#258
Zhuge Family (4)
Swish—
As the tea flowed from the kettle into the cup, a gentle aroma spread throughout the room.
The interior, elegantly decorated yet simple, exuded a classic charm.
In this room, which instinctively reminded one of a scholar’s residence, the Grand Chief of the Zhuge Family, Zhuge Gunak, slowly raised his teacup to savor the fragrance.
Hmm.
Although he had long since lost his sight, there was no clumsiness in his movements as he performed the tea ceremony.
After years of training, he possessed a heightened sensitivity that allowed him to manage such daily tasks without any trouble.
‘Harris… and Ha Seung-hoon.’
And, of course.
That sensitivity was also very useful in perceiving others.
This included the two unexpected visitors who had suddenly arrived.
‘They’re from another world, huh… These guests are truly out of the ordinary.’
However, even Zhuge Gunak found it challenging to get a grasp on the two.
Though he had interacted with a few otherworlders in his youth, these two were vastly different in their characteristics, behavior, and abilities.
‘But neither of them seems to be evil, and I don’t sense any hostility. Rather, it feels closer to goodwill?’
Despite Harris’s somewhat rude demeanor, it wasn’t entirely unexpected for a person of such strength to be arrogant.
Now they had taken the initiative to express their willingness to mend relations.
By deliberately mentioning Ha Seung-hoon’s healing abilities to him.
‘How they knew about Hye-mi’s condition, I can’t quite tell…’
It was a blatant scheme, but Zhuge Gunak pretended to be oblivious and cooperated.
He understood it was a gesture of reconciliation and cooperation they had extended first.
‘Though there are still many uncertainties.’
While talking with Harris, he had already sensed that he was hiding something.
The same went for the winged foreigner whom he suspected was the cause of this chaos.
Yet, the animosity he exhibited was genuine…
Hmm, I suppose I should keep a closer watch on them.
For now, no immediate action was needed; maintaining a friendly relationship was advisable.
That was the first impression the Grand Chief, who was too busy to deal with the outsiders himself, had formed.
“Hah, and he’s also the savior of my only granddaughter. Didn’t they say she’s already showing signs of recovery? I’ve been holding back, worried that an old man like me might cause some trouble. I might finally get to see my granddaughter’s face after so long.”
A small smile appeared on Zhuge Gunak’s face as he enjoyed the tea and organized his thoughts.
As the elder of the family, all matters prioritized the Zhuge Clan, yet he too worried for his sick granddaughter.
‘One is a master inheritor of the Mystic Sect’s Heavenly Secrets. The other is a divine doctor who saved a patient that even renowned healers from the clan and beyond had given up on… To call him a divine doctor, how fortuitous it is to form a connection with them!’
Yet, even amidst all this, his instinct to weigh gains and losses remained an unavoidable destiny for his clan.
*
Healing through holy power was not all-powerful.
Certainly, given that it was granted directly by a saint, its efficacy was guaranteed, but treating severe illnesses required considerable time and effort.
This case was no different.
It had been three days since Hugo began to use holy power to heal the ‘miss.’
Boom—
Once again, soft light seeped from the holy emblem and naturally absorbed into the body of the healing subject.
While the scene was identical to the first day, something had notably changed since then…
“Mmm, it’s fascinating. It feels different from my internal energy. How should I put it? It feels warmer, like it’s embracing me…”
It was indeed a significant change that the Zhuge family’s precious granddaughter, Zhuge Hye-mi, was awake.
After being in a comatose state, she regained consciousness on the second day of treatment.
The pale, corpse-like complexion of her face now bore a subtle flush, and her skin radiated life far more than before.
Compared to the past when she was barely hanging on despite using various elixirs, the shift was dramatically evident.
And this was only the third treatment.
‘It’s a relief that it’s effective, but there’s something unusual about how she reacts to holy power compared to other ailments, isn’t there? Wait, is this even a disease?’
But Hugo, who was administering the treatment, could only wear a perplexed expression.
He sensed something was different, but as someone unbaptized who merely transferred holy power through a medium, he couldn’t precisely identify the issue.
‘If Heinrich were here to check directly, it would be much clearer.’
However, that was impossible for now, so he had no choice but to observe long-term changes indirectly.
Given the circumstances, he doubted this treatment would wrap up in the short term.
‘But at least she is recovering, that much is certain. If I can continue alongside existing treatments, maybe it’ll shorten the timeframe.’
It was somewhat petty, but perhaps this duration could establish a closer bond with the Zhuge family, which didn’t seem too bad.
Sure, Heinrich would find it a bit bothersome to keep supplying holy power, but…
“Ah, it’s been ages since I felt this way. No, it might be the first time? I’ve been weak since I was little. Really since I was born…”
During the treatment, he could engage in various conversations with Zhuge Hye-mi.
Having lain in the room all this time, she seemed to have a lot to rant about, incessantly chatting to him—who could be considered an outsider.
Thanks to this, after only two days of being acquainted, Hugo had inadvertently learned a great deal about her.
She was the youngest with three older brothers, her biological mother had passed right after giving birth, and she considered herself a cursed child who had caused chaos in the world since birth…
Most of her playful remarks carried an undertone of self-pity and melancholy, but one specific aspect piqued his interest.
“Hmm, excuse me, Zhuge-soja, how old are you?”
“Eh? Are you asking a lady’s age? Hmm— Prince, I didn’t think you’d be lacking in subtlety…”
Better stop her there.
If he let her keep rambling, who knows how long it would take.
To that, Hugo boldly interrupted her.
“As far as I know, the world fell apart because of that incident 22 years ago, right?”
“Yeah? That’s right. Although it’s not a widely known fact.”
