962 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 962 of "World's Greatest Master's Childhood Friend" "What exactly have you seen?" The woman, on her tiptoes, slowly walked toward Yarang. With every step she took, the room filled increasingly with the rich scent of flowers. Yarang, head bowed deeply, moved her hand. It seemed as if she was trying to write something on the ground. "Stay still." At the woman's command, Yarang froze in place. As if adhering to a command, she remained motionless. The woman approached and gently stroked Yarang's hair. "My daughter." "..." "Right now, it might be better to see it firsthand." As the woman spoke with a gentle smile, Yarang lowered her head a bit more. It seemed as though she was positioning herself to be stroked more easily. As the position was taken, the woman's caressing hand stopped and rested on the crown of Yarang's head. Then. Sssssss---!!! From Yarang's head, a force seeped through her hair and into the woman's arm. A beautiful crimson energy. Gradually, the energy traveled upwards and was absorbed by the woman. "Mm." The woman made a brief sound of satisfaction as she absorbed the energy. After a brief pause. "This is strange..." The woman, slowly opening her eyes, looked back at Yarang. "Truly strange." Even then, Yarang kept her head down. Watching her, the woman whispered. "Why can't I see it...?" The woman chuckled slightly, her expression showing signs of discomfort. The reason was clear. What the woman attempted was to ingest Yarang's memories to directly see what she had seen and heard. But... 'I can't see anything.' Astonishingly, the things that should have been visible as usual were not visible at all. Or rather, not completely nothing. Yarang's movements. The things she heard. The fragrances and sensations she experienced. While most memories were acquired. '...Hmm.' A few peculiar gaps were felt. Especially the very last part was almost completely missing. Yarang heading somewhere. The gaze she held. The space her gaze landed on. At the end of the footsteps, which seemed to have found someone, It was as if a black fog was obscuring all the acquired memories. As the memory finally cleared and the fog lifted. Yarang was walking alone, drenched in rain. "Mm." The woman, confirming this, tilted her head. It was an unprecedented occurrence. For memories to be obscured. Even within the sacred tree's realm, such memories weren't hidden. 'What could it be?' What kind of situation was this? It was beyond comprehension. Therefore, the woman moved her fingers to lift Yarang's chin. The masked face lifted its gaze as the woman reached out her other hand to remove the mask. Srrrrrk. The mask that was covering her fell. The brilliant face underneath was revealed. Thud. The mask dropped to the ground as the woman caressed Yarang's cheek. "My daughter." "..." "What is going on?" Despite the question, there was no answer. Nevertheless, the woman wasn't perturbed. She knew there would be no answer regardless. "Surely you're not lying to me..." Though there could be the possibility of being deceived by her. The woman deemed such odds to be slim. She would have realized it straight away if that were the case. "Hmmm." What could be the reason? Was it true that this child had seen something? Such uncertainties began to surface. Swoosh. The woman took her hand off Yarang and turned away. Her surrounding, immense tails swayed. However. The large tail that filled the room began to transform. Shrinking in size, it became almost imperceptible. The woman, who had settled back down, looked at Yarang again. "My daughter." "..." "It seems something has happened. Doesn't it?" Again, there was no reply. In that aspect, the woman felt something off. Not responding was normal behavior. Usually, she would have somehow responded with an action by now. Instead. Currently, Yarang was simply standing still, gazing at the woman. Seeing this, the woman's eyes narrowed slightly. Something must be there. She was convinced of it. "Hmmm...." Should she press further for answers? Or is there a reason for her silence? Typically, one who doesn't answer their master should be disposed of. Of course, that's how it should be. But the woman couldn't bring herself to do so. Perhaps with others, but not with Yarang. - Consider her as preciously as a daughter no matter what. That ingrained perception was etched into her soul. She never halted to question why such a perception existed. It was natural. Considering her as precious was an obvious thought for herself. There was no need even for doubt. Swoosh. The woman rose from her seat and walked forward. The destination was beside Yarang, not back. "My daughter." The woman called Yarang in a voice even more subdued than before. "Stand up." Upon hearing this, Yarang rose. At that moment, something suddenly draped over Yarang's body. It was a cloth that covered up to the head. This also applied to the woman. What could be happening? As Yarang watched her quietly. "It's been a while since I've taken an outing. Let's prepare." "...!" Hearing this, Yarang's eyes widened. Her master, residing high above, was declaring to descend directly to the earth. ************** By the time the pouring rain had subsided somewhat. Despite my clothes being laughably Air-dried, I had to return to the Hwasan Sect. I could have straightaway headed toward Yaweol without much problem. But having experienced what I did, I had to at least report and make an appearance. Even if not for that. 