Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 108
>Chapter Title: Heavenly Predestined Bond (3)
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In response to Il-mok's question, Bang Mi-hwa lifted her nose high and stared off into space.
"If I'm acting, I get completely drawn in, becoming the heroine of that play just like that. Sometimes I become a woman who overcomes a tragic past and stands tall, other times a pure and pitiful maiden utterly devoted to her husband."
Her eyes gazing into the void seemed entranced, as if in ecstasy.
"And every time I transform into a new woman, I find myself with a different charm that's utterly lovable."
"......"
Il-mok nodded with a look of resignation at her self-admiring expression, reminiscent of a cult fanatic receiving divine revelation.
'I'm the crazy one for trying to understand a madman's thoughts.'
It wasn't a nod of understanding, but one of defeat.
But no matter what expression or attitude Il-mok showed, it made no difference to Bang Mi-hwa, who was already lost in her own world.
"I've been thinking too simply all this time. I didn't realize there were so many varied charms and beauties in the world. No, I believed only my own charms were everything. But through acting, I realized it. That there are far more beauties in the world. And."
Bang Mi-hwa, who had been staring into space, paused for a moment, then lowered her head and looked at Il-mok while covering her lower face with her fan.
"I realized that I can embody all those beauties in the world."
By now, her eyes shone with a clear, brilliant light.
Il-mok was certain.
'Those are the eyes of a true madwoman after all.'
Following Baek Cheon and Joo Seo-yeon, now Bang Mi-hwa too.
At last, Il-mok had reached the realm where he could distinguish true madness from the fake.
* * *
With no confidence in persuading true madness, Il-mok ended up heading to the clearing with Bang Mi-hwa.
The silver lining was that Bang Mi-hwa showed no interest in Baek Cheon.
'Those weren't the eyes of a liar. Of course.'
Having lived over a year surrounded by lunatics, Il-mok knew it well.
Crazy bastards might spout nonsense, but they didn't lie.
In the end, the evening proceeded as usual.
"Ohohohoho!"
"Ahahahahaha!"
The woman intoxicated with herself and the man craving attention burst into insane laughter as they practiced acting.
"Excellent, Jeong Cadet!"
"Your skills seem even better now!"
When Jeong-hyeon demonstrated her archery, everyone cheered her on together.
And as usual, after Joo Seo-yeon and Jeong-hyeon's spar ended and Baek Cheon's instruction began.
"Could it be that only Jeong Cadet and Joo Cadet can spar?"
Bang Mi-hwa suddenly spoke up.
"I've made some progress in my martial arts lately, so I'd like to let it out in a spar."
Baek Cheon beamed in response.
"Hahaha. Acting is important too, but as warriors of the church, martial arts are essential! How could we have Bang Cadet practice only acting? Il-mok Young Master and I will watch to prevent accidents, so spar without worry."
With that, Baek Cheon unexpectedly winked at Il-mok, acting coy.
As if begging for praise.
Il-mok frowned involuntarily at that creepy gaze but didn't contradict him.
"Do that. Since Joo Cadet and Jeong Cadet already sparred, it might be best for Bang Cadet and Ha Cadet to go next."
Either way, he wouldn't have to step in himself.
'If those five keep taking turns sparring and instructing each other, eventually they won't need me at all.'
As for Jeong-hyeon's romance scheme, it should work out somehow if she kept going with Baek Cheon.
Having confirmed Bang Mi-hwa had no interest in Baek Cheon as an obstacle, Il-mok had no intention of getting further involved.
There was no reason for him to force anything more, and romance wasn't something that happened by force anyway.
"Huaaam."
While Il-mok yawned sleepily as if ready for a nap, the spars continued.
Bang Mi-hwa sparred with Ha Yeong, Baek Cheon did instruction spars with Jeong-hyeon.
After watching the five take turns sparring one after another in a daze for a long while.
When darkness fully enveloped the surroundings, Il-mok stood up and said.
"It's getting late, so we should head in."
At Il-mok's suggestion, Joo Seo-yeon, now covered in sweat and dust, shone with clear eyes.
"Good idea, Young Master! It's late, so we should all wash up together in the bath!"
For some reason, though Joo Seo-yeon wore a bright smile, Il-mok sensed impure intentions in her gaze.
"Joo Cadet still lacks skill, so I'll instruct her a bit more. You four go ahead and wash."
To prevent a crime in advance, Il-mok had no choice but to hold Joo Seo-yeon back.
Thinking Il-mok was keeping her to make her his maidservant or personal attendant, Joo Seo-yeon gazed at him with a moved expression.
"As expected, Young Master trusted me! I'll live up to your expectations, Young Master!"
Il-mok subtly turned his head away from her gaze beaming with clear light, avoiding the mad intensity.
In the end, as Il-mok intended, the two stayed in the clearing, Baek Cheon headed to the Black Tiger Hall, and Bang Mi-hwa, Ha Yeong, and Jeong-hyeon went to the Black Dragon Hall women's bath.
As Bang Mi-hwa shed her sweat- and dust-stained training garb, Ha Yeong—her self-esteem booster—let out an exclamation.
"As expected of you, Mi-hwa! How can you eat the same things as me and have such beautiful lines?"
"Ohoho. What are you saying? You're wonderful too, Yeong."
As the two women praised each other and prepared to enter the bath.
Swish.
