Wi Seola left.
Without leaving a single letter or a single word.
She left the Gu family with Geomjon.
'Why?'
It was such a sudden parting.
I had expected that Wi Seola would leave the Gu family someday.
But I never knew she would leave this quickly.
Let alone.
'Even Sinui.'
At the same time Geomjon took Wi Seola and left.
I had to receive the news that Sinui had also left the family estate.
I asked Hongwa about this.
She said that while everyone was asleep, Geomjon and Wi Seola disappeared without telling anyone.
Wondering if they had truly disappeared, I asked the main house.
The steward simply relayed that the two had left.
'That means Father knew in advance.'
That Geomjon and Wi Seola would leave.
Father knew about it.
'...Why didn't he tell me.'
It's a question.
Why Wi Seola didn't tell me.
Did she not know she was leaving?
Then why didn't she leave even a single letter?
What kind of situation was it...
As thoughts began to chain together.
Swish.
I felt someone grab my hand.
It was Namgung Bia, who was walking alongside me.
"...Calm down..."
Her gaze looking up at me slightly, as if worried.
Thinking about how I used to be at a lower eye level before, it was a subtle difference.
"Calm down about what. I'm fine."
I forced myself to act nonchalant.
Though my insides were churning as if hit by an earthquake, I couldn't show it.
Of course, Namgung Bia probably knew anyway, but still.
"Did you see it?"
"No."
"...?"
"Her leaving."
To my question, Namgung Bia shakes her head.
Meaning she didn't see it.
"...Right.
Why did she leave so suddenly.
Just why."
'In the first place, her staying together at the family estate was strange in itself.'
Even as I repeated this bitter thought.
The reality was indeed so.
The time Wi Seola spent with me.
Was fundamentally something that didn't fit from the beginning.
The second time I met Wi Seola in my past life.
Was when I caused a major incident and was dragged to the Ogeomdae, rolling around on the frontlines.
The Wi Seola of that time was quite different from the Wi Seola I know now.
That too was merely a brief encounter.
When I properly faced her, it was when rumors began spreading that Wi Seola was Geomjon's official successor.
In the first place, Wi Seola being with me was something strange, that's all.
Just by coincidence and accidental alignment.
With things that changed as I regressed.
It was merely a briefly altered occurrence, twisted and distorted.
Even knowing that.
Just the fact that Wi Seola disappeared makes my mind go blank.
'Just because we were together briefly. Did I think we could stay together forever.'
What a shameless thought.
I had forgotten my place.
—Young Master!
At the voice ringing in my ears, I unconsciously turned around.
Even though there was no way Wi Seola would be where I turned.
'Am I crazy?'
Is just the fact that Wi Seola left the family enough to lose my mind like this?
Or is it because I realized that Wi Seola occupied a larger place inside me than I thought?
I must be shaking to an extent that even I find strange.
Several days passed.
Right after finishing closed-door training, I took care of accumulated tasks.
I repeated my training.
The flames I kindled repeatedly filled and erased the training ground.
The internal energy stabilized through closed-door training didn't know exhaustion from mere training.
I could kindle it endlessly.
Tracing a diagonal line with my fingertips.
I burned away my emotions with the flames blooming in the air.
Sin Noya, whom I could seek for advice depending on the situation, isn't here now.
He'll probably be asleep for a while.
'Considering how the conversation with that guy went.'
It was a closed-door training where I gained a lot.
Conversely, it was also a time where my doubts deepened.
Because I had to constantly investigate why such a being was inside my body.
'So did you find out?'
I couldn't.
I couldn't figure it out, but.
I vaguely understood.
To make a comparison, it was truly an understanding as small as a fingernail.
But even that was too much.
'...I almost overflowed instead.'
If I had been even slightly more greedy in my conversation with that guy.
I might have been consumed.
Thinking about it now, that was certainly the situation.
[...Kik...kik...]
Look even now.
I could feel him smacking his lips as if regretful.
'...It would have been better if I hadn't known.'
If I hadn't properly known the danger level of that guy.
It might have been more comfortable.
At least one less thing to worry about.
[...Food...]
At the murmuring voice that seemed dissatisfied.
I gritted my teeth.
'Stay quiet. Even without rushing, you'll eat your fill soon.'
[...Grrr...]
The guy makes a groaning sound.
He'll probably listen.
Blaze.
