Chapter 159 – Socheonma, Dowon (完)

At last, I found it.

I had been wandering for quite some time without finding anything, so I wondered if it might be hiding within the house. That turned out to be the case.

As I entered the hallway on the second floor, where Zodiac’s room was located, I heard the sound of a child crying. It had to be Zodiac. My heart clenched with worry that she might have suffered some horrible abuse. Fortunately, it seemed as though the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

‘Although there were those who were too late.’

The lifeless body of a woman, her eyes still open. Throughout the house, people wearing Dowon’s clothes lay dead in gruesome states.

They appeared to be the nobles of the Boksa family, along with the warriors who guarded them. It seemed that a considerable number of hunters had entered the vicinity.

-저벅.

Traces of the struggle remained, extending from the hallway into the rooms. Daggers protruding from bodies, accompanied by bluish burn marks.

In a world where many people choose to live in solitude, it was fortunate that a few remaining righteous individuals were by their side. What could this woman have been thinking as she approached death?

Even as she neared her end, she seemed to be smiling rather than sinking into despair.

“… Home, heh. Heuuuugh.”

Ah, is this that person?

The sound of Zodiac’s cries. I knelt down and closed the woman’s eyes. Until I walked from the hallway to this place, White Peach had been staring at me with a complex expression.

I spoke to her.

“Put down the dagger. It’s okay.”
“…….”

Her trembling hands. Blood seeped from the hand gripping the dagger tightly.

It seemed to be the place where the scar I had seen when I was with White Peach once was located.

“I want to heal you, but I’m sorry. My body is in no condition to do so right now.”

My power no longer functioned.

“Was it difficult?”
“…No. Heuk.”

Baekdo’s tears fell like droplets of chicken droppings in response to my words. Whatever tension she had been holding onto for so long, she finally broke down in tears, her legs giving out and causing her to fall to her knees. The dagger slipped from her grasp.

At this moment, it seemed that even the thought of hating me didn’t cross her mind. I gently patted Hwangdo’s shoulder as she lay face down.

“Brother… *sob*, ugh, ugh. Private residence… the private residence…”
“*Sob*, *sniff*… *sob*.”

The two of them sobbed.

I was momentarily taken aback by their tears, but in truth, this was the right response. Cheondo had been too brave. Ignoring the sporadic disruptions in the ritual, I continued to comfort Hwangdo by patting her on the back.

Baekdo also moved to my side and began pressing her face against me.

We stayed like this for quite some time.

I spent the last moments trying to soothe them. Hwangdo, now done crying, trembled from head to toe. This trauma would likely stay with her for a long time.

Even now, merely discussing the matter of the sister-in-law causes one’s eyes to well up with tears, and Zodiac bursts into tears when she speaks of it. Undoubtedly, the shock was immense.

White Peach, a tomboy at heart, was also fragile in her emotions, a part not visible to the eye. She didn’t seem able to accept this situation as easily as Zodiac.

Zodiac, who belatedly checked on my condition, asked in a trembling voice:

“…Elder Brother.”
“Yes.”
“Are you… alright?”

It took her this long to ask. I assumed she wasn’t in her right mind.

I gently tapped Zodiac’s head.

“It’s okay. I’m fine, so let’s go to Heaven’s side now.”
“My sister-in-law… What about my sister-in-law?”

White Peach interjected, stopping Zodiac.

“Enough, Zodiac.”
“Ah, ahh.”

At least White Peach was holding onto her reason. I tilted my head and whispered to White Peach to take good care of Zodiac. White Peach wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and nodded.

Zodiac tightly grasped her sister-in-law and squeezed out her last tears.

I wish I could wait a bit longer, but I’m exhausted now.

“You know my magic, right? I’ll send you to the spot next to Cheondo.”
“What about you…?”
“I can’t go.”

Hwangdo, startled by my words, grasped her collar.

“Why, why can’t you go?”
“There’s much to do. You know? I need to rescue others like you.”
“…You won’t die, will you?”
“Why would I die?”

I slowly extract my magical power.
Considering the mana that naturally recovers, it seemed like I could only send them by scraping it down to the very bottom.

