Chapter 603 – The Disciple of the Most Beloved Master

Embracing the peach tree was comforting.

No matter how fond one is, kissing throughout the night must certainly be crossing a boundary. I decided to relish the moment to an extent before releasing my mentor.

“Master.”

I gaze at my master, her face flushed a deep crimson, her head modestly bowed.

“Heavens… Heavens…”

Cheondo’s grip around my neck felt tight, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

“Master?”
“Uh, yes… What is it?”

She is the strongest mentor in the world. The woman I respect and aspire to emulate is now nestled within my arms.

One slip of the tongue and there’s no room for defiance.

“Do you find pleasure in this?”

In response to my question, Cheondo’s grip on my collar tightens, pulling me closer. Her intense gaze comes up to meet mine.

“Do you… do you even understand the concept of consideration? I… I… am struggling to breathe.”

How I yearn to be lost in this moment for a while longer.
How wonderful would it be to rest in her tender embrace, to bestow my affection and indulge in my whims?

“And refrain from confessing your love to me henceforth.”

– Swallow.

The master gulps down the saliva on her lips, her hand gripping my chest tightly while she groans. The scent of her sweat emanating from her bountiful chest is enticing. I resist the temptation to respond.

“Isn’t it natural to confess your love to the one you adore?”
“Don’t be impudent.”
“Do you have someone else in your heart?”
“That conversation… I told you to avoid it!”

In the past, merely mentioning the tale of her first love would make her tighten up and distance herself.

But now, she seems lost.

“I… I am…”
“Master.”

I pull Cheondo closer, embracing her with all my might, enough to compress her heart.

– Thud!

“Oh!”

My left cheek brushes against Cheondo’s right cheek. The delicate pulse of my master is palpable.

– Thump, thump, thump.

“Master.”
“…!…!?”

Cheondo’s cheeks are burning hot. Her embrace is warm. Her chest is soft.
Her heated breath moistens my skin, clinging to every inch of me.

Her feeble hand wanders aimlessly before gripping onto my back. Cheondo, who regains her senses late, pushes me out of her embrace.

“Ah, please… Siheon… I beg of you.”

Her voice quivers with emotion. I, at the very least, can comprehend Cheondo’s feelings.

The teacher-student bond that has been in place for several years now. Cheondo’s voice, which always seemed lonely and forlorn, brings a sense of fulfillment.

“Do you despise me?”
“That’s not what I meant. Just… calm down for now.”
“Master, you’re truly wicked. You invite me to your bed, embrace me, shower me with all forms of affection. And when I return my feelings, you bring up your first love.”
“That’s a matter between mentors-“

A strategy to appeal to sentiment.
No, it’s not that. It’s just something I felt compelled to say.

“And the clothes.”
“!”

“Did you hope to remain unseen by your disciple while wearing such attire?”
“This clothing, it’s just….”

Heaven found herself bereft of words. The thin material of the tights was resilient enough to nullify considerable impact, and typically, it wouldn’t be visible beneath her robes unless she revealed her ankles.

But I had been persistently observing what lay beneath.

During our time at the academy, during our training sessions.

Every time I turned my head while lying on the same bed, I could see her breasts, tightly bound by the garment. I couldn’t help but point it out.

“That, that… I apologize. I didn’t think it through.”
“No matter, I am fond of you, Master. I won’t surrender.”

As I made this declaration, Heaven seemed at a loss for words. I could feel her holding her breath as I tightened my arms around her.

In no time, a voice filled with worries slipped from Heaven’s lips.

“……Why do you desire me so intensely?”

Why, indeed.

“You have suitable partners. The sage, the teachers… your classmates. Even Zodiac. There is no shortage of people who love you.”
“But still.”
“…That person, she departed alone.”
“You said you have no recollection.”
“I may not remember, but if she is still alive. I am the only one who can love her.”

A peculiar kind of love, indeed.
I was intoxicated by its scent, a resonating aroma of love that filled my nostrils, and I asked.

“So, do you harbor no feelings for me at all?”
“You are a beloved disciple. I would risk my life for you. Indeed, I have proven it.”

