Was Happy Being a Despised F-Rank Healer, You Know? - Chapter 141

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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17. Treading Shadows (3)

Looking back on it later, I think my friends hit some kind of turning point that day.
At least, that’s how they described it.
“You really are something.”
Seo Jeong-u wore an odd expression as he watched me wait for their words, a touch of tension still clinging to me.
Then came a hollow laugh that seemed almost exasperated, before his tone shifted to something grave.
“We’re just worried, that’s all. You don’t need anyone’s permission anyway. Honestly, you’ve got good instincts and you know a lot. Maybe we didn’t need to be concerned at all, but still.”
“Huh?”
“All we wanted was for you to be a little cautious about those two over the past week, or at least reconsider. Not because we don’t trust your judgment, but just in case.”
“Right. Hali trusts people too easily anyway. That’s just how she is.”
Yu Hee chimed in.
Still wearing that serene, godlike air—her lips curved upward lightly, without the forced smile from before.
[Ho?]
Lion let out a sound of surprise and flew down to perch on my shoulder.
Then he settled in with the bearing of some carefree scholar, his long pipe held in his mouth, and began quietly observing my friends.
“There’s no way you’d figure out a Demon Sword’s danger in just one week.”
Han Seong said it flatly.
Despite his words, he didn’t actually seem that worried.
Which made sense.
Unlike his counterpart in the original story, this Han Seong had obtained Erich the Demon Sword but never discovered that the sword was more burden than blessing.
In other words, all he knew about the blade sealed in the Old Teacher’s Miniature Dungeon was this: across all the previous iterations he’d lived through, that sword had never caused an incident.
I recalled how Han Seong’s gaze had followed me for a long time after I’d signed the contract with Erich.
We’d been entangled in many situations since then, and while doing so, he must have been observing not just me but the Demon Sword as well.
And even after all that observation, he’d found no sign of danger!
So naturally, he could afford to be relaxed about it.
“I’m thinking we should track down a Holy Sword, at least.”
Everyone gave a light nod at Han Seong’s words.
Erich spoke up.
[You’re telling that to me on purpose, aren’t you?]
“Intelligence isn’t as bad as expected, I see.”
Yuhan Seong spoke with a sly smile, tilting his head slightly as if genuinely impressed.
Erich let out a scoff in response, then spoke as if bestowing some grand favor.
[If my contractor has no future, then I have no future either. So long as my contractor doesn’t lose the ability to make Potions, you lot have nothing to worry about.]
“So Potions are effective for you too? How? Why?”
“Hm.”
Seo Jeong-u chuckled as he spoke. Hee was watching Erich in his Earring form without blinking, as if trying to measure something.
He seemed a bit prickly about it.
[Tch. If they weren’t, would I help with Potion Crafting? Why, you ask? I’m no fool. I don’t waste effort on things with no gain for me.]
It was the kind of speech and tone you’d expect from a Demon King himself. I’d heard it so often by now that it basically translated itself in my head.
‘Is it just that you’re happy when I’m doing well, right Erich?’
Erich snapped at me—only I could hear it—telling me to shut up. He quickly composed himself and continued.
[So you lot should prepare yourselves. If my contractor dies because he wasted energy worrying about your trivial lives, I’ll drag each of you to the depths of hell.]
“You still didn’t answer one thing though~? Why are Potions so important to you?”
Yeah, these were definitely my friends.
Erich’s threat carried real weight, but it didn’t seem to faze them at all.
Not even his imposing aura was landing.
It never worked on me either, after all.
I heard Lion stifle a laugh.
[…That’s none of your concern.]
At Erich’s irritated words, Seo Jeong-u nodded as if that was all the confirmation he needed.
Hyun I-seo, who’d reacted more intensely to the “gift” than expected before, seemed to have regained her composure. She crept over, cast a glance at Lion, then fixed her eyes on the Earring as she asked.
“Then explain why you’re in Earring form. Why specifically an Earring? If you explode in there, Hali dies instantly.”
