Chapter: 940
After meeting Cheonma, I strolled down the street.
We didn’t exactly discuss walking; it just kind of happened.
It was more like I was walking, and Cheonma was following me.
The conversation still hadn’t started.
I still wasn’t at a point where I could talk to Cheonma.
What kind of conversation could I possibly have with her in the first place?
If I tried, I’d probably just end up venting my resentment or cursing.
The fact that I wasn’t even doing that showed that I was exercising patience.
At least, that’s what I thought.
And it had to be that way.
I walked for a long time.
The distance wasn’t particularly long, but it took a while.
This was because I was maintaining short strides while looking around.
As always, the streets here reminded me so much of the Volcano Sect.
‘It really feels like it was just brought over!’
It was probably not just my imagination; it truly felt that way.
It seemed quiet yet vibrant.
The street was now filled with voices, including people’s laughter.
Every time I saw it, I thought to myself,
‘How much did I miss this?’
How much did Shin Noya long for this street and scenery?
How much did she yearn for it to recreate this street herself?
These thoughts occasionally fluttered into my mind.
I couldn’t quite find the words to describe it; something like “miserable” didn’t even come close.
I was just a little annoyed.
Was that annoyance directed at myself?
Or maybe I was just annoying to someone else.
If I had to be honest, I guess I was probably just annoyed at myself.
“…”
The very fact that Shin Noya found herself in this situation was probably largely my fault.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue and examined the distance more closely.
Today, I had to check on something I couldn’t do last time.
‘I think it was around here somewhere.’
When I was wandering last time, I was definitely in this area.
The Volcano Sect wasn’t that huge, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Yet strangely, it was hard to spot.
“Mmm.”
I squinted and turned around.
“Hey. You…”
Just as I was about to ask Cheonma something, I found myself frowning at her.
“…What is that?”
“Hmm?”
In response to my question, Cheonma looked at what she was holding in her hand. It was a skewer.
After staring at it quietly, Cheonma then offered me the end of the skewer.
“Want it?”
“…”
Did she think I’d asked for it?
I was so baffled that I couldn’t even speak.
‘When on earth did you grab that?’
I clearly just saw her bare-handed. It seemed she had taken a skewer while I wasn’t looking.
“…Hey.”
“Hmm.”
“Did you pay for that?”
When I asked if she had actually paid, Cheonma tilted her head.
“Money?”
“…”
Based on her reaction, it was clear she hadn’t paid. My head throbbed.
“I just told you to take it.”
“…Yeah, you probably did say that.”
It was somewhat known that Cheonma and I were brought here by Shin Noya.
From what I could tell, Shin Noya’s standing here was definitely not small.
Probably, that’s why they simply handed out food like this.
“Give that to me right now.”
I didn’t want to be treated that way.
I pulled out some money from my pocket and handed it to Cheonma.
By the way, I had snatched that money from Gubong.
Honestly, if it was Shanxi, I would’ve just taken it without a second thought, but this was Shin Noya’s territory.
I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Cheonma took the money I gave her, nodded without a word, and dashed off.
Watching her, I soon saw her approaching a street vendor.
It seemed she was going to buy something there.
“…Hah.”
As I quietly observed, a sigh escaped me.
The reason was simple.
‘…Is that really Cheonma?’
I wondered if that fool really was Cheonma. The thought crossed my mind.
Looking at her face, it was definitely Cheonma.
The body was also unmistakably Cheonma.
But what was with that behavior?
‘Seriously… This is just weird.’
There was no hint of dignity; her voice and actions lacked depth altogether.
I felt like I was looking at Wi Seol-ah when she was younger, but was that really the Cheonma I remembered?
The more I looked, the less I understood.
‘When did she change?’
At first, I thought it was normal, assuming she was just new to this world.
Perhaps she would revert to the Cheonma I knew after going through something.
That’s what I once thought.
‘But only a couple of years remain for that to happen.’
At most, two years.
In that time frame, it would become time for the original Cheonma to appear.
But…
‘If she’s still like this even now…’
Would the Cheonma I knew really emerge as time passes?
That was something I wasn’t sure about.
‘Unless it’s a good thing.’
If the answer was no, that would actually be a relief for me.
After all, I was already troubled enough with the Blood Demon issue, and didn’t I think Cheonma was the biggest headache collapsing on her own?
If I thought of it that way, it would definitely be a good thing.
‘But if she’s collapsed, why?’
If the Cheonma of my previous life was different from the one in this life…
What could be the reason? The answer was simple upon reflection.
‘It must be because of me!’
What else could it be? Most of the strange occurrences were likely caused by my actions.
‘So where did the problem begin?’
There seemed to be countless possible problems, yet pinpointing the cause wasn’t easy among them.
I’ve made too many mistakes.
“…”
Because of this, I shook my head, reflecting on what to say.
‘Thinking about it now won’t yield many answers.’
Even knowing wouldn’t mean I could revert her to the Cheonma I once knew…
“…Hmm?”