The burning flames intertwined with the energy of demonic energy, still glowing with a purplish-crimson light.
The energy of demonic energy allows the extremely rough internal energy of the Gu family to circulate safely.
And it served to suppress the recoil characteristic of rough martial arts.
Creak.
As I controlled it, I clenched my fist.
The internal energy starting from the lower dantian filled the middle dantian.
Making the flames floating in the air deeper and increasing their size.
Quietly watching the flames.
I drew up another energy hidden within my body.
Thump.
Instantly, my body swelled as if expanding, filled with power.
The heat I was raising burst out, filling the surroundings.
On top of that.
Blaze!
The purplish-crimson flames gradually changed to blue.
I overlaid blood energy onto the flames.
As I watched the blue flames blazing before my eyes, that guy whined in my head.
[...This... no good... it's no good...]
That guy particularly hated blood energy.
To be precise, he wanted to eat it.
But he seemed to dislike the energy within my body.
'Stop whining and stay still.'
I didn't care about such reactions from that guy in the first place.
Controlling the blue flames I kindled, I swung them through the air a few times.
Whoosh.
Soon I extinguished the flames.
"Huuuu..."
It was still an energy that was overwhelming to use for long.
"If I force myself to endure, I could probably last about half a gak."
If I really tried with all my might to endure, I'd last that long.
However, that would only be possible if I didn't think about the recoil that would hit after enduring.
Sweat that didn't flow even during physical training.
Trickled down just from doing this a little.
'As expected, it's different from the amount of internal energy.'
No matter how much internal energy I have in my body.
Or how well I control it.
It felt separate from using blood energy.
"It would be right not to use it if possible."
Unless it's an especially dangerous situation, it would indeed be right not to use blood energy.
I also needed to know for what purpose the Blood Demon put this inside me.
Around the time I roughly finished training and was catching my breath.
I sensed someone's presence approaching.
"You've worked hard."
"...Ah, thank..."
I naturally reached out my hand but.
Paused for a moment.
It was awkward because the person who always handed me water when training ended had changed.
"Young Master...?"
"No, thank you."
Hongwa looked at me with subtle eyes.
I avoided her gaze and took the water to drink.
After quenching my thirst, I asked Hongwa in a subdued voice.
"Nothing came, right?"
"Yes, nothing has come. This is the fourth time you've asked today."
"And this is your fourth time answering?"
"Yes."
"I see, sorry."
I smiled awkwardly and scratched my cheek.
There's nowhere anything would come from, so asking four times would be annoying.
"It's because of Seola, isn't it...?"
"Not particularly."
Hongwa was still looking at me with strange eyes.
I deliberately ignored it and brushed past Hongwa.
I was drenched in sweat, so I needed to wash up.
As I passed by, I said to Hongwa.
"Could you prepare some food."
"...Understood."
"Right, thanks for your hard work."
I trudged out of the training ground.
Hongwa, left alone for a moment, let out a deep sigh.
"...Seola, where did you go."
The child she had kept like a younger sister suddenly leaving her side was quite a shock for Hongwa as well.
But no matter how you look at it, the one who received the biggest shock was the Young Master.
Even now, he's walking around with those unfocused eyes.
Showing such an appearance just because one servant disappeared isn't a good look as a direct blood descendant.
But thinking about the usual relationship between Wi Seola and Gu Yangcheon.
Such a reaction could be somewhat understood.
Not only did Gu Yangcheon particularly care for Wi Seola.
But anyone in the Gu family would know that he treated her more gently than others.
Even when making worries that weren't really worries.
Hongwa quickly shook her head and brushed off the thoughts.
It pained her heart too that Wi Seola, who was loved by everyone, had left.
But being consumed by such thoughts and not working was out of the question.
With quick steps, Hongwa walked in the direction Gu Yangcheon had left.
After eating.
I trudged along the forest path of the Gu family.
Naturally, Namgung Bia was beside me.
These days, Namgung Bia would also appear like this when mealtime came after training.
'Didn't Dang Soyeol say she was going to Sichuan?'
This was something I knew in advance, so I wasn't particularly surprised.
Dang Soyeol had also told me she needed to make a brief trip to Sichuan.
She herself said she'd return before closed-door training ended.
But that was impossible.
Given the distance to Sichuan, it couldn't happen in just two months.
"Come to think of it."
"...Yeah?"
"What are you going to do?"
