Chapter 218
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: The Way to Remain Unshaken
“Our God has some words that must be hard to say.”
“Yeah. Yeah, yeah. What is it? I'm curious.”
“Yes. It's simply this: everything has a cause. In other words, the law of causality.”
“Yeah. And so?”
“According to that law of causality, the one who caused it bears responsibility for the result, one way or another. That's the gist of it. You know the old saying, right? Freedom comes with responsibility.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sounds like something I'd say often. But.”
I said that, then looked at Michael. More precisely, at Michael's nape.
That wretched nape that hadn't met my eyes even once since our sparring match earlier.
“What kind of responsibility is this? Is responsibility these days just showing your side profile or the back of your head during a conversation?! Is this how they do responsibility in the Heaven Realm?!”
“No, it's not.”
“What's not? Then why bring it up?!”
“I pledged my loyalty to you today, but I failed to meet your expectations and botched things up. For that responsibility... I will. Definitely. From now on, I will guard you 24 hours a day.”
Yeah. Good. That's a good mindset. I like it. But.
“Do you have to do it like this?! What kind of guarding is this? You're just sitting next to me while I eat?!”
“I'm always nearby. That's the basics of guarding.”
“Basics of guarding. Nice. Then isn't facing your charge and having a conversation also part of the basics?!”
“......”
Now she won't answer when it's to her disadvantage. With nothing left to say, she stuffs food into her mouth. I shot a glare at the wretched angel.
Then I looked around.
What I saw was a harmonious dinner scene. The blue-haired man laughing heartily.
The blue-haired girls chatting away. Though one of them was pouting, all deflated.
Look at that. Shin Ga-yeon, who had wanted to sit next to me, was completely sulking.
With Sion always on my left and the Blade of Loyalty on my right.
No seat left, so naturally Shin Ga-yeon had gone to sit by the family head.
Her face was a picture of gloom, not even sure if food was going in her nose or her mouth.
When I shot her an apologetic look, her face finally brightened a bit as she nodded.
I'm dying of guilt here. She came to have fun.
I glared at Michael, my look loaded with what are you going to do about this. Our eyes didn't meet, of course, but after staring for a good while, our gazes finally locked when she glanced my way.
But—
“......Don't try to charm me.”
“When did I?!”
Chopsticks in her mouth, she immediately averted her eyes as she said it. What the hell is wrong with this girl?
Still, proving that even a broken clock is right twice a day, she got my pointed look and nodded.
“Perfect guarding.”
“Where's perfect about it?! Can't you see Shin Ga-yeon wilting over there?!”
She glanced at Shin Ga-yeon once, then spoke—without looking at me.
“That's exactly why I'm doing this.”
This is ridiculous.
“Blade of Loyalty, you're fired!!”
Even as I vented my frustration at the useless angel.
“Loyalty doesn't vanish just because you fire it.”
All I got back was the same response.
“Oppa must have it nice.”
Not nice at all.
“Today, I'll teach you the meditation technique passed down in our family.”
After dinner, back in the dojo from earlier sparring, I tilted my head at Shin Ga-yeon's words.
“You already taught me that.”
“That was just the basics. This is advanced!!”
“Is it really okay to teach me something like that...?”
“Of course!! I could even teach you our family's secret arts!!”
No, that's definitely not okay. Even as I shot her a look questioning if this was right, Shin Chae-yeon just shook her head.
Is this really fine?
“Don't worry. If anything happens, this Blade of Loyalty will step up.”
“And make more trouble? Trip on your own? Might be better if I just fight alone.”
“.....I already told you that's your fault.”
“Then why exactly?! You think I'll fall for those pouted lips?! Answer me!!”
“Enough. Now that I know the way to remain unshaken, you don't need to worry.”
That doesn't involve avoiding my eyes, does it? Does she think I'm a vampire or something? That I have an evil eye?
Coming from the white-haired one who's only showing me her profile despite sitting right next to me, with lips stubbornly pouted—I ignored her, figuring she wouldn't listen anyway.
Now, if I just focus on Shin Ga-yeon, the wide-eyed kid pops up from the side.
“Oppa!! What's meditation?! Sounds fun!! I wanna do it too!! Is it okay? Not dangerous, right?”
“It's fine. Sit next to me. But no bolting if it gets boring.”
Of course, the dojo was empty except for us. Still.
Just in case someone walked in and saw Sion burst out mid-meditation, things could get weird.
“Promise.”
“Promise!!”
I stuck out my pinky, and Sion took it with a grin.
With Sion sitting lotus-positioned next to me, I listened intently to Shin Ga-yeon.
The result—
“Huh.”
I'd entered the meditation I'd set up. The advanced stage: the inner mind. In other words, my mental image.
“Why's it this easy.”
No Lachesis around to connect with.
“Mm. Hm. Mmm.”
I floated in the void, deep in thought. This was the pinnacle space I'd created. Like that famous comic where the orange-haired guy fought the white monster.
My own mental image, the world of my mind. Normal meditation starts with the basics, creating a space for pure thought.
