Chapter 539
While several carriages were bustling around,
I had to write down my impressions after hearing the words that the Heavenly Lord spat out.
“Where do you want to take refuge…?”
I’m pretty sure he said Guga.
Guga…?
‘… Where is there another Guga?’
I thought hard about it, but no other ideas came to mind.
If I looked, there should be something…
It was impossible not to know that the Heavenly Lord was referring to only one Guga.
“Elder.”
“Please, speak.”
“Why the hell… no, what do you mean all of a sudden?”
I barely managed to stop myself from swearing. Phew!
Great job! You’ve grown so much; if it were the old days, I would’ve just let it rip!
I struggled to choose my words and tried to maintain my composure.
“Why would you leave a perfectly fine home to come here?”
Who is the divine figure in front of me, anyway?
He was the old man who had departed from the Three Lords, leaving the Namgung Clan’s King behind, and was called the true master.
To put it bluntly, he was the only one capable of playing king in the Namgung family.
Why would he insist on entrusting his body to Guga?
Especially after…
‘… getting beaten by his own father a few days ago?’
The Heavenly Lord had been completely shattered by his father just days before.
The image of the Heavenly Lord engulfed in flames is still vividly burned in my memory.
‘Fortunately, he seems to be alright physically.’
Unlike those fiery days,
the Heavenly Lord appeared to be in pristine condition, with nary a trace of that incident remaining.
Rather…
‘Is it just me, or does he seem… clearer?’
The dark, murky feelings that usually hung around him had vanished.
He now exuded a sense of clarity and refreshment.
Should I call it revitalizing? What do I even say?
‘It feels like that sensation I get from my father or my teacher.’
Oddly separate from his presence, it was a subtle feeling I picked up for some reason.
What’s important is that it’s an energy I hadn’t felt from the Heavenly Lord before.
Seeing this changed Heavenly Lord, I glanced at the deity beside me.
Shin-ui was looking at me with a rare, somewhat troubled expression.
It even seemed like there was a bit of regret mixed in.
‘What the hell.’
Regardless, considering that Shin-ui was heading to Guga due to our agreement,
what’s up with the Heavenly Lord?
‘Is this really the year of the three calamities?’
I had met all three Overlords, people I thought I’d never encounter in my lifetime.
And now, it felt like they would all be connected to Guga somehow.
If they were anyone else, it could be seen as fortunate or even blessed…
‘…What a load of crap.’
To me, it seemed like just a case of terrible luck overlapping.
I wanted to refuse outright, but…
“I’d like to hear your reasons first.”
I had to know the reasoning behind this first.
As I thought this, my gaze drifted elsewhere.
In the direction of Namgungbia.
It was obvious what she was doing.
She was probably sleeping in my carriage right now.
“Did the old man…leave?”
“Yes. He left for Sansu first yesterday.”
“… I see. It’s too late, then.”
What’s going on?
Are you planning some kind of revenge?
I mean, after being beaten like that, it’d definitely make sense to feel wronged, but revenge…
‘I don’t think that’s going to work.’
From what I saw back then, it seemed almost impossible for the Heavenly Lord to take revenge on his father.
Maybe as a group it would work, but on an individual level… it seems like a stretch.
The silver lining is…
‘Doesn’t feel that way at all.’
The Heavenly Lord doesn’t seem to be in a revenge mood at all.
With a strange expression on my face while looking at the Heavenly Lord, he spoke to me.
“I wanted to thank you, but it seems I’m already too late.”
“Thank you?”
Hearing that made me take a slight step back.
…Seriously, after taking a beating, he wants to say thank you? Does he have a twisted sense of taste?
Never in my wildest dreams did I think the Heavenly Lord was such a perverted character.
When I made a disgusted face, the Heavenly Lord just chuckled.
“You’re quite the imaginative child. Worry not, I’m not that kind of person.”
“… Well, that’s a relief, at least….”
“I simply wanted to express my gratitude. If it weren’t for the old master, I wouldn’t have opened my eyes.”
You probably wouldn’t have been able to open your eyes at all.
It felt more like he’d been trying to make me close mine.
Setting aside the nonsense of his words, that wasn’t the main point.
“Are you saying this has something to do with your reason for heading to Guga now?”
“Isn’t that there?”
“… No, it’s not about whether it’s right or wrong… I just can’t grasp why you suddenly decided to do this. You could just go to Namgung’s house, couldn’t you? Not to mention…”
At this point, the Murim Alliance hasn’t conducted a proper investigation yet.
If it was said the Heavenly Lord was involved, the Alliance should be investigating him first.
Of course.
‘If the Heavenly Lord throws a tantrum, there’s not much I can do.’
Since he’s one of the Three, if he acts up, we can’t just mess with him.
That said, I wasn’t suggesting I’d go to Guga because I was scared.
So I had to ask.
