Chapter 337 – Hong-Yeon (2)

The World Tree of Growth had fallen behind much more than anticipated.

At this rate, I would be captured before I could even reach the World Tree. I had no choice but to help myself. But why—why was she there?

“Why are you there?”

_Bang!_

I cleared the surrounding flowers one by one, and checked on her again.

“…Huh?”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, her pupils trembling ever so slightly, as if something was amiss.

It wasn’t an illusion. It was Hong-Yeon. Though time had changed her appearance significantly, she was undoubtedly the same person I had once considered a comrade while in Do-won.

Her once red-silk-like hair was now even longer, surpassing the length of anyone I knew. A long comb held her lengthy braid in place.

She appeared more worn down than before. Her arms were scrawny, and her face looked gaunt, creased with exhaustion.

The pupil, sunk in despair, had just begun to tremble.
She stared at me with a vacant expression.

“Why, why are you here?”

I stammered as I looked at Hong-Yeon.

“Why?”

Aside from Do-won’s downfall, I had learned from the status window that Hong-Yeon was alive, having not been back from the past for long. If Heaven could be alive and well, I thought Hong-Yeon must have found her own life as well.

It was an optimistic thought.
I had hoped she could at least live in a comfortable place, and thought I wouldn’t worry too much about her.

“Hong-Yeon.”

You, who must have been deeply wounded after losing Do-won,
why are you still here with your pure heart? It’s strange. I denied the scene I had witnessed.

-Bang!

As I unleashed magic with all my might, the fanatics surrounding me were pushed away.

【Heavenly Restoration (天壤補)】

The space tilted.
Under the pressure that caused the floor to shake, the fanatics knelt and spewed gastric juices.

The number of worlds wasn’t the issue; one had to see it for themselves to understand. I took one step at a time towards Hong-Yeon, the only one who didn’t kneel.

Perhaps she wouldn’t recognize me. I approached her, gently grasped her chin, and tore off the mask that covered her face.

Two steps closer, I revealed my face to Hong-Yeon. Her expression, which had been cautiously watching me, became rigid.

“…!”

Her face hardened, then she stepped back. Upon seeing my face, her pupils narrowed.

Hong-Yeon, who had already seen a dead person come back to life, couldn’t bring herself to close her mouth. The conversation couldn’t progress. Her heart pounded heavily. Hong-Yeon couldn’t tear her gaze away from my face.

“Hey,” I asked her, inches away from her nose, using a cheeky voice she would likely find familiar.

“Do you remember me?”

“…”

Slowly, a glimmer of light seeped into her dark, intense eyes. She held her arms with her hands, unable to speak for a long time, as if her throat was constricted.

With a face as if battling a colossal trauma,

Her entire body quivered as she glared at me.

“Ah, ah-“

Her short cry echoed.

“Please…”

– Flash!

A blade gleamed at her waist.
I hastily jerked my head back.

– Whoosh!

The knife’s edge grazed her chin.
Hong-Yeon charged at me, her eyes filled with frenzy.
Her hand, pointing the sword’s tip at me, shook violently.

– Drip, drip.

Drops of blood fell from her chin. Her face contorted in agony.

“Ha… ha… ha.”

She displayed a noticeably abnormal reaction.
Her breathing grew ragged, and she tore at her hair with one hand.
The comb that had been in her hair tumbled to the ground and rolled away. In an instant, her disheveled locks sprang up.

“…World Tree…”

Hong-Yeon’s eyes transformed into a sorrowful expression.

“Do you desire to bring even the dead back to this world, just to kill me like this?!”

The air around them grew bitterly cold as a woman’s anguished wail, heavy with vengeful spirits, filled the space.

“Those who gave me reasons to live and to die… why, why, why!”

Tearful eyes; it felt strange. Hong Yeon appeared unable to accept this reality.

Could it be that I seem like an impostor?

“Hong Yeon-“
“Shut up… don’t speak with that voice!”

Pressure forced her mouth shut. A chilling hatred was directed entirely towards me.

The anger she had harbored and honed like a blade for years now crossed the line, her vengeful spirit piercing me as if to end my life. The resentment weighed heavily on me, threatening to rip my heart apart.

“This one, that one… how far will you go?!”

She choked out the words, her voice strained. Overwhelmed by pain and despair, Hong Yeon gazed at me with a contorted expression.

“How far will you go… to make me so wretched?”

*Thud.*

Tears fell to the floor.

* * * * * * * * *

It was a rainy night.

“…”

On the day when all those who followed her lost their lives, under the fiery evening sky.

I, who had lost everything, barely clung to life, begging with the delicate face of a young child, a faint lifeline stretched thin.

‘I can’t even communicate. I’m scared.’

A child of merely five years old.

And yet, that single thread of life was tenacious.

She persevered, gnawing on rotten meat mixed with dirt and dust.

For me, filling my starving belly took precedence over any efforts to face death.

But even that could not last for long.

Lying at the entrance of an alley, I allowed my flesh to be consumed by a mouse as famished as I was.

Squish, nibble.

The cries of the mice echoed repeatedly. Legs stinging from rat bites, blood flowing, and a wretched, bony figure.

“…Ah.”

My face, reflected in the stagnant, putrid water, was one I could hardly believe belonged to a living person.

“……”

-Whoosh.

I thought that would be the end of my life.

-Swish.

When the cool moon was obscured and the warm flesh of the umbrella came into view. The eyes of an elderly man looked down upon me.

“Young one, what are you doing there?”

“……”

I didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Are you in the same predicament as me?”

The old man knelt down without a word. I merely lingered there, losing consciousness, my head drooping.

What particularly remained in my memory were the clogs of an elderly man who, unlike me, stood tall amidst the pouring rain.

