Chapter 145: The truth

There wasn’t a single person other than Mark who knew that Jean had awakened magic. And Kai was certain the man would never disclose something like that to anyone.

Which left only one possibility. Someone had been keeping an eye on them without their knowledge.

"...How do you know?"

A brief silence followed before the Chairman responded.

"The next time we meet, I’ll tell you the entire story of the Seven Sages. But for now, Hunter Kai, I want you to understand something. The engravings on Miss Jean’s arms and your child pose no threat to either of them."

"But they exist for a reason, don’t they?" Kai questioned.

"Oh, of course, they do. However, you needn’t concern yourself with that for the time being. Not until your daughter reaches an age where she can understand and awaken her true strength."

True strength?

Kai’s thoughts immediately went to Elara. If the Chairman was speaking of her awakening, then...

"Does that mean Elara will awaken as well?"

"Oh, yes, indeed. In fact, her awakening should have allowed Miss Jean to wield mana too. However, their fate has been altered."

"..."

What in the world was this old man talking about?

Elara’s awakening should have allowed Jean to awaken as well?

Kai struggled to make sense of the statement before a possibility occurred to him.

"Are you suggesting... Elara was the reason Jean couldn’t awaken?"

"Indeed, Hunter Kai. And in a way, your daughter was protecting her mother all along."

Kai’s eyes widened slightly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hunter Kai, do you remember me telling you that you’ve helped me on multiple occasions? Well, during the Blue Mountain incident, you protected my grandson for the second time."

Kai was taken aback.

"Kei lives in that community."

"He used to. Not anymore. But that’s beside the point. What I want you to understand is that the Void’s appearance in that community wasn’t a matter of luck or coincidence."

"!!!"

Kai was beginning to receive so many revelations that he could barely keep track of them. Rising from his seat, he began pacing back and forth, trying to piece everything together.

"So... let me get this straight. The Void Monarch was there to hunt Kei? But why?"

He distinctly remembered the Monarch mentioning some sort of game he was expanding, or something along those lines.

Then...

Could that have been related to Kei?

"But why? Why would something that powerful target Kei?" he asked again.

"Because he is a Sage, Hunter Kai."

And there it was. The revelation that finally connected several of the scattered pieces.

"That’s why you asked me back then whether I knew about the Sages."

"So, you assumed I saved your grandson because I knew he was a Sage?"

The older man hummed.

"I won’t deny it."

Kai let out a sigh. He wasn’t particularly offended by the admission. Given the circumstances, he could understand why the Chairman might have entertained such a possibility.

"Tell me something, though. How does all of this threaten Jean and Elara?"

That was what mattered to Kai more than anything else. And the fact that the old man had already hinted that the very force responsible for awakening his beloved could put both Jean and Elara in greater danger only made the matter more concerning.

"Hunter Kai, please sit down first."

Kai flinched slightly before looking up. Of course, there were cameras in the room. The Chairman had probably noticed his reaction through the surveillance feed.

Taking a moment to steady his breathing, Kai returned to his seat.

Once he had settled down, the man continued.

"I cannot tell you everything about the Sages or the responsibilities they bear. However, there is something you need to understand. Every sane being in the Netherworld, the very place from which dungeon monsters emerge to attack our world, considers the Sages their enemies. Every creature capable of rational thought and independent judgement sees them as a threat."

The Chairman paused briefly before delivering the next piece of information.

"And now... much like my grandson, your daughter has become one of their targets."

For a moment, Kai went completely blank.

He couldn’t quite process what he had just heard. His thoughts seemed to come to a standstill as the words slowly sank in.

In a subdued voice, he finally asked, "You... mean those beings will come after my daughter?"

"...As much as I wish that weren’t the case, this is her new reality, Hunter Kai."

The Chairman’s voice carried a weight that left little room for reassurance.

"That mark on her arm... it is the Insignia of a Sage."

...

Jean was sitting in the main hall, watching her daughter enthusiastically collect random objects from around the house and bring them over to her.

So far, Elara had presented her with a cloth tag, a hair scrunchie, and a coin. Apparently, each of them was a treasure worth safeguarding.

"Ma-maaa!"

"Yes, yes. I’m paying attention. Nobody is going to steal your treasures," Jean assured her.

The little girl pushed the objects closer to her mother, almost as though she feared someone might snatch them away if she didn’t keep them within reach.

Jean couldn’t help but marvel at the transformation. It was difficult to believe that the same little girl who had struggled to open her eyes or even eat properly because of her sluggish condition was now wandering around the house with seemingly boundless energy.

"Here she goes again..."

Jean sighed as Elara abandoned her collection and began crawling towards the other side of the hall, evidently in search of something new to add to it.

Once her daughter was out of immediate reach, Jean raised her hand and concentrated on the strange sensation within her body.

She could feel it more clearly now.

The warmth that had once been little more than an elusive sensation was gradually responding to her attempts at control. It was still rebellious, often refusing to follow her intentions, but she was making progress. At the very least, she could now direct some of it towards her fingers.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

Picking up the coin Elara had left behind, she held it between her thumb and index finger.

She concentrated the warmth in her fingertips and slowly brought them closer together.

Crk.

"Haah... This is unreal."

Jean shook her head with an amused smile.

The coin had bent into a surprisingly perfect arc, something she wouldn’t have been capable of accomplishing before.

She turned it slightly between her fingers, admiring the result. Even after experiencing it herself, she was finding it difficult to believe that she could actually do something like this.

However, her little moment of satisfaction didn’t last long.

Thud!

Jean flinched and immediately turned towards the sound.

The shoebox Elara had been pushing across the floor had come to an abrupt halt. The little girl was staring at the coin in her mother’s hand, her eyes wide and lips slightly parted.

"...."

Jean slowly attempted to hide the coin behind her palm.

Unfortunately, Elara’s expression remained unchanged.

She had seen everything.

Jean felt as though she had just been caught doing something she shouldn’t have.

"..."

Betrayed her own daughter.

Letting out a sigh, Jean was about to get up and approach the little girl when suddenly...

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

Elara immediately turned her attention towards the entrance and began crawling in that direction.

Jean watched her for a moment before following.

"What now, Elli? Are you going to complain about me?"

She couldn’t help smiling as she spoke.

Seriously, Elara was becoming far too much of a daddy’s girl these days.