Despite agreeing that they would leave him alone if he defeated them one-hundred times in a row, Gandr moved through the crowd surrounding the ‘House of Miracles’ with Jung and Serra following close behind. This made Gandr feel a little exasperated, but, rather than fret over their obstinacy, he maintained a casual smile, returning the greetings of various Regulars and laughing off their teasing remarks.
Though his fame couldn’t compare to Vahn and Phae, Gandr was easily the most popular member of Team Wolf Pack. Their faction was literally known as the Black Wolf Faction due to his efforts, and, though Jung and Serra were the most tenacious, he actually had a considerable number of female fans. The only reason he wasn’t pestered by even more women was due to the presence of the two girls behind him, so, even if they were a little troublesome, Gandr tolerated them for his own sake…
—
Hearing the unexpected chiming of the door, Nare, wearing a rather adorable Nurse outfit, looked over with the intention of chiding whoever had entered without permission. When she noticed the familiar trio, however, her frown immediately turned into a smile as she chimed, “The prince and his two handmaidens have returned~.”
Restraining his urge to sigh, Gandr smiled back at Nare as Serra coldly remarked, “I am nobodyies handmaiden…” in an aloof tone. As for Jung, she just replied with a toothy smile before waving her hand spiritedly and saying, “Good morning, Nare-chan. You’re looking super cute today~!” in a very friendly manner.
Even if the compliment was coming from a girl that appeared even younger than her, Nare couldn’t resist smiling in response to Jung’s remark. The girl might be a bit of a battle maniac, but she was generally very friendly to everyone she met. This earned her the acceptance of several members of Team Wolf Pack, the only real exceptions being Endorsi, and, to a lesser extent, Anak…
Before Nare could engage the young twin-tailed girl in a friendly conversation, Vahn emerged from behind one of the curtains that afforded his patients a bit of privacy, smiling as he asked, “How did your ‘final’ battle go? Any injuries that require my attention…?”
Hearing Vahn’s ‘reminder’, Serra crossed her arms indignantly while Jung, despite the context of her exclamation, happily replied, “I feel a prickly pain in my lower back and I think I broke a few ribs~?”
Following these words, Jung scampered over to Vahn’s side, stopping right in front of him with a big smile on her face as he habitually stroked her head. This helped him ascertain the true extent of a person’s injuries, but, most importantly, Jung simply liked having her head pat. She wasn’t exactly a pampered young lady, as most descendants of the Ha Family started learning how to fight before they could even speak properly, but she still enjoyed being spoiled quite a bit.
Noticing that most of Jung’s ribs along the left side of her body were fractured, combined with a slight lumbar displacement, Vahn couldn’t help but shake his head as he gently chided, “You need to stop overdoing it with your Shinsu Enhancement. Though it might strengthen your body in the long term, you run the risk of becoming a cripple if you’re not careful…”
Despite the seriousness of Vahn’s words, Jung puffed her non-existent chest out proudly, raising her chin as she said, “The Ha Family is known for their Shinsu Enhancement! If I end up breaking, it just means I wasn’t strong enough! Pain is just another obstacle to be overcome~!”
Shaking his head, Vahn guided Jung behind one of the privacy curtains while Gandr and Serra both went upstairs. There, the girl fearlessly peeled away her clothes until she was wearing nothing but a pleated red skirt, black stockings, and a pair of black shorts that served as common undergarments within the Tower. This revealed one of two bruises, a purple one running that ran from beneath her left breast all the way to around her kidney while another, situated near the small of her back, had a dangerous black coloration with a pale white outline.
Though her injuries were serious enough to cause a normal person to cry out in pain or be stuck in a wheelchair for months, Jung showed no discernible signs of discomfort as she bounced onto the table, beaming as she dangled her legs. This made Vahn feel a little resentful towards the Ha Family, but, understanding it was a part of their culture, much like actual Amazons, he decided to withhold judgment until he met the Leader of the Ha Family. For now, the best he could do was prevent Jung from destroying her own body as she desperately trained to overcome Gandr…
After telling the girl to raise her left arm up high, Vahn placed his palm against the massive bruise on Jung’s side. In response, the girl giggled like someone who was being tickled. Despite this, she managed to keep her arm raised, even as a few tears escaped the corners of her eyes. The healing energy flowing from his palm forced back the Shinsu she instinctually used to protect her organs and numb her pain receptors; so, despite her laughter, the truth of the matter was that Jung felt a considerable amount of pain as the bruise on her body quickly receded.
Using a fresh towel, Vahn wiped away the sweat from his palm before handing it over to Jung and allowing her to quickly wipe down her body. After that, he handed her a small band of leather to bite on before having her lay on her stomach. The bruising around her lumbar was a lot worse than the massive bruise on her side. There was also a saucer-sized bump on the small of her back, and, if it wasn’t treated quickly, there was a very real chance the tissue would become gangrenous, killing her, or, at the very least, leaving her crippled for life.
Restraining yet another sigh, Vahn placed his index and middle finger near the center of the bruise, lightly massaging the region as Jung’s body tensed up and began to tremble. A fresh layer of sweat quickly covered her body, and, though she did her best to stifle the sounds, several pained moans escaped her throat. Fortunately, despite appearing as thin as normal curtains, no sound was able to travel beyond the boundary of the curtain’s railing. His treatments regularly elicited a rather ‘vocal’ response from his patients, so, as an extra privacy feature, he added soundproofing and anti-spying barriers around each of the gurney-like beds.
