Ch 129
Became a swordsmanship instructor at the academy
Chapter 129
That girl Se-jin stared for a long time, finding it fascinating how I used subspace magic to take out food.
Steaming chicken, glossy Dongpo pork and mapo tofu, sesame ramen and dumplings, and potato chips.
I prepared only things that Master used to like.
It's a bit of a strange combination for an ancestral ritual table... But well, it's not a real ancestral ritual anyway.
"Let's bow."
"Ah, yes. Um... Teacher, then how many times should we bow?"
"Well? Still, shouldn't we bow twice?"
Honestly, I don't know the specific order either.
I've been to ancestral rituals, but I never learned the order separately.
As I got older, our relationship became strained and I stopped going altogether.
Well, Master didn't really die but became an immortal, so I guess I can do it my way.
Still, I bowed roughly as I remembered and took out bamboo leaf liquor that Master liked and a small cup, pouring a little and sprinkling it around the tombstone.
I had Se-jin do it too.
"Want to eat some?"
I remember that after ancestral rituals ended, we used to share and eat the ritual food a little, so I offered some to Se-jin.
But Se-jin shook her head and declined.
Does she feel uncomfortable because it's ritual food?
I picked up a snack to eat and was about to put the rest back in subspace, but left it as is.
"Shall we go now?"
"Huh? Then what about this food..."
"It's okay to leave it. I'll come back later to clean it up."
If Master created that scene when we entered the portal earlier, he might come again later.
Maybe he's here now but I just can't see him...
I need to give Se-jin an answer, so I'll have to clean up later.
"Ah, yes. Great Master, I'll come again next year."
"Next year?"
"Aren't ancestral rituals held every year?"
"That's right."
Coming often might make me depressed, but once a year seems fine.
I exited the portal with Se-jin.
Now that I've finished showing Se-jin to Master, it's time to give an answer.
"Um, Teacher..."
"Can you give me your hand for a moment?"
"Ah, yes."
It didn't seem right to talk in these deep mountains, so I grabbed Se-jin's hand and used warp magic.
The view changed instantly.
"T-Teacher? Where is this?"
"Tokyo Tower."
Not Tokyo Tower's observation deck, but the external area above the main deck where I climbed to save the kids during the school trip.
I thought of this place when looking for somewhere quiet and atmospheric.
"T-Tokyo Tower?"
"Do you have acrophobia or something? Then we can go somewhere else..."
"No. Tokyo Tower means this is Japan."
"I explained warp magic earlier."
"I didn't know you could go to such distant places."
"Anywhere I've been before doesn't matter. If you don't like it, should we just go home?"
"No. The scenery here is nice. It's not hot either because it's high up."
"Right."
The scenery is definitely artistic.
It would be dangerous if you misstepped even slightly, but Se-jin is at the level of a peak master, so it seems fine.
"Um..."
"I..."
"Please speak first."
Now it's really time to give an answer.
"Right. Since when?"
"Huh?"
"Since when did you think of me not as a teacher but as the opposite sex?"
"...I'm not sure. At first I just thought you were a handsome teacher, but at some point..."
"What's that about? Then do you remember when people here and there misunderstood that we two were in that kind of relationship and questioned us?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then you'll also remember what we said to clarify."
"Master and disciple..."
"Right. And as I clarified, I never once thought of you, Se-jin, as the opposite sex rather than a student."
"I see..."
Se-jin's complexion rapidly worsened.
"Last time was also a bit confusing. I never thought the cat would be you..."
"Th-that time, a senior team member at the guild who didn't understand the situation well gave me advice... Please forget it."
"Hmm, but it wasn't that I disliked it? I hadn't thought about it at all, so it was like a twist charm? Honestly, it was cute."
"Ehh... Don't tease me."
That girl Se-jin's face and even her ears turned red.
At first, I was more inclined toward rejection.
As I said earlier, I never once thought of Se-jin as the opposite sex.
Even though Se-jin is an adult, we first met at school as student and teacher, and I kept telling people around us it wasn't like that.
Besides, Se-jin wasn't the only one who confessed to me.
But after thinking for several days, I could realize.