A silken fabric touched the floor beside them, and Ha Yeong, mid-praise for Bang Mi-hwa, let out a dazed gasp.
"Wow...."
Bang Mi-hwa, who had been looking up, curiously followed Ha Yeong's gaze.
"......"
And Bang Mi-hwa froze solid.
"...I've never seen anything like that. Right, Mi-hwa?"
It was just as Ha Yeong said.
Even if Jeong-hyeon was tall for a woman, how could it be that size?
No, could something like that really be hidden with bandages?
As Bang Mi-hwa spaced out with such thoughts, Jeong-hyeon startled at Ha Yeong's voice and covered herself.
Only then did Bang Mi-hwa snap out of her stupor and glance down at herself.
"......"
She felt an inexplicable sense of relative deprivation.
'No.'
She couldn't accept it. Nothing could surpass her, the most charming and beautiful woman in the world.
With her recent martial arts breakthrough advancing her narcissistic personality disorder another step, she deftly performed mental gymnastics.
"Hmph. Yeong-ah, size isn't what matters. The principle of the world is harmony and balance, isn't it?"
But for some reason.
Even though her mental victory had succeeded.
Glance. Glance.
While bathing, Bang Mi-hwa's eyes kept drifting toward Jeong-hyeon.
* * *
Regular days flowed by.
Receiving instruction from the instructors, then watching Baek Cheon, Jeong-hyeon, Joo Seo-yeon, Bang Mi-hwa, and Ha Yeong take turns sparring, demonstrating martial arts, or practicing acting in the clearing—time flew by like an arrow.
And so time passed again, bringing the fourth exam.
The day after the fourth exam, held as individual matches just like the third.
As usual the day after exams, Instructor Chu Il-hwan was calling Class A cadets one by one to give guidance or advice on their results.
Taking advantage of Chu Il-hwan's absence, Il-mok and the ragtag trio were lounging lazily when Bang Mi-hwa and Ha Yeong approached.
"As expected of the Young Master. I never imagined the gap would widen this much."
In the fourth individual exam, Il-mok had once again claimed top place with overwhelming results.
But for some reason, despite her praise, Il-mok wore a listless expression.
Honestly, he wasn't happy at all.
'Damn enlightenments.'
His realm had risen pointlessly high.
His already elevated realm from sparring with Baek Cheon and fighting Instructor Chu Il-hwan had peaked dramatically in the Peach Blossom Ridge, thanks to torment from the now-Peach Blossom Lord Kang old man.
Il-mok's steeply advancing skill had diverged completely from his fellow cadets.
Far from competing with cadets, if he fought seriously, he could even match the assistants. Though there was still a significant gap with the instructors.
However, the realm increase wasn't entirely a downside.
To Bang Mi-hwa's praise, Il-mok shrugged once and replied.
"Thanks to failing the last exam, I just put a bit more effort into this one."
"Hmm. You didn't seem particularly diligent."
At Bang Mi-hwa's words, Ha Yeong and the Choi Woong trio nodded vigorously in agreement.
Il-mok saw it plainly but said nothing.
Because it was true.
'It was a bit easy.'
With such a wide gap to his peers, there was no need to give his all in the exam.
No, far from his best—it felt like a casual stroll around the neighborhood.
He simply subdued each opponent cadet he met during the exam in one exchange, naturally claiming top place.
His realm had risen, worsening his obsession, but the higher realm made exams too easy.
Il-mok couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
But the most controversial thing in this exam wasn't Il-mok's absurd skill.
"By the way, did you hear about that cadet?"
"Fortunately, he survived."
Il-mok nodded at Bang Mi-hwa's response.
One cadet from Class B had suffered severe injuries in this exam.
Not from Il-mok. Due to the skill gap, those he subdued had no injuries.
Cadets had clashed during the exam, and one blinded by scores had used lethal force, causing the severe injury.
The injuring cadet was now being punished, and the critically wounded one had been immediately transferred to headquarters.
The Demonic Path Academy had a infirmary, but it wasn't equipped for critical cases.
'...Maybe I should fake an illness and get transferred out too?'
Il-mok feared another enlightenment striking during training or exams here.
But he soon shook his head.
If caught faking, his master or Jin Ha-yeon might have his head, and above all.
'Critically wounded means no washing?'
For hygiene-obsessed Il-mok, not being able to wash was horrifying just to imagine.
* * *
While the cadets discussed the injured, in one hall of the Demonic Path Academy, Chu Il-hwan was conducting one-on-one interviews with Class A cadets.
Gazing at the cadet before him, Chu Il-hwan let out a faint internal sigh.
It wasn't just because conversing with this one kept stirring murderous impulses.
'...In another time, he'd be competing for top place, but thanks to the youngest Young Master, he's stuck in limbo.'
Surprisingly, it was a sigh tinged with regret.
But he couldn't sigh openly in front of the cadet.
Chu Il-hwan reverted to his usual playful expression and asked.
"Dokgo Cadet. Do you plan to take all remaining exams like this?"
"As the eldest son of the Dokgo family, how could I avoid direct confrontation?"
At that brazenly confident reply, Chu Il-hwan's right hand twitched.
An academy entrant as vice seat and eldest son of the Dokgo family—one of the Five Great Demonic Families—he had placed dead last in this exam.
Because he had charged at Il-mok the moment the exam started and was subdued in one exchange.