“Baekdo.”
“…Yes?”
“Come here too.”

Baekdo took a step closer.
Then, with a trembling voice, she spoke.

“Really, are you going to come back alive?”
“Why are they all like this?”
“Your body… it’s in shambles.”
“Wasn’t it better if I died?”

Baekdo pursed her lips.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

Suddenly, his demeanor turned playful, but judging by the reaction, it seemed he didn’t hate me to the core. A single word escaped from the silent Baekdo’s lips.

“…Lady of Heaven.”

An unexpected title. I was taken aback, but I didn’t let it show.

“Since I stand in Heaven’s place… don’t ever die. I, I won’t hate you. I won’t ask you to step down from there.”

“…”

“I’ve been wrong all this time…”

Once she spoke, apologies poured out like a waterfall. It seemed she already knew about her mistakes from what she was saying.

Still, it was pleasing to see her let go of her stubbornness. It would be nice if the current Baekdo could be like this too.

[Lee Si-heon.]

‘Yes.’

[It seems the time has come.]

I activated the devised spell. Gazing at the reddened eyes of Baekdo and Hwangdo, I smiled bitterly.

– Flash!

“–!”

The two seemed as if they were about to speak, but magic was activated even more quickly. Curiosity piqued about what they intended to say, yet feeling as though death was imminent, there was little choice but to accept the situation.

I leaned against the bloodstained wall in Zodiac’s chamber.

“…I’m exhausted.”

The drowsiness and fatigue I’d managed to mostly ignore while living in Do-won now crept up on me. It felt as though the countless sleepless nights I’d endured over the past few weeks were finally taking their toll.

People often say that working through the wee hours of the morning is like borrowing time from the future. My mind felt muddled, as if I had just spent the night ringing in the New Year.

My hands grew cold and stiff.

[Only one task remains.]

“Ah.”

It seemed there were still many things I didn’t know.

“Hey, last time… Didn’t I say that wasn’t the only thing I had to do?”

[You did.]

“And what was that, in the end?”

[I cannot speak of it here.]

Evasive until the very end. I understood, though. After all, death was fast approaching.

I let out a morbid laugh and lowered my head.
Blood still flowed between the decaying flesh.

‘Have I seen it all now?’

I had come to this retreat to commend my efforts and relieve stress.
The location happened to be Japan, where the World Tree of Time awaited the descendants of King Mokryeong.

Somehow, I had ended up in the past without properly answering my own confession, as though I had fled.

‘Just a little more.’

Shaking my head to cease my thoughts, I leaned against the wall and stood up.
I trudged out of the building on my own.

The ruins of Do-won came into view.

“Whew…”

A sigh escaped my lips. Blood. Unending thoughts.
The collapsed houses of Do-won stretched in a line until they vanished from sight.
The townspeople of Do-won, who had suffered greatly.
Occasionally, a familiar face lay in a harsh place, causing me to stand still by the roadside, staring for a long while.

“…”

I couldn’t say a word.

Silently gazing at the spot, I hastened my steps once more.

The upper, middle, and lower parts of Do-won.

“Little Heavenly Demon, are you… are you alright?”

“Yes.”

I brushed off the man’s attempt to dissuade me and continued walking. As soon as my magical energy returned, I sent the surviving civilians to Hong-Yeon.

My shin, seemingly on the verge of breaking. Bloodshot and swollen eyes. My body sent signals, urging me to cease movement.

‘Do I really have to go this far, just to feign death?’

[…This is an immortal masterpiece. No one can claim that your death is a falsehood.]

“Heh heh heh.”

My clothes were bloodied and torn haphazardly. From the sole remaining pocket, I retrieved a ring case.

The gift from Heaven was still there. A single ring, acquired through a desperate struggle in the past.

It wasn’t something that would make me stronger if consumed. To others, it would appear as a mere, unremarkable flower—one easily found anywhere.

“Don’t you usually obtain something important in a place like this?”

[…You have already gained a considerable amount of power. Desiring more might be excessive greed.]

“Is that so?”

Bloody peach blossoms are swept away by the wind, scattering their petals.

