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Chapter 38
Jeok Yoon-ha’s face twisted as she lunged forward with her hand.
The moment my dad dodged her hand and stepped back—
“Dah-dy, sorcerer, fire sorcerer!”
Whoosh!
A giant flame burst from Jeok Yoon-ha’s fist.
“Looks like it.”
Dad remained calm. A gust of wind blew, flipping the desk, which in turn blocked the incoming punch.
The wood instantly caught fire and burned to ashes.
“A powerful fire sorcerer.”
“Ha! Pow-werrrfuul?”
Jeok Yoon-ha snorted.
“Oh, now I get it. That ridiculously handsome face—no wonder it looked familiar. You’re the Black Clan’s fiercest watchdog!”
Watchdog?
“I thought you were dead or missing. So why are you interfering with my business?!”
Jeok Yoon-ha was a half-blood between the Western and Eastern continents, and she had a rare fire ability said to only manifest among Westerners.
(She insisted she identified as Eastern, though.)
The problem was that her sparks were spreading—catching fire everywhere!
Does this crazy woman even realize where she is?!
Crackle! Crackle!
‘Aaaaah!’
The herbs! The herbs are burning!
This eccentric shop was full of rare medicinal herbs. Each and every one of them was insanely valuable!
Aaaack! That herb is worth ten gold bars!
I panicked. Still floating in the air, I called out to a confused man nearby.
“Un-deok ajusshi!”
“Y-yes? How do you know my name…?”
“Is that important right now?! Please put me down, quick!”
He gently set me down, and I poured some water from a container onto the burning herbs.
The immediate flames were doused.
Then I quickly turned my head.
‘Dad, you’re totally just playing around! You’re humoring her!’
Look at his calm demeanor and expression. It’s the same face he had when deflecting Heuk Ye-hun’s attacks.
I splashed the remaining water on my hands.
‘Fine, you grown-ups!’
Clap!
Swoooosh!
A wave surged up and engulfed both adults—trapping them in a sphere of water.
In the next moment, the two adults were floating in midair.
It was a diagnosis spell.
“…What the hell, a water sorcerer?! Damn it, there was another ability user?! Put me down!!”
The raging flames quickly fizzled inside my water.
“Would you two cut it out already!!”
I yelled in exasperation.
“You’re worse than three-year-olds! Who’s the adult here, huh?!”
The whole place went dead silent.
I marched up to Jeok Yoon-ha and pointed my finger furiously.
“You there! You call yourself an herbalist, and you’re using fire in here?!”
“…Huh?”
She looked dumbfounded. Maybe she was finally coming to her senses.
“I’m the shop owner, though…”
“So what? You think being the owner gives you the right to destroy everything? These are life-saving materials!”
“Oh… um, sorry?”
She apologized with a confused look on her face, like she didn’t even know what she did wrong.
“It’s mine, so why am I the one getting scolded?”
“Because you did something worth getting scolded for.”
Dad, still floating calmly in the water sphere, muttered lazily. Jeok Yoon-ha’s eyes flared up again like a beast’s.
“Daddy, stop provoking her!”
Time passed.
Jeok Yoon-ha seemed calmer now, arms crossed as she sat inside the floating water sphere.
Then, with a cooler expression, she said:
“Hey there, cute kid. Just so you know, it was the guy holding you who started this. I was innocent.”
You say that with a straight face?
“Do my eyes exist for decoration? You attacked first!”
Seriously, both of them were the same.
I couldn’t tell who the adult was anymore.
To begin with, none of this would’ve happened if Jeok Yoon-ha had started with a civil conversation.
“Um, Miss Yoon-ha…”
Thankfully, Uncle Un-deok gently grabbed her arm to stop her. It looked like she was finally willing to listen.
“Are you alright now? Please, look at my face.”
“Uncle Un-deok? Huh? Why’s your face… healed…?”
“Heh… you’ve come to your senses.”
Her face went from shock and disbelief to dazed, as if seeing his clean face for the first time.
Uncle Un-deok bowed politely toward us.
“I’m truly sorry on her behalf. Miss Yoon-ha is still inexperienced in controlling her powers as a fire sorcerer, and easily gets carried away.”
Jeok Yoon-ha gave an awkward expression.
“May I explain now?”
