episode_0038

“I heard you returned to the capital. Then I thought this was the only place you could come.”

“… … ”

“You did that too? You completely tore it apart.”

Gabi’s words as she looked at the rock that was split diagonally in the shape of an X.

This is the very same oddly shaped rock that Maya, who had awakened the Sword Aura, cut in two with one blow.

“Wow. You’re about to become an adult tomorrow, and you’ve already reached that level. I couldn’t have imagined it when I was your age.”

Maya, who came to the capital city holding the hand of the teacher who saved her life as a child.

This empty space is where she received the sword as a gift and began her first training.

From the moment I set foot on rigorous training, it was that rock that I had been staring at.

It’s as if all my suffering and pain would be resolved if I could reach the point where I could cut through it with a sword.

He actually cut through the rock that he had been staring at with his sword pointed at every single day.

But despite achieving the results she had been pursuing since childhood, Maya’s face showed no joy or sense of accomplishment.

“… … How do you remember my birthday?”

A question asked in a stiff, emotionless voice.

At this, Gabi looked down at her disciple whom she had not seen in a long time and smiled.

“Your wit has grown in a way I haven’t seen before. Has there ever been a teacher in the world who forgets his student’s birthday?”

“It’s been years since we last saw each other. How can you still remember me? It’s only natural to forget when you’re not around.”

From Maya’s perspective, whose mind was broken, it was a perfectly reasonable question.

The thread of a relationship is something that once broken there is no looking back.

Maya also did not dwell on the past after turning her back on the nest and becoming a candidate for the warrior.

Something from the teacher’s teachings that might help one survive.

Didn’t you just erase everything else from your mind as if it were a given?

… … But Gabi’s thoughts seemed to be completely different.

“Even if you’re not by my side, our precious relationship won’t be broken, Maya.”

A long stream flowing across the empty lot.

“Gabi said, gazing at the shadows of the swaying willow trees by the water’s edge.

It was a place I missed, where the master and disciple would sit side by side and enjoy a peaceful rest after each training session.

“You may think you left everything behind, but there was always an empty space for you by my side. A faint empty space that I can’t forget or ignore.”

At Gabi’s words, Maya, who had been keeping her mouth shut, quietly raised her head.

The direction of the willow tree stump that the teacher was looking at. She looked at that same spot and asked softly.

“I watched Farewell My Concubine. Both the first and second volumes.”

“Yeah. I see.”

“I heard you also participated in the production. So did you write the second half?”

The right hand holding the famous sword, Mannyeonhyang, begins to tremble little by little.

She spoke coldly, staring into space with empty, unfocused pupils.

“Did you write the script that way on purpose because you wanted me to see it?”

“No way. I was only in an advisory role.”

A pearl-shaped hairpin in the shape of a butterfly that Gabi gave to her disciple after they became priests.

She spoke, staring at her blue hair, braided just as her teacher had always done for her.

“The script was entirely written by the candidate for the warrior of the pen, Phantom. From the first part, which shows Xiang Yu’s heyday, to the second part, which shows Xiang Yu’s downfall, everything.”

“… … ”

A heavy silence fell between them again.

The disciple stubbornly keeps his mouth shut, but the master accepts the disciple’s complaints.

A stillness that is cold on one hand and gentle on the other, like a heavy snowfall and flower buds blooming.

“… … I thought that if I had the strength, anything was possible.”

It was Maya who first broke the silence.

“If you have power, there is no need to be cowardly. If you have power, there is no need to be afraid. If you have power, there is no need to compromise. And if you have power… … ”

You have nothing to lose.

Believing so, I have lived a life devoted solely to the sword.

Because my broken head just whispered the same thing every day.

A helpless child who can do nothing but watch his parents die miserably.

A child who might have suffered the same fate if Gabi hadn’t saved him.

Because she whispered that if she had had the strength, such a tragedy would never have happened.

However, the second half of gave her a great shock.

