Childhood Friend of the Zenith – 475 (Part 2)



475 (Part 2)

I’m not sure why.

‘Why am I so angry?’

Is it regret for not having exchanged any words while looking at the divine sword? Or perhaps it’s the lingering feelings I have for her when facing the demon sword master.

Or maybe…

Is it reproach for still being unable to do anything even after facing the Heavenly Demon?

If it’s not even that…

‘Is the problem that I couldn’t hit that idiot even once?’

Is it anger for not being able to strike down my past life like catching a rat?

I don’t know.

I don’t know but I was definitely angry.

As I was engulfed in this unknown emotion my mind was becoming hazy.

“The regret you face…”

Dang Je-mun says looking at me.

“…is about what you should have known. Or what you should have remembered but didn’t.”

“What does that mean?”

What a ridiculous thing to say.

I almost spat that out but I held it back.

Even if my anger was rising I couldn’t cross the line.

However even if I didn’t say anything it seemed Dang Je-mun vaguely guessed my thoughts.

“You hoped I wouldn’t make the same choice as you.”

“… Senior. If you’re going to explain please do it properly…”

“I already feel it in my body after experiencing it. That is not anger.”

This isn’t anger? If this isn’t anger then what is?

“Profoundly deep sadness can sometimes feel like anger.”

“… Do I look like I’m sad right now?”

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“If not then why are you crying?”

“…?”

I frowned at Dang Je-mun’s words.

Crying? I wasn’t crying.

I raised my hand to check my cheeks but as expected there were no tears flowing. What on earth made her think I was crying?

I looked at Dang Je-mun with a strange expression.

But perhaps ignoring me Dang Je-mun continued speaking.

“It’s about forgetting.”

Forgetting.

That familiar yet difficult word brushed against my heart.

It felt strangely deep.

“Sometimes it brings comfort but it inevitably leaves a trace on those who remain.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about this?”

“I thought I had erased everything but unfortunately I couldn’t erase it all.”

Why?

I wanted to shout at Dang Je-mun right away.

To tell her to speak clearly.

“This trial also signifies regret and lingering feelings.”

But I couldn’t.

It felt like someone was blocking my mouth.

“It’s also a record for the forgotten.”

“The forgotten?”

“What did the one who remains forget? And what did they face there?”

“…”

I couldn’t provide an answer to Dang Je-mun’s question.

The reason was simple. I didn’t know what I had forgotten.

I knew the life of the divine sword.

I remembered the death of the demon sword master.

I hadn’t forgotten those who died for me.

So what on earth had I forgotten?

“It’s okay if you can’t remember. As I said there is neither success nor failure in this trial.”

“… Your words sound like mere wordplay to me.”

Though my words were somewhat harsh Dang Je-mun merely nodded slightly.

I swallowed a sip of tea filled with frustration.

At that moment.

Wooong

“…!”

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The tea flowed down my throat sending vibrations through my body.

Feeling an unknown tremor I jumped up.

“What… what did you just do?”

It was clear that Dang Je-mun had done something to me so I looked at her with urgent eyes.

Is it poison? It doesn’t seem like poison but something has definitely happened so I couldn’t help but be on guard.

“I don’t want them to be forgotten.”

She looked up at me with a wistful gaze.

“Originally I hoped Shin Cheol would experience this but I think it’s fortunate that you did.”

“So… you did something to me didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry.”

What on earth did she do? I had no idea.

I was boiling with confusion over what had happened while Dang Je-mun merely smiled sadly.

“She would wish to be forgotten but that would be too sad wouldn’t it?”

“What have you done to me? Why is everyone so eager to devour me?”

At this point the honorifics had almost completely shattered. It was unreasonable to maintain respect in this situation.

Why are these damned specters of the past all trying to grab hold of me and do something?

As if my life wasn’t already miserable enough.

“What the one who remains swallowed is… a fragment of forgetting.”

“… A fragment of forgetting?”

“Originally this was something Shin Cheol should have swallowed. But this too must be fate.”

Dang Je-mun suddenly reached out into the air.

Kugugugung-!

With her gesture the pure white space began to slowly disperse.

“I believe that you will be different from us.”

Hearing those words I sensed that something was about to happen.

“Are you just going to talk about yourselves and disappear…!”

These people always do this it’s really annoying.

I tried to grab Dang Je-mun filled with all sorts of emotions.

Snap-!

With the sound of Dang Je-mun lightly flicking her fingers.

“…!”

I was transported not to the original pure white space but to another place.

“What the hell….”

Should I say it’s fortunate?

The place I arrived at unexpectedly was somewhere I knew.

I couldn’t possibly not know it.

It was the space beneath the lake where I first met Dang Je-mun.

The place where the Poison Heaven Pill and the White Horse Stone were piled up.

It was exactly that place.

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

“…”

Right after sending Gu Yang-cheon away.

Dang Je-mun looked at one spot with eyes filled with various emotions.

It was the teacup that Gu Yang-cheon had drunk from.

For some reason she looked at it with a sad expression.

After remaining silent for a while Dang Je-mun suddenly muttered to herself.

‘Was this really the right thing to do?’

It was a word directed at someone who could no longer hear.

It was a word for a woman who would not be recorded in history and whom future generations would not properly remember.

‘I’m sorry.’

Yet Dang Je-mun offered her apology.

She knew.

Dang Je-mun knew that the woman would respect her choice.

Because she was that kind of person.

However even knowing that the feelings lodged in her heart did not disappear.

If anything they only deepened and thickened.

The iron-blooded woman who had single-handedly protected the Moyong Clan.

As she recalled her Dang Je-mun closed her eyes for a moment.

As she took a moment to catch her breath.

“… Damn it.”

A familiar yet nostalgic voice reached her ears.

“What the hell is this nonsense!”

Hearing the angry voice Dang Je-mun smiled.

That person was still the same.

She thought to herself.

“Huh? Where did that brat go?”

“I sent him away first.”

“What?”

Looking at the fierce face of the old man Dang Je-mun smiled and said.

“I had something to discuss with just you.”

The long-awaited meeting.

The giant of the volcano whose belief in saving the world came before his love for the woman.

Facing the man who was more than worthy of being called a hero the woman smiled.

Of course the expression on Shin Cheol’s face upon seeing that smile was somewhat sour.

The woman called out to the old man saying his name.

“Shin Cheol.”

“Yeah?”

The old man frowned in response.

Seeing that Dang Je-mun spoke the words she had held for a long time.

There was no hesitation.

It had been a long time and she had already made her decision long ago.

“I missed you. A lot… very much.”

The words that surged forth like madness.

As she spat out those words filled with emotion.

“… Uh uh… yeah….”

The expression that had been filled with annoyance disappeared and Shin Cheol had to wear a somewhat sour expression.

The reason was simple.

‘Why the hell is he acting like this?’

To Shin Cheol Dang Je-mun was not a woman but a man.