The problem was that I was thinking too seriously about it.
If it were marriage, I could consider various conditions, but for dating, it's enough if both people like each other.
Maybe because it's been so long since I dated, I was thinking too difficultly about it.
Not everyone who dates gets married.
A too-light heart wouldn't be good either, but there's no need to think seriously from the start.
There's even a saying that calling someone ‘older brother, older brother’ leads to calling them ‘father, father.'
Besides, I'm also twenty-six, in my prime, and Se-jin is only twenty.
So I decided to think simply.
I've never thought of either Teacher Kim or Se-jin as the opposite sex, but naturally I have favorable feelings, so I just need to choose who I like more.
"Um... You said earlier that you didn't dislike it, was that sincere?"
"Huh?"
"Th-then, should I understand that you'll accept my feelings?"
She seems full of expectation, and it looks like she's caught on.
If we're just talking about time spent together, I did spend more time with Teacher Kim.
I went on portal raids with her since last summer and she helped quite a bit with Se-jin's supplementary lessons.
But feelings don't necessarily deepen just because you've known someone longer.
Of course, Teacher Kim helped me a lot, including with the regeneration magic this time.
During the early portal raids, when the portal grade went up and an Ogre appeared, Teacher Hong Lee Seol said we should run away, but Teacher Kim didn't follow that opinion and came looking for me.
Though she drew the Ogre's aggro and it was closer to trolling than helping.
I'm sorry to Teacher Kim, but my heart leans more toward Se-jin.
That girl Se-jin tried to jump off the rooftop for me, even though she might have died.
Moreover, Se-jin believed in me no matter what I said.
Except for Master... No, perhaps Se-jin trusts me even more than Master did.
That's why I taught her martial arts.
No matter how many times I think about it, Se-jin is much more comfortable than Teacher Kim.
And personally, I quite liked the cat thing last time...
Ahem, anyway, I was about to answer ‘Yes, let's try dating once,’ but my throat trembled.
I thought it was because I was too nervous, but I actually felt a vibration.
"Teacher?"
The necklace I received from Luciel is vibrating.
At the same time, I feel my internal energy disappearing in chunks, and white light bursts out.
"Why is Shin-hyeok meeting such an ugly kid like you?"
Wa... Wait, this voice, could it be?
I closed my eyes because of the light, but it's such a familiar voice.
Fortunately, the light disappeared quickly so I opened my eyes... Oh my God.
Luciel is glaring at Se-jin with four gray wings spread.
"Luciel! How did you get here?"
"I told you you'd find out when you came out, didn't I?"
She says with a grin, but I can't understand the current situation at all.
Could it be that the magic she'd been researching was magic to come out to the outside world?
But Luciel is the Guardian of the Demon Realm Tree, so she can't leave the vicinity of the Demon Realm Tree.
In the original story, even when she heard Kim Do-hyun was getting married, she asked Lee Ji-sung to call Kim Do-hyun because of that, so how on earth...
"T-Teacher? It doesn't seem like someone you know. What is it?"
"Well, that's..."
I'm so shocked I don't know where to start explaining this or what to say.
"What do you need to know? Shin-hyeok is mine, so don't cling to him. You're disgustingly ugly."
After speaking, she approaches me and links arms, pretending to be close.
Suddenly popping out, what exactly is she trying to do...
I'm really going crazy.
***
Even if he's the Primordial Heavenly Honored One, I couldn't stand the mockery and was about to say something, but after speaking, he just disappeared.
"Yu-ryang, I'm sorry. I couldn't be of much help."
Sambong, who always laughed heartily, has a genuinely sorry expression unlike himself.
"It's fine. What that guy said earlier wasn't completely wrong. I'm the one who refused anyway."
"Still... Well, isn't there anything I can help with?"
"Can't you send word to my disciple that I didn't ascend? Then that's enough... No, right. If you have some alcohol, please give me some."
"Alcohol? My friend, where would there be alcohol in the immortal realm?"
"No alcohol? Your favorite thing used to be alcohol."
Even though Wudang is strictly a Taoist sect that doesn't enjoy alcohol, that guy Sambong quite liked alcohol unlike a typical Taoist.
