1110 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 1110 of "The World's Best Martial Artist's Childhood Friend" “......” Our eyes met, pausing us temporarily in a shared stillness. It was a situation I personally had been trying hard to avoid. Partly because of my father. I anticipated encountering my mother from this era would only lead to complicated matters. 'If possible.' Given my efforts to leave this place, I wanted to steer clear of creating unnecessary problems. In that context, 'I never imagined we’d cross paths here.' I never expected to meet my mother in such a place. Her hair wasn’t completely white; it had a faint hint of reddish-wine. Her eyes were like those I encountered in my past life. Though her smile was gentle, there was something alluring about the subtle atmosphere she radiated. I swallowed hard at this juxtaposition of familiarity and difference from the mother I knew. 'Why.' Why is my mother here? 'I didn’t notice.' Just like before, I failed to perceive her presence. As a result, I let her approach unwittingly. “Hello?” My mother spoke while looking at me. I pondered upon hearing her. What should I say? How should I respond? After a brief moment of considering, I managed my expression and said: “......Hello.” Feigning a calm demeanor made her smile deepen. “We've met before, right?” “Yes.” “Nice to meet you. Are you glad to see me too?” “Yes, I suppose-” “What are you doing here? Not sleeping? Aren’t you hungry?” “......” Before I could finish answering, she moved on to the next topic. Why did it feel like my energy was being drained away? Though we hadn’t spoken much, I couldn't shake the feeling that she somehow exhausted me. “I’m a bit hungry.” “Ah... yes.” As if to prove her hunger, she rubbed her stomach. I couldn’t help but see the resemblance with Wi Seol Ah. Like when we met at the food cart last time. She seemed to eat endlessly then too. ‘Was my mother always like this?’ My memories were foggy. I didn’t have many memories of her, to begin with. And even if I did, I wouldn’t recall her eating habits. At that moment, “I’m hungry.” “......?” My mother repeated herself. The same phrase. What did she want me to do about it? I narrowed my eyes slightly, and my mother spoke again. “......Do you have anything to eat?” This time, she was quite cautious. To be precise, she seemed concerned someone else might overhear, glancing around nervously. As if fearing being reprimanded. “......Is someone chasing you?” “No, no?” My question startled her, and she reacted with a startle. Despite her denial, anyone could see it was a telling reaction. ‘If someone is chasing her.’ The perpetrator was obvious. ‘Is it father?’ Father, who had confined her to a carriage, was the most likely reason for her fear. Which means. ‘She secretly escaped.’ Mother had snuck out without anyone knowing. This meant that... ‘This isn't alright, is it?’ Getting caught could lead to severe consequences. ‘Hmm.’ Thinking it over, I spoke again. “Well, I don't have any food with me.” I wasn’t in the habit of carrying snacks. Besides, it would be ridiculous to search for food in someone else's house. “Oh... okay.” Disappointment was evident in her eyes. Why was this such a letdown for her? “There’s nothing...” “Yes. There isn’t. So, please, why don’t you quietly go back-” “Want to look for something together?” “......Pardon?” Despite her earlier disappointment, her eyes sparkled once more. Then, Grab-! “Let’s do that!” With inexplicable enthusiasm, she grasped my wrist. This wasn’t good. “Let’s go!” And began dragging me along. Naturally, if I exerted enough effort, I shouldn’t have been pulled along, but... Squeeze-. 'Huh......?' Contrary to my expectations, her grip was surprisingly strong. Strong enough to indicate she was above at least the Sound Cultivation stage. Which means. ‘She has retained her strength, hasn’t she?’ This suggested that my current mother might not be as clueless as I had assumed. I thought my mother in this timeline wouldn’t be in the state she was in the past world. Thus, I presumed she wouldn’t possess her power. ‘I don’t know if she still has all of it.’ But she wasn't completely devoid of strength. “Uh?” Surprised that I hadn’t budged, my mother looked at me in amazement. “What’s this?” “That’s what I’d like to ask you.” “Oh, what’s going on here?” She still seemed puzzled. Was she genuinely curious why I wasn’t moving because of her strength? I wasn’t sure. Regardless... “I’m not going. Please release me.” Though I was uncertain of where she planned to take me, I couldn’t allow myself to get further involved. I wanted to avoid provoking my father or others unnecessarily. With that in mind, I tried to extricate myself. “Why? It sounds fun.” “......What?” Another voice interrupted from a different direction. Looking over, Hyun So Yeon stood, gazing absentmindedly in our direction, her face damp from training. ‘Ah, great.’ I narrowed my eyes. Was I so focused on my mother I failed to notice her approach? ‘No.’ Even if I tried to suppress my senses, I shouldn’t have been oblivious to her approach. This must be... ‘Mother’s influence.’ It seemed my mother had a knack for concealing her presence, and being near her dulled my own sensory acuity. Did such a problem exist? ‘How could I know?’ Of course, I wouldn’t know; I've never experienced it. I merely speculated that such anomalies may occur because of my mother’s foreign presence. ‘Let’s set this aside for now.’ Putting the issue of my senses on the back burner, I focused on Hyun So Yeon in front of me. “What is it?” She mirrored my stare, questioning why I was looking at her. “She spoke loudly enough. Wouldn’t it be more odd not to hear?” “......” “You weren’t trying to have a secret conversation, were you?” Fair point. My mother's voice was indeed quite loud. Did Hyun So Yeon hear that? This makes things a bit tricky. “...I wasn’t particularly trying to spy.” “Hmm? Ah.” Given that it was quite rude to have seemingly spied on her training, I offered an apology first and foremost. “It's alright. It wasn’t anything extraordinary.” Hyun So Yeon responded casually, as if she wasn’t bothered by it at all. Then, she took out a cloth from her pocket and casually wiped her face as she continued, “Now that's settled. So, about that—are you going to do it?” “...Do what?” “You said you were hungry. Are you going to eat or not?” Suddenly talking about food? Not understanding what she was getting at, I narrowed my gaze. Frustrated, Hyun So Yeon sighed as if she was more exasperated by the situation than I was. “I’m hungry too. I was thinking of causing some mischief anyway. Better to do it with three than alone, right?” “...Cause mischief?” “Will you join?” “No, I—” “Let’s do it. Then I’ll forgive you for spying on my training.” “......” Unbelievable? I stood there, slightly agape, at her blatant proposition. “You said it didn’t bother you earlier.” “I did, but when I thought about it, it kind of did bother me. How about it? I’ll forgive you if you join us, okay?” Hyun So Yeon smiled brightly, gesturing to my mother standing beside her. My mother looked at me with expectant eyes. “I’ll also keep quiet about this lady.” “......” Ah. Right. Hyun So Yeon wasn’t aware that my mother had snuck in. ‘Damn it.’ The situation was hopelessly tangled. I felt a sigh forming from the tangled web of complications. “How about it?” Hyun So Yeon smiled knowingly, as if aware of it all, and continued speaking. I realized then, ‘She looks like Namgoong Bi Ah, but...’ Inside, she's a completely different person. I firmly reminded myself of that as I spoke. “...What are you planning?” My tone was noticeably uneasy, even to myself. * * * Under the cover of night, we began to move as a group. Naturally, guards from the Namgoong family were stationed as lookouts, yet Hyun So Yeon moved through them without a care. “I memorized the patrol routes by wandering around a few times. As long as we go this way, we won’t get caught.” She’d memorized the patrol paths, speaking confidently yet bizarrely. “Oh, but be careful. They tightened security today because some guards fainted during the day.” “......” I felt a pang of guilt. That was clearly the result of my previous attempt to infiltrate the Namgoong residence. “This way... just like this.” We navigated through alleyways with Hyun So Yeon leading. Where were we headed? She confidently told us to trust her, swiftly moving from place to place. “How long is this going to take? I’m hungry.” “Shh. Speak loudly, and you won’t get any food, okay?” “......Mm.” Mother attempted to complain but was promptly subdued with a few words. After circling around briefly, “We’re here.” She cleverly found an opening and slipped inside a building. Just as she said, I didn’t sense any guards around. “They have so much to guard elsewhere, they wouldn’t bother securing this tightly. It’s easy to get in.” I surveyed our surroundings after her explanation. This place... ‘...The pantry connected to the kitchen?’ It seemed to be the place where Namgoong’s family stored their ingredients. The smell of kitchenware and faint spices lingered. Hyun So Yeon entered without hesitation. Her movements were incredibly practiced. Then, she crafted a torch at one side and casually illuminated the room by lighting a sconce on the wall. At that exact moment, “Uh.” “Huh?” “Oh dear.” As soon as the light came on, we locked eyes with someone inside. It was Namgoong Hyeong, munching on a carrot. ‘What the...?’ Why was he here of all places?