1221 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Her bright and clear eyes seemed to pierce through me. I flinched at my mother’s words. It felt as if she was seeing right through me. “Hmm.” She tilted her head, and her delicate, small hand brushed against my chest. “What is it? What could it be?” "……What?" “It’s encased, isn’t it?” Encased? “What do you mean…?” “There’s a seed encased... but there’s no soil... Where did it go?” “……!” Seed. At her words, my eyes widened. If she was talking about a seed, it must be referring to what I consumed on the battlefield. Yet, no soil? What a puzzling statement. “Soil? What is that supposed to mean?” “Huh? There’s no soil.” “I’m asking, what do you mean by soil?” “Soil is soil.” “No… I mean…” “Excuse me.” As I was about to ask urgently, Mi Hyoran appeared. She sighed and spoke to me. “Don’t raise your voice. How many eyes are watching? If you want to have a conversation, go inside to do it.” “……Ah, yes. I apologize.” Under her cold gaze, I quickly retreated indoors. * * * I entered Mi Hyoran’s room. She didn’t come in, saying she had to keep watch outside. Inside, it was just my mother and me. “What’s all this?” The room was somewhat disheveled. There was a lot of food on the not-so-small table. It looked as if someone had devoured most of it. “Hmm? What do you mean?” “I’m talking about this table.” “Oh! I had a meal……!” “A meal? You two ate this much?” “No?” Right, it would’ve been tough for just the two of them to finish it. Were there more people here? I was just about to think that— “I ate it all by myself! Hyoran is dieting and didn’t eat.” “…….” It wasn’t even two people, just one. Hmm. That was unexpected. ‘……What on earth is in her stomach?’ Like Wi Seol-ah, she was astonishingly peculiar. Anyhow… I cleared some of the food from the table and asked my mother. “What do you mean by seed and soil?” “A seed is a seed, and soil is soil.” “……I need a bit more than that.” I required more explanation than just simplistic dialogue. Although she seemed undeniably clueless at the moment— ‘My mother is the Ruler of a Thousand Worlds.’ A tremendous being standing on vast and rugged land. Having seen my mother's true form, this current demeanor was quite unusual to me. ‘She must know something.’ Mentioning seeds and soil about my body meant she might actually know. I believed she would. That’s why I had sought her out to ask. “When you say there’s a seed but no soil, does that mean it vanished, or was it never there?” I asked more straightforwardly, hoping the answer might be different. “There isn’t.” Finally, my mother provided the answer I wanted. “There's no soil... But a seed was planted.” “……Is that why there’s a problem?” “Huh? A problem?” “Yes. Isn’t there?” “There’s no problem.” “……What?” No problem? Anyone would say there’s an issue; what does she mean by that? There’s no way the energy could have vanished. But then. “How is there no problem? Why...?” My mother said there was no problem. What exactly was she referring to? “The seed is looking for soil. Since it’s just not there, there’s no problem, right?” “You say there’s no soil. How does it look?” “There is! You just didn’t bring it.” “What the…?” A seed is encased, yet there’s no soil. I had it, but I didn’t bring it? “What exactly is soil?” “Soil is soil.” “…….” I rubbed my forehead. I understood that the seed referred to the seed of the sacred tree. I had absorbed it and gained its master's power. But… ‘There’s no soil.’ I had no idea what soil she was referring to. Adding to the confusion, she said I had it but didn’t bring it. ‘What on earth did I have?’ And what is it that I supposedly left behind? I don’t understand. This conversation is frustrating enough to drive me to anger. “So, what is this soil you’re talking about? If I find it, can things go back to the way they were?” “What do you mean by ‘the way they were’?” “What?” Her clear eyes questioned me. “What does the original state mean?” “……The original is just... original.” If I say original, how would she respond? I just wanted to return to the state and energy I used to carry. Hearing this, my mother spoke with the same eyes. “I don’t know what original state you wish for, but you can’t if you find the soil.” “What does that mean…?” “It’s greed. Greed is not good.” “…….” “You should leave greed behind.” “Why are you suddenly talking about greed? No, I mean, anyway…” The important thing isn’t that. “You mean if I find the soil, I can regain my strength?” “Hmm… Mmm…” My mother tilted her head. I closed my eyes tightly. What should I do next? I have half a mind to punch her lightly. If it were Wi Seol-ah, I would have done it by now. Given I’ve committed such acts against authority before, maybe I should just try it? That thought fleetingly crossed my mind, but— I forced myself to hold back. As I repeated my deep breaths to soothe