〈Chapter 131〉And What About You? (1)
The wind was cold, and it was around the time the moon was hidden by clouds.
A face holding a single sword and asking me comes to mind.
"It is a cold night. Why did you come out?"
Her tightly tied blonde hair was shining even in the darkness.
When was this?
So many things had happened that I couldn't pinpoint just one.
"Are you worrying that I might be cold right now, of all things?"
Even though it wasn't an affectionate question, my tone in answering was extremely fierce.
The sense of inferiority of an incompetent person is truly a pathetic sight.
Even at such a tone, her expression did not change.
"...If not that, I guess it's time for the shift change."
"If you know, then disappear quickly."
"Will you be alright?"
"What?"
Unlike her hair dyed in bright gold, her eyes were subdued.
"This time slot is the most dangerous."
"So, because I'm weak, I should crawl back in?"
"I didn't mean that..."
At her words, I spewed flames from my body.
Compared to now, it was a truly pathetic level.
The flames expanding my domain faded away, unable to exert any strength against the single sword she had drawn.
Frowning as if somewhat uncomfortable, she speaks to me.
"...What are you trying to do by drawing attention like this? Are you hoping those guys will swarm here?"
"Stop the nonsense, I'm just telling you to go in. I'll take care of myself."
"No matter how I think about it, it would be better to wake the Sleeping Dragon..."
"And have them flare up even bigger this time?"
She finally let out a sigh and moved her steps toward the tent.
She grabbed the entrance of the tent and asked me.
"Young Master Gu, if you escape from here, what will you do?"
At the sudden question, I answered as if dumbfounded.
"Did you soak in useless sentiments because it's night? You're asking something so ridiculous."
If I get out of here?
Could I even get out in the first place? To harbor hope, the Demonic Realm is a place like hell.
"Never mind me, what are you planning to do then?"
No words came to mind, so I asked back.
Even if I return alive from this place, what remains for me is only inheriting the deeply laid karma.
So I asked.
What do you want to do?
She, Wi Seol-ah, showed a look of pondering over my question for a while, then opened her mouth slightly.
"I want to look around a bit."
"Look around? Do it right now."
At my words, Wi Seol-ah made a rarely seen expression of contempt.
"I mean I want to look around places where there are many people."
"Why dream such an annoying dream."
"Well."
Wi Seol-ah smiled. I could feel the haggardness contained in her smile, but I didn't point it out.
"You're right... why would I want to do that."
She looks tired.
Since she is a martial artist who had long since crossed the wall of the True Realm, she couldn't be physically exhausted.
I watched Wi Seol-ah slowly entering and turned my head.
At that time, I didn't think about anything.
I just had to endure today, and I had to save tomorrow's me.
Who would have known, that the time here would be so long.
Even after time passed and I returned alive, I lost everything and crawled back in on my own two feet.
The memories of this time became a great help in living out my later days.
This became a time that brought many changes in recalling you.
Everyone forgot, but I alone remember, so that is enough.
Therefore, even if I despair at all the choices I made, I will not regret them.
[...The contract has been established, little ember.]
I hoped you would also be so, I alone was hoping like this.
I was flustered by Namgung Bia who suddenly visited, but as always, she was someone whose inner thoughts couldn't be read, so I just let it be.
[What do you mean 'let it be', a storm was raging inside you at the words that you missed me.]
'I was just flustered for a moment, that's all.'
[Yeah, right you are. And that's why you spouted that bullshit about eating together.]
'...Old Man, you're becoming increasingly petty.'
Right after eating, Namgung Bia started taking a nap in my room as if she had been waiting for it.
"So why are you sleeping in my room?"
She even nonchalantly took out my blankets and laid them out, then curled up and fell asleep.
"It seems Unnie is very tired."
"That's not the problem... no."
Arguing would only be my loss, so I left her to sleep for now.
Because of the uninvited guest, my training was also stopped midway.
Thanks to that, it became a bit awkward to start again from where I left off.
And above all. For some reason, Wi Seol-ah's sullen appearance also bothered me.
"Do you want to eat some sweet pastry?"
I tried casually bringing it up, but.
"No..."
She refused the sweet pastry. And even firmly at that, this was a big deal.
In an emergency, hundreds of thoughts come to mind, but.
There weren't many ways to take them out and use them.
In the end, I had no choice but to ask directly.
"Why do you have such a crying expression?"
"...Just, things aren't going well."
"What?"
"This and that..."
I had rarely seen Wi Seol-ah looking so deflated.
Lately, she had been showing a sullen look often, as if something was wrong.
It was also partly because I had been paying less attention.
But seeing her cheeks increasingly sunken, I couldn't help but be concerned.
Looking at her drooping shoulders, I pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Let's go out."
"Pardon?"
At my words, Wi Seol-ah looked up at me as if wondering what I was talking about.
"As a walk, let's go out for a bit."
Wi Seol-ah's eyes widened only then, as if she understood the meaning of my words.