With the initial pain gradually fading away, Jung’s body slowly became limp, sniffling as she did her best not to cry. Fortunately, whenever she peeked back at Vahn, he was always very focused, never once looking at her with a contemptuous or disdaining gaze. This made her feel like she could trust him, and, though it always made her feel very ashamed, he was the only person she allowed herself to cry around…
Finished with the relatively short procedure, Vahn pulled out a second towel, gently dabbing Jung’s back as she slowly regulated her breathing. He could always use ‘cleaning magic’ on her, but, as this had an inherent stimulating effect, he did his best to avoid arbitrarily using it on girls younger than a certain age. He knew Jung had a considerable amount of trust in him so the last thing he wanted was to give the girl a reason to doubt or misunderstand his intentions.
Despite her age, making her appear around 12~13-years-old, Jung was actually pretty close to her 108th birthday. Her bloodline allowed her to use Shinsu from a very early age, so, even though she had only recently started her ascent, her physical development, similar to Anak’s, had stopped due to a trauma she had received in the past. This left her with a very child-like personality, and, though she regularly pushed herself to the point of severe injury, she always had a smile on her face as she bottled up and compartmentalized all her pain and suffering.
It was largely due to the two girls’ tragic pasts that Vahn had Gandr entertain the duo of Jung and Serra. They, like many descendants of the Ten Great Families, carried considerable burdens from a very young age. For Jung, this was the expectation of her mother who had been killed during one of the family’s internal disputes. As for Serra, she had basically spent her entire childhood fighting against her own siblings. These battles were fought using real swords, and, if you weren’t strong enough, you were quickly abandoned, exiled, or even crippled for your weakness.
Vahn wasn’t too enthused about either of the girls’ past, so, while he had yet to decide whether or not they would accompany Team Wolf Pack further up the Tower, he asked that his Children treated them well. This allowed Jung to quickly become friends with most of the members, and, though she was still very cold, even Serra had slowly been opening up to others. It was just very difficult for her, as, from a very young age, even her own siblings were considered ‘enemies’…
Having relaxed her breathing, Jung quickly wiped away the final traces of her tears before shifting to a seated position and pumping her fists rather adorably as she chimed, “Easy peasy! Now, where is my treat? Gimme, gimme~!”
Though it pained him a little to see her pushing herself, Vahn offered an amused smile in response to Jung’s antics, ruffling her hair as he pulled out a panda-themed lollipop and said, “Make sure you fix your clothing before opening it. I don’t want you walking out of the curtains without your top on like the first time I treated you.”
Being reminded of her previous gaff, a red hue spread through Jung’s cheeks as she snatched the lollipop and shouted, “You don’t need to keep reminding me! I only did it like once or twice~!!!”
Without saying the number out loud, Vahn held up nine fingers, intensifying the blush on Jung’s face before promptly departing beyond the curtains. It was normal for people, especially females, to want to wipe themselves down completely so he always made sure to leave a bucket of warm water and a towel whenever he finished treatment. This included Jung, and, though she didn’t seem even remotely bothered by his presence, he had better things to do than stand around watching a ‘Loli’ bathe herself…
—
Though their primary residence was located within the Little Garden, the top floor of the House of Miracles served as a residential lounge for the members of Team Wolf Pack. It was a place where they could relax in between their shifts, and, most importantly, it served as the hub where everyone accepted Quests and received orders from Khun.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Khun placed down his cup of coffee, heavy bags under his eyes as he offered a smile towards the duo who had just entered. He only got around three hours of sleep per day in the last month, and, if not for the benefits provided by the Little Garden, combined with his heritage as a descendant of the Khun Family, he might have broken down weeks ago.
Returning Khun’s smile, Gandr gestured for Serra to take a seat on the nearby sofa as he asked, “Am I the first one back? Did something happen…?”
Amused by Gandr’s concern, Khun issued a light chuckle, shaking his head as he said, “Don’t worry. I expected you to return around this time so I had Endorsi accompany Aleksai and Shibisu to the Lo Po Bia District. The latter Faction has been growing restless ever since we usurped their alliance with the Eurasia Faction. I don’t expect anything to happen, but make sure you’re ready to mobilize once Shibisu contacts me…”
Nodding his head in understanding, Gandr lightly sniffed the air, determining that it had only been around twenty minutes since everyone left. This meant they had a few hours before anything major happened, so, before Khun could overwork himself, he said, “Ask Yun-Yun to use her technique on you. I’ll watch over the Lighthouse and inform you the moment something changes.”
Though his instinct was to refuse, Khun had been doing his best to become a little more trusting as of late. Gandr had also saved him a number of times at this point, so, while they weren’t as close as he and Baam were, Khun trusted his judgment. He also felt drained the moment Gandr mentioned Yun-Yun, so, rather than be obstinate, he dragged his feet towards the adjacent room while issuing a long yawn. There, a young girl wearing fluffy animal pajamas could be seen drooling while using Laure’s body as a pillow. She had short pink hair, and, though they were rarely ever visible, she also had hazy pink eyes. Her most notable trait, however, was the fact that she appeared closer to eight than her actual age of eighty-three…
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Everyone wants a piece of the goodest boi’,’Jung is doing her best…’,The Eurasia Family makes FBI-san’s job very difficult…’)
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