“Really… … Isn’t that really the script Gabi wrote? Did the candidate for the warrior of the pen who wrote the first part write it like that?”

“Yeah. Seriously, I didn’t touch the script. You saw the first half, so you know, right, Maya?”

“… … ”

“How well the man Phantom understands the nature of ‘power’. How strong one can become through power, how one can shake the world through power, and… … ”

Gabi sighed softly with a somewhat bitter expression on her face.

“… … About how you can lose everything by relying only on strength.”

Xiang Yu, who was defeated because he relied only on force, ended up tripping himself up.

Xiang Yu lost everything he held dear because he only trusted in force.

It was a development that directly contradicted Maya’s beliefs, yet she was unable to help but accept it without realizing it.

Of course, it is not simply because the scenario of Farewell My Concubine is interesting and delicate.

Simma, who corrupted Xiang Yu’s mind, and Salgeop, who led Xiang Yu to thirst for blood.

Because it’s so eerily similar.

The impulse that always lingers in his mind, inciting murder and violence.

A fool who laughed at his parents’ death, saying it was because of his own weakness.

“… … ”

Suddenly, I remembered the debate between King Xiang Yu and King Liu Bang of Han at Guangmushan Mountain.

The words Liu Bang shouted at Xiang Yu, who was holding his father, Duke Liu, hostage, were vivid in his mind.

‘Xiang Yu! Aren’t we sworn brothers? If he’s my father, he should be your father too. How dare you boil my parents? You rotten, unfilial son, do whatever you want with him! But when the pot boils well, send me a bowl of the broth!’

… … Of course, the breast flame padlip is also an impressive statement.

Even a small number of Han Wang’s fans shook their heads and responded with, “Is that a bit much?”

But what truly captivated Maya was what happened next.

It was an original line inserted by the playwright Phantom to enhance the drama.

‘Kill, kill, kill! Those vicious words are really stuck in your mouth! Didn’t you say that you drew your righteous sword to survive in this cruel world?’

Didn’t Liu Bang sternly rebuke Xiang Yu for threatening to kill the Duke of Jue?

‘But now, you swing your sword just to kill others when you get tired! Answer me, Xiang Yu! Do you kill in order to live? Or do you live in order to kill?!’

Kill to live. Live to kill.

The moment she heard this, a small crack appeared in Maya’s heart.

A shell that was turned inside out to protect oneself from the shock of one’s parents’ death. A part of the stubbornness that made one willing to do anything for obsession has collapsed.

“I am a candidate for warrior.”

“I know, Maya.”

“I’m not like the villains who killed my mom and dad. I’m a hero candidate. I took up the sword to protect what’s mine.”

Maya muttered in a stiff tone as if talking to herself.

She asked Gabi in a tired tone, as if she had suddenly lost all strength.

“Is Xiang Yu wrong? Is it bad to pursue power? No matter how much power I cultivate… … I can’t protect what’s mine with power?”

“There’s nothing only bad in the world, Maya.”

Flutter!

Empty sleeves fluttering gently in the wind.

Gabi moved in front of Maya and knelt down. Then she reached out her good arm and stroked her former student’s cheek.

“It’s natural to gain strength to protect what’s precious. The world is cold and cruel, and if you don’t have strength, you might be harmed by evil people.”

“… … ”

“But if you try to solve everything with just that, problems will arise. The more you focus on one thing, the narrower your perspective on life becomes, and when your perspective becomes narrow, you can’t make wise decisions. Because life isn’t that simple.”

“… … I hated the evil that took my parents away.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t want to lose anything again. So I came to a conclusion. I just had to kill all the evil in front of me. I had to become strong enough not to lose anything. If I just endured the evil as I saw it, then I would definitely… … ”

Maya stopped talking because her voice suddenly became unstable. Her chest felt heavy, as if she had just eaten meat or rice cake.

“Why didn’t you forget me, Gabi?”

