Chapter 476
Thud thud.
Amidst the struggling of Elder Shin felt beyond the curtain, I stubbornly faced the temple door, making every effort to ignore the old man.
My mind was racing as I recalled the words I had just heard.
‘So, that’s what the party leader said.’
According to Elder Shin’s story, it seemed that the daughter of the Moyong Clan had some sort of connection with the Noechon Ilgeom.
But in the reaction of the party leader just now, there appeared to be something else going on for some reason.
Ah, of course.
‘I’m not really that curious.’
To be honest, I was a little curious, but judging by the expression on Dangjemun’s face, it didn’t seem like the right moment to ask comfortably.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I mentioned the Moyong Clan moments ago.
For now, it would be best to just pretend that I didn’t know and get to the main point.
“Senior.”
As I cautiously called out to her, her lime-green eyes turned toward me.
Even though there was still a murderous aura lingering, causing me to feel a bit intimidated inside, I needed to ask.
Calming my trembling gaze, I posed the question to her, “Why did you send me there?”
Upon hearing my question, the head of Dangjemun moved slightly. Her green hair swayed along with it.
What kind of answer would I hear?
While I waited in silent anticipation, wearing a serious expression, she spoke up.
“How was it?”
“Um?”
“What was it like over there, Houin?”
“What are you talking about right now…?”
Suddenly asking what it was like over there?
I looked at Dangjemun, filled with questions.
Then, she suddenly lowered her body and sat down on the floor.
‘Huh?’
I had to widen my eyes at that sight.
As soon as Dangjemun took a seat, a table like the one before appeared in front of her.
There, two teacups materialized on top of it.
‘…Didn’t she just break them all?’
I thought she sent them flying just a moment ago, so why were new ones now cropping up out of nowhere?
What in the world is this place?
Though a swarm of questions filled my mind.
“…”
First things first, I cautiously sat down in front of Dangjemun.
I knew she was expecting that from me.
Slurp slurp—
The tea flowed into the teacup through her delicate hand.
As I quietly watched the water rise, Dangjemun’s voice reached my ears.
“What did you see? Or did you change something?”
The words of the party leader made me involuntarily frown.
It couldn’t be helped.
“…I didn’t do anything. Nothing at all.”
In the place I was sent for a test, all I did was stand around.
What did I even see and do?
‘All I saw was…’
Only the shameful history of my past life remained.
What should I have experienced in this trial?
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t make sense of it.
With that sentiment in mind, I asked Dangjemun, “You referred to this as a test of regret.”
“Yup.”
“You also mentioned that nothing would change no matter what I did.”
“That’s right.”
“I was dragged back here without being able to do anything from the start. What on earth is this test for?”
I couldn’t figure out anything.
What did I do there, and what did I gain from it?
What on earth was it that satisfied you to bring me back here?
“I didn’t do anything.”
Face-to-face with the life I regretted so much from my past life…
Could that have been the content of the exam?
Or perhaps…
Did you want to show me that no matter how much I struggled, nothing would change?
Whatever it was…
It left me feeling deeply uncomfortable about what I saw.
‘What is this?’
What should I have felt?
If it was a test, then I would assume it had to do with feeling something and resolving it to be brought back here.
I truly did nothing.
My heart in frustration led me to ask Dangjemun.
“…What was I supposed to do?”
“Huin.”
“Yeah.”
“I told you from the beginning: this test is neither a success nor a failure.”
Yes, that’s definitely what you said.
Just before starting the test of regret, she clearly stated it to me.
“The test you are going to take has no success or failure.”
“At the end of the test, the thoughts you will have—whatever they may be—are irrelevant.”
There’s no success or failure.
Could it be that I regarded her words too simplistically?
No, even so…
“…I still don’t know what this test signifies.”
I never would have imagined that I’d wind up in such a situation.
“What was I supposed to do over there…?”
I came face-to-face with my past life.
I met the woman who died for me, and I encountered the woman who killed me.
I also confronted a woman who was regarded as a calamity in the world.
