Chapter 257: Before Going to Anhui. (1)

Rustle-

In the dead silence, the first sound that always breaks through is.

The sound of turning a letter.

Rustle-

Though I don’t know what could possibly keep him so busy.

Father was always working.

The master’s study, which I opened and entered carefully.

Father’s appearance was unchanged.

“I heard you summoned me.”

As I spoke, Father finally lifted his head, and met my gaze.

“Yes.”

He put down the letter he was reading.

Then, looking at me, he opened his mouth.

“First, you’ve been through a lot.”

“It was nothing.”

“The punishment imposed on you ends here.”

The confinement for the first few months was over.

And the frontline duty, which I had been away for over a year, was now concluded.

Thinking about it, rather than calling it punishment, I had gained strength through the process.

In a way, it was more accurate to say it was helpful.

‘Could it be… he did it on purpose?’

That thought made me doubt involuntarily.

‘No, that can’t be.’

Even if the confinement was understandable, sending me to the frontline probably wasn’t.

Father wouldn’t know that I could absorb demonic energy.

Sending me to the frontline must have been a punishment.

‘It was better than my previous life, though.’

My previous life was two years, not one, wasn’t it?

I was dragged around by Gu Huibi’s grasp, barely surviving near-death experiences.

That time felt like actual hell.

‘…Maybe it wasn’t that different even now.’

If I had to describe the feeling.

It wasn’t that my body was exhausted.

‘My mind… was strained.’

In many ways.

I didn’t particularly want to recall the process.

Seeing my sour expression, Father spoke to me.

“Unless any issues arise, you will depart for Anhui in a few days as stated in the letter.”

As soon as he finished the pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

For my part, I preferred getting straight to the point in uncomfortable situations, but that was his usual personality.

Besides.

‘Am I really going?’

‘Anhui….’

If asked if I’d been there, maybe once or twice.

And those were only a few times in my previous life, as a demon, with less than noble intentions.

‘To think I’d be going to a place like that for an engagement.’

Life truly is unpredictable.

Of course, I couldn’t just run away now and refuse to go.

‘…I suppose I could refuse.’

But the thought of the woman, who would likely be lounging in her chambers or mine, fast asleep right about now, stopped me.

‘Am I really going to get engaged like this?’

An engagement out of the blue in my life.

What is this…

As the reality began to sink in, an indescribable feeling welled up.

“First Wife will also accompany you on the trip to Anhui.”

“…What?”

At Father’s words, I involuntarily gasped.

First Wife? Madam Mi is going to Anhui with me?

“…Why?”

The words blurted out before I could stop them.

My question earned me a rare, strange look from Father.

Of course.

It was such a subtle shift that one wouldn’t notice unless they looked very closely.

“Why? That’s a strange question.”

Right.

I regretted blurting it out immediately, but…

Since it was an engagement ceremony for a clan member, involving even a clan head, it wasn’t particularly strange for Mi Hyoran, the mistress of the household and First Wife, to attend in her official capacity.

‘Wait… then.’

A thought flashed through my mind, and I immediately asked Father.

“Is the reason Madam Mi returned to the clan perhaps because of this?”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

Father’s answer finally explained why Madam Mi had returned to the clan earlier than in my previous life.

It was for my engagement.

‘…I wasn’t engaged in my previous life.’

Or rather, my reputation was so abysmal that no engagement proposals came my way.

Thinking about it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

How badly did I behave?

To think that a proposal wouldn’t come even to someone from a prestigious family like ours.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

Especially when I remembered that Gu Huibi was also past the age where she should have been married but hadn’t been.

‘…Madam Mi is going along.’

Even if it was for official reasons, I wondered if she might find it awkward.

Of course, I felt a bit burdened by it too.

“Speaking of which.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you had some friction with the Hwangbo clan on the front lines.”

“…Ah.”

Father’s words caught me off guard.

Where did he hear that?

I thought I had been careful about who knew.

“It was nothing major.”

And it really wasn’t.

I had beaten the eldest brother of the Hwangbo clan senseless, forcing him to kneel.

And exposed his brother’s ambitions, throwing him into a clan head war?

‘That’s hardly anything major.’

In my day, wiping out entire clans was standard practice.

We even fought over whether to destroy the Central Plains or not?

Arguing over whether someone becomes a clan head or not is hardly a big deal.

Yep! Absolutely.

Hearing my answer, Father glanced at me briefly.

“Alright.”

He replied curtly and didn’t bring it up again.

As always, that meant it was enough.

‘…It’s scarier that he doesn’t pry more.’

It had always been like this.

As long as I didn’t cause trouble beyond a certain line, Father would usually just let it slide, thinking, ‘Oh well.’

Of course, the moment I crossed his line, I’d be finished, so I tried to stick to that boundary.

…Or maybe not?

I don’t think I really kept it.

Anyway.

After this, I heard about minor arrangements like briefly visiting merchant guilds associated with the Gu family, or receiving basic education as a clan member.

“…And for the subsequent schedule, you will hear from the Steward.”

“Yes.”

The important matters were, ultimately, proceeding with the engagement ceremony in Anhui.

