Chapter 259: Blessing (2)

One day before being discharged.

For security reasons, the room was restricted to close family (?). But I decided to open it to certain people, only those I myself had authorized.

The reason was simple. Staring out the window, alone and in silence, was becoming unbearable.

When a few late-autumn leaves fell outside, I felt like the tragic hero of a novel.

As if, the moment that last leaf dropped, I too should close my eyes forever.

Besides, by then my body was practically recovered. So I didn’t need to worry too much about security.

Unless someone had a liver the size of a watermelon, who would dare break into my room?

And if any intruder arrived, I planned to gift them generously a Daiso sashimi knife.

Whatever the case.

That’s how the room, which until then had been completely silent, turned into total chaos. Because the students of the Heavenly Class arrived with a bang.

Speedweapon and Chloe came in the morning; Rachel and Horntail in the afternoon. They took turns coming in pairs to visit.

“Woooah! Great job, Heavenly Sword!”

Honestly, I regretted letting Speedweapon in. He talked nonstop, like a hawker unpacking his goods, and my ears and brain nearly collapsed.

“…Good job.”

Chloe was much calmer. From a corner she sighed in relief between sobs.

Speedweapon showed me endless news about me from portals and fan forums.

Since I hadn’t wanted to check anything out of laziness, I listened as if it were a radio broadcast.

“Heavenly Sword, you’ve already hit 200 million members on your fan site! That alone gives you more influence than at least ten heads of state. And look at this news, ‘From Heavenly Sword to Heavenly God. The followers of his faith keep growing.’ They even founded a religion to worship you!”

And that religious group is called none other than the Church of the Heavenly God…

A dangerously absurd name in a world where demons truly exist.

On Earth they’d stone you for that. Luckily in this world religious freedom is fully guaranteed.

There is no other cult as sectarian as that.

Hero Worship.

Speedweapon said it was neither too rare nor too common. In this world, since the gods were exterminated, people aren’t exactly devout.

The largest religion now is the Outer God Cult, but it’s very secretive and avoids exposure at all costs.

That’s where Yu Sein works as a “saint” (albeit a fallen one).

‘Seeing it that way, that cult doesn’t seem so reliable either.’

In religions, beyond their doctrines, image is what matters.

And in this case, the mere fact that Yu Sein is their saint already undermines their credibility. Not to mention a religion that has me as its leader.

It just makes you want to sigh.

‘But if they can exterminate an S-rank beast with only the academy’s holy knights…’

I suppose the Outer God Church isn’t as useless as it seems. I’m not saying that just because they gave me a magic crystal, okay?

That would be too materialistic a view. Even if I’m a K‑gamer.

“……”

Anyway.

After a while of chatter, Speedweapon and Chloe said goodbye.

In the afternoon, Rachel and Horntail arrived with a modest gift (a premium meat set) to celebrate my discharge.

‘I didn’t expect that combination.’

I didn’t show it, but I was a bit surprised by their visit. They got along very well.

From what I heard, during my absence Rachel helped Horntail adapt to the academy quite a bit.

Of course, Rachel had no idea Horntail was a dragon.

A smile slipped out of me.

And I became curious.

How did they forge a friendship that transcended species? Even among humans, forming a strong bond takes time.

“Vegetables are a trap for muscle growth! Body and mind strength comes from meat!”

Horntail raised her arm vigorously.

“The human body only needs water and protein! If you’re going to eat vegetables, you might as well starve! A beast’s heart is born from meat!”

Next to her, Rachel crossed her arms and nodded proudly.

“Exactly!”

Thinking about it, I wasn’t so curious anymore.

‘…Horntail.’

I looked at her pityingly.

A girl who used to beam at a piece of bread—how did she end up like this? Though calling it “corruption” when it’s a demon is odd.

‘I’m sure Choi Seol-Ah will take care of educating her.’

Otherwise her purse won’t survive. She’ll have to re-educate her at least to plug the holes in her bank account.

‘Anyway, it’s not that bad.’

To me, the hospital isn’t exactly a pleasant place. I see it as a tourniquet through which the living and the dead pass.

But now that hospital was full of bustle. The smell of death had faded, and vitality filled the air. Also, since it’s a VIP room, we weren’t bothering anyone.

After the morning group’s visit and the afternoon’s, night fell.

I set about tidying the bed in preparation for tomorrow’s discharge. I opened the window to air out the room and let the moonlight bathe me.

Click.

The door opened. The nighttime group, Abel and Ryozo, had just arrived.

“You came?”

A morning shift, an afternoon shift, and now the nighttime team. I greeted them naturally.

When I did, Abel and Ryozo returned the greeting with a shy nod.

The atmosphere was strange.

They weren’t uncomfortable with me but with each other.

“How do you feel? Are you okay?”

Ryozo, who had entered first, was the first to ask. Abel, for her part, closed the door carefully behind her.

“My grandfather told me you lost consciousness right after the battle with Fermush. Were you badly hurt?”

