## Chapter 1571 – Chronicles of a Black-Haired Foreigner – Heavenly Demon’s Rampage

As Copson began distributing gifts, the villagers flocked around him, singing his praises. They were overjoyed that Copson had returned a great success after leaving the village, and their faces were filled with smiles.

Judging by the looks of it, the villagers all seemed genuinely happy to see Copson. That bastard always had a knack for getting along with people, so he must have made friends far and wide.

“Today, we have no choice but to open the liquor vats stored in the village!”
“Let’s drink until we can’t see straight!”
“Let the welcoming ceremony begin! We want to hear all the stories you have to tell!”

The village tavern seemed about to burst at the seams.

“Heh heh heh! They’re giving me a proper welcome, alright!”

That bastard was clearly ecstatic.

Well, whatever. Let him enjoy it to his heart’s content. Isn’t it about time that bastard got his own happiness? I hope that smile lasts. That’s why I fucking banned the gambling den, wasn’t it?

But.

The important thing right now isn’t Copson’s welcoming ceremony.

ㅡLooking around.

Even while receiving such a warm welcome, Copson was looking around. He was clearly searching for Elma, his first love.

“Well then, Copson! Why don’t you unpack your luggage and rest for now! We’ll call you a bit later! We’ll start the welcoming ceremony after we finish our village duties!”
“Where should I rest?”
“Hmm, back in the old days… Where was it? Ah, right! Do you remember the old Malrode house?”
“I remember it! Malrode!”
“That house is empty right now. Go there and rest.”
“Understood!”

The villagers, who had been so enthusiastically welcoming Copson, guided him to a certain place. In fact, in rural villages like this, there’s always work that needs to be done that day. They probably planned to finish all that before holding the welcoming ceremony.

Soon, the villagers smiled at each other and went off to do their work, and Copson immediately led his carriage and attendants away.

He seemed to be planning to go to Malrode’s house, unpack his luggage, and rest.

“Ah, it’s so good to see my hometown folks after so long! Attendant! Where is your hometown?”
“I was born in a village called Kuron, over there. Seeing how warmly Copson-nim is being welcomed, I’d like to go down there sometime.”
“Heh heh heh! You should!”

As Copson and his attendants were chatting away.

A woman appeared from over there.

“Hmm… Huh?”

ㅡScreech.

Copson’s feet stopped moving. The carriage moving beside him also came to a halt. At the same time, Copson’s mouth fell open as he stared at the woman.

“It’s true. It really is Copson. He hasn’t changed at all.”

Clothes that looked decent for a rural village woman.

“Hello, Copson? Long time no see.”

The woman who greeted him had ordinary and plain features. Perhaps it was just that my standards had become extremely high from having such transcendentally beautiful women as wives, making it difficult for me to easily feel the beauty of any woman. But overall, she was a woman with ordinary beauty.

Wasn’t she supposed to be the most popular in the village? In fact, if you had such plain beauty among the rough women who were hardened by farm work, it was only natural that you would be popular.

Copson’s pupils trembled as he looked at her.

“E-Elma, is that you?”

Yes.

That woman was Copson’s first love.

Copson’s tension exploded.

“I received your letter, Copson.”
“I-Is that so? Well, I wanted to see you, so I contacted you. And I also wanted to visit my hometown.”

He was trying to act like he was okay, but he didn’t seem okay at all. Elma smiled as she looked at him.

“You still have that old man’s way of talking.”
“O-Old man?”

Come to think of it, that bastard’s way of talking was a bit much for a young guy.

“You’ve always liked to act cool since you were a kid, Copson.”
“Acting cool? You’re talking nonsense…”
“Anyway. Shall we go inside and talk for now?”

Elma, who seemed very relaxed compared to the nervous Copson, naturally led the conversation and suggested talking inside.

“Y-Yes, let’s do that. Come on. Let’s go.”

Hearing those words, Copson ordered his attendants to wait and went inside the house with Elma.

“Hmm.”

The village was quiet.

And so, Copson and Elma sat facing each other with a table in between. The house was a bit old, but it looked like it had been cleaned recently.

“Um… The weather is really nice today.”

Copson, who was clearly nervous, said those words with a flushed face, fidgeting.

“Ah, fuck.”

It’s a bit much to be secretly eavesdropping like this. But I can’t help being curious, damn it. If you don’t like it, become the Emperor, you fuck. I’m the Heavenly Demon God who can snoop on civilians as I please.

Anyway, I eavesdropped on Copson and Elma’s conversation.

“Copson. But your clothes look really nice… And you even have a servant and a carriage. Did you really become that successful in the capital?”
“Hahaha! That’s right! Well, I was quite successful. I was just lucky!”
“Lucky?”
“The current Emperor is my friend!”
“What?!”

He’s selling me really well.

Elma’s eyes widened.

“The Emperor and I have been friends for quite some time. We’ve even saved each other’s lives before. Well, he’s a bit lacking, so I’ve had to take care of him a lot.”

That never happened, you bastard.
He’s still trying to show off in front of a woman.

