Chapter 361 – The Clash of the Priests (3)

“There is something I must say.”

With due propriety, and without offense, Cheondo conveyed her intentions, her voice as gentle as possible to prevent my confusion.

“A matter that needs discussing?”

The shift in atmosphere has swept away all traces of sleep. I swallowed.

Cheondo gave a slight nod.

“It’s something that cannot be left unsaid.”

Has she ever been this formal? Always serious, always concealing her emotions, that’s the Cheondo I know.

But today, in her words, I could sense a meticulousness threading through every fragment of her speech.

“No, um, hehe, why are you so serious, Master? Between us.”

I attempted to brush it off with light-heartedness, but her expression remained unchanging.

– Tick.

The sound of the clock’s hands moving filled the silence.

“Speak your mind, whatever it is. I’m always on your side, Master. If you asked me to die, I would.”

I trust her that much. She’s the one who managed to straighten out my chaotic mind, the one I believe will always make the right choices.

The corners of Cheondo’s mouth curled upwards, ever so slightly.

“You always maintain your brightness. It’s admirable.”
“Eh? Well… I guess I am like that.”
“Indeed. No matter what comes our way, however terrifying, you’ve always been unyielding.”

Her seemingly indifferent words, for some unknown reason, sent a chilling sensation down my spine as they continued.

Why would she say such things? This single question trailed off, thoughts extending like a tether.

For me, someone with limited understanding, the outcome was already predetermined. The disappearance of Cheondo, Hwangdo, and Baekdo. One of the futures I was meant to prevent.

“Master…?”
“When I first took you to Hellfire. I didn’t anticipate you’d execute it so flawlessly.”
“Why say that?”
“You managed so well even in my absence. At this rate… it will be tough to justify calling me Master.”

Cheondo smirked bitterly, a hint of derision in her voice. At some point, everything else had faded from my view.

Cheondo’s face was the only thing I could focus on.

“What do you mean? Wait a minute. I didn’t just wake up and mishear, did I? Haha. What nonsense.”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips. Pressing my throbbing forehead, I pondered over why Cheondo would say such things to me.

It’s difficult to even assume the mantle of a teacher. Does she not realize how much she has sacrificed for me?

Even the memory of our time in Hellfire is enough to remind me of her willingness to risk her life for my sake. A person who would lay down her life for someone she barely knew.

“Siheon.”
“Yes.”

For someone like her, the smile she wore seemed incredibly forced.

“Do you see me as your Master?”

In the early hours of a dawn not yet fully broken, the derisive smile of a cherished person came to me, unexpectedly, before the moon had set.

It was unmistakably a circumstance I still couldn’t wrap my head around. My only thought was to somehow navigate away from this predicament.

“I fail to grasp why you would say such a thing.”

As it had always been, I aimed to preclude any undue misinterpretations.

I drew Heaven into my arms. Her body, freshly bathed, radiated a searing warmth. Damp indoor clothing, a soft blush, hair still carrying droplets of water.

“If you are not my Master, then what are you?”
“I said I would listen to anything.”
“Yes, just speak. If there is no hand, there is no pupil, right?”

During my time in Do-won, and even now.
Only our hierarchical relation had changed, I believed our bond remained intact.

I awaited Heaven’s response.

“Alright.”

Her single word dropped shortly after.

“Even if I betray you?”

Was the saying ‘bolt from the blue’ apt here?
-Thud.
A stone seemed to drop beneath my heart, causing my face to contort.

“Pardon?”
“As I asked.”
“I fail to understand your intentions, Master.”

Feelings of betrayal or despair. There wasn’t even time to feel such things.
I truly didn’t know why she had spoken those words.

Yet, my perplexed mind was still diligently functioning.
As if piecing together the fragments of an unguided puzzle, only after comparing my situation and Heaven’s did an answer surface.

One of the most significant events currently in this world.
The Cornus lineage.

“Even if I were to kill your friend-“

My face hardened.

“Would you still regard me as your Master then?”

I slowly disengaged from Heaven’s embrace. I yearned to see her face.
Heaven’s countenance was rigid. Her eyes, cold but laden with guilt, were fixed on me, and I could sense the faint trembling in her shoulders that I held.