He glanced at me and carefully pointed my way.
“Miss Yoon-ha, these people are the ones who treated me—they’re doctors.”
She blinked.
“Doctors? That shady-looking guy? But Heuk Bi-hu is fine? Wasn’t he the one who tried to kill me with wind?”
No, not him—me. I’m the doctor.
“Ehh, no way!”
Later, in another herb shop—also owned by Jeok Yoon-ha.
“That tiny thing is Heuk Bi-hu’s daughter? She looks so gentle and pretty! That guy looks way too sharp and scary!”
Why is that what you’re shocked about? Though, I understood.
“And she’s a doctor? A pharmacist? At three years old? She really treated Uncle Un-deok? That’s absurd!”
She didn’t believe me at all until I told her my age—and now this.
She slammed the table with a loud bang.
She’s going to break the thing. As I thought before—she’s really strong.
‘Westerners are generally more boisterous and rough.’
But despite that, she insists she’s from the Eastern continent and fully identifies as one.
‘Wasn’t her mother an Eastern slave…?’
Dad flicked my forehead lightly.
“Scared?”
“Of what?”
“…Never mind.”
What’s with him?
I tilted my head but still turned to Jeok Yoon-ha.
“Hey, since you didn’t believe me, I treated your hand too, remember?”
Even though I treated her wound, she kept saying it didn’t make sense.
“Haha… please understand. Miss Yoon-ha needs a bit of time to accept things.”
“Ah, I see. Give me a moment. I’m still processing the impossible.”
Little sparks flared around her again.
How did a fire user end up running an herb shop?
‘What a fascinating person.’
And in the future, she doesn’t just succeed—she becomes filthy rich.
The White Dragon Trading Company.
The company she would found becomes one of the empire’s three greatest.
‘I get it though.’
Fire users hold a rather unique place among ability users.
‘Their abilities affect their personality and even brain functions.’
According to Western researchers, until their power stabilizes…
Fire users struggle with anger, impulsiveness, and narrow vision when agitated.
The timing of power stabilization varies per person. Some never stabilize in their entire lives.
It’s said the lands with many fire users have constant wars and battles.
‘Earth element users are said to be greedy.’
Of course, Eastern continent users have their traits too.
Lightning users often fall into madness. Water sorcerers? Said to be moody and unpredictable…
Anyway, fire and earth users often prove their strength through combat, taking what they want—and taking pleasure in it.
This empire is the only neutral zone on the Western continent.
‘Like Switzerland.’
A land of healers. A paradise for doctors. Warriors must yield here, no exceptions.
Such order is only possible because of the immense power of the imperial family, overflowing with strong earth users.
‘Ugh, that annoying crown prince’s face popped into my head.’
But even the imperial family’s strength is fading now. No new powerful earth sorcerers have emerged.
Just as my thoughts came to an end, Jeok Yoon-ha sighed.
“Whew… okay, I’ve really calmed down. Sorry for the scene, Uncle.”
“Hehe, not at all. But I think it’s the guests you should apologize to, not me.”
Her black eyes settled on me—now calm.
“I was rude to a precious young lady. I’m sorry.”
‘What should I name my trading company? I want it to be something pure white!’
On my third lifetime, at age twelve, when I first met her—this woman in her thirties had the sparkle of a twenty-year-old in her eyes.
‘Heuk Bi-yu. You adorable little thing, I like you.’
Older than now, she had stabilized her powers—bold, yet wise, full of warmth and affection.
Even when we said our final goodbye, she smiled gently.
‘But we can’t walk the same path.’
‘…Why not?’
‘Because I’m Uncle Un-deok’s family. And you’re from the Heuk Clan. Uncle Un-deok will never forgive them.’
We couldn’t be allies or even friends—
But she was one of the few who truly wished for my happiness.
‘Live well.’
‘Even if it costs all my luck—I wish you happiness, Bi-ma.’
She said that… and died a few years later.
Before I could even ask her if, now that I’m the continent’s greatest doctor and pharmacist, she could finally be on our side.
“So basically…”
Jeok Yoon-ha now spoke brightly.
“You’re a genius?”
Quite different from earlier, when she was screaming in disbelief.
Her dark eyes now sparkled with playful wit.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to make you my ally.”
