903 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Paradise. It was a word that constantly disturbed him. “Paradise, huh….” He sat quietly in his chair, mulling over their conversation. His mind was still unsettled. Paradise. On the surface, it was a word of pure beauty, yet in the current context, it brought no such feeling. It was problematic because the one who mentioned it was none other than the Blood Demon. ‘He said he envisioned a paradise.’ Was it that he intended to turn the Middle Kingdom into a paradise? Or was it that he intended to reach paradise himself? While the specifics were unclear, he knew well enough that this was his goal. However… ‘Man Gye is another name for paradise.’ If the place he resided in was to be called paradise, could there be a connection to the words uttered by the Blood Demon? If there was a connection, one had to wonder in what way they were intertwined. The thought gnawed at his mind. ‘Especially the way the Blood Demon reacted to my mother.’ Hostility, or perhaps caution. While he had only seen him a few times, the Blood Demon had always seemed to find amusement in any situation. Yet this time, upon seeing his mother, he had immediately displayed a sharp wariness. He felt certain at that moment—there was a link between Man Gye and the paradise the Blood Demon spoke of. It was then. Thud. Something was placed on the table before him. He glanced up to see a teacup. “Drink.” A voice drew his attention to the individual before him. Of course, it was not a human. It was a man with black hair and animal-like ears. He seemed just shy of thirty, although age was hard to judge by appearance alone. “Who?” His question caused the man's brow to furrow. “…I am Gu Bong, the First Disciple.” The First Disciple. The term made him unintentionally pull a strange face. ‘First Disciple, indeed.’ It was a term straight out of a martial sect. Despite its oddity, he refrained from outwardly reacting. Well, at least as much as possible. “I see. And what is this…?” “It’s plum tea. The Sect Leader cultivated it himself.” “...” At that, he could not keep his expression intact. ‘Cultivated it himself? That old man has a hobby like this?’ The idea that the notoriously ill-tempered man would have such a hobby seemed absurd. Unable to trust it, he merely stared at the tea. “Consider it an honor.” “Hmm?” The beast-man called Gu Bong added quietly. “It’s not usually given to anyone, but the Sect Leader has made a very special… a very special exception for you.” “Oh.” He nodded at his words. Then he looked at Gu Bong and said, “You don’t seem to like me, do you? Why is that?” “...” Gu Bong’s eyebrows twitched at the straightforward question, clearly not expecting such candor. He was honestly curious. “We seem to be meeting for the first time. I think that's right. I’ve never encountered anyone like you before. So why the dislike…?” He sipped the plum tea as he spoke. He was taken aback. ‘It’s good.’ Unexpectedly, the plum tea was refreshing and fragrant. Oddly so, given the cranky elder’s involvement. “…That’s not the case.” Amused, he laughed at Gu Bong’s response. “Yeah, right. Your eyes make it seem like you’d kill me with a glance.” “...” “I’m not exactly someone people warm up to easily. Still, I’d prefer not to be hated without reason.” He took another sip. The tea was finished in just two sips, too delicious to ration. “What is it?” He asked pointedly, yet Gu Bong remained silent, simply intensifying the emotions in his gaze. What’s with those eyes? Looks like he wants to try fighting. ‘Should I rip them out?’ His annoyance grew. Already on edge, everything was a bother. He was about to decide whether to challenge him. "Tsk." A tongue-clicking sound accompanied someone ruffling his hair. A rough touch and a firm palm. And a familiar scent of plum blossoms. He didn’t need to ask to know who it was. “Why are you picking fights in someone else’s house? Take it outside if you must.” “…Greetings, Sect Leader….” Gu Bong bowed his head. Naturally, the owner of the hand was the old man, Shin Noya. Confirming it, he immediately asked, “Where did you go? You dropped me here and vanished.” “Didn’t I say I’d be back soon? It hasn’t even been long and you’re already brawling.” “I wasn’t fighting. Can’t you see? He was the one provoking me.” “Funny. How many in the world do you think would pick a fight just looking at your face?” “You’d be one of them, right, Noya?” “Do you want to be hit?” “No.” He surrendered quickly as the hand on his head applied pressure. The real issue was. ‘Look at those eyes.’ Gu Bong’s gaze grew even more intense. Why? Jealousy? No. ‘It’s more than jealousy….’ He sensed something else. “Gu Bong.” “Yes, Sect Leader.” “You’ve done well. Go take a rest.” “However.” “I’ll handle the rest; you might end up getting bitten with his nasty temper.” “Now I’m being treated like a dog…?” “You’re not even human.” “This old man, again?” “Watch your words.” “Hm?” While bickering with Shin Noya, Gu Bong interjected. “Speak properly to the Sect Leader. Show some respect.” It seemed his use of “old man” was an issue. “See, you brat? How uncouth to call me an old man.” Meanwhile, Shin Noya chuckled, amused, joining in. Really unbelievable. Grinding his teeth, he replied, “Understood. Sect Leader, why don’t you take a seat and stop teasing?” “Alright.” “Unbelievable.” “I heard that.” Shin Noya walked around and took a seat in the chair in front of him. “You did well. Go on.” “...” “Gu Bong.” “…My apologies.” Gu Bong showed his respects to Shin Noya as he left, making sure to shoot a glare my way as he exited. "Geez, those eyes…." I grumbled, irritated, and Noya burst into a hearty laugh from across the room. “Hahaha.” I was annoyed enough to ask him pointedly, “What’s with that guy? Why does he keep acting like that?” “Don’t be too harsh. Isn’t it endearing in its obviousness?” “Endearing, my foot. I was this close to actually plucking his eyes out.” Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have restrained myself. But this space was created by Shin Noya, and the emotions were seemingly birthed from him, so I held back. “He does have quite the temper.” “Well, would you have restrained yourself if it were you, Noya?” “If it were me, I'd have slashed him from the neck down.” “…That doesn't sound like something a proper sage would say.” I hadn’t been planning to kill anyone, but Noya seemed ready to act without hesitation. “Anyway, let it slide this once. The kid can be overzealous.” “...” I didn’t reply. I had no plans to hold back if it happened again. Noya didn’t criticize me for it, though. It wasn’t exactly permission, more like he opted to leave it as is. “How was the tea?” “…It was alright.” “Judging by your expression, you liked it. Heh.” “...” I’d been found out. As much as I wanted to downplay it, the tea truly was delicious. "Have you been well?" "Not really." "I'm glad to hear it. I've been alright myself." "Why ask if you're just going to ignore my answer?" "I wasn't really curious but thought I should go through the motions." Such an offhanded response. “Where did that black-haired girl go?” “I don’t know. She suddenly went out.” “…Should you be okay with that?” Noya gave me a look of disbelief. Of course, he’d be aware, knowing that girl was the Heavenly Demon. Normally, I should be concerned. “…It’s fine.” I’d unintentionally dismissed the thought. It was careless of me. I should have thought it through more thoroughly. ‘I’ve become complacent with the situation.’ With everything happening, it seemed I’d let it slip from my mind. “Hmmm.” Noya looked at me closely before nodding. The more I saw him, the sharper he seemed. Still. ‘Annoyingly handsome.’ His youthful and sharp look didn’t sit well with me. “Why the odd look?” “Just something unpleasant crossed my mind.” “While looking at my face…?” “Misunderstanding. I just glanced and your face happened to be there.” “…Honestly.” Noya seemed unsure whether to be mad or not, he hesitated, then sighed. “…Forget it. It’s too tiring to get mad about every little thing. Ask what you want to know.” “Alright.” I looked at Noya, feeling a bit awkward. There was still a mountain of questions I needed answered. “Is there a way to go back?” Returning was ultimately the most important issue. The problem was. ‘Does the old man know how?’ According to Shin Noya, he’d been here for over 150 years. I doubted there’d be a way. With that worry in mind, I asked. “There is.” “…!” Surprisingly, Noya said there was a way. “Your expression says you thought there wasn’t.” “Of course. If there were, why haven’t you….” Why hadn’t you gone back? I was about to ask, but— “It’s there, but it’s unusable for me.” “…Pardon?” What on earth does that mean? “You’re aware that this is another world, right?” “Yes.” Who wouldn’t know? Not only were there non-humans roaming around, there were also two moons. It was unmistakable. “Since you’ve come to another world… to move to another place, you must get permission from the true owner of the world.” “…Permission?” So each world has an owner, and you need their permission to travel anywhere? That didn’t make sense. Then— “Why was I able to come here—” I tried to ask why I was able to cross over so easily, but— “It’s because the Middle Kingdom has no owner.” Noya's words came more swiftly. “You’re aware of this, right? That’s the reason the Middle Kingdom is in its current state.” “...” As much as I didn’t want to accept it, it was true. ‘…Meaning.’ Ultimately, his statement implied only one thing. “To go back, I need this world’s owner’s permission?” “Correct.” “…The owner…” The owner of this world. If I received their permission, I could return to the Middle Kingdom? “I can’t be sure, but that's my prediction.” “...” His words made me think of someone. If this world had an owner… “That’s correct.” Noya said to me. “It’s your mother.” “…!” “A fact you likely already know. Isn’t that so?” “…It wasn’t a certainty.” Noya burst into a soft chuckle at my words. “You didn’t want to believe it, I suppose.” He was right again. The owner of Man Gye. Combining Wu Ah’s statements and the Blood Demon’s words, it all pointed to one thing. My mother was this world’s owner. ‘So then.’ That was shocking, yet the solution seemed simple enough, I thought. But then— “I see what you’re thinking, but it’s not that simple,” Noya quickly interjected, as if reading my thoughts. “Not simple? How?” “An owner does not typically wish for their children to leave their world. And I hear you don’t have the best relationship. Particularly for a world like Man Gye.” “…What do you mean by that?” “This explanation will take some time, but the important thing is: if you’re expecting any maternal affection from her, let go of that notion. It’s an empty hope.” Why? I couldn’t help but wonder. I hadn't set my heart fully on it, but deep down, it was something I had considered. Yet now I was being told to disregard it completely? Especially the part about it being meaningless, that stuck with me. “Why is that?” I asked, and Noya responded with a somewhat reserved glance. “She may indeed be your mother… but now, she likely isn’t.” “…Excuse me?” “Especially given her contempt for dragons. It's crucial that you don’t meet her. One wrong move could drastically alter the situation.” “What do you mean by that?” Contempt for dragons? It’s true she is my mother, but not really? “I don’t understand, Noya.” “Well… Ah.” Just as he was about to speak, Noya stood up abruptly, as if something had dawned on him. “It seems he’s woken up.” “Pardon?” “I’ll explain on the way. Get up.” “Again…?” Where are we going now? I’d just settled here, yet he was urging me to move again. “Are you already tired, youngster? It’s not far. Just beyond here.” Noya gestured out the window. It was the place that had astonished me when I first laid eyes on it. “Since he’s woken up, let’s head there first.” “He woke up?” Was something sleeping? That was my thought as… “Yes, he woke up.” RUMBLE—!!! “…!” The ground began to tremble, and I felt a chill run up my arms. At the same time, [A grooooan.] A roar echoed through the air. I immediately jolted upright at the sound. This sound… could it be? “It’s the ruler of the darkness in this land.” [OOOOH.] Gureung let out a cry.