The Forbidden Truth

Chapter 05

The battle ended at the exact time as it started yesterday. The hunters and Seolurrie helped all the people who had endured and transferred all the patients to the nearest hospital. She saw other people wearing black suits arranging a lot of things like casualty payments, funerals for the people who died.

They all looked good at their work but you can see a lot of emotions in their faces. Some tried to hide, but failed and some didn’t bother to hide their emotions at all. She breathed a sigh and remembered Jina. She quickly looked around to find her, but tons of people were swarming in front of her, behind, and on her left and right.

She looked hard and finally saw Jina in the far corner of the parking lot in front of the hospital. When she was going to run to her, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

It’s the healer. The healer introduced itself yesterday as Sasha.

“Where are you going? We will return to the Organization now. You should come with us.”

“Just a moment. I need to speak with my friend.”

Sasha looked at the direction where I was going and nodded her head.

“Then I’ll go with you. She might have any injuries and I can heal her.”

“Thank you.”

I strode while Sasha tried to keep up with my pace. When they were a few meters away from Jina, she noticed their presence and looked up. Seolurrie felt worried and at the same time guilty. Jina was still wearing her school uniform and her hair was disheveled. Jina quickly stood and ran to their direction. She hugged Seolurrie tight while crying her eyes out. She hugged her back and consoled her.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m not hurt, so please stop crying.”

“How could you?! I was so worried! Why does this always happen? I make new friends and lose them afterwards!”

“It’s okay. You didn’t lose me.”

After a few minutes, Jina calmed down. And Sasha healed Jina’s wounds.

“We have to go. The other hunters are waiting for us.”

“Where are you going?”

“They think I’m a Stimulated. They want to make sure that’s why they would evaluate me in the Organization.”

“Really?!”

Jina was so shocked and jumped up and down because of happiness. She said that it is cool to have a hunter friend.

“Excuse me, are you perhaps a sister of a high grade hunter?”

“Ah, yes, I am the sister of Max Luca Hale. My name is Jina Hale.”

They shook each other's hands and when Seolurrie looked at Sasha to say something, her brows arched up.

‘Why is she blushing?’

“Uhmm, I am Sasha Beckett. Please say a good word about me to your brother.”

If her brows can still arch high it would have. She was confused about what Sasha was saying all of a sudden.

“Well, then let’s go. Ms. Jina can come with us. We'll drive you to your home later after Seolurrie’s evaluation is finished.”

They started heading to where the other hunters were waiting. Now that she thought about it. She doesn’t have a place to stay nor money to rent a place. Jina noticed her panic and told her.

“You can stay in our house for the time being. No, wait, actually stay forever. That would be better.”

“Is it okay? I hope I am not bothering you. I promise to find a place after I get some money.”

“That’s why I told you, you don’t have to find a place. You can stay in our house as long as you like.”

Their argument only came to a stop when they were already standing in front of the two vans.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Wait, who's the other girl?”

The hunters all looked at Jina and Jina just waved her hand when she was introduced.

“This is the sister of Hunter Hale, Jina Hale.”

A commotion started because of the sister of a high grade hunter that was introduced.

“Alright, stop everyone. We need to report back to the Organization since the Monitoring Department is still busy on the scene.”

They all stopped and started to board the van one by one. Seolurrie and Jina boarded the first van with Sasha and some other hunters. The van was bigger than a regular van. It would almost look like a bus.

Everyone who boarded the van was noisy. They were talking about how some of them managed to escape death, what to eat for dinner and if they should celebrate for the successful raid.

Meanwhile, Seolurrie and Jina were silent. Seolurrie’s eyes were closed, she was resting because all of her energy was expended by fighting monsters the whole day. Jina seemed to know this and let Urrie rest. Jina didn’t bother to talk to Urrie because, after all, she’s a sister of a hunter. She knows how tiring the job is. But a certain someone can’t seem to understand the situation.

“What do you feel about being a licensed hunter, Urrie?”

“Oh, is it okay for me to call you Urrie?”

“You know, when I first tried to get evaluated I was very nervous of what type of hunter I would be and what would be my rank. I thought I was going to be a fighter type of hunter but I was so disappointed when they told be I was a healer type—”

Sasha was cut off by Jina. When Sasha looked at the latter, she flinched because of the vein popping from her forehead.

