The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn't Hold Back the Second Time Around

Chapter 121

After a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep,

as much as I wanted to keep sleeping, I had no choice but to wake up.

And that was because of Sia.

"You fox, where do you think you're touching!?"

*Smack!*

"Aaahhh!?"

Sia’s sharp voice and the sound of a fierce slap, followed by Alice’s scream.

How could I not wake up after hearing that?

"What’s going on!?"

"Well, when I woke up, this fox’s hand was somewhere it shouldn’t be...."

"H-Hold on! I... wait, when did I fall asleep?"

"......."

Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious.

Apparently, Alice’s hand had ended up a little too deep between Sia’s thighs,

which startled Sia enough to give her a slap.

...Honestly, Alice had a habit of moving her hands around in her sleep, even before the regression.

Whenever we slept together, I’d wake up to find her hand drifting over to my crotch... sometimes even inside my underwear.

A peculiar sleep habit, truly.

*Glance.*

'Maybe I should stay out of this....'

I wanted to defend her, but I decided against it.

What if Sia asked, "Why do you know about her sleep habits? Are you a pervert?"

It wouldn’t be easy to respond.

Instead, I turned my attention to my master, who was seated nearby.

"Did you sleep well, Master? Master?"

"...Good morning."

My master was sitting a little farther away from me,

almost as if something about me smelled.

...Well, considering I just woke up, maybe that wasn’t too surprising.

For someone as neat as her, it must have been a bit much.

I quickly got up to wash up,

borrowing some mouthwash from Kong.

*Gurgle, gurgle.*

"Spit... Ugh, my whole body is sore."

"Didn’t you sleep well? This plane should be pretty comfortable for sleeping."

"I must have slept in a weird position. My neck is so stiff. And there’s muscle pain too."

Even washing my face wasn’t easy.

It felt like I’d been hit with a wooden bat in the neck...

*Throb.*

'It’s not as bad as when I kissed Sia, but my body really feels strained...'

The muscle soreness was so intense that even the slightest movement made my eyes water.

But why was I hurting so much?

Thanks to my "Indomitable" trait, I usually don’t feel much pain.

We did go through a lot yesterday, but still...

It almost reminded me of how sore I was after that kiss with Sia.

*Pat, pat.*

[The higher skill '???' pats you apologetically, as if to say sorry for the strain.]

'The Saintess is on my head again, first thing in the morning.'

I felt a soft patting sensation on my head.

I looked up to see the Saintess with her hands clasped, giving me an apologetic look.

Was she saying sorry for sitting on my head all night?

Kong and I exchanged glances.

"Hey, she seems pretty intelligent, doesn’t she?"

"She understands what I say. I’ve tested it in Vietnamese, English, and Korean."

"It’d be great if she could actually speak."

"She doesn’t open her mouth at all. That’s consistent with what the Order of the Lord said about her."

The Order of the Lord described the Saintess as silent but somehow able to convey her intentions.

...Did they mean she communicated through body language?

Just to be sure, I decided to test it myself.

"Saintess, are you close to that transcendent lady? Nod if yes, shake if no, or shrug if it’s complicated."

"......."

*Ding.*

['???' looks away, as if it’s too complicated to explain.]

"Guess we still can’t communicate."

It was confirmed: communicating with the Saintess wasn’t possible.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand us; she just didn’t seem to want to talk.

I let out a sigh.

I had no idea how I was supposed to report on her to my superior, Director Seol Hayeon.

'If I report this to that old hag, she might just tell me to get rid of this dangerous thing.'

If I reported her normally, she’d likely tell me to discard it, questioning why I’d even picked it up.

But explaining her true value—that she could be a precious sample for preparing against EX-rank Gates?

'Telling the old hag who’s about to retire that in 15 years we’re all going to die feels too cruel.'

It didn’t seem fair to dump that on a woman who’s close to retirement, ready to enjoy a peaceful life.

It would ruin her golden years.

Keeping quiet felt like the better option.

"How should I report this... should I mention the Order of the Lord?"

"Is this about the Saintess?"

"Yeah. We’re going to be collaborating with the U.S. on research about her, but it’d be a problem if the director wants her gone."

"Director, what if she gets upset and causes a rampage?"

"Yoojin is right. You’re handling her like a pet...."

*Hop. Tap tap tap.*

"Huh?"

But the Saintess’s response was unexpected.

She hopped off my head and walked over to the director.

The director’s hand gently rested on her head.

And there was no bloodshed.

*Pat, pat.*

"See? Does this one look troubled to you?"

"That’s...."

"Has it ever attempted to harm you?"

"Not yet, but...."

"And what did you do? You’ve both been afraid and cautious, as if it might kill you. Toward such a gentle being."

The director’s calm voice filled the room.

The soft sound of her petting the Saintess served as background music.

*Ding.*

['???' says it’s understandable for humans to react that way....]

"You could’ve feared her when you first encountered her, but she’s already shown she’s harmless."

"......."

"It’s commendable for an Awakened to be cautious of unidentified monsters. But aren’t you both S-rank?"

The director’s voice grew even gentler.

The wisdom of her 60 years of life.

She shared a bit of that with us.

*Pat, pat.*

"Instead of fearing the unknown unconditionally, try to understand it. Just like I once did."

"......."

*Ding.*

['???' is greatly pleased, acknowledging the director’s wisdom.]

The Saintess also seemed to enjoy the petting and returned to us with a crossed-arm stance,

as if asking, "Got it?"

...Tch. If anyone else said this, I’d argue.

But considering she’s a living legend in Awakened history,

the person who proved Awakened can be human too—it was hard to disagree.

In the end, Kong and I nodded.

"I’ll try. I’ll make an effort."

"It’s probably not going to be easy...."

"I know better than anyone that it’s not easy. Just don’t lose the effort to understand."

['???' smiles gently, encouraging you to take it slow.]

The director and the Saintess both smiled.

Both had that warm, grandmotherly smile.

* * *

After deciding not to be overly wary of the Saintess,

Kong and I quickly left the director’s house.

It was already 11 PM. We’d napped on the plane and were refreshed, but it was bedtime for most people.

"Then, we’ll be on our way...."

*Creak.*

"Yaaawn... Grandma, what’s... Dad?"

"Oh."

But it seemed we’d been too noisy.

Haru shuffled out in her pajamas.

"Is that your adopted daughter?"

"Yup. Haru, Dad’s home~."

I waved my hand.

I’d told her I’d be gone for five days, but I’d returned in less than three.

I was certain she’d run over, thrilled to see me.

As expected, Haru beamed at me, saying...

"Dad, you’re back early."

*Pause.*

"Dad... you went to America and brought back a little sister?"

"......?"

She looked like she was about to hug me... but instead, she pointed at the Saintess and started trembling.

And as if she couldn’t believe it, she kept rubbing her large eyes over and over.

Quite the sight to see.

"Haru, I saved her from a Gate...."

"Congratulations on your wedding...?"

"......."

Well, I suppose she could think that.

Wait. Does she think I made a baby in the Gate?

Kong, the director, and I all broke into smiles.

Haru’s amusing misconception was just too cute.

"It’s not like that...."

"Not congratulating. Dad’s mine. I oppose this marriage."

"Haru?"

"I oppose this marriage!!!"

*Grab. Dash.*

"Haru!!!?"

It was cute until she tried to grab me and run away.