Gwonma and I stood atop the cliff where the waterfall plunged down.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
The enormous spray created by the waterfall was refreshing enough to clear the heart of anyone who saw it.
“Now, absolutely no using internal energy.”
“You’d best not break the promise yourself.”
What we were about to do was jump from a high place. There was nothing at stake, really. It was simply a battle of pride.
When I was young, girls had watched from below as I looked down from up here…but now I was playing that dangerous game with Gwonma in these remote, rugged mountains.
“That thin torso of yours might smash to pieces when it hits the rocks.”
“Your enormous torso will hit the rocks twice as hard, Gwonma.”
The looks we exchanged held the resolve not to lose under any circumstances.
We jumped at the same time.
At my level, why would I be afraid or feel my heart sink merely because I was jumping without using internal energy? Even so, I deliberately let out a refreshing scream.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Splash!
Kicking up a tremendous spray of water, Gwonma’s figure plunged into the water first.
Gwonma soon raised his head above the surface.
By then, I was floating atop the water using Water-Gliding Steps. I had used my internal energy before falling into the water. I crouched in front of Gwonma, who had raised his head, and said cheekily,
“I lost.”
Gwonma looked dumbfounded for a moment at the mischief on my face, but soon burst into loud laughter that echoed through the valley.
Well, if I’d made him laugh, that was enough.
I also jumped into the water with a splash.
The ice-cold water instantly cleared my head.
While I swam through the water, Gwonma climbed onto the broad rock at the water’s edge on the opposite bank.
Jumping from a waterfall without using inner power.
Had Gwonma ever done such a thing even once in his life? No—he probably had never even thought of it.
“The water is really clear.”
After swimming for quite a while, I also climbed onto the rock where Gwonma was.
I could have dried my clothes by generating heat with my inner power, but instead I took them off and spread them over the rock.
“I’m going to lie down for a bit.”
Then I flopped onto my back and gazed up at the sky.
“You should lie down too, Gwonma.”
“I’m fine.”
“How long has it been since you last lay down in front of other people?”
“I don’t even remember.”
“Then lie down at least now.”
Despite my urging, Gwonma remained seated.
For a while, we gazed silently up at the sky.
If he wanted to work off all the fatigue piled up inside him by loafing around, even crossing the Central Plains from one end to the other would not be enough. That was why I intended to keep moving farther away from the Cult.
“Let’s go now.”
“Let’s stay a little longer.”
Gwonma looked anxious and restless. I understood him. His life in the Cult had been busy from morning to night. He had taught everyone from the White Fists to the Black Fists! When I thought about it, it truly had not been an easy life.
After sitting like that for a long while, Gwonma abruptly stood up.
Unable to bear the restlessness any longer, he seemed ready to perform a fist technique, but I quickly stopped him.
“You’ve been throwing punches your whole life. Just endure it this once.”
“My body is stiff and sore from doing nothing but sitting. I can’t stand it.”
“Now, now, sit down first.”
I made him sit down again. He was having trouble adapting to this idleness.
“That’s right. They say it’s harder for people to remain still. But they also say that spacing out like this is good for your mental health.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I picked it up somewhere.”
The sky beyond Gwonma, who was looking down at me, was blue.
“Gwonma, look at those clouds drifting behind you.”
Gwonma turned his head and looked up at the sky. As he gazed at the clouds, I could sense distracting thoughts entering his eyes.
“Don’t worry about your subordinates.”
Gwonma looked at me with an expression that asked how I had known what he was thinking.
“They’re probably celebrating right now. Tell your subordinates to relax and loaf around a little too. The leader loafs around, and the subordinates loaf around. How wonderful is that?”
“Then the organization would fall apart.”
“So what if it falls apart a little?”
For an instant, Gwonma flinched.
“You’ve never once thought, ‘So what if it falls apart?’ have you?”
“Of course not.”
“If it falls apart, there are other Demon Lords, aren’t there? If it falls apart, you still have your father, don’t you? What’s wrong with getting scolded a little? What’s wrong with having your pride hurt a little?”
The corner of Gwonma’s mouth curled up slightly. It might have been a derisive smile saying, What do you know? Yet it also looked, in some inexplicable way, like a smile of relief.
“Just forget everything. Forget all those fist-fighters with their colors.”
How long had we remained like that?
Gwonma finally relaxed his posture. He leaned back slightly, supporting himself with both arms behind him. He did not lie all the way down, but he did seem somewhat more comfortable than before.
