1143 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A traditional Korean sweet rice cake perched atop a large hand. Guryun extended this incongruous offering towards me with a grin. "So, what do you think?" What could I possibly think of it? Unsure of how to react, I simply stared at the sweet rice cake in silence. After a prolonged gaze, I furrowed my brows and asked. "…What is this?" What kind of absurdity was this? Why was he suddenly presenting me with a traditional sweet? His sudden appearance was baffling enough, but his actions were even stranger. "Why? Don't you like sweet rice cakes?" "…It's not a matter of liking or disliking." Didn't he realize the issue wasn't the sweet itself? Guryun seemed puzzled by my response, as if he couldn't comprehend my words. "Hmm… I haven't met anyone who disliked sweet rice cakes." With a resigned air, he put it back into his pocket. As I watched, memories from the past involuntarily surfaced. 'He always carried rice cakes with him.' That was my recollection of the first elder. Even when scolding me, he would offer a sweet rice cake, and if not, for some other reason, he would hand one over. The funny thing was. 'Our elder isn't particularly fond of sweet rice cakes. You eat it.' The elder himself wasn't keen on sweet rice cakes, or sweets in general, for that matter. "Uh, first elder... I mean, distinguished sir." "Yes, what is it?" "Why do you carry that around?" Why did someone who didn't like sweets carry them everywhere? Given the situation, I couldn't help but ask. "Oh, this?" Guryun beamed at my question as if it delighted him. "Our stoic household member is fond of them." "Stoic member?" "Yes. You know him. That man who is your vice-leader." Huh…? "Pardon…?" Did I hear him wrong? I furrowed my brow at Guryun’s words. '...Father likes sweet rice cakes?' Of all people, my father? And because of that, Guryun carried them around? '...That can't be right.' No matter how I thought about it, it was an impossible combination. My face went blank at the unimaginable reason. "…Really?" "Yes. Is that so surprising?" "Quite honestly, yes." I couldn't even begin to imagine my father indulging in sweets. I had never seen him partake in them. Yet, here he was, supposedly fond of sweet rice cakes. 'That's... shocking.' It was entirely unexpected. "Hmm. I suppose it’s possible. But that's beside the point. Anyway, child. Would you care to have a conversation with this old man?" "Is this sudden?" "Indeed." "..." Why are these people acting this way today? First the Sovereign, and now him—everyone seems eager to grab my attention. '...I’m very busy.' Now was not the time to be conversing with Guryun. I urgently needed to meet with not only my father but also the Azure Dragon Lord. "I'm sorry, but—..." Just as I was about to decline Guryun’s offer of conversation, “The question isn’t anything major.” Guryun dismissed my refusal, pressing on with his true question instead. "Child, are you by any chance from the Guga Clan?" "…" I froze at his words. What was this? A cold shiver ran down my spine. 'Where did he sense it from?' How did Guryun know? My thoughts swirled. 'I haven’t given away anything obvious.' Surely, he should know me as the Sovereign’s disciple. But here he was, asking if I belonged to the Guga Clan? It was unfathomable. I had hidden my true nature well. The Sovereign might have sensed something when he examined me, but... 'Oh? Is it possible?' A thought struck me. The moment when Guryun had put his arm around my shoulder. Could he have felt the dormant energy, like the Sovereign had? 'No, it can't be.' I concluded it was unlikely. Guryun, though much stronger than the Guryun I remembered, was not at the level where he could detect such things. Then how did he know? Forcing myself to suppress my rising panic, I replied to him. "What an outrageous notion." Why would I be from the Guga Clan? Denying it as though baffled, I responded. "Exactly. Even for me, it makes little sense." He tapped his finger beneath my chin, lifting it slightly. "These eyes. You see… It’s a demeanor that couldn’t belong to any other family." "…Huh?" "Look at this. These fierce, impudent eyes. A face that seems capable of killing with a glance." "…" What? Was he insulting me now? It seemed like an insult. Exasperated, I brushed away Guryun’s hand. "What are you doing?" "It's just, the resemblance is uncanny." "…Resemblance to whom? Could it be—" I thought of my father, who was somewhere within this very place, and said, "The vice-leader?" Resemblance to my father. That, at least, would be an understandable assertion. "What are you talking about? How could you look like Cheol Woon? You do him a disservice." "…" Damn. My confidence took a hit. I knew my father was handsome, but did he have to put it like that? This was genuinely disheartening. Instead, he said, "It's more akin to our patriarch." "…" Despite my bruised ego, my ears perked up. Patriarch. The word echoed in my mind. 