---

“I frowned at the words of the Heavenly Demon.”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

What kind of conversation is this?

It seems I’ve just wasted my time.

‘What is this nonsense?’

From the start, it didn’t matter what the name was.

I didn’t know the Heavenly Demon’s name even in my previous life.

Just the Heavenly Demon (天魔).

A demon sent from the sky, and the root of calamity.

Her name meant nothing to me right now.

That was enough.

No, it had to be enough.

So.

‘Don’t make that face in front of me.’

As if she were someone different from the Heavenly Demon of my previous life. The way she was acting in front of me was disgusting.

“I’m feeling sick.”

I twisted at the waist.

The condensed energy felt particularly heavy.

Energy can’t have weight, so it must purely be pressure.

Could I kill her with this?

I have no certainty.

But I would just act.

“Tam (貪).”

Shiiik–!!

Crack–!

“!”

Tam escaped and began to tear apart the barrier.

This time, the Heavenly Demon didn’t evade, creating an even larger space than before.

That’s the place.

I took a deep step, stomping on the ground, adjusted my shoulder, and gripped the Sacred Spear tightly.

“…”

Seeing that, the Heavenly Demon seemed to want to say something but changed her posture instead.

It didn’t seem like she was trying to escape.

‘Rather.’

It looked like she was demonstrating a will to not move.

‘Damn it.’

Does she mean to say that I should take aim?

I could see how little she thought of people.

Then I guess I have to show it.

“Fine, then just die here.”

As I spat that out, I moved my arm.

At that moment.

“Brother—!”

From behind, Gu Huibi’s voice called out.

It seemed she arrived late.

But it was already too late.

Crack–! I threw the Sacred Spear that I had gripped.

Shiiiiiik–!!

The Sacred Spear flew swiftly toward the Heavenly Demon.

“Stop—!”

Seeing this, Gu Huibi dashed in urgently to intervene, but there was no way she could stop it at her speed.

And so.

The Sacred Spear ultimately reached the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon shut her eyes softly as she took notice.

Woooom–!!

Boom–!!!

With a tremor, an explosion erupted.

Shiiiiiiiiiiing–!!

The gust of heat swept violently, engulfing the area.

From a distance, thick smoke began to rise.

I waved my hand at it.

With the explosion’s aftermath, I pulled back the fire that was stuck on the trees.

Hooook–!!

Flames gathered and accumulated in my heart.

With a furrowed brow, I faced forward.

Before me, the Heavenly Demon stood just as she had before. She seemed completely unscathed.

Behind the standing Heavenly Demon, the scene of ruin became visible.

“Ha…”

I wiped my face with trembling hands.

“Damn it….”

That was a curse I spat at myself.

In the end, I couldn’t do it.

Even when it was handed to me on a plate, I couldn’t follow through.

What a miserable situation this is.

“Yeona…!”

Gu Huibi, who had rushed over from behind, passed by me and approached the Heavenly Demon.

“Sister, hello.”

The Heavenly Demon greeted Gu Huibi calmly.

Seeing that, I thought to myself.

Why couldn’t I kill her?

‘Is it because she looks exactly like Wi Seol-Ah?’

I can’t say that it isn’t true.

But, it probably isn’t just that reason.

‘Then is it the thought that she might change?’

With the Heavenly Demon looking so different, I thought maybe she could change like Jiegal Hyeok or Nangong Bi-ah.

I don’t know.

I can’t know anything, but one thing is certain.

‘I’ll regret this.’

Right now, I think killing the Heavenly Demon will lead to my regret.

I might not be able to kill her if I don’t do it now.

Someday, she may become a calamity again and cause a Blood Calamity.

Such anxiety exists, but it’s overshadowed by an unknown fear of regret.

Do I feel a pang of conscience?

If that’s the case, it shouldn’t have been something I felt just now.

What is the meaning of this situation?

I couldn’t really understand it.

‘…What should I do?’

I asked the foul-tempered old man who isn’t here now.

‘I don’t know the way.’

There was no answer.

