Min Ha-rin frowned slightly.
“…I’ll have to increase my mana capacity first.”
“Right. Also… Do you still have the Soul Crystal?”
Min Ha-rin nodded. She knew that he was talking about Sandro’s Soul Crystal.
“Yeah. Do you need it?”
“No. Make sure you don’t lose it. When you reach 5 stars, you’ll be able to use the crystal to train.”
Min Ha-rin’s expression became a bit stiff before she asked carefully.
“…are you talking about absorbing the energy in the Soul Crystal?”
This was a very controversial topic among hunters.
The souls in the Soul Crystals were constantly eroded by demonic energy, which caused them to become large sources of pure energy.
This meant that they were a great resource for not only the Demons but also the hunters as well.
Swordsmen or Warriors could use it to increase their ki while Wizards and other mana users could use it to increase their mana. Or if their ki or mana ran out, they could use Soul Crystals to replenish.
Soul Crystals were high-quality elixirs that were created by using the suffering and despair of numerous victims.
Because of this, there were many voices saying that increasing one’s power at the cost of others’ souls was inhumane. Religious forces, in particular, were strongly opposed to the practice.
It was one of the rare times when Catholicism and Buddhism were in agreement about something.
Min Ha-rin did not criticise others for the practice because of her own morals, but she was still reluctant to sacrifice souls for her own gain.
Lukas shook his head.
“Of course not. I guess you haven’t heard of it. There is a way to save the souls in a Soul Crystal.”
“There’s a way to do that?”
“Right.”
“Then why…”
Why didn’t he teach it to other humans?
Min Ha-rin wanted to ask this question, but she closed her mouth instead. The image of Lee Jong-hak flashed in her mind.
There might have been a reason why he chose not to tell them.
But Lukas shook his head with a bitter expression.
“…I already taught them how to do it.”
“Huh?”
Min Ha-rin stared at him with wide eyes.
“However, my teaching didn’t spread. Most of the humans I taught chose to remain silent about the method.”
“Why…?”
“Because it is clear to everyone that the energy stored in Soul Crystals is incredibly efficient. They lied to the world and said that there was no way to save the souls in a Soul Crystal in order to prevent the humanitarian backlash.”
“That…”
Min Ha-rin bit her lip.
She never would have imagined that such a dreadful thing had been happening.
But Lukas simply looked at her and said.
“Do you think they’re wrong?”
“Of course I do! The souls in the crystals can be saved, but they are using them like fuel…”
“There was a time when two Demon Counts suddenly appeared in Shaanxi Province, China.”
“Huh?”
“It was a sudden attack, and the humans were not prepared for it. At the time, a Wizard from Shaanxi used hundreds of Soul Crystals to form a large, powerful barrier, which allowed the humans to successfully survive the attack without any casualties.”
“…!”
Min Ha-rin froze, but Lukas continued.
“If the Demons hadn’t been stopped, then at least tens of thousands of people would have been killed or imprisoned by them, but thanks to the Wizard’s quick response, the damage was minimal. Would you go tell that Wizard that he had thrown away the souls of countless humans and deserved to be hated instead of praised?”
“…”
Min Ha-rin didn’t know what to say.
Lukas looked into her eyes.
“In conclusion, thanks to the Soul Crystals, many lives were saved and the Wizard became the hero of Shaanxi.”
Min Ha-rin was certain. If she had been one of those who had been saved by that man, she would have thanked him.
However…
She couldn’t help but feel conflicted.
“Then what the hell is the answer? I want to know what you think.”
“My perspective would not help you. The same goes for my conclusion.”
Lukas spoke bitterly.
“Ha-rin, I don’t know why, but I’m actually curious about your thoughts.”
“…”
“You wouldn’t hesitate to cut your own heart out, but you couldn’t stand to see someone else receive even a single scratch. That’s your most humane part.”
Min Ha-rin realised that Lukas was talking about her siblings. She spoke in a weak voice.
“That’s because they are my family. They’re all I have.”
“Not all blood relatives have such a relationship. Don’t you know that there are mothers who sell their own newborn babies? Moreover, you sacrificed yourself for Allida.”
“Excessive humility isn’t good. You made a noble choice. That is something deserving of praise.”
Min Ha-rin was honestly not confident.
Even Lukas wasn’t sure if his conclusion was the right one, so she doubted if she would be able to find the right answer.
However, when she met Lukas’ gaze, she naturally opened her mouth.
“When I come to a conclusion, you will be the first person I tell.”
Lukas smiled.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
As he said that, Lukas put his hand on Min Ha-rin’s head.
* * *
“Master, Gerard has returned.”
Lukas raised his head at Nina’s words.
“Gerard?”
“Yes. The one I told you about last time…”
“Ah.”
Lukas nodded.
She was talking about the child she’d asked him to consider taking as a disciple.
“He should be heading to my office now to make his report… If it’s fine with you, can you take a look at him now?”
“Did you tell him about me?”
“No. I didn’t say anything.”
Nina was considerate.
