I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 52: Piglet (3)

Even if I’m in a situation where I have to lie, I don’t commit the miracle of creating something out of nothing.

If you listen casually, you might think I’m making things up, but that’s only if you listen casually. If you listen carefully, think it over, and ponder, you’ll realize that I’m saying it all out of concern. Since it’s not baseless, no one can refute it.

Of course.

It’s because I’m right.

Think about it.

Have I ever made something up to Hong Seok-young or Park Seo-hyun?

No.

Anyway, I was from Ark, and Park Seo-hyun has the talent to become an Archmage, so she will become one.

Of course, since this is communication between people, there can be minor misunderstandings.

But that’s their fault for guessing without asking me, not my fault.

Anyway, it’s not like that.

So if Oh Hyun-wook misunderstands me, that’s his fault. I’m just conveying the facts as they are.

“Yeah… Now that I see it, you resemble each other quite a bit.”

Of course he resembles him, since he is the one I’m talking about.

See? I’m not lying, right?

“And what you wanted to do is similar too.”

Of course it is similar, since he is the one being talked about.

If you call this a lie, you’re denying Oh Hyun-wook’s life. I don’t commit such cruel acts.

Oh Hyun-wook gaped his mouth and then closed it. He had been sobbing and hiccuping, but now he had stopped. Instead, his eyes were wide open, looking at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Who is this person and why are you telling me these things?”

Ah, there’s a reason for all this. Your’re not understanding my grand scheme.

“And he had the same worries you’re having now.”

What Oh Hyun-wook is saying now.

The piglet’s actions.

Comparing them roughly, I could now somewhat understand Oh Hyun-wook.

In the end, that man couldn’t escape from his past memories.

That’s why mental evaluations should be mandatory when getting a license. Or make them undergo it every time they renew. Without such measures, people who should quit and take a rest are walking around claiming to be Hunters.

By the time I tried to do something, the period when I could intervene had already passed. The old man didn’t pay much attention to that part despite making me attend counseling.

At this point, it might not be too late, right? When Hong Seok-young was setting up the Ability Management Agency, if something had been done….

I’ll think about that later.

For now, I have to coax this little piglet.

“Honestly, it was funny from my perspective.”

Seeing a guy who used to crawl around drunk donate a huge sum to the Retired Hunters Support Association every year. Seeing him give ample compensation to the bereaved families on behalf of the guild.

Moreover, Oh Hyun-wook actively promoted a campaign to eradicate illegal activities within dungeons. If my memory serves right, he even acted as a spokesperson for it.

…Come to think of it, Oh Hyun-wook got backstabbed because he had turned a blind eye to those embezzling guild funds.

Isn’t it funny? Even after being treated like that, Oh Hyun-wook didn’t press charges against them.

What did he say again?

Something about it being his fault for not realizing how much the kids were struggling, even though he was the Guild Master.

Crazy bastard.

“But he kept doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“Helping kids who had suffered like him.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I asked him once. Why he was doing it.”

“……”

“Even though there are others who could take care of them, and he knew he wouldn’t get anything in return. And he wasn’t exactly a saint who didn’t care about such things.”

“……”

“Why do you keep doing it.”

When I asked, that pig opened his eyes wide, which were buried in his flesh. Those eyes looked exactly like this piglet’s face.

Oh Hyun-wook was dumbfounded.

‘You know our manager is being a jerk for asking that, right?’

‘Who says otherwise?’

‘…It’s funny how you ask the same thing as your dad.’

‘What?’

‘Nothing. Yeah, he said he couldn’t sleep because he was so curious.’

‘I never said that.’

‘You were so curious it twisted your insides, right?’

‘I told you, that’s not the case.’

‘Then I have no choice but to answer.’

The piglet opened his mouth, reeking of alcohol.

“He said he didn’t want to sink to the same level.”

“Same level….”

“He said he’s not that moral of a person and, honestly, if he wanted to pursue efficiency, he could do worse things.”

‘Then why didn’t he do it?’

But Oh Hyun-wook didn’t do that.

‘It’s simple.’

I now understood whom Oh Hyun-wook didn’t want to become like.

Yeah. I finally understand.

‘I had to prove that I was a better person.’

This is what Oh Hyun-wook realized over twenty years.

Could the piglet realize the same thing?

“But if he did that, he’d become just like him. He said he had to prove that he wasn’t like that.”

Oh Hyun-wook’s face was still wet. But his eyes had come back to life. Like Park Seo-hyun.

No, Park Seo-hyun was more on the dazed side. She wasn’t as full of fighting spirit as this one.

“Why don’t you try to prove it too?”

“I….”

“You came all this way to become a hunter, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“Don’t give up.”

“…Give up, yeah.”

It looks like this should be enough… but should I make it clearer?

Currently, the laws regarding Hunters, guilds, and dungeon raids are insufficient. Even if they exist, they don’t function properly, and lawsuits between Hunters are almost nonexistent.

It must have been difficult even for Hong Seok-young to pull Oh Hyun-wook and Seo Han-seong out. Like Park Seo-hyun or Yoo Ji-eun, Oh Hyun-wook’s past records had disappeared, but it’s obvious.

“It’s your life, so you should decide…. Your former Guild Master. Did that bastard go to jail, by any chance?”

“……No.”

Grit.

Did he just grind his teeth? I didn’t hear wrong, right?

“Then it’s even more infuriating.”

I pretended not to hear and spoke casually.

“Show him. That you can be more successful without resorting to those methods.”

* * *

Oh Hyun-wook got out of the car and walked back with a peculiar expression. He didn’t say much more, but he didn’t spout nonsense about not deserving to be a Hunter either.