There was no one to ask.

If it were Noya right now, what would he have said to me?

“Don’t do it if you think you’ll regret it.”

Would it have been like that?

‘Then, what if something happens later?’

“If that’s the case, think about it then. You can manage that. Tsk tsk. How could someone so cowardly like you be of any use?”

‘…’

“Just follow your heart. That’s what suits you.”

Noya wasn’t here, but it felt like those words were directed at me.

Recalling that, I looked at the Heavenly Demon.

“Let me ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you take the entrance exam for the Seer?”

I had gone to the trouble of getting her accepted, and yet she suddenly vanished right before the secondary exam.

“Oh.”

She seemed to recall it and widened her eyes.

And then.

“Because I’m weak.”

“What?”

“Our kind don’t bully the weak. It’s dangerous to fight.”

“…”

In an instant, even the elite and seasoned martial artists had transformed into the weak, but even beyond that, I was astonished that the Heavenly Demon would say such a thing.

“Damn it.”

Tap tap.

Hearing her response, I brushed my hands off. At the same time, I looked at Gu Huibi.

“Put away your sword, sister. I won’t do it anymore.”

“…”

My words made Gu Huibi, who had been gripping the hilt, flinch.

She probably intended to stop me.

‘With a face like that.’

The look on Gu Huibi’s face was so pained.

It seemed she didn’t like the very idea of presenting her sword to me.

She might be one of the most foul-tempered humans out there, yet at times like this, she was incredibly human.

“Brother….”

“I’m not just saying I’d stop for no reason. Right now… I just need a little time to think.”

“I don’t know how you see it, but this child isn’t a bad person… She just doesn’t know the world well yet, so let her stay closer for a bit-.”

“That might be true.”

I interrupted Gu Huibi’s words.

It might indeed be true.

The sight of the Heavenly Demon saying she didn’t want to fight and that the weak shouldn’t battle was strange even to me.

Regardless of the circumstances, perhaps the Heavenly Demon could live a different life.

While I could see it that way.

“But you know, for me to think like that now, I have to give up quite a lot, right?”

That was a very difficult thing for me.

A time of only a few years remained.

Only a few years from now, the time when the Heavenly Demon would descend would come.

Up until then, it was a point in time where anything could happen.

It was hard to think about anything merely based on what I just saw.

“So I think I’ll just leave for now.”

I needed time to think.

With the Heavenly Demon in front of me, I couldn’t think of anything.

I turned my back as I looked at the ruined forest and the Heavenly Demon.

‘Is it okay if I leave like this?’

Is it alright to walk away, leaving the Heavenly Demon behind?

As I felt those questions linger, I heard.

“Take care.”

“…”

“I’ll see you again later.”

With the Heavenly Demon’s voice, tinged with innocence, I finally took my steps.

Hooook–!

I floated into the void.

The moon continued to rise in the night.

Breathing carefully while gazing at the thin crescent moon, I thought.

‘What is this?’

What kind of mess is this situation?

Leaving behind both the current look of the Heavenly Demon and the me who managed to endure it.

I reflected on how the situation had reached this point.

‘Grandfather….’

The former clan leader of the Gu Clan, who was already said to be dead, entrusted the Heavenly Demon.

How could the Heavenly Demon, who presumably left with the Gungju, be entrusted into my grandfather’s hands?

Especially to Gu Huibi.

I don’t know.

In the first place, it’s strange that my grandfather is alive.

‘Does Father know?’

Does Father indeed know about this?

If he knows, it means that Gu Huibi and Father know something that I am unaware of.

‘…I don’t want to ask Gu Huibi about this now.’

I didn’t want to ask Gu Huibi again when I returned.

‘Anyway, Father said he would come around tomorrow.’

For now, I should ask Father about it first.

Thinking that, I left the forest, but an unexpected issue arose even there.

The next day.

As scheduled, the personnel of the Gu Clan and Lady Mi returned to Hanam.

However, Father didn’t arrive with them.

That was the case for the seven days that followed.

 

---