"When Hongwa Unnie comes, she buys delicious things."
"Really?"
"Yes, so I'm going to buy a moderately lot!"
"A lot... Yeah, let's buy a lot."
I dragged Wi Seol-ah and came out to the town.
I wondered if I should inform Muyeon and go, but I just came out for now.
I had already exceeded the level where I needed an escort by now.
"Young Master, where are we going?"
"Just to walk around a bit."
"Really!?"
Seeing her excited as if she liked it, I thought my method had fortunately worked.
[Have you had enough rest?]
I smiled bitterly at the Old Man's question.
Rest.
It's not enough.
The purification of demonic energy was still ongoing, and since I was in the middle of gathering qi, it was better to keep moving without a break during this gap.
"Young Master! Over there!"
"Where."
"Skewers!"
"...Yeah, you can eat it, but tell me after you've eaten everything in your hands."
Looking at the excited Wi Seol-ah, I thought.
Skipping one day should be fine.
Because the upcoming schedule is tight.
I also woke up the napping Namgung Bia and asked her, but she half-opened her eyes, pondered for a moment, then wrapped herself in my blanket and fell back asleep.
It seemed sleeping was her higher priority.
I watched Wi Seol-ah walking briskly with excitement.
Wi Seol-ah's smiling face feels unfamiliar every time I see it.
[That little child, is the hope of the future.]
Even the Old Man who saw my memories spat it out as if doubting it, but reality was like that.
"Young Master! Let's eat this together!"
She smiles brightly and brings over a fruit whose name I don't know.
I reflexively tried to take out money from my bosom, but Wi Seol-ah said proudly.
"I bought it!"
"What? How?"
"Hmm? I just bought it..."
She takes out a small coin purse from her bosom and shows it to me.
Checking inside the coin purse, there was really money in it.
Come to think of it, Wi Seol-ah's status is an attendant, so she would receive a salary.
For a kid who didn't even pay for sweet pastries to confidently buy things.
'She's changed a lot without me knowing.'
It was something that should have been done from the start, but it was amazing for Wi Seol-ah who lacked common sense compared to her age.
"Eat this."
I took the fruit Wi Seol-ah offered and took a bite.
As soon as it entered my mouth, the sourness that spread widely made me frown unconsciously.
Seeing that, Wi Seol-ah giggles.
"Fun...?"
"Young Master's face is so fun."
"That's an insult, right? That's definitely an insult."
Wi Seol-ah didn't say it wasn't until the end. This kid...
Like that, we chattered and walked around the town.
For me, it was a place I hadn't visited in a very long time.
When I left the Huashan Sect, and even after I returned, I didn't come here.
So if there was one thing that surprised me more than I thought.
"Oh, Seol-ah is here!"
"Hello!"
"It's been a long time since you came? Where's your sister."
"Unnie is busy. Just give me one of these!"
"Oh my, it's Seol-ah?"
It was that there were many people in the town who recognized Wi Seol-ah.
Did she often come out with the attendants without me knowing?
I thought the part calling her 'Unnie' might be Hongwa.
'Then, did the Sword Sovereign permit this?'
Otherwise, there's no way she could have come out to the town.
It also made sense that Wi Seol-ah was walking around as if it was nothing.
The present world is decorated with peace, but it's not to the extent that one can run around here and there with that appearance as if it's nothing.
It wasn't that I was trying to put veils on Namgung Bia or Wi Seol-ah just to avoid getting entangled in troublesome matters.
"Young Master, you know..."
"...!"
Wi Seol-ah had come up in front of me, so I was startled for a moment.
Even if I was deep in thought, I didn't notice her approaching right up to my nose.
I asked, trying hard to hide my bewilderment.
"...Why?"
"Everyone calls you Young Lord when they look at you."
"Hmm?"
"Suddenly?"
"Soyeol Unnie did that. It didn't seem like Bia Unnie did, though."
Most people do call me that.
It's not like they can just casually speak informally right off the bat.
"Well, that's..."
Because our status and positions are different. Those words were the simplest explanation, but.
How should I say.
It was a story that was really hard to bring out of my mouth.
Especially since Wi Seol-ah couldn't stay in the role of an attendant forever.
Then, Wi Seol-ah playfully blurts out.
"Young Lord Gu."
As if she wanted to try it herself.
I couldn't help but freeze at the words that suddenly came.
-Young Master Gu.
Because a damn memory came to mind.
With a face more mature than the current Wi Seol-ah.
With a slightly different expression.
And with an even lower voice, the figure speaking to me naturally overlapped.
The figure speaking like that in a completely different situation from now was exceptionally vivid.
Was my expression that strange? Wi Seol-ah was slightly intimidated.
"As I thought, it doesn't seem to suit me..."
Only after seeing Wi Seol-ah making a sullen expression did I finally come to my senses.
"What do you mean it doesn't suit you, what's that about again."
