Black Badger

It didn’t seem like the wound in my heart would heal anytime soon.

That was only natural, of course. Still, I didn’t like it.

If this healed, I could rebuild muscle faster and return to duty sooner.

Because of my heart, there was a limit to how intense my rehabilitation training could be. The speed of recovery refused to increase any further. Watching my body recover far more slowly than I remembered filled me with frustration.

I used to recover much faster than this.

“Do you think I’ll be able to participate in the sports festival?”

I muttered in a dejected voice, and Samuel Han let out a scoff.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“...Does that mean I can’t participate in any events at all?”

“I’d rather they didn’t hold the sports festival in the first place.”

The doctor grumbled.

“Do you have any idea how many injuries pile up during those things?”

I didn’t, but it wasn’t surprising.

Events like that always got overheated. Even when we gathered knights for a simple sword spar, the atmosphere would heat up quickly. There had always been a steady stream of injuries.

Still, it was fun...

“Don’t take your heart injury lightly.”

The fading afternoon light washed over the room.

Bathed in that light, the doctor looked at me with a displeased expression. Surprisingly, he was sitting not in the medical office, but on the sofa in his own house. The man who had always felt like an NPC, no less so than John Mühlen, had finally gone home for the day.

Even so, it was very like him to summon me to his cabin after work just to nag me.

Doctor Han, known as the most beloved among enhanced-body holders, stared at me as I forced a bitter smile.

“You have no idea how much trouble I went through operating on your heart.”

“Yes. I’m sorry....”

“It was lucky, in a way, that it was the right ventricle.”

Samuel muttered.

“If it had been the left ventricle, you’d be dead on the spot.”

I smiled faintly.

I knew.

I didn’t know the exact mechanism, but I already knew that piercing the left ventricle usually killed a person instantly. And that if you pierced the right ventricle, they would last a little longer. I had known that long before coming to Earth, and Kyle had known it too.

Because the structure of the heart was the same for both humans and us.

During the First War and the Third War, we had both pierced each other’s right ventricles.

It had been intentional. Kyle must have done the same.

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to confess that to Samuel...

“But why does stabbing the right ventricle make death slower?”

I had wondered about the principle for over a hundred years, so I murmured it like a passing thought.

Samuel answered more earnestly than expected.

“The right ventricle sits behind the sternum and has lower blood pressure than the left. So the bleeding is slower, and survival time is longer.”

“Ah, I see.”

“That was a really strange surgery. You know that, right?”

“Yes... well. It wasn’t exactly a normal condition. Thank you very much, Doctor.”

“Don’t rush it.”

The doctor had been quietly observing me when he said that.

I was about to smile and give a polite answer, but he added more.

“Ordinary people would suffer lifelong complications from an injury like yours. So don’t get impatient just because you want to heal faster! I know exactly what you’re thinking. That you need to recover quickly so you can get back without burdening others, that you’re frustrated because you can’t train properly with your heart like this.”

How did he know?

Having my thoughts read so precisely, I pressed my lips into a thin line and glanced at him nervously.

The doctor sighed.

“Ah, what a life.”

“Still, I’ve really been resting well lately. I’m taking my medication diligently too.”

“Good. Don’t skip your checkups.”

He stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes as he looked at me again.

“It would be good if you got some counseling, too.”

I chose immediate retreat.

I had heard this same lecture from too many people already. I quickly changed the subject. It’s been a while since you’ve had a break, so please get plenty of sleep and rest well! I shouted, pushing Samuel toward the bedroom. I took the coffee from his hand and turned on the heater.

As I spun around with a grin and announced that I’d be leaving, Samuel followed along despite letting out a deep sigh.

“Look at you, running away because you don’t want to hear nagging.”

“Come on, that’s not it.”

“You’re eating properly, right?”

He kept nagging me all the way to the front door.

“I heard those guys like Yun and the others paid off some debt you had. Don’t tell me you’re being stupid and cutting back on food expenses to pay it back.”

I didn’t answer. I ran.

***

The debt shrank faster than I expected.

There was a reason for that. Kairos had declared that he would not take back the amount he had paid on my behalf.

It really was a declaration.

About a week after I was discharged, Kairos showed up at the cabin out of nowhere.

He lived less than a five-minute walk away, so he visited often.

But that time felt a little different. First of all, he had asked what time no one else would be around before coming.

He had insisted on coming at a time when absolutely no one would be there, so I figured he had something to say.

But I thought he might bring up Valdez.

However, when I saw him enter with a meaningful smile and firmly shut the door behind him, I realized he had something else in mind.

“W-what is it?”

Startled, I stared blankly at Kairos.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Captain.”

Kairos smiled.

The smile was so bright that, sitting in a beanbag chair playing a game, I actually felt afraid.

And then his smile grew even brighter.

“I’m truly glad to see that you’ve finally been discharged.”

“...Yeah. Thanks... but why? What’s going on?”

“Now that your body has improved a bit, I thought I’d bring up something that disappointed me.”

“What?”

I gaped at him, completely caught off guard.

“I disappointed you? When...? That time? When I went to deal with the Elders and left you behind?”

“No.”

No?

“Then when?”

“Recently.”

“Recently?”

I was flustered.

All I had been doing lately was rehabilitation. And even during my leave, I’d just been dividing up the money I was still receiving and playing the game Ami had once gifted me.

What had I even done?!

I rolled my eyes rapidly, unable even to stand up to greet my guest.

If it had been Yoow, that would be one thing. But for Kairos to say something like that, I must have actually done something wrong.

Ah!

I had recently paid back part of my debt with my salary, splitting it among the people I owed. Maybe I had somehow offended him then.

At the time, I had transferred money to Yehyeon, Yun, and Kairos, and sent each of them a message saying I had done so.

