episode_0277

The 11th head of the Taesan clan, Lee Ji-ah, is special.

It is said that being the head of a three-generation family cannot be anything but special, but even among that specialness, Lee Ji-ah shined especially brightly.

A superior mind that can pioneer the next skill once it has been learned, a huge magical capacity, and unique abilities that are displayed at an unprecedented level.

An outrageous talent that was evident from childhood.

Even that was just the tip of the iceberg, as he grew rapidly, ascending to the throne at a relatively young age without any worries.

Despite her young age and lack of experience, Lee Ji-ah performed her duties as a head of household without any problems and continued to achieve more than that.

Even among the three heads of the same family, Lee Ji-ah was considered the best. Even the heads of the Changhae and Gyeophwa families did not deny her.

– Did you hear? It seems the head of the household who went on an expedition is returning.

– Already? Didn’t you say that it was a pretty big chain reaction? It’s only been a few days…

– You’ve already suppressed them all. The master’s magic is already well known.

Since birth, Lee Ji-yeon has been hearing about her mother’s… family’s achievements until her ears bleed.

Even though I didn’t want to hear it, I had no choice but to listen.

The surrounding clan members and servants were always whispering about the greatness and awesomeness of the family, and as they learned about history, they naturally saw the path that Lee Ji-ah had walked.

And naturally, I started comparing myself to others.

It wasn’t just Lee Ji-yeon herself, but also the people around her.

It just so happened that the head of the previous family, the mother who gave birth to Lee Ji-yeon, was Lee Ji-ah, so naturally, she had no choice but to stand next to him and be compared to him.

The children of superhumans sometimes inherit certain qualities. A representative example is the unique ability that is passed down through blood relatives.

As expected, Lee Ji-yeon was clearly born with outstanding qualities.

But she wasn’t as good as Lee Ji-ah.

‘How can I be like my mother?’

Lee Ji-yeon gave up a long time ago. She just has different innate talents.

Some may criticize it as a rotten idea, but Lee Ji-yeon, who has been compared to Lee Ji-ah all her life and experienced it herself, thought that way.

Although I am a genius far beyond average, I can never be like a mother, as the saying goes.

There’s nothing I can do. After all, I can’t become like my mother because we were born different. There are some things that I can’t change through effort.

– Don’t try to be like me.

Even my mother said that.

As always, with emotionless eyes, with an expression that showed no sign of affection, you calmly told me that I couldn’t do it.

Eyes that don’t seem to be looking at children.

No, it’s just dull eyes that don’t seem to have any likes or dislikes.

Lee Ji-yeon had never seen any emotion in Lee Ji-ah’s eyes. Even when she looked at the two husbands she had, Lee Ji-ah’s eyes were always indifferent.

Those eyes were more frightening than those of the corpse raised by necromancy.

Whenever I meet Lee Ji-ah, I always lower my head. Whenever I stand in front of Lee Ji-ah, my body automatically freezes.

The ambiguous qualities pierced through the air of Lee Ji-ah that she had been trying to hide.

A difference that is painful to even talk about.

Lee Ji-ah’s Taesan towered high as if it were piercing the sky, while Lee Ji-yeon’s Taesan was no different from a small hill in the neighborhood.

Taishan does not have as severe side effects as Gaphwa and Changhae.

But there are side effects.

If you firmly establish your self-confidence and self-esteem, you will achieve a strong body and mind that will not be shaken by any crisis.

If you doubt and humble yourself, you will end up with a weak body and mind that will collapse without strength.

Lee Ji-yeon, who compared herself to Lee Ji-ah at every moment, was a person who belonged to the latter.

It was the same even after leaving the family and entering Shiyoram. Although they were physically separated, the shadow of Lee Ji-ah that clung to Lee Ji-yeon did not easily fall away.

‘…What did I just do?’

The place where Lee Ha-yool left. Lee Ji-yeon’s eyes trembled as she looked down at her coffee cup.

The coffee cup that used to have quite a bit of content left is now empty. That’s because I just drank it all at once to cool my dry mouth and hot stomach.

Why was my stomach hot? Why was my mouth dry?

Because I was so angry and talked a lot.

Lee Ji-yeon recalled her memories with a dizzy head.

Gaju… was angry at his mother and calmly snapped at her.

