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“…”

“…”

For a moment, our eyes met.

Gu Huibi was speechless, taking in the sight before her.

Mi Hyo-ran let out only a sigh, gazing at her eldest daughter.

Time passed slowly.

“Hmm?”

Mi Hyo-ran gently lifted the child in her arms and carefully pushed the snacks and tea to the side, out of the child’s sight.

Then she said, “You’ve arrived.”

“…”

“Sit down.”

She acted as though nothing had happened, her demeanor as usual.

Seeing this, Gu Huibi wondered if she had imagined it all for a moment.

“Mother.”

“…”

“What’s going on…?”

It was clear there was no understanding.

As Gu Huibi frowned and asked, Mi Hyo-ran’s brows furrowed slightly.

It seemed she realized it wasn’t getting through.

“What is… What are you doing… No, what about that child…?”

Gu Huibi stuttered, unable to articulate her thoughts. Her eyes, wide in disbelief, darted around as if they were about to pop out.

It was a look as if she had seen something impossible. Moreover—

“That child is….”

Her gaze finally fixed on the kid.

Then her eyes widened even more.

It was utterly understandable.

How could one not be shocked upon seeing that face?

“…Huh?”

The child, looking perturbed as she stared at Gu Huibi, tilted her head.

The innocent expression on the child’s face pulled Gu Huibi back into her memories.

[Look at this! It’s a flower! I’ll give it to you, sister.]

[Big sister! Play with me!-!]

It was the time of laughter.

The memory of when she had run up, eager to give one flower away, and her younger brother closely following her hand in hand, still fresh.

“…Huh… huh….”

It was just like before.

If anything, the child looked even cuter than before… but without a doubt, that child was remarkably similar to her younger brother.

As she looked at that, Gu Huibi’s body moved on its own.

The look Mi Hyo-ran had just shown. The reason why she had been summoned so suddenly.

None of that registered in her mind.

For now, she needed to approach. To approach and stroke the child’s head, and then think.

Just as Gu Huibi decided to move toward the child, suddenly—

“Yangcheon….”

Whoosh-!!

“…!?”

A gust of wind surged beside Gu Huibi.

Something darted forward, creating a whirlwind.

No one around managed to react to the acceleration. Gu Huibi’s gaze was fixed on one spot.

There stood—

“Yeon-ah…?”

A woman with black hair, who resembled her younger brother, tightly holding a child that looked just like him.

Caught off-guard by the speed and sudden situation, Gu Huibi was taken aback.

Even Mi Hyo-ran, next to her, wore an unusually shocked expression.

In that moment of collective astonishment, a sound of rustling filled the air.

Gu Huibi swiftly moved and shouted, “Wait—!”

Thud thud thud—!!

Blades rained down from all directions.

Having been dragged partially by Elder Lee for a while, I noticed I was in a strangely familiar place.

A neatly managed walkway, leading to an elegant residence.

It was a space that didn’t quite suit me but was a familiar background nonetheless.

‘Since I came here yesterday, I couldn’t possibly not recognize it.’

Yesterday.

In the night, with an air of caution, I had ventured into this very space.

It was where Lady Mi resided.

I arrived here again, led by Elder Lee.

The purpose? To meet someone.

Given that the place belonged to Lady Mi, I thought it was natural to assume it was to see her.

But that wasn’t it.

‘Hmm.’

Scanning the area with a tense expression, it became clear that I hadn’t come to see Lady Mi at all.

Elder Lee had mentioned that I was here to see my grandfather.

‘Grandfather? To be precise….’

My maternal grandfather.

If I had to label it, that would be it.

‘Not a drop of blood is mixed, though.’

When referring to my grandfather, it seemed that he was the old man I met last time, but looking closely, there was one more.

The founder of the Baekhwa Sect that Lady Mi manages.

The first clan leader, to be specific.

‘…Hmm.’

Even as I recalled this, questions arose.

Could someone like him truly be called my maternal grandfather?

‘Technically, he’s not even a real grandfather.’

After all, I was the child of a concubine, so it was obvious I shared no blood with Lady Mi, making it impossible for him to be my maternal grandfather.

To make matters worse.

‘I’ve never seen him.’

