The Returnee's Daughter (3)

Stigmata.

It holds a special meaning even on Earth, but over there, it was even more significant for a more direct reason.

Stigmata, simply put, means someone who can become a god.

Thus, those who possess stigmata are referred to as 'saint' over there, and depending on gender, they are called 'Holy Son' or 'Holy Daughter.'

Saints basically have a unique authority that only they can possess, and that authority changes according to the situation of the world.

Essentially, what is most desired and valued in that era manifests as authority.

The reason I know this in such detail is because I already met a Saintess in that world.

"So, you were watching my back all this time because you were wondering if I might have stigmata like that?"

"... That's right. But you disappear so quickly, so I'm still not sure."

"Aw, what's that about."

Maybe my reaction to Alencia Walker was puzzling, because Shin Ah-yeon kept asking more questions.

In the end, I had to share a few things I'd been thinking about so far.

"So over there, that Saintess? She has a unique ability or something, right? Not something like holy power?"

"Rather than holy power, stigmata allow one to use magic power in a completely different way. In the case of a Saintess, it's the manifestation of authority using the stigmata as a medium."

"So if I'm a Saintess, then I'd have some kind of authority as well?"

"Probably."

"That's amazing."

Shin Ah-yeon's eyes sparkled as she absently rubbed her own back with her palm.

Of course, nothing special happened just because she did that, but from her standpoint, it must have just seemed mysterious.

"You already know how to use magic, so why are you so interested in this?"

"Well, you're talking about such grand things like authority, so it's only natural to react like this. But if I have something like that stigmata, what would my authority be?"

"How would I know? If I knew, I'd be the one asking you instead."

"Huh?"

Normally, once typical stigmata appear, they don't disappear.

Like the mark on Alencia's back seen through the internet broadcast, which didn't fade.

But in Shin Ah-yeon's case, there was currently no sign on her back.

Can stigmata disappear depending on the case?

At least as far as I know, that doesn't happen.

That's partly why I hadn't bothered to mention it to Shin Ah-yeon all this time.

"If you have stigmata, you gain a special power and a different mechanism from regular awakeners. The way you acquire magic power also changes, and when using magic power, completely different phenomena occur."

If I assume Shin Ah-yeon possesses a special power, perhaps that was the power exerted on Ji Yeon-hwa.

But can a mage even have stigmata?

That's another question.

'That guy definitely said a Saintess wouldn't be able to use magic.'

Because the method of using magic power changes completely, usually, one can no longer use magic.

Which must be why 'she' wanted to use magic but ultimately couldn't.

"Aw, what? That's no fun. So all I can do in the end is just wait and see?"

"That's right."

"Then is she really a Saintess? How on earth do they come into being, anyway?"

"I'll have to check that to be sure, but..."

In the video, there were scenes of Alencia undergoing an awakened aptitude test.

Tests to see whether she could handle magic power, or whether she had a mana hall.

To sum up, Alencia was not an awakener.

The problem was, when they tried to examine more detailed aspects such as her physical abilities, all the equipment broke down. Startled, Alencia had no choice but to hurriedly escape from the aptitude test site.

She was worried they might try to make her pay for it.

"Normally, for a Saintess to come into being, a special condition is necessary."

"A special condition?"

The condition in question was actually the most important factor.

Saints possess a value almost like gods to humanity.

Therefore, the birth of a saint signifies a 'danger signal'—that humanity is in need of such great power.

"When the end of humanity is approaching."

***

And so, I had planned to go to America because of the incident in Mexico, but now, because of the existence of Alencia, things changed. On top of that, I couldn't help but reconsider matters regarding James Walker as well.

It seemed the world regarded James Walker as a notorious fraud, but if Alencia truly was a 'Saintess', then his words and actions took on a whole new significance.

"Huh? Reality show?"

"Yes, I'm sure you've heard of this variety show before, Soo-ah."

In Unique's training room, as soon as Lee Soo-ah finished her session, I brought up the recent offer from HSN about a variety show.

At that, Lee Soo-ah looked quite startled—her eyes went wide.

'Anyway, Alencia's situation takes a back seat. Before we head to America, I should get the schedule sorted.'

I was debating what to pick when the offer came from HSN, and it seemed quite appealing.

"It's a show called 'Living Together'. It's been pretty popular lately, right?"

"Oh, of course I know it. But... hasn't there never been a Hunter on that show?"

'Living Together' was one of the hottest variety shows on HSN lately.

Professionals from various fields appear on the program, and panels observe and broadcast their everyday lives—essentially a reality observation show.

Usually, celebrities or influencers would appear, but no Hunter had ever been on the show.

"It's partly because of the image Hunters have, and there really hasn't been a suitable person to invite."

Of course, there were Hunters who were as popular as celebrities.

They occasionally appeared on variety shows, and the public's perception of Hunters had improved compared to the past.

But on 'Living Together', there hadn't yet been a Hunter.

Because of the nature of the job—if a Hunter exposed their private life carelessly, it could put them at risk.

"But if I appear, that basically means Ah-yeon unni will appear too. Is that okay?"

"I haven't talked to Ah-yeon about it yet, but things are already settled with PD Do."

"PD Do?"

"Yes, it was PD Do Yung-sun who brought this variety show to me."

To explain briefly, this offer for 'Living Together' was personally recommended to me by PD Do Yung-sun.

For the record, this was unrelated to the 'bet'.

'The timing couldn't have been better.'