“… … ”

“I left after saying such harsh words. I left you behind, saying I would never see you again. Why on earth?”

“I’m sorry, Maya.”

Instead of giving a long-winded answer, Gabi gave Maya a warm hug while still sitting.

With only one arm, but still more affectionate than holding with two arms.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t understand you. I’m sorry I couldn’t lead you on the right path. I’m sorry I couldn’t understand your pain. It’s all my fault for not teaching you properly.”

“… … Your body size has shrunk a lot.”

“Haha, your body has grown. I’m glad you grew up well without any injuries.”

A conversation that goes beyond teacher and student, almost like a conversation between parent and child.

Maya made no reply, nor did she try to escape from her old teacher’s embrace.

The embrace of my teacher, whom I held for the first time in a long time, was as peaceful as the embrace of my parents who used to embrace me when I was young.

[Oh, Heaven, please forgive the evil deeds of the tyrant.]

[Please don’t forget. You were never alone.]

Even though he was kicked out by Xiang Yu, Fan Zeng died worrying about his disciple until the end.

Woohee, who gave her life to help the man she loved get off the wrong path.

The moment their images overlapped, something flowed down Maya’s cheek.

Dew that doesn’t know why it flows or how it started to flow. But it can’t stop flowing.

If you have strength, you don’t lose anything?

Ironically, that belief was flawed from the start.

By leaving the capital to gain power, he was essentially throwing everything away with his own hands.

I thought I had already lost them, but in reality they were always there for me, my other parents.

“Will you accept me back? If I say I want to stay by Gabi’s side again… …will you let me?”

Xiang Yu, who was possessed by a demon, lost the chance to see his teacher again.

When asked a question while recalling that scene, Gabi answered in an affectionate tone.

“I missed you, Maya. Thanks for coming back.”

The relationship between Fan Zeng and Xiang Yu, who eventually parted ways without being able to reconcile on Earth in reality.

It was a moment when it was beautifully reassembled in a completely different form, in a completely different world.

By two plays written by Balthazar, a student of Professor Garvey.

“You, huff! Are you the great writer Phantom? It’s nice to meet you like this, huff! ”

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

A boy sitting in a fancy room and looking at me.

So, sitting across from him, I tried to hide my embarrassment and responded politely.

Prince Wolfgang von Clausewitz, son of Emperor Heinrich and much younger brother of Princess Diana.

This kid is the one who personally caused the syndrome with , the debut work of playwright Phantom.

The combination of black hair like her father and lime green eyes like her older sister is quite impressive.

Despite being only 12 years old, she carries herself with dignity and definitely has the air of royalty.

… … But the teardrops forming in his eyes were completely destroying his dignity.

“Cho, I’m sorry to say this when we first meet, but, sniff! Aren’t you really going too far? How, how could even the overlord Xiang Yu do something like that… … ”

“Excuse me, are you talking about Hang Yu?”

I felt a stinging sensation for a moment and closed my mouth.

Come to think of it, aside from and , none of the main characters in Phantom’s works have had a happy ending.

General Yi Sun-sin was shot and killed during a battle.

Caesar went out to a meeting and was assassinated.

Socrates refused to escape from prison and drank poison.

In the meantime, even Xiang Yu, who seemed to be on a winning streak with his unparalleled martial arts skills, died?

From the prince’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if I looked like a psychopath who enjoyed slaughtering the main character.

Is that why you called me here while you were at the palace? Because you wanted to personally find out why you keep killing all the main characters?

“Keuhuu! My, my number one treasure, the twin dragon swords… … !”

A small boy who was rubbing his swollen eyes without even thinking about his manners.

He clenched his fists and muttered in a voice full of resentment.

“The props that were first produced and used during the first performance of Admiral Lee were bought at an auction! Now, you can’t get them even with money!”

“… … Yes?”

A twin dragon sword out of nowhere?

No, what the hell is going on here. Please stop crying and explain.