I-seo’s face looked even more shadowed than usual. When she said the word “instantly,” her eyes had a hollow quality to them that was somehow unsettling.
I flinched, then checked Lee Hae-sol and Han Seong, Seo Jeong-u and Hee—and flinched again.
‘Is… is it just my imagination?’
Their eyes looked a bit… no, never mind. Don’t think weird things.
What kind of people are my friends, anyway!
[Nonsense. This position is most comfortable for me to converse with my contractor. Why would I take any other form?]
Erich spoke coldly, his voice tinged with a sharp sneer.
Everyone tilted their heads at that.
They exchanged a few meaningful glances, and then Lee Hae-sol asked.
“Can you swear an oath that you won’t harm Hali’s life?”
[That would be the case even without an oath. What’s the point?]
That’s when Hee shot me a silent look.
It seemed like she was asking for permission.
I understood what she wanted to ask, so I gave a slight nod. Then she asked.
“But you’re receiving Hali’s Health Points in exchange for helping her.”
[That’s not the contractor’s life. Health Points are just Health Points! They refill after time anyway. If you dare accuse me based on such a thing….]
Before I came here today, I’d made Erich promise to keep it absolutely secret that I was feeding him my lifespan in exchange for magical power. And he was keeping that secret well.
He wasn’t answering as if he would break it either.
I gently stroked the Earring as if to calm him, and to express my gratitude. Lion immediately perked up and stretched his neck toward me, demanding strokes of his own.
While I was petting Lion, my friends asked every lingering concern they had and listened to Erich’s answers.
I wasn’t sure they believed everything he said, but judging by their expressions, they seemed significantly more at ease.
“…So to sum up.”
Hee spoke in a strange tone.
“You’d do literally anything just to get your hands on Hali’s Potions. Health Points are just a bonus.”
[….]
He’d definitely answered with a Demon King’s intimidating aura and threat, but no one looked the slightest bit scared….
Now they all had expressions of mild disdain and bemusement, so Erich went quiet for a moment.
[Pfft. Ahem. Hmm. Protagonist, your friends are quite sharp! This Lion is most delighted!]
“Even you’re happy about it, so I’m glad, Lion.”
[Ugh…… ugh…… grrrgh.]
Erich trembled brilliantly, quivering sweetly, and when Lion’s lips curved up even further, he couldn’t hold back anymore and cried out.
[That’s why I need to unseal myself!]
“So you’re saying your Seal requires Potions to break, and if Hali makes Potions for you, you can do anything—that’s the deal?”
I-seo offered the clarification with a bewildered expression. Yuhan Seong was now sending somewhat exasperated looks.
What he was thinking was predictable enough.
‘He’s probably admitting to himself right now that his past judgment—wanting to give this to Lee Hae-sol—was honestly a mistake.’
When Erich couldn’t bring himself to deny it, Han Seong said flatly.
“You’re purifying yourself—I can tell from how different your aura is from the first time we met. Is that right?”
[….]
My eyes went wide as I looked at Han Seong.
Han Seong would definitely know the original state of Erich’s magical power from the very beginning, so he’d be the one most likely to sense the difference.
Erich answered now in a tone drained of enthusiasm, his voice cold.
[You’re all right. Satisfied?]
I pressed my lips together to stifle a laugh.
Even so, my expression must have shown through, because all my friends’ faces relaxed a little further.
I had a feeling they were beginning to understand why I wasn’t wary of Erich.
…But something felt off.
They’d definitely said their concerns weren’t just about Erich, so why were they only focusing on him now?
Before I could even ask about my confusion, I-seo spoke.
“Lion is your Summoned Creature, after all.”
“Ah.”
“A Summoned Creature itself can be thought of as a weapon. What we were worried about was how your Dungeon might be affecting you….”
I-seo shrugged as she finished.
“We investigated things ourselves over the past week, getting help from Goi-deun as needed. I’ll show you our findings later. The conclusion is that there’s a high probability the Lion’s story back then was correct.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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