It’s not like those stories were without any returns.
When I met the Blood Demon, I had learned of countless worlds and the reason for their existence.
I reconstructed my vessel, losing my humanity yet gaining strength.
Moreover,
‘Demon Sword Master.’
Namgung Bi-ah, or rather, I experienced a time when she was truly a part of every life I lived.
But then…
‘So what?’
Even after all that, I still find myself clueless.
What was I supposed to witness when sent to such a world?
Surely it wasn’t for this kind of realization.
After I expressed my feelings, Dangjemun quietly sipped her tea.
Her gentle movement was so soft that it barely made a sound.
When that gentle act passed, Dangjemun looked at me once again and spoke up.
“Huin.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t know where Huin ended up or what he saw there.”
“…What?”
My eyes widened at her words.
You don’t know anything?
“So, what was the purpose of this test?”
Why did I venture that way?
Initially, it was for the Dokcheondan, but now I felt completely overwhelmed by an incomprehensible anxiety.
“…I am….”
“This test is called Regret and Folly.”
“…“
This is what I heard when she explained the test to me.
“Furthermore, it’s a test meant to confront your regrets and follies.”
“I don’t comprehend.”
My regrets and follies?
Does this refer to my regret or longing for the Divine Sword?
Or perhaps it’s about regret or longing for the Demon Sword Master?
Initially, I pondered the Demon Sword Master’s death and thought it might be linked to that.
But…
‘It meant nothing.’
It didn’t even touch upon the theme of the Demon Sword Master’s demise.
Instead, everything concluded with the sudden appearance of Cheonma.
Why did Cheonma appear there?
I couldn’t even fathom that either.
Were the footsteps of the three divine beings heard in the four thousand lands?
Did he physically descend because he sensed that?
From the territory of the Heavenly Horse in Xinjiang to the Sichuan province?
How he even sensed it or traversed that distance in one swift motion is of no consequence.
The notion that anything is possible with ‘Cheonma’ had ingrained deeply within me.
In truth, Cheonma was such a being.
When such a being emerged, it forcibly brought an end to the test.
“I have no regrets or longings. I didn’t genuinely confront anything.”
I simply couldn’t grasp the situation I found myself in.
“I….”
“No.”
As I was about to utter more, Dangjemun cut me off with a commanding tone.
“Huin, you’ve completed this test.”
“…What on earth did I complete?”
It felt utterly stifling, almost as if I was about to burst.
“I truly didn’t…”
“Isn’t it better that if you didn’t go through anything, you should be grateful it’s all over?”
“…!”
At her words, it felt as if my mouth had been sewn shut.
“If you didn’t experience anything, and the test concluded without incident, then it’s rather lucky, isn’t it?”
“That’s…”
“But why, Houin, are you so troubled and distressed?”
As I listened, I clenched my fist without thinking.
Her words held a degree of truth, after all.
‘…Why?’
This world doesn’t concern me.
In fact, it may be a world that’s already vanished.
If I had accrued insight and ended the test coincidentally—rather than through destiny—there shouldn’t be anything wrong.
So why…
‘Why am I so upset?’
Is it because I couldn’t share a word with the Divine Sword? Or is it because I have lingering feelings for the Demon Sword Master?
Or…
Is it resentment for still having done nothing when facing the Celestial Demon?
And if it isn’t any of those…
‘Is it that I didn’t get to strike that idiot?’
Could it be anger over not being able to unleash my fury on my past self?
I have no idea.
I don’t know, but I surely felt anger boiling within me.
As uncertainty swirled through me like a fog, Dangjemun spoke up.
“The regrets you faced…”
She looked at me and declared, “It’s about the things you should have grasped or the memories you had failed to keep.”
“What do you mean by that?”
That’s absolute nonsense.
I barely managed to refrain from saying it out loud.
Even as rage welled up inside of me, I figured I shouldn’t cross that line.
But even though I hadn’t spoken a word, it seemed Dangjemun had caught wind of my unvoiced complaints.