"I gave up all such things when I became an immortal."
"Then can't you go to the Central Plains and get some? Right. When you come, bring some Mapo Tofu and Dongpo Pork too..."
"That... Since you're not an immortal, you probably don't know well, but immortals can't casually descend to the lower world."
"Then why did you say you'd help?"
"I'm sorry..."
It seems refusing ascension was the right choice after all.
There's nothing to have and nothing that works, I can't live like that.
I don't know when, but waiting for that guy Shin-hyeok is a hundred times better.
I don't need anything else, just send me back to where I was, but then I remembered something my disciple asked for long ago.
"Do you happen to remember your sect's internal energy cultivation method?"
"I remember it, but why the internal energy method? Even Wudang's Taiji Divine Art or Yang Yi Divine Art wouldn't be of any help to someone at your level."
"Do you think I'd request it without knowing that? Not Taiji Mind Method or Yang Yi Mind Method, just basic mind method."
"Ba... Basic mind method?"
"My disciple asked me to look into it before, saying he'd never learned it in his lifetime. Do you remember?"
"I do know it, but..."
If he knows it, why is this guy trailing off again...
"Please tell me. You've even ascended, are you still attached to Wudang? It's not something great, just a basic mind method."
"If it's your disciple, he's a human from another dimension, so if I teach Wudang's martial arts..."
"No, Sambong, he's already learned my martial arts. My disciple took a disciple and even took a great-disciple, but the Primordial Heavenly Honored One didn't say anything earlier, right?"
After thinking briefly, perhaps convinced, he told me the incantation and the movement of blood channels.
Since it's a basic mind method, the efficiency is quite poor.
What was that guy Shin-hyeok planning to use this for when he asked me to find out?
"I've memorized it all, so please send me back now."
Sambong made an apologetic expression and waved his hand once, creating a black rift.
"I'm saying this out of concern, but if you happen to go to places other than the space you're in and harm causality, the heavenly realm might impose sanctions..."
"I got it. You became an immortal and you're still nagging?"
"I hope you can reunite with your disciple in the near future."
"Well, he's not such a heartless guy, so if I wait, he'll come someday. You take care too."
As I stepped into the black rift, I returned to where I was originally... Wait, what's this smell?
I ran toward where the smell was coming from and found a small table placed in front of the tombstone with chicken, ramen, Dongpo pork, and even alcohol?
They're all things I like.
I almost lost my mind and rushed over, but barely managed to compose myself and spread my mental awareness.
Wha... What?
The fact that there's food here means that guy Shin-hyeok came, but I can't sense his energy anywhere.
He didn't just leave, did he?
I dipped my finger in the ramen broth and there was very faint warmth remaining.
It could be because of sunlight, but maybe I failed to detect him.
"Kang Shin-hyeok! Hey, you stupid disciple!"
I let out a lion's roar and headed to where he always appears.
But I couldn't find Shin-hyeok's figure.
Even when I searched every corner of the portal instead of using mental awareness, it was the same, and there wasn't even a single word left in the cave.
I can't just blame him.
If I hadn't followed that guy Sambong...
No, if I had left even one line of writing on the cave wall, I could have let him know that I didn't ascend.
I composed my dejected heart and returned to where the food was.
Should I eat first?
The ramen had swollen noodles and even cold broth, but the spiciness remained.
The chicken was already soggy, but it hadn't lost its savory taste.
The Dongpo pork was also cold and cooled, but the sweet and salty seasoning taste hadn't changed.
But the best were the bamboo leaf liquor and potato chips.
The crispy crispy texture of the potato chips is exactly the same feeling as when I ate them before.
The bamboo leaf liquor was also only half full and the lid wasn't even closed, but the aroma remained intact.
CRUNCH!
After filling my stomach with food for the first time in a while, my dejected heart feels somewhat calmed.
Come to think of it, I've been messing around here and there trying to imitate Yeo Dong-bin's techniques.
If that guy Shin-hyeok didn't suddenly go blind, he definitely would have seen it and known that I didn't ascend.
Even knowing that, I resent him for leaving without waiting, but he'll probably come looking again soon.
I believe in my disciple.