Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 357 (Part 1)



357 (Part 1)

My steps are heavy.

I should feel lighter now that I’ve leveled up.

Yet my running feet feel unbearably heavy.

This must be because the emotions weighing on my mind are so heavy that even my footsteps feel burdened.

I ran.

If it were up to me I would want to smash everything in my path and break through.

But no matter how crazy I am that would be impossible.

So I just ran.

I was a bit concerned about the Mo Yong-hee I left behind but there was nothing I could do.

The people around me looked at me with surprised eyes.

Is my expression really that strange?

I don’t know.

Right now I couldn’t think of anything at all.

A place where many people had gathered.

It was a location set up to treat others and today the physicians belonging to the Shinryonggwan were moving without a moment’s rest.

I moved past them.

After walking just a little further I spotted the person I was looking for.

“Haah….”

I steadied my exhausted breath and looked at the one lying down.

She wasn’t even lying on a proper bed. Those were already occupied by the injured.

With no major issues she was simply lying on an unnamed cloth spread out on the ground.

I approached cautiously.

Just as I was about to take a step forward she began to rise.

Slowly lifting her body as if tired she brushed her hair back with one hand.

Radiant.

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The chaotic space and the noisy surroundings.

Just her presence alone made everything feel meaningless.

Should I say she shone?

She had that kind of power.

It was the same in her past life.

She shone so brightly that someone like me couldn’t dare to get close.

Would it be any different now?

It probably wouldn’t be.

I had just changed so that I wouldn’t care about such things.

If you were to ask if that was a good thing.

I still don’t know.

“Haah….”

I don’t know why I’m so out of breath when I haven’t even run that much.

Even though I’ve become a body that wouldn’t tire after days of running.

Strangely my breathing was rapid.

Thud.

As I took another step forward.

Amidst the murmuring noise perhaps she heard my footsteps and her gaze turned toward me.

Our eyes met.

As I faced her large pupils the thoughts I had been trying to recall became hazy.

“…”

“…”

We simply looked at each other without saying a word.

What should I say?

Even while moving my feet I pondered thousands of times. What would be the most natural thing to say what words could I comfortably let slip from my lips.

But in the end no words came out.

I stood here foolishly hesitating.

“…Did you run here?”

In the end since I couldn’t speak first she spoke to me first.

“No it’s not like that. I just thought I’d come to see if you had woken up while training.”

I tried to maintain my pride.

What a fool.

What pride is needed to come all the way here? This annoying personality will probably make me suffer until I die.

The only fortunate thing is that she smiled upon hearing my words.

It was clear to anyone that it was a ridiculous excuse.

If it was something that would be found out anyway I could have just been honest.

I didn’t understand why I couldn’t do that.

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“How are you feeling?”

I approached calming my racing heart.

“I’m fine.”

Hearing her response I knelt halfway.

“…If there’s anything say it quickly. The physicians are busy so you need to tell them in advance.”

“I’m really fine.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

After hearing my words she looked at me and asked.

“How about you Mister?”

“I’m fine….”

As I was about to answer I suddenly focused on the title she used to call me.

Not ‘Young Master’ but ‘Mister.’

It was just a one-character difference but the weight of that difference felt incredibly thick.

Did she see my eyes waver?

The woman smiled bitterly as if reacting.

“…Shall we go out?”

It was a natural suggestion. It must be the same voice.

Is it an illusion that it feels a bit more mature and devoid of inflection?

“Where to?”

“To a place where we can talk.”

As she spoke the woman rose to her feet.

It would be easy to refuse but since it seemed she wanted that I followed her without a word.

We stepped outside and entered a quiet forest.

A day had passed since the ambush and the dark veil had lifted revealing a clear sky.

“The weather is nice.”

“Yeah.”

“It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve looked at the sky.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I haven’t had the time to appreciate such things.”

The woman who had been gazing intently at the sky turned her gaze toward me.

“Neither you nor I… had that time right?”

“…”

That’s true.

I hadn’t had the time to look at the sky.

Where would I have found the time to appreciate such things while wandering through hell?

That’s why I couldn’t understand the Demon Sword Master who had been staring blankly at the moon.

Now…

I could vaguely understand what the Demon Sword Master had been seeing in the moon back then.

Perhaps it was due to the lowered emotions.

Only then did her face come into clearer view.

Her eyes slightly drooping compared to usual.

The face that always seemed to be smiling was gone replaced by a calm atmosphere.

It was a look that felt more familiar yet sorrowful than the We Seol-ah I had come to know in this life.

Feeling that I asked.

“Since when….”

“Wait a moment.”

Just as I was about to ask what I wanted to know.

The woman interrupted me and stood in my way.

I looked at her curiously wondering what she was trying to do.

“I have something to say first….”

“What is it?”

I wondered what she was going to say.

Was she going to curse me for something she couldn’t say before?

If so I could accept that.

A curse or two… as long as she didn’t draw a sword that would be fine.

The moment I thought that.

“I’m sorry….”

She offered me an apology.

“What?”

“I’m really sorry….”

It was an unexpected statement.

The very fact that she was apologizing to me.

“Why are you suddenly apologizing?”

“…I’m sorry….”

“Why are you saying that?”

As I looked at her trembling eyes as if she were about to cry.

I didn’t know what to do.

Why is she suddenly about to cry?

“Why are you….”

“I realized too late all the things Mister did for me.”

“…!”

“…I’m sorry. Even now… I’m really sorry.”

My heart sank.

It felt like a long dagger had flown in and pierced my heavily pressed chest.

‘How?’

Her words sent my thoughts racing.

How did she know?

No what did she know?

How much how much does she know?

“…What do you mean? Don’t cry just calm down for now.”

Is she talking about what happened in the ‘Demon Realm’?

No that’s something no one would remember except for me.

Moreover I hoped that no one would remember it.

If it’s not that is it about the time of the war?

Whatever it is I hoped she didn’t know anything.

“What do you mean? I… don’t really understand.”

“…I’m sorry for making it hard for you.”

“No I told you to stop apologizing didn’t I?”

“…”

She looked at me with a pitiful gaze.

What does that gaze mean?

My head throbbed.

Just how much does she know?

‘Could it be that she knows even that?’

It can’t be.

It shouldn’t be.

She must not know.

That I became a demonic practitioner for her.

I hoped she would remain unaware of that.

“Stop apologizing… I don’t want to hear that from you.”

“…”

I didn’t say I wanted to hear such things.

I thought it was something someone should have done.

I just thought I was unlucky to have gotten caught up in it.