'If by patriarch of the Guga Clan, he means…' Grandfather. In my time, he was the one who bore the clan's burdens as the acting leader. "They say you resemble the old man quite closely…" "…" I’d heard it before. Not that I took after my father, but my grandfather. People sometimes mistook me for my father because the aura within me mirrored his. But my looks were said to favor my grandfather's side. 'To hear it here, though.' That Guryun would be the one to mention it. Did I really resemble him that much? "When you resemble someone to this degree… it's only natural to have doubts." "Doubts?" "Indeed. One wonders if perhaps he caused trouble somewhere." "…" "Like my mix-up of you with Cheol Woon. It's something to consider if you were half-siblings." "No…" "No, that’s not…" A headache brewed within me. How had we even drifted to such absurd conclusions? Yet, I couldn't deny there was a strange sort of logic to it. '...It does make a peculiar kind of sense.' The blood connection was undeniable, leaving me without a counterargument there. "So, do you actually think I might be the illegitimate child of the Guga Clan's head?" "It seemed a reasonable deduction. What say you?" "In what world is that reasonable...?" Since when does resembling someone mean you're an illegitimate child? It was beyond absurd. "I assure you, that's not the case. And if that's all you have to say... I'll take my leave." There was no need to listen to any more. The more I heard, the more it was obviously going to be a migraine-inducing conversation, especially given how subtly sharp he could be. Thus, with thoughts of escape, I started to distance myself from him. "Hm? Is that so? Well, I suppose there's nothing more to be done. Apologies for the suspicion." Guryun didn't seem intent on pursuing the matter further, and it seemed like the awkward exchange was coming to an end. Just then. Thunk! Roll, roll! "Oh, whoops!" Something slipped from Guryun's grasp and rolled towards me. A bead. It was a bead with a reddish tint. "…Hm?" "My apologies, could you pick that up for me?" "…" Since it had rolled over, I bent to pick it up. As Guryun approached to retrieve it from me— Grip--! "…!?" Suddenly, he grabbed my wrist tightly. "…What are you doing?" Just as I was about to voice my protest at this unexpected grasp— Fwooosh--!! "…Huh?" Guryun suddenly clenched his fist, emanating intense heat. Ssssss--! Steam rose from his fist, the skin turning red from the heat. And even more so... Roar--! An energy, unmistakable and potent, vibrated from Guryun's body. 'What the hell?' Why was he acting this way all of a sudden? This wasn't some trivial energy either—it was overwhelming. I needed to break free from his grip. Just as I was about to channel a bit of energy into my hand, Whooosh--!!! "…What?" A surge of my energy wrapped around the hand holding the bead, making it glow. What was happening? Why was this bead reacting? Momentarily surprised, I inadvertently tensed up. "It's done." As soon as he said that, Guryun withdrew his energy and brought something over to the bead. It appeared to be a bamboo tube. And then. Drip. Something suddenly spilled from the bamboo tube. Blood. "…What are you doing?" What was the meaning of this? I wrenched my arm from Guryun’s grasp. Unlike the earlier grip, it slipped away easily, his strength now relaxed. "What on earth..." I began to question Guryun's intentions, but before I could finish, Blaze---!!! Suddenly, the bead emanated a radiant light. Reddish-purple glimmer. It wasn’t extreme in brightness or spread, but it undeniably shimmered. "Hmm." Guryun nodded at me, finally offering an explanation. "Oh, this is a Bead of Bloodline. I happened to pick it up while hunting curiosities with your master." "...Hunting what?" Curiosities... ? Before I could knit my brows at the bizarre expression, '...Hold on a minute. Bead of Bloodline?' The name tickled a memory. Oh. 'That.' It seemed to be that artifact from the secret archives of the Guga Clan. Wait... '...If I recall its effects correctly...' The moment the nature of the artifact dawned on me, my eyes widened in realization. "The effect of the artifact is this—by injecting energy into the bead and subsequently flowing another's blood over it, the bead may or may not react. If it does react and shines like now, it means..." The implication was clear. "It's proof that the blood’s owner and you share kinship. Oh, and for the record, the blood is." Guryun's eyes glittered with mischief as he smiled. "Freshly collected from Cheol Woon. So, what do you think?" "…" "Now, are you still saying you're not of the Guga Clan?" Damn it all. Truly, how sharp-witted this old man could be.