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**

The atmosphere is awkward.

Sua glanced at her from the side. The mood of looking up at the moon was devoid of any lightness.

Yet, she reluctantly opened her mouth and stated her purpose for coming.

But Baekma flatly refused.

“Gathering? It’s meaningless.”

“…B-but…”

“Please count me out, Sua. I don’t have the time or the luxury for that. It’d be better to swing a sword one more time during that time.”

“Ryeongryeong, you’re withering away…!”

“Is there anyone among us who isn’t withering away?”

Baekma rose from her seat.

“We’re all slowly dying. We are just surviving for some reason. I should have insisted on leaving something that day… I regret that moment again and again.”

“…Sister…”

“Sua, I wanted to become a Blood Sea Candidate.”

She lifted her matted hair and dirty face, whispering softly.

“At first, it was for wealth and fame. Power to save my sister. That was important too, I guess. But after meeting him, it changed. That person… gave me everything I wanted.”

“…….”

“He even risked his life for me, to save my sister, whom he didn’t even know… He did absurd things back then. Just for me. He wanted to take care of me, who had fought with him just once.”

“…Sister.”

“Since then, my goal remained the same, but my motivation changed. I wanted to help him. Maybe even more than that. I had received so much. I wanted to give back just as much. But… I couldn’t even return it. I couldn’t share the pain with him either. I made a foolish choice simply because he told me to go.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

But Baekma forcibly pushed that trembling back down.

“I thought I was keeping the promise to return as always. And that… must have been the same for all of us.”

“…….”

“Our complacency killed him. If we had just been by his side, something might have changed, but we acted like obedient dogs… Is there anything more foolish than this?”

Baekma scratched the ground with the drawn sword, dragging it as she took her place in the center of the clearing.

“This disaster didn’t arise because I trusted him. It was because I left everything to the man who always shouldered the burden alone. I killed him. Alone. Lonely. Without anyone watching…”

“……”

“So, I have only one thing to do. I will kill everyone related to Reverse Heaven. Not leaving a single one. I will color the tip of my sword with blood and dedicate them before the grave without a corpse. Everyone associated with his death. But I lack the power for that. I’m still insufficient, so I must keep piling it up.”

Obsession is evident.

And the miracle brought by that obsession also peeks through.

Baekma’s eyes narrowed. The warping world faintly appeared over her Yi-hyeong Ki.

Fragments of the Heart Sword.

“I’m sorry, but Sua. I’ll eat dinner separately. And please don’t come looking for me unless necessary.”

“……”

“I’m busy.”

She began to swing her sword again. Sua, staring blankly at the high school senior watching Hyun-kyung, turned to leave.

She understood her feelings.

If only she had learned martial arts a little earlier, if only she could swing a sword like Dad…

Dad wouldn’t have died alone and lonely.

A corner of her heart condenses with regret. She turned back to look at her one last time.

She was cold, yet burning.

That intense passion was more twisted than Eun Seol-ran’s.

Rather than scheming as a group relying on factions or others’ strength…

It was solely about personally punishing them.

“…Sister. Stay healthy.”

Coming back would be a burden, wouldn’t it?

She is honing herself. With even stronger steel.

Feeling like she was watching her father’s back, Sua turned to leave.

She wants to grow stronger.

But…

Even if she becomes stronger, Dad won’t return, and the more she swings the sword, the more complicated her feelings become.

When everything is over, where will I be? What will I dream of?

…I don’t know.

I just miss him.

Dad.

. . .

Sua spent her allowance. She settled in a fancy restaurant.

She poured all the money she received from Ilma into it. She even rented the entire place for a single meal.

Ju Ryeongryeong glanced up at the inn with a hint of discontent.

“…Isn’t this too much?”

“This place is especially delicious. Plus, since there’s no one else, we can eat comfortably! Let’s go in, sister.”

She guided Ju Ryeongryeong inside. Two seats on the table were already taken.

Black Danhwa, who was chatting with Eun Seol-ran, lifted her head and sighed when she saw Ju Ryeongryeong.

“…Ryeongryeong, did I not tell you to take care of yourself?”

“I just didn’t have an appetite. You look skinny too, Danhwa.”

“I’m just a bit lean. I’m managing my figure these days.”

Black Danhwa’s joke made Ju Ryeongryeong chuckle lightly.

“Where on you is there to lose weight?”

“There’s surprisingly a lot. Right, Seol-ran?”

“You’ll get stoned if you keep saying that. Sua, where’s Baekma?”

“…She said she wouldn’t come.”

The three fell silent. To break the awkward atmosphere, Black Danhwa raised her voice slightly.

