episode_0188

After Cheonharang and Cheonma fell.

Those who were the key figures and the center of this suppression each had complicated feelings. However, they had no time to waste on the afterglow.

Their mission may have been aimed at subjugating Cheonma, but as long as there was an organization called Cheonma Shingyo that carried on her legacy, the possibility of a second Cheonma appearing could not be ignored.

For example, her disciple Cheon Mu-myeong.

So, they did what they had to do right away.

It is a demon realm called [the top of the world] where traces of the past demon king remain.

The Cheonma Shingyo, where she had made her home, collapsed in just one day.

Actually, it wasn’t that difficult because Cheonmasingyo was just a small hut.

… It is unknown where all those people lived, but according to Cheonma’s words in the past, they said several times that they lived in a small hut, so this must be Shingyo.

Additionally, traces of the advance party were also found during the process.

They were all sleeping in the basement of a cabin with only minor scars, which I guess was a consideration from Cheonma… no, Cheonha and her, who didn’t enjoy killing.

‘… Damn it. If you’re going to do this, then why on earth?’

Lucius and his companions turned their backs on the cabin, their eyes reddening for no reason.

Now is not the time to be sad.

Because there are many eyes watching.

They will become symbols of peace and true warriors who will finally defeat the devil.

It was clear that a bad rumor would spread if such a person shed tears for Cheonharang, who had become a villain to the public.

To exaggerate a bit, in the worst case scenario, most of the warriors in the group will harbor negative thoughts.

If only to avoid such a thing, now is not the time to be tied down by emotions.

Rather, it is time to think about her and take action to end the situation as quickly as possible.

“Over! The operation is over! Return!”

The expedition ended safely.

In the worst case scenario, the suppression failed and annihilation was expected, but it ended without a single casualty.

This is truly welcome news.

It’s like an adventure story of a hero in a fairy tale.

In fact, the faces of the soldiers who escaped from the demon realm and returned to the empire had bright smiles on top of their fatigue.

Thinking about the family he will see when he returns and the reward for completing a successful mission, he seems to be naturally happy.

Unlike the silence created by tension before they came here, they were now talking to those marching beside me.

There were many stories, but the main theme was the tale of Lucius’s bravery in dealing the final blow to the Heavenly Horse.

After that, the saint who supported the warrior until the end, the northern shield Ironblood, the warrior Anna of the previous generation, and her companion Belle.

And, very small though it was, there was one name that could be heard faintly.

Cheonmu-myeong, the disciple of Cheonma.

His name was called as he lay unconscious in a carriage currently speeding towards the empire.

The reason is because of Lucius’s statement – “Without his help, the subjugation of the Heavenly Demon would not have been possible.”

Because of that, he, who had been anonymous until now, is now on the lips of the soldiers of the empire.

However, it was obvious how the person involved would react if they heard it.

“…”

Lucius looked at Cheon Mu-myeong with deep, sunken eyes, his former brilliance gone.

‘… to me.’

And then, he turned his head and erased the nameless person from his sight.

‘It’s so hard… What on earth can I say to Cheon Mu-myeong?’

Of course, the option to reveal that you are the one who killed your master has already been decided.

It’s not like it can be hidden even if you try to hide it, and it’s not something that Lucius himself can hide.

So, if he, her close friend and disciple, heard this story and poured out his resentment toward her, she planned to accept it silently.

But, what happens after that is the problem.

Will he be able to accept it?

Although he falsely announced Cheonmu-myeong’s movements at Cheonharang’s request, Cheonmu-myeong’s will was not included in it.

“…”

Lucius frowned under the crushing weight of his own burden.

‘be heavy….’

I don’t think I can possibly decide.

What should I say to him?

In fact, it might be better news for him to have him captured.

But even if you lie, is that really the right thing to do?

Is this behavior appropriate for the level of walking you do?

“… Ha.”

The warrior’s worries deepened.

Time flies.

As always, the moon sets and the sun rises.

Unlike the grand narrative, the journey towards the empire that was to be the end ended in an instant.

