Realization in the Scorching West
The west is hot. Disgustingly, mercilessly hot. The proof lies in the vast desert sprawling just a short distance away. That's why, when the sun blazes directly overhead at noon, everyone must retreat into the shade. What happens if you don't? You'll find out firsthand exactly how heat can kill a person. In short, the search operation had to begin at the crack of dawn. A break at lunch, then resumption in the late afternoon. As a result, every member of the party had been moving busily since early morning.
I watched the others spread out in every direction, hunting for any trace of Iris and those who followed her. The one I had the highest hopes for was, naturally, my foolish youngest disciple. The Last Hero, Iris—the one hiding the staggering secret that she was a regressor. She was searching in a way quite different from the rest. She kept gazing up at the sky to track the sun's movement, driving sticks into the ground, and studying the shadows they cast as she moved along.
“That cheeky little brat seems to be using an entirely different method.”
It looked like Master had noticed that Iris was doing something unique. For the record, Master herself was not participating in the search. That was only natural, since she was my master, but the bigger reason was her weak tolerance for heat. Even sitting still in this sweltering weather was difficult for her. Asking her to scour the blazing sun for traces that might never appear would have been the same as saying I wanted to see what happened when the Heavenly Demon suffered heatstroke.
“...Disciple.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Why aren't you fanning me?”
“I thought perhaps I should join the search as well.”
“There is no need. The leader of any group must know when to delegate tasks to his subordinates. Leading by example is admirable, but even that has things one should and should not do.”
Technically, the leader of the group working out there isn't me but Gerard, Master. And that Gerard is out there sweating under the blazing sun alongside his men. Standing inside this tent merely watching is driving me insane with restlessness. But with Iris away on the search, there was no one else to fan Master, so she had pointedly chosen me and ordered me to do it. I had even protested lightly, asking why it had to be me when there were so many other loyal followers. We needed to find Iris quickly so we could leave this sweltering place. We couldn't afford to sit idle. I tried to persuade her, but the Heavenly Demon remained utterly unmoved.
“Hyeon-ah. This master of yours is far too hot.”
“Master...”
“Must I remove more?”
She had already bared not only her arms and legs but her thighs as well. Removing anything more would leave her in nothing but her undergarments. Master, who was incredibly timid about anything concerning the relationship between men and women, somehow became astonishingly nonchalant in moments like these. Because of that, I had no choice but to keep waving the fan in case she decided to do something reckless.
“That's nice.”
“Does it feel cooler?”
“That too. But there is something even better.”
“What is it?”
“That is... ahem. There is such a thing. Ask no more.”
I could roughly guess what that “even better” thing was, but I chose to keep silent. If I pressed any further, a Heavenly Demon Divine Art flick to the forehead would come flying my way.
“Hyeon-ah.”
“Yes, Master.”
“After listening to you, I thought long and carefully. About the situation my disciple currently faces. I assumed they were all mere riffraff, but there are powerful beings among them. If it were only one, perhaps. But if there are several, neither you nor even I could easily guarantee victory.”
“...You are far stronger than I am, Master.”
“One can never be certain. In battles between the strong, the smallest gap decides victory or defeat. You know this well. And if there are multiple such beings, even you would face a difficult fight. That is why you trained your disciples until they could stand against them. Am I right?”
I nodded quietly at Master's words. It wasn't a lie, and there was no need to hide the truth. Besides, it seemed she already had a rough understanding of the Fragments of the Demon God.
“How far have you seen?”
“...”
“No one understands your insight better than I. What I cannot perceive, you see, you can see, and you judge. It is far superior to those bald monks of the murim.”
“You flatter me.”
“Speak. How far have you seen?”
“...The enemies will come. Including the powerful being you witnessed that day, Master. An army bent on overturning this world will surge forth. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say they already are.”
Master nodded in understanding. Monsters and demonic creatures had occasionally appeared in the mountains where she resided. I had usually dealt with them at once, but a few had reached all the way to her.
“So those unpleasant things were the vanguards of what you call the enemy.”
“Correct. The people here struggle even against those scouts. Fighting the main force behind them would mean certain defeat. That is why I sought out the children born with the destiny to save this world.”
“And those children became your disciples. Was there truly no other way?”
“No. This was the best option. The most effective path.”
Master gazed at me for a moment, then smiled. She smiled so rarely that the sudden expression made me flinch. Why was she smiling? Why was she acting like this? It made me uneasy.
“How like a true man.”
“Pardon?”
“I entered the world simply to wield power. Yet the result was far from what I wished. To me, it was the righteous path, but to others it was the path of tyranny. That is why the entire world turned against me.”
“...”
