Chapter 540 – Shiba’s Fellows Are Few (3)

The king had received the sage’s words loud and clear.

-Shiba, I can facilitate your meeting. Only if you wish it so.

At Lee Si-heon’s behest, Sansuyu was guarding Shiba. The plan was to invite her into the sage’s realm, leaving Shiba alone in Korea. Byul was seriously wounded, and Se-young was preoccupied with treating his friend. Thus, if one desired to meet Shiba, that was the time to do so.

‘Does he think I’m incapable of killing my own daughter?’

The sage’s proposition, brimming with provocation, succeeded in rousing the king’s nerves.

Could you kill your own daughter with your hands? Go on, give it a try. Summoning Sansuyu, the escort, and leaving Shiba alone was, without a doubt, an error on the sage’s part.

‘If Shiba is eliminated, everything else falls into place.’

That’s what the king believed. Even though it seemed impossible at present, once his body recovered, he would be capable of debasing any formidable entity.

All he needed was Shiba’s absence. His past battles gave him this conviction. A physical massacre was inconsequential. However –

‘It would be agonizing.’

The thought of personally executing that delicate child was a different matter entirely.

‘It’s even more unbearable than tearing my own flesh.’

Yet, it was a necessity.

“…….”

The king traversed the pedestrian crossing, his appearance shabby. Despite his tattered attire and the semblance of an Ent, to the eyes of the onlookers, he was but a commoner, arousing no suspicion. Manipulating others’ perceptions was one of the countless abilities he possessed.

-Honk Honk!!

As the king crossed the pedestrian lane, the surrounding crowd’s attention was drawn towards him. Regardless of how ordinary he appeared, his defiance of the traffic signal and lone march under the red light was bound to attract attention.

Vehicles halted to match the king’s sluggish pace, the shrill noise of horns echoing throughout the city. Regardless, the king continued, guided by his intuition, following the faint scent of Shiba’s life force.

‘As expected, it’s familiar.’

He had assumed that Shiba’s aura from another dimension might feel different. Yet, the energy he sensed from Shiba in close proximity was indistinguishable from that of his daughter, whom he had held dear countless times.

If there was a difference, it was that the energy wasn’t frail or small. The Shiba of this world exuded a more potent presence than he had known.

-Pat Pat.

He quickened his pace. Finally, Shiba came into view as he neared the convenience store, the sight of his much-longed-for and missed daughter.

Shiba, captured in his gaze, caused the king to halt abruptly before the storefront.

– Huh?

Lee Shiba.

A young girl, chewing on a large triangular gimbap. The moment her eyes met the king’s, her movement froze.

‘…….’

The king and Shiba held each other’s gaze for a long while. A bead of cold sweat trickled down Shiba’s cheek.

It was in the sight of the fully matured Shiba that the king first experienced a sense of discomposure. Adorned in a light white blouse coupled with a cardigan, she was enchantingly beautiful, with no flaw to be found from her supple cheeks down to her pert nose. Her cherry-like lips retained a constant sheen of moisture. Her eyes, capturing the very essence of nature’s light, held onto the nascent hope of youth, akin to sprouting buds. A palpable innocence, untarnished by even the slightest tribulation, radiated from her. Her adorable face, nibbling on a snack, exuded an untarnished sanctity that felt immune to any defilement.

The king found himself questioning his own vision.

‘…Could she have grown so much?’

It was the future he had dreamt for her, the only one he wished to bestow upon Shiba.

In all the worlds he had traversed, the Shiba he encountered could not evade the clutches of death in her tender years. He had sought her, but she remained elusive, unseen throughout his lengthy journey across worlds. Yet, here she was, not just alive but fully grown, when he had been unable to even lay eyes on his young child.

“Why…”

The initial thought that surfaced was why only the Shiba of this world could have matured. Even the vitality from the laboriously offered nutrients couldn’t have been absorbed by her rapidly deteriorating health. It seemed preposterous, a frustration welling up within him. The king was loath to accept the discrepancy between the two worlds.

‘…I must have done everything within my power.’

His emotions, having become as cold as a corroded gearwheel at a standstill, began to stir. Occasionally, the residue of these emotions broke through the surface in a slow trickle.

– Beep, beep.

Shiba, taken aback, stuffed the triangular kimbap she was eating into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she observed the scene. She even thumped her chest as if battling a lump in her throat. All the while, the king kept his gaze locked on Shiba. It was an undeniably awkward situation. His lips parched, his mouth felt as if it were aflame.

‘I must kill her.’

The king, regaining his wits belatedly, clenched his fist. He had to twist that pitiful neck right now… But before he could muster the resolve, Shiba made her move.

– Kiririk.

A small window swung open, and out popped Shiba’s hand, slick with sweat.

“That… mister.”
“……”
“Would you like some of this?”

Was it because his attire was so ragged?
Or did his fixated gaze make him appear as if he were begging Shiba?

In Shiba’s outstretched hand was a wooden jar of milk, a narrow white straw poking from its top.

– Swooosh.

The king accepted the milk, an awkward expression playing across his face. It was an unavoidable circumstance.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A peculiar man had attached himself to her.

Shiba gazed at the vagabond, who was sipping milk with an oddly endearing expression.

‘What is with this man?’

He had caught her attention from the moment she first laid eyes on him.

A man with an inexplicably familiar aura.
He wasn’t particularly endearing, but there was a certain intrigue that drew her to him.

‘What is that peculiar texture on his face?’

His visage could easily belong to a man in his twenties, but Shiba knew better. The aura he exuded suggested he was at least forty. His eyes were a peculiar shade of black, devoid of any light.

For a brief moment, a sensation akin to fear gripped her.

-Slurp.

