Chapter 33: The ‘secret deal’ with regular customers has begun!

I followed the direction the cat had gone.

The forest was filled with trees of all sizes, so I worried about losing it if I trailed too far behind.

But bloodstains leading somewhere served as my guide.

Following the trail, I spotted a makeshift nest of leaves and branches.

There, curled up tightly, the cat was licking a wound on its back.

Swish, swish—

Flinch!

Swish, swish, swish—

Flinch!

Each time its tongue touched the wound, the cat’s body twitched in pain.

“…Hey.”

As I cautiously spoke, the unsuspecting cat raised its tail sharply, taking a defensive stance.

Hiss—!

Its eyes glinted fiercely, and saliva dripped from its bared teeth.

It looked ready to tear my throat out if I moved an inch.

Even knowing my necklace and bracelet would protect me, I couldn’t help but shrink back.

“I’m here to… heal you…”

I spoke carefully again, and the cat’s guard seemed to ease slightly, its raised tail slowly lowering.

Seizing the moment, I continued.

“…Can I heal you?”

The cat narrowed its eyes, glaring at me with distrust.

“As if a lowly human could do that.”

It bristled again, but unlike before, it didn’t hiss or show hostility.

Standing still, I cautiously drew up my mana.

A warm glow spread from my fingertips, floating gently toward the cat’s wound.

Flash—

The light reached the cat’s lower back and began seeping into the bloodied area.

The torn flesh twitched.

The gashed skin slowly, ever so slightly, stitched itself together.

Soon, the deep wound healed completely, leaving no trace.

“Meow…?”

The cat’s yellow eyes blinked.

It turned its head, looking at its back in disbelief.

“Phew, looks like it works on animals too. Good.”

All done.

With a lot to do, I confirmed the cat’s wound was fully healed and turned to leave.

A curt voice called from behind.

“…Human, what do you want?”

I glanced back at the cat and said.

“Want? Nothing.”

The cat, wobbling to its feet, haughtily raised its chin.

“As the master of this place, I owe you for your help.”

“Huh? You’re the master here?”

When I asked, the cat nodded proudly.

A thought struck me.

‘Right, cats are territorial.’

Claiming this area as its own, it seemed to be saying it was the boss around here.

“Not a cat! I’m a lynx!”

It roared again, as if reading my thoughts.

“Alright, alright. But I don’t need a reward. I’m busy, so I’m off.”

As I turned to leave its nest—

Rustle—

The sound of crumbling leaves came from behind.

Glancing back, I saw the massive cat awkwardly following me, pretending to look around.

“Why are you following me?”

“Not following. I was just heading that way.”

I chuckled and nodded.

Pretending to be aloof while inching closer—it was so cat-like.

But now wasn’t the time to play with a cat.

‘Where are the Harnella flowers?’

From yesterday to today, I’d scoured the forest, but not a single Harnella flower was in sight.

‘Was that the last of them…?’

Maybe I’d been too hasty, curious about their fatigue-recovery effect.

‘Should I have started cultivating them?’

I’d already used the rare gatherable detection ability today, so I couldn’t rely on the weapon’s power for a while.

Even if I could use it again, there was no guarantee it’d find Harnella flowers.

“Sigh…”

‘How am I supposed to search this huge forest…?’

As I let out a deep sigh—

Scratch, scratch—

The sound of clawing wood came from behind.

Turning reflexively, I saw the cat elegantly scratching a tree’s bark.

It was leisurely clawing away until our eyes met, and it quickly looked down.

At its feet were three Harnella flowers I’d been searching for all day.

“Wow!”

I rushed to the flowers without hesitation.

“Did you find these for me?”

I beamed at the cat.

Sitting with its front paws neatly aligned, it avoided my gaze, feigning indifference.

“…Hmph. I don’t even know what those are.”

Despite its aloof face and sharp head turn, its wildly wagging tail betrayed its true feelings.

“You’re actually pretty amazing, huh? Thanks… I’ve been looking for these since yesterday.”

When I spoke sincerely, the cat’s ears twitched.

“…Anyone could do that.”

Despite its curt tone, its tail wagged twice as fast.

It must’ve liked being called amazing, since it didn’t snap at being called a ‘cat’ this time.

At that moment.

An eerie silence hung over Chorok’s neighborhood, not a breeze stirring.

A group, disguised in matching black masks and hats, lurked like shadows, silently watching movements beyond the wall.

“The target appears to be out.”

A short, concise radio transmission sounded.

The surroundings fell back into silence.

In the stifling quiet, a man pulled a tablet-sized device from his waist.

A hologram flickered, displaying the ‘P.R. Lumina Bell Project Failure Report.’

Confirming the target’s identity in the document’s center, he pocketed the device and spoke.

“We cannot fail.”

A low, soft voice whispered back.

“What?”

The man answered shortly, not sparing a glance.

“Take them out in one shot.”

A sudden doubt crossed his mind.

‘…Was there a woman in today’s operation?’

Only then did he turn toward the voice.

