Chapter 1132: Scorched World.

“Hmm……”

I quietly watched my father fall. The slightly swollen cheek, frozen in unconsciousness, was quite a sight.

Even considering his younger days, seeing my father like this was surprisingly novel.

‘…Was that a bit too much?’

If I had to find fault, it’d be that I didn’t quite control my strength properly.

But I think it’s more Father’s fault than mine.

‘Well, who told him to power up like that?’

The Great Flame Prison Father was trying to use. What if that had exploded?

‘This whole area could have been blown away.’

It had the energy to sweep up the training ground, of course, but also the surrounding area. Frankly, the current situation itself is wrong.

‘The very fact that we decided to fight here is the problem.’

Even if it’s spacious, it’s still inside a building.

A training ground of this caliber was only suitable for those with lower cultivation levels.

The moment you surpass the Martial Realm, fighting inside a building becomes inherently unsuitable.

Especially for people like Father and me, who use martial arts focused on firepower.

It’s baffling why he insisted on choosing a training ground like this for our duel, knowing all that.

‘…I don’t quite understand Father’s intentions.’

The fact that he wasn’t trying to stop Namgung Hyung from running away, but was actually trying to help him. And why he summoned me here specifically to test my skills.

Even more so.

‘He wasn’t fighting seriously.’

Father hadn’t shown his true strength either. I don’t know if he was testing the waters or trying something, but I knew Father was also gauging the situation. I seized that opening and ended it.

Crackle.

I casually swept away the debris. I considered helping Father up, but… I didn’t.

Hmm.

‘He’ll probably manage on his own, right?’

I did everything he asked, so it should be fine. Besides, I learned fire arts, so sleeping on the floor won’t give me facial paralysis.

The only thing that bothers me is…

‘…Was this okay?’

I intended to hide my strength if possible. But I wonder if I revealed it too aggressively.

‘…I don’t know.’

Ah, whatever.

It’s already happened anyway. I decided not to dwell on it.

I got up. Leaving Father behind, I looked around. I still had somewhere to go. Because I had someone I needed to ask something.

And so, I left Father and headed somewhere.

---

It was the quiet time just before dawn. It was strange how this place, which had been noisy with a banquet just a short while ago, had become as quiet as a dead mouse.

Perhaps Namgung Jeohui had ordered the banquet halted and everyone to exercise restraint.

Furthermore.

‘The patrols have gotten stricter.’

Not only the number of guards deployed around… but the cultivation levels of those patrolling had also noticeably increased.

‘Hmm.’

I moved while observing them. Naturally, I didn’t want to be caught, so I suppressed my presence.

Moving a little further like that, I entered a certain residence. I had infiltrated, but… from the middle onwards, I slightly increased my aura.

Since the other party was also a martial artist, it wasn’t difficult to announce my arrival.

Zzzzing.

I let out a bit of my aura. Then, I sensed movement from within the residence.

Creak.

The door opened, and someone emerged.

It was Hyeon Soyeon, dressed in sleepwear.

“Hello.”

“…What brings you here?”

“I apologize for the late hour. But… I figured you wouldn’t be asleep anyway.”

“……”

Hyeon Soyeon, with a somewhat tired expression, opened her door wide.

“Come in.”

“It feels a bit awkward entering a woman’s private room.”

“I know you have no feelings for me, and that you’re not interested. Just come in. It’s more problematic if people see us outside.”

“……”

That made sense. So, I slowly stepped inside.

“…Could you put up a screen?”

Before she could ask, I had already set up a screen. Entering the room, I sat down before a low table.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No, I’m not particularly thirsty.”

“Alright. Then…”

Hyeon Soyeon adjusted her clothes and asked.

“What brings you here today?”

“Ah, I have something I need to ask.”

“Something to ask?”

“Yes. It’s nothing else, really.”

After pausing briefly, I asked Hyeon Soyeon after a moment.

“Why did you lie?”

“……”

Hyeon Soyeon froze at my words. Seeing that reaction, I was certain. It seems my guess was correct.

“You weren’t trying to stop Young Master Namgung, were you? It looked more like you were trying to help him leave, right?”

“……”

“No, that’s not really important. What I’m curious about isn’t that.”

Yes, what I was curious about. There was one thing I couldn’t quite understand.

“Why did you pretend to betray him?”

Why did Hyeon Soyeon act as if she betrayed Namgung Hyung? What was the reason for her actions, standing before the location of the hole as if to block it?

When I asked that, Hyeon Soyeon chuckled slightly.

