Seol Hayeon was speechless.
After her heartfelt retirent ceremony, she had enjoyed an indulgent company dinner before heading back to her quiet countryside hotown. Life was finally supposed to slow down.
But then a Gate had appeared nearby. It was only a C-Class, so she decided to handle it herself.
"Huaaah… Hm?"
I fell asleep? Inside the Gate?
Her mories felt hazy, almost as if they were cut off entirely.
She clearly recalled clearing the Gate. She even rembered retrieving the core. But after that? Nothing. She couldn’t recall stepping into the return portal or leaving the dungeon.
It felt as though she had blinked and sohow teleported from the boss room to the outside of the Gate in an instant.
Sothing definitely happened inside the Gate…
She desperately searched her fragnted mories, piecing together two faint recollections:
First, she had easily defeated the dungeon’s boss monster.
Second…
—Chills.
…There was a monster. A monstrous woman, wasn’t there?
She couldn’t recall the creature’s appearance or strength, but her instincts scread that she had encountered sothing far from ordinary.
What on earth…?
—Pat, pat.
[The Constellation of Compassion gently pats your shoulder.]
["You’ve worked hard all this ti. Now, find happiness."]
Unbeknownst to her, all of this had been orchestrated by Mir.
The Constellation had slyly joined her during her trip to the countryside, quietly taking a seat in the back of her car. From the mont she entered the Gate, Mir had been tagging along. A mischievous smile crept across the Constellation's lips.
"There was definitely a monstrous woman…"
—Ding.
[Hmm. I thought I erased that mory. Does your head still hurt? Sorry about that. Hypnosis isn’t exactly my forte; Yujin’s the expert. Let’s see, where’s the problem~?]
A small hand rested on Seol Hayeon’s back as she continued to complain about an odd sense of unease.
Then, like a tidal wave, fragnted mories of the previous night flooded her mind—traces of an instinctive experience she hadn’t been able to erase entirely.
First ca the most vivid mory, the mont right after she cleared the Gate. She had defeated the boss monster and was preparing to leave when…
[Beruhige dich. Ich kam nur auf Caritas' Bitte. (Calm yourself. I ca at Compassion’s request.)]
A woman with silver hair stood before her.
This was the transcendent being from another dinsion who had once been summoned by Mir during the S Gate incident. She had offered sage advice to Yujin and had been affectionately referred to as “Transcendent Big Sister” by a certain earnest young man.
[What is this…!? My organs feel like they’re liquefying just from hearing her voice! This… this is verbal assault!]
Upon seeing the Transcendent, Seol Hayeon imdiately fell into a state of complete incapacitation.
Even Yujin, who possessed a sliver of divine power at the ti, could barely endure her overwhelming presence. The Transcendent’s very existence crushed Seol Hayeon like a massive weight.
[Es wird nicht lange halten. Ich stecke es in deine Tasche, kümre dich selbst darum. (This won’t last long. I’ll tuck this into your pocket—take care of it yourself.)]
And then…
Thud.
Seol Hayeon collapsed. Her vision blurred, fading just as the Transcendent slipped a small, ornate wooden box into her arms.
Mir clicked their tongue in mild exasperation.
[It seems she’s at least mid-tier among Transcendents… But sending such a being to help? Truly impressive.]
This Transcendent had co at Mir’s request, part of the abundant support provided by the Constellations—ranging from external invasions to helpful status screens. Of course, nothing ca without a price.
In exchange, Mir had agreed to one tiny condition: if they ever encountered a cute and kindhearted boy in this dinsion, they would send him over. It was a trivial pact, and the mortals they selected were always those leading miserable lives here anyway.
It wasn’t about their preferences, but their moral compass. Mir saw no reason not to trust them.
That was the truth behind the events Seol Hayeon had forgotten.
[Hmm… There’s no benefit in rembering any of this. Forget it.]
"…Hmm? Hm."
Why was I agonizing over sothing I can’t even rember?
With that, the mories were safely erased.
Finally, Seol Hayeon lowered her guard and relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. She had worried over nothing, she thought, as she patted her chest in reassurance.
—Clatter.
"Hm? What’s this now?"
It was then that she noticed the wooden box in her arms.
Inside was a single leaf.
"…!!!!?"
This divine energy… Isn’t this the final ingredient Paimon ntioned?!
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Paimon’s reaction wasn’t far off.
"Hero! Weren’t you supposed to be retired?"
"Never mind that. Look at this. Is it what I think it is?"
"The… World Tree’s Leaf?!"
Paimon nearly jumped out of their skin.
What Seol Hayeon held was indeed the legendary World Tree’s Leaf, an item bestowed only upon those blessed by the World Tree itself. Its re existence was unheard of in this dinsion.
"How did you…?"
"Never mind that. This can make it, right? The rejuvenation potion!"
"…Let think about it."
Paimon’s brilliant mind began racing.
The hero wants to brew her a potion to regain her youth. Even heroes can’t fight against ti.
Of course, it was a simple enough request for Paimon to grant. But a demon like her never gave anything for free.
If I’m the only one in this dinsion capable of fulfilling her wish… If this could win favor with a revered hero…
A sly grin spread across Paimon’s face.
This could be worth its weight in gold.
Feigning deliberation, Paimon sched ways to use this opportunity to her advantage.
"Sure, I can do it. But I have a ‘tiny’ favor to ask in return."
"What is it? If it’s within my power, I’ll do it."
"Tell Seo Yujin to treasure far more than he already does!"
—Smirk.
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