Chapter 501 - Just Hold It Once.
"Isn't it kind of hot?"
Those were the first words out of Woohyeok's mouth upon returning to the Dang Clan.
Hearing Woohyeok's words, I looked around.
'Hot?'
Certainly. I could feel a bit of heat.
With summer having arrived, it was only natural for the air to grow hot, but.
'What is it?'
Something felt a bit different.
I couldn't tell exactly what was different, but I sensed a subtle shift.
Perhaps because I had learned the fire arts, I was rather more sensitive to changes in temperature.
I wondered if I should heighten my senses and check, but I decided to let it go for now.
'It's just the temperature.'
I figured it must just be particularly hot today. That's what I thought.
Because right now, there was something more urgent than that.
[...Damn it... damn it....]
The irritated voice constantly ringing in my ears from within my robe—that was the problem.
I furrowed my brows without realizing it, having been tormented by that voice the entire way back to the Dang Clan.
[Damn it all....]
[Oh, come now, be quiet for a moment.]
Shin Noya, unable to bear it, spat out a word. Yet for some reason, Noya's voice was full of delight.
[Does this seem like the time to calm down!]
Namgung Myeong, the owner of the cold voice, roared at Shin Noya with all his might, but at the outcry, Shin Noya only laughed in response.
[Hoo.... It feels a bit strange to say this, but Myeong-ah.]
[What....]
[You look absolutely terrible. I like it.]
[You son of a bitch...!]
'Ah, please, all of you, just be quiet! It's so loud I'm going crazy, really.'
Because the old men had been fighting childishly all day long, I wanted to cover my ears, but it wasn't a sound that would diminish just by covering them.
Damn it.
I had to squeeze my eyes shut in this headache-inducing situation.
Inside my robe was the Noea. The Noea that should have originally been in Goeseon's possession.
It wasn't even with Namgung Biya.
Why on earth was this in my hands?
I simply couldn't understand this unexpected situation.
...How on earth did this happen?
Leaving behind the gentlemen who made a racket without a moment's rest, I thought back on the cause of this situation.
The reason was none other than this.
I had simply....
'Held the Noea.'
That was probably the problem.
With a rather kind(?) heart, I had simply picked up the fallen Noea to hand it back to Goeseon.
I hadn't known it would become a problem.
Seeing me pick up the Noea so casually, Goeseon asked with a shocked expression.
"...Th...that.... How can you pick that up?"
"Huh?"
I had to answer blankly.
What did he mean, how do I pick it up? I just picked it up with my hand. How else would I pick it up?
Amidst this, it wasn't just Goeseon; Namgung Myeong was also an issue.
[Th-this... what is this...!]
Perhaps having received an even greater shock than Goeseon, his reaction was no trivial matter.
I had merely grabbed the Noea. Just what was the problem?
As I was tilting my head thinking that.
[...Why. How can someone like you, who isn't of the Namgung bloodline, pick up the Noea?]
"What?"
At Namgung Myeong's following words, my eyes went wide.
You're saying that unless you're of the Namgung bloodline, you can't pick up the Noea?
"What do you mean...?"
[You should have been immediately electrocuted by the Noegi.... Why... are you unharmed?]
What was that scary talk? Saying I should have been electrocuted by the Noegi?
Only then did I recall the light that had flickered the moment I grabbed the Noea.
Could that light have been for that purpose?
Thinking so, I wanted to throw this damned stick away right that instant.
But.
"...Why didn't anything happen?"
Unlike the reactions of Namgung Myeong and Goeseon.
The Noea only flashed for a moment, and nothing in particular happened.
Rather, the feeling of it fitting snugly in my hand was even pleasant.
[Put it down this instant.]
Namgung Myeong's fearsome voice rang in my ears. I didn't know the reason, but it was a good thing the Noegi hadn't activated, so I let it go.
For now, I thought to return it to Goeseon.
Just as I was thinking that and moving toward Goeseon.
"Wait...!"
"...?"
Goeseon suddenly stretched his hand toward me and stopped me.
"You said there's no problem holding it?"
"No..."
"You said it doesn't hurt or anything. Is that right?"
Was he asking about my condition?
"Yes.... It doesn't particularly hurt or anything...."
"Good."
What was good about it?
Goeseon's expression upon hearing my answer was no trivial matter.
