You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿-Chapter 101

I saw Lee Pyeong-hwa furrow his brows reflexively, and I realized, "Ah, crap."

"Stop biting your nails."

"Just go out and buy a bagel or something, please."

"Is that a passive-aggressive way of saying you want a bagel?"

"Would I say something like that?"

Seeing his irritation, I thought it was probably because he was low on carbs, which is why I said it.

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"If you're tired, just say it. The hospital told you not to push yourself, to come back as soon as you're tired."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

I stopped biting my nails and looked at Han Jae-young and Seol Mae, who could be seen through the dirty window.

We had gotten permission from the hospital for a half-day outing, and the plan was to watch over Seol Mae.

Currently, Han Jae-young was looking into the social security system Seol Mae needed to enter.

To be more precise, he was now in the process of formally taking over the responsibility of Seol Mae, which had been more or less incidental due to the dungeon disaster.

Seol Mae’s mother, who had forced her into the dungeon, Lee Woo-ri, was currently awaiting trial in family court for child abuse charges, separated from Seol Mae.

Of course, even if she hadn't gone to trial, Lee Woo-ri still wouldn't be entrusted with Seol Mae again.

However, Han Jae-young and Yoo Han-ul had no real way to do anything about it, since we were all South Korean nationals.

Even worse, Han Jae-young, Lee Pyeong-hwa, and I were now in America, having been suddenly dropped there due to the dimensional disaster.

Technically, we were "refugees," and without submitting the medical report from the hospital, we had to leave the country soon.

So, we were in no position to protect minors like Seol Mae.

We could even face punishment if it were discovered that someone without the proper qualifications was caring for a child.

That’s why Han Jae-young was trying to figure out where Seol Mae could be protected.

"She’ll probably be placed with a foster family again, but the problem is that there are so many kids like Seol Mae in New York that they say there’s no room."

Even though the World Hunter Association's headquarters was there, after the upheaval caused by the dungeon and monsters, public safety worldwide had drastically decreased compared to before.

Still, New York is New York, and in the expensive buildings of the downtown area, they’ve managed to maintain safety close to the pre-upheaval level by hiring hunters, but Harlem and the outskirts are different.

I heard that the dungeon risk management there is almost nonexistent.

As a /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ result, there are cases where homeless people jump into the dungeon, thinking it’s safer inside.

It’s clear that this is happening, but nothing is being improved due to lack of capital and manpower.

Capitalism has reached the point where human life is even measured in monetary terms.

Well, in truth, whether it’s the country, the social system, or even race, people’s lives tend to unfold the same way everywhere.

The weak die first.

It’s no different from animals.

"Ha."

Soon, Han Jae-young, finishing his conversation with the staff, came out with Seol Mae.

Lee Pyeong-hwa immediately jumped up from his seat.

"Hey, what happened? Are they really taking her today?"

"Yeah, they said the guardian will come to take her if we wait here."

"...I see."

Lee Pyeong-hwa looked at Seol Mae with an expression that seemed like he was about to cry.

Seol Mae, sensing the strange atmosphere, held onto Han Jae-young’s hand and nervously looked around.

"She’s going straight to a foster family?"

"No, she’ll stay at the shelter for a bit before going to the foster family. She ran away from a foster family once before, so they need to match her carefully."

Come to think of it, Seol Mae had a history of running away from a foster family because she couldn’t adjust.

"She probably had a hard time adjusting. The language barrier, and she’s never interacted with other kids."

Although I’m not familiar with American society, it makes sense since she grew up isolated and couldn’t even speak the primary language of the society—English.

An unusual child who couldn’t fit into society.

It was something I also went through.

But in my case, I wasn’t as affected because of the anomaly of remembering my past life, but not all children are lucky enough to have that.

Lee Pyeong-hwa asked.

"So, does that mean we’re saying goodbye here?"

"Yeah, we can’t take responsibility for Seol Mae anymore."

"Does Seol Mae know about this?"

"Yeah, I told her... Don’t let her see you looking too anxious, Lee Pyeong-hwa Hunter. It’ll make her more nervous."

"Oh, right. Sorry..."

Lee Pyeong-hwa quickly wiped his reddened nose and turned his head.

It seemed like he had gotten too caught up in Seol Mae’s situation.

Since he had been the closest to Seol Mae during our dungeon raids, maybe he had formed a deeper bond with her than the others.

"But Seol Mae is just so..."

"Are you okay?"

A mechanical-like sound echoed.

Han Jae-young had given Seol Mae a temporary translator.

Of course, the translator was limited in its ability to work without the user’s magical power, but it was enough to communicate in short exchanges.

Seol Mae held Lee Pyeong-hwa’s hand and gently tapped the back of it.

"Don’t cry."

The child was more mature than I thought.

When I heard Seol Mae speaking hesitantly through the translator, Lee Pyeong-hwa started sniffing again.

Still, I could tell he wasn’t overly worried because Han Jae-young’s tone softened somewhat.

"You don’t need to worry too much. I’ve already informed our guild, HP Guild, about Seol Mae. They’re helping kids as part of their community outreach. We’ll find a foster family for her soon."

"Yeah, yeah. Seol Mae, I’ll give you my phone number later."

"I don’t have a phone."

"Oh, right. I’ll buy you one before we part. Is that okay? I’m sure it is?"

"That would be so nice!"

"...Hm?"

While Lee Pyeong-hwa and Seol Mae were talking happily, the staff member sitting in the office knocked on the window.