“Excuse me? Can you please shut up for a little while? Urrie is asleep.”

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry.”

Sasha deliberately stopped talking. She thought that high grade hunters aren’t the only scary people, but also their relatives.

Seolurrie laughed inwardly because of Jina’s attitude towards Sasha.

‘You don’t really need to do that. But thanks anyway.’ Urrie couldn’t actually say that allowed because Sasha might feel embarrassed and she was supposed to be sleeping right now.

After a few minutes, they arrived in the Organization’s main branch. Urrie felt someone lightly tapped her shoulder.

“Urrie, we’re here. Wake up.”

Urrie faked a yawn and stretched her body. She saw Jina smiling at her. ‘She looked tired.’ Urrie thought. Jina was tired and that is to be expected. She didn’t go home to change her clothes, she didn’t get any sleep because she’s worried about Urrie, and she only ate a little of what the people of the organization gave her. Well, she couldn’t possibly eat happily knowing her new found friend was fighting monsters and risking her life just to keep the other people safe.

Jina thought that Urrie is a really kind person and that she found a really good friend. Jina was thinking about a lot of things when a thought crossed her mind. ‘Urrie is a befitting girl for my brother.’ She was stunned at the thought.

“Jina, are you okay?”

Jina only returned to earth when Urrie asked her with a worried look. She smiled brightly and nodded her head. They all got off the van and headed to the entrance of the building.

The noisy hunters earlier are long gone. They are now wearing a solemn expression. Urrie became curious about what was going on, but decided not to ask. She made the right choice because after they entered the building a line of men and women wearing black suits stood facing each other creating a path.

At the end of the path stood a man. The man’s structure isn’t bulky but he’s not too skinny either. Urrie was guessing that the man was around his mid or early thirties. They all walked along the path and stopped only when they were in front of the unknown man.

“Congratulations on the successful raid, is what I was going to say. But hearing that you arrived almost twenty minutes late at the scene and letting a civilian fight the monsters alone. We are lucky that the civilian was likely to be Stimulated but what if it’s another case? A lot of people would be dead by now. No, I should say that all of the people in that hospital would be dead.”

All the hunters are now creasing their brows, some had a guilty expression on their faces. Urrie was looking at the hunter's expressions when she noticed the man’s gaze on her. She quickly stood straight and decided to return the gaze.

“Raid leader, is this girl the one you thought was a Stimulated?”

A hunter stepped forward and answered ‘Yes.’ The man walked to Urrie’s direction and looked at her up and down.

“I can sense some magic energy from her. Although I didn’t expect it this week.”

The hunters started whispering to each other. They are shocked because of the unknown man’s remark. The hunters didn’t expect that the girl who defeated a few dozens of knight monsters was emitting a weak magical energy. The leader’s reaction was the same as the others, but unlike them he confidently voiced his opinion.

“But that can’t be Mr. Ambrose! She defeated dozens of monsters alone, not to mention those monsters are knight monsters, one of the hardest and toughest monsters that we ever know!”

The unknown man called Mr. Ambrose nodded his head. Mr. Ambrose put his finger on his chin as if he was thinking.

“Hmm, I guess she’s skilled at using weapons.”

As soon as he finished talking, Jina immediately spoke on what was on her mind.

“She never swung a sword before, Mr. Ambrose. I am sure you know that well.”

“Miss Hale, may I ask what is your business here today? I remembered your brother told you not to set foot in the Organization ever again.”

“I came with Urrie. She is my friend and I want to be there when they evaluate her. I am also one of the civilians caught in that red gate in the hospital.”

“I see. That must be why your homeroom teacher was worried when you didn’t attend school in two days. I heard your brother talking to her on the phone.”

Jina’s cheeks turned red and she pouted. Jina was quite close with Mr. Ambrose and that is because of her brother. Mr. Ambrose looked at the hunters.

“Everyone will now be dismissed.”

Mr. Ambrose then looked at Urrie and Jina. He smiled slightly and introduced himself to Urrie.

“The two of you will come with me. And I am sorry for the late introduction. My name is Amos Ambrose, the Chief of the Monitoring Department.”