I'm Your Older Brother
“I’m your older brother!”
In front of me, Kim Dohwa was searching for me with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Seeing her like that, I felt a complicated mix of emotions and began desperately trying to comfort her.
“Dohwa... I’m me... I’m your older brother, Dohyun.”
“...What nonsense are you spouting, uncle! How can an uncle be your older brother?”
Kim Dohwa shouted with an expression that said ‘Don’t spout nonsense, bro!’
Indeed, since I had come to this world, my appearance had changed a bit from my original self, and my age had also decreased from my original 20s to early teens.
As a result, ten years had passed, and my current age was in my early twenties.
Although it wasn’t drastically different from my original age, the changed appearance, the hardships endured, and the background of my life made it natural that Dohwa couldn’t recognize me.
As a result, I felt a slight complicated feeling, realizing that I had to somehow make the young sister understand the situation.
“Um... So... Even though my appearance has changed... I’m your older brother, Dohyun. ...Didn’t you hear roughly what happened before I came here? I was supposed to bring you to where your older brother is...”
“I heard! But you’re not my older brother, uncle. My older brother... My older brother isn’t this ugly!”
“No... Honestly, I don’t think that part is that different from before...”
In my previous life and even after coming here, I had never heard that I was handsome.
Nevertheless, hearing Dohwa say such things while forcing herself,
I felt a complicated feeling whether I should be grateful or not, and my head started getting more complicated.
At that moment.
“-It seems I can’t do it. I’ll handle this part myself.”-
“Huh? Uh... How?”
The Sangje, who had been watching the situation from the side...
Who had returned to a blue light, said with a helpless look.
“-Simply summarize what has happened so far and imprint it in the kid’s mind. There will be no side effects, so don’t worry.”-
“W-what... If you do that, I’d be grateful...”
“-You don’t have to be grateful. In fact, all of this happened because I failed to properly handle the contract with you.”-
With those words, a stream of blue energy shot out from Sangje’s orb and began illuminating Dohwa’s body.
At that moment, Dohwa stopped crying, showed a slightly dazed expression,
And after a short while,
Her eyes regained focus,
And then the girl stared straight at my face, her body trembling slightly.
And...
“O... Older brother...? I... Really... Really, is the uncle... really Yang Soyu?”
With a voice heavy with tension, Kim Dohwa asked.
At this,
I felt ten times more tension than when facing the Heavenly Demon at this moment and said to her.
“Yeah... That’s right. I’m your older brother, Dohyun.”
“U... Uuuu...”
My words without even a single lie.
Right after hearing that, Dohwa’s eyes started filling with tears again.
And...
“Waaaaaaaah!! Older brother!”
She burst into tears and hugged me tightly.
At that, I pulled her body close and, like her, started shedding tears.
“Hic... Older brother... I... I missed you so much... Hic... Hic... Dohwa... Because older brother didn’t come home... So... So I thought older brother abandoned me... Hic... Like mom said... I thought older brother abandoned me... Hic... Uuuu...”
“That can’t be... That can’t be... Why would I abandon you... Dohwa is the reason I live. No matter what happens... No matter how difficult things get... I won’t abandon you.”
“Hic... Hic... Older brother... Older brother...”
While comforting my sister who was hugging me in relief and joy, shedding tears of relief and happiness.
At this moment, I made a vow once again.
No matter what happens in the future, I will definitely protect this child with my own hands.
*
Yang Soyu, the Unrivaled Under Heaven, who had disappeared as if evaporating before our eyes.
After about a moment of silence following that,
Namgung Taehyeon, who was there, was the first to speak with a dazed voice.
“T-then, what should we do now?”
With a voice still filled with confusion, Namgung Taehyeon spoke.
Upon hearing his words, the remaining four people reacted as if a switch had been turned on, and they began to move their bodies that had been stiff.
Among them, the person who recovered the fastest after Namgung Taehyeon.
With skin as white as snow, silver hair, and blue eyes that gave an air of mystery, she was a beautiful woman who looked dignified and elegant.
Moyong Seolhwa, the Ice Emperor, felt a surge of anger and said in her unique frosty voice.
“What else, he insulted us and ran away. Of course we should follow and catch him. Even if we say this and that, the one who defeated the Heavenly Demon is that guy. Without him, there won’t be any story after that.”
“Um... That’s true...”