As if things had worked out. An expression filled with excitement.
Why was he suddenly making such an expression?
It seemed I wasn't the only one who found Goeseon's expression strange.
[Wait.... Descendant, what are you trying to do right now?]
Namgung Myeong seemed to have realized what Goeseon was trying to do. Urgency seeped into his voice.
What the hell was this situation?
While I stood blankly without understanding the situation.
[Right now! Grab that man!]
Namgung Myeong shrieked. Ah, fuck, my ears hurt.
With a naturally scrunched-up expression, I was about to look at Goeseon again.
Hwoook-!
"Huh?"
An enormous pressure was suddenly felt from Goeseon.
To what extent? It was on a level comparable to when he had briefly tried to fight me in earnest at the end.
I wondered why that man was acting like that.
Then.
"Then, I'll ask you to hold it for a few days."
"Huh?"
Goeseon suddenly said that to me and then.
[Grab that ma—!]
Pat-!
Kwaaaaah-!
Kicking up an enormous burst of wind pressure, he vanished before my eyes.
Uh...?
A crater hollowed out from the aftermath of Yeomok. Right after Goeseon disappeared from that spot.
I had to stand blankly for a moment, unable to understand the situation that had unfolded.
"What the...?"
[You bastaard!]
Namgung Myeong howled as if screaming upon seeing this.
Wondering what this situation was, I looked at Woohyeok.
As if asking for an explanation, I looked at Woohyeok, but that bastard Woohyeok was picking one nostril with a look as if he was used to this.
That smug face was picking his nose...?
As I looked at Woohyeok as if looking at a madman, Woohyeok muttered while looking at the space where Goeseon had disappeared.
"He ran off again."
At Woohyeok's words, uttered so calmly, I finally realized what had just happened.
Along with Namgung Myeong's noisy grumbling, I looked at the Noea in my hand.
And I thought.
Could this be....
"...Did I just get scammed?"
It certainly seemed that way.
******************
After the series of events, I returned to my room first.
It was the hour when the sun was just about to set; originally, I had planned to go find Paejon and mess with him under the pretext of training, but.
With things having turned out like this, that was impossible.
[Acting all high and mighty, and look at him now. Keh keh!]
[Grrr....]
[...Damn it....]
Returning to the present like this, I had to think various thoughts while looking at the Noea placed in the room.
'What should I do with this?'
It seemed Goeseon had dumped the Noea on me and left.
Should I be happy about this?
Of course, it was something to be happy about.
'It had turned out the way I wanted....'
Since I had gone to obtain the Noea, it seemed right that I should be happy now that the Noea was in my hands, but.
'This... this isn't what I wanted....'
A considerably unpleasant feeling wouldn't go away.
I hadn't been able to bring out any of the words I had prepared to say, and I hadn't known Goeseon would suddenly throw this at me and leave.
'A few days...? What does a few days mean.'
He said he'd leave it with me for a few days?
Where had he gone after shoving this into my hands?
Goeseon's actions were somewhat difficult to understand.
Judging by Woohyeok's reaction as if he was used to it, it seemed this happened often.
[That damned fellow.... Truly...!]
Looking at Namgung Myeong's reaction, it seemed this was the first time even amidst all this.
[Return me to him right now, right this instant.]
Perhaps because he was exceedingly displeased, Namgung Myeong kept repeating these words, but.
"...How am I supposed to return you? I don't even know where he is."
I had no way to catch Goeseon, who had fled with all his might.
[Find him somehow and return me!]
Namgung Myeong began to gnash his teeth and even throw a tantrum.
[Hey! How dare you shout so loudly at someone else's child!]
Shin Noya was not one to simply watch this.
Someone else's child? Anyone watching would think you were Shin Noya's grandson.
[You should be grateful someone picked up what was thrown on the ground and gave it to you!]
[What? Thrown on the ground?]
[I could tell at a glance that your child didn't like you very much. If he hates you that much, he should leave on his own. Tsk tsk, so pathetic and clingy.]
[What do you know...!]
Ah, another argument?
At the feeling that this tiresome quarrel was starting again, I felt like I would burst with anger inside.
[How could I not know? I can see exactly how the Namgung Clan is faring.]
[...Grit.]
