“Junior brother, do you feel better now?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“…”
Leo smiled softly as he answered. But it was clear that it was a weak smile and that he was just doing it for her sake. This was natural, for he’d gone several days without having anything to eat.
Nevertheless, Min Ha-rin simply nodded her head without revealing any of her inner thoughts.
She couldn’t help but think about her two younger siblings in Korea. Although their personalities were different, they were very similar in stubbornly pretending to be strong even when they didn’t have to be.
In a situation like this one, arguing would just be counterproductive.
‘It’s understandable.’
He’d been held captive by one of the Five Dukes for several days.
He hadn’t even managed to fully overcome his trauma towards the Demons before he was forced to face a being who stood at their peak. His entire body must have frozen in front of her like a frog before a snake.
In addition, almost every hunter in the Canada Branch had died.
Leo was the only survivor.
For Leo, who had lost his entire family in a similar event, this was a disaster.
Min Ha-rin looked down at her one and only junior brother before saying bitterly.
“Make sure you eat properly. How will people look at us if we’re all skinny?”
“We?”
“Master is already very thin. Others might say that the skinny people are uniting.”
“Haha.”
Leo let out a light laugh.
“You’re right.”
The most important thing for a Warrior was the maintenance of their body. Although the significance of their mental state couldn’t be ignored, martial arts were originally meant to hone and polish the body.
Nevertheless, Leo was incredibly grateful for Min Ha-rin’s consideration by giving joking advice instead of a harsh admonition. If he had an older sister, he felt she would be just like this.
“You saw Master, right?”
“Yeah.”
“How is he? Did his mission go well?”
“I think so, but…”
When Min Ha-rin’s voice faded at the end of her words, Leo turned to her with a serious expression.
“Did you notice something strange…?”
“…”
Min Ha-rin didn’t answer immediately and was silent for a moment.
She was thinking about Joanna Goldberg, the woman who had been unforgettably disrespectful to them when they first met.
When she first heard that Lukas was going on a mission to Africa alone with that woman, Min Ha-rin was shocked.
Of course, she hadn’t been worried about Lukas’ safety. Min Ha-rin could not imagine her Master encountering any danger.
However, the thought that Joanna might be rude to him when she wasn’t around made her shudder with displeasure.
But today, Min Ha-rin seemed to feel a different atmosphere from the two of them. She wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but she was certain that the dynamic between them was very different from before they left as if they had some kind of connection.
…Of course, these were all just simple guesses without any confirmation.
In fact, it was possible that nothing had happened between the two of them and that Min Ha-rin’s thoughts were only a misunderstanding. If that were the case, then Min Ha-rin’s thoughts would have been nothing but a delusion.
Nevertheless, she wouldn’t tell Leo this delusion.
“No. It’s nothing.”
Just as Min Ha-rin shook her head, they heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Min Ha-rin and Leo thought that it was Lukas who’d arrived, and they turned with large smiles on their faces.
But it wasn’t him who opened the door and revealed himself.
“…Mr. Vincent?”
“Do you have a second?”
When Vincent said this with a heavier expression than usual, Min Ha-rin nodded with little hesitation.
Vincent then turned to Leo who was sitting on the bed and said.
“You look much better now.”
“Yeah… But, didn’t you have a meeting, Mr. Vincent? Is it over already?”
“No. The meeting is still underway. I simply excused myself for a moment.”
After saying that, Vincent didn’t say anything more and remained silent for a while.
This was the attitude he was displaying despite coming here to them. Was it a topic that he couldn’t broach easily?
With that thought, Min Ha-rin decided to open her mouth first.
“Um. How is President Neil doing?”
“To be honest, it’s not looking very good at the moment. It wouldn’t be strange if he died right now.”
Leo’s expression darkened at those words. This was because he knew it was Neil who’d saved him.
This fact caused Leo to feel a deep sense of gratitude and guilt.
Vincent’s eyes turned to Mn Ha-rin.
“…Min Ha-rin, I heard you were active in the Korea Branch for a while.”
“Ah, yeah.”
To be precise, she had been active in the entire Asian region, apart from Japan. Of course, she’d been more active in Korea. It was her greatest wish to achieve peace in her homeland more than anywhere else.
In truth, such patriotism was rare in this day and age. After all, it was hard to feel patriotic when the distinction between countries was not as clear as it had been in the past.
Now, the act of asking a hunter about their country was more to identify which branch they belonged to rather than where they were from.
“There is something urgent that needs to be done in Korea. Can you help us?”
“In Korea? Why there…?”
Vincent roughly explained the situation to an astonished Min Ha-rin. But as his explanation progressed, her expression became more and more serious.
After hearing everything he had to say, she muttered with a serious expression.
“Saint of Salvation…”
One of the Top Three.
She’d heard that he used holy power even more powerful than that of the Cardinals’ and the Pope’s of the Catholic church.
There were several reasons why he was famous, but one of his greatest achievements was his feat in Australia.
“There were rumours that he single-handedly killed five Marquises and raised the dead…” (TL: Marquis is between Duke and Count)
“I’d like to dismiss those as false rumors, but the testimonies of the eyewitnesses prevent that.”
In truth, the part that was the most shocking wasn’t the slaying of the Marquises but bringing the dead back to life.
Resurrection.
That was why he was called the Saint.
Of course, Min Ha-rin and Vincent were very skeptical about the rumors. It was different from other rumors.
For example, it sounded far less credible than Kran, another of the Top Three, slaying a Duke alone.
“…since you want to find him, does that mean that America knows the Saint’s true ability?”
“That’s not the case. Very little is known about the Top Three.”
Vincent muttered in a bitter tone. It was an honest statement.
Unlike Kran, who never hid himself, moved alone, and usually didn’t care if people were monitoring him, the other paid close attention to remaining hidden.
The Black Witch who had never exposed her real appearance to the world or the Saint whose true appearance was still unknown because of the inconsistencies given by various eyewitnesses.
The two of them also had their own supporting forces.
The Black Witch’s <Shroud of Night>.
The Saint’s <Eternal Life Church>.
Both forces had fanatical loyalty to the two members of the Top Three, who were their founders and leaders.
“…”
Min Ha-rin could feel the slight desperation and resignation in Vincent’s voice.
It was only then when she realised. Just how desperate this man in front of her was. Glancing down at Leo who was lying on his bed, Min Ha-rin slowly opened her mouth.
“…I know the communication line that connects to Korea.”
“Really?”
Avoiding Vincent’s gaze, she continued in a heavy voice.
“Yeah. However… they wouldn’t let anyone other than me use the Warp Portal. Even if I talk to them and ask to bring companions, they wouldn’t let me bring more than two. No, three.”
“I see…”
Vincent, who’d appeared hopeful at first, deflated with a disappointed expression.
He remained silent for a moment with his head lowered before finally looking up at Min Ha-rin. The look in his eyes changed as though he’d finally made up his mind about something.
Then, without saying anything else, Vincent kneeled on the floor.
“M-, Mr. Vincent?”
“I know this is a very shameless act. But this is the only option left. Please. Please save the Association President.”
Thud.
Vincent’s forehead hit the floor with a dull sound.
“Please. I beg you to help us.”
Min Ha-rin looked down at Vincent, unable to say anything for a long time.
(TL: Just a refresher of the Demon Noble rankings that have been mentioned so far.
King
Five Dukes
Duke
Marquis
Count
Viscount
Baron)