“Is there a reason you can’t go to Namgung’s house?”
“…”
I wanted to hear the reason the Heavenly Lord wouldn’t head to Namgung’s house.
After a brief silence, the Heavenly Lord looked somewhere else.
The direction was where other members of the Namgung family were located.
“…Because I can’t go yet.”
The eyes of the Heavenly Lord, as he spoke, were shaking unusually.
“I won’t go to Namgung’s house until I correct my mistakes.”
Mistakes?
That was an uncomfortable term to hear.
‘… Did something change after burning in those flames?’
I wondered if he realized something just before his death.
While I couldn’t fully understand what he was saying, it was clear he had the will to act.
“So, to stay at our house….”
You mean you want to live off me?
I kept from saying that outright.
“Are you saying you mean to stay a while?”
“Is that not okay? I’ll take on the role of a guest. I might be an old man, but I’m still confident in my strength.”
I suppressed a laugh at the Heavenly Lord’s words.
If that’s your idea of a role, then what’s your plan?
Are you trying to play servant like the Sword Master? That’s something I’d happily decline.
‘I thought I was going to die from the burden of that.’
The Sword Master cleaning my room, chopping firewood, and helping prepare meals—talk about burdensome!
Do you have any idea how heavy that was?
‘I felt like I was going to throw up every day.’
Not to mention, I had to pretend not to know anything, which made it even harder.
So, you want to do that, Heavenly Lord?
Just picturing it made me feel exhausted.
I tried to maintain my composure in front of the Heavenly Lord and said,
“… Before anything else, are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Setting aside going back to Namgung’s house. Your party includes people from Namgung’s side. Is that okay?”
Considering I wouldn’t go to Namgung’s house,
would I be treating the people from the Namgung Clan as a separate case?
I was genuinely curious about that.
After listening to my question, the Heavenly Lord paused for a moment, then looked into my eyes and replied.
“It’s alright. That’s also something I must handle…”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
I cut off what the Heavenly Lord was saying.
It seemed like this old man was mistaken about something.
“What I’m asking isn’t about whether you’re okay. It’s whether they’ll be okay. What if they say they are not alright?”
“…!”
At my blunt statement, the Heavenly Lord’s eyes widened in surprise.
I didn’t know much about Namgung’s clan, and I didn’t plan to invest much time in it either.
But at the very least, Namgungbia was important to me.
As for his relationship with her, I had no idea, but if she were to be uncomfortable as part of the company,
‘I have no intention of accepting you, Heavenly being or not.’
Even if that led to awkward situations, I wouldn’t back down.
‘Besides, I’ve got my own backup.’
Though the Heavenly Lord had suffered at the hands of his father, he was definitely not a weak fighter.
Right now, I had enough support to deal with that.
‘…Even if that nobleman doesn’t lend a hand, wouldn’t the Dark King help?’
Basically, I could lean back on that without worry.
I felt my tension increase as I examined the Heavenly Lord’s expression.
The look on his face was unusual.
Am I being rude? I suppose I could see that.
I doubt he’s heard something like this before.
With those shallow worries in mind, I was observing him.
“I see. I’ve shown my ugly side once more.”
The Heavenly Lord’s words came out as an unexpected reaction.
He nodded as if realizing something he hadn’t understood before.
His blue eyes sparkled in a calm manner.
…What if it wasn’t the Poison King who took the wrong medicine, but this old man? The thought crossed my mind suddenly.
“Thank you, you’ve opened my eyes.”
“… No, um…”
“I almost made a huge mistake again, I’m glad to realize it now… If those kids do say they don’t want me, I won’t go.”
“…”
The small wrinkles forming in the corners of his eyes as he smiled were filled with warmth.
Is this person truly the Heavenly Lord?
What if he’s just a different person in disguise?
I even started feeling suspicious about that.
“…Uh.”
He was about to say something more but soon fell silent.
I touched my forehead gently while looking at the God.
I could glean something from looking into the God’s eyes.
It was an expression as if he was asking me for something.
“Tsk.”
I had to click my tongue softly at that.
“I get what you’re saying. However, since permission for this has to come from you and not me, I’ll send a letter to Sega first.”
This wasn’t a clear permission, after all.
Even if Namgungbia says it’s fine, and I say it’s fine,
in the end, it’s my father’s will that counts for acceptance or refusal.
Of course, I was also intending to carefully convey something like, “please, don’t accept it.”
“Thank you.”
The Heavenly Lord smiled at me, as if this alone was enough.
Why does that kind smile make me feel so heavy?
‘When I saw you in the Afterworld, you looked terrifying.’
With a scary aura surrounding him,
at that time, the Heavenly Lord didn’t hide his sharp demeanor at all.
Where did that Heavenly Lord go?
Now a kind, gentle grandfather stood in front of me.
They say that when you take enough hits, you eventually become wise. Could this be true?