I'd been looking for a suitable show anyway.

Since both Soo-ah and Shin Ah-yeon had barely appeared on TV lately due to all the Hunter activities, it was about time they did at least one show.

"And, not just you and Ah-yeon—there's going to be one more person."

"One more? Who is it?"

"He thought it would be good for Yeon-ji to appear as well."

In the spirit of the show's title, 'Living Together', it usually had multiple participants.

The show's purpose was to gather a diverse cast and observe their daily lives.

Most of the time, since the cast members were acquaintances, there weren't any particular problems.

"Y-Yeon-ji? Oh, don't tell me..."

"Yes, perhaps because her name spread like wildfire after the recent incident, PD Do desperately asked me."

Originally, PD Do had recommended several variety shows and commercials because of our 'bet', but due to my deal with Chairman Song Hyun-seung, I didn't need to get commercials from him anymore.

So now I was focused on variety shows... and thanks to the recent 'Shim Chun-hoo' incident, Soo-ah's name value skyrocketed.

In addition, Yeon-ji, who stood toe-to-toe with Shim Chun-hoo alongside the 'mysterious man'!

"Manager Park, aren't we close? We'll prepare an amazing variety show, so would you please help us get Soo-ah and Yeon-ji on the show?"

Some days ago, PD Do had made that request to me in a very deferential manner—the opposite of usual.

The fact that the prideful PD Do approached me like that meant the stir caused by the Shim Chun-hoo incident was no ordinary matter.

'Well, that's only natural.'

Besides Soo-ah, the other two Hunters who had been appointed as 'Awakener Crime Prevention Ambassadors' had to step down for various reasons.

Of the three Hunters initially set to star in public service ads across the three major networks, two dropped out. As a result, Soo-ah's presence became all the more prominent.

That meant we profited several times more than originally planned.

"Well, Yeon-ji really was the talk of the town this time. With that appearance and such an active role..."

But even Soo-ah had to take a step back compared to the attention Yeon-ji was getting.

The 'mysterious man' lost his spotlight quickly since nothing was revealed, but Yeon-ji was different.

"W-Wouldn't it be a waste of manpower to have all three of us on one variety show? I'm already doing public service ads, so I don't think I really need to do this..."

Soo-ah didn't seem too thrilled about appearing on 'Living Together'.

'Come to think of it, this would be Soo-ah's first time on a regular variety show.'

She had participated in Super Hunter K, but that was still a Hunter-oriented show.

She'd never taken part in an ordinary variety show like this before.

Shin Ah-yeon would probably take it in stride, but it made sense that Soo-ah would feel burdened.

"More importantly, I think Yeon-ji would really hate something like this."

"Oh my, I'm fine with it!"

The moment Soo-ah said that, a familiar voice chimed in from beside us.

When I turned my head, I made eye contact with Yeon-ji, who had just walked in wearing her training suit.

"I may look like this, but I used to do quite a few variety shows before, so I enjoy this kind of thing."

"Ah..."

For a moment, Soo-ah was at a loss for words, completely unprepared for that response.

Was being on a variety show really that intimidating for her?

'But didn't she do a great job in the commercials?'

She had seemed so confident filming the public service ad recently that even the staff were impressed.

But if she was showing such resistance now, there was no need to force her.

Plus, as Soo-ah said, 'Living Together' would require filming their daily lives, which limited their activities. If we installed cameras at the mansion, but they kept leaving, there'd be no footage.

So for Unique, there'd be a sizable gap in the schedules of three S-rank Hunters, making it inefficient.

'I was hoping they could take it easy for once after so many rough incidents...'

I'd chosen 'Living Together' partly to give these three—who must have been exhausted from the string of incidents with the demons, JM, and Javelin Guild—a chance to rest.

After all, the show was shot at a relaxed pace.

But if Soo-ah was so reluctant, maybe I should look for another show.

"Um~, Soo-ah unni."

Just as I was about to say something, Yeon-ji slipped up to the flustered Soo-ah with an oddly melodic voice.

"W-What? Why are you calling me that all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I'm just curious... Are you planning to go on a trip somewhere?"

"Huh? N-No, I'm not?"

Soo-ah quickly denied it in a flustered manner at Yeon-ji's question.

Although she usually spoke comfortably around others, now she used formal speech, just as she did with Ji Yeon-hwa.

Apparently, because of her character, it was hard for Soo-ah to use informal language to an older person, even if they looked younger.

"Really? That's odd. Then why did I see you checking airplane tickets lately...?"

Thump!!

Just then, Soo-ah's hand shot out and clamped over Yeon-ji's mouth.

"Ah, oh come on Yeon-ji, what are you talking about. A-And, manager Park! I'll do the show, so don't worry too much. I-I just need to talk to Yeon-ji for a second...!"

With that, Soo-ah dragged Yeon-ji by the hand out of the training room.

As she was pulled away without protest, Yeon-ji looked back at me with a much more fatigued expression than before, mouthing something silently.

'I'm remembering this debt, seriously.'

Making sure Soo-ah couldn't hear, Yeon-ji shaped the words to me, then disappeared from view, being dragged off.

'... She owes me a debt?'

Maybe she meant I helped her get on the variety show, but somehow, it felt like Yeon-ji meant something else.

Whether this was fortunate or not, I never did end up learning what she truly meant.

Afterwards, Soo-ah agreed to be on the show without any further complaints.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Haha, Soo-ah got caught.【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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