1126 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

"……." Her question about being alike was met with silence from me. It was rather sudden, and I couldn't decide how to respond. 'Alike, you say.' How am I supposed to interpret that? While I was momentarily bewildered. "Are you not?" My mother rephrased her question. "……What do you mean by that?" I opted for a direct approach and asked bluntly. Then, tilting her head slightly, she spoke again. "……Is it not? It is, yet it isn’t." "What are you talking about?" Even when asked again, there was no answer. Then suddenly, she leaned her face towards me. Startled, I tried to back away, but seated on the tree as I was, there was no escape. Sniff sniff. She leaned in closer and sniffed at me. "……Why are you doing this?" "I don’t smell anything." "Well, of course. I make sure to stay clean." "……No, that’s not it." "……Not it?" Quite a rude remark, isn’t it? Regardless, I take care of my cleanliness. No, that's not the issue here. "……How did you get here?" She was supposed to be at the Murim Alliance's Anhui branch, so why was she here? Her sudden appearance was baffling. "Mi Sojeo?" "Hyoran doesn’t know. I came secretly." "Why?" "Because you’re here. You wouldn’t want her to come along, right?" "……." I narrowed my eyes. My mother pointed out an important point with a bemused expression. You wouldn’t want her to come along. Those words imply... 'Does she know I don't want this state of mine to be discovered?' The master of all worlds. She seemed to know things, even in a state of unawareness. "……Then how did you know I was here?" "I can feel it." "You can feel it?" "Yes, I can feel it." Poke. Suddenly, she pressed her finger against my forehead. "You’re just like me. You’re here." "What…." "You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?" "……." Her questions keep changing swiftly. "……As you can see, I’m fine." "Really? That’s a relief." Her fingers, which had been pressing my forehead, moved slightly upwards. Then she opened her hand. Swish swish. She gently brushed my hair. "Good job. You did well." "……." Taken by surprise, my entire body tensed up. As if genuinely praising me, she continued to stroke my head with diligence. "No……." Attempting to relax my stiffened self, I tried to move her hand away. Though I had to admit, part of me didn’t want to. Still, it couldn’t be helped. 'This is troublesome.' Each of these interactions became a problem. It was better to preemptively block any bonds from forming. Even if it seemed insignificant, one could never know for sure. As I moved to remove her hand, my mother withdrew it herself. "As long as you’re not hurt, it’s fine. I’ll be going now." "……Huh?" Is she really leaving like that? Appearing like the wind and disappearing just as swiftly, I instinctively grabbed her wrist. "Uh? Why?" Being restrained, she asked. "It’s just…… whether we’re alike or not, isn’t that important?" "Then what about it?" "Pardon?" "Are we alike or not?" "……." "See." As she spoke, she smiled. "You can’t say, can you? Then it's alright." The strength in my grip loosened. My mother, liberated from my hold, clasped her hands behind her back and skipped away cheerfully. Soon, she vanished beyond the forest. "Sigh." Left alone, I let out a sigh, as if I'd seen a ghost. What was that all about? 'Alike?' Her parting words kept replaying in my mind. Alike, she said. I closed my eyes, pondering what she meant by that. What was she referring to? What had she seen in me that seemed so similar, when she seemed to know nothing? But I thought about it. '…What’s there to think about? The answer is obvious.' The answer had been there all along. 'The master.' The entity that should have become the calamity and ruler of the world. She must have meant that when she spoke of being alike. * * * After briefly shaking off my fatigue, I resumed my journey toward my destination. It was around the time the power of the veil was starting to wane. I needed to return to where I’d been soon. Thus, I hastily used my strength to make my way back. I had deemed it prudent to speed up. And that judgment turned out to be correct. 'Phew, that was close.' As I entered with my presence suppressed, the veil conveniently dissipated. "Wooooah---!!! We’re alive-!!" Cheering could still be heard. Whether it was from the triumph in surviving or the awe of repelling the White Phantom gate’s threat, I couldn’t tell. Thanks to that, it was easy for me to get in unnoticed. "Everyone, you've worked hard." In the midst of it all, Namgung Jehwi stood at the front, speaking. "……With everyone’s efforts, we were able to protect Anhui and Namgung. Regarding this, our family head…." He appeared proud as he spoke fervently. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. 'He doesn’t seem to be entirely lacking.' I’d saved him because he seemed feeble against the monsters, but he was utterly stunned back then. Seeing him confidently taking charge now... Even if it seemed irritating, it also meant he had some skill in managing the situation. 