…

From that moment on, my life changed.

The world wasn’t always cruel to me. When I opened my eyes, there was a roof with a hole in front of me, an old man, and a well-prepared meal of rice.

It consisted merely of a dried fish and some withered vegetables, but it tasted incredibly delightful. Even now, just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

“Does it taste good?”
“…?”
“You can’t even speak, can you? You seem like a mute. Hmmm. You’ll learn slowly, I suppose.”

The old man had a cold expression, but he was kinder than anyone I had ever encountered. He was always strict, yet he supported me in his own way.

Every night, I hastily devoured two bowls of rice stacked up like a servant’s meal, and yearning for human touch, I would cling to the old man and fall asleep in his embrace.

“…Hello.”
“Right.”

And so, I learned to speak.

“Straighten your fist there.”
“Ugh!”
“Tsk, you have no talent for martial arts. Would you like to try using a sword?”
“Yes, Father!”

There were setbacks, too.

“Now, take a look at this.”

I understood life.

The vast space in the mountains that the old man revealed was breathtaking.
My small world, with beautiful blossoming flowers and a winding river that was indescribably beautiful.

My home.
My hometown.

Impossible to erase from my mind, even for a moment.
The world of my father, myself, and my siblings.

“This place is Do-won.”
“Do-won…”
“It’s still small, but you and I will nurture it. There are few people living here. It will be tough to maintain, but you’re talented, so you’ll do well.”

A place where I devote everything in my life to working.
The old man faintly smiled as he stroked my head with his large, wrinkled, and deeply scarred hand.

“I haven’t given you a name yet.”

My father was compassionate.

“It’s Hong-Yeon.”
“Hong-Yeon? What does it mean?”
“Well, it seems that in other places, they call autumn leaves by that name. It doesn’t hold a significant meaning. You’ll create your own meaning as you move forward.”
“…Hong-Yeon!”

A second name was born.
He personally repaired the damaged village, and witnessed the market gradually growing.
He tended to the farmland and read external books, contemplating how to lead Do-won more effectively.

He completed his father’s training without exception. Eventually, he grew strong enough to be acknowledged as a spiritual leader, and received praise.

“Please, muster a bit more strength.”

– Oh!

Although his mother had passed away, he gained three adorable younger siblings.

One of them was so fragile that he was initially thought to be dead. In reality, he was destined to become the Heavenly Demon.
Another sibling was bold yet stubborn.
And the last one was exceedingly affectionate.

There were times when I marveled at how the triplets, born from the same vessel, possessed such distinct personalities. Though they lacked a mother, I felt compelled to assume that role for them.

“My siblings.”

I vowed to protect these children, no matter what. To me, they were more precious than anyone else, even if we didn’t share a blood connection.

As new life emerged, Do-won also grew.

The workload increased, yet the sense of joy remained unbroken. My siblings grew up so rapidly – every day, witnessing their growth brought a wide smile to my face.

‘I must truly treasure this place.’

The leader of the Demonic Cult. To outsiders, it might have been a position inviting scorn, but for me, this world was everything.

It was precious.
That’s why I needed to be cautious of any potential threats from outsiders. As I aged, transforming from a girl into a woman, my responsibilities only continued to grow.

The people of Dowon always seemed to fall slightly short of the talents I envisioned. Consequently, I often had to shoulder some of the workload.

At times, I grew irritable, but even that was no more than a trivial outburst.

“…Ugh.”

My father’s life might not last much longer.

By working much harder, when the time came for him to be on the brink of death, he could close his eyes peacefully. As an older sister to those children, I wanted to live as a distinguished companion to the one who would lead Dowon in the future.

I intended to devote myself entirely, but being human, I occasionally succumbed to anxiety and frustration.

“Hey.”

Love arrived unexpectedly.

The man I had thought of as nothing more than a bitter enemy. The one who referred to himself as Dowon, the very space I cherished, had ludicrously pushed each other to the verge of death upon our first encounter.

‘He was a peculiar man.’

Suddenly appearing, he ascended to the position of the Lesser Heavenly Demon.
In no time, he gained the trust of everyone in Dowon.

The man gently assuaged my weary mind and body, which had been drained from an overload of work.
No, rather than consoling me, it was more like a veiled threat.

“Sigh, kid. Do you think your efficiency will improve if you keep working while injured?”
“Wha-, what?”
“Enough, get up. Go and get some proper rest.”
“No, wait a moment. Let me finish this first, then I’ll go.”
“Do you want to get hit and drop dead or just go to sleep?”
“…Fine, I’ll sleep.”

He was incredibly competent, to the point that it was awe-inspiring. My troubled spirit significantly calmed down.
I couldn’t help but wonder where on earth my father found such a gem of a person.

On the other hand, my own ineptitude was accentuated, leaving me embarrassed for a while.

“…”

Nonetheless, somehow, things started to get better.

When I unknowingly dozed off, he covered me with the Black Dragon Robe, which only the Heavenly Demon could wear.
His words were harsh, but he always took care of me.
He would hand me cold drinks when the weather was hot, and when I returned from outside, he brought me delicious food. Everything was wonderful.

At times, my speech would falter, and I couldn’t bring myself to discuss business. He stepped in on my behalf.

“Drink.”

My heart raced with anticipation whenever we shared a drink. I hadn’t known what love was, so it had been difficult to recognize. But after losing her, I came to understand that the emotion I felt was love.

“…”

I hadn’t known until she was gone.

The one who departed without leaving a trace behind had given me nothing but a bloodstained uniform. I hadn’t been able to express my feelings to her.

I lost everything and gave up on it all. Even on the brink of letting go, my love for her still lingered in a corner of my heart.

My inability to tell her “I love you”…

That lingering regret was unbearable.