“I-Is that true?!”
“So I got some benefits thanks to that friend. I have a house in the capital… And I got a good job. It’s all thanks to the Emperor.”
“Ah…!”

There’s no way a country girl could resist hearing these words.

“That’s such an amazing story. Congratulations. But I want to hear more details…”
“Ah, of course I’ll tell you. Didn’t they say they were going to have a welcoming ceremony tonight? I’ll tell you again in front of everyone.”

The atmosphere was very good.

Elma, who seemed to be in a good mood, began to ask Copson about various things, and Copson also laughed heartily as he answered.

“So, Copson.”
“Hmm?”
“Why… Why did you send the letter?”
“I told you, didn’t I?”

Copson gained confidence.

“I sent it because I wanted to see you. After all, we had something back in the day.”
“Confessing and running away?”
“Ugh. It’s embarrassing to say it like that. Well, you’re my hometown girl, Elma, aren’t you? You left a big impression on me. So… I wanted to see you.”

Fuck.

It was so cheesy that I felt like sweat was pouring out of my back. Such an embarrassing conversation… Anyway, Elma was silent for a moment with her mouth open after hearing Copson’s words.

“Actually.”

With a flushed face.

“I felt the same way.”

She replied.

“What? E-Elma? What did you just say…?”
“Back then… I wasn’t ready yet, so I couldn’t accept your confession.”
“S-So that means…!”
“I was trying to sort out my thoughts properly… But you ran away so heartlessly. Do you know how sad I was?”

Belatedly.

Elma accepted Copson’s confession.

“I-I’m sorry! No! That wasn’t my intention…!”

Copson, who was visibly flustered, clearly wavered and stood up from his seat. Elma smiled as she looked at Copson.

“It’s okay. You came back to see me like this.”

Smiling, she approached Copson and took his hand.

“T-That is…!”

Copson turned bright red.
He became dizzy from the contact with Elma.

“…”

And I, who was watching it.

Just felt uncomfortable.

I shifted my senses to another place. No. I didn’t even need to shift them. In a small rural village like this, if I just put my mind to it, I could know what happened and what conversations took place.

If I, the Heavenly Demon, wanted to know, I could hear and see everything.

Big Brother, no.

Kim Kat is watching you.

“Hyung. Do we have to stay here all day today?”
“Yeah. We can’t be with Mom today… Just bear with it.”
“I don’t want to. I want to be with Mom.”
“No… Let’s just stay here today…”

Four children were gathered in a small warehouse, comforting each other. At first, I thought there were some pagan customs left in the village. But that wasn’t it.

The children.

Resembled Elma.

“Elma’s children.”

Not only that.

“Hoo… What can we do? Elma is a valuable member of our village. If she can find a new relationship, we should help her, shouldn’t we?”
“But aren’t we deceiving Copson…? We can’t do that… At least we should tell him the truth…”
“Copson couldn’t forget Elma. Would Copson, who was living a successful life in the capital, have come down here for no reason? He couldn’t fill his heart with the women in the capital. That’s why he came to find Elma.”
“But if we reveal the truth, he’ll immediately curse and leave. No matter what, a woman with four children… And her ex-husband didn’t die, he just ran away. Even if Copson couldn’t forget Elma, if he knew that…”
“No. Copson is a kind-hearted friend.”

The villagers’ plot.

“As planned, we’ll get him drunk tonight and have him sleep with Elma. If that happens, in the morning… Copson won’t be able to abandon Elma, given his personality.”
“Isn’t that too much? Using Copson’s feelings.”
“It’s unfortunate, but… If they live together like that, they’ll grow fond of each other, won’t they? Do you want to see Elma, who was called the flower of the village, living such a hard life? If we can seduce Copson well, Elma can live well in the capital.”
“But she has four children…”
“If it really doesn’t work out, we can raise Elma’s children here. If Elma can make a fresh start, we can do that much. In the first place, the two of them get along quite well… If we just connect them, I think they’ll live well. Shouldn’t people from the same village get along well?”
“Of course, it would be good if people from the same village got along well, but… Haa… I… I can’t possibly lie to Copson, who has returned after so long…”
“I’m not telling you to participate. Don’t come to the bar tonight. Just stay quietly at home.”
“Copson…”

A chilling heart.

“These bastards.”

My friend.

“They’re trying to deceive Copson.”

I looked at Copson again.

“Hahaha! Oh, come on! Don’t bring up the old days like that! It’s just embarrassing!”
“So you knew it was embarrassing?”

Copson, soaked in happiness.
And Elma, who accepted him well.

The villagers, hiding the truth.

And Elma’s children.

“Heavenly Demon Divine Art. No.”

Heavenly Demon Great Qi.

I decided to observe this village a little more. Listening to Copson’s laughter, the villagers plotting, and the voices of Elma’s children.

          *     *     *

“Kekekeke! So, I said there! I said, ‘You! You are a being born with the destiny of a hero! Stand up! The you that I know! Was a man who never gives up!’ Then the Emperor, who heard my words, said this! ‘Copson! That’s right! You’re right!’ He realized again what kind of being he was because of my words! And the Emperor, who answered like that, grabbed my hand and stood up!!!”