At a distance close enough to touch noses, blood-red eyes glinted faintly.

The woman tilted her head, studying him with what seemed like pure curiosity.

“What are you taking out?”

Her breath grazed his skin.

Her voice was cold and calm.

A strange presence, undetected until she was right beside him.

As he took in her face, he realized who he was facing.

Rank 1. Manyeol’s leader.

Classified as a psychopath.

A woman who could kill without a shred of emotion.

And she was right beside him, eyes gleaming.

“I really hate being ignored.”

Manyeol’s leader curled her lips into a pretty smile.

But her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

On my way home from the forest.

As my front door came into view, I saw people bustling in my yard.

Black and red team uniforms.

A familiar emblem on their backs.

‘Why are Manyeol’s people…?’

Rubbing my eyes in disbelief, I stepped into the yard.

The cleaning staff bowed in unison.

“Greetings, Healer-nim!”

“Uh… Hi. But… what’s going on in my yard?”

One of Manyeol’s staff answered politely.

“Orders from the leader. We’ll be regularly cleaning your yard from now on.”

“What!? No, you don’t have to…”

I’d been too busy to clean lately, and it seemed my neighbor was bothered by the messy yard.

But to send people to clean it…

“…Okay, I’ll let it slide today, but I’ll handle it myself from now on.”

Feeling embarrassed, I went inside, wanting to offer them something.

With nothing much to serve, I spotted a few leftover cookies from the café.

“You all worked hard today, right? Try these cookies I baked!”

As I offered the cookies, a few reached out hesitantly, then froze.

“Uh, this is… I mean…”

“Are these… really cookies?”

After ensuring they took the cookies, I bowed again and went inside.

I grabbed a potion to alter appearances, washed and dried Harnella petals, and busily prepared for the café’s opening.

Then, I opened the door.

Creak—

My heart sank.

Someone was standing at the entrance.

The unannounced visitor, as always, had her red eyes fixed on my cheek.

“Y-You could’ve rung the bell…”

Trying to hide my surprise with an awkward mumble—

A cold hand grabbed my cheeks firmly.

“This firmness, this texture. I missed it so much.”

“Ow…! That hurts!”

She kneaded my cheeks for a while, then, satisfied, curled her lips into a pretty smile.

“Got my reward.”

As if nothing happened, she turned and headed toward her staff in the yard.

Clutching my stinging cheeks, I stared blankly at her back.

‘Is she… actually crazy…?’

Even past lunchtime, the agency staff who came daily didn’t show up.

‘Are they not coming today…?’

Touching my still-stinging cheeks, a loud cheer erupted from the customers.

“Your Majesty…!”

“Her Majesty has arrived!”

On their tables were cute dolls modeled after Pristine.

‘How did they make those…?’

When did it start?

At some point, our café’s spirits had gained a fandom.

Leading the pack was Pristine, overwhelmingly popular among the spirits.

Her sculpted, beautiful appearance.

Her elegant demeanor.

Her signature move of lifting her skirt while serving seemed to be a major draw for fans.

“Hi! You’re so, so pretty today.”

“Is that aegyo? Oh my gosh, so cute…”

Next was the spirit who’d plumped up adorably from eating customers’ snacks.

Squeak♡

Squeeeeak—♡

Unlike Pristine, who left after finishing her tasks with restrained movements, this spirit’s friendly, affectionate attitude felt like watching a pro idol.

As the most people-loving spirit, it naturally monopolized the customers’ affection.

And finally, the Lumina spirit.

Squeak.

Holding up five fingers to demand purified water, this one didn’t care whether customers liked it or not.

Its mind was solely on securing purified water.

“Hey, are you just trying to get water without working now?”

Squeak…

At my words, the Lumina spirit drooped its wings, reluctantly flying off with flower tea, looking like it hated working.

“Pfft, that face totally says it hates its job.”

“It’s got this weird charm.”

Apparently, it had its own niche fanbase.

Smiling warmly at the customers’ enjoyment, I spotted new arrivals and jumped up.

‘They’re here…!’

Finally, the agency staff—perfect for my ‘discreet deals’—had arrived!

“Owner… Do you have Harnella flower tea today…?”

“I’m dying… If I can’t have it today, I might just keel over…”

They looked unusually exhausted, even more worn out than usual.

“I got the ingredients today. Just wait a moment!”

Smiling brightly, I turned to prepare the tea when—

A tearful voice came from behind.

“Sigh, I’m so sick of this. When will we ever awaken…?”

“Just give up. They say if you haven’t awakened by now, you never will…”

‘…Now’s the time!’

I turned slightly, whispering low enough for other tables not to hear.

“Customers, do you really want to awaken?”

They answered with faces that said it was the most obvious question.

“Of course… I’d sell my soul to awaken at this point.”

“Being an agency desk worker gets you treated like a failure…”

“Honestly… we’re just living because we haven’t died yet.”

Finally, at last.

“…If you could awaken right now, would you believe it?”

The moment my ‘discreet deals’ with my regular customers began.