[BL] After SSS-rank mage reborn as the Legendary Craftsman

Sora, who was standing nearby, immediately held her breath.

Mr. Kim Dong Su clenched the phone in his hand, his lips trembling as he tried to force a smile to unconsciously hide his panic.

”Mrs.Kim, please don’t say things like that. Your condition...”

”It’s not an illness.”

Mrs. Kim let out a very soft laugh, but it quickly turned into a dry cough.

”They’re just old wounds. They’ve been with me for too long, and now it’s time for me to pay the price for a passionate youth. It’s not such a terrible thing, Dong Su.”

Sora’s father couldn’t say anything.

The injuries from her days as a Hunter had made it impossible for Mrs. Kim’s lifespan to extend like a normal person’s. She had suffered a severe injury to her knee, and her back had also sustained serious damage. When she was young, she could grit her teeth and endure, but over time, those wounds gradually became a debt her body demanded she pay.

”But I didn’t call just to talk about this. I’ve lived long enough, it’s just...”

Mrs. Kim took a labored breath.

”I found a child.”

”Found a child?”

”Yes. A very lonely child, a small soul in a grown body, but still just a child.”

For the first time, a hint of warmth appeared in her voice.

”The boy has nowhere to go. I thought... if I could live a few more years, how wonderful that would be. But I know I don’t have much time left.”

Mrs. Kim was silent for a long time.

Then, she burst into tears.

Sora had never heard Kim Hye Ji cry like that before, sobbing hoarsely with deep regret. In her memory, Mrs. Kim had always been a strong woman who could walk with a cane on her own even when injured, who could smile and ask people if they had eaten even when lonely.

”I beg you, Dong Su.”

It was the first time Mrs. Kim had begged her distant younger relative.

”After I die, go to Dong-San City and help that child. He knows nothing about this world. He needs someone by his side.”

”Dong Su, please come and save this child for me.”

Sora’s father was silent for a long time before replying:

”Mrs.Kim, don’t worry. Our family will not abandon that child.”

After the call ended, Sora’s father sat motionless for a long time. Kim Sora saw his reddened eyes.

”Father, let me go. I don’t know who that child is yet. But Grandma Kim personally begged us.”

Sora looked toward the phone whose screen had gone dark.

”I want to meet the child she was so worried about that she cried out loud like that. If this is Grandma’s only wish, then I’ll help her fulfill it.”

So she went to Dong-San City in her father’s place.

Before leaving, Sora had imagined many things about Kei. Maybe he was a mischievous child, or maybe a cold boy who wasn’t easy to approach. She even thought Mrs. Kim had exaggerated his condition because she loved the child too much.

But after seeing Kei with her own eyes, Sora understood what Mrs. Kim’s desperate pleas were about.

He was so thin it seemed like he could vanish under the sunlight.

A person who had not only lost his only family but also lost the reason to keep eating and waking up the next day.

Sora bent down to pick up the broken bowl on the floor. She looked at it for a moment, then gently set it aside.

”Grandma, you really left me a child who’s hard to take care of.”

She muttered, but her voice held no hint of resentment.

After tidying up the living room, Sora opened the window to let fresh air in. The late afternoon sunlight fell on the dust-covered floor, making tiny dust particles float in the air.

The house that had been shrouded in darkness finally had some light.

Sora went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It was almost empty, with only a bit of kimchi stored in a plastic container and a few simple ingredients.

She took out the rice, rinsed it clean, put it in a pot, and started making porridge. Then she finely chopped some of the remaining vegetables and prepared a portion of soft food so Kei could eat after waking up.

The soft sound of water boiling echoed in the kitchen.It had been a long time since this place last heard the sounds of someone preparing a meal.

Sora stirred the pot of porridge while glancing toward the room where Kei was sleeping. She didn’t know how he would react when he woke up and saw her. Maybe he would ask why she came. Maybe he wouldn’t want to accept help from a stranger.

But that was fine, because Grandma Kim had asked her to take care of Kei, and once she gave her word, Sora wouldn’t easily give up.

After a while, the house had been tidied up cleanly. Clothes were folded neatly, dishes were washed, and the floor was wiped until light reflected off its surface.

Sora carried the pot of porridge to the table, then stood in the middle of the room and looked around.

Everything was still old. The walls were still stained, the table still had a few scratches, and the shop in front was still covered in dust after being closed for a month. However, the house no longer looked like a place left behind.

She looked toward the small photo of a young Grandma Kim placed on the shelf. Kim Hye Hi wore hunter attire, confidently holding her trophy in her hand, smiling with self-assurance toward the lens.

Surprisingly, a young Kim Hye Ji and Kim Sora looked about 80% alike.

”Grandma Kim, I’ll take good care of Kei.”

Sora paused for a moment, then added:

”I’ll also look after the shop for you. So, you can rest easy.”

No one answered her, but Sora still felt that this house had heard what she said.

She turned her head to look at the half-closed bedroom door. Inside, Kei was still sleeping soundly, his pale face finally looking a little less tense.

Kim Sora walked over and pulled the door shut, then went back to sit beside the steaming pot of porridge, waiting for Kei to wake up.

She knew this place would soon become her home for a very long time.