The spectral dragon gradually dissolved into the distance as Zenis clutched his blood-soaked abdomen. He fought through the pain, maintaining his skill just long enough to reach the edge of the collapsed road. The dragon vanished before reaching the ground, sending both of them tumbling together.
Zenis pulled Rosaline into a tight embrace, using his own body as a shield. They rolled for nearly ten meters before coming to a stop.
"Hermit!" the young hunter scrambled up, his voice laced with terror. He shook her shoulder gently. "Stay with me… Hermit… Hermit!"
That was the last sound Rosaline heard before her world went dark, her consciousness cut off like a pulled plug.
Rosaline remained in a coma for nearly ten days in the Hunter's Hospital ICU before being moved to the inpatient ward. To protect the privacy and secret identity of The Hermit, the Hunter Federation provided a private room and strictly prohibited visitors, except for those she personally requested.
Throughout her treatment, her mask was never removed, even though the section over her mouth had been cracked. She didn't even know when it had happened; she only noticed the fracture when she finally regained consciousness.
Zenis was also in a private room after passing his own critical stage. Occasionally, he would sneak into her room to chat for ten minutes before leaving, not wanting to intrude too much on her recovery.
Shortly after waking, the first person Rosaline called was… Leslie.
It seemed her younger brother was safe and the house was fine, except for one thing.
["So, when are you coming back? Edgar is about to slack off; he doesn't want to go to work for you anymore,"] Leslie said before handing the phone over to Edgar.
["Rosalineeeee! Sob, sob!"]
The clay doll, currently inhabiting her body, wailed like a child upon hearing her voice.
["I don't want to work anymore! Your customers are all so difficult! Thank goodness Adrian was there to help me talk to them!"]
"Ah… sorry about that. You've had a rough time," Rosaline gave a dry laugh, offering her apologies to Edgar. She had been so focused on giving him other memories that she completely forgot to brief him on her office work.
["Also… your boss called for a meeting because he thought there was trouble at home!"]
"What… oh no!" Rosaline bolted upright in bed, frantic. "What did you… tell him?!"
["Well… I said I've been stressed with work and couldn't sleep. I thought long and hard about what to say… but the boss understood. He just told me to exercise and get enough rest. But when that dungeon incident happened at the company, it was chaos! Everyone was trying to run outside. I didn't know what to do."]
Hearing Edgar's words, Rosaline felt a wave of relief. She made a mental note to transfer some work-related memories to him, otherwise, her professional life might truly fall apart.
"So, Adrian has been helping you this whole time?" Rosaline asked softly, thinking of his suspicious, secretive behavior.
["Mhm, he's a very good person. He loves buying me snacks!"] Edgar replied cheerfully.
"Did he ask you anything specific?" Rosaline asked, feeling a nagging sense of unease about Edgar getting too close to Adrian.
["No… he mostly just likes to chat, but I didn't say much. According to the memories you gave me, you don't really talk to people for long anyway,"] Edgar answered.
"Don't trust that guy too much, okay? By the way, has the office added that rule about banning snacks in the sales area yet?" Rosaline asked.
["Not yet… but I heard it's coming in two or three days. Please come back soon. My energy is running low. I'm sleepy… Rosalineeeee,"] Edgar said, letting out a long yawn over the phone, sounding utterly exhausted.
Rosaline nodded. "I know. I'll be back soon, and then I'll let you have a long, comfortable sleep."
After hanging up, the hunter lay back down. The arm she had broken during the boss fight was healing well; being a hunter meant her recovery speed was far beyond that of an average person.
Not long after ending the call with Leslie, another call came through. It was Commander Drake.
["How are you, Hermit? How are you feeling?"]
"Better, sir. I should be able to go home in a few days," Rosaline replied. "Thank you for your concern."
["Actually… I might be overstepping, but lately… I've noticed you're taking fewer field assignments,"] Drake said, his voice softening into a gentle tone, a stark contrast to his usual commanding demeanor.
In reality, Rosaline hadn't told anyone at the Federation about her plan to retire. she wanted to wait until everything was settled before officially resigning.
"I'm just finishing up some personal business, sir. And… teaching those kids is quite fun," Rosaline said.
["I heard those rich kids like you quite a bit. That's good to hear,"] Drake laughed softly.
"They're good kids," Rosaline said briefly. "They'll be great hunters in the future. If possible, I'd like to keep teaching them like this."
["…You could become a Hunter Instructor instead of being in the field. It offers a steady salary and more safety…"] Drake suggested, as if sensing her thoughts.