I suddenly widened my eyes, lost in thought.
“What was that?”
What exactly was I just thinking?
“What can I even turn back?”
Am I out of my mind?
If there’s no Cheonma, that’s a good thing; why would I think about reverting?
“This is absurd!”
Did I get hit on the head by Noya last time? What was I even thinking?
It was something that could only happen if I had lost my mind.
“…Is it because I’m seriously caught up with something about regression?”
That could indeed be the case. No, I believed it was.
The turtle’s words struck a chord with me; I was curious about what Cheonma wanted from me and why she caused me to regress.
That’s probably why I had that ridiculous thought.
If not, it would be nonsensical.
Why would I care about the Cheonma of that time when I had no regrets?
‘One of the things that brought my life down the drain.’
The biggest reason was me.
Strictly speaking, Cheonma played the next most significant role.
“…Phew.”
As I sighed once more and tried to organize my thoughts,
“I’m back!”
Cheonma, who had gone to pay for the skewers, returned.
I listened to her and turned to look at her.
She was looking at me with a bright expression.
When I noticed her purple eyes and pale skin, my brow instinctively furrowed. I reached out and pinched Cheonma’s nose.
“…???”
Cheonma’s eyes widened in surprise as she was caught off guard.
The funny thing was, she didn’t even resist.
Why was she just standing there?
“Who on earth are you really?”
With so many convoluted situations, I asked.
“… ”
After hearing that, Cheonma didn’t respond. She only continued to regard me with her usual gaze.
Her silence irritated me, so I rolled my eyes and pulled back the hand that had been holding her nose.
“Okay, that’s enough. What are we doing right now?”
This wasn’t the time for this kind of nonsense with her.
My hair was completely disheveled.
Meanwhile, my trembling fingertips refused to settle.
Ignoring that, I resumed walking.
At that moment.
“Your Majesty?”
A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from behind.
I turned to see a woman with white hair and cat ears.
It was Seol-yeong—the once revered disciple.
“I called out, just in case; I thought it was you! What are you doing here?”
“Why don’t you tell me first?”
“Oh, it’s just…”
In response to my question, Seol-yeong raised the belongings she was carrying.
It was a basket filled with clean cloth and needles.
“I need to go to the blacksmith shop to fix some fallen cloth and needles.”
“Ah…? Huh?”
I processed what she said, responding a bit late.
“Why are you acting that way?”
“You’re going to the blacksmith shop?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded in agreement with Seol-yeong.
What a coincidence!
That’s where I was planning to go too!
“I need to go as well. Can you take me there?”
I said warmly to Seol-yeong.
“Huh? Oh… sure.”
Seol-yeong accepted with a somewhat reluctant expression.
Following Seol-yeong, we arrived at the blacksmith shop.
As I had guessed, it wasn’t far from where I had been.
Bang!! Bang bang—!!
The sound of hammering iron and a sharp metallic tang filled the air.
With my senses heightened, it felt even more vivid.
“Hey, who’s that?”
As soon as we stepped inside, someone spotted us and approached.
He was a very short old man, much like the previous gatekeeper.
“Isn’t that Seol-yeong?”
“Good to see you! How have you been?”
Seol-yeong smiled and greeted the old man warmly.
They seemed to know each other well.
“I’m hoping to grab a few extras while I’m getting the needles repaired. Is that alright?”
“Oh, that sounds great!”
The old man laughed heartily at Seol-yeong’s words.
Then he looked toward me, slightly frowning at the wrinkles around his eyes.
“And who’s this?”
“Ah, this is… a guest that our esteemed leader brought along.”
“Hmm. I thought so.”
As soon as I mentioned Shin Noya, he nodded knowingly.
I wondered what kind of person Shin Noya was here. What had he done to secure such a reaction from everyone?
While I was musing over this, the little old man approached me.
“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Myeongsong, in charge of this blacksmith shop.”
Myeongsong extended his hand for a shake as he introduced himself.
“Oh, yes. I…”
Hearing that, I reached my hand out too.
It felt like he wanted to shake hands casually.
As I had business here, being on good terms wouldn’t hurt at all.
I noticed he was holding something in his hand.
It didn’t seem significant, so I took Myeongsong’s hand without hesitation.
At that moment.
“Guyang…”
Cheeeeeeeek—!!!
“Huh!?”
I felt an overwhelming pain as I jerked back my hand.
Surprised, I looked at my palm—my skin was sizzling.
“What the hell?”
What was happening all of a sudden? I glanced at Myeongsong, not understanding the situation.
“…Her…?”
Rather, Myeongsong looked more shocked than I was.
No. Rather than being simply surprised…
“…Dragon…?”
Fear and resentment filled his eyes.
And that wasn’t all.
“What? A dragon?”
“A dragon!? What the…!”*
People inside the blacksmith shop turned to look at my reaction, one by one.
It was everyone, without exception.
“Hmm….”
I thought as I observed the scene.
Somehow, it felt like everything had gone wrong from the start.
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