'I have to report what I saw.' I needed someone to ask about what I experienced. And there was only one person in this world for that. "...Why is this guy back? Hadn't he left already?" Shin Noya, who had been sipping tea in his quarters, glared at me. Beside him was Gu Bong, whom I hadn't seen in a while. "The rain was pouring outside, but you seem perfectly fine, brat... What's going on?" As Shin Noya looked at my face, he quickly changed his question. I subtly touched my face, wondering if my expression was that strange right now. Trying to calm my expression, I spoke. "It's nothing significant. I just stopped by because something happened." "A situation?" Shin Noya frowned at my words. "Yes." "I'll be on my way." As soon as I nodded, Gu Bong got up to leave. It seemed he had learned from past experiences that this was not the place to involve himself. Bowing his head slightly to me, Gu Bong left the room. I felt his demeanor was slightly different than before, but pushed the thought aside as Gu Bong was not the issue at hand. Left alone, I began explaining the series of events to Noya. ************** Once I finished my brief summary, Noya asked with a troubled expression. "Yarang was that child?" A reaction from my explanation that Yarang, one of the generals, was Shen Sword. "Yes." "..." As I nodded, Noya gazed at me and let out a deep sigh. "You... brat..." "Yes." "You always bring extraordinary tales while claiming they're nothing significant." "..." I laughed awkwardly at his comment. Now that he mentioned it, it was true. "It's never calm when you're around." Should I apologize? I was pondering what to say next. "...Are you certain?" Noya asked, and I nodded again. "Yes, I'm certain." It wasn't just about the similarity of the face. While others might not notice, I knew. The emotion I felt when seeing her, the energy she exuded. And the presence displayed during the battle with the Heavenly Demon. Everything screamed that Yarang was indeed Shen Sword. When I shared this with Noya, his expression turned more serious. "How can that be?" "Did you not know either, Noya?" "How would I know? If I had, I would've told you." "..." He had a valid point. "Do you know how long Yarang has been active?" "I believe it hasn't been very long. But she existed before me, at least." So she was around before Noya, more than a century ago. 'What's going on, really?' How could she exist here? It would make sense to consider them as merely identical in appearance, yet... 'No.' I was convinced otherwise. Those eyes. That presence. And the emotions they evoked in me. Everything affirmed that Yarang was Shen Sword. "That child… Hmm." Noya seemed equally perplexed, lost in thought, stroking his chin repeatedly. Eventually, he spoke. "So, what now?" "What do you mean?" "If you're certain that child is here, what do you plan to do next?" "..." More than the possibility of Yarang being Shen Sword, Noya was emphasizing what I intended to do next. So what was my answer? That had been determined long before. "I must meet her." I must meet her. By any means. After confirming her existence, whether or not I was truly correct. And to understand how she exists in this form. To figure all of that out, I needed to meet Shen Sword. Having given that answer, Noya proceeded with another question. "So, will you wait? Until that child appears again?" "..." I couldn't answer immediately this time. I needed a moment to think. Of course, it didn't take long. "I'll go search for her." I'll find her wherever she is. Though she was lingering nearby, and while waiting, she might show up again, my temperament was never patient enough to just wait. Moreover. "Regardless… to know the situation, I'll have to find everything, don't I?" Even if I managed to catch Yarang and ask her. I knew that there was another culprit behind this situation. ‘Back then.’ When I last briefly faced Shen Sword. The existence that advised me to hold her to prevent her disappearance. ‘Mother.’ My mother, and the supreme being of this Man Gye. I believed she would know all about the current chaos. She had to. 'In the end.' The reason I came to Man Gye. The relationship between Man Gye and the Blood Demon. The secrets about me. And more about Shen Sword. To unravel all of this, meeting my mother was necessary without exception. 'I have to speed things up.' To see my mother, I had to expedite the tasks I intended to fulfill, even considering Noya's request. Remaining stagnant like this would make achieving anything unlikely. My mind alighted with purpose, and each aspect fueled my determination. That urgency must've been ignited from the moment I saw Shen Sword again. That unnerving feeling and the reasons for my escalating passion stemmed from that encounter. "...Anyway, that's the situation. If there are parts Noya doesn't know, I'll account for them." Having said that, I rose from my seat. Since little information could be gained from Noya now, this wasn't the time to linger idly here. "Where are you going?" "I'm heading to Yaweol." There was something I needed to do there, originally, so I must go back to deal with it. Upon revealing my destination, Shin Noya suddenly stood up as well. "Noya?" "Yes, let's go." "Excuse me?" Go? Where to? Bewildered by his sudden statement, I questioned him, and Noya, with a calm expression, elaborated. "Let's go, to Yaweol." "...Is Noya accompanying me?" "Yes." Dusting off his uniform, Noya spoke with a determined tone. "It seems this time, I should go too." The expression on Noya’s face... '...Looks like he's heading out with the intent to beat someone up.' It didn’t seem like he was going for a positive reason.