"Thank you, sir," Rosaline replied. "I'll keep that in mind. And what about Evan Graham?"
["Don't worry about him. He's performed quite well. Oh, and Hermit… drop by the Federation when you can. There's a package for you. Make sure you pick it up."]
"From who? Is it 'the same person'?" Rosaline asked, surprised but not entirely shocked.
["Come see for yourself. But I suspect it's 'A' again. Probably sent something strange this time."] Drake chuckled. He didn't seem to mind the eccentricity of it at all.
"…I wish they'd just send it to my house sometimes. It's a burden on the Federation," Rosaline noted. "I feel quite bad about it."
["I don't know what he's thinking, sending things here addressed to 'The Hermit.' Maybe it's… a way of acknowledging your status. Besides, I don't think a regular post office could handle the 'contents' of those packages. If something starts wiggling inside, the postal service would just end up calling the Federation to handle it anyway."]
This person, 'A,' always sent strange gifts to her as 'The Hermit.' Two or three times a month, she would receive rare items or parts: a De-von's tail, a deep-sea scorpion, dragon wings from a sub-sea gate, or even a 'Hell's Eye'—one of the four Great Gates.
Sometimes she sold these items for savings, used them as ingredients for medicine, or utilized them as teaching aids for her Beethoven students.
Rosaline sighed wearily, wondering how she'd deal with the latest gift. "Understood, sir. I'll stop by when I'm free. By the way… what about Regen?"
["As for that… it's a Federation secret,"] Drake answered. ["I can only tell you he was sent on a specific mission."]
"I see. Thank you, sir," Rosaline replied.
After hanging up, she closed her eyes. Despite the lingering questions, her physical recovery was the priority now.
…
…
When the doctors finally cleared both Rosaline and Zenis to go home, they left the hospital together.
"Hey, Hermit. Want to go out?" Zenis invited her. "I have tickets for a movie in the suite seats."
"No thanks. I'm going home," Rosaline said, heading toward the nearby subway station. Realizing her mask would draw too much attention, she decided to use her Shadow's Speed skill instead.
"Hey, we could go to a dessert shop!" Zenis followed her relentlessly. "Or take some photos… Hermit? Or anywhere you like…"
Annoyed, Rosaline spun around to face him. "What else do you want? Our mission is over. Rule Number Four of our agreement—do you remember it?"
Zenis's smile slowly faded. He remembered it all too well.
'Regardless of how this exploration ends, I will not help you with any punishments you may receive, nor with any ongoing consequences. Furthermore, I do not wish to see you again.'
"I'm sorry for everything. I was an idiot back then, treating you the way I did. But please, give me a chance… Can we be partners again?" Zenis reached out to grab Rosaline's arm.
Flash!
Zenis froze and looked toward the source of the light. A camera flash had gone off from the shadows of a nearby alley.
He stood stunned as more flashes went off from the coffee shop across the street, then from several other spots around them.
"This is exactly why," Rosaline said, her voice stern as the flashes continued from the darkness, the photographers no longer even trying to hide. "This is why I maintain this distance. This… is better for both of us. As long as your status is that of an Idol Hunter…"
Zenis looked pained. His hand, still suspended in mid-air, slowly dropped to his side. He understood her point perfectly, but he could only respond with a bitter voice. "So… you're uncomfortable being with me… is that it?"
Rosaline watched the rude flashes for another moment before they finally died down.
"I've never hated you, Zenis. Even if I was angry about what you did," she said. "As a hunter, you're a friend I can truly trust to have my back."
"If I hadn't had your support back then, I wouldn't have made it this far these past eight years," Zenis said. He wanted to reach out again, but he couldn't. "And about Evan… thanks for helping him."
Rosaline nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke in a voice meant only for his ears. "Zenis… I… I used to like you."
"Huh?" Zenis blinked, his face a mask of shock. "What… what did you say?"
Rosaline gave a small, hidden smile beneath her mask. "I liked you a long time ago. But I don't anymore."
The hunter remained stunned. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, but the faint smile he saw through the crack in her mask seemed to confirm it wasn't a lie. "You just said… you… uh…"
"Goodbye then, The Royal Knight. Keep this a secret this time, former partner." Without another word, Rosaline vanished before his eyes.
The young man hunter, newly confessed to, stood still for a long time before a smile spread across his face—a feeling as if a mountain had finally been lifted from his chest.
It was truly another beautiful, clear-sky day.