episode_0178

In front of a sheer, gray cliff.

Around Anna and Belle, trees are uprooted and lying in disarray, and broken pieces of something are scattered everywhere.

At first glance, the center of this place feels cool.

“…”

Gulp. Anna’s throat, which was clearly tense, moved once, and Belle’s body also trembled without even wiping away the cold sweat flowing down her body.

Actions that seem as if disaster is imminent.

And, the person who made them like this was watching these things.

“Um.”

The reason Anna and Belle came here, and the target of their persuasion and subjugation, her name is Cheonharang.

Or, the Heavenly Demon.

“Anna and Belle… .”

Cheonharang, standing on the top of a cliff illuminated by moonlight, narrowed his eyes and struck his own neck with a wooden sword, letting out a sigh.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound the wooden sword made as it struck the back of her neck was like the second hand of a clock.

To put it simply, it is so regular that it feels out of place.

“Haa… Haa… .”

It makes the listener feel anxious.

Anna clutched her heart as if her chest was tight. And Belle was breathing roughly to the point of anxiety.

The thoughts they were thinking about were the same.

Clearly, even though I came here to face Cheonharang, I want to get out of this place.

I want to get away from the oppression and bitter cold that weighs on my shoulders as soon as possible.

but.

“Harang… Oh, it’s been a while… .”

“… How have you been?”

Anna and Belle didn’t put that idea into action. No, they couldn’t, to be exact.

“… I’m sorry for coming without notice.”

If I showed even the slightest sign of misunderstanding, I felt like my neck would roll around on the ground.

Cheonma, because the cold air coming from her felt like it was freezing my body.

They couldn’t escape.

“Um… .”

And, were these choices the right ones?

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. It’s really nice to see you.”

Cheonharang welcomed them with a smile.

“Ha… Haha… Nice to meet you, thank you.”

The cold air that was eating them and the pressure weighing on their shoulders also began to slowly ease.

“Whew… .”

Lived.

It was a thought that occurred to Belle alone as she sat down on the floor, her tension released.

And Anna, who was still facing Cheonharang with a calm expression, looked around to check her mood.

‘The Imperial Army’s footsteps ended here. And, what greeted us here was Cheonharang.’

If so, one conclusion naturally follows.

‘…She destroyed the Imperial Army?’

It’s very possible, but I can’t say for sure.

There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, she tries to communicate without harming them. Secondly, there are no blood or black marks around here.

But then another question arises.

‘Where have all the imperial troops gone?’

Certainly, before we got here… before the sky fell, there was a lot of life activity here.

but.

Now, there is no one here except Bell and Cheonharang, and not even a single common ant.

‘Does this make sense…?’

It’s impossible according to Anna’s common sense.

And, whenever something goes beyond common sense, someone’s own unique magic is present.

‘… Is there anyone with magic related to teleportation under the Heavenly King?’

That’s how it was, when Anna was lost in thought, thinking about something close to the correct answer.

“Not Anna.”

Cheonharang’s voice was heard breaking the silence.

“Are you and Bell the only ones here?”

Belle couldn’t help but ask back with a dumbfounded expression at her words that she added with a smile.

“Yes, yes… ?”

Because it was obviously a floating thing.

“… That’s it.”

Just like Belle, Anna also bit her lip and pondered when asked Cheonharang’s question.

‘… What should I do?’

To put it simply, to be honest…

‘Is that okay?’

If you think about it for a moment, can’t you say that I came to subjugate you?

Does that mean I have to lie?

‘…I don’t know.’

I can’t make a decision on this either.

Whether she would believe them or not, what would happen after that even if she did?

Who might be alive?

Besides, is there any point in living a dishonorable life of lies?

‘I don’t know.’

The feeling I had always trusted was screaming for an answer right away, but damn it, it wouldn’t give me that answer.

What on earth would be the right answer?

If they came here with the Imperial Army, what would happen to them?

What would happen to them if they accepted her words and lied to her?

What on earth is the right answer?

‘What should I say?’

Like that, I froze over for a moment and thought about it.

“Ha.”