I had never laid my eyes on Lady Mi’s father, the founder of the Baekhwa Sect, not even once since my birth.

‘Only just discovered he was alive.’

I had never heard of him at all.

He existed, after all.

‘Were my sisters aware of this?’

I wondered if Gu Huibi or Gu Yeonseo knew about it.

Though I was essentially a stranger, they were undoubtedly his real granddaughters.

Naturally, that made it all the more puzzling.

‘Why on earth is this happening?’

Why did this first clan leader suddenly appear, going so far as to have Elder Lee accompany him all the way to Hanam?

And so…

‘Why me?’

Why did he want to see me, specifically?

This was something that hadn’t been present in my previous life either.

As always, it seemed my troubles were somehow to blame.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out.’

What went awry that led to this situation?

At that moment, I craned my neck and asked the old man in front of me.

“Excuse me, Elder Lee.”

“Hmm?”

The old man, standing eight feet tall, turned around at my call.

“Why exactly were you looking for me?”

Why is the founder of the Baekhwa Sect seeking me? I asked Elder Lee.

“Well, who knows?”

“…”

“Maybe he just wants to see his grandson.”

That was hardly a useful answer.

I should have known better than to expect anything fruitful from this old man.

“…If I’m not a grandson, why would he want to see me? And if he wanted to, he would’ve visited long ago.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Why did you, Elder Lee, take on the escort role? Isn’t that a bit odd for someone of your age?”

As a figure of the esteemed clan, it was peculiar that someone like him had taken on escort duties and followed me all the way to Hanam.

At my words, Elder Lee scratched his cheek.

“…Well, it just happened that way. Consider it a stroll, since you’ll see him anyway.”

“A stroll? Isn’t that called a trip, not a stroll—”

Swish-!

I turned my head mid-sentence.

Because Elder Lee had suddenly swung his fist down from above.

As his fist cut through the air, Elder Lee chuckled.

“What’s this? Did I miss?”

“Speak with words, please. Violence is bad.”

“Hmph, you’re getting better at picking at my words, it seems.”

Elder Lee shifted his wrist as if he were disappointed.

Looking at him, I said, “Honestly, just tell me.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you lose a bet or something?”

“…”

Elder Lee flinched slightly at my question.

“What… what do you mean? What would I have lost?”

“Isn’t that likely?”

“Of course not! Do you think I’m some fool who loses bets?”

“Yet your track record is quite colorful.”

“…”

Elder Lee fell silent, as if he had no retort.

How could I not be suspicious?

‘Who else but a madman brings back a treasure from the Hwasan Sect just because he won a drinking bet?’

That’s what caused me considerable hardship in the province of Seomseo.

Every time Elder Lee caused trouble, it often related to drinks or bets.

‘Given his reaction, it seems this time is no different.’

Sure enough, it seemed he had something to hide again.

‘Predictable, as always.’

Elder Lee was repeatedly trying to divert the subject, whistling aimlessly.

The ridiculous part was he couldn’t even whistle properly, so all that could be heard was a wind sound.

“…Elder Lee.”

“Ah, are you saying I’m not lying?”

Of course, you are.

From the look on his face, it was clear that Elder Lee was hiding something yet again.

“Just be honest.”

“What about?”

“What kind of trouble did you get into this time?”

I kept pressing him with questions.

Elder Lee’s individual troubles were his own to deal with, so they hardly seemed like matters that needed my attention.

But for me, it was a matter of survival.

‘It’s a must.’

From my experiences in this life, I was certain of it.

‘Whatever mess Elder Lee gets into, it spills over to me.’

No matter how much I tried to distance myself, I always seemed to get caught up in his troubles.

How many times had I cleaned up his mess—this one would likely follow the same pattern.

“Come on, you actually think so? You don’t trust me?”

“Of course not. I can’t trust Elder Lee.”

“Why can’t you trust me?”

“Honestly, the only person I can never trust is you.”

“Waaahhh—!!!”

“!”

I stopped mid-sentence and turned my head.

A surge of energy flooded throughout the residence.

“Whoa? What’s going on with you?”

Elder Lee seemed puzzled by my reaction. It appeared he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Could it be because my perception was heightened?

That shouldn’t be the case.

