---

Chapter 582: Nice to Meet You

“Ah, Prince. You’ve come…”

As I returned to the residence, I spotted Tang Soyeol.

Tang Soyeol was about to greet me but suddenly paused, staring at me.

“Prince…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“Is something the matter?”

There was concern in Tang Soyeol’s eyes.

Seeing that made me chuckle softly.

“What could possibly be wrong? Nothing’s wrong.”

“But…”

“Did you eat?”

“…Yes…”

Trying to change the subject, I prompted Tang Soyeol, who replied reluctantly.

She could sense I didn’t want to talk, so she dropped it.

I felt a little guilty about that.

“Have you eaten, Prince?”

“Oh, yes, I have.”

I answered with a smile, but of course, I hadn’t eaten.

There was no way food would go down.

‘No way it could go down.’

I brushed my hair back, barely managing to cool my head.

Even though I had been trying to calm down for a while, it wasn’t enough.

Instead of cooling down, it felt like my senses were getting hotter.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

Was I dreaming or something?

That thought flitted through my mind. No, it was more like I was hoping it was a dream.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t a dream.

Her jet-black hair.

The amethyst eyes that looked at me.

The overwhelming energy I felt from her. All of it was real.

Although the events that transpired due to my actions were considerable, the current situation probably had the biggest butterfly effect.

‘Where did it all go wrong?’

The Heavenly Demon appeared in Hanam.

And it was in a form that was quite different from my memory.

How was it supposed to be originally?

‘…At least not this way.’

If I recall correctly, it should have been at least a year or two later.

During the festival organized by the Martial Alliance, they were supposed to open the Demonic Gate and make their appearance.

I still vividly remember it.

The moment they tore through the void and stepped forward.

Looking down at all the righteous martial artists filling the floor.

[I am the Heavenly Demon.]

With that proclamation, overpowering the masters of the alliance to their knees.

I still remember it vividly.

Of course.

The appearance of the Red Demon Beast was hastened, and the clan leader changed from the previous life to Wudang’s Sword Master.

So many things had already changed.

That much, I could understand. It was my doing after all.

If I wanted to take responsibility, I could have tried to.

‘But not like this.’

I never expected such a big problem would blow up.

My head throbbed.

The atmosphere was completely different from the Heavenly Demon I knew, and although I didn’t want to compare, it was oddly similar to Wi Seol-Ah.

[Why do you dislike me?]

Those words she had thrown at me echoed in my mind.

Why do I dislike her? It’s more than just dislike.

‘I hate her.’

I hate the Heavenly Demon.

I kept repeating that in my mind.

But the recent image kept sticking in my memory.

‘Don’t think about it. That’s the Heavenly Demon.’

I tried hard to erase it from my mind.

I had to keep recognizing who my opponent was.

What have I endured for up until now?

What am I living for? I had to keep reminding myself of that.

At the same time, I had to think about it.

‘What should I do next?’

No matter what had happened to the Heavenly Demon, or how dire my situation was now.

Having faced it, I needed to find a way to break through.

“Prince?”

I heard Tang Soyeol’s voice.

“Are you really… really okay?”

As she approached, Tang Soyeol tightly held my hand.

The cold touch snapped me back to reality.

It might be summer now, but why is her hand so cold?

Her face was filled with great concern.

I must have had a pretty messed up expression on my face.

“I’m okay.”

“…”

She looked doubtful.

Which made sense because while I said I was okay, my expression wasn’t exactly conveying that.

“…Prince.”

Tang Soyeol called out to me.

“Hmm?”

I looked at her as if to ask what was wrong, and she spoke.

“I… I can help you now…”

There was something resolute in her gaze.

Maybe that’s why I understood her intentions all too well.

“So, can you tell me?”

Her inquiry was so cautious.

Her voice was filled with unease.

I felt her fear of being rejected.

“…”

Seeing that made me sigh inwardly.

This was troublesome.

‘I didn’t ask her to become strong to help me with this.’

I wanted her to withstand it alone.

To be able to protect herself in dangerous situations.

Also.

‘Don’t sacrifice yourself.’

I didn’t want her to burn herself out trying to protect something like in the previous life.

That’s what I had hoped for.

Now, if Tang Soyeol wanted to help me, it held no significance.

At the very least.

Please, at least.

‘I hope these kids aren’t involved.’

That was how it all started—a wish.

Feeling her earnestness, I gave Tang Soyeol’s hair a gentle pat.

The sensation of her slightly longer hair and softly styled strands felt nice.

“It’s still okay for now.”

At my words, Tang Soyeol’s expression turned gloomy.

Even after reaching the Transformation Realm, she still made such faces.

That was strangely fascinating.

She must have gained considerable enlightenment, yet the essence of a person doesn’t change, does it?

“Really, it’s okay for now.”

“Yes…”

“If you need help, just tell me anytime.”

“You don’t do that.”

“…”

I had nothing to say to her outright denial.

I was also at a loss for words.

“Um… yeah.”

I offered a sheepish smile.

There were too many past mistakes to deny it.

Maybe that’s why, Tang Soyeol seemed quite resolute.

Hmph.

I let out a slight huff.

Still, thanks to her, my disoriented mind felt somewhat clearer.

‘First… I need to take action.’

Complicated things were complicated.

The more so, I had to move.

So, what I need to do now is…

Focusing on recovering my body wouldn’t be a bad idea.

‘The Heavenly Demon is somewhere in Hanam.’

If the Heavenly Demon is somewhere here, then the first thing I needed to do was straightforward.

“By the way.”

“What is it?”

I asked Tang Soyeol.

“Where is the King of Demons right now?”

Tang Soyeol’s lips quivered at my question.

