Chapter: 883
“…What?”
I asked, forcing my stiff body to relax. Did I mishear? It certainly felt like it, but this time it was different.
“…What, what?”
“…”
Despite my repeated questions, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t say anything else.
She just kept staring at me.
Those blue eyes, reminiscent of a sea, were always beautiful to behold.
In the beginning, I couldn’t bear to meet those eyes, constantly turning my head away. Now, I could barely handle the gaze.
However, I couldn’t help feeling my eyes tremble in embarrassment.
After shaking nervously for a while, I ever-so-slightly moved my throat.
Gulp.
My throat produced a swallow.
“…You… Where did you learn that… No, do you even know what I’m talking about in the first place?”
She seemed utterly clueless, so yes, she probably acted without understanding what it meant.
I thought this as I pressed on with my questioning.
“…Making a… child.”
“…”
“…I know….”
Oh my heavens. My head spun in an instant.
When did she learn this? When on earth…?
“…I’m older than you.”
Namgung Bi-ah pointed out that she didn’t like my reaction.
Right. Namgung Bi-ah is older.
That much is true, but… should I consider this the same? I found myself deep in thought.
“…Could you explain that… in detail?”
I gestured dismissively at her response.
“…No, don’t. Please don’t.”
I wasn’t even sure what she meant by a detailed explanation, but I definitely didn’t want to hear it from her.
Where on earth did you learn that?
What kind of knowledge had she acquired over the years?
I was curious about who had told her, but right now, that wasn’t the issue.
“…that….”
“…”
“…uh….”
What should I say? I knew I had to say something, but my stupid mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
Everything turned white. What should I say? What to say?
After a while of stuttering, I finally managed to spit something out.
“…Is… it okay?”
You crazy kid.
Was the ridiculous statement I just made okay? What kind of “okay” are we talking about here?
I wanted to smash my own mouth right there.
In the midst of this, Namgung Bi-ah nodded at my question.
“…It’s okay.”
“…It’s okay?”
“Yup.”
Her eyes looking at me were as clear as ever.
“…I was always okay…”
“…”
“…You weren’t….”
I was struck speechless. I couldn’t find words. Because she was right.
Yeah, I was the one who wasn’t prepared.
I knew that. But even so, it didn’t feel right.
“Just saying that so casually…”
It felt odd to say it so lightly, and I tried to say something but ended up shutting my mouth again.
I only got a glimpse of Namgung Bi-ah’s expression a moment too late.
I studied her face, which always seemed so serene. As usual, her fair skin appeared slightly flushed. When I focused, I could see her pupils shaking.
Especially her ears, peeking out from her hair, looked as though they might burst from how red they had turned.
“…”
I see.
So it’s not like she’s indifferent.
Namgung Bi-ah was also holding back her embarrassment when she spoke. Realizing that made everything feel heavy.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud… thud… thud thud…
My heart began pounding like crazy, speeding up with every beat.
A pink drop of something fell into my mind, which had gone completely blank.
Instantly, the white haze was swallowed, and suddenly everything seemed tinted pink.
My thoughts became hazy.
What was happening? What was I planning to do? Why was this conversation even happening?
What on earth was I trying to say to Namgung Bi-ah?
I couldn’t remember anything. All I could see was Namgung Bi-ah’s slightly flushed cheeks and her blue eyes looking straight back at me.
What should I respond with?
No, why was I even worrying about this?
It was the same back then and it was the same now.
Why was I philosophizing this?
Maybe it didn’t even need to be a point of concern.
What was the reason I was worried in the first place? I couldn’t even recall that.
I simply.
I just moved my hand.
It was to stroke Namgung Bi-ah’s cheek. What happens next? I didn’t know that either.
For now, I was simply moving as my instincts directed. Just when my hand was about to make contact with her cheek.
“…What are you doing?”
“…!”
I snapped back to reality at the unexpected voice. I turned my head.
Wi Seol-ah was glaring at me with narrowed eyes.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Huh? No… uh…”
I was so entranced that I hadn’t even noticed Wi Seol-ah approaching. As a result, I felt the heat rush to my face.
What was I trying to do now?
What on earth had I intended just now? The heat from my body crept into my ears.
I didn’t know for sure, but I felt like my ears were as red as Namgung Bi-ah’s.
The problem was, this was not the time for all this.
I need to explain first.
I should clarify the situation to Wi Seol-ah. I tried to prepare to say something.
“That is….”
“I asked you!”
“Huh?”
Wi Seol-ah wasn’t looking directly at me.
“Sister.”
She glared at Namgung Bi-ah while saying this, who was busy avoiding her gaze.
Seol-ah frowned at Namgung Bi-ah. It seemed she didn’t approve of her at all.