Heaven’s response to my question was elusive.

“…I fear I cannot love you as deeply as Zodiac and the sage.”
“But, Master.”

Heaven cannot leave this house.
Without the peculiar magic and medicine that resides in the sage’s dwelling, she grows noticeably weaker.

“Every time I visit, you appear so forlorn.”
“……”

Heaven falls silent, her eyes filled with melancholy.

“Please, tell me honestly. Then I will cleanly fold away my feelings. Do you feel nothing for me at all?”

Heaven seemed conflicted, her lips trembling.

Her heartbeat grew louder. Thump, thump, thump. Her quickening pulse painted her face a deep shade of red, and I waited for her response.

“…It’s complex.”

In a voice faint as a whisper, she murmured this single, adorable sentence.
Her voice was tart and sweet, like a ripe peach.

I tightened my grip on her.

“If I hold you, wouldn’t the loneliness be lessened?”
“…It lessens.”
“Don’t you feel happy?”
“……Yes, it brings happiness.”
“Have you never awaited my return?”

Heaven’s hands trembled. It seemed her worries had reached their peak, slowly inducing a headache.

“I wait. I think of you every time. My disciple, maturing and growing sturdy, returning to see me-“

It seemed I couldn’t press her further here.
I decided to momentarily suppress my feelings.

“Then, alleviate that loneliness. In my embrace.”

We began with a kiss, which led to an embrace.

Cheondo nestled her head in my embrace and fell silent.

– Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.

At this rate, my heart might just burst.

“Thank you, Master.”
“I, I….”
“I believe I can muster the strength, because of you.”
“Are you going to venture into danger? Do not. Regardless of its necessity.”

Does she fear losing me? Cheondo cried out in a desperate attempt to dissuade me.
I responded with an unhurried nod.

“Fear not. Who am I, after all?”

A broad smile for my master. I display as much composure as I can muster, as I had vowed.

At the sight of my smile, Cheondo’s face stiffened, and she fell into a prolonged silence.

“The disciple of the master I love most in the world.”

– Thump.

Ah, my heart just leaped.

“So, I lack the confidence to lose.”

Now, I honor the promise I once failed to keep.
To never let my master down again.

Cheondo couldn’t tear her gaze away from my face for a long while.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Temporary Dispatch Team of the King of Trees, outside the lodgings.

“An opposing wind blows.”

At the words of the smoking knight commander, Jung Si-woo, who had been on guard duty, awoke from his light sleep.

“Excuse me?”
“Isn’t it peculiar? Normally, when we talk about urban wind, it’s the breeze above colliding with the buildings and descending.”

What does he mean? Sometimes, these trees are incomprehensible.
Jung Si-woo blinked and rubbed his face with his gloved hand.

– Whoosh!

The wind ascends from below.

It’s a wind that rubs against the buildings, filling the void as though someone had seized the atmosphere above.
Signs sway, and tree roots tremble.

Unconsciously, Jung Si-woo lifted his gaze along the wind’s course.

“…Never in my life have I encountered such a headwind.”
“I finally understand what you meant. This is a first for me.”
“From a veteran who has experienced it all, you say?”
“Yes….”

At the edge of Jung Si-woo’s view, an immense rift stretched across the sky.
It is bizarre to see the multicolored wings fluttering, slowly widening the gap.

“That…?”
“It’s a dimensional rift. Whether it’s the World Tree’s handiwork or theirs, I do not know. But it’s certain that social media is ablaze.”

Jung Si-woo replied, gripping his sword, to the captain’s inquiry about the belatedly discovered rift.
Si-woo tapped on Cornus’s helmet, which was resting on the adjacent table.

“Rise.”
“I yearn for Si-eon.”
“Do not frivolously utter that name. From now on, a moment’s rest will be a luxury.”

Heroes prepared for the subjugation of the King roam the night in Seoul.

Is it a judgment that Mugung is dead, and nothing more can be given?

[Divinity]. The hunter and the warrior had arrived here, intending to claim the tycoon’s head.

