.”
“Sleep.”
“You sleep well too, mister.”
Perhaps because she was still a young child, her breathing quickly evened out.
Since I had confirmed she was sleeping, should I quietly leave?
“Sleep well.”
I left a farewell to the little one, who had long since departed for the land of dreams, and left the room behind.
Let me see.
“Then tomorrow, we can cover the Mana circuit, Korean grammar, and ah, should we do some stamina training too? It would be good to do something proper this time.”
No, would she accept it better if I taught her in the form of play?
But rather than focusing only on lessons, it seemed better to give her various experiences.
That way, the little one would like it.
“......Ah.”
Something.
Something......
“Haha. I really am like a dad.”
As I soaked in the scent of the old days, my feet reached the tavern.
Rather than craving a drink, my main purpose was to see the faces of those who would be here.
They were people who knew a little about my past, so I thought I might talk with them......
“Keu, do you know how badly this Seat wanted to drink this wine?”
“Heh heh, I heard. I heard. You must be suffering greatly.”
“It is beyond great. Just what am I supposed to do? That Proprietor bastard.”
Oh?
It was the complete Murim trio I had not seen in a while.
As soon as the Blood Demon arrived, he was thoroughly chewing me out.
I killed my presence and quietly went behind the Blood Demon, while the Alliance Leader and Heavenly Demon rolled their eyes around.
“What is a little water supposed to do? Does he think he can use that to take hold of the Blood Cult again?”
“Ahem, Blood Demon. Even so, did the Proprietor not give it to you for a reason?”
“The Heavenly Demon is right. You know the advantages clean water holds as well, do you not?”
“What am I supposed to do with mere water? Tsk. Do you think bastards already soaked in blood will change because of a single source of water? In this Seat’s eyes, the Proprietor merely spoke after licking the rind of a watermelon.”
......This bastard?
My gaze toward the Blood Demon turned cold.
The Blood Demon drank several cups of fire wine in succession, then exhaled heavily.
“......I believed that if I were strong, everything would be resolved. That was why I placed my hands on the demonic art called blood arts as well. But the affairs of the world are not like that.”
“They are complicated by nature.”
“Even so, what matters is that you establish a new will. Shall I tell you the story of the Martial Alliance?”
The Alliance Leader naturally began speaking of his dimension and the things he had experienced.
His voice was rather serious, so the Blood Demon also put down his cup and listened carefully.
“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was in a similar situation.”
When the Alliance Leader finished, the Heavenly Demon continued.
“Mm, I acknowledge that as well. Our Blood Cult was like that once too.”
Perhaps because the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult were similar in some ways when it came to pursuing greater power, there was advice that proved rather helpful.
The Blood Demon placed those words well into his mind and tried to devise schemes of his own.
“Then if I do this—”
“To add a little to the Alliance Leader’s words—”
“......Indeed, that method could also—”
Though it was somewhat rough, the sight of him moving forward one step at a time for the sake of change was good.
‘It seems I should drink separately today.’
I quietly exchanged glances with the two who had noticed me, then left the tavern behind.
Now, where should I go to drink?
***
“Master.”
“Oh, No. 100. Do you have something to say?”
“I did hear the reason, but why did you come down to the lobby......?”
No. 100 looked at me with a somewhat uneasy expression.
Seeing that expression on my own face felt strange.
“There was no one to drink with. The guests seem to be watching my mood more than usual these days.”
“I believe it is probably because of the rumor.”
“There are more than one or two rumors going around this hotel. Which one?”
“Well, word has spread that Master is in a very angry state, so no one should disturb you.”
Hm?
It was nice because no troublesome matters were arising, but why had such words appeared?
“It is probably because of what happened on the 200th floor.”
“Ah, I did use a little power today.”
“It seems there were a few guests who had gone to the 200th floor to watch. Apparently, there was even one who was nearly purified.”
Perhaps it had happened to be an evil-aligned guest, because they had nearly reached the point of annihilation under my authority.
That had apparently been somewhat distorted and become, “He is angry, so do not disturb him.”
“It seems the guests will be watching your mood for the time being.”
“That is good. There will be no harm done to the child. Ah, was there any change today?”
“Ah, yes. About two seconds passed.”
Well now.
“What a funny thing.”
My head naturally turned toward the clock hanging above the hotel’s front door.
I had suffered and suffered to make that clock move.
And yet the clock moved simply because a single little one existed, simply because I taught her, simply because I spent time with her.
“It makes me wonder what the thousands of years I spent were.”
“Is it not fortunate that you met her even now? Otherwise, you would have had to spend even more years.”
“That is true as well.”
To achieve my goal, I might have had to live my life until now ten more times over.
Even though I had entered the realm of transcendence, that would be a rather demanding thing.
“Even from an efficiency standpoint, continuing to care for Miss Yun Hye-rin is more beneficial than receiving new guests. Therefore, Master.”
“Hm?”
“This may be a somewhat forced opinion, but what do you think about Miss Yun Hye-rin’s long-term stay?”
The long-term stay No. 100 spoke of was likely not on the level of one hundred or two hundred days.
At the very least, he meant a few years, and at most, several decades.
It was also a suggestion that I care for the child until I reached the moment I desired.
“Do you think I have not thought about that? In fact, I am also thinking it is not a bad idea.”
It was not impossible.
I only needed to make a contract between Yun Hye-rin and myself, then carry it out.
However, in that case, both of us would have to stake an appropriate price.
If something went wrong, her life might be in danger.
Whether I could endure that level of risk was...... unknown.
“Let us observe a little longer.”
“Understood.”
After quietly looking at the clock, I moved my gaze to the hourglass.
Recently, after bringing in the little one, the upper part of the hourglass had emptied considerably.
“I have to fill all of that to bring in a new guest.”
Tsk. Was there no way to gather more guests?
“Ah, Master. Come to think of it, there was one request.”
“A request?”
“Yes.”
No. 100 handed me a note that had been stored at the counter.
“It is a request left by Lord Luiard, the Red Dragon.”