We continued staring blankly at the sky until our clothes had completely dried.
* * *
After descending the mountain, we walked along a narrow path.
“Are we not going to use lightness kung fu?”
“The scenery is beautiful. Let’s walk until the end of this path.”
As expected, he seemed to be itching to move.
“Wouldn’t it be better to go to our destination and rest there?”
Whenever I heard things like that, I kept thinking of myself before my regression.
I had been like that when traveling to obtain the materials for the Grand Art. No matter what happened, I would rush all the way to my destination. Walking had never even entered my mind.
“They say taking a walk is good for people.”
“Doing nothing is good, walking is good. Is there anything that isn’t good?”
“There are plenty. Coming out to loaf around and worrying about work. Thinking only about someone who isn’t thinking about me at all. Coming out to have fun while thinking about how to collapse a cliff. There are lots of them.”
After a brief pause, he asked,
“Did my life seem that bad to you?”
“Yes.”
At the answer without the slightest hesitation, Gwonma stopped walking and looked at me.
“It didn’t seem bad because it was bad. It seemed bad because it was too perfect.”
A hint of relief passed over his face.
“I know what you’re worried about, but I’m not someone who will collapse easily.”
“Are you sure?”
“What?”
“Are you really someone who won’t collapse easily? How do you know? You’ve never collapsed even once.”
Gwonma could not answer.
“Whenever I look at Father’s grand chair, it reminds me of the platform where you stand and look down at your subordinates. I feel that both of you are trapped there.”
“!”
Gwonma, you made it this far with that unchanging steadfastness of yours. Can’t you rest a little now?
He said nothing. We walked in silence for a long while.
At the end of the narrow path, I asked Gwonma,
“Is there anything you’d like to try?”
Gwonma could not easily find an answer and asked me in return,
“What about you?”
“I’m doing it right now.”
A faint smile appeared around Gwonma’s lips. Ian and Cheon Sohee said they found that expression frightening no matter how often they saw it, but Gwonma’s face did not frighten me. In truth, it had never frightened me from the beginning.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Then let’s start by going to eat something delicious. A trip isn’t complete without good food, is it?”
I ran ahead first, and Gwonma ran alongside me. He began taking the lead, pouring out all the speed he had been holding back.
* * *
“Here we are. A famous restaurant with a history of two hundred years!”
We had arrived at a place called Songmyeong Hall, which sold both alcohol and food. It was so popular that customers were lined up outside.
“How did you know about this place?”
“Is that all I know? Their signature dish is bamboo shoot cuisine, which you like, Gwonma.”
“And how did you know that?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t investigate your favorite foods because I intended to poison them. You’re going to be my future master, so I should at least know that much.”
The man standing in line ahead of us glanced back, then was startled when he saw Gwonma. Trembling, he said,
“W-would you like to go ahead of me?”
“No need.”
The man turned back at Gwonma’s reply and never looked behind him again.
I smiled and asked Gwonma,
“You’ve never stood in line to buy food in your entire life, have you?”
At Gwonma’s expression, which clearly said, Do you think I have?, I asked again,
“Isn’t it interesting?”
Gwonma looked around. The people standing in line, the people newly joining the line behind them, the passersby, and the street vendors hawking their wares.
“It’s not bad.”
Songmyeong Hall was such a large restaurant, with more than ten servers alone, that the line moved quickly.
When our turn came, we took a seat and ordered several dishes and some wine.
“Why order so much?”
“We came all this way after so long. We should eat everything before we leave.”
The wine came first, and as I poured a cup for Gwonma, his displeased gaze turned toward a group of martial artists passing outside, cursing among themselves.
I reached out and blocked his view.
“We’re loafing around! That’s a rock. That’s a chair. Understand?”
“Understood.”
As Gwonma poured me a cup as well, he said,
“At your age, with your martial arts, it must be difficult to restrain your hot blood.”
“That’s why I’m playing with the Demon Lords, isn’t it? So I don’t cause any unnecessary trouble.”
“You may have other reasons for associating with us, but avoiding trouble is commendable.”
“Oh! That’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me, Gwonma.”
I raised my cup, and we toasted.
A little later, the dishes arrived. After tasting a piece of his favorite bamboo shoot dish, Gwonma was astonished.
“It’s truly delicious.”
“There’s always a reason restaurants have lines.”