ㅡWaaaaaaaah!
ㅡOooooooooh!
ㅡKuhahahahahahahaha!

The tavern in the village was completely packed. Every time Copson, drunk and spouting nonsense, told a blatant lie, the villagers went wild.

It was a pleasant time.

Elma filled Copson’s glass with alcohol every moment, and the villagers sang and danced as if they were truly enjoying themselves. A rural village scene with its unique, tight-knit, and closed-off affection.

“Ugh… I’m going to the bathroom for a bit!”
“Do you remember where it is!”
“Of course! Unless you guys changed it! Elma! I’ll be back in a bit!”
“Hurry back!”

Soon, Copson got up from his seat to go to the bathroom.

“…”

Yeah.

Let’s tell him soon.

I couldn’t let them make fun of Copson any longer.

ㅡSwish.

Just as I was about to descend to the ground.

ㅡThud!

The door of the tavern was opened violently.
It was one of the men who had been plotting earlier. The one who was suffering because he couldn’t lie to Copson.

“Hey! Stop!”
“Wait!”

His face was flushed as if he was drunk, and he came in like a runaway. Two strong men tried to stop him, but.

“Everyone! You’re doing something too cruel!”

His shout was faster.

“Huh?! Aren’t you Shulon! What have you been doing until now…”
“Copson! I couldn’t possibly deceive you! Even though you abandoned the village and left, you’re still one of our villagers! I can’t deceive you!”
“Shulon…? What’s going on?”

Silence.

Descends.

At the same time, the atmosphere also sank.

“Copson! Elma has four children! They’re hiding in the warehouse right now! In order to connect you and Elma…! They deceived you!”
“What…!”

The expression on Copson’s face, who had been constantly enjoying himself, froze in shock.

“C-Copson…! I hid it on purpose…!”
“S-Shulon! You didn’t have to say that!”
“Believe me! Copson! I was going to tell you everything!”

The panicked residents called out to Copson.

“C-Copson! It’s not like we were deceiving you! First, listen to me…!”

Elma also tried to grab Copson’s shoulder, but.

ㅡThud!

Copson jumped over the table and sprinted through the party venue, running out of the tavern.

“Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Copson screamed, and the residents shouted to catch him. Several strong men ran after him, but they couldn’t chase Copson, who had been rolling around as an adventurer and had secured a position in the capital.

While Elma covered her mouth with her hand and froze.

Copson ran and ran towards the forest.

“Uwaaaaaaaah! Uwaaaaaaaahhhhh!”

Copson, who had come quite far inside, let out a scream filled with anger. He let it out, and let it out again.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

I couldn’t.

I couldn’t just watch.

So I descended to the ground.

“Oh my. I thought a monster had appeared near the village, so I came to check it out.”
“…Barbarian bastard.”
“It was a real monster. A jaw monster?”

Copson glanced at me for a moment and then looked ahead again.

Was his back always that small?

“Hey.”
“Don’t say anything.”

What was contained in his voice.

“Don’t say anything.”

Was deep sorrow.

“…”

Copson, with his back to me, shed tears. I could tell. That my friend was crying. But I didn’t give a fuck. I walked next to him while saying nothing.

“Don’t say anything.”
“…”

And so, I stood next to him.

“Keuheuk…!”

I stood next to the crying guy for a long time.

“Heavenly Demon Divine Art Heavenly Demon Warp Gate.”

I created a gate.

“Barbarian bastard?”

I put my arm into the created gate.

And.

“B-Barbarian bastard. What the hell are you doing…”

I grabbed what was inside.

And pulled out my arm.

“Hey.”

A tightly clenched fist.
I held it out to Copson.

“This. Open it.”
“What is this…?”
“Just open it, you idiot.”
“…Alright.”

Copson grabbed my fist and loosened my fingers one by one. And so, my palm was opened.

“This is… Isn’t it empty?”

Empty.

“Does it really look empty?”
“No matter how I look at it, it’s empty…”
“Smell it. The smell.”
“Smell…? Ah? Uh, uhm? Huh?! Huh?! Th-This is…!”

Yeah.

“It’s the air from the gambling den.”

This is the air from the gambling den.

“Smell it a bit. And calm down.”
“K-Keuheuk…! Keuheuheuk! B-Barbarian bastard…! You’re really…!”

Emotions welled up.

“Keheoeoeong!!!”

ㅡThud!

Copson, kneeling in place, burst into tears.

Like a child.

As a god and as a friend, I patted him on the back. With that hand that had the air of the gambling den on it. With that hand that had the scent that Copson loved the most.

“Don’t cry.”
“Kkeuheuk! Kkeuheueueuk! Keuheueueuk!”
“Don’t cry, Tonez.”
“Who the hell is Tonez…! Heueuk! No! You crazy barbarian bastard! What’s the point of just giving me the air from there! You’re out of your mind! Heueuk! Keuheuk! Keheoeoeoeong!!!”

The moonlight shone on Copson.

“Get lost.”

When I told it to get lost, the moonlight turned its head and looked elsewhere. Who’s secretly watching my friend cry? Get lost, moonlight.