my nerves— “And so…” I tried to speak again when— “Why on earth!” A loud voice was heard outside. “……Don’t raise your voice.” I heard Mi Hyoran’s voice. The shout just now sounded familiar. “……You’re stubborn. Why are you forcibly intervening in the affairs of the family?” “I don’t want to. Isn’t life about making such choices? Besides, Young Master already has a partner, so why are you doing this? It’s uncomfortable to witness.” “……Miss Mi. This is, not something else but a decision made by the family. It’s not something you can simply refuse.” It was Namgung Jin. So it was him. His presence here was quite unexpected. It was a continuation of what the merchant guild leader had mentioned earlier. Meaning— ‘So this is Namgung Jin’s scheme.’ Now I understood the merchant guild leader’s reaction. At the same time— ‘Look at this fellow.’ One of my suspicions was also resolved. “Ha.” I heard Mi Hyoran’s dry laughter. "You’re insistent about the family’s decision? I wonder who’s really being stubborn here.” “What do you mean?” “Who is the one being stubborn about the engagement and marriage with Miss Hyun?” “…….” Namgung Jin fell silent. He couldn’t deny the truth in her words. With no response from him, Mi Hyoran seized the moment to continue speaking. “Don’t get me involved. I have no feelings towards Young Master Namgung, nor do I intend to be caught up in something like this. Affairs between the family and the guild? I can handle those as much as I need to. So please...” Her cold voice sliced through the air. “Don’t come looking for me again.” “……Miss Mi!” Thud-! “Ugh!” A faint groan reached my ears. Having heard enough, I raised myself up. Creak. I pushed the door open and stepped outside. All eyes outside turned towards me. Mi Hyoran's eyes widened like lanterns when she saw me. “Why...!” Why did I come out of the room? That seemed to be her silent question, but I ignored it, looking elsewhere instead. Namgung Jin had a firm grip on Mi Hyoran’s wrist. “You…? What are you doing here…!” Rage filled Namgung Jin’s gaze as he spotted me. “You…! Like with Miss Hyun, could it be…!!” I didn’t bother listening to the nonsense that followed. “You bastard, get your hands off her.” “What?” My body moved before I even finished speaking. My foot landed squarely on Namgung Jin’s face. Thwack! “Grrk!” His head snapped back, and blood splattered. Blood gushed out of his nose. “Ugh!!” Namgung Jin hastily shielded his face and drew his sword at me. Crackle--!! A powerful energy surged. Electromagnetic energy enveloped his body. “You again…! Why you, again and again…!!” “Speak clearly. Stop stuttering, it's irritating.” Crackle--!!! A burst of lightning bolts flared as he thrust his sword. Considering my options, I prepared to defend. “Baek Gongja…!” Mi Hyoran tried to stop the fight, but my body was already in motion. “You used your qi first, so you threw the first punch.” Dodging the blue energy aimed at me, I approached rapidly, aiming a punch at his solar plexus— Thud-! “……!” My knees felt heavy. A force pressed down on me. ‘The Master of Swords.’ The technique of focusing intimidation through battle energy. Namgung Jin’s family technique pinned me in place. “I won’t let you get away with this…!” While I was momentarily frozen, Namgung Jin charged at me, his face twisted with rage. It seemed potentially dangerous, but— “Dammit.” Creak--!!! I strained through the constraining force, forcing my body to move. Muscles screamed in protest. Forcing my way through like this— But for me, this much— ‘Doesn’t matter.’ While my energy was depleted, my body remained resilient. I could push through easily. Whoosh--!! I angled my upper body, and the blade passed just where I had been. “Tsk!” As I evaded the attack, Namgung Jin gritted his teeth. He tried to recover his stance and prepare for the next strike but— “And where do you think you’re going?” Grab-!! I seized his withdrawn wrist. Zzzap-! The lightning tingled painfully due to his qi, but I ignored it. I yanked him forward. Pulling him closer with a knee to his abdomen. The momentum brought him right to me. I lashed out with a punch towards his solar plexus. Boom-!!! “Guhh!!” Namgung Jin screamed from the blow to his vital spot. Even though he had concentrated qi there, I broke through with my bare hands. My bones ached. I think there’s a crack in my hand, but— ‘Not that I care.’ I'll tend to it later. I approached him as he staggered back. “Baek Gongja… please… enough…!” Mi Hyoran tried to intervene as she watched the fight, but— “I’ve been holding back.” I grabbed Namgung Jin’s left arm, “Why do you keep acting out, driving people mad?” Feeling the grip and angle, Namgung Jin’s eyes widened in fear. “Wa…wait…!” Realizing my intent, he attempted to plead, but— Crunch---!!! I twisted his arm with all my might. “---!!!” Namgung Jin trembled, screaming silently from the pain.