Walking along the path where light filtered through.
I asked Namgung Bia, who was walking quietly beside me.
I had to head to the frontlines according to the family's order.
Going there wasn't a problem.
Namgung Bia was the issue. I couldn't leave her alone at the family estate.
"You could also return to the family for a while..."
"I'm going with you."
It was an unexpectedly firm voice.
"...There?"
"Yeah."
"Why would you go all the way there."
It's not a short trip.
It's not a short time either.
There was no need for Namgung Bia to go together.
Even so, if it's Namgung Bia, she would go to the frontlines someday.
Because it was a place that blood descendants of prestigious families visited at least once.
There was no need to follow me to the frontlines...
"...You're going..."
At Namgung Bia's casually spoken words, I felt momentarily stunned.
It was such a simple and straightforward statement.
But the weight of the words contained within was heavier than I expected.
"I... am not going anywhere..."
"What do you..."
"...So... you don't need to worry."
At the words she uttered while tilting her head.
I had the illusion of being hit on the head.
'I was worried?'
Namgung Bia spoke as if I had been worrying about something.
To ask what I was worried about.
There was a part of me that felt pricked.
I was afraid that even Namgung Bia might go somewhere.
That must have been what concerned me.
It was an ugly possessiveness that crept in, failing to act my age.
Did Namgung Bia catch onto this?
"...And..."
As I was swallowing the self-contempt that filled my throat.
Namgung Bia added.
"...Seola too... will return... soon."
"...How do you know that?"
"I know... why don't you?"
"What?"
"I know, so why... don't you?"
She'll obviously return.
Why don't you know?
Namgung Bia gave me a rebuke that wasn't quite a rebuke, with a voice mixed with questioning.
Additionally, it somehow seemed like she was telling me to stop making a fool of myself and come to my senses.
Then, with light steps, she went one step ahead.
"If she doesn't come. You can just go find her."
"...I did... that."
To see you, I did that.
Namgung Bia whispered to me.
Her matter-of-fact words felt like they gently filled my empty stomach.
'That's right, I just needed to go find her.'
It's truly a simple story.
If you miss someone, you just go find them.
Why was I groaning over something so difficult.
It's an incomprehensible story.
Was it hard to find where she went because she disappeared?
'I probably didn't want to look.'
Somehow feeling like I should do that.
Feeling like if Wi Seola left, I shouldn't hold her back.
I must have thought so alone and taken a step back.
This was exactly the moment when Sin Noya's pointed advice was needed.
But of all times, this old man was asleep.
At Namgung Bia's words, I let out a chuckle without realizing.
"You're right, going to find her would have been enough."
"...Yeah."
When you have a bad head and think too much, this is what happens.
There's a simple path, but I keep forgetting it.
Was it because I was grateful for the words?
The moment I unconsciously reached out to stroke Namgung Bia's hair.
"...I'm really sorry to interrupt at a time like this."
An unexpected voice interrupted.
When I checked who it was, surprisingly, it was Moyong Huia.
Why is she here...? Was it because I had too many thoughts?
Even until the moment Moyong Huia approached close, I couldn't properly sense her presence.
It seemed I wasn't the only one flustered.
She was so flustered that even Namgung Bia was glaring at Moyong Huia with sharp eyes.
"Please don't look at me like that, Geomnuhui. I actually agonized a lot about when I should join the conversation."
At Moyong Huia's words, Namgung Bia, rarely, let out a snort and turned her head.
'...Why don't these two get along?'
Namgung Bia, who got along well with Dang Soyeol and Wi Seola.
Was somehow growling at Moyong Huia.
Approaching Namgung Bia like that and slightly closing the distance.
I asked Moyong Huia.
"What business do you have?"
If it's about heat energy, I had shared heat energy with Moyong Huia a few days ago.
Hearing it shouldn't be excessive, I think we agreed to meet once every seven days.
"Ah, it's not that... When you head to the frontlines, Young Master, we have a contract, so it causes a problem."
"...Yes."
That would make sense.
The Moyong family said they would handle this matter themselves, so it was a part I didn't particularly concern myself with.
Was that the problem?
"That's why I decided to go along too."
"...What?"
"The frontlines. I think I need to go along too."
Moyong Huia said so with a bewitching smile.
Twitch.
Crack-!
I had to break out in a cold sweat at Moyong Huia's words, along with the tingling lightning energy felt from behind.