Anna’s consciousness, which had been in a deep sleep, suddenly awoke at the sound of a deep sigh.

‘…this.’

Was it because I thought too long?

Or was it that his expression clearly showed that he was having a hard time answering?

Where did the smile I had before go?

“As you may know from what I said earlier, I don’t like saying the same thing twice.”

“… Hehe.”

Cheonharang frowned and said so, and Bell, who had been sitting down, trembled in thought.

It seems like he was scared by the sudden change in atmosphere.

“…”

It wasn’t much different for Anna either.

Right now, her mind was seriously contemplating whether she should pick up the sword right away or, if not, run away right now.

But, is there no law that says you have to just die?

“Well… Even so.”

Cheon Ha-rang sighed deeply, shrugged his shoulders slightly, and began to add.

“I don’t intend to harm you, so don’t worry too much.”

Cheon Ha-rang, who showed his innocence on the outside, asked back with his eyes narrowed.

“So don’t ask again-”

* * *

“Who the hell came here with you?”

He asked Anna, crossing his legs.

The content is about Anna and Belle’s companion, which I asked about earlier.

“… Or, Harangnim.”

Anna, who had been hesitating and licking her lips, added with a determined expression.

“Can I be honest?”

“… What?”

However, the content was absurd even though it was a decision.

“Then, should I tell you a lie…?”

He responded with a look of utter bewilderment to Anna, who still had a serious expression on her face, but Anna’s expression did not brighten.

But that just made me more confused.

‘…Why on earth are you doing that?’

I have no idea why he’s hesitating to answer when he could’ve just said who he came with.

In the first place, I didn’t use the ‘misleading speech’ that is usually pointed out by anonymous people, and I directly expressed my exact demands, so why did I do that?

Hmm… isn’t it?

‘… Is there still room for misunderstanding?’

Just in case, I tilted my head and thought about the question I had asked… .

‘There isn’t any?’

As expected, there is no room for error.

The original question was who you came with, so there’s no way there could be any misunderstanding here.

‘… By the way, that’s too much.’

I just wanted to know if Lucius, Elia, and Camilla were among the companions I came with.

‘I didn’t know it would be this difficult… .’

That’s so unfair that I’m sticking out my lips.

“Yeah, it’s just the two of us that came this far… .”

The answer surprisingly came not from Anna, but from Belle.

Well, I don’t care who answers.

I was glad to hear the answer, so for some reason I went over to Belle, who was sitting down, and put my arm around her shoulder.

“Are you here?”

“Eek!”

“What is it? Are there any more words?”

Belle, who flinched at that, closed her eyes tightly and began to add quickly.

“Sa, I was with Gu and Gun until I climbed the mountain!!!”

“Army? Oh, you mean the Imperial Army.”

Hmm, well… that’s obvious.

Because the kids I just met had a lion, the symbol of the empire, engraved on their chests.

So, this is not the answer I want.

I smiled faintly and brought my face closer to Belle as I asked her.

“Then, there was nothing else?”

“… Anything else?”

Hmm, don’t you understand if I say it like this?

“Yeah, you know them just by hearing their names… Yeah. Weren’t there any characters that were a bit symbolic?”

“Uh… This, was there…? Ha, I don’t think there’s anyone Harang-nim would know… ?”

“There isn’t any… .”

“Eek! Sorry, I’m sorry!!!”

“… Hmm? You’re not the one who should apologize.”

For some reason, he waved his hand lightly at Belle, who was overreacting, and began to let out a small moan.

Belle would know that I am friendly with the warriors, so if they had come, she would have let me know.

‘… I thought you would come.’

It seems like I gave him a mean choice and he ended up running away from it.

“No.”

I guess you can’t call it running away.

They didn’t run away, they chose not to try to persuade or subdue me with words.

“Puhh.”

Now that things are sorted out, I can’t help but smile.

“Thank you for your answer.”

“Heh, hehe… .”

He sat up, patting Belle’s head as she smiled awkwardly.

“Then, take a rest now.”

“net… ?”

The point is, no one can stop me.

Unfortunately.