However, during that time, Myeong-un only frowned as if to prove that he was suffering, and never opened his eyes.

* * *

Consciousness has returned, but the body is half-dead.

My teacher disappeared.

Now we may never meet again.

Upon realizing this fact, the body simply became dead, having lost its reason to awaken.

Only the awakened consciousness clings to the delusion that the Master is alive, and only distracting thoughts continue.

Anonymous has had similar experiences in the past,

During the training session with my past teacher, Cheon Ha-rang.

Cheon Mu-myeong, who was being pushed back miserably, was not wondering what moves he should make from now on, but rather how he ended up in this situation.

There are moments when I think like that.

It was the same now.

I don’t know what to do next. I just kept thinking about how I ended up like this while being obsessed with the past.

A feeling of emptiness, as if one’s soul had been torn apart.

Anonymous was truly unable to do anything, as if he had become a corpse.

“…”

Then, an idea occurred to me.

I once said something like that.

“Please, send me to the end of the abyss.”

Even though the words that came out of my mouth were not of my own free will.

Should I say that he was his past self or his future self? Unlike himself, he had not met his master. Before he lost his life, there were words that were like his last stubbornness.

Did those words become a curse? Or did the words become seeds because the body was itself?

Anonymous thought that perhaps it was because of those words that he became like this, but as the teacher said, there was no need to listen to the voice of the dead.

But, why do I suddenly have this thought?

Perhaps it is because, even though she wants to deny that she is different from that man, she ultimately realizes that she has the same nature.

“Ah… .”

I want to see the teacher.

And, he knows how.

Even though I know it’s wrong, I think it’s okay if I just look at it.

It was at that moment that Myeong opened his eyes.

“I’ll help you.”

And then, as if it had been waiting, a being came.

“You are-”

“Hey, do we need to introduce ourselves? Let’s get straight to the point. I’ll help you. What do you think?”

He was smiling with relief, as if everything was finally going to be okay.

Anonymous also tried to nod his head because he had no reason to refuse.

He didn’t move his body back and clear his boundaries.

“I can do it without your help.”

It couldn’t be otherwise, for according to Lucius, his master had already lost his life, and the only way to meet him again was to do what the nameless one had done.

That is, the time axis itself must be distorted.

Do you think that the author, God, will help with such things, such as overturning the hierarchy?

That’s ridiculous.

However, that thought was soon dispelled by this guy.

Because I heard something so shocking.

“No, you need my help. If you do, history will just repeat itself.”

“… What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, your master is alive. You didn’t know.”

Despite the nameless look of surprise, the guy continued talking as if he didn’t care.

“If you do it alone, the timelines will get confused and you might get confused. Then it’ll be annoying for me too, so I’ll help you.”

What a sweet offer.

Myeong felt a little dizzy, but quickly lowered his head and spoke.

“… Thank you.”

You never know when the guy’s mind might change.

So, worrying about it later is better to just do it and see.

The guy seemed to like the anonymous answer and immediately spread his arms and shouted.

“Okay! Then let’s get started!”

With his declaration, it felt as if time had stopped.

No, it’s not a mistake.

It was starting to become apparent that things had actually stopped.

Immediately afterwards, he draws a large magic circle on the floor.

There are several circles inside a large circle. In between, gear-like things mesh together and turn fiercely.

I realized it intuitively.

If I climb up to this and let my energy flow into it, I can meet the Master.

“I don’t have to say goodbye at the end?”

“It’s okay.”

It may sound sad, but to me, the only thing that matters is my teacher.

Well, didn’t the teacher say so?

He said that he would be my protector, my heaven, my world. The disciple, who is lacking, is not yet ready to become independent, so he just listens to his teacher’s words.

“Puhahaha, yeah. The priest really looks like him.”

A brilliant light blinded my eyes.

The light gradually fades.

What you see is, if it’s familiar, familiar.

If it’s unfamiliar, then it’s unfamiliar.

A space that I had once seen through someone else’s memory, not my own. It was in front of me.

The nameless man, who had come to his senses, stood still in front of the iron door that he remembered seeing.

