Chapter 361
Chapter 361
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 361
Chapter Title: Words That Must Be Said
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"There are words that must be said."
In the proper posture, without causing discomfort.
Heavenly Path conveyed her intentions slowly in as low a voice as possible, so as not to startle me as I listened.
"Words that must be said?"
The sleepiness vanished in an instant at the shift in atmosphere. I swallowed hard.
Heavenly Path nodded faintly.
"Words that cannot be left unsaid."
Had this person ever been so polite?
Heavenly Path was always serious about everything and never revealed her emotions.
But today, every fragment of her words carried a weight of caution.
"No, um, heh, why are you being so serious, Master? Between us."
I tried to brush it off playfully, but her expression didn't change.
Tick-tock.
The sound of the clock hands moving echoed.
"If there's something you need to say, say anything. I'm always on your side, Master. Hell, if you told me to die, I could."
That's how much I trusted her.
She was the one who straightened out my chaotic mind and the one I believed always made the right choices.
The corner of Heavenly Path's mouth lifted slightly.
"You're always so admirable in your brightness."
"Pardon? Well... yeah, I guess I am."
"Yes. No matter what happens, even when something frightening is right in front of you, you've always been that way."
Her steady words inexplicably sent chills down my spine as they continued.
Why say something like this?
One question mark led to a chain of thoughts that tugged at the end of her words.
For someone like me who knew so little, the conclusion those trailing words reached was already set.
The disappearance of Heavenly Path, Imperial Path, and White Path.
One of the futures I had to prevent.
"Master...?"
"When I first brought you to Purgatory, I didn't expect you to handle it so perfectly."
"Why say that?"
"You did well even without me there. At this rate... it might be hard for your master to even get a word in."
Tsk tsk. Heavenly Path clicked her tongue with a bitter smile.
At some point, I could no longer see the surroundings.
My eyes were fixed on Heavenly Path's face.
"What are you talking about? Hold on. I just woke up, so maybe I misheard. Haha. What the."
A hollow laugh escaped me. I rubbed my throbbing forehead and pondered why Heavenly Path was saying this to me.
Hard to even call her master?
Did this person not know how much she'd given for me?
Even just the memories from Purgatory—she was someone who'd even stake her life for me.
A person who'd risk her life for someone she'd barely met.
"Si-heon."
"Yes."
The smile forming on her face looked incredibly bitter.
"Am I your master?"
In the immature early dawn, before the moon had even set.
A sudden visit from a precious person, her mocking gaze directed at me.
It was still incomprehensible, but all I could think was how to get out of this situation somehow.
"I don't understand why you're saying that."
Just like always, to avoid needless misunderstandings piling up.
I pulled Heavenly Path into my embrace. Her body, fresh from the shower, was warm and steamy.
Her damp robe, faint blush. Hair still wet.
"If you're not my master, then what are you?"
"You said you'd hear me out, no matter what."
"Yes, go ahead. If you have no hands, your disciple does."
Back in Peach Paradise, and even now.
Only our superior-inferior relationship had changed; the bond remained the same, I thought.
I waited for Heavenly Path's response.
"Very well."
Soon, her single word fell.
"Even if I betray you?"
Was there ever a thunderbolt from a clear sky like this?
Thud.
A stone dropped in my chest, and I grimaced.
"Pardon?"
"Just as I said."
"I don't understand your intentions, Master."
There was no time to feel betrayal or bewilderment.
I truly didn't know why she was saying this.
My absurd brain was still working hard nonetheless.
Like piecing together puzzle pieces without a clear direction, contrasting my situation with hers, one answer finally surfaced.
The most important event in this world right now.
The Cornerus Family.
"Even if I kill your friend—"
My face stiffened coldly.
"Would you still see me as your master?"
I slowly pulled away from Heavenly Path in my arms. I wanted to at least see her face.
Heavenly Path's face was rigid. Her cold eyes held guilt as they looked at me, and I could tell her shoulders, gripped in my hands, were trembling faintly.
Anger.
It didn't rise.
Some twist was always expected.
"Let's talk."
I shot up from my seat and returned to the living room.
Flower tea should suffice for a drink.
I wanted to warm up the still chilly atmosphere somehow.
No need for snacks. No point forcing cookies into a mouth full of bitterness.
Heavenly Path sat silently at the table. I offered her tea, and only then did she bow her head slightly.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
A sip of tea to sort my thoughts. My mind settled a bit.
I cautiously broached the topic.
"Saying you'll kill my friend. Probably."
In this situation, only one person came to mind.
"Sansu-yu, right?"
"Yes."
"Why did you make that decision?"
The phone vibrating from the bedroom. Obviously Seong Ji-ho or Mok Taeyang.
Right now, stopping Heavenly Path came first.
"You know about the Cornerus Family matter."
"Yes."
Heavenly Path had been so cautious probably because I'd told her so much about myself.
About what kind of person Jindallae was.
About Se-young, and Sansu-yu.
Even without meeting them, she knew.
"In a few days, the Cornerus Family's heresy judgment will be announced."
Information I already knew.
I took a deep breath and waited for the next words. My mouth went dry. My chest felt tight.
My fingers tapping my thigh sped up.
"Your friend is involved too."
"Yes."
"You would want to help."
"Yes."
Heavenly Path breathed deeply in sync with me. Her lips quivered.