“It’s different from what we promised.”
What promise?
“We all agreed to deal with this together, so what do you think you’re doing?”
Endure?
Things were flowing in a rather peculiar direction.
“…Wait a minute, what do you mean by that?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“No, what are you talking about…?”
“Your Majesty, stay quiet!”
“…Uh, okay.”
I obediently closed my mouth. How long had it been since Wi Seol-ah had shouted at me like that?
It was an exceedingly rare occurrence.
This also indicated how furious Wi Seol-ah was at that moment.
“…Sister.”
“…I’m sorry….”
“Sister Soyeol told me she didn’t like this situation and didn’t want to die. Using that information is just too much…”
“…”
Namgung Bi-ah looked as if she was left speechless even if she had ten mouths to speak.
What did Dang Soyeol tell you…?
My confusion only deepened. What was happening right now?
“And, at the very least… if you were going to surprise attack, it would make more sense to do it when Moyong Soja is around.”
“…Uh….”
Namgung Bi-ah was becoming more and more wrinkled with stress. Had Wi Seol-ah ever pressured Namgung Bi-ah this hard before?
At least, I didn’t remember it.
“Kids…? Calm down for a moment… and help me understand what’s going on…”
“…Your Majesty, could you please step outside for a moment?”
“…What?”
“Please, we have some private matters to discuss.”
Is this a curfew? Are you telling me to leave during all of this?
Wi Seol-ah appeared genuinely earnest. What could possibly be this serious?
I glanced over at Namgung Bi-ah in confusion. She slightly averted her eyes.
What was up with that? She looked guilty, like a criminal. What on earth was going on…?
I was intensely curious about both what had occurred just before and the current situation.
“Um…”
Since it didn’t seem like asking any questions would yield any results in the current atmosphere, I got up, albeit hesitantly.
For now, I stepped outside.
As soon as I exited, a familiar face caught my eye.
“Huh? You’re coming out now?”
Dang Soyeol greeted me with a bright smile. It looked like she was about to head in as well.
“…They told me to leave.”
“Huh? Who told you? Your sister?”
“No….”
“Then Seol-ah?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my, why did she say that?”
“What I mean is….”
I really was quite curious as well. My mind was still racing after what had happened with Namgung Bi-ah.
When I placed my hand on my chest, my heart was still pounding rapidly.
…If only Wi Seol-ah hadn’t shown up…
What in the world had transpired?
“…”
I felt the heat still coursing through me as I ran a hand through my hair.
It was a dangerous situation. A truly perilous one.
I nearly got swept away in it as it was!
I surely wouldn’t have been able to hold back. I thought I had been managing my urges thus far, but that wasn’t the case.
Wait, it’s not me holding back…
Were the kids the ones holding it back?
I was completely losing my mind because Namgung Bi-ah was essentially trying to lure me in.
Was that really what the temptation was all about? You have to experience true temptation to know what it is.
No, to be precise, I had indeed been thoroughly tempted. Just that.
I simply executed all those who tried to trap me in their schemes.
That was how it had been in my previous life. Either a spy sent by some sect or a lunatic from among the demons.
Those who came at me with their lovely schemes, I dealt with them without mercy.
As a result, there were even some ridiculous rumors that the Black Flame Emperor was actually an aficionado of men.
I wanted to hunt down the bastard who started that rumor and kill him.
Ultimately, I never found him. If there was a regret, then that was it.
What was more troubling was the loose talk circulating around.
The one spreading the rumor? Oh, that was none other than Shingeom’s nonsense!
It wasn’t even remotely funny; it was downright ludicrous.
Why would Shingeom do something like that? There was some credibility to it, sure, but I didn’t believe it at all.
That’s how it was for the “Divine Sword.”
Even if it felt crappy, the circulation of that rumor prevented those beautiful temptresses from approaching me.
I appreciated that I didn’t have to waste my time hunting down people for no reason.
Of course, back when it was at its peak, Cheonma inquired about it.
Did he ask me whether it was real?
He spoke with a slight grin, and anyone could tell he was just messing with me.
Ultimately, it meant it was a damned lie.
Anyway…
I had a fair degree of immunity to such filthy temptations, but this kind of temptation was slightly beyond my threshold.
Even though it was said to be the same temptation, it was slightly different.
So that’s why I couldn’t settle down.
“What happened?”
“That is…”
Just as I was about to explain the recent situation to Dang Soyeol.
I suddenly remembered Wi Seol-ah’s words.
“The kids said. What is it that you taught them?”
“Huh? What?”
“I heard you said you didn’t like the situation?”
“Situation…? Ah! Ah, is that it?”
Dang Soyeol clapped her hands in realization at my words.
“I gave them some sex education because they were so clueless. Is that what it is?”
