“Oh, you are awake.”
While I was pondering to myself, suddenly I felt someone’s presence entering the room. It was a woman with a good posture.
‘An instructor.’
Her uniform was changed to casual, and the nameplate was gone, but it was evident that she was a skilled individual from the way she carried herself alone.
Her hands were callused, and she had sharp-squinting eyes.
TOK!
“…..”
I just looked at her as she came closer to me with her heels hitting the ground.
“I assume you have some questions in your head.” She said with a smile. But her eyes were different. Even though she had a smile, I could see the questions lingering in there.
‘She is quite good at hiding it.’
She was experienced at hiding her thoughts showing on her face, but that didn’t mean they could escape from my trait [Perceptive Insight].
“You’re in the healing room. You were in quite a predicament back there in Dungeon B-3, but thanks to a young healer, you’re on the road to recovery.”
Hearing her words, I nodded my head. I knew this was the healing room used for the general conveniences, and it wasn’t the first time I was here.
However, one thing immediately got my attention.
‘Young healer?’
It was that word. Even though the academy had mostly lessons related to combat, that didn’t mean there weren’t any healers.
However, they needed to be nurtured first for them to be useful enough. And the wounds I got weren’t something that could be cured by an average healer.
My brows furrowed as I tried to recall the events leading up to my current state. “What happened?”
While asking, I remembered a shiny light that enveloped me when I was on the brink of that. I was desperately trying to cling to life, and that light had helped me for sure.
The instructor’s smile persisted, this time being a genuine one. “You were saved by a miracle.”
As if to press on her words, she stopped for a second as she pointed out the bed near mine.
“The healer, Sylvie, performed an extraordinary feat of healing that goes beyond ordinary skills. It’s not something you see every day, but you’re here, alive and well, thanks to her.”
The moment she said that she waved her hand, and the mana immediately moved around, forcing the curtain to slide to the side.
As she did that, she revealed the figure lying on the bed adjacent to mine.
A girl that I was quite familiar with lay there with eyes closed, a gentle rise and fall of her chest indicating peaceful slumber.
Her blonde hair cascaded around her like a halo, framing a face that could only be described as a work of art.
‘Sylvie.’
Delicate features, smooth skin, and a certain innocence that emanated from her aura made her undeniably captivating.
‘Huh? Captivating?’
However, I soon realized something. My thoughts instantly wandered around to a place that wouldn’t normally be the case.
I couldn’t help but be drawn to the scene. The air around her held a serene energy, creating a sense of tranquility in the room.
‘Don’t tell me?’
It was as if she carried an ethereal beauty that not only healed physical wounds but also touched the depths of one’s soul.
The instructor spoke with a tone of admiration, “This is Sylvie, the healer who saved you. Her skills are exceptional, surpassing what we typically see even among academy healers.”
The words spoken by the instructor and the scene I had just witnessed made it very clear about what had happened.
‘She had awakened her authority.’
[First Lord’s Authority.]
It was her trait, something that only one person in the world could have. The thing that would make her the Saintess in the future and one of the holders of the [Venerate] position.
However, even then, the authority was still lying dormant underneath for the time being, and it was supposed to keep doing so. But now, it awakened.
An event that would happen when the first year of the academy ended.
‘This will make the things troublesome.’
After all, the awakening of authority wasn’t something that could be overlooked, and certain individuals were bound to feel it, too.
“You were fortunate,” the instructor continued, her gaze shifting between Sylvie and me. “Not everyone gets the chance to be saved by such a remarkable talent. Consider yourself lucky, Astron.”
‘Lucky indeed.’
I thought as I contemplated the serendipity that had brought me to this room and the healer who had worked wonders to pull me back from the brink.
After all, I wasn’t expecting Sylvie to come, but even then, my situation was so severe that, if not for Sylvie, I am not sure I could have come out unscathed.
In the worst-case scenario, I would have died, and in the best-case scenario, I would have lost at least my arm.
Even though healing is a thing, and potions as well, there are certain limits to that, and the demonic energy inside me would have kept eating me alive.
‘This is a debt.’