But I had been half-asleep when I sent those messages, so I couldn’t remember exactly what I had written.

Did I mess something up?

“Did I send you something stupid in a message?”

I reached for my phone in a hurry.

“Sorry. I wasn’t in my right mind then. What did I say?”

“You paid me back.”

I stopped just as I was about to open the message app.

Then I slowly lifted my head, stunned.

What is this guy talking about?

Kairos watched me fall into confusion, smiling silently as he slipped off his shoes and stepped inside.

“You wouldn’t let me join when you went to fight the Elders. And now you won’t even let me help with money.”

“Wait.”

I quickly cut him off.

“What are you talking about? That was never my intention.”

“Is that so? Then I’d appreciate it if you didn’t repay the remaining amount.”

“Kai!”

I jumped up from the beanbag.

Fortunately, I could now walk normally without crutches. At least I didn’t stagger awkwardly when I stood.

I caught a glimpse of Kairos starting to reach out as if worried, then stopping himself, but I stepped closer and spoke earnestly.

“That debt exists because of a decision I made. And I failed to repay it properly because things went wrong during the process of achieving my goal. So it’s right that I repay it. I’m not trying to exclude you—”

“Why not?”

“I’m not! If it felt that way, I’m really sorry. But this is my debt.”

“You didn’t gamble. You took on that debt as the representative in a fight for your own kind. It’s only right that it be repaid together.”

“It wasn’t a fight for our kind. It was driven mostly by my own desire for revenge. I drew my sword first, and Colton was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) actually trying to avoid the fight I initiated.”

“And I expressed my desire to be part of that from the beginning. Do you remember?”

Kairos crossed his arms and asked with a faint smile.

Seeing that, a chill ran through me.

It wasn’t because I had forgotten what he said. It was because he looked genuinely angry, and that made me uneasy.

And since this was about money, it made everything even more delicate...

I carefully watched his mood.

“I’m really not trying to exclude you. Please believe me.”

At that, the cold, deliberate smile vanished from Kairos’s face.

He uncrossed his arms and smiled lightly.

“I wasn’t planning to argue.”

“Then...”

“But I still don’t want the money back.”

He suddenly held out his phone.

“Before we talk any further, look at my account balance, Hilde.”

I looked at it.

And then I spent a moment reading the numbers.

Yes.

I had to take my time, because I couldn’t immediately grasp the scale.

I read it once.

Then again.

Thinking I had misread it.

Could a single person really have this much money?

After reading it a third time, I accepted reality.

“...You’re really rich.”

I murmured quietly, and Kairos burst out laughing.

“I got lucky. Driving suits me.”

“Kai. But I didn’t try to repay you because I thought you were poor.”

“I know. But I still don’t want it back. Hilde. Kyle accepted the money I earned through my familiar matches without hesitation. I’d like you to do the same.”

At that point, I had nothing left to say.

The name Kyle and the memories of the past swept sharply through my chest.

In the end, I gave in.

To Kairos’s firm attitude, to the reasoning I couldn’t deny, and above all... to the balance in his account.

Even at this age, talking about money was still difficult and uncomfortable, and I didn’t feel entirely at ease even after making my decision.

But just like that, about a third of my debt vanished in an instant.

When I told my subordinates, including Yoow, he lit up.

“So you’ve finally come to your senses! Good. Now borrow money from your familiar and pay off the debts you owe your mentor and the Black Badger advisor as well.”

“Yoow. Even so, I can’t go that far.”

“Ha! Why not? I think it’s quite a reasonable solution. As I said earlier, I was going to pay off your entire debt from the beginning. But since the debt came from purchasing Aitek products, and Senior Yun was the inventor... and also your mentor... well, I lost on all fronts.”

“I’ve already received more than enough from Kairos....”

I shot a tired look at both Kairos and Yoow, who were urging me to make full use of Kairos’s wallet.

“I’ll handle the remaining amount myself, so don’t worry about it.”

Protests immediately poured in.

But I ignored them all and slipped away. Then, on my own, I revised my repayment plan.

In fact, Yehyeon had once made the same offer as Kairos, but I had refused him outright. His argument had been simple: among the three, I had repaid the least to him, so I should just forget about his share entirely.

That was ridiculous.

Though I did take a hit when, while trying to persuade me, Yehyeon hesitated and added, “Gilbert said he saw you standing in the supermarket for twenty minutes, picking things up and putting them back down....”

Still, I intended to repay Yehyeon and Yun no matter what.

But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t just accept what Kairos had done and leave it at that.

I wanted to express my gratitude somehow, even if only a little.

So I divided my salary into food expenses, utilities, and other necessities, then calculated what I had left.

After that, I searched diligently for something within my budget.

Once I found something I liked, I asked Ami for approval before buying it.

I was well aware that my sense of aesthetics wasn’t particularly good.

Fortunately, she gave me an immediate OK, so I purchased the item I had set my sights on.

I received it at the cabin, checked its condition, and even wrapped it myself.

Then I handed the poorly wrapped box to Kairos.

“What’s this?”

Kairos blinked his orange eyes.

“Just a small gift.”

I said awkwardly.

“It’s really nothing, so it’s a bit embarrassing, but... just think of it as a small token of thanks. Thank you for helping me, Kai.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kairos accepted it easily and tore off the wrapping.

Behind him, Igor was stretching his neck with a crack, but I didn’t even think to greet him, too focused on watching Kairos’s reaction.

To be honest, I had hesitated countless times before pressing the purchase button.

I wasn’t sure whether this would be a proper gift... or just reopen an old wound.

“Oh, Captain. You’re here?”

“Hm?”

Just as Igor noticed me, Kairos opened the lid of the box.

Then his eyes widened as he lifted something out.

The red dragon doll I had chosen.