“My disciple wishes to walk a different road from his master. How can this not bring me joy? It is different from those righteous sects with their pretty words and hollow hearts. Your will is truly upright and magnificent. Hyeon-ah. I chose my disciple very well indeed.”
It seemed she had misunderstood rather grandly. She believed I was stepping forward for the sake of the weak despite possessing power. In truth, it had simply been the best method I chose in order to survive.
“I will follow your will.”
“Master?”
“You intended to use me, did you not? Then do so freely. To dare use me—the Heavenly Demon. If you are going to do it, do it so thoroughly that the enemies cannot even breathe for fear. Use me that way. I will gladly allow it. And if you require this master's strength, bow your head and ask. I will gladly answer then as well.”
She had once lived a life that was pure struggle during her days in the rivers and lakes. She had been called a monster that even the greatest warriors feared encountering in their dreams. Yet the Heavenly Demon standing before me now showed none of that. She was simply the most reliable, the strongest, and the most beautiful master in the world. Those were the only things I felt when I looked at her.
“...Disciple. It seems they have found something.”
Just as I was about to express my gratitude, she rose slowly from her seat and pointed ahead. Turning my head, I saw knights rushing toward one spot in a group. And there was Iris, waving her hands back and forth.
“Let me say one thing, disciple.”
“Please speak.”
“I still dislike that girl. I dislike her even more than before.”
Master's wariness toward Iris had softened considerably. There had been a time when she would radiate a chilling aura the moment the girl approached me. Now, that aura had been replaced by clear discomfort. It was certainly better than murderous vigilance, but it was still the gaze of none other than the Heavenly Demon. I could not simply brush it aside.
“She is someone who has endured pain similar to ours, Master.”
“I know. That is why I withdrew the wariness I first felt.”
“Even so, if you say you dislike her, I find it difficult to understand.”
At my words, Master's eyes narrowed. She clicked her tongue softly, then spoke.
“I simply do not like her. She is clearly the one who has spent the least time with you. Yet her every action and word suggests she knows you better than anyone else.”
“...”
Was this the insight that came with being the strongest in the murim, the Heavenly Demon? Or was it the sharp intuition of a woman? Either way, I had the feeling that Master was steadily drawing closer to the truth.
“...It looks like they are calling for you.”
“It does.”
“Go. Shouldn't you find your disciple quickly?”
I nodded at her words and stepped out of the tent. Bracing myself against the fiercely beating sun, I headed toward the gathered crowd. When I arrived, Iris and Gerard were examining something with great focus.
“Did you find something?”
“Master. From what I can see, this appears to be an entrance leading somewhere.”
“I agree. What is your opinion, Master?”
A large cavity had suddenly revealed itself on the barren ground. Iris already knew it was an entrance. Still, to be certain, I examined it—and at its edge I sensed a familiar energy.
“...It's Iris's energy. It seems she deliberately left a trace at the starting point.”
“So that's why we couldn't find it. An entrance that only appears when people are positioned at every shadow's edge and a certain weight is applied. Youngest, how in the world did you figure this out?”
“There were no traces on the surface, so I thought it must be either above or below. As I walked past, I felt a slight sinking sensation in one spot. Once I suspected something was there, I became curious about what would come next. If there was something down here, how would those who knew about it enter and exit? The only usable guides in this place are sunlight, moonlight, and starlight.”
“So you considered the shadows?”
“Yes. It was half a gamble, honestly. I didn't expect it to match so perfectly.”
Aren't those many gaps exactly why, Iris? Even a little thought would raise far too many questions. I swallowed a sigh and decided to add some weight to her explanation.
“I once taught the youngest that if you cannot find traces, you must look farther and wider. Do not search for the answer itself, but for something that can lead you to the answer.”
“Ah... I see. It seems the youngest truly took your words to heart, Master.”
Fortunately, Gerard expressed no doubts. He was simply satisfied that they had found the entrance bearing Iris's trace.
“Then, Master. What will you do?”
“What else? We enter at once. Iris was pursuing the demonic creatures. If she went inside here, it means there may be demonic creatures within as well.”
“...It's been at least a month in this underground place... We must go in immediately. Please wait a moment. I'll gather the men right away.”
Gerard left briefly, leaving only me and Iris standing above the entrance.
“No matter how I look at it, Iris.”
“Yes, Master.”
“I don't sense any demonic energy from inside there. There's no foul stench, either.”
“...It does seem that way. There may be no demonic creatures inside.”
“But it also sounds as though there could be something else instead.”
“No one can know everything about the world. That is also possible.”
It was not a monster, not a demonic creature, not a Demonic Human. Not even a Fragment of the Demon God. Then just what was inside that had Iris wandering like this?
“...Whatever it is.”
For now, we would have to go inside and face it ourselves to find out.