Seeing the pile of documents in hand, it seemed there was something missing.

Han Jae-young frowned.

"I thought we submitted all the required papers, why are they acting like that? These American civil servants... Wait here. I’ll be right back."

Since there were a lot of people waiting, there were chairs prepared for visitors in one corner of the office.

As Lee Pyeong-hwa was having a long conversation with Seol Mae using the translator, I looked around.

"Stay with Seol Mae here for a bit, Jeong Da-on. I’ll be back shortly."

"Where are you going?"

"Just wait!"

"Hey."

Lee Pyeong-hwa rushed out of the office without saying anything more.

It was obvious.

He was probably going to buy a phone or a tablet and give it to Seol Mae.

"Well, if she’s spending her own money..."

There was no real reason to stop him.

Only, when we stepped out into the hallway, Seol Mae and I were left alone.

The office had been bustling and noisy, but no one paid attention to the Asian girl sitting quietly in the hallway.

Seol Mae awkwardly sat next to me, quietly observing the situation.

What would happen to this child?

I heard that Han Jae-young had asked the guild for sponsorship, so things would improve financially, but that didn’t mean Seol Mae’s situation would get any easier.

She was separated from her biological mother, who had dragged her into the dungeon, and would now have to adjust to a new foster family without speaking the language properly.

Unlike me, she didn’t have siblings desperately trying to protect her.

"...I guess it’s not my place to worry about others."

"Yeah?"

I glanced around for a moment.

Since Lee Pyeong-hwa had gone to buy a phone, it would take a while before he came back. Han Jae-young was still in the office, and it looked like his meeting with the staff would take some time.

If there was anything I could do for her, this was probably my last chance.

I wasn’t some princess protected by knights, nor was I a kindly fairy godmother, so I didn’t feel any obligation to repay a debt.

But still...

"I owe you one inside the dungeon."

Without Seol Mae, I wouldn’t have met the criteria for the keyword "foolish honor."

This was definitely a debt.

And I’m not a beast.

"Would you give me your hand?"

"Huh?"

Seol Mae tilted her head but extended her hand to me without hesitation.

When she grows up, she’ll probably learn not to offer her hand to just anyone...

I took a deep breath, then extracted my magical energy like a thin thread and began to explore Seol Mae’s body.

"It feels weird."

Seol Mae furrowed her brows, probably sensing the foreign magical energy flowing into her.

I smiled slightly at that.

"Good, I’m glad you can feel it."

The magic I extended through the thread quickly explored Seol Mae’s veins and body.

"You’re not bad."

Her magical circuit, as well as her physical capacity to handle it, were decent.

Even though this was a special dungeon with almost no living creatures, the fact that she had survived almost entirely on her own was impressive.

If she grows like this, she’ll probably have a potential grade of C by the time she becomes an adult.

That’s enough to make a living, but...

I firmly gripped Seol Mae’s hand.

And then...

"It’s going to sting for a moment, but bear with it."

Boom!

It wasn’t a physical shock.

But maybe because of the pressure exerted on her body for a moment, Seol Mae’s eyes widened in surprise.

To her, it probably felt like someone popped popcorn inside her head.

"What was that? What did you do?"

"Remember that feeling. That’s how you use magic."

"Magic?"

Seol Mae tilted her head, probably because of the translator’s poor performance or because she didn’t understand what had just happened.

She didn’t realize what kind of luck she’d just caught.

I chuckled.

"If it were in my past life, you’d be on your knees thanking me for this."

Magical circuits, the talent to control magic—they’re all innate.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for development later on.

Especially at such a young age, with the body not yet fully formed and the magical circuits flexible, the result would be significantly different if someone like me, a grand wizard, intervened.

For example, by just activating her magical circuits like this...

Of course, not everyone could do this.

If the magic control was even a little bit off, or if there was too much magic, Seol Mae’s circuits could rupture and cause permanent damage.

But the one doing this isn’t just any magician. It’s me.

"Now, try doing it yourself."

"Like this?"

"Yes, that’s right."

And Seol Mae began to move her magic awkwardly, following my guidance.

Her magic control was poor, but there’s a huge difference between knowing the feeling and being ignorant.

After the magic had circulated around her body, Seol Mae looked at me with a flushed face.

"It’s amazing!"

"Do it every day by yourself, and you’ll get stronger, your body will get healthier, and you’ll grow taller."

"Really? I’ll grow taller?"

"Of course, you will."

Her innate potential might be C-grade, but if she practices every day like this, she could reach B-grade, or even A-grade depending on her abilities.

In a world where people with abilities survive more easily, this is definitely a gift.

After helping her master the feeling a few more times, I let go of her hand.

"Why? Why?"

Seol Mae seemed to want to feel the magic more, but I shook my head.

This was enough to pay back the debt.

"Now, it’s really time to say goodbye."

Han Jae-young and Lee Pyeong-hwa should be coming back soon.

"I hope you think of this as a bad dream, and from now on, live well without getting involved in things like this."

Like the plum blossom that blooms even in winter, I hope you stay strong.

I probably won’t see you again.

Just as I was about to let go of Seol Mae’s hand...

Seol Mae hurriedly grabbed my hand and spoke.

"Unnie."

This time, it wasn’t the mechanical sound of the translator.

Seol Mae had said it herself.

I was surprised and looked at her, and Seol Mae held my hand with sparkling eyes, speaking clearly, like she had practiced.

"Thank you. See you again."