“…Did you come here just to ask something like that?”

“Well, various things happened… and I wanted to clear up my curiosities.”

“……”

Why did Hyeon Soyeon pretend to betray Namgung Hyung? Moreover, Soyeon was a woman who seemed to secretly harbor feelings for Namgung Hyung.

‘If anything, I could understand it if that were the reason.’

She liked Namgung Hyung and didn’t want him to leave. If that were the reason, I could understand it. But the fact that she tried to send him away, even pretending to betray him, was a reason I couldn’t quite grasp.

To my words, Hyeon Soyeon remained silent for a while. Was she contemplating something? Or perhaps she didn’t want to talk about it. Hyeon Soyeon, her eyes seeming to recall something, finally spoke to me again after some time had passed.

“Young Master Baek, what do you think drives people the most insane?”

“Hmm, there are so many things, it’s hard to pinpoint just one.”

Especially for someone like me, there were plenty. Truly. So much so that I had to agonize over choosing just one. Fortunately, Hyeon Soyeon provided me with the answer.

“Lingering attachments.”

“……”

Hearing that, I paused for a moment. It sounded familiar. Where was it? It was hazy, I couldn’t recall. I had definitely heard it before.

“If a person has unresolved lingering attachments, it can truly drive them mad.”

“And so?”

Does that mean Namgung Hyung has lingering attachments towards Hyeon Soyeon? I wondered if that’s what she meant.

“That’s why.”

Hyeon Soyeon spoke, looking not at my eyes but at the table.

“Because the lingering attachment towards him… is me.”

“……”

“This was the only way to get rid of it.”

“What you’re saying is…”

I wasn’t sure if I understood correctly, but I asked anyway.

“…Are you saying Young Master Namgung felt the same way about you, Miss Hyeon?”

Did Namgung Hyung like you too? In response to my question, Hyeon Soyeon shook her head.

“Probably not.”

It wasn’t a confident statement. But despite the words, Hyeon Soyeon’s voice held certainty.

“He always pursued going out into the world. The lingering attachment I mentioned… wasn’t towards me.”

Her clasped hands tightened.

“It must be my feelings for him that became the lingering attachment.”

“……”

“He’s a kind person, you see.”

Because Hyeon Soyeon knew he liked her. Could that be why it became a lingering attachment? It was fascinating. What kind of relationship could it be? I wondered what kind of relationship led to this, but…

“Ever since I met him ten years ago…”

“Ah, I’m not curious about that part.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I cut her off as she was about to recount past events. I wasn’t that curious about that. Because what I really wanted to know was why Hyeon Soyeon had acted that way.

Hyeon Soyeon gave me a slightly bewildered look, but I ignored it.

‘In the end, Hyeon Soyeon’s words boil down to one thing.’

So that Namgung Hyung could leave more easily. It was a choice made for that purpose.

I gave a cursory nod to her words and stood up.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yes. I’ve heard what I needed to hear and cleared up my questions.”

There’s no reason for me to stay here any longer. Now that my curiosity is satisfied, what else is there?

“Well, rest comfortably.”

That tired expression, and that thoroughly subdued atmosphere. Were ultimately the emotions stemming from Namgung Hyung’s departure. And I couldn’t possibly fill that void with comfort or anything else.

Besides,

‘She has to marry Namgung Jin anyway.’

Why she developed feelings for Namgung Jin. I decided not to ask about their relationship. Because that future might be something I needed to be more cautious about than anything else.

Screeeech-!

I closed the door again and stepped outside. It was still the dark hour of dawn. Naturally, Hyeon Soyeon didn’t bother to see me off.

The only thing that lingered was…

‘I will escape this hell.’

‘Lingering attachments drive people mad.’

The words spoken by those two kept echoing in my mind. Annoyingly.

Recalling them, I moved my feet. My destination was my own residence. I had confirmed what I needed to. Now I should go back and get some rest.

Just as I was heading towards my residence with that thought,

Rumble-!!

‘…Hmm?’

I heard the sound of thunder from somewhere. It was quite far away. I quickly turned my gaze to pinpoint the source of the sound.

The location was…

‘That mountain… where Cheonjun resides?’

The mountain where the Cheonjun I met last time was located. That old man who tried hard not to let anyone inside, and who didn’t appear during the Ma Gyeongmun incident. That’s where he was.

The sound of thunder came from that place. Hearing it, I frowned.

‘Ah, this…’

This sensation sending a shiver down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this. Because the flow of energy felt unusual.