It seemed she didn’t expect my request to be about this.

‘Sorry about that.’

But it couldn’t be helped.

My situation here was quite urgent as well.

“…As for my Master…”

Master, huh.

Hearing the title of the King of Demons being mentioned in that way felt rather peculiar.

“Is it that you haven’t been able to contact the Prince?”

Hearing those words made me tilt my head.

There was something off about it.

“Why? Did something happen?”

While I could find the King of Demons if I searched, I was simply asking.

Why was she reacting like that?

“I don’t know where my Master is right now.”

“Hmm?”

“He left saying it was time to descend and then vanished.”

Vanish…?

Hearing what Tang Soyeol said made me think.

If the King of Demons couldn’t contact Tang Soyeol, what could be the reason?

Thinking about it, one thing came to mind.

‘If I can, then so can I.’

Just because Tang Soyeol can’t doesn’t mean it’s impossible for me.

I need to send a separate message within today.

Although originally, I didn’t intend to contact him.

‘The King of Demons must be in the loop.’

If it’s something related to the Heavenly Demon, I needed to handle it differently.

“Understood. I’ll try to contact him.”

“Okay?”

“Oh, is there anything you want me to convey?”

“Ah, no… um…”

As soon as the King of Demons was mentioned, worry clouded Tang Soyeol’s expression.

“…Just tell him to come as late as possible, if it’s feasible…”

“…”

Hearing Tang Soyeol’s words made me smile bitterly.

It seemed she had quite the rough experience with the King of Demons.

The next day.

I lay on the floor, staring up at the sky.

Yeah, it was a familiar sight.

“Aah, my back.”

I lifted my exhausted body.

As I tried to sit up, I felt pain in my waist.

It seemed I had pushed myself a bit too hard.

Holding my throbbing waist, someone gently sat across from me, aligning their gaze with mine.

It was Pejon.

“Tsk tsk… you look ridiculous.”

Hearing his disdainful words made me frown.

“Hey, I asked for it to be reasonable. How could you just throw me like that?”

The reason I was looking up at the sky was indeed because of my bout with Pejon.

No, was it even right to call it a bout?

As always, it was closer to a one-sided beating.

‘Was I supposed to land a hit this time?’

I could have managed when Pejon was at the peak of his prowess.

Now that I had reached the Transformation Realm, that was out of the question.

‘Even the Heart Eye was no help.’

Regardless of whether I activated my Heart Eye, I just couldn’t keep up.

The speed was one thing.

‘The routes he wanted to take were dozens.’

Pejon had so many paths for the bet he wanted to make.

It was impossible to respond to each and every one.

So what happens?

‘You just get beaten up.’

I had to roll on the floor without being able to counterattack.

“There’s no such thing as ‘reasonable’ in training. You must be sincere every moment.”

“Okay, but still.”

“Right, Shin Yi advised that you should take a break, but you were the one who insisted on training.”

“…”

That was valid.

Though I thought I was somewhat healed, I had asked Pejon to help me train.

‘…I didn’t expect him to just go all out without holding back.’

I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being wronged.

At that moment.

Pejon’s expression looked unsatisfied as he asked me.

“With all those distracting thoughts in your head, how do you expect to train?”

“…”

I had to smile bitterly at that comment.

I’d been found out. I had hoped he wouldn’t notice, but it seemed Pejon had put it all together.

“I’m sorry.”

At my hasty apology, Pejon narrowed his eyes.

“Given your face, something seems to be troubling you.”

“…”

“Your nature being what it is, you probably won’t say a word.”

Could it be that my heart is open, revealing itself?

How does he know me so well?

“At least if you plan to train, shake off those distractions. Otherwise, you’ll just waste your time.”

“…Yes.”

After uttering those words, Pejon stood up.

I had to soothe my bitter thoughts while watching him.

‘Shake off distractions, huh.’

It’s easy to say.

How on earth am I supposed to shake them off?

Given how dire my situation is.

Feeling anxious and restless, I sought out Pejon for help, but I knew that wasn’t the right answer either.

The Heavenly Demon is somewhere here.

That single fact was suffocating me.

Could it be because I kept overthinking?

I could hear Pejon sigh as if it showed on my face.

“Disciple.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Like always, you think too much for someone of your level.”

“…”

The Transformation Realm is something one can only reach after gaining considerable enlightenment.

To have so many distractions even after reaching that stage was indeed a critique.

“You won’t reach the place you desire without shaking that off.”

“…”

“Whether it’s a realm or the power you seek.”

Transcendence will be difficult.

It’ll be hard to build the power I wish to create right now as well.

That was what his words conveyed.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

In that case, all I could do was nod.

I understood it in my mind, but acting on it was another matter.

“Hmm.”

Seeing that, Pejon huffed.

He seemed not to like it, but he wouldn’t push it any further.

So I stood up as well.

“…Thank you for this morning. I’ll be visiting Shin Yi for a bit.”

Having wrapped up my morning training,

I planned to visit Shin Yi to check on my body.

But then.

“Shin Yi isn’t here right now.”

“Eh?”

I widened my eyes at Pejon’s words.

Shin Yi isn’t here?

“This morning?”

Just when the sun had barely begun to rise.

Where would he go at this hour?

“I heard he went to meet a visitor who’s been anticipated.”

Even with Pejon’s explanation, my confusion remained.

‘A visitor?’

There was a clear reason for Shin Yi’s arrival in Hanam…

‘He must be here to meet someone.’

So, does that mean this visitor is that very person?

‘Who could it be that’s so important?’

Even the current leader of the Martial Alliance has to move directly to see him.

For Shin Yi to personally make an appearance, that individual must be significant…

I can’t help but wonder who it is.

 

---