“…What did you teach them?”
“It’s sex education.”
“…”
Upon hearing that, the discomfort in my head completely dissipated.
So that’s why I wondered who had taught them…
The culprit was you.
I tried my best to ignore my throbbing head.
“How did this happen? How did we end up here?”
“Rather than just saying it happened…. It’s because you two were too ignorant. Even if you just swung your swords around, at your age, that’s quite excessive.”
“…”
That was so right; I had no words left to argue.
It certainly was true. Considering their ages, I should have known better a long time ago.
If they weren’t in the martial world, it wouldn’t have been odd for them to already have a few children by now.
But then…
“Then what did you mean when you said you taught them because you didn’t want to fight with them?”
Wi Seol-ah had said it outright.
That it’s because she didn’t want it to be a fatal encounter.
Hearing this, Dang Soyeol’s eyes widened a little. It seemed she did not expect me to bring that up.
And then, appearing somewhat sheepish, she scratched her cheek.
“…No, it’s just… well… .”
Dang Soyeol fumbled, torn between wanting to say something or not, but finally let out a sigh and spoke.
“It’s a bit too deadly…”
“Deadly?”
“I just didn’t want to fight someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. It would hurt my pride.”
“Fighting? What are we fighting about?”
“We need to see who will pounce on Confucius first. It’d be too disadvantageous without information, right? So I informed you.”
“Oh, I see. So that’s how we’ll fight… But wait, what are we actually talking about?”
I tried grasping the context, but my expression soured instead.
Pounce?
“Hehe.”
“Don’t laugh it off. Answer me seriously. What do you mean by pouncing on each other?”
“No, but honestly… This falls mostly on you, Confucius.”
“Why is it suddenly my fault…?”
Hearing that, Dang Soyeol seemed to frown and replied.
“Since you never made a move despite obviously reacting. Not even attempting to take the initiative. If we just stood around, it seemed like we’d have to wait forever. So there’s only one way to go about it.”
Dang Soyeol tucked her hair behind her ear as she added.
“So we have to strike first.”
“…”
That was an incredibly audacious statement.
“So, we agreed among ourselves.”
Agreed?
I raised my hand immediately upon hearing that.
“…I’m finding it hard to keep up with the situation right now. You don’t mean an actual agreement?”
“That’s exactly it. We agreed on who gets to pounce on Confucius first, or who ends up getting pounced.”
“…Have you all lost your minds?”
“That’s partially correct. And if we’re insane, it’s because Confucius drove us to this point.”
Her shamelessness left me speechless. The only adequate response I could muster was standing there with my jaw hanging open.
“Anyway, we made a pact among ourselves. The victor in this duel will claim priority.”
“…Why… Why are you making those decisions without my consent?”
“Don’t like it? If you don’t like it, just say so.”
“No, it’s not about liking or disliking…”
“Confucius won’t dislike it.”
“…I haven’t even concluded my answer yet.”
“But that’s the way it is. You wouldn’t let anyone go.”
“…”
She struck right at the heart of the issue. There was a conviction in Dang Soyeol’s eyes that left me unable to deny anything.
“We all know that Confucius cannot choose just one and needs to encompass them all.”
“Do I seem that unprincipled?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but you definitely have a strong desire for possession.”
“…There’s not even a hint of hesitation in your answer?”
“I understand there are things you can’t say out loud, Confucius. I can see that you’re holding back due to certain concerns. But here’s the thing…”
Dang Soyeol gazed intently at me. Her amber eyes seemed to curl like crescent moons.
“But we won’t just sit idly by. From now on, you’re the one who has to hold back. We’re getting tired of holding back, so we’ve decided to stop.”
“You…”
“Oh, don’t worry. But if we’re going to do something, the three of us agreed to head back first and execute it. Otherwise, the one left out will be in a sad state.”
The one left out. There was no need to ask who that was.
Oh, so…
So that’s why Wi Seol-ah…?
Was this their true reason for chastising me, saying, “We all agreed to endure it together, so what are you doing?”
Realizing this made me go completely quiet, unable to process my thoughts.
I had no fundamental reaction to this.
Just then.
“So, in summary…”
Dang Soyeol poked my chest with her finger and then slipped past me.
As she brushed by, I caught a whiff of her signature woody fragrance.
“As soon as you get back, prepare your mind. We mean it.”
“…”
“Just putting that out there.”
Dang Soyeol proceeded into the infirmary.
I found myself standing on the same spot for an extended period.
Prepare my mind, huh…
“…”
In that case, could I truly handle what was to come? Contemplating this led me to sigh again.
I can’t even handle this!
I finally acknowledged it while running my hand through my hair.
Now, I could definitely say that I had hit my limit.
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