Anger.
It didn’t surface.

The extent of this twist was something I had always braced myself for.

“Let’s have a conversation.”

I abruptly rose from my seat and returned to the living room.

Flower tea should suffice for a drink.
I hoped to somehow thaw the lingering chill in the atmosphere.
There was no need for refreshments. There was no reason to force a cookie into a mouth that was already sweetened.

Heaven quietly took a seat at the table. I extended the tea towards her, and only then did she give a slight nod of her head.

“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”

A sip of tea to organize my thoughts. It felt as though my heart was beginning to find some calm.
I subtly broached the topic of our discussion.

“Regarding the killing of my friend. Perhaps.”

In the current scenario, could there be only one?

“Cornus, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why, did you make such a decision?”

The buzzing of a cell phone emanated from the bedroom. It was undoubtedly either Seongjiho or Mok Tae-yang.
My priority now was to dissuade Heaven.

“You’re aware of the Cornus family.”
“Yes.”

The reason Heaven spoke so cautiously is likely because I had shared many of my stories with her.

Azalea was to me… what is her nature?
And what of Seyoung, and Sansuyu?

Even if we hadn’t crossed paths directly, I knew them.

“In a few days, the heresy verdict of the Cornus lineage will be declared.”

That piece of news was already known to me. I took a deep breath, waiting for the subsequent words to be uttered. My mouth was parched. A feeling of constriction lurked within me. The tapping of my fingers against my thigh quickened.

“Your friend will likely face the same fate.”
“Yes.”
“You would naturally want to help.”
“Indeed.”

Heaven and I, we both inhaled deeply at the same time. Her lips trembled. I was uncertain whether it was Heaven who was shaking, whether it was my eyes quivering, or whether it was she who quivered. What was certain was that I was shaking right then.

“Siheon.”

My trembling body instantly froze.

“…Yes.”

A word that had been forced out with great difficulty. No sooner had it been expelled than the ensuing sentence was pronounced.

“If you still regard me as your mentor, heed the words of this flawed teacher, if only once.”
“What are you implying? No, why would my master present herself in such a demeaning manner? Even if I were to curse at you, it would just be an outburst.”
“In regards to this matter, absolutely not…”

Heaven’s words temporarily ceased. She closed her mouth, took a pause, and gently shut her eyes that had been softly gazing at me.

“Do not intervene.”

The atmosphere, which had barely grow warm, cooled in an instant.

There was a certain ambience in the dark room, but it was tinged with an unpleasant undertone. Why was the tablecloth, adorned with an eccentric spiral pattern, so irritating?

Even though Heaven was simply dressed, she seemed to be distancing herself endlessly.

“Ah…”

There were so many things I wanted to say, yet no words would come.

I could have spouted all sorts of grandiose rhetoric, over and over again. Yet, bizarrely, I found myself incapable of voicing any such lofty words.

There was a bond. Because of this bond, I understood. Regardless of what I did, I was incapable of breaking Heaven’s resolve.

“Master-“
“I am well aware of how much you value the people around you. However, just as you are considering that child-“

Her plea was potent. Was it appropriate to put it that way?

“…I am thinking of you.”

Heaven’s words were as stern and fierce as always, but they were laced with a subtle, melancholic emotion, stickier than the rest.

“You have committed actions that defy logic before, but this is beyond those. It is dangerous, it is rugged. The consequences of your actions, in trying to save that child… I don’t even wish to imagine.”

As a master, she worries about her disciple. It is an obvious and justifiable sentiment.

Had it not been for the nagging feeling that something was amiss, I might have felt profoundly grateful to my master.

“…So, you’re suggesting to leave him to die?”
“……”
“What, you’ll ensure he dies painlessly, right?”

Sweat beaded at the edge of my knit brows. My chest heaved repeatedly, and my heart pounded fiercely.

The understanding made it all the more intense. In the disconnected parallels, only a battle of emotions remained.

Even during our time in Do-won, we always found ourselves at odds over the most trivial of matters. Neither my Master nor I, as stubborn as we were, could mend this discord even at the point of parting.