[I understand you're struggling because you pity your descendants who have lost their way.... But as I said before, for us who are already dead, it's greed to interfere any further....]
[What do you know to speak like that?]
Namgung Myeong's voice, cutting off the words, changed.
Though he had seemed to be venting his resentment just now, his voice a moment ago had felt much more composed.
However.
The anger soaked into that composed feeling was enough to make me flinch without realizing it.
[Because the plum blossoms of Mount Hua still bloom brilliantly, you can say such things.]
[Myeong-ah.]
[How can someone who just appeared after centuries say that? You don't know anything. How I, 'we', felt during that long, long time. Can you understand that?]
[...]
At Namgung Myeong's frosty words, Shin Noya closed his mouth for a moment.
The resentment contained in that voice was suffocating even to me.
[Everyone worked hard looking toward one place. You did too, and so did we. However.]
[Myeong....]
[Your Mount Hua, which slept comfortably, is still noble, while we, who volunteered as sacrifices, are all falling into ruin. Shin Cheol, is watching that quietly your faith? And trying to stop it, greed?]
[...]
I swallowed a groan at Namgung Myeong's words.
Because thinking about it, he wasn't wrong.
The Namgung Clan of Namgung Myeong's time was gradually weakening, having forgotten the essence of martial arts.
The Dang Clan of Dang Je-mun had rotted so badly that she had personally requested it be cleared away.
Was the Shaolin of Hwangabullyeong any different? I didn't think so.
The Yeon Clan of Yeonilcheon had already fallen and was recorded only in history.
Then what of Mount Hua?
Even right before the Heavenly Demon and I annihilated it in my previous life, it had been a steadfast prestigious sect protecting Shanxi.
The plum blossoms that bloomed from their swords were still beautiful.
Was that why Shin Noya couldn't say much more, knowing that?
[Having slept and woken with your original faith, do you intend to curse me now? If so, why didn't you appear a little sooner?]
Sharp words mixed with sarcasm.
Namgung Myeong's anger could be felt seeping through them.
[...So, so that's why you said you would not meet me.]
[I have forgotten. I do not remember what I endured to make it this far. What I wish to do now is solely to correct the Namgung Clan's twisted sword.]
The matter of the Blood Demon Great War, which could not be properly finished and was pushed into the future.
The traces left behind to help with that, and their faiths.
Namgung Myeong was claiming to have already forgotten all of this.
Hearing those words, I thought.
Did I dare see him as selfish? I did not.
Saying he would not make a sacrifice that could not be rewarded. Saying he would repair his own broken household now with his own hands—how could I curse such a thing?
Because if it were me, I wouldn't have even made the sacrifice in the first place.
However.
'What about Noya?'
I thought Noya's position could be different.
The Shin Noya I had seen until now—if you put aside his fucking crazy personality—was indeed someone who could be called a hero.
As I was waiting for Noya's words with a worried feeling.
[...I see.]
Finally, Noya spoke.
Did that mean he approved of Namgung Myeong's will?
Expecting so, I waited for Noya to continue, but.
[As expected, you are not Myeong-i.]
[...!]
'...What.'
Shin Noya had brought out sudden words. It was something he had said before.
What did this mean?
Just as I was about to ask Noya with a bewildered expression.
Knock knock.
Suddenly, a presence was felt outside the door.
Had I been so focused on the conversation that I hadn't noticed someone approaching?
I looked toward the door with narrowed eyes.
"Who is it?"
'...'
I called out, but there was no answer. Surely there was someone outside, though.
'What?'
Judging by the lack of answer, could it be Nahi?
I had called for Nahi because I had something to ask her today.
If it were her, there was no way she wouldn't answer when I asked.
Then who could it be? I got up for now.
A shadow was visible outside. It was considerably large to be Nahi.
Then, could it be Dang Deok?
Slide.
I opened the door with doubts.
"...Huh...?"
Seeing the figure standing outside the door, I froze stiff on the spot.
A massive frame in a red martial uniform inlaid with golden patterns.
Dust scattered here and there and somewhat disheveled black hair, as if he had come from somewhere in a hurry.
And even fearsome red eyes. An appearance I could absolutely never mistake.
Looking at his quiet eyes looking down at me, I inadvertently spat out words.
"My lord...?"
"..."
That's right.
The one standing in front of the door was.
Surprisingly, it was my father.