At the edge of my vision, I see Baekdo and Hwangdo playfully wielding brooms. How absurd.
As I rub my eyes, the two figures disappear from view.

[It is time to return.]

Do-won dies.

It’s a name given by Heaven… Excluding its overlap with the name of this place, I thought it was rather a cool name. If I need an alias in the future, it might be acceptable to use it once.

– Rustle.

Peach blossoms do not endure long.
They bloom for a brief moment, only to wither soon after.

Yet, the peach blossoms of Do-won’s tree have an unusually enduring beauty.
Their fleeting nature is what makes them beautiful.
Peach blossoms are rumored as such, but their beauty remains, even as they persist.

I walked along the petals.

The fallen petals lay scattered on the ground, awaiting someone to sweep them away. Over time, they would naturally gather in the river, eventually becoming fertile silt on the shoreline.

I continued walking along the path of strewn flowers.

Gradually, the hunters came into view up ahead. As soon as they saw me, they raised their weapons, a wary expression on their faces.

‘…The Heavenly Demon won’t see that human until the very end.’

Even now, I could still feel the faint pulsations of magic in the distance. A laugh bubbled up inside me at the thought of their ferocious determination, having fought for more than half a day.

– Ugh!

I mustered the last of my mana.

Fear crept into the faces of the hunters as the black energy gathered in my hand. I unleashed it, spurring life into action.

As the spring waned over the shoreline, the dried blood shimmered.

– Bang!

* * * * * *

They arrive when the flowers bloom and depart when the flowers wither.

Who would believe that someone could truly live by such a light-hearted sentiment, one that might be thoughtlessly uttered by a poet reveling in the arts?

“At this pace, we’ll have it rebuilt in no time.”
“…Yes.”

At Cheon Do’s words, Hong Yeon offered a bitter laugh.

Cruel memories engraved beneath the naked peach tree.
Without allowing a moment for forgetfulness, they began reconstruction.

“Let’s call it a day. The sun has set.”
“Understood, Master.”
“Yes, Little Heavenly Demon.”

The identity of the previous Little Heavenly Demon had been revealed to the leader of the Demonic Cult.
Of course, it remained a secret to everyone in Do-won in order to preserve confidentiality.

“…Oh, wait. Cheon Do.”
“Yes?”

Hong Yeon stopped Cheon Do as she was about to enter the house.
With no change in expression, Hong Yeon softly delivered the news.

“…They said he’s dead.”

There was no need to specify who it was.

“Ah…”

Cheondo, with her wide-open scarlet eyes, showed no action… She forced a smile.

“Understood.”
“Alright, go on in.”

Hong-Yeon looked at Cheondo’s retreating back with a bitter expression.

– Step. Step.

The young girl continued walking endlessly. Dressed in a black robe that appeared quite adorable, she was a reliable talent. Hong-Yeon didn’t hold Cheondo back any longer and left her be.

– Thud!

Cheondo entered the room as soon as she got home.

Inside the dark room lay a place of memories with no warmth left. A funny face came to mind – one that made her miss her own bed.

Cheondo undressed, changed into her indoor clothes, and sat on the bed. The handmade pajamas were made of soft cotton. As she settled her behind onto the cold bed, Cheondo gazed at the bedside table.

“Ah.”

A hand mirror and ear pick. The long-suppressed emotions began to rise.

“…”

A teardrop trickled down Cheondo’s parched cheek.

“…Ugh, sob. H-hic… Ah, mm.”

Like jade beads, the tears tumbled down, pooling at her chin before dripping off. Tear-streaked trails marked the cotton blanket beneath her.

Her shoulders trembled.

“Ugh, ah… Mm.”

Crouching down, she squinted her eyes, wiping away the tears that streamed down the backs of her hands and both arms.

Despite her efforts to stem the flow, the tears wouldn’t stop, and they ultimately burst forth.

“Ahhhhhhh…”

First love. Parting.
A sleepless night.
Reflecting on the unattainable love of her past, Cheondo ached with longing.

The overflowing tears shimmered like a delicate mist.
Leaving a scar that would never fade for a lifetime.