Although various tones were added, if I were to simply interpret it, it was like this.

– Why are you swearing at others without any shame? Have you forgotten what I taught you and are talking like that?

‘This is crazy…’

My mind naturally became dizzy. After pouring cold water on my mind and thinking about it, I realized that it was a pretty crazy statement.

‘How dare you… speak out against that mother…? Raising your voice and talking back to a mother who can even kill a third-tier monster…?’

I couldn’t believe it. Lee Ji-yeon clenched her fists. She didn’t want to die yet…

“Have you confirmed the appearance of Taesan?”

It was then that Lee Ji-ah opened her mouth. At the voice coming from the other side, Lee Ji-yeon’s shoulders flinched, unlike before.

“… I haven’t seen any direct manifestations, but I’ve confirmed that he’s been handling life. Also, judging from the fact that he’s trying to sense the manifestation of Mt. Tai, if he really has Mt. Tai, he seems to be clumsy at operating it.”

Confirmation of whether Lee Ha-yul possessed Taesan. This was an order from Lee Ji-ah after the incident in China.

“I see.”

Lee Ji-ah nodded calmly as if she had expected that. Lee Ji-yeon suddenly felt a sense of doubt at that, but kept her mouth shut.

“… It is not absolute, so it can be avoided, and it can be overcome with effort.”

Lee Ji-ah muttered as she looked down at the road outside the terrace, which was still full of people.

“Yeah, I taught you that too.”

The Manifestor of Taishan deals with the earth and life and death. He perceives the changes in life and the vessel that holds it, and thus perceives the death that will come.

This is also a passage passed down by our ancestors for the sake of the Taishan disciples who are confused about it.

“That’s right. No matter how bleak it may be, there is always a small possibility. That’s the way the world works. But… ”

Lee Ji-ah turned her gaze. Lee Ji-yeon could feel the gazes staring at her.

“It is by no means easy. Even for you and us, it may be an adversity that is difficult to overcome, let alone avoid. It may be a threat that is hard to imagine, like the sky collapsing.”

The surroundings have become dark before we knew it. The night sky is filled with twinkling stars, but they are not enough to brighten up the world.

For some reason, the light didn’t reach this far, so I couldn’t see Lee Ji-ah’s face clearly.

“Can you face him, not run away, but fight and overcome him?”

Lee Ji-ah’s eyes, more gloomy than those around her, stared at Lee Ji-yeon.

“You?”

A calm tone of voice without any emotion. But to Lee Ji-yeon, it sounded like she was saying, “How could something like that be possible?”

“Yes.”

Nevertheless, Lee Ji-yeon raised her head proudly and looked straight into her fearful eyes.

“I don’t know if it will break if I try hard, but now, I don’t want to be the first to give up without even trying.”

In fact, it hasn’t been that long since Lee Ji-yeon and Lee Ha-yool became friends.

The first time I saw this rate in person was during the tournament in the first semester.

I was astonished at how a child who had been a superhuman for less than a year had already become so strong, and I was secretly jealous.

The Lee Ha-yool I saw there sparkled like a star in the sky that was hard to reach. So I might have thought that she was someone like Lee Ji-ah who had no flaws at all.

But it was different when I met him in person.

He shined brighter than Lee Ji-ah, and was as timid as Lee Ji-yeon.

But he didn’t back down like Lee Ji-yeon. Thinking of the innocent, he rushed at the two-headed dragon first and eventually caught it.

I never felt that certain that I would definitely win.

Like Lee Ji-yeon, I doubted myself, but I still fought. I didn’t compromise, saying I had no choice. I didn’t back down, justifying my actions.

… Of course, the Lee Ha-yool we encountered in our daily lives was somehow silly, innocent, and… He suddenly appeared as a child, sucking someone’s finger, and teasing someone’s breast in a strange way… There were things like that too.

He was clearly a good person. He wasn’t someone who deserved to die in vain.

Lee Ji-yeon couldn’t save everyone in the world, but she didn’t want to turn a blind eye to the crisis of a child within her reach whose situation had worsened because of her fault.

“… … ”

Lee Ji-yeon responds confidently in a calm tone.

It was different from the way he looked, completely hunched over, with his shoulders hunched and his eyes looking at the floor, unable to meet mine.

