Death Flag System: I Became An Extra From The Author Who Killed Me!
Chapter 73: The Best Therapist
"Ah! Oh. What a..."
Letdown.
Cillian’s excitement slowly faded into utter disappointment when he realized that he had been expecting too much from being inside the Runic Gate.
It was just a bunch of paths, with a bunch of rooms, and a bunch of items placed in order here and there.
Well, he already knew that Runic Gates had some uniqueness about them, and it’s the fact that there’s no monster inside. It’s unlike the webnovels he had read, where the gates had at least monsters guarding them.
Instead, the purpose of the Runic Gates is to ’clear’ the gate’s condition with options to ’destroy’ and ’maintain’ them.
And to Hensel Hospital, previously known as the Conjoined Building, the clearing task was to ’heal’ an injured statue inside.
That’s why Cillian couldn’t help but think about why the author hasn’t given any common enemy relating to the Runic Gates. Aside from clearing it, what was its other purpose, since this setup is a bit boring?
’Usually, when gates or portals are mentioned in novels and entered, it’s almost associated with monsters blocking their paths here and there.’
Yet this world is different.
Just clear it, and someone will receive the Pieces inside.
’Hah, I get that the author is trying not to be so cliché, but adding monsters would be fun, wouldn’t it? But then again, thinking that this world is written by one mind is pretty intense.’
Cillian sighed while shaking his head.
’I really need to stop thinking that this is made by someone when clearly it’s not. No wonder the family is thinking I’ve gone crazy.’
Cillian continued following Ella around as his thoughts went adrift.
’I’ve researched that there are two types of Runic Gates. This one clearly falls on the Fortune Gate.’
Fortune Runic Gate, or Fortune Gate for short, is the term used for gates that can ’potentially’ benefit the human instead of doing them harm. However, the reason Ruiners are dead set on clearing gates is because of the other side of the category of this gate, known as the Disaster Runic Gate.
These are the types of gates that negatively affect reality, and there are a bunch of them that had already existed and still continue to appear to this day.
What happened near the Disaster Gates? It was simple.
The gate’s exuding power was too much for the world to handle. Hence, clearing it as quickly as possible and choosing the ’destroy’ option under the clearing conditions was the right decision.
Besides, why would anyone maintain something harmful that could potentially endanger the world? It was better to get rid of it.
That’s why it was the Ruiner’s official job to do it, since they had the ability to clear them, especially those who were experts in the field.
But there are those gates that couldn’t be cleared at all, resulting in casualties. This world calls them Unconquerable.
"We’re here, Cillian. Father appointed you to the best therapist there is."
’Best therapist, huh.’
Cillian thought inwardly before he was handed a paper that was related to the current appointment.
"Good luck."
Ella looked at him with slightly teary eyes, as if she were sending her brother off overseas, leaving her behind. Cillian watched her blankly for a moment before smiling.
He then entered the room, feeling completely bored.
That was until he saw something that made his face change into a frown.
[Death Flag]
A death flag.
The therapist noticed the change on Cillian’s face and called out to it in a humorous way.
"Usually, when people come in for sessions here, they are either afraid or expectant about what will happen. That’s the normal reaction I get every time. The former are usually the ones who need help, and the latter are... well, beyond help, I guess?"
Cillian quickly removed the face he was making before looking down at the paper in his hand, looking at the name of the therapist who was waiting patiently in a grand chair with a relaxed expression.
Name: Arthur Potter
"You are Cillian Sparrow, correct?"
Arthur stood up, his slanted black eyes fixed on him as his dry lips moved in a calm tone. He felt that Cillian might jump away like a scared cat if he made a mistake.
"Uhm, yes."
Cillian calmly replied.
’My flag is not changing. Does that mean that it’s the person who had the possibility of dying? Will it change where I’ll be affected if I continue to be associated with him?’
Is it an enemy? Or is it someone who could possibly die in the future?
Questions filled Cillian’s mind before a small smile escaped his lips, feeling a tinge of excitement about how this event would unfold.
"Hmm?"
Arthur saw Cillian raise his lips slightly, which made him tilt his head in confusion. Then he watched Cillian close the door behind him, leaving him completely isolated with his patient.
...
"I see. Your experience at the Academy is indeed really painful. That’s all the questions I’m curious about today."
Arthur closed his notebook on his lap, which he used to write down what happened during their session. It was an hour of back-and-forth talking with the patient that had he had presumed to have suffered mentally at the Academy.
Yet, Arthur found it false, as he calmly stated.
"Cillian, based on what I have gathered around you that was given by your father, your condition seems unstable. Yet the way you talk now is no different from how people usually converse with people. I think you’re healthy."
Cillian couldn’t help but be impressed that Arthur, his therapist, was telling this to him that he couldn’t say convincingly to his family.
"That’s what I’m trying to say to my family, sir."
Arthur nodded.
"Still, even if you’re very healthy, you still have to attend sessions. It’s our first meeting today, and I want to gather more evidence if my judgment of you is right. I will contact your father through a wired telephone. You got it? Our meeting will be every other day."
Cillian didn’t reject the offer, as he also wished to meet Arthur to further study the reaction of the flags. If there had been any risk showing right now, he would have surely rejected it.
[White Flag]
Yet his flag still remained white.
During their talk, Cillian carefully observed how his flag reacted, and it somehow did not change even with a Death Flag nearby.
It might fall to the three-possibility flag he had discovered a while ago, but he wanted more proof while doing things moderately.
That’s why Cillian couldn’t help but ask Arthur some things.
"Sir, if I’m not bothering you, may I ask what kind of person you are? Are you famous? My sister said my family brought me to the best therapist there is, with the help of my father, so I was curious about you."
"Oh?"
Arthur grew excited as he put the notebook on his lap at the nearby table and relaxed in his grand chair. He massaged his neck and told him with a smile.
"Hmm, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m indeed the best in this field, at least on the Viola Family’s territory. I had loyal patients across the land before I landed at the Hensel Hospital. With the job offer, I was able to build a reputation here."
Arthur began to tell his life story as Cillian listened attentively, hoping he would slip up and accidentally reveal something important.