NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42.2
Dozens of such hearts were packed in the bag.
“Gyeoul…?”
Yeoreum waved her hand in front of my frozen gaze.
But I couldn’t move, shocked.
“Uh, ugh!”
Had the shock made me lose consciousness for a moment?
When I came to, I was already back in the container.
✱✱✱
Yeoreum had carried the frozen Gyeoul back to the container.
She was about to go inside immediately, but seeing Sophia sitting near the fire, she approached her first.
“…Why is the kid like that again?”
“Ah… She fainted standing up after seeing defective mana stones.”
Yeoreum laid Gyeoul on a nearby mat and took out a mana stone from her pocket.
It was the defective mana stone that had terrified Gyeoul.
“Oh dear.”
Sophia glanced over the mana stone and sighed, looking at Gyeoul with pity.
“Sophia, do you know why Gyeoul reacted like this?”
“Yeah, she must have been really startled by the mana stone.”
“The mana stone?”
Was there a reason to be startled by a defective mana stone?
Yeoreum tilted her head in confusion.
“Young beast-kin often mistake the mana emitted from mana stones as that of their kin.”
“So Gyeoul mistook the Redcat mana stones for the corpses of her kin?”
“Yes. And the ones you brought were defective. They must have felt like the decaying bodies of her kin.”
“Ah…”
As if she had been shown dozens of rotting corpses.
That would indeed be horrifying.
Only then did Yeoreum understand why Gyeoul had frozen up.
“She saw dozens of those mana stones right in front of her.”
“…Oh dear.”
Sophia’s gaze fell on Gyeoul, her expression one of understanding.
Maybe she had experienced something similar.
Yeoreum wanted to ask, but Sophia spoke first.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s something many young beast-kin go through.”
“Ah, okay.”
I hope it doesn’t leave a trauma.
Just then, Gyeoul, lying on the mat, cautiously opened her eyelids.
Yeoreum, not wanting to startle Gyeoul, quickly threw the defective mana stone into the fire.
“…?”
“Gyeoul, are you awake?”
“Yes…”
Gyeoul got up and rummaged through her waist pocket.
Pulling out a planting spade, she began to walk towards the garden.
“Gy–Gyeoul…?”
“Yes?”
“Shouldn’t you rest a bit?”
Going straight to gardening after such a terrifying experience seemed odd.
Yeoreum looked at Sophia, hoping she would join in dissuading her, but Sophia just stared at the fire starting to blaze.
“I need to work. I have to pay off my debt.”
“But, that’s not…”
It’s a debt that doesn’t really need to be repaid.
How could Yeoreum make Gyeoul understand that?
While Yeoreum was looking down, pondering, Gyeoul blurted out something shocking.
“I need to pay off all my debts before I can go see my friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yes. I don’t want to leave with debts.”
Was she implying she wouldn’t think of dying before paying off her debts?
Unknowingly, Yeoreum bit her lip.
She owed a lot, but if Gyeoul grew into a talented adventurer, she could quickly pay it off.
She had consumed the ‘Beast King Benediction’, after all.
If guided well, she could become a top-tier adventurer.
‘Maybe I should keep her from paying off her debt…’
Slow her growth, make up reasons to keep her from paying it off.
It wasn’t the nicest method, but it was better than pushing her towards death.
As Yeoreum reached this thought, she sighed deeply.
Either way, it wasn’t good for Gyeoul.
‘I need to find a good way to keep her from paying off the debt…’
Encourage her to buy expensive equipment, saying she would earn more money, or persuade her to invest in expanding businesses.
Yeoreum could only think of this as the best approach.
After all, everything would eventually benefit Gyeoul.
It would result in her growth and increased income.
Of course, the plan was to make her spend as much as she earned.
‘Alright.’
She had to encourage Gyeoul to keep spending every time she earned money.
Yeoreum made up her mind and clenched her fists.
It might seem like harassment, but it was all to save Gyeoul.
After buying some time, the plan was to plant a reason to live in her life.