“I’ll explore around. Hunter, you should accompany me.”
“Uh…”

Jung Si-woo, armed with his sword, cautiously moved forward, followed by the ‘hunter,’ who seemed to have no other choice. The woman, adorned in heavy armor, stretched, her breastplate rippling appealingly with the movement.

“Groan!”

There were whispers that the materials used to construct such a breastplate were costlier than the riches of a giant male.

How large could it be?
Regrettably, the ‘hunter’ had not displayed any other attire to anyone, save one.

– Trudge, trudge, trudge.

Watching the duo depart, the commander of the knights took a drag from his cigarette.

“Those two… Are they the [Divinity]?”

[Divinity].

The term referred to five new generations vying for the position following the downfall of the three pre-existing giants.

Kim Soo-yeon, the Swordmaster’s daughter.
Jung Si-woo, the white warrior.
The guardian knight, the Hunter.
The Imperial Palace’s maiden.
Yoshino Saku, the servant of the fox.

Three of them were present here. Soo-yeon was safeguarding her grandfather’s grave, while Jung Si-woo and Cornus had just departed.

How they would navigate through the impending disaster was uncertain…

‘I have a bad feeling.’

The vast crevice suggested that an easy escape appeared unlikely.

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

– Woo-woo-woo!

[Disaster Warning: Unusual phenomena detected in Seoul and the metropolitan area, citizens are advised to close windows and doors and refrain from venturing outside.]

Social media and community platforms were in chaos.

‘What about him?’

As soon as the news was confirmed, Shiba was the first to extract her phone and send him a message.

[Me: Sir!] – 1
[Me: (A sprouting emoticon)] – 1
[Me: Have you seen the disaster message? No place to stay, what will you do?] – 1

The unfading ‘1’.
Her heart was heavy.

Shiba rolled over, sprung up from the bed.

– Thud!

Then, the door suddenly swung open.

“Shiba.”
“…Second mom?”

Lee Se-young had come looking for Shiba.

“Prepare yourself. A significant event is imminent.”
“Bee? What big event? Um, hmm… Is it related to the text message?”

Lee Se-young didn’t utter a word but nodded in response. An inferno of anxiety ignited within Shiba.

“Consider it as if you’ll be traveling abroad for a few days.”
“But the news mentioned no significant problems…”
“Do you trust the news?”

Shiba was at a loss for words.
True enough. How could one trust the news?

“Okay, I understand for now. And you, mom?”

“Even in the face of turmoil, you’re packing. Hurry and prepare yourself.”

‘What should I do?’

Lee Se-young descended the stairs, leaving the door ajar, while Shiba huddled in a corner of her room, absentmindedly flipping through her phone.

The persistent notification on KakaoTalk. One unread message.

One of them finally responded.

[Pitol><(custom name): I'm on a business trip. What's going on in Seoul?]A business trip!Shiba gave an involuntary stroke to her chest.[Me: Yes]
[Me: However]
[Me: He isn’t picking up my call.]
[Me: (Worried sprout emoji)]
[Pitol>< : The old man? Ah… The homeless one?]
[Pitol>< : But according to what I found, there hasn't been any harm so far.]
[Me: Do you believe in the news?]

Bam was at a loss for words.

[Pitol><: That's a fair point.]
[Pitol><: What are you going to do, sis?]
[Me: My mom suggests fleeing abroad.]
[Me: What about him?]
[Pitol>< : I guess he'll look after himself? It's not a big deal yet.]Indeed.Overwhelmed with worry, Shiba gnawed on her thumbnail.-You remind me of my daughter.The homeless man, gruff but secretively tender-hearted.He had a slightly wooden demeanor, but was an adept conversationalist. He had even lent an ear to her woes.Without him, Shiba would have failed to accomplish her quest of making friends.‘…….’Though there was no certainty about his fate.Shiba had already experienced loss once.The visage of the detained camellia flitted across Shiba’s mind.Mary, who had grown somewhat close, was also gone.And now, yet again… a chance to lose someone dear.Shiba had always undergone that grueling training solely because she couldn’t bear to lose again.-Grrr.With a firm grip on her phone, Shiba bit her lip.