My gaze shifted toward the kitchen.
“What do you think? Should we kidnap the head chef and take him back to the Cult?”
“You’re saying something you don’t mean.”
“Why are you so certain? If we take him, then we take him.”
After staring at me for a moment, Gwonma unexpectedly said,
“I heard your demonic path is one that doesn’t break tavern tables.”
I was startled. I had not expected Gwonma to know that.
“How did you hear about that?”
“I have ears to listen with.”
This proved that what I had told my elder brother was correct. Even when they seemed not to be watching, the Demon Lords were observing everything.
“Yes. So when others stand in line, we stand in line and eat too. If the chef is kidnapped, we go rescue him. That is my demonic path.”
Gwonma stared intently at me. How would he interpret my demonic path?
He seemed about to say something, but then decided against it and focused on eating again.
We were drinking when one of the two women seated beside us spoke to me.
“Young hero, is this your first time here?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then there are some places you absolutely must visit.”
“Would you join us and tell me about them in detail?”
The women glanced at Gwonma, then readily joined us.
I ordered new dishes for them.
I could sense Gwonma’s surprise. The natural way in which they had joined our table seemed to be a fresh shock to him.
A woman he had never met had spoken to him first and then joined his table?
That was why he kept his guard up around them. He narrowed his eyes, wondering whether they were plotting something, but the women were simply young girls who liked to have fun.
The reason I had invited them to join us was Gwonma.
Gwonma had lived his entire life as a bachelor. There was no record of him having any dealings with women. Perhaps he had given up on romance from the start because of his appearance.
That was why I wanted to give Gwonma experiences he had never had before.
We drank and chatted with the women about this and that. I made them laugh with amusing stories. Gwonma, who had initially been wary, eventually began enjoying the gathering with interest in his eyes.
Whenever there was something Gwonma could answer better, I asked him. For example:
“Please tell these ladies about the time you broke through the Martial Alliance’s Heavenly Net when you were young.”
Of course, the women laughed uproariously, not believing him. It was a claim that went beyond the usual boasting men did at drinking tables. Gwonma looked at me questioningly. Really? Should I tell them? I smiled and shook my head. No, no one will believe you.
After we had enjoyed ourselves for about half a shichen, the women stood up first.
That was even more astonishing to Gwonma. They were just going to leave after all that? Without even making plans to meet again?
After they left, Gwonma asked,
“Did you send them a secret transmission promising to pay them separately? Or did you threaten to kill them if they refused to join us? Or were they women targeting our money pouches?”
I could not believe he would think of things like that.
“If none of those were the case, why would the women have joined us?”
“That’s because of me, of course.”
“I know that. One of them stared only at your face the entire time.”
“Exactly. That’s why they asked to join us.”
“Even though I was beside you?”
“Would they not have joined us because they were afraid after seeing Gwonma’s face?”
Gwonma nodded.
“There are two things you don’t understand, Gwonma. Young people these days can easily get along and have fun with strangers.”
“What kind of terrible fate are they inviting by doing that?”
“They’re fearless, these youngsters.”
“You’re not?”
“Me included. I’m fearless too, aren’t I?”
“You’re too fearless. And what’s the second thing?”
“That while it’s true you look frightening, Gwonma, you aren’t ugly. In fact, you’re on the handsome side.”
Gwonma was shocked. It was his most astonished reaction since I had met him. He had probably never heard anyone call him handsome in his entire life.
“Even if you’re going to flatter me, at least make it flattery I can accept.”
“I’m good at flattery, but I’m not flattering you now. Women might find your face attractive. You also have a reassuring air, as if you would protect them no matter what happened.”
Gwonma seemed unsure what to say, so I added,
“Today’s conclusion: Gwonma has a frightening but handsome face!”
After emptying his cup, Gwonma reached his conclusion.
“You’re a madman.”
“In the end, I even got to hear that from Gwonma!”
Just then, a young server came walking toward us. He was perhaps only ten years old. His eyes were swollen from crying so much.
“I’ve been watching you for a while. Somehow, I thought it would be all right to ask a great hero like you for help.”
The child pleaded with Gwonma.
“Please, help me.”
From the tears gathered in the child’s eyes, I could feel the weight of suffering too great even for an adult to bear.
I gently patted the child’s head and said to Gwonma,
“And not only is your face handsome, it also looks like you would help when an innocent child asks for it.”