Unlike her cold and elegant appearance, Moyong Seolhwa showed quite rough speech.
Upon hearing her words, Namgung Taehyeon nodded his head, agreeing for now.
At that moment...
“It’s not entirely wrong, even though he’s from the lowly Unorthodox Faction, he has suppressed the Heavenly Demon and ascended to the position of Unrivaled Under Heaven. It’s only right to treat him accordingly. But...”
While dusting off the dust on his clothes, another member of the Four Heavenly Flowers, Baek Cheonhyang from the Mount Hua Sect, the strongest plum blossom swordswoman, began to show an elegant appearance as a young lady.
“Before that, I have one question. Can the two of you find where the Unrivaled Under Heaven has disappeared to?”
“Well, that’s simple... Using qi sense...?”
“...Ah.”
Those who spread their qi sense with the little internal energy they had after Baek Cheonhyang’s words.
But right after, the two realized something belatedly.
The fact that there was no trace of Yang Soyu’s presence within their qi sense range.
“I’m the same. I spread my qi sense to the maximum as much as I could, but I couldn’t find any trace of the Unrivaled Under Heaven. He must have already gone to a place we can’t reach.”
“Um...”
Namgung Taehyeon and Moyong Seolhwa began to frown with a serious expression upon hearing Baek Cheonhyang’s words.
At that moment...
“T-that means... Is there no longer any way to find the Unrivaled Under Heaven among us?”
While listening to their conversation, a woman began to show a deep bewilderment.
With black hair and dark green eyes, and a figure that was somewhat larger and more mature than others.
Dang Miryeong, the Godok, showed an expression of even greater shock than the others and said with a trembling voice.
“B-before, the Unrivaled Under Heaven said to us, ‘Don’t look at us again.’ That means... Is it possible that the Unrivaled Under Heaven will completely abandon us... Or, perhaps, completely leave the Central Plains?”
“N-no way...”
“That can’t be... The Unrivaled Under Heaven... I... Really...”
Women who, upon hearing Jang Seonhwa’s words, realized that Yang Soyu had truly abandoned the Murim Alliance forever, were gripped by deep shock.
Meanwhile, separately from their reactions,
Namgung Taehyeon was seriously thinking at this moment what the best choice he should take here.
“If Yang Soyu really never leaves the Murim Alliance, then the position of Unrivaled Under Heaven is essentially vacant. Then...”
At the point where his thoughts reached that far, Namgung Taehyeon automatically recalled something.
Then, looking at the Four Heavenly Flowers who were in a dazed state, he said with a calm voice.
“If things have come to this, it’s truly a big problem.”
“Huh?”
“A big problem... You say?”
Namgung Taehyeon brought out an unexpected story.
At this, a moment of doubt appeared on the faces of the women there, and seeing them, Namgung Taehyeon began to subtly convey a deep sense of worry.
“Think about it. The Unrivaled Under Heaven clearly defeated the Heavenly Demon and ascended to the position of the supreme being. If it becomes known that he left the Murim Alliance right after the Heavenly Demon was defeated, what would happen?”
“A!...”
“Um...”
Upon hearing Namgung Taehyeon’s words, the faces of the women who were listening automatically stiffened.
Although the Demon Cult’s base had been eradicated and the Heavenly Demon with immense power had fallen, it still couldn’t be said that everything was over.
There were still countless Demon Cult seeds planted by the Heavenly Demon in various places in the Central Plains, and they would surely try to revive like poisonous mushrooms that could sprout at any time.
In such a situation, if the news that Yang Soyu, who defeated the Heavenly Demon and ruled as the Unrivaled Under Heaven, had abandoned the Murim Alliance was spread...
It would naturally mean that the restraining power to suppress the future Demon Cult’s movements would be significantly weakened.
“The point is... For the sake of the Central Plains and the Murim Alliance, it would be troublesome if this fact were known as it is. That’s what you mean.”
Jang Seonhwa spoke in a quiet voice.
At this, Namgung Taehyeon nodded his head and looked at the four people in the place and said.
“So... Since it’s come to this, how about all of us agreeing on this together?”
“H-how?”
“No way...”
These people began to show a slight awkward sense of doubt upon hearing Namgung Taehyeon’s words.
Seeing them, Namgung Taehyeon smiled inwardly and told them his thoughts.
It was that...