“You know these things happen to me all the time.”

I replied as I stacked the pillows onto the duvet.

“It happened during my placement exam, during midterms, and also finals. When my blessing activates and a certain time passes, it knocks me out.”

The two stood blankly for a moment.

In this world, one doesn’t usually speak openly about one’s blessing. It’s like revealing your own weak point. Stupid.

Even though demons are the main enemy, there are also internal foes. In nobility, someone who is your ally today might become your enemy tomorrow.

That’s why nobody asks about others’ blessings or limitations. Talking about it is only for very close people—family, spouse, or betrothed. At most, friends who have shared life and death.

So the fact that I spoke of my blessing so casually was significant.

But I was a Miracle Blessing M player. And among all of them, probably no one knows Abel von Nibelung and Saki Ryozo better than I do.

Except maybe Yu Sein, who openly declared herself reincarnated.

And even without counting just those two, everyone who came to visit me today are people of great character. After all, volunteering to risk their lives for humanity is not common.

That’s why I said it.

“You make me feel embarrassed if you’re so surprised.”

I trusted them. I wanted to share a bit more of myself.

I wasn’t going to tell them I’m possessed, but showing a weakness is a way to ask them to trust me too.

But then the problem arose.

“……”

Ryozo and Abel looked at each other in silence.

Then, at the same time, they turned their heads toward me. Their eyes—hers like the sky, the other like the moon—shone coldly.

“Hey… girls.”

I broke out in a sweat in an instant.

I never imagined a simple phrase could be interpreted so differently by both.

I could only blame my naiveté for not being born in this world.

***

“Puhahaha!”

Volundr, the blacksmith of Joaquin Academy, burst out laughing, clutching his belly after hearing my story.

He even had tears forming in his eyes.

I stared at him expressionlessly.

Wiping the corner of his eye with his thumb, Volundr asked me, still grinning.

“So, after telling that to the two girls and not knowing how to respond, you came running here, Heavenly Sword?”

“And you find that funny? I swear I almost died. Those stares were trying to kill me.”

With a mocking tone, Volundr scolded me instead.

“But you know what that meant, right?”

“I just told them a bit about why I was hospitalized.”

“You’re so clueless about the world.”

Volundr swirled his jar of rice wine and downed it in one gulp. Then, reeking of alcohol, he continued.

“Listen, Heavenly Sword. What you told those girls is practically a marriage proposal. And that’s being kind. The softest interpretation is a confession.”

“It was that serious?”

Volundr banged his jar against the corner of the chair and drank again quickly.

“Both of them are nobles, right?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. One’s from the Nibelung family, the other from the Saki family.”

“The first is a descendant of the Swordmaster Aaron Nibelung, and the other from the legendary archer Saki Yoichi. They’re heirs to some of the most prominent lineages.”

Volundr let out a long sigh and raised a finger.

“Listen carefully. You were a commoner until recently, so you don’t know this, but nobles have codes. Even saying ‘let’s grab a meal’ doesn’t mean the same thing to them. You following me so far?”

“Yes.”

“And especially, nobles guard anything related to their blessing with utmost care. It’s the root and foundation of their houses. That’s why they receive strict training on how to handle that matter.”

“…I see.”

I wasn’t in a position to criticize how Horntail needed to be educated. I was just as bad—if not worse.

“Now, imagine you told them, ‘my blessing does this and that.’ How do you think they’re going to interpret it?”

“I get it.”

Still, I tried to defend myself.

“But they’re not exactly girls steeped in noble culture. On the contrary. That’s why I was so surprised. In daily life, they never showed that side, and then suddenly they change completely and confront me. They even mentioned something about choosing a partner for the upcoming festival ball. It was too sudden.”

“Heavenly Sword… no, Kang Geom-Ma.”

Volundr set the jar down on the workbench.

“Don’t try to analyze feelings with logic.”

With a serious face, all traces of his smile gone, he said.

“It’s not that they don’t understand. They said it fully knowing what it meant. Even so, they set aside their pride and spoke up. Because you always stayed ambiguous, and they couldn’t take it anymore.”

“……”

“And when you respond with ‘there must be some hidden meaning,’ you’re hurting their feelings. If someone opens up from the heart, you should respond in kind. That’s what decent people do.”

With that, Volundr scratched his head. He pushed the jar aside and sighed.

“I must be drunk. Getting all serious with a kid. Anyway, what I meant is this—don’t be disrespectful to those ladies. I know you’re clueless about women, but at least keep to the basics.”

I stared at him.

“Ahjussi.”

“What?”

“Why are you single?”

A vein popped on his temple. His hand reached for a hammer but ended up grabbing another jar instead.

“That’s enough. Your reforged weapon’s right there. Take it and leave. You’re sucking the life out of me.”

“Ah.”

A smile escaped me. Volundr clicked his tongue in irritation.

“What’s the point of being strong if you’re incomplete as a person?”

Today, his rice wine tasted more bitter than usual.