Lukas nodded, and a short moment after they entered the office, they heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
With Nina’s permission, the door opened and a group of people walked into the office.
There were a total of five people, three men, and two women. They were not clean, so it seemed they had come to make their report before washing up.
A young man standing in the middle of the group smiled and bowed.
“President, Gerard and the four others are here to report our return.”
Gerard.
Lukas was able to recognise the fact that he was a Swordsman at a glance because of his outfit, physique, and aura. In fact, he was a fairly strong Swordsman.
While he couldn’t be compared to Lee Jong-hak, he was comparable to Min Ha-rin when she had still been a Swordsman.
In other words, this meant that he was comparable to a Titled Hunter.
Nina nodded.
“Good job. Was the mission difficult?”
“No. It was very rewarding.”
“Have a cup of tea.”
“I’m honoured.”
Despite just returning home from a long mission, he sat on the sofa in front of Lukas without showing any tiredness.
When his eyes met with Lukas, who was sitting there, he smiled slightly and lowered his head.
He was a polite young man. Thinking this, Lukas also bowed his head to him.
Soon, Nina also came to the sofa and took a seat.
“How was your mission?”
“It was difficult more because of the Demon Beasts than the nobles. There were twice as many as reported. Fortunately, the local hunters helped us, so we were able to get through it without taking much damage.”
“That’s good.”
It was then.
“One of them is injured.”
Lukas spoke.
Gerard and the rest turned to look at Lukas when he said those words.
“Huh?”
The one he was pointing to was the man on the far left.
In all honesty, it would have been more appropriate to call him a boy than a man.
The boy was slim, and at first glance, one might even mistake him for a pretty girl. He had soft blonde hair, light blue eyes, white skin, gentle features, and an emotionless expression that didn’t seem to suit his bright appearance.
“It’s just a few scratches. I’m fine.”
He answered in a calm tone, one unbefitting of his age.
Lukas looked at him for a moment before speaking.
“Your right arm has been corroded by demonic energy. It seems you only did simple first aid, but if it’s not treated properly, you’ll probably have to amputate your arm. In the worst case scenario, you could even lose your life.”
Gerard was shocked by those words.
“Oh, my God. Leo, is he telling the truth?”
“…yeah.”
“This is my failure as the team leader. I’m sorry I didn’t notice it before.”
“It’s fine.”
“If it hurts, you should’ve said it hurts.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was that bad.”
When the boy named Leo said that, Nina nodded.
“Leo, go wait in your room. I will send a priest to heal you immediately.”
“Understood.”
“The rest of you should go back as well. You can finish your report later. Take a good rest today.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
After bowing one last time, the group got up and left the room.
Silence fell upon the room for a moment, then Nina asked carefully.
“What do you think?”
Lukas replied after a moment of silence.
“He has a good aptitude.”
“Ah. You must have liked him. Gerard is an upright and sincere child. I’m also satisfied with his strength…”
“I wasn’t talking about the child named Gerard.”
“Huh?”
Lukas sipped his coffee instead of responding.
It didn’t take long for Nina to realise who Lukas was talking about. This was because he asked to view his file.
Leo Freeman.
This boy who always had a calm expression on his face was the one that Lukas noticed.
He was British, 18 years old, and had no family.
He’d been a hunter for 3 years, and his current job was…
“Supporter?”
“Yes.”
“What is that?”
“Basically, his job is to provide assistance. He fills in the blanks in case of an emergency, or he helps to ease the burden of a particular role. But that’s only for emergency situations. Usually, he would be in charge of reconnaissance or carrying the equipment.”
In other words, he was in charge of the chores.
Lukas grasped the essence of the Supporter role in an instant.
His eyes quickly skimmed over Leo’s file.
“He has some background in martial arts. It seems he was quite outstanding as well, but he quit not long after starting. Then he learned swordsmanship, magic, and sorcery, but he didn’t do those for long either…”
“That’s right. His aptitude as a hunter is below average, but his win rate in battles is terrifying. I believe it’s about 90 percent.”
“…”
“It is said that he is particularly driven when it comes to fighting Demons. It also seems that he chose to be a supporter because he was not acknowledged by someone…”
Nina looked at Lukas who seemed to be lost in thought.
To be honest, she didn’t understand his interest in Leo.
Naturally, she also knew about Leo.
Once a month, she would stay up for an entire night going through the file of every hunter.
In a way, Leo could be called outstanding. He had a monstrous win percentage. In simulated battles against other humans, his win percentage was over 90 percent.
This meant that over the course of 10 battles, he would win 9 times.
And this win rate wasn’t because he fought opponents weaker than him. According to the data, most of Leo’s opponents were stronger than him.
Nevertheless, it was stated clearly in the file that his aptitude as a hunter was abysmal.
Lukas should have read that too. That was why she was curious as to why Lukas was interested in Leo.
‘What does Master see in Leo?’
Nina held in her doubts as she continued to look at Lukas from the side.
After a while, Lukas placed the file onto the table and said.
“I need to see him in person.”
“Huh?”
Nina couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side.