Looking at the girl who was sleeping soundly without knowing the trial she would need to face from now on, I thought.
‘And, I never forget my debts.’
If she was the reason I was saved, that also meant I was the reason she was awakened. Of course, this doesn’t make me responsible for the future that she will need to face, but I am still indebted to her, and I will make sure to pay it back.
“It is kind of a fate, isn’t it?” the instructor remarked, her voice carrying a thoughtful tone. Her gaze lingered on Sylvie, who was still peacefully asleep.
I turned my attention back to the instructor, waiting for an explanation.
“When I had heard about the possibility of demon contractors attacking the dungeon, I immediately rushed to bring a healer with me,” she admitted, a slight smile playing on her lips. “And, when I entered there, I saw she was free sitting on the corner without any patient to heal.”
The instructor said as she slowly approached the girl. “But, just a moment ago, when I asked the overseer why Sylvie was not healing any participants, the answer I got was very interesting.”
“…”
“Dealing with patients, especially the more severe cases, seemed to take a toll on her for some reason from her past, and the overseer said it wasn’t the first time something like this was happening to Sylvie. And, at that time when I entered, she was apparently taking a break because her trauma was triggered.”
Hearing those words, I nodded my head. From the start, I knew what Sylvie had been struggling with, as she was one of the most important characters in the game.
Her background story was also given in detail, as she had a trauma because of a certain event she had witnessed.
‘To think it led to such results.’
“So, in a way, you could say it was a twist of fate that led her to you,” the instructor continued. “But, even the fate alone wouldn’t be enough.”
The instructor turned her attention to me with her eyes turning serious.
“I had seen a fair amount of people as a Hunter who couldn’t overcome their past. But, this girl did when she was in the most uncomfortable position she could be.”
The instructor’s gaze bore into mine, her eyes searching for understanding. “Astron, why do you think Sylvie was able to overcome her fears when she was faced with a situation that triggered her trauma?”
“…..”
I didn’t answer as I didn’t have one in the first place. Even in the game, the way Sylvie awakened wasn’t shown explicitly.
She would have awakened her trait when she had returned to her hometown after the year of the academy ended, and as the player, we wouldn’t see it.
But, if I needed to guess, the answer would be the scene triggering something inside her.
“The main reason she was able to overcome her trauma in that critical moment was you. It was your presence on the field.”
Hearing those words, I raised an eyebrow in surprise. It was a genuine surprise coming from my heart since I couldn’t understand.
I didn’t interact with Sylvie too much, aside from some circumstances. Of course, I kind of encouraged her to get better at controlling her fear, but that was all. Aside from that, my interactions with her were limited.
“Me? But I only met her recently. How could I have such an impact?”
The instructor explained, “Sylvie is not only bound by a sense of duty and her unique abilities but also by genuine emotions. Do you think, if you were not the person on the battlefield dying at that time and were someone other, she could do it?”
When she asked it, I thought about it for a second.
‘Certainly.’
If it was something that could be triggered by any other student, Sylvie would have awakened her trait a lot quicker in the game as well.
“You see it, don’t you? She’s fond of you, Astron. I am not sure about your relationship with her or what kind of past you have, but your presence became a catalyst for her to confront and overcome her trauma. Sometimes, it takes a specific person or a significant event to unlock such potential within ourselves. Sylvie found that in you.”
I pondered the instructor’s words, trying to grasp the depth of their meaning. But one thing didn’t make much sense to me.
‘Why is she talking about all those things all of a sudden?’
“So, what are you getting at with all of this? Are you suggesting there’s some sort of connection between us that goes beyond the surface?”
The instructor looked at me with a deadpan expression for a second, as if I was some sort of idiot.
‘What is this woman doing, now?’
The instructor’s deadpan expression persisted for a moment before she sighed almost in exasperation. “Are you seriously not getting it, or are you just pretending not to?”
I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Getting what?”
“…..Sigh…”
A long sigh escaped her mouth as the instructor looked at me, mumbling, ‘This will get troublesome.’
FUSH!
Just as the instructor was about to say something more, suddenly, a movement occurred from the sides.
“Hmm…..”