“I cannot do it that way.”
“Si-heon. I…”
“I know. I understand. Right now, everything feels the same to me. Even if the circumstances have changed between Master and her, I believe I would have held the same sentiments.”
“…”

Cheondo bowed her head. But soon enough, she lifted it once more, gazing at me with sharp, discerning eyes.

“…Are you suggesting that even such a fleeting connection is too precious to let slip away?”
“I learned it from my Master.”

I had a lot to say.

“Wasn’t it my Master who embraced me in the dungeon, even when I was blinded and on the brink of death? I still can’t comprehend. A mere disciple. And that, barely a month in. Why did you bestow upon me such overwhelming kindness?”
“You are to succeed me. It was my duty as a teacher to risk my life.”
“For me to succeed you, just for that reason?”
“It is not merely for that!”

Her voice grew louder.
Taken aback, I widened my eyes.

It was seldom for Cheondo to raise her voice.

“Please, understand the weight of the position you hold.”

The last lineage of the Heavenly Demon.
The final warrior in Murim.

With even Do-won having fallen, the weight on Cheondo’s shoulders now is the last hope of all Do-won.

This is not a simple relationship between master and disciple.
Cheondo carried a burden commensurate to her task.
The power of the Heavenly Demon, which she managed to salvage after losing everything and even bearing the curse of the family.
It was only natural for her to cherish it.

Even I, who is to succeed her, even if it goes against my will.

“Was it that precious to carry on the lineage of the Heavenly Demon?”
“…”
“For me, Master is more valuable than the position of the petty Heavenly Demon.”

To my near-scornful words, Cheondo offered no response.

“Petty Heavenly Demon, Lee Si-heon.”
“Yes.”
“Do not imbue personal emotions into this.”

Cold words.

“It is a power that must persist, no matter what occurs. You happened to be the chosen one, and I displayed the stance that I ought to as a teacher.”
“…”
“Do not betray expectations. Lower yourself and forge ahead. You are a dormant dragon that has not yet spanned the vast sky.”

By mere chance.
We met by pure coincidence and became entwined like roots.

I felt a pang of annoyance at her words. It was as if she was refuting everything Cheondo and I had shared until now.

Regardless, I somewhat sympathized with Cheondo’s aloof demeanor.
Perhaps I’ve grown a bit more mature compared to the past.

“Ah, is that so…”

Yet, it seems I am still a petulant youth.

I lifted the corners of my mouth in an awkward smile.
My mind was still in turmoil.

“According to Master, we met by chance. We became master and disciple by chance. Are you saying everything was a coincidence?”

With every word I uttered, Cheondo’s face turned increasingly pale.

Could it be this—this feeling of driving a stake into the heart of one’s mentor?

“I’ve learned, mentor, that the emotions I’ve experienced with you thus far have no value under the pretext of continuing the lineage.”
“…….”
“You didn’t want me in danger. Was it only out of fear that the line of the Heavenly Demon might be severed?”
“Listen to me.”

Emotions ferment.

“That’s what you said, isn’t it, mentor?”
“Lee Si-heon.”
“Yes?”
“Lee Si-heon!!!”

A voice, loud enough to deafen the entire hotel, resonated. Thunderous, piercing to the core.
I froze.

Yet, the words would not be quelled. My resolve had been steadfast for quite a while now.

“I will now walk my path.”

Power surges in the voice. In sync with the will, black magic erupted.

“I will annihilate all those bastards that I abhor.”
“….”
“The ones within my grip, I refuse to let them slip. I’ll relish shattering those innocent fools who dare cross me.”
“….”
“Isn’t that what the Heavenly Demon does?”

At least, the Heavenly Demon as I knew him was like that. The one I sought in the past to learn the Heavenly Demon’s profound martial arts.

A flicker of surprise crossed Heaven’s eyes as she regarded me.

“But if you, my mentor, still find it unbearable.”
“…….”
“I believe it’s time for me to leave the cradle.”

A sensation of something dropping resonated somewhere deep within my heart.

“Thank you for all the lessons, mentor.”