"Dang Unnie is pretty, and Bia Unnie is pretty so it suits them, but when I do it, it seems weird... Young Master's face was ugly."
Hey, it was ugly...
Words struck with pure innocence always pierce deep into the heart.
Anyway, is the reason for her sullenness because of this? In my view, it's not just that.
"Leaving everything else aside, for you to say that based on appearance..."
"Hmm?"
"You too..."
My words got stuck in my throat.
What should I call this, I was going to say 'You're pretty too.'
Why is such a trifling remark blocked as if I had a stone in my mouth.
In the meantime, Wi Seol-ah must have noticed what I was trying to say, as she smiles with her eyes.
"Why? What is it?"
"...You're doing this on purpose, right?"
"No, Seol-ah knows nothing."
I'm certain.
She must have learned only naughty things from somewhere without me knowing.
"If you don't tell me quickly, I'll tell on you."
"Tell what? Where is there anything to tell on."
"That time Young Master ran away saying it was annoying when Grandpa Ryeon was looking for you..."
"Pretty."
At my half-forced shout, Wi Seol-ah smiles brightly.
With her cheeks sunken to the point where the remaining baby fat was gone, she was gradually returning to the appearance of her past life.
Her appearance was shining day by day, and with her frequent smiles, she was exuding charm in all directions.
"...You."
Was her acting sullen perhaps on purpose?
If so, it seemed like an action very uncharacteristic of Wi Seol-ah.
[You don't know anything. That child is much more like a fox than you think.]
'And not a bear or a dog?'
Wi Seol-ah a fox? In her past life too, it was a word that really didn't suit her.
Sensing this thought, the Old Man snorts.
[From what I see, kid, it would be faster for you to swap out your eyeballs than anything else.]
Leaving the Old Man's words behind, Wi Seol-ah seemed to have quickly cheered up.
"I'm fine now!"
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Saying so, she smiled brightly and walked ahead.
Could just the two letters 'pretty' make her that happy?
It was a warm yet difficult emotion.
'It's heavy.'
The heart that child holds for me. And the heart I will come to hold for that child.
'Nevertheless.'
I couldn't put it down now. Because I am living fiercely precisely to avoid that.
"If you run like that, you'll fall."
"If I fall, Young Master will pick me up."
The sight of her saying that with an appearance like the sun often stops my steps.
-If I fall, you just need to pick me up.
Is it an illusion?
The current you saying the same words as you did back then.
-So it's okay.
"So it's okay!"
"..."
It felt like she was telling me not to forget, and my chest ached.
True to form, Wi Seol-ah, who had been running around with an excited face for a while, tripped over a rock and fell.
"Eek!"
She let out a strange sound and fell flat.
I jumped in surprise and approached her, but amazingly, she had safely protected the food she was holding.
"I told you not to run."
I smiled hollowly and reached out my hand, and Wi Seol-ah grabbed it and stood up.
"What do I do... I got dust all over me..."
"You're right, Hongwa will be mad if she sees."
"...Ah...!"
At her expression as if she faced the biggest problem, I laughed out loud.
"I'll make up a good excuse for you."
"Young Master... Last time you did that and then told on me!"
"...Busted."
How did she know...? I distinctly told on her secretly.
"You're so mean..."
Even while saying she was upset, she hugged the food she was holding closer to her chest.
How is this a fox?
"Since you're upset, can I buy one more..."
"No."
Seeing Wi Seol-ah's eyes widen in shock at my firm refusal, I laughed out loud once more.
In the end, we did buy the food Wi Seol-ah wanted to buy.
Returning to the residence, I saw the last food we bought was dumplings.
It seemed she intended to give it to me.
Before dinner, we shared the dumplings together with a half-asleep Namgung Bia who had just woken up.
For reference, Wi Seol-ah got scolded by Hongwa for getting her clothes dirty.
She sent me a look asking for help, but since she was already caught, there was nothing I could do, so I pretended not to know.
The expression of betrayal Wi Seol-ah made then was cute and stayed in my memory.
Time had already flowed for seven days and nights, and the day to go to the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering had come.
It was something I had planned, and I had fixed the schedule firmly, but.
One thing happened that was different from my expectations.
Toward the carriage where several people gathered.
A boy with a height that seemed a head taller than me, with a sharp and handsome appearance, stood in front of me.
Dang Soyeol next to me was glaring at the boy for some reason, but because Dang Soyeol's features were so gentle, it didn't feel very intimidating.
In this situation, I asked him with a dumbfounded voice.
"...So you're saying."
"Yes..."
Not only me, but the boy also didn't seem to like it, as his expression wasn't good.
However, he seemed to be highly disciplined, as his body was fully tense.
"You're going with me?"
At my question, the boy flinched.
At the boy's answer, I let out a deep sigh.
In front of me right now was the genius who was the grandson of the First Elder and once pushed by the Nine Immortals Sect.
"...Please take care of me."
Gu Jeol-yeop stood with a reluctant face.