I thought hard for a short time.
In front of me, a rabbit that was just on the verge of opening its heart was sitting.
So, here’s what I concluded.
Let’s take the conventional path of a counselor.
Unless satisfaction rates are significantly higher, there seems to be no reason to choose the latter.
There’s no need for adventure.
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 80%]
[Could you please speak comfortably about anything? It doesn’t matter what it is.]
I mentally confirmed my first choice.
It was right at that moment.
[Really, will you proceed like this?]
‘What the?’
It was a confirmation message from the system that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
It had occasionally appeared in the past when I dealt with Jin Se-ah during the time I was still clumsy with my abilities.
It felt as if it were teasing me, asking, “There’s an easier and quicker way, but are you really going to take this difficult path?”
But what does it matter if the satisfaction rate is higher…
‘Yes, I’ll do it.’
The system window confirming my resolution disappeared cleanly.
I focused on Luna in front of me.
Gently looking into her red eyes, I spoke.
“Could you please speak comfortably about anything? It doesn’t matter what it is.”
Luna, instead of answering, fell into a long silence.
She wrapped her hands around the latte cup on the table. Then, very slowly, she took a sip.
Sweet milk froth clung white to her lips.
At that moment, I felt an impulse to reach out and wipe that froth away, reminiscent of a past event.
I suppressed that urge and tightened my grip on the teacup in my hand.
She set down the teacup and gazed quietly out the window at the distant scenery, and finally, she opened her mouth.
Her voice was… quite calm and composed.
“In the Empire… there are three things that are despised and scorned.”
Luna continued softly, as if reading a fairy tale.
“The first is the lowly fighters who rely solely on brute strength instead of the noble power of magic.”
“……”
“The second is beasts or livestock that cannot speak and can only be used for their masters.”
I sensed her voice tremble slightly but soon regain its calm.
Then she took a very small breath to deliver her last words.
“And… the last is…”
Luna’s gaze fell from the void outside the window, finally landing on me.
“Those like us who possess both of those.”
Her voice was empty and detached.
That was the first story she revealed about herself.
I simply accepted her gaze without saying a word.
“······.”
However, as time passed, Luna couldn’t continue with her next words.
Her head hung low, her fingers fidgeting as if hesitating.
It is also the counselor’s role to guide the client to speak openly.
I decided to open a small path for her to step into that space.
“I’ve heard that using magic in the Empire is a sign of nobility and lineage.”
At that, Luna nodded cautiously, a self-deprecating smile on her face.
“That’s right. In the Empire, using magic is indeed proof of lineage and nobility.”
She carefully raised her hand that was on the table.
Then, she opened her palm.
– Bang!
Particles of light began to gather in the air above her palm.
Entwining with each other, they created a small, cute magic circle.
Luna looked down at the magic circle on her palm with sad eyes and whispered.
“This power… should never have been something I could use.”
Being a beastman possessing the power of nobility.
This was the biggest contradiction I had failed to find an answer to even while reading papers.
How could she?
“But despite being a beastman, I can use magic.”
And Luna began to erase the magic circle and confess all her reasons.
“…Because I’m not a complete beastman.”
Not a complete beastman? I looked into her red eyes.
“My father… no, my lord was a proud descendant of the noble count family of the Empire. My mother was a rabbit beastman maid whom he treasured the most.”
In that fleeting moment when she first referred to her father and then hastily corrected herself to “my lord,” I caught a glimpse of the long anguish she had endured.
“My twin brother, Ellice, and I were born….”
She paused for a moment.
“A hybrid born between a count and a maid.”
“So… I was a being that should not have been born in the Empire.”
That was the first story she revealed about herself.
Having finished all her statements, she hung her head, motionless, like a prisoner waiting for judgment.
I quickly responded.
“No.”
[Luna]
[Main Stance]
[She has confessed all her sins and is waiting for your judgment.]
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 100%]
[Remind her that her very existence is a blessing.]
“That’s impossible.”
I smiled, raising the corners of my mouth, and quickly took out the tablet next to me.
It was to play a video.
It was an unofficial material pulled from the association’s database for the counseling session last night.
This video contained all the raw records of the scene.
As the screen lit up, a devastating view of the city, half destroyed by rampaging gates, appeared.
Flames and smoke, the screams of people.
And across that scene of chaos, a white figure and a black figure darted like flashes of light.
It was Luna and Ellice.
The Luna in the video was a different entity from the one I knew.
Without hesitation, she efficiently took down monsters and rescued a child from the rubble of a collapsing building.
The scene changed, and the rescued child could be seen being held by their parent, sobbing during an interview.
The video also included a private interview prepared by the association for media coverage.
[Article]: Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?
