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Thud.

Thud.

I can hear something in my ear. What could that be?

It surely sounded like footsteps.

First, my hearing reacted, and then I felt a scent.

A peculiar floral fragrance brushed against the tip of my nose.

It was subtle, light, and soft. Still, the scent lingered for a long time.

As sounds and scents entwined, a tactile sensation emerged.

I felt someone’s back. Is the owner of that back the one giving me the scent and touch?

‘This is comfortable.’

Somehow, it felt cozy.

Unknowingly, I was about to close my eyes again.

‘…Wait a second.’

A back? A scent? Another person?

‘Does that mean…?’

Am I being carried by someone?

“…!”

Realizing this, my eyes shot open. In a panic, I sat up.

As I did, the grip around me loosened, and I naturally began to descend to the ground.

Just as I landed, I tried to confirm who was carrying me.

Suddenly—BOOM!!!

“Gah…!!”

I couldn’t escape the tremendous pain that hit my knee. Pain surged through my blood vessels, and a wicked ache spread around my heart.

I stumbled, holding my chest tightly.

“Ugh… this is craziness…”

How long has it been since I experienced pain like this? It wasn’t even this bad when I first succeeded with the Heavenly Demon Technique.

This was something I couldn’t even compare.

“Haah… huff…”

Veins were bulging in my eyes. My hand clutching my chest trembled violently.

‘Was I unconscious?’

It seemed so. I must have fainted. Fortunately, I wasn’t dead, so it didn’t seem like the worst-case scenario.

For now, I braced myself, taking a slow breath, and carefully lifted my head.

‘Who could it be?’

Besides the issue of my current state, who was carrying me like this?

As I tried to see, my eyes widened.

“…!”

I saw a figure standing before me.

“It’s you…”

A woman stood there, watching over me.

With brown hair and a black mask, she was known here as Yarang.

According to my memories, she was someone with a different name.

“…Why are you here?”

Why is she in front of me? Does that mean it was Yarang who carried me all this way?

Suppressing my confusion, I looked around.

I was in a forest. The location wasn’t clear. The surroundings didn’t seem drastically different from the forest I saw before I collapsed.

Does that mean I haven’t come far?

‘That’s a mystery.’

Forests all look similar, so I couldn’t judge just from that.

Should I attempt to extend my Qi perception?

Taking a steady breath, I tried to channel my energy, but—

Zap-!

‘Crap.’

My energy wouldn’t move, and only pain spread throughout. I felt a bit of recovery; however, it seemed too early to move my energy.

It was hard to sense any presence. For now, I kept my Qi in check and looked at Yarang.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

Yarang, who should have been with my mother at Yawol, why is she here instead?

Not only had she found me when I passed out.

“Where are you taking me?”

Where exactly is she trying to lead me?

As I turned to look at Yarang, questions swirling in my mind.

“…”

Yarang stared at me in silence.

Her expression was unreadable. Perhaps because of her mask, her presence also felt absent.

“…”

She just silently watched me. It would have been nice if she said something, but she didn’t.

What’s going on?

“Say something. You must have a reason.”

I frowned.

It was the same as before. Why isn’t she saying anything?

Could it be?

“Can’t you speak?”

“…”

At my question, Yarang nodded her head.

‘…Are you saying you can’t speak?’

Is she mute?

So that’s why she’s been silent.

I just now realized it. No wonder she hadn’t spoken at all.

‘Whether that’s true or not…’

Even if that was confirmed, nothing would change.

“Why do you keep lingering around me?”

Even without an answer, I asked.

I’d heard from the Heavenly Demon, and it had been strange even when I felt it. Yarang had been circling around me.

They say she’s the eyes and ears of Mankye; Shin Noya described her like that.

If that’s true, then it means Yarang knows what I do and see, which my master should also be aware of.

‘Does she also know the situation?’

Could it be that my master already knows too?

Did she send Yarang even after knowing that?

Or…

“…You know something, don’t you?”

Unlike my master, who had lost her memories.

Yarang might know something after all.

As I asked, restless, she didn’t show any reaction.

With her expression hidden by the mask, my frustration only grew.

I believe Yarang is the Divine Sword.

All my instincts told me so. Yet, here she was, giving me such an indifferent response.

How could a Divine Sword thought to be entirely gone still walk like this?

But.

‘Even Shin Noya is moving, right?’

Since Noya also has a physical form, could Yarang not?

I was convinced she had her own reasons too.

And yet, she kept circling around me, so what did she want?

“Even if you can’t speak, at least give me some reaction.”

Just say something!

I fervently wished for an answer, but.

“…”

“Darn it.”

Yarang remained completely unresponsive.

A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

Suppressing my frustration, I pushed myself up. I still felt the ache, but I could endure it.

Crack.

Ah, cancel that.

My joints screamed in agony. Thanks to that, I almost let out a scream myself.

“Gah.”

Straining just a bit, I managed to sit up straight again.

Then I asked Yarang once more.

“Are you really not going to answer me?”

“…”

“…Do as you wish, then.”