“Baekma is busy too, you know. She’s a Blood Sea Candidate? She has a lot to do, so it can’t be helped. It’s different from us who are just hanging around.”

“If she doesn’t want to come, then so be it. We can order whatever we want here, right?”

Eun Seol-ran tilted her head slightly, whispering to Sua.

“If you’re short on money, let me know. Got it?”

“…Seol-ran…”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve already paid for everything in advance.”

Black Danhwa casually drank tea. Sua was taken aback.

“Danhwa?! I said I’d pay!”

“As an older sister, how could I use my younger sister’s pocket money? It’s fine. Right, Ryeongryeong?”

“…I didn’t contribute anything.”

“Your money is my money, and my money is your money. It’s from the Pursuit Spirit Pavilion’s funds. We are part of the same Pursuit Spirit Pavilion, after all.”

“…Was that still left?”

“Ilma said he’d never let that go…”

Black Danhwa abruptly cut off her words, awkwardly turning her gaze.

Sua knew what was left unsaid.

Her father’s name is listed as a member of the Pursuit Spirit Pavilion.

Ilma’s intention was not to let that disappear.

“…Anyway, eat a lot. Ryeongryeong. You’ll be scolded if you leave any behind?”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“If you leave any behind, I’ll seriously make you pay.”

Suddenly, everyone turned their heads at the voice that rang out.

A long robe dragged down from the second floor. Ilma came back from work and naturally took the seat of honor.

“I brought the Pursuit Spirit Pavilion’s funds. To use it however you want… have you finally lost your mind, Black Danhwa?”

“You have the source of the funds noted, right? I boldly wrote it down as a company dinner. Besides, I usually do a good job, don’t I? I handle about half of Ilma’s work.”

“That’s even less than before. Cheon Joong-hyeok has locked my tasks to maintain security. Moreover, unlike before, I’ve been freed from the role of the Daeho law. If I organize my official duties, I could wrap it up in a single hour.”

“I was talking about unofficial duties. You won’t deny that, right?”

“Don’t try to take credit for what the Great Master ordered you to do. Don’t you have things you do because you want to as well?”

“Anyway, I’m just asking you to let me have a bit of freedom for a company dinner.”

“…Do you have any idea how much it costs to rent this entire building for a day? Don’t spend money like water. You’ll definitely end up caught.”

“It’s just whining.”

“Look at you hissing… Why did I ever raise you…”

Ilma sighed. Suddenly, her gaze softened when it met Sua’s.

“…But that doesn’t mean I need to worry too much. Don’t make that face.”

“Ilma-nim…”

“You’re exceptionally kind to Sua, aren’t you?”

“Shut up and just order the food.”

“Yes.”

Food began to be moved one by one. The four with their spoons paused slightly to look at Ilma’s face.

Still wearing her mask. As she usually handled her meals alone, no one had seen her real face here.

“…You’re not planning to just sit there in silence, are you?”

“Tch.”

Ilma scanned the room.

With an expression of inevitability, she took off her mask.

Flowing pink hair. Everyone widened their eyes, but the one who was most astonished was Sua.

“…Wow…”

Only beautiful people gathered here.

But what if there was someone who stood out as exceptionally pretty among them?

It felt like an unreal fantasy had settled in front of her. Abnormally long eyelashes fluttered gently. The delicate brow that looked down at the crowd furrowed.

Even that was beautiful. Beyond beautiful, it was wondrous.

The Baekma she saw not long ago was also breathtakingly beautiful, but compared to anyone else here…

The atmosphere itself is different.

A tragic yet noble crane.

As Ilma brushed her hair back, she growled.

“If you’ve come to eat, focus on the food. What kind of family stares at people like you’re probing their insides?”

“…Hearing you say that, it really must be Ilma.”

“If you say that one more time, I’ll sew your mouth shut. You’ll live your whole life without tasting food.”

The surprise was short-lived.

Everyone began to move their spoons. Small talks mixed in among them.

Fortunately, Ju Ryeongryeong seemed to have her appetite returned to some extent as she lightly smiled and participated in the conversation. You could see her slowly chewing her food.

But even while everyone was laughing and chatting joyfully, pretending to be fine…

Sua realized it.

Everyone felt emptiness.

Even after some time had passed, the vacant seat was still palpable.

…No.

With each passing day, it only seemed to grow larger.

“…Dad.”

Sua quietly slipped away from her seat, leaning her back against the wall.

The moon was bright. But because of that, the shadows only deepened.

The more joyful the time became, the more so.

Because there’s no warm embrace and no hand casually providing food.

So she whispers.

To the person she can no longer see.

“I miss you.”

 

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