[Child]: (sobbing) It was so scary… suddenly, a white angel appeared and… saved me! When I grow up, I’ll definitely be a cool hunter like Luna!
The child in the video, while crying, wore the happiest smile in the world.
Luna stared blankly at the screen as if she had forgotten to breathe.
Her red eyes shook wildly.
I scrolled down the screen without saying a word. There were endless videos. Luna herself didn’t know it, but she was always the diligent hunter who appeared first at rescue scenes.
Next video.
[Student]: Thank you so much, Luna…
Next video too.
[Woman]: Thank you so much for saving my child… How can I ever repay this kindness….
All the videos expressed heartfelt gratitude towards her.
“To them, your very existence must have been a blessing.”
Hundreds and thousands of voices were calling her a hero.
“…Is this… really… true?”
Finally, a voice, small and trembling to the point of almost being inaudible, escaped from her lips.
“Yes, of course. It’s all true.”
In response to my answer, her dazed face was reflected on the now blackened tablet screen after the video ended.
“I’ve never… seen something like this before… I never even thought to look for it….”
“It seems so.”
“Of course… I thought everyone here hated me. Just like in the Empire… calling me a beast… unholy… and so I….”
Her words couldn’t form coherent sentences anymore and scattered amidst her erupting sobs.
So, was Luna’s counseling simply resolved?
Not quite.
This was just the beginning of a festering wound being exposed.
Considering the habits of Luna that I had seen so far, for her to bring forth her inner story.
It was certainly not a common occurrence.
Just the act of opening up was the counseling process and today’s achievement.
And of course, it wasn’t over.
Her fundamental issues were still unresolved.
Counseling would likely take a long time.
I activated the system to check her status.
[Luna]
[Main Stance]
[She is feeling a joyful confusion that dilutes the specters of her past that bound her. In front of you, a new ‘reason for existence’ is emerging.]
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 80%]
[Grab her shoulders ‘strongly’ and ‘tightly.’]
———
‘?’
What’s going on suddenly? The atmosphere is really delicate and nice; why…
But as I looked closely at the status screen, I found something different from usual.
Under the first choice, a line of text seemed to be flickering and was folded like it was on noise.
I focused my mind on that strange part.
‘Open.’
As I did, the folded choice smoothly unfolded, revealing hidden content.
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 80%]
[Hand her a tissue and give her some time to calm down….]
Yes, this is it. This is the answer.
However, before I could even finish reading that sentence.
– Pfft.
The normal choice that had just appeared burned away and vanished.
And before my eyes, the first bizarre option had changed again.
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 80%]
[While firmly ‘gently’ holding her shoulders, whisper in her ear, ‘Aren’t you underestimating yourself too much?’]
I had to do something for Luna soon. I couldn’t just wait indefinitely for her tears to subside.
The choice floating before me was now just one.
All other paths had been erased.
At the very least, my abilities had not led me down the wrong path up until now, so I had no choice but to trust it.
Surely there must be a reason…
I rationalized my thoughts and solidified my conviction.
I cautiously reached out to her.
My hand touched her trembling shoulders, which shook lightly from her sobs.
It was at that moment.
[Hold tighter.] [Satisfaction Rate 110%]
Am I really going crazy?
I feel like I’ve lost my mind today.
Luna’s shoulders shuddered and stiffened in my grasp.
She looked up at me cautiously with tear-soaked red eyes, as if surprised.
I didn’t avoid that gaze; I met it directly.
“Luna…”
I continued speaking while maintaining eye contact with her.
“Aren’t you underestimating yourself too much?”
And with that statement, I offered a gentle smile.
All of Luna’s reactions froze at my actions.
Her sobs and trembling shoulders ceased.
She simply gazed at me, clinging to my hand like a rabbit caught in a trap.
After a long silence, her lips fluttered, very softly.
“Counselor… um….”
She hesitated in choosing her words and asked in a small voice.
“What should I call you…?”
The client asked the counselor what term they should use to refer to themselves.
The title is fundamentally up to the client.
Even asking this question showed how considerate of a person she was.
I was about to respond with a light smile and give her back the choice.
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 90%]
[Teacher]
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate 50%]
[Counselor]
[Appropriate Response] [Satisfaction Rate ??%]
[Master]
‘…….’
Now she’s even trying to advise me on titles.
Moreover, the last option…
Something feels strange today in various ways.
I chose the one with the highest satisfaction rate.
“You can call me however you like, but….”
I paused for a moment and locked eyes with her.
“Teacher. That seems to be good too.”
Then Luna looked up at me and cautiously raised the corners of her mouth.
The facial muscles that had always been stiff with tension seemed to have finally found their purpose after a long time.
It was the first time I saw her smile.
“Yes… Teacher….”
Luna whispered softly.