‘Inside this, there is a master.’

Somehow, I felt my heart pounding.

What if they don’t welcome you? What if they tell you to turn back, saying you’re a nuisance? What if they pour out their resentment, saying you’re not even their disciple?

Many random thoughts continued to come to mind, but Myeong shook his head and tried to shake them off.

It was because I wanted to see the teacher as soon as possible, during the time I was hesitating.

“Hoo… .”

After taking a deep breath, the anonymous man knocked on the door.

-dripping

“… Guest? Who are you?”

The small voice that came out was a young, yet heart-tickling, voice.

And, the owner is my teacher, Cheonharang.

The nameless man’s mind became a blank sheet of paper.

I’ve definitely thought a lot about what I want to say, and I thought I should say it like this.

I couldn’t remember anything. And.

-Suddenly

The door opens. What I see is my teacher.

“What- How are you-”

Wow. I hugged my teacher.

The teacher, who had been squirming as if embarrassed, let out a deep sigh and relaxed his body.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized that there was no need for a missive.

There was absolutely no need to think about what to talk about in advance.

Just be honest about your feelings.

“Master.”

All I have to do is tell you my true feelings.

“I missed you.”

A pleasant voice struck Harang’s ears.

“Uh, yeah… Okay, anonymous… .”

Hurt. Harang’s body trembles and she slowly raises her head. Their faces are captured in each other’s pupils.

“I missed you.”

“… Is that so?”

Harang, who felt strangely embarrassed, carefully turned her head to the right.

“What do you think, Master?”

“… Ugh.”

Soon, I was stopped by an anonymous hand and my gaze was fixed on it.

Harang’s hand was rubbing my thigh as if it was a stranger. Harang’s pupils were moving around as if they were confused by the current situation.

Harang’s lips that only murmur.

Myeong-woo, who had been watching him with a small smile, added again, not wanting to wait for an answer.

“I have something to say to you, Master.”

“Ha, what do you want to say…?”

Gulp. Harang’s saliva is swallowed.

Reddened cheeks and dilated pupils are visible.

I’m sure you feel the same way too.

But, in front of my Master, in front of the woman I love, I have no intention of shaking in shame.

Myeong-i bent down and continued speaking while looking at Harang’s eyes.

“If you don’t like it, you can kill me.”

“What… What is that-”

Knock, their lips lightly touch.

Unlike Mu-myeong, who has his eyes closed, Harang’s pupils move around.

She felt as if her heart had stopped.

It was so bad that I forgot to breathe.

“Puha… What, what are you doing… !”

When the two people separated their lips, Harang pushed away the nameless man, letting out the breath she had been holding back.

A little distance away.

However, the nameless one just smiled brightly as if something was making him feel good.

“You didn’t kill me.”

“You’re saying that now-”

One more time.

Bam, their lips meet.

An anonymous hand entered Harang’s waist. Harang grabbed the anonymous hand as if trying to push him away, but he didn’t put any strength into it.

Anonymous smiled inwardly.

He pulled Harang’s waist into his arms and closed the gap between them.

3 seconds. 10 seconds. 20 seconds.

Harang, feeling like her breathing would stop due to the unstoppable momentum of the nameless man, pushed the nameless man away once more and spoke as if warning him.

“Pooha…! What the heck is going on!”

Harang’s face turned red as she said that.

If you touch him just a little more, he’ll get really angry.

Since he was an anonymous person who had played numerous pranks on my teacher, I could tell.

‘That’s it for now.’

The nameless one said with a small smile.

“Master, since you took me in, shouldn’t you take responsibility for me until the end?”

“What nonsense…!”

Myeong stretched out his arm and grabbed Harang’s hand.

“It’s not forced.”

And then, she brought that hand to my lips and smiled slyly.

“I love you, Master.”

At that time, Harang thought.

Ah. The disciple I raised is a monster. I raised something ridiculous.

For me, you were the final boss who would mark the end of the story.

And the same goes for you.

[He became the final boss’s master.]

-Complete-