Chapter: 911
I turned around and headed back to Shin Noya.
There was something I needed to check, but now this had become more urgent, and there was no help for it.
“Hmm?”
Shin Noya narrowed his eyes at the sight of me reappearing.
“Didn’t you run away?”
Shin Noya was cleaning up fallen disciples alongside a cat-human named Seol Yeong, who had been with him earlier.
To say “cleaning up” might sound a bit strange, but that was just how it appeared.
Well, to be precise, Shin Noya was sitting still while Seol Yeong was doing all the work.
“It wasn’t a flight; it was a tactical retreat.”
“That’s an answer without any intention of making excuses.”
Noya chuckled, seeming to find it ridiculous. The good news was, that was the only thing that happened—he didn’t hit me again.
“So, why did you come back after retreating? It seems like you had something to do.”
“…I did have something to do, indeed.”
I shot a glance at Cheonma. My failure to have dealt with the matters I was supposed to attend to stemmed from that.
“I heard something strange, so I came to check it out.”
“Hmm?”
Upon hearing my words, Shin Noya cocked his head. Observing his reaction, I dove straight into the main point.
“This guy was wandering around outside yesterday and said he saw something strange.”
Shin Noya turned to look at the Heavenly Horse.
“What’s strange?”
I answered in Cheonma’s stead.
“Someone said they were being watched and then disappeared… It’s a rather odd situation.”
“You said it disappeared after being watched?”
Shin Noya frowned. Judging by his reaction, it certainly didn’t seem normal.
“Where did you hear that?”
“They said it was outside here.”
“…Outside?”
“Yes.”
Hearing the story about the outside, Shin Noya and Seol Yeong exchanged knowing glances. They seemed to have picked up on something.
“Did you see what it looked like?”
He asked about the appearance. What that implied was:
‘There’s a rough expectation of who it might be.’
Anticipating that, I blurted out some words.
“They said he had brown hair and wore a black mask.”
“…!”
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing that, Seol Yeong’s eyes widened, and Shin Noya let out a sigh.
“Long-winded guy….”
Seol Yeong cautiously called out to Shin Noya.
“Yeah.”
After listening to her, Noya nodded and replied.
“It’s Yarang.”
‘Yarang?’
I paid attention to Noya’s words, as he seemed to know exactly what that being was.
“Noya, what is Yarang?”
In response to my question, Noya stood up and began explaining.
“She is a woman with keen eyes and ears, appearing anywhere, flashing from east to west.”
“With that description, how would I know?”
“Hmm.”
Noya brushed his beard for a moment and added more.
“There are many names for her, but the name she herself uses is Yarang, which is why I refer to her that way… To put it more clearly…”
Noya’s expression as he said that was.
“She is a being known as the Eye of the Ten Thousand Worlds.”
I felt overwhelmed with a bit of annoyance.
*
After hearing that, Noya promptly started moving somewhere with me.
It wasn’t far, and it was, in fact, the place I initially wanted to go.
The most crowded area inside.
It was the Hyeon I passed through on my way to this place called Hwasanpa.
I was actually glad to return to a place I had intended to visit anyway.
‘…Is this the place you brought me to?’
I was puzzled about why Noya had suddenly taken me here.
Nevertheless, I followed silently, instructed to do so without further comment.
After walking for approximately an hour, Noya finally halted.
“…Is this it?”
As I surveyed the place we had arrived at, I had to frown. I had wondered where we were going since he suddenly took off.
“Isn’t this a tea house?”
The first thing I noticed was a quaint tea house, wafting a fragrant aroma.
The building appeared shabby yet maintained a unique atmosphere.
Even I, who had zero aesthetic sense, thought it was a pretty cool building.
“Correct. Let’s go inside.”
“…Is it really here?”
“No.”
Noya ignored my query and stepped into the building.
I stood there momentarily dazed before following him inside.
Squeak.
As we entered, the distinctive sound of the door opening filled the air.
‘Hmm?’
An unusual sensation washed over me.
The space was filled with an antique cleanliness. The tables set and the faint scent of tea were wonderfully fragrant.
‘Why is it so spacious?’
The interior felt abnormally spacious compared to the small building seen from outside. No matter how I looked at it, there was no way such a tiny structure could contain this kind of expanse.
What was this odd feeling?
As I pondered that, I glanced at Cheonma.
She, too, seemed no different from me, curiously surveying her surroundings.
“Noya, what on earth is this place….”
What kind of place is this? I was about to ask.
“Turtle.”
Noya exclaimed with a contorted expression as he gazed into thin air.
“Something has happened, so come out now.”
“Noya, who are you talking to?”
Despite listening attentively, I felt an absence of any presence apart from the three of us.
It felt odd to refer to it as such, but Noya didn’t seem to hear my question, merely continuing to shout into the void.
“Turtle!”
His voice grew louder. When nothing happened, he added,
“I’m in a hurry, do you think this is a joke?”
Noya narrowed his eyes and extended his hand.
Swish!
At that moment, the scepter in my arm was released and grasped by Noya’s hand.
Like last time, it transformed into a sword.
‘That jerk.’
It was truly infuriating that the previous owner kept calling for me.
Neither knowing nor caring if he was aware of my frustration, Noya seized my wrist and summoned his energy.
Kugugugugugugu—!!!
“…!!”
The pressure was undeniably immense.
As soon as I felt it, my body instinctively contracted, and the energy within me began flowing out of its own accord, forcibly shielding me.
It was purely instinctual behavior.
‘This is insane….’