I didn’t know.
After getting the essence from the Heavenly Lord, I first moved to the carriage.
Not too far away, walking while quietly murmuring.
“Elder.”
– Yes.
As soon as I called out, a voice came back.
I turned to find the source of the voice.
Among the servants energetically carrying loads, I sensed something.
It seems the author is the Dark King.
In the normal course, I wouldn’t have felt it, but if I do feel it this way, then the Dark King must be intentionally letting his presence be known.
– I have a favor to ask.
– Go ahead.
– Could you send me just one letter?
– Understood.
The Dark King accepted right away.
I was thinking of writing about the Heavenly Lord and sending it to Guga.
To do that, I knew that borrowing the power of the Dark King would be the quickest option.
– I will set off right away.
He likely means he’s going to send in an overnight assassin squad.
…The very same people that even Central Plains’ folk would tremble at just hearing their name, and now they’re being sent as messengers?
What a feeling that was—one I could hardly describe!
Trying to contain my emotions, I asked something different this time.
– And… what happened to what I asked you yesterday?
This was the reason I called him here in the first place.
A favor I requested from the Dark King.
This was in regard to asking Dang So-yeol to accept me as the Dark King’s disciple.
Regarding this, the Dark King had said that instead of accepting it right away, we must first check if it’s possible.
Just like the Poison King’s Tuapacheonmu, the Dark King’s special martial art seemed to require certain conditions too.
– I believe it will be possible.
Nodding at the Dark King’s answer, I was relieved.
Fortunately, it seems Dang So-yeol passed the Dark King’s standards.
Then,
– Just follow the conditions.
– Yes.
The conversation ended here.
The only condition I presented to the Dark King was that he would accept Dang So-yeol as his disciple, and if Dang So-yeol refused or declared her renunciation, he would accept her.
I wanted to provide just one pathway.
Whether she chooses to tread it or not, that would ultimately be up to Dang So-yeol.
I wonder if this will indeed be helpful.
Is it really the right choice to have Dang So-yeol train under the Dark King?
I wouldn’t say I’m certain.
But I believed this to be the fastest approach.
‘If you only bristle at what’s right, you won’t endure.’
The Dark King’s beliefs set my thoughts racing, but I knew there was more to consider than just that.
Creak.
I opened the carriage. The first thing that came into view was Namgungbia.
She was resting her half-asleep eyes while sprawled on Wi Seol-ah’s lap.
As Namgungbia waking up waved her hand faintly upon seeing me.
“Did you come back…?”
“So peaceful, isn’t it?”
No matter what had transpired last time, Namgungbia’s demeanor remained unchanged.
And that was slightly irritating.
It felt as if only I was concerned about the situation.
That minor annoyance prompted me to perform a sudden slap on Namgungbia.
Slap!
“…Ah…”
Namgungbia, unexpectedly struck, gave an insignificant reaction.
Was that a shout?
She even managed to make a sound before drifting back to sleep.
What even—this girl!
Wi Seol-ah, gently stroking Namgungbia’s hair, turned to me.
“Are you done?”
It felt like a complete reversal of how it used to be.
These days, Wi Seol-ah seems to act even more sisterly than before.
‘…Is it because I’ve matured?’
Perhaps it’s because my height, body, and appearance have developed much more than in the past.
It could just be the overall vibe I exude now.
“No, I have to go back out again.”
Preparations for departure aren’t complete yet.
Since Mo Yong-hee was directing things outside, I had to lend her a hand.
The reason I popped in briefly was that I had something to say to Namgungbia.
– Hey.
I called out to her through thought.
Namgungbia’s sleepy eyes fluttered open.
– Your great-grandfather has come looking for me.
“…”
At that, Namgungbia, who was nearly asleep, awkwardly sat up.
Judging by her messy hair, she must have been truly cozy.
Was it the talk about the Heavenly Lord that jolted her awake?
Namgungbia turned her gaze toward me.
– He wishes to accompany us. What should we do? Should we refuse?
“…?”
Her eyes showed disbelief.
I couldn’t blame her.
Out of nowhere, the Heavenly Lord wants to accompany us? I was struggling to understand the situation myself!
– If you don’t want him to come, I was thinking of turning him down. If you don’t want it, he won’t come either.
“…”
The relationship between Namgungbia and the Heavenly Lord might be awkward.
Reflection on my past life only added to the plausibility of that dynamic, so I decided to check first.
“It doesn’t matter…”
Namgungbia replied and laid her head back down on Wi Seol-ah’s lap again.
“… no.”
I secretly hoped she would decline, but that plan didn’t work either.
Damn it!
‘So, in the end, I suppose I have to rely on my father’s rejection?’
It seems like that’s the only option left.
Just two weeks later,
I would come to find out that even my father had betrayed my expectations.
There’s a next episode…!
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