Whether her body was trembling or my eyes were, I couldn't tell.
One thing was certain: I was trembling now.
"Si-heon."
My shuddering body went rigid.
"...Yes."
A word squeezed out with difficulty. As soon as it left, the next sentence was like a verdict.
"If you still see me as your master. Obey this unworthy master's words, just this once."
"What are you talking about? No, why are you humbling yourself like this, Master? If I get cursed, so be it."
"This time, absolutely..."
Heavenly Path's words paused. She closed her eyes, which had been gazing softly at me after a moment of silence.
"Don't get involved."
The barely warmed atmosphere cooled in an instant.
The dark room held an ambiance, but it felt unreliable.
Why did the tablecloth's spiral pattern irritate me so?
Even in her simple attire, Heavenly Path somehow felt endlessly distant.
"Ah..."
So much to say, but nothing came out.
I could rattle off fancy rhetoric endlessly.
Strangely, I couldn't utter empty platitudes.
There was a bond. Because of it, I knew.
No matter what I did, I couldn't break Heavenly Path's will.
"Master—"
"I know how much you treasure those around you. But, just as you think of that child—"
Her plea was thick with emotion.
Was that the right way to put it?
"...I think of you."
Her words were stern and fierce as always, but laced with a sticky, subtle melancholy.
"You've done impossible things so far, but this is even more so. Dangerous and perilous. I can't even imagine what might come back from your actions to save that child."
A master's worry for her disciple.
Perfectly natural and righteous words.
If not for that nagging feeling, I might have felt deep gratitude toward my master.
"...So. You're saying let her die."
"......"
"What. You'll kill her painlessly, right?"
Sweat beaded at my furrowed eyes. My throat bobbed repeatedly, heart pounding wildly.
Because I understood, it hurt more.
Parallel lines that never meet left only emotional battles.
Even back in Peach Paradise, we always clashed over minor issues.
Me and my master—our damn stubbornness hadn't changed even when we parted.
"I don't think I can do that."
"Si-heon. I."
"I know. I know, but right now, it's all the same to me. Even if the situations were swapped with you and her, I'd probably think the same."
"......"
Heavenly Path lowered her head. But soon it rose again, her clear eyes meeting mine.
"...A bond so short you can't let go?"
"I learned that from you, Master."
There was much to say.
"When I was blinded by greed in the dungeon, pushed to the brink of death, who held me? You, Master. I still don't understand. Just one disciple. One who'd barely been with you a month. Why show such excessive favor?"
"You are my successor. Staking my life was only natural as your master."
"I'm your successor. Just for that?"
"Not 'just'!"
Her voice rose.
I flinched, eyes widening.
Heavenly Path raising her voice was truly rare.
"Please. Know the weight of your position."
The last. Bloodline of the Heavenly Demon.
The final martial artist.
Now that even Peach Paradise had perished, what rested on Heavenly Path's shoulders was the sinew and last thread of hope for all of it.
It wouldn't end at a simple master-disciple bond.
Heavenly Path bore that much weight.
The power of the Heavenly Demon she'd barely escaped with after losing everything, even bearing the family's curse.
It was natural to cherish it so.
Even me, her successor, though I might stray from her will.
"Was continuing the Heavenly Demon's line that precious to you?"
"......"
"To me, that petty Little Heavenly Demon seat means nothing compared to you, Master."
Heavenly Path said nothing to my near-rebuke.
"Little Heavenly Demon, Lee Si-heon."
"Yes."
"Don't let personal feelings interfere."
Cold words.
"No matter what, that power must continue. You were coincidentally suitable, and I merely fulfilled my duty as master."
"......"
"Don't betray those expectations. Crouch low and advance. You're still a fledgling dragon not yet spanning the pond."
Coincidentally.
We met purely by chance and became entwined like roots.
Her words denied everything we'd shared so far, irritating me.
Yet I somewhat empathized with Heavenly Path's cold attitude.
Hadn't I grown a bit more mature than before?
"Ha. Is that so..."
But I was still an immature brat, it seemed.
I awkwardly lifted the corner of my mouth.
My head wouldn't calm.
"Just like you said, Master. We met by chance. Became master and disciple by chance. All of it coincidence?"
With each word, Heavenly Path's face paled.
Was this what it felt like to drive a spike into a master's heart?
"All the feelings from our time together so far are worthless under the pretext of succession. Got it."
"......"
"You don't want me in danger, right? Just because the Heavenly Demon's line might end?"
"Listen to me."
Emotion crept in.
"That's what you said, isn't it?"
"Lee Si-heon."
"Yes?"
"Lee Si-heon!!!"
A voice so loud it shook the hotel to its foundations.
Like a thunderbolt striking down.
My body froze.
But the words didn't stop. My resolve had been set long ago.
"Now I'll go my own way."
Strength filled my voice. Black demonic energy sparked in tune with my will.
"Kill every bastard who irks me."
"..."
"Never let go of what's in my grasp. Crush those scamming the naive."
"..."
"Isn't that the Heavenly Demon?"
At least, the Heavenly Demon I knew.
The one I'd sought to learn the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon from.
A glint entered Heavenly Path's eyes as she looked at me.
"Even if you can't accept that, Master."
"......"
"I think it's time for me to leave the Cradle."
Something snapped deep inside.
"Thank you for teaching me so much, Master."