There, you hone yourself further, and in the advanced stage, you confront your inner self like this.
Usually, it's visualized somehow. Take Shin Ga-yeon: a field of flowers.
Or Kim Tae-hyun: a frozen wasteland of death. You accept yourself there and take the next step.
That's what I'd written. But my mental image—
“Nothing here.”
Just like that death experience before, completely empty. A blank space. Not even sure if what I was standing on was ground or void.
Couldn't tell up from down, left from right.
No gravity either; I was just drifting.
“More importantly, how do I get out.”
I hadn't heard that part. Maybe they'd handle it from outside.
Couldn't recall the original novel's method, so I drifted around before deciding to just relax and think.
They'd pull me out eventually. Optimism's best in situations like this.
And it wasn't totally empty. The familiar flows of mana drifting by, same as always. When I approached...
They scattered like frightened mice. What the hell. Too lazy to chase, so I just floated and sorted my thoughts.
Meditation's for clearing the mind and organizing stray thoughts, after all.
Pretty sure I'm doing it right.
With that, I reviewed recent events. How many enemies left?
Pulled the demihumans to our side, demons are active. Vampires aiding their plan.
Demons want the fragments. Collect them to realize something. The key's gathered at Justitia.
Vampires want Sophia. That's at Justitia too.
Eventually, they'll have no choice but to head there. I'd stolen some fragments to delay it, but.
“Still just buying time. Even if I cover for Sophia somehow, the demons are tough.”
Especially those pale-skinned ones. They carry heavy devil power, making them a handful.
How to use Benia and Michael to raid them. Even Luna couldn't pinpoint their base—
I was mulling that over, hand propping my chin, rubbing it, spinning lazily in the zero gravity.
That's when our eyes met.
I had no idea what it was. It was enormous, covering one entire side, with only an eye visible.
Felt like it was staring right at me. The mana that had been circling while avoiding me vanished completely.
My whole body froze. Goosebumps crawled from my toes up, dazing my head.
Every nerve on edge, heart pounding wildly.
What the hell is that. My brain was iced over, couldn't move. Body locked too.
Only my eyes were alive, locked on it. And it stared back at me with that massive eye.
After a few seconds of this staring contest, I—
“Ah.”
—returned to the real world. Vision flickered instantly, and the dojo filled my sight.
“You okay? You were breaking a cold sweat, so I woke you. I didn't teach you how to exit!!”
“Oppa, you okay?!”
“You went in too fast; that's partly your fault too.”
“Chae-yeon!!”
“It's true.”
“.........”
I wiped the sweat streaming down my forehead and stroked Sion's head as she looked up at me worriedly from my arms.
“I'm fine. It was nothing.”
Was it nothing? No clue. But I really was okay. I reassured the others who were looking at me with concern—
then quickly scanned the surroundings. Simple reason.
“Where's Michael?”
The white hair who should have been there was missing.
“This shower room's nice too.”
Right after Lee Seong-hoon started meditating. Judging no immediate threats around, Michael finished her shower quickly and stepped out.
Meditating was the most vulnerable moment, but no real worries. Those sisters wouldn't stab him, and Sion was right there.
Michael was a clean freak by nature; she couldn't go even a day without washing. But as someone committed to 24-hour guarding...
She'd wash fast and stand watch outside the shower even while he bathed. How devoted a guard was that?
Damn right. Michael nodded confidently, straightened her clothes, and headed back to the dojo.
Best if he didn't notice her brief absence, but even if he did, she had plenty of excuses.
More importantly...
She couldn't look at his face. What kind of guard couldn't even see their charge's face?
She'd tried over and over, but failed every time. Just couldn't do it.
Two reasons she couldn't look at his face. One instinctive: some weird urge to avert her gaze.
The other rational: every time she saw his face, she messed up.
She, who never slipped up otherwise, kept erring around him. He made her weak, so she deliberately avoided looking.
But I can't avoid it forever.
What to do. What the hell to do. As she walked, pondering deeply, a servant passed by.
Pushing a cart loaded with snacks, rolling right by Michael—
“Ah!! The guest who just arrived!!”
“Yes?”
Despite the sudden address, Michael responded. People tend to do that. Hard to approach someone, but once you do, they reply.
“I was taking these to the guests' rooms. If you'd like, help yourself to one!!”
“Hm. I see.”
Michael wasn't big on snacks. Sweets only occasionally, or with bitter coffee.
But just then, she recalled something Raphael had said recently.
—Huh? Michael doesn't eat chocolate? Why? Heh. You don't know sugar helps your brain work better?
—It works fine without? Bragging? What's your deal?!
“........”
Her mind was a total mess right now, so Michael grabbed a few chocolates and pocketed them. Absolutely not because she believed Raphael. No way.
“Then I'll take just these.”
“Ah, sure!! I'll leave them on the table, so feel free to eat!!”
“Thank you.”
Michael watched the beaming servant go on her way, then continued hers.
Of course, the chocolate-agnostic Michael—
had no clue the ones she'd picked were whiskey bonbons.