At present, I had mostly sealed my perception as I wasn’t used to it. The range was significantly limited compared to normal.

Then what was this energy?

‘…This.’

It immediately plunged into my heart, causing a powerful pulse to echo as it resonated within me.

Thump-!

Whooosh-!

At that moment, I felt the energy stir one more time from within the residence.

“…”

“Yangcheon?”

Elder Lee called me with a worried expression, but—

Flame Burst-!!!

My feet burst into flames as I blasted forward.

Boom-!

Having gained speed, I accelerated with a force unlike before.

In a matter of moments, the surroundings morphed completely.

The likelihood of an accident from not being able to control my speed was high, but I couldn’t worry about that right now.

I was that pressed for time.

Flame Burst—!!!

As a wisp of flame, I tunneled into the residence.

I passed the entrance without the guards noticing.

Yet my speed didn’t decrease.

My destination was where I felt the energy.

If this wasn’t a mistake—

‘This energy definitely….’

I struggled to catch my breath as I steeled my resolve.

It wasn’t far now; I would reach my destination in seconds.

The energy was emanating from deep within Lady Mi’s chamber.

I headed straight to the room.

Urgently checking the scene unfolding inside—

“…Hmm?”

I had to squint my eyes upon seeing it.

‘What on earth is going on?’

The room was filled with countless figures.

It was a sizable room, but with so many souls crammed inside, it felt rather cramped.

What I saw in the midst of that was—

‘Gu Huibi.’

She was gripping a sword, glaring at something, and beside her stood Lady Mi, looking shocked.

And—

‘Heavenly Demon?’

A familiar figure, a woman, stood there.

The Heavenly Demon held Tolly tightly in her embrace.

Surrounding her were martial artists clad in dark colors, likely the Dark Guards meant to protect Lady Mi.

All of them had their blades aimed menacingly at the Heavenly Demon.

‘…What kind of situation is this?’

What was happening here?

Why was the Heavenly Demon holding Tolly in that room and emanating such a powerful energy?

“…”

Trying to make sense of the situation, I swept my gaze around.

At that moment—

“Let go this instant!”

One of the Dark Guards shouted at the Heavenly Demon.

“If you don’t release her, I will cut you down!”

Madness.

They were attacking the Heavenly Demon.

I swallowed nervously at that insane command.

At the same time, I turned my attention back to Gu Huibi and Lady Mi.

In this small space where the Heavenly Demon had gathered, the distance was dangerously close.

If the Heavenly Demon lost her composure and went on a rampage, it would be challenging to escape with those two.

Having evaluated the risks, I immediately sprang into action.

Flame Burst-!

“Whoa!?”

“What’s—!”

I dove deeply into the fray, slipping through the gaps of the blades.

The Dark Guards, startled by my sudden appearance, froze upon recognizing my face.

“Young Master…?”

“Put down your swords!”

“W-What?”

“Put them down for now and take care of the Clan Leader first!”

“W-But….”

“Leave it to me!”

“…”

Despite their disgruntled expressions, the Dark Guards reluctantly moved aside to help Lady Mi first.

Finally, I was able to approach the Heavenly Demon.

She was still cradling Tolly tightly in her arms.

“Hey.”

“…”

“What’s your deal?”

Not a shred of movement came from her, not even acknowledgment.

The Heavenly Demon held Tolly and continued to breathe heavily.

Seeing that, I pressed on.

“What’s the deal with this ruckus?”

I spoke in a somewhat confrontational tone.

It was to gauge her reaction.

However, despite the slur of my words, deep down, I was trembling in anxiety.

What was the reason behind this?

Could it be an act of ill intent?

Was there something wrong this time around?

I felt growing uncertainty.

“Can you not answer me right now?”

As I uttered those words, I summoned strength into my heart.

If something went awry, I had to unleash Tam promptly.

That was the kind of power I needed.

A hand reached out carefully to her shoulder, applying gentle pressure until—

Swish.

In that fleeting moment, her head lifted and her eyes met mine.

The Heavenly Demon’s face emerged from beneath her black hair.

I froze.

It was inevitable.

“…What the hell are you?”

The Heavenly Demon, clutching Tolly, said softly, “Crying?”

She was crying.

And it was truly sorrowful.

 

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