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"Oh, he was attacked by the barrier I set up to protect my son," Kabun said, unconcerned.
After Kabun said that, Stephen took a finger-sized bottle from his robe and uncorked the cover. He moved the opening near his mouth and drank all the green liquid inside it while his hands shook.
Gulp— Gulp—
Higante looked at him and asked, "Stephen! Are you alright?"
A faint green glow emanated from Stephen's body, and he sighed, and then the light disappeared. He sat on the ground cross-legged and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood that had come out of his mouth.
"That potion is good. His internal organs healed instantly," Kabun observed while looking at Stephen.
"What—What happened to him?!" Higante shouted, staying close to Stephen like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Without looking at Higante, Stephen looked up at Kabun and said, "I apologize."
He then put away the potion container and handkerchief and stood up with Higante's help.
"Why are you suddenly apologizing?" Higante asked worriedly.
"That—I—"
"He tried to take a peek at the soul of my son," Kabun interrupted Stephen.
"You did what!?" Higante shouted, flabbergasted.
Looking at someone's soul without their permission is like forcibly undressing a woman or a man.
"I am sorry. I thought there was something wrong. Why would a hunter talk about souls like he is a priest, necromancer, or a god? I was just concerned about the child."
"You know you cannot just look at people's souls like that! That was not a good reason to do what you did," Higante scolded.
Higante faced Kabun and bowed ninety degrees. "There is no excuse for what my friend did. I hope you forgive him."
Stephen followed suit, his face and voice filled with sincerity. "I am sorry. Without proper reason, I will never do this again and not act on suspicion and assumption alone."
"Hmm," Kabun nodded without changing his facial expression. "I want to rest from my long journey. Lead me to my house."
Kabun then walked in the direction they were initially headed.
"May I ask what you mean about your son's soul and body?" Stephen asked persistently.
"Oh, my son's body died for a second or less, and his soul left his body immediately a few days ago," Kabun answered, satisfying Stephen's curiosity.
"Well, his body died, and I had to pluck his soul out to hear his wish properly." Kabun thought.
"I then had to put his soul back to keep him alive."
"I reformed his body from his old one, then put his soul back and gave him a new breath of life." Kabun again added in his mind.
The two walking beside Kabun held their assumptions until they had all the facts.
With a twitching eyebrow, Stephen continued to ask questions, much like a nosy neighbor. Kabun, on the other hand, answered them all as if it didn't concern him.
"How did your son die?"
"We were attacked by a huge monster a few days ago, and my son suddenly stopped breathing."
"Someone stabbed him multiple times in the stomach, and he lost a lot of blood."
"How did you bring your son's life back?"
"I put my son's soul back, and he suddenly started breathing again."
"Yes, I put his soul back after I changed his body's time and returned it to its state when he was still an eleven-month-old infant. I also had to adjust some things based on this world's natural residents. It was exhausting. I want to go back to sleep."
While Higante quietly listened, Stephen's forehead began to form veins from frustration.
"How did you put your son's soul back? If I remember correctly, your occupation was a hunter, not a magician or priest?"
"I am a magician and a priest," Kabun clarified.
"What the f*ck?"
"As a priest under the goddess of life, I could return my son's soul."
"That—that—"
"Why didn't you tell us?" Higante questioned Kabun, as Stephen was too shocked to continue.
"Why would I tell you? You only asked about one occupation and didn't inquire further if I had others," Kabun retorted, irritation evident in his tone.
"It's because, on this continent, no one has more than one occupation. We've never seen it or read any record of it," Stephen spoke quickly and excitedly.
"How is that my problem? Well, now you've seen one," Kabun responded, unamused.
"Hold this and tell me again that you are a magician and a priest." Stephen handed the orb of truth to Kabun.
Kabun did as he was asked, then handed back the orb, which was shining yellow.
"He was telling the truth!" Higante exclaimed.
"Wait, keep holding the orb and tell us your rank," Stephen insisted.
Thud—
Kabun dropped the orb on the ground and walked ahead. "I can see only one house from here. I guess that's the house."
"Wait–" Stephen picked up the orb to check for any damage, but it was unblemished. He was about to ask Kabun the same question but was stopped by Higante.
"Leave it be. He hasn't done anything wrong."
"But–"
"If you piss him off, I won't defend you," Higante warned, giving his friend an ultimatum before following Kabun.
Stephen hesitated for a few seconds and then followed along.
Walking closer to Kabun, Higante said, "Yes, that's the house the village head mentioned. It's yours now, and you can do anything with it and its contents."
"Hmmm," Kabun hummed without looking.
"I'm sorry about my friend. There's been no one like you on this continent, so he got excited."
"Hmmm," Kabun hummed again.
Everyone stopped in front of the house and saw a dilapidated, one-story wooden house with no fence. It was covered with a thick layer of dried grass as a roof.
Evidently, this house would collapse quickly after heavy rainfall or a minor earthquake.
Scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed expression, Higante tried to explain the house's history.
"A hunter who grew up here left to join a famous guild after his talent was recognized while visiting a nearby town. His parents died of old age, and after the funeral, the hunter never came back until a year ago."
"The house wasn't maintained for five years, and when he returned, he was busy taking care of his sick and weak pregnant wife, so the house was neglected. The villagers helped patch it up, but soon the farming season came, and everyone was busy tending to their farms."
"His wife died in childbirth a few days after returning to the village, leaving behind a healthy infant. Sadly, the hunter passed away last week after confronting a bronzed-rimmed, blue-horn bear monster. The monster breached the village territory and tried to attack the village from this direction."
Stephen reached for the door, but someone from inside opened it ahead of him, hitting his head.
"Luka! How many times have I told you not to rush? You might hurt yourself and others." Stephen held his head while scolding the small person who opened the door.
"Oh, I heard Elder Higante's voice, so I came immediately. He promised to take me to see the freshwater crabs in the nearby river." A kid who looked like a four-year-old said.
"I'm sorry for hitting your head. I won't do it again," the kid added.
"I will take you later when the sun is not at its highest. Have you eaten yet?" Higante smiled and asked the kid.
"Elder Luta dropped off boiled veggies and freshly baked bread, and I finished them all," the kid replied with a wide grin, showing his big stomach.
"Who's the kid?" Kabun asked.
Higante scratched his head again. "How do we explain this?" he said, looking at Stephen.
Stephen began, "This is Luka, the hunter's child, who is less than a year old. His mother was a half-demon, half-human, so he grew really fast."
"The kid wanted to stay in the house and doesn't want to be adopted, so we elders take care of him in turns. Even the villagers help once in a while."
"Take him then and leave," Kabun said.
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