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."

I decided to consult Kong,
who’s great at handling situations like this.

"Want me to come with you?"
"For real? You don’t need to head back to Vietnam right away?"
"We’ll arrive in Korea in the evening. I can stay for a night and return after that."
"Kong…!!"

He’s really helping me out. This is what friends are for.
Kong, I’m counting on you.

* * *

"Yoojin, what’s that thing?"
"Director Seol Hayeon. She’s called the Saintess, and—"
"Leave it. Don’t bring strange things back."
"……."

Guess it was my mistake to trust Kong.

We’d barely arrived in Korea around 10 PM, sent my wives off to rest, and went straight to the director with Kong.
Only to be met with her disinterested face.
She was even wearing pajama pants.

"What reason do you have for visiting at this hour?"
"It’s an important report."
"My intuition tells me there’s nothing to worry about."

Her uninterested gaze turned to the Saintess on my head.
She looked at her as if she were just a street cat, showing no sign of feeling any danger.

…Kong and I exchanged worried glances.

[Hey, Kong. Has the old hag finally lost it? Does she really feel nothing from this dangerous being?]
[It’d be great if she’d gone senile… Yoojin, try hypnotizing her.]
[Alright, one sec.]

*Ding.*
[Complete Hypnosis yawns, looking unimpressed.]
[Failed to activate.]

[It’s not that it was blocked; it’s like it didn’t work at all.]
[She’s ignoring even an EX-rank skill? This is nuts.]

We inadvertently discovered the Saintess’s second trait:
Her complete immunity to abilities.
Neither my hypnosis nor the director’s sensory "intuition" worked on her.

Not to mention Kong’s vision of the future during the S-rank Gate raid.
In his vision, I’d been seen trembling "alone."
In reality, the Saintess had been with me.
Which meant his "Future Sight" likely didn’t work on her either.

This being was stranger than I’d expected.

"So, actually, she…."

Kong and I hastily explained the situation.
The Saintess was an entity immune to all abilities and physical attacks alike—a being beyond normal understanding.

How did the director respond to our report?

"A Saintess brought by a transcendent? Immune to attacks and abilities, you say? Interesting."

*Pat, pat.*

"Hmm. It’s true. She’s untouchable, like a ghost."

She placed a hand on my head to confirm the Saintess’s immunity to physical attacks.

*Pat, pat.*

"But she can touch me… indeed. If she wanted, she could even kill me. She’s definitely a being beyond the natural order."

After confirming the Saintess’s potential threat, my expression grew tense.
Knowing how dangerous she was, the director might want to discard her.

I’d have to persuade her for the sake of research…

"I’ll change my directive. The responsibility of managing the unidentified creature, the ‘Saintess,’ falls to Yoojin. Handle it as you see fit."
"……?"

I was about to convince her… but instead, she gave me full authority.

"Director Seol Hayeon, are you sure? She’s…."
"Whether I’m sure or not, what can I do with a ghostly being that can’t be captured? Should I call a shaman for an exorcism?"
"Still, she’s unlike anything we’ve ever encountered…."
"New things are bound to challenge our assumptions. Like when Gates suddenly appeared forty years ago."
"Oh."

It suddenly made sense.
The director’s perspective was fundamentally different from ours.

The Saintess’s traits defied modern understanding…
but for the director, who had already lived through a chaotic era?

Ugh, things were calm for a while, but now it’s starting up again.
She didn’t know what the Saintess was exactly, but as long as there was no immediate danger, she figured it was best to leave her alone.
Wisdom that only comes with age.

"I hear she only sticks to you, which is convenient. Make sure to manage her well so there’s no trouble."
"……."

Just as I was about to admire her wisdom, she had to hit me with a low blow.
I couldn’t help but frown.

"Why the face? Looking like you’ve bitten into a lemon."
"Having something unknown stuck to a precious student’s head. I thought you’d at least show a bit of concern."

Even now, I was scared the Saintess might turn my brain into mush.
Learning how dangerous she

 was and still showing no concern at all?
Does this old lady even care if I live or die?
It felt a little unfair.

Kong also nodded in agreement.
He must’ve thought the director was being a bit harsh too.

Then, she…

"You boys are all cowards. Might as well cut off your manhood."
*Sigh.* *Pat, pat.*

"Saintess? I heard you can understand speech. Come here."
"……?"

She squatted down and patted the floor,
like she was calling over a puppy.

Kong and I looked at her in alarm.
What if the Saintess got angry?

"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.