“So your age is twenty-two?”
“Um, um. Do we really have to get into the specifics? Just slide by it casually, Prince…”
He glanced at her, pouting her lips and puffing out her cheeks, though he wore a reluctant expression.
With her appearance and behavior, she looked no older than a teenager.
‘Well, considering she mentioned being sick since childhood, that’s plausible.’
This was certainly possible, and truthfully, it wasn’t that significant of a matter.
What was currently on his mind was that, coincidentally, a major event occurred in the year she was born—when the foundations of this world quaked.
‘Coincidence?’
It’s unlikely it’s due to some kind of curse, but perhaps there’s a link between the event and her illness…
“By the way, how old are you, Prince?”
Amidst his ponderings, Zhuge Hye-mi posed a cheerful question.
As if to ask when he had been sulking, her face returned to a vibrant smile.
“Twenty-three.”
He replied firmly.
Fearing that claiming to be younger would dive him deeper into complications, he deliberately raised his age, yet in reality, it wasn’t far from the truth.
While his Earth age was still twenty, he had also spent three years in this other world.
Practically speaking, he could claim to be twenty-three, and considering he sent multiple avatars with denser time than others, perhaps he deserved even more credit.
“Ah! You’re my age? I thought you might be older! Hehe.”
Is this a subtle jab, saying he looks older?
He fleetingly entertained that notion, but her grin seemed genuinely innocent.
Dealing with her was undoubtedly going to be exhausting.
Yawn—
At that moment, unexpectedly yawning, she quickly covered her mouth in surprise.
She remained frozen momentarily, as if she hadn’t realized she had yawned, before discreetly peeking around with her round eyes.
“You must be tired. Since today’s treatment has concluded, you should sleep now.”
“No, no! I’m not that tired! I feel perfectly fine!”
“Don’t be stubborn. Rest is a necessary process for recovery. Speaking tires you out, so let’s stop here for today.”
Hugo said assertively, rising from his seat.
It was the perfect chance he had been waiting for.
“Will you come again tomorrow?”
“Of course. I plan to come every day for a while.”
“…Okay, then.”
With that, the downcast Zhuge Hye-mi hesitated before snuggling back into her bed.
Though they had only just met, the familiarity was over-the-top, yet for her, he was her savior, and thus it wasn’t strange at all.
‘Maybe she needed someone to comfortably confide in.’
Someone who wasn’t family or part of her clan—an outsider entirely unrelated to her past.
Reflecting on what she had said made it easier to understand.
“…See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow.”
With that, Hugo smoothly settled into his new life in the Ganghwan Realm with newfound connections.
*
In one corner of a battleground that looked like a scene from an epic battle.
Boom—
A heavy atmosphere surrounded a man kneeling in reverent prayer with his hands clasped.
Despite his stillness and simple act of prayer, his solemn demeanor emitted overwhelming intimidation to anyone watching.
And at that moment, someone was gazing at him in admiration—
‘Indeed, Sir Heinrich! He doesn’t take a break from praying, even for a moment!’
It was none other than Liesta, the saintess of the Holy Church Order.
Right after slaying another White Giant that had emerged.
After assisting the victims in her region, she had rushed back and now gazed at Heinrich, who was praying with a glimmer of awe in her eyes.
‘I can’t be outdone!’
Feeling the surge of holy power radiating from him, the fervor of her faith seemed to ignite within her.
So, she cautiously took a seat beside him and assumed a similar prayer posture.
Despite being quite fatigued after just employing an expansive healing holy law nearby after a battle, she couldn’t let herself complain when Heinrich, who had led the fight and cleaned up afterward, demonstrated such faithful devotion.
In this solemn space where divine power flowed like a river, the saint and saintess prayed together to the Holy God—
‘Um, is this enough?’
Today, Heinrich successfully replenished the holy power he would send to the Ganghwan Realm.
*
“Here too! This is a true treasure trove!”
Harris grinned as he picked up a massive plant roots, as thick as his arm.
This was Mudang Mountain, located not far from Yung Jung Mountain, where the Zhuge family resided.
A sacred mountain that housed the massive Wu Sect, one of the great factions in the Ganghwan Realm.
‘Of course, this is just my territory for now.’
Being in this vibrant place made him feel the difference in the energy now.
He realized that the essence of the elixirs he had gathered wasn’t as satisfying as he had hoped.
‘Just like at the Zhuge family. The overall effectiveness of the elixirs has been declining.’
That was entirely due to his heightened sensitivity to the surrounding energies, negatively affected by the drying out of the world’s qi.
Other elixirs left in this world would likely be in a similar state, unless they were grown from dragon veins.
This implied that the value of elixirs derived from dragon veins was on the rise.
‘And of course, our Hugo deserves only the best!’
Even with elixirs, consuming too many can build resistance, diminishing their effects; thus, he had no room to fill up that limit with subpar options.
For his dear child, he should only serve thoroughly selected ingredients.
‘Thinking about it, passing the elixirs gathered from other locations to the Zhuge family was a brilliant choice. I could show off just enough while contributing!’
With a contented nod, Harris buzzed around collecting notable elixirs here and there.
Given that time was of the essence, it was wise to avoid attracting attention and not stir unnecessary friction.
‘Though I’m bound to return when the chance arises. Still, I should gather the essentials that Hugo calls for and prepare them now.’
As he collected, the quantity exceeded what he initially expected, but ideally, abundance was better than scarcity.
If he ultimately found them excessive, he could always generously share some with others.
‘Hmm, I suppose this will suffice for now. Time to head back…’
On the tenth day since Harris entered the Ganghwan Realm.
He was ready to make a true labor voyage back to Auterica.