Madam Mi would be going along too.

That seemed to be about it.

Since Father had dismissed me, just as I was about to leave,

“…Clan Head.”

“Hmm?”

I remembered I needed to ask about what happened on the front lines.

The bead left behind by the ancestors.

The beast called it a seed.

Along with a warning that if the seed were to sprout, terrible things would happen.

This.

‘Does Father know about this?’

I was curious about that.

“About the bead in the center.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what it is, Clan Head?”

Halt-

Hearing my question, Father’s hand froze for a moment.

His gaze remained fixed on me.

His crimson eyes glowed intensely, making me want to look away involuntarily.

“Why do you ask about that?”

“…I was just curious about what it is.”

Perhaps lost in thought by the sudden question.

After a brief silence, Father spoke to me again.

“It’s not something you need to know yet.”

He stated firmly, then returned his gaze to the letter.

While it was a truly firm refusal, Father’s words still lingered in my ears.

‘Not yet…’

If he said I didn’t need to know yet, it meant I would eventually find out.

If my guess was correct, Father seemed to know what that bead was.

‘Whether he knows it as the ‘seed’ the beast mentioned, I don’t know.’

But I could tell at least that the bead held some significance.

The problem was,

‘He won’t answer if I ask further.’

Even if I persisted here trying to find out, my hair might end up burnt off by Father’s touch.

‘…I should at least protect my hair.’

Shin Eui had once told me that while anything else could be fixed, hair loss or burns were irreparable.

“…Then, Clan Head.”

“Do you still have business?”

“What about Snow Phoenix?”

This was a different matter.

Perhaps it was an unexpected question for Father, as his eyes widened slightly.

“Snow Phoenix?”

“If I go to Anhui, how should the contract with them be handled?”

We agreed to provide them with my internal heat periodically.

Snow Phoenix’s constitution only responds to my heat, not anyone else’s.

Father and Gu Huibi had apparently tried it themselves, but they only felt the heat briefly.

It seemed they couldn’t dispel the lingering coldness within the body.

‘So, is this also a consequence of the Demonic Absorption technique?’

It seemed almost certain.

Even the coldness that had claimed Snow Phoenix’s life in my previous life.

The Demonic Heaven Absorption technique seemed capable of swallowing it effortlessly.

‘My only question is whether I’m absorbing her energy, or if my heat is simply neutralizing the cold.’

If I were absorbing her energy, judging by the lack of any sensation in my dantian, it didn’t seem like it.

Father quickly provided an answer to my query.

“I’ve already concluded discussions with the Moyong family.”

“What? When?”

If discussions were concluded, I hadn’t heard anything specific from Moyong Hi-ah…

Ah, I hadn’t gone to see her.

Right, I hadn’t properly seen Moyong Hi-ah since returning to the clan.

“What was decided?”

“Hmm…”

As Father was about to answer, he turned his head to glance out the window.

I looked in the same direction, wondering if there was something, but there were only bushes outside, nothing particular to see.

“…You can hear the rest outside; it seems someone is waiting for you.”

“What? Who is waiting for me…?”

The Steward?

Father gestured, indicating he had nothing more to say.

It meant I should hurry and leave without wasting more time.

Taking the hint, I paid my respects to Father and walked out of the master’s study.

And then.

‘Hey.’

I mentally called out to the one sleeping inside.

[Grrr?]

As if hearing me, I felt a stirring deep within my dantian.

I had told it to sleep since there wouldn’t be much energy to consume for a while after returning to the clan.

It seemed it had truly been sleeping.

I had been with it for some time now, and this thing listened better than I expected.

It felt like raising a real puppy.

But that was beside the point.

This wasn’t the main issue.

‘When are you going to wake up, Noya.’

[Grrr…?]

‘It’s been over a year.’

For it to converse with me like this and consume energy more easily, Shin Noya had to sleep, even if just briefly.

The contract we made while conversing in the confinement room was for one year.

And now, more than a year had passed.

‘Don’t pretend you don’t know the period has already passed.’

[…Grrr.]

‘Wake up quickly, I have something to ask Noya.’

What I needed to ask Shin Noya was about the bead I saw on the front lines.

Noya was active shortly after the Demonic Mirror Gate opened, and had personally experienced the Blood Calamity caused by the Blood Demon.

Given how active he was in the past,

‘I figured he might know about the bead too.’

That was my hope.

Although, being from such a distant past, he didn’t seem to know much about the Martial League or the Gu family.

But you never know.

More importantly,

I was starting to miss Noya’s usual grumpiness.

[…Grrr.]

Without answering my question, it let out a small whimper and began to fade away.

This movement clearly indicated it was trying to fall asleep again.

‘Where do you think you’re going… Hey, HEY!’

It must have heard my urging, but it didn’t answer.

It vanished back into silence.

Look at this bastard.

Is it expecting me to cut open its belly?

‘It seems to forget I’m an expert at cutting open bellies.’

Not just cutting.

I could even burn them afterward.

‘If you don’t want that, you’d better come out nicely…’

“You’re here.”

Snap.

My steps, filled with irritation, halted at the sound of a voice.