“You didn’t want to make the same choice I made.”
“…Senior, if you’re going to explain, could you be more straightforward…”
“The essence of you already experienced, and you’re feeling it now. That’s not rage.”
“This isn’t rage? Then what the hell is it?”
“A sorrow so profound it almost feels like anger.”
“Does this look like I’m sad right now?”
“If not, then why are you crying?”
“…?”
I scowled at the implication in her words.
Crying? I wasn’t crying.
I raised my hand to check my cheek, but as expected, no tears of any sort were flowing. What exactly led her to believe I was crying?
Looking down at the bewildered expression I wore, I caught a glimpse of the unbothered Dangjemun, who continued her explanation.
“You see, forgetfulness.”
Forgetfulness.
That familiar yet tricky concept grazed my heart.
For some reason, it felt profoundly resonant.
“It sometimes offers comfort, yet it always leaves some traces on those who remain.”
“Why on earth are you talking about something like this all of a sudden?”
“I thought I had erased everything, but sadly, I couldn’t wipe the slate clean.”
Why?
I wanted to shout at her instantly.
Speak plainly, would you?
“This test signifies your regrets and remembrances as well.”
But I refrained.
Something was stopping me from expressing myself.
“It’s also a record for the forgotten.”
“The forgotten?”
“What did you forget, Houin? What did you confront there?”
“…”
I found myself unable to answer her questions.
The reason was quite simple: I didn’t know what I’d forgotten.
I understood the life of the Divine Sword.
I recalled the demise of the Demon Sword Master.
I hadn’t forgotten those who perished for me.
So what in the world had I forgotten?
“Even if you don’t recall, that’s alright. As I mentioned before, there’s no success or failure in this test.”
“…What you’re saying comes off as a mere game of semantics.”
While my words may have been somewhat intense, her response to my frustration was merely a light nod.
I gulped down some tea because I felt cramped.
At that moment…
Whoooosh…
“…!”
The tea flowed down my throat and vibrated throughout my body.
I sprang to my feet, feeling that strange vibration running through me.
“What the hell are you up to now?”
I looked at her, panic rising in my eyes, as it was clear that Dangjemun had done something.
Is it poison? It didn’t seem like poison, but something unusual was indeed afoot, so I couldn’t help but be wary.
“I didn’t want them to be forgotten.”
She gazed up at me with a wistful look and confessed, “Originally, I hoped Shincheol would experience this, but I’m grateful you did.”
“Are you saying that you did something to me just now?”
“I’m sorry.”
What on earth did she do? I couldn’t figure it out.
Boiling with frustration over my ignorance, I noticed Dangjemun’s eyes glimmer with a bittersweet smile.
“She wishes to be forgotten, yet isn’t that far too sad?”
“What have you done to me this time? Why is everyone so intent on capturing me?”
At this point, the formalities had all but completely crumbled. There was no way respect could be maintained in such a situation.
Why, oh why, do these damned remnants of the past keep dragging me along for something?
Life is already miserable enough!
“What you ingested is a fragment of forgetfulness.”
“…A fragment of forgetfulness?”
“It was initially meant to be something Shincheol should’ve swallowed. Yet, this too must be destiny.”
Dangjemun shot her hand up into the air.
Boom!
With her gesture, the blank white space around us began to slowly disintegrate.
“If it were you, I believe you would be different from us.”
As I heard that, I could sense something was about to happen.
“You’re just gonna blabber about your own stuff and vanish…!”
These people are always like this, making my skin crawl, honestly.
Pouring forth all my emotions, I attempted to reach for Dangjemun.
Clap!
With a light snap of her fingers,
“…!”
I found myself transported to an entirely different space, not the familiar clear expanse.
“What the hell….”
Should I consider myself fortunate?
The unusual place I suddenly found myself in was somewhere I knew well.
I couldn’t possibly forget.
It was the under-lake space where I first met Dangjemun.
The very spot where the Dokcheondan and the Baekma Seok lay piled.
That’s precisely where I was.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.