'Sigh.' I left him to his devices and proceeded. After all, my objective lay elsewhere. After some walking, familiar faces appeared before me. They were members of the Cheongryongdae (Azure Dragon Unit). "Ah, there you are." Scratching my head, I approached them, catching Soi’s rather fierce gaze. "……Baek Yang Cheon." Her expression was quite fearsome. "Where on earth did you go off to?" "Ah, I was over in that corner and just came from there." "……You weren’t visible during the battle?" "With so many people here, it’s possible you missed seeing me." "……." With each word Soi spoke, her expression grew tighter. I had thought her favorability towards me had risen after she had expressed she would stay behind last time, but it seemed to have plummeted again. 'I suppose.' Despite pledging to join the battle, I was nowhere in sight. 'But what can I do.' The power of the veil is nothing more than the manifestation of illusion, yielding little advantage in battle. It was merely a means to maintain the façade of having been nearby. To Soi, it might have looked like I was just hiding instead of fighting. So her glaring at me was understandable. Of course. 'Not that it changes anything.' No matter how she saw it, there was nothing I could do about it. 'I was busy cleaning up my own mess.' I'd moved heaven and earth trying to minimize casualties. I had expended considerable effort ensuring no one died unnecessarily. Worrying about Soi’s feelings wasn't high on my priority list. "You…" Just as Soi was about to speak to me. "Baek Yang Cheon." This time, my father, who had been seated, intervened. "Yes, Vice Head." "……." In response, my father approached me, lost in thought. Moments passed, and then he asked. "Did you see that guy?" "That guy? Oh." I nodded, understanding what he meant. "The one wearing that strange mask. That’s who you’re talking about, right?" "Yes." "I couldn’t miss him. But why do you ask?" Father responded to my puzzled look. "Did you sense anything from him?" He inquired. "Pardon?" Did I sense anything? "……Like what, exactly?" "Anything at all, did you sense anything unusual?" "……Uh, not particularly? Just that he seemed weird?" "……." My father frowned slightly, dissatisfied with my answer. "I see." Without further question, he turned and walked away, looking somehow weary. Was he tired? 'It's probably not just exhaustion.' It wasn’t like he had exerted a lot of energy. There must have been something on his mind. Most likely... 'The part where he asked if I was the former head of the Gugha family.' The moment when he saw me pretending to be Cheonma and asked if I was the past head of the Gugha family. That must have been what's causing him to be in this state. 'Hmm.' That part bothers me too. Naturally, because I'm also part of the Gugha family. 'Especially knowing what the heads of the family must do.' Seeing such things, it solidified my resolve. 'Clearly.' I should visit the Shanxi region of this era, particularly the Gugha family. I had made up my mind. * * * The sun had set. After the demise of the white-rank monster, and with the disappearance of the Phantom Gate, it was around this time that the complete extermination was confirmed. Only then did people relax and start to celebrate with a feast. The feast held by the Namgung family was much noisier than before. "Wahahaha-!" Louder cheers erupted, as people were engrossed in drinking festivities. Right at the center of this was, predictably, me. The mysterious figure who suddenly appeared and vanquished the red and white rank demons. Everyone was talking about the unbelievable master who appeared as they enjoyed the feast. '…Ugh.' Tired of hearing it, I slyly slipped away. There was nothing for me to do at the feast, and I wasn’t the type to mingle in such affairs. Content with having completed my duties, I was heading back to my quarters to rest. But then. "Ah, there you are." "……?" Someone was already at my quarters. A handsome man lounging on my bed—Namgoong Hyung. "……What's this about?" Why was he here again? I looked at him inquisitively. "Oh, it's nothing much. Remember our conversation before?" "Our previous conversation?" "You know, about asking a favor." "……Ah." I recalled. It was about him shutting his mouth in exchange for supporting his cause. "……Why bring it up now?" Why was he mentioning it now? I glanced at him curiously. "Because the timing is perfect now?" Namgoong Hyung grinned as he spoke. "I’d like your help with something." "……Right now?" "Yes, now. This is the perfect time." "What exactly are you planning that needs discussing during the feast…?" Just as I was about to ask. Namgoong Hyung spoke first. "I'm planning to run away from home, starting now. I need your help." "……." At those words, I couldn’t help but frown deeply.