It was an unexpected voice.

Moreover, it was a familiar voice, so I turned my head to look forward.

The Steward was standing there.

The voice belonged to a woman, not the Steward.

The area I thought was the exit passage had somehow become the outside without me noticing.

I must not have been paying attention because I was lost in thought.

As soon as the Steward met my gaze, he gave a slight bow.

I nodded slightly in return.

Then, I immediately looked behind the Steward.

The owner of the voice was there.

In fact, I saw not one, but two familiar faces.

“Why are you two here?”

In response to my question, the woman in front tossed her hair back slightly and answered.

“…We agreed to meet again, but you weren’t visible…”

The one answering while tossing her hair was Moyong Hi-ah, whom I’d met earlier that day.

The other one was.

“…To… eat… together.”

Namgung Bi-ah, looking flustered.

The two were subtly exchanging glances.

Perhaps because both had naturally cold expressions, or maybe they just didn’t like each other.

The atmosphere wasn’t exactly pleasant.

It was enough to make me unconsciously rub my own arm.

‘Why is it so cold when it’s summer?’

My body, which rarely felt the cold, was sensing a chill in the middle of summer.

“So you were waiting here?”

“…”

“It just happened…”

Only then did I realize why Father had been looking out the window.

Most of the clan’s grounds were within the range of Father’s senses.

He must have immediately sensed who was lingering near the door.

Namgung Bi-ah, I could understand, but I hadn’t expected Moyong Hi-ah to be like this.

I looked at Moyong Hi-ah and said with a sigh.

“You shouldn’t be waiting outside like this. Especially since she hates bugs.”

“…I apologize. I saw Young Lady Namgung, so I…”

Moyong Hi-ah, who answered with a slight blush, perhaps feeling embarrassed herself, suddenly stopped talking and stared straight at me.

It was a strange look.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…How do you know, Young Master Gu, that I hate bugs?”

“…Ah?”

Oops. I made a mistake.

I quickly tried to explain,

“…You just look like someone who would hate them?”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone say that.”

‘Of course.’

It wasn’t working.

After all, who would easily assume someone with such a cold demeanor would be startled by bugs?

‘I didn’t even know myself.’

I hadn’t sought out this knowledge.

It was because, in my previous life, the monster I happened to encounter was insectoid.

And Moyong Hi-ah, who was much stronger than me, malfunctioned at that exact moment, forcing me to struggle desperately. That memory was the reason.

When I asked why she suddenly threw a fit after the ordeal, Moyong Hi-ah, with a face full of guilt, stammered that she absolutely couldn’t stand bugs, and seeing her tearful face forced me to know.

‘…Even though they raise moths at their place.’

It’s widely known throughout the Central Plains that the Moyong family conducts business using moth-type monsters.

Yet, the jewel of that family despises bugs, which is quite peculiar.

“I just found out, I guess.”

“…How could you just know that…”

The moment Moyong Hi-ah took a step closer, a hand reached out and pulled me in.

Losing my balance, I fell backward.

A soft sensation, and a white arm wrapped around me.

“…That’s far enough…”

It was Namgung Bi-ah’s touch, which had reached me without me realizing.

Seeing Namgung Bi-ah setting a boundary, as if forbidding any further approach, Moyong Hi-ah slightly furrowed her brows.

The situation was clearly going downhill.

I desperately tried to send a pleading look towards the Steward nearby, but…

“Hohoho…”

The quick-witted Steward was already chuckling and walking away into the distance.

‘…He’s abandoning me?’

Was this the survival instinct of someone who had been a Steward for decades?

He was way too fast.

Just then.

Zzzzt-

A tingling sensation came from the person holding me.

It was because I felt Numinous Energy from Namgung Bi-ah.

Furthermore.

I felt a cold touch brush against my forearm.

This seemed to be Moyong Hi-ah’s chilling energy.

The two were making the atmosphere increasingly tense, like cats with their fur bristled.

If I let it continue, I felt I’d be crushed between them.

So, I had to intervene.

Pang-!

“…!”

“Nngh!”

With the clap infused with internal energy, a gust of wind swept through, clearing the air.

This action required a tiringly high level of internal energy application, but I never thought I’d use it in a situation like this…

I looked at the startled women and continued.

“Take it easy. The Clan Head is watching from behind.”

“Nngh.”

“…!”

As if snapping back to reality at my words, they slowly returned to their usual expressions.

This was, after all, the Clan Head’s residence.

It was also the place where Father’s senses were strongest.

He was probably watching everything we were doing.

Moyong Hi-ah, who was perceptive about these matters, perhaps realizing belatedly what she had just done, her expression turned quite crestfallen.

Of course, Namgung Bi-ah was no different.

Seeing that, I carefully spoke up.

“Let’s not do this here. First… let’s eat.”

I said this, remembering Namgung Bi-ah had come to eat together.

Both women seemed to be gauging my reaction and nodded.

‘…I need to get them out of here.’

Perhaps because of the atmosphere.

In my haste, I blurted out the suggestion to leave this place immediately, but…

The choice to take these two out for a meal…

Just how foolish a choice that was…

I realized that less than an hour later.