“… Yeah, you’re better than me.”

– Don’t try to be like me.

Feeling the command of her heart, which had recently lost contact, Lee Ji-ah raised the corners of her lips very slightly.

* * *

“Kuaaaah… ”

Rihanna’s personal study.

Rihanna, who was busy looking over her documents, stretched and groaned.

My shirt was pulled tight and my chest felt stuffy, but my head and eyes, which had been working hard for several hours, were even more sore…

“Ahhhh, when will this all end… ”

I took a deep breath and scanned my desk. There were mountains of paper documents and virtual documents floating around in holograms…

Of course, the staff has already taken care of the details, and Rihanna just needs to confirm and approve them, but even that is burdensome when the amount is this large…

During the birth ceremony, he was in charge of supervising the students of the Ipchun class and managing the street stalls, so it was really eye-popping.

“Ouch, my shoulder hurts… ”

I rubbed my tense shoulders. After a brief moment of relief, the stiffness came back. A heavy weight pressed down on my shoulders again.

“Sigh… ”

Rihanna let out a sigh for the umpteenth time, picked up the papers, and glanced at the window.

Through the curtained window, you can see the dark sky and the sparkling festival lights beneath it.

Birth day.

It is a festival held by Siyoram at the end of the year, and is a grand event that attracts attention from all over the world…

… but Rihanna actually didn’t think much about the birth ceremony.

It was partly because she had experienced the birth ceremony four times during her cadet days, but also because Rihanna had never enjoyed festivals in the first place.

During the four birth ceremonies, Rihanna spent her time in secluded places, playing with the spirits and practicing, except during public events…

‘Is it fireworks time soon?’

But even for Rihanna, the magnificent fireworks display that colored the sky was quite a sight to see.

Shiyoram’s special fireworks are not just made with simple gunpowder or ordinary additives, but are made with cutting-edge technology, special materials, and dozens of wizards.

In addition, it is a fireworks display that literally engraves the sky, in harmony with the wall surrounding the cradle.

The birth festival is celebrated with fireworks on the nights of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th days, excluding the 3rd day.

Each firework is themed after a different season. Since today is the first day, there will probably be fireworks representing spring.

‘I hope you enjoy it…’

Rihanna smiled faintly as she recalled Lee Ha-yul.

I can’t tell you how cute it was when he lowered his head with a sullen expression when I told him that he wouldn’t be able to hang out with me because he was busy.

‘But there are a lot of other people around, so they’ll enjoy it… But I wonder if they’ll be able to recognize fireworks with their sensing ability?’

Rihanna swallowed her regret for not being able to enjoy the festival together like in the past.

Perhaps the reason why the past and present are different is because the child who used to be in his arms is no longer there.

It is also for this reason that the silence of this laboratory feels awkward.

“It’s okay~ Well, the festival doesn’t end today.”

Although she wasn’t summoned, Rihanna shrugged her shoulders at the worry of the spirits heading towards her.

So I actually picked up the paperwork to get things going again.

– Smart…

At the same time, someone knocked on the door.

“Hmm…? Come in.”

Reina blinked.

Since many people had already visited for the birth ceremony, I didn’t think the visit itself was strange, but why did they knock on the door instead of leaving the summoning tool behind?

Besides, there are a lot of people. I guess I should ask them as a group…

‘uh?’

When I felt it again, the sound felt familiar.

The moment Rihanna opened her eyes wide, the door opened softly and a head of pure white hair popped out.

[hello…]

“Hello… ”

Lee Ha-yool smiled awkwardly. Below him, Lee Seo-yool, who was still smaller than Lee Ha-yool, also stuck his head out in a friendly manner.

[The fireworks will be on soon. Would you like to watch them together?]

“Let’s watch it together… ”

Lee Ha-yool shook the bag in his hand. Judging from the delicious smell wafting out, it seemed like he had packed a lot of street food.

“Is this the right place? This is my first time here.”

“This is your first time coming to the professor’s lab…? Yeonhwa, you’re really taking your school life for granted?”

“Why are you going so far, bitch.”

Besides Lee Ha-yul, there are other sounds beyond the door. They are also familiar people.

“Ahahaha…! I said there’s no time… Come in first.”

Rihanna, who had been blinking blankly, burst into laughter.

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it will be completely quiet.