What level of pressure is this? I had never felt anything like it since birth.
The sensation alone felt like my body could collapse.
Is this the pressure of Shin Noya?
It felt like an unfathomable wall of strength.
“If you don’t show up by the time I count to three, I’ll turn this place into chaos.”
Noya spat that out in a sharp tone and began to exert even more force to make his point.
The plum blossoms fluttering in the wind suddenly seemed rough and fierce.
“Three….”
The energy surged.
“One.”
Just as Noya was about to swing his sword.
“I don’t understand.”
A new voice echoed nearby.
“How can you count to three and immediately become one? Haven’t you ever learned numbers?”
“You’ve shown up.”
Noya smirked at the newcomer. At the same time, his momentum abruptly dissipated.
‘Is this the turtle Noya mentioned?’
Curiosity spurred me to look, wondering why he referred to it as a turtle.
‘Oh, it is a turtle….’
I quickly realized the reason.
It was a real turtle. Or rather, more of a turtle-human hybrid.
‘Now we’ve got everything…’
With wolves, cats, and dogs popping up, I hardly knew what else to be shocked about.
“Why did you suddenly appear and start causing a scene?”
The aged man referred to as Turtle spoke in a dry voice while eyeing Noya.
“What if he doesn’t show up even when I call him politely?”
“He was already coming out when the door opened, you rascal. It’s hard enough to deal with sore knees at my age… ugh…”
The turtle pulled a chair from nearby and plopped down.
‘…What?’
Was there a chair there just now? I didn’t think so.
“Oh, my back…”
The turtle kept asking Noya, fatigue written all over his face.
“Damn it… So why did you suddenly come here?”
“I came to see you after a long time, and you haven’t even offered tea? Aren’t you a bit narrow-minded?”
“Tea is only served to guests. It’s not given to punks like you.”
“Oh….”
I found myself involuntarily impressed. It was a sentiment I couldn’t possibly contest.
Especially to hear Shin Noya being called a punk was heart-stoppingly moving.
“….”
“Ahem.”
However, I could feel Noya glaring at me as if to say I should refrain from showing my admiration, so I tried to ignore it.
“Tea is fine. I didn’t come here to drink that stuff anyway.”
“…Then what did you come here for?”
There was a feeling of urgency to make him leave, but Noya appeared resolute in his intentions.
“You know why I came, right?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Have you gotten old and deaf? I can’t hear very well recently…”
“Three—.”
“Damn… This time I’m hearing you loud and clear.”
Before the store could descend into chaos again, the turtle rushed to address Noya.
“That damn guy.”
The swearing was merely a bonus.
Hearing that, Noya chuckled and said,
“It’s time to get to work, Turtle. If you’ve rested enough, now you must move.”
At those words, the turtle’s wrinkles deepened significantly.
“Jang Moon-in, as I said back then… The period is supposed to be every three months. It hasn’t even been a month yet. Isn’t this a breach of contract?”
“That’s true. But, Turtle, you know it well, don’t you?”
Creak. Noya dug the scepter into the floor, using it like a staff.
“If there’s a problem at the end, you’re the only one who can fix it. Leaving it like this won’t end well for you either.”
‘Block?’
What does “block” mean? My mind raced with questions.
“Yarang has noticed.”
Shin Noya stated.
“Hmm.”
The turtle tilted its head slowly in response to the words.
“Now that there’s a problem, we need to move quickly before it’s too late.”
“Ugh….”
The turtle’s face displayed a hint of worry, casting an aura of being thoroughly exasperated.
“Turtle.”
“Still, it’s a breach of contract, so… there are conditions.”
Noya’s expression darkened at the turtle’s statement.
“Conditions…?”
“As Jang Moon-in said, if there’s a problem here, it’s also a loss for me… but you must know that it isn’t solely the case…”
“…”
Noya didn’t contend; his silence indicated he acknowledged the turtle’s point.
“Thus, I think I should have some conditions as well.”
“…Let me hear them first.”
“I want to sell plum tea in your shop for a year.”
‘Huh?’
I briefly paused at the stated “conditions.”
Plum tea…? All of a sudden?
‘Ah, right, this is a tea house.’
Well, since it’s a tea house, that request isn’t that odd… but is that really a condition?
That struck me as strange as I squinted my eyes.
“Kuk! Of course…! Were you aiming for that?”
Noya reacted as if he had been caught off guard. That response was even more perplexing. Why was he shocked?
“If that’s not the case, I cannot accept this.”
The turtle stated firmly. Shin Noya went through what appeared to be life’s bloodiest deliberation.
And then,
“…A year is excessive. Let’s make it three months.”
Soon they began negotiating the terms.
“What a ludicrous condition given that this is a breach. Nine months.”
“I can’t do that due to the quantity and hassle. The most I could concede is six months.”
“Hmm.”
The turtle contemplated for a moment, shaking his head side to side as if in thought.
“Six months… six months? Six months….”
After a long deliberation,
“Alright. Let’s settle on that.”
“Kuk…”
“Long Moon-in, that’s a fine deal.”
The turtle rose, seeming satisfied.
Watching this, Shin Noya clenched his fist as if acknowledging defeat.
“Damn it…”
“…”
What on earth was going on here?
I genuinely couldn’t grasp the situation and was left wearing a blank expression.
At that moment,
“Oh, right.”
The turtle halted and looked toward us.
“I nearly forgot.”
He jabbed me with the cane he was holding. Immediately after that.
“What is that monster?”
“…”
The turtle glared at me, flinging the rudest remark possible.
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