Maybe… he’ll be reborn as a piglet without the arrogance.

My workday is also over once I leave.

“Good job, Teacher Woo.”

But I got caught by Hong Seok-young and Kim Chae-min.

“I’m going home.”

“Right, we should clock out too.”

Hong Seok-young nodded.

“Since the raid ended safely, it’s time for a team dinner.”

“…….”

My right to refuse was practically non-existent.

Before I knew it, I was dragged to the shabby pub in the rural neighborhood that had become a regular spot.

Although it was a hassle, I had something to say to Hong Seok-young, so I quietly explained what had happened in the dungeon.

“So that’s what happened.”

After I finished, Hong Seok-young clicked his tongue and tore into a chicken.

…I can understand Park Seo-hyun’s change in style as her inferiority complex, but isn’t Oh Hyunwook’s due to the trauma from being bait? Why is his reaction so lukewarm?

“Do you know how surprised I was when I heard the raid failed? If they can’t clear even a thinned out dungeon, they shouldn’t be a Hunter.”

“…….”

“Why the long face?”

“Are you going to leave student Oh Hyun-wook as he is?”

“Hmm…. You’re doing well, so why bother? No need to make unnecessary trouble.”

“Don’t you think we should at least make him get counseling or something?”

“Counseling?”

Hong Seok-young sucked on a chicken leg. That habit of his is still the same.

“Aren’t you already doing that? Should I promote you? To counselor? I hear schools have those these days.”

“Why don’t you raise my salary first?”

“This place’s chicken is good.”

“…….”

But this time, I am serious. Kim Chae-min seemed like she wanted to say something but shut her mouth when she saw my face.

“It’s not just Oh Hyun-wook. Seo Han-seong was also used as bait, wasn’t he? The kids who were in Myeong-dong during dungeon break must have been under a lot of stress too. It seems like it would be good to have them receive counseling at least once to see if they’re okay.”

“Hmm….”

Hong Seok-young put down the finished bone.

“Should I be honest?”

This makes me uneasy.

“Counseling? Psychological therapy? Sure, I’m not against it.”

“Then….”

“But what’s the likelihood of a psychiatrist being an Awakened?”

“What?”

This is out of the blue. What does that have to do with anything?

“It’s not irrelevant. Then, what are the chances of an awakened psychiatrist being able to subdue an active hunter who starts rampaging during a counseling session?”

“…….”

“Well… a few years ago.”

Kim Chae-min cautiously interjected after glancing around.

“Teacher Woo might not know this, but there was a case where a doctor was killed by a Hunter having a panic attack during counseling. It wasn’t intentional on the Hunter’s part, but the problem escalated and became a big issue.”

“The real problem came after that incident.”

Hong Seok-young rummaged through the chicken and picked up the second drumstick.

“There was even a case where a Hunter, who took the doctor’s advice as nagging, killed the doctor outright.”

“…….”

“Even if it doesn’t go to that extreme, there have been many cases where doctors were injured by panic or anxiety attacks. It just hasn’t been widely publicized. You get what I mean now?”

“…Did the doctors refuse to provide treatment?”

“Rather than refuse… they demanded solid safety measures.”

“Like wearing a mana restraint device, similar to what you used to wear.”

“And the hunters refused, I assume.”

“Exactly. Even with a mana restraint device, accidents can still happen…. And we can’t just tie a Hunter down. Accidents kept happening.”

“Now… um, I think counseling is only available via voice call? You can’t even see their faces. That’s because some Hunters would seek out the doctors.”

“…….”

Was… was it really like that?

I couldn’t hide my surprise. Did this really happen?

What about all those counseling sessions I had? Wait, hold on. Maybe it was possible because I wasn’t Awakened at that time?

“Of course, proper diagnosis isn’t possible that way. Naturally, Hunters stopped seeking out doctors.”

“But these are just kids, aren’t they?”

“They have licenses, you know. They’re all D-rank or higher.”

“…….”

No, but Hunter Academy students often received counseling. There were always resident counselors at the academy….

Who were awakened. And also had hunter licenses.

Damn. Was that why the old man always laughed off my concerns about mental evaluations?

“There are dedicated doctors, sure. Those who genuinely want to help. But most Hunters’ panic attacks manifest violently. It’s not something you can solve with dedication alone.”

This was an entirely unexpected situation, and I didn’t know what to say.

Hong Seok-young continued to chew on the chicken as he spoke.

“So, you have to assume there’s no professional help available.”

“…….”

“If the trauma were truly insurmountable, they wouldn’t have followed me to become Hunters in the first place. So, Teacher Woo, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Hong Seok-young spoke calmly.

After hearing his reasoning, I could understand the thought process that led him to this conclusion.

But.

“…They’re still just kids.”

“Why do you think I assigned you to them?”

“…….”

“I understand where you’re coming from, Teacher Woo…. Ah, that’s right.”

Hong Seok-young took a gulp of beer and, as if he remembered something, pursed his lips in an exclamation.

“That thing at the Ark. National Heart, what was it?”

“The National New Heart and Spirit Association… You should have memorized it by now, shouldn’t you?”

“They lured you in with their child psychology program, right?”

“Lured? Your choice of words is a bit…”

“Since you’re going anyway, you should pay attention. The lectures might actually be good.”

“No….”

“The kids are getting used to you…. Want to take on the role of a counseling teacher too?”

Hong Seok-young cut off my words and said.

“No matter how poorly the school is run, that’s not right.”

“Seeing how you handled Hyun-wook earlier, I think you’d do well.”

I frowned.

“Then at least give me a raise.”

“Hmm. Are you going to drink beer? Boss! Three more beers over here!”

Damn you old man.