Frowning, I turned my back on her. It seemed like she wanted to do something, yet ultimately didn’t react, leaving me with no options.

What would happen if I returned to my master again and reported this?

Was my coming here a command from her?

Or was it something Yarang did on her own will?

So many questions rushed through my mind.

‘…There’s no use trying to dig deeper.’

There was nothing I could do with her demonstrating such indifference.

Remembering how last time, the Heavenly Demon intervened, and it turned to combat, I sighed.

Besides.

‘She seems to have no intent to attack.’

It didn’t feel like she meant to harm me.

So it seemed like she was just watching me from the sidelines.

‘But this time, she’s carrying me.’

Given that she carried my fallen body, that must mean her role wasn’t purely passive.

What could her intention be?

Was it my master’s will, or her own?

If it were the former, that would be concerning. But personally, I hoped it would be the latter.

‘If I’m right, and if Yarang is actually you…’

Rather than just using a borrowed body.

My hope was that, even without memories, something little remained in her to come searching for me.

While I wished for that, I tried to move my body again.

Suddenly—

“…!”

As I tried to move my arm, Yarang grabbed my wrist.

“What?”

I turned to look back at the hand that had suddenly grabbed me. Yarang was pointing somewhere.

“What is it?”

“…”

“Are you saying we should go there?”

She nodded slightly.

Seeing her mild nod, I grimaced.

“…Why do I have to go there?”

You’re not saying anything, yet you want to take me somewhere else?!

I felt a bit annoyed and tried to shake off her hand.

“…”

Even though I put strength into it, she wouldn’t budge. It seemed my body lacked strength.

“Let go.”

“…”

“Let me go.”

“…”

“Just let me go…!”

Suddenly, Yarang tightened her grip, pulling me towards her. I was caught off guard and couldn’t respond properly.

In that moment—

Swish.

“…Huh?”

I felt a sharp touch against my neck. Yarang had somehow aimed a white sword blade at my throat.

“…”

“Are you serious…?”

I forced a smile at Yarang.

“Are you going to kill me if I don’t follow along?”

“…”

There was no answer. Yet her gaze spoke volumes— it bore a sense of affirmation.

“…This is absurd.”

Since we weren’t communicating, she turned to threats.

It was funny, in a way.

“What on earth are you planning to do that requires this?”

Regardless, I ceased my resistance.

There was no way to escape this situation, was there? No, that wasn’t true.

Suddenly, memories of my past life flooded back.

I recalled how the Divine Sword often used threats when communication failed.

Given that it was Yarang doing this now, it felt a bit similar to that time.

Unintentionally, my emotions softened a little.

“…”

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Yarang slightly lowered the sword and began to move forward.

As she walked, I felt her grip on my wrist tighten.

Feeling the pull, I was compelled to take steps forward.

*

How much longer did we walk?

With Yarang still holding my wrist, we continued wandering through the forest.

We spun around, went straight, and turned corners.

As we veered towards areas that seemed off the beaten path, suddenly—

The sun began to set.

‘Where are we heading?’

A faint sense of anxiety crept up on me as I glanced at Yarang.

It was a little troubling for it to become night.

‘…Is something bad going to happen?’

Although my body was recovering slightly after a while, it wasn’t a good time to engage in combat yet.

Could I defeat Yarang if it came to a brawl?

‘If Yarang’s power is similar to the Divine Sword from my previous life…’

There would be no chance of winning.

When I fought the Heavenly Demon last time, the encounter was too fleeting to gauge properly, so I had to keep that possibility in mind.

Although I believed Yarang to be a Divine Sword.

Considering my mother couldn’t remember me, I had no idea what might unfold.

Especially since we had come to such a remote place, the situation was increasingly nerve-wracking.

Suddenly, Yarang halted in her tracks.

When her pace slowed, I darted my gaze around.

This appeared to be a clearing with nothing in sight.

Is this our destination?

“What are we doing here…?”

I was about to ask why we suddenly stopped, when—

Swish.

Just as before, Yarang conjured a sword with her Qi.

Then she began to gather energy around the sword.

“You…!”

That intense momentum made me instinctively want to push my own power forward.

But Yarang swung her sword first.

Swoosh-!!

I heard the sound of something being sliced.

I furrowed my brow at the scene.

It wasn’t my body being cut. Yarang slashed at the empty air, not me.

What the heck is happening? Just as I was mentally processing this confusion—

Suddenly—Ssssss—!!

The air she sliced began to tear like paper, separating with a rending noise.

Boom!!

From the inside, something burst forth.

I soon realized what it was: butterflies. Hundreds of them, drenched in scarlet hues.

“…What the?”

The suddenly appearing butterflies quickly encircled Yarang and me, obscuring our vision completely.

Fluttering apart, they scatter in an instant.

What’s going on? And where did these butterflies come from?

“…Huh?”

Before I could wrap my head around the strange turn of events, my eyes widened in disbelief as something loomed in front of me.

Up until that moment, there had been nothing in this clearing, just an open landscape.

But now—

“…A tree?”

It was a tree, indeed.

A stunning tree, its leaves all tinted with a scarlet hue.

 

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