Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 361 (Part 2)



361 (Part 2)

“…”

I tighten my grip on the hand that touches the tip of my throat.

It meant that there was no intention to wait for my worries.

Should I just charge at him?

I contemplated it about four times in a second.

Four times meant I had already held back more than three times. I thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just go for it.

‘You need to kill that useless pride.’

But he wasn’t an opponent I could defeat by just charging at him.

So I had to endure.

I usually live in a way that my pride doesn’t die even if I have to.

I couldn’t lose my life so futilely like that.

Because I had too much to protect behind me.

In the end I had no choice but to open my mouth and bring up the story of my visit to the Golden River’s secret.

“…”

Immediately after hearing the story the Dark King began to caress his lips with his hand lost in thought.

“…The secret.”

When asked how he knew I recounted my attendance at the military conference.

I said I had ‘coincidentally’ discovered it while climbing the mountain.

As with all miraculous encounters coincidences tend to lead to more.

What mattered was how things were there what I saw and what I gained from it.

Once the Dark King seemed to have finished his thoughts he glanced at my arm.

Then he looked at the place where my qi center was.

“To say it’s not real would be incorrect; the energy in your body is definitely genuine.”

Hearing that I felt a bit relieved inside.

It seemed I wouldn’t die immediately.

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It didn’t make sense to think about killing someone here but the Dark King was someone who could do so and escape without consequences.

“Are you talking about energy?”

I wondered what kind of energy he was referring to out of the blue.

Did he mean the energy I gained from the secret?

But…

‘Isn’t everything I gained from there already gone?’

It was true that I had received a miraculous encounter and my qi had increased.

But I didn’t think it was a tremendous miraculous encounter.

The increase in qi wasn’t that significant either.

But what kind of energy did the Dark King feel from me?

Moreover.

‘The Dark King knows about the changes in my skin.’

That’s why he reacted like that.

“Senior.”

At my call the Dark King shifted his gaze to me.

“…Is my change related to the secret?”

His eyes widened at my question.

It didn’t seem like I was asking something so astonishing so why was he reacting like that?

“I didn’t expect you to ask me a question in this situation.”

Ah so that surprised him.

“…I’m just curious. It’s an unexpected change and I’m also curious about you who is searching for traces of a family that was long ago exterminated…”

“You’re mistaken.”

“What?”

Just as I was about to spill out excuses the Dark King firmly interrupted me.

What does he mean by that? My doubts were met with the Dark King’s fierce words.

“The secret was indeed exterminated. That’s a very old matter.”

It had been several centuries since then.

That was a question everyone had.

Though it is now referred to as the Four Great Families.

At that time the Golden River was known as the First Family.

Only one place.

A clan that possessed the world’s best and was a powerful family connected to most trading companies in the Central Plains.

Yet for some reason the Golden River vanished in an instant.

The fact that such a powerful family crumbled so quickly was something most couldn’t comprehend.

It was merely believed because the records said so.

There were no detailed records and I didn’t know much about past history so that was all I knew.

“If that’s the case….”

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Just as I was about to ask what exactly was wrong the Dark King spoke again.

“Though it was exterminated it was not annihilated.”

I had to express my doubts inwardly at his words.

What that meant was that the Golden River was exterminated but their descendants did not disappear and remained.

Thinking of the Jae-gal Family I felt it could be possible.

“Uh?”

In a fleeting thought I looked at the Dark King with wide eyes.

What he said was echoing in my ears belatedly.

– I shouldn’t be unaware of that place.

It was a threat the Dark King had made to me.

Along with.

– They were not annihilated.

If he spoke with such conviction…

“Could it be….”

I asked the Dark King hiding my trembling voice.

“…Are you a descendant of the secret?”

Upon hearing my words the Dark King did not utter a word.

He simply looked at me with tightly pressed lips.

But why was that?

I felt that this silence was an answer.

It soon dawned on me.

‘Ah this… I might really die if I’m not careful…?’

No matter how I looked at it it was a rather dangerous situation.

******************

Flap.

To a mansion overlooking the Sea of Yoryeong.

A beautiful feathered bird gently lands on the window.

A thin letter was tied to the bird’s leg.

A hand carefully unties the letter from the bird’s leg.

The owner of the hand was the master of this grand mansion a figure known as the victor of Yoryeong.

Rustle.

The man slowly unfolded the letter.

The first part bore a seal.

This was the direct seal of the Moyong Clan.

Among them it was a special seal made specifically for correspondence to the Clan Head.

“…”

He read the few words in the letter one by one.

“Hmm.”

After reading the last line a strange light filled the man’s eyes.

Soon after he frowned as if something displeased him.

Creak.

Whoosh….

As the man rose from his chair a light gust of wind swept through the room.

“I entrusted my precious daughter to someone else and they handle things like this….”

His deep heavy voice was laced with anger.

It felt as if the sharpness possessed by those who had reached a high level of mastery was mixed in.

As the man stepped out the door those waiting approached and bowed their heads.

“General.”

“…Yes! Clan Head.”

“I’m heading straight to Henan.”

At the question from the master of the mansion the general’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“However… we have a schedule with the Baekhwa Trading Company in a few days…”

“Cancel it.”

“B-but Clan Head…!”

“If they say they have the desired reward because of that matter let them offer everything.”

“That’s…!”

The general tried to add something but the Moyong Clan Head simply walked away ignoring him.

Then suddenly the Moyong Clan Head stopped in his tracks.

“Ah it might not matter.”

“Y-yes…?”

The general who had been hastily following responded with a puzzled tone.

“After all it would be the same for them.”

“Clan Head what do you mean…?”

“I don’t need a carriage. My feet will be faster than that.”

“W-wait…!”

“If there are those discussing this convey it this way.”

Just as the general was startled and tried to grab the Clan Head.

“I’ll go to bring my daughter back and see the face of the one trying to take my precious daughter.”

With those words the Moyong Clan Head leaped over the window frame.

The elderly general with a look of shock leaned out the window.

But the Moyong Clan Head had already disappeared into the distance a mere speck.