“Beep…”

The sound of air being sucked through a straw was more pathetic than frightening. He must have been incredibly thirsty to consume the milk that quickly.

“Are you hungry?”
“No.”

His eyes were as clear and still as a tranquil pond. Shiba found it impossible to decipher his thoughts through those emotionless orbs.

“Why is your mouth like that?”

Shiba’s finger pointed to the bark-like texture around his mouth. His teeth protruded through the bark, covering half of his face. Every time he opened his mouth, the bark opened with it, with a stiff motion.

“Is something wrong?”
“……”
“Is it a joke?… I’m sorry, sir.”
“No. It’s okay.”

Shiba, grinning awkwardly and scratching the back of her head, gave a sunny smile. His gaze never strayed from Shiba’s face.

Then, silence fell once again.

The subtle battle of wits between the silent man and Shiba resumed.

‘He’s not a stalker…’

Shiba pondered deeply. His expression seemed too sorrowful and lonely for him to harbor any malicious intent. His vacant eyes staring at her elicited a sense of sympathy.

‘Did he come begging for money?’

Shiba tilted her head, considering this before reaching into her pocket for her wallet. The more Shiba’s cute gestures continued, the more his eyes trembled.

“Beep, you know.”
“……”
“This may really be rude, but… are you homeless?”

At her sudden question, he appeared to freeze momentarily. However, his head soon began to nod cautiously.

“Did you come here for money?”

To Shiba’s awkward deduction, he simply nodded. At first, he didn’t respond, but… the fact that their conversation was continuing was both surprising and enjoyable.

“Do you have a place to stay?”

There’s a station not far from there, but… She had never seen such an unusual homeless person.

– Nod.

“Even so… you can’t stay at my place. But, if this is okay, please take it.”

Shiba pulled out her wallet and handed him a fifty-thousand won note. With his bark-encrusted hand, he took Shiba’s smooth, unblemished hand. His eyes trembled again.

‘Wow… his hands are strange too.’

To Shiba, it was simply fascinating. She was aware that something was off, but from the moment the conversation began, she couldn’t extract herself.

Shiba was silently hoping for the king to depart as she reached for the ramen she had been consuming.

“……”

The king remained unmoving.

‘Why… Why isn’t he leaving?’

Did he lack funds?
Shiba, her pupils trembling, found her hand shaking as well.

“Do you, by any chance, lack money?”

The king shook his head.

“Then…?”
“Recompense.”
“You wish to repay me?”

He nodded, his expression devoid of color.

“Ah, um.”

Suddenly he wanted to extract money, and wanted to repay what he had extracted… it was beyond comprehension. Shiba held her silence, and the king slowly opened his mouth, which had previously been tightly shut.

“Do you wish to kill someone?”
“…What?”
“Has anyone tormented you?”
“Oh, no. There’s no way! For a mere 50,000 won…”

Shiba shook her head in surprise. The king seemed disheartened by her adorable reaction and hung his head. It was a frightening visage, one that evoked no emotions in others, but to Shiba, it was a face brimming with empathy.

“And what, what are you going to do if I have such troubles!”
“Kill.”
“Beep!! Please don’t kill! The homeless man, you’re a terrifying individual! Please grant me a different favor!”
“?”

Shiba, who had deemed him as not your ordinary vagrant, swiftly shifted the topic.

‘Worries, any worries at all…?’

Things that have been confining her thus far.
One was her insufficient swordsmanship despite incessant learning, and the other was her gray magic and the power of the elves.
What use would it be to ask such a thing of a homeless man?
As Shiba was ruminating, an alternative emerged in her mind.

“…Then, do you know how to make friends?”

Already her third self-consultation.

It wasn’t something to discuss with a homeless person,
but this might just be suitable enough.

Shiba tapped her mobile device, summoning the king’s attention.
A small chat window appeared in the sight of the king who bowed his head at Shiba’s gesture.

“Look at this, I’ve been trying to get close to her recently…”
“Get close?”
“Yes. How should I become friends with her? Her name is Bam.”

The king, responding in a mechanical tone, tilted his head.
He seemed lost, but his gestures indicated a determined effort to think.
Shiba found this endearing for some reason.

“…I wish to become closer.”
“Yes, my mother told me to send chocolates.”
“Mother?”
“Yes.”

Mother…
The king, in silence, stole a glance at Shiba’s complexion. Shiba’s mother would naturally be referring to innocence.
Could the innocence of this world have transcended dimensions and come to Shiba’s side?

But why chocolate?
The king furrowed his brows and shook his head.

“An extravagant gift can be burdensome.”

The first step is conversation.
Though commonplace advice, it was new to Shiba, causing her eyes to sparkle.

“Beep! As expected, isn’t it? I felt something was amiss while sending the gift. Then, how should we proceed?”

Should they suggest watching a film together?

The King repeatedly found himself nodding to Shiba’s emphatic assertions.

Shiba, of all people.
Whatever she opts to undertake, it would inevitably be well-received.
Shiba’s energy had the capacity to ignite enthusiasm within everyone.

“Then, I shall inquire.”

With a confident air, Shiba tapped on her mobile device.

[Me: Would you like to go to the movies this coming Saturday?]

An invitation, abrupt and unanticipated.
The reply to be returned was predetermined.

[Bam: No.]

“…”

Upon receiving the response, Shiba’s gaze turned back towards the King.
An expression of sorrow and desolation adorned Shiba’s face.

“What should I do, Sir…?”
“…”

Truth be told, the King himself was not one to have a plethora of friendships.
After hundreds of years, one could become numb, unknowing even.
But this was his daughter’s plea. The King swallowed, his fists tightening.

“Let’s have a conversation.”

Unbeknownst to the King, he was becoming encased within Shiba’s ambiance.