[My Little Sister is from the Fire Cult]
Sometimes, my quick wits piss me off. As far as I know, the only member of the Fire Cult in our village is my adorable little sister, Sima Yeomhwa. And Mukgang said he came here shortly after Yeomhwa arrived at our house to kill a monster from the Fire Cult.
If something unusual happened, it means there was some related incident before that. Like in a comic, Yeomhwa appeared as a new character, so the person connected to her—Mukgang—showed up too.
Mukgang's words about coming to kill a Fire Cult monster echoed in my mind. It's not confirmed yet, but maybe "monster" is slang that Mukgang's organization, the Esoteric Sect, uses for Yeomhwa.
...But why "monster" of all things? What does he think of someone else's precious daughter? I want to say something, but that would expose Yeomhwa's existence, so I put on a clueless face.
"If you suddenly ask if I've seen a monster, how would I know? You have to tell me what it looks like."
This isn't something I can handle alone. For now, I'll play it off vaguely, go home, and consult Father.
"Hmm—yes, you're right. I wasn't clear enough. My apologies."
"No need to apologize. But a monster, huh~ In this boring village with nothing to do, that's an intriguing story."
While keeping a nonchalant face, I racked my brains, nodded along appropriately, extracted as much info as possible, and plotted a natural escape.
Suddenly, Mukgang's eyes widened as he glared—not at me, but at something behind me.
His solemn voice rumbled quietly.
"The Fire Cult's monster takes the form of a beautiful girl. Yes, like the red-eyed girl standing behind you."
A chill ran down my spine, my eyes flying wide. My body and mind jolted in reflex, and I whipped around.
"...Oppa?"
Our startled, wide eyes met.
Yeomhwa, her beautiful black hair tangled with thin twigs and leaves from getting lost on the way, stared at me with a bewildered face.
"She may look like a girl, but that's a monster that could burn the world. It's dangerous. Step back."
Caught off guard by Yeomhwa's unexpected appearance, I hesitated for a moment. Mukgang rose, positioning himself to protect me as he faced off against her.
No—hold on. This guy's got no filter.
I don't know the backstory, but calling my cute little sister a monster over and over pisses me off.
Blood rushed to my head. Since we'd already been caught, I opened my mouth.
"She's just a kid. Watch your—"
Yeomhwa knew she was the saintess who could burn the world—a monster. Only the Fire Cult, the Sima family, and the other Demonic Cult factions hostile to them knew this.
Which meant this guy was a lackey from another Demonic Cult. Maybe he'd targeted the weakened defenses amid internal strife to attack the Fire Cult's palace, or he could even be an assassin from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult who forced Yeomhwa to flee all the way to the Central Plains.
...In that case, her brother from the Sima family was in danger too.
She glanced at Sima Mancheon, who stared at her in shock.
She swallowed her bitterness.
She killed her emotions.
Staring at the enemy, she snapped her fingers.
Infused with the dying Zoroastrian believers' final prayers from that cowardly ambush, she donned the monster's mask—not out of stupidity or vulgarity, but to protect her foolish yet kind oppa.
She spat fire at the foe.
Snap—snap—snap—
Each flick of her slender, pretty fingers birthed flames that danced alive, incinerating the enemy.
...But in the end, Yeomhwa's fire couldn't harm Mukgang at all.
Bad matchup.
He brushed off the flames clinging to his body like swatting flies. Not a single injury. Just faint scorch marks proving the fire had briefly taken hold.
"She hasn't grown enough to burn the world yet. I'll nip this bud now."
Seated at the world's center. The Esoteric Sect's guardian deity crushes evil spirits, repels all wicked forces tormenting humanity.
The world's guardian advanced silently to slay the monster. He neither dodged nor fled. He endured every attack. Kill the monster. Protect the world. Save the people.
That was the role, vow, and conviction of Mukgang, the Esoteric Sect's guardian lion tattooed with the Immovable Bright King on his back and heart.
The hero and the monster glared at each other.
They closed the distance, faithfully playing their assigned roles.
And between them slipped in one boy.
Mancheon hurriedly moved to block Mukgang's approach to Yeomhwa.
"Wait! Let's not fight—talk it out!!"
If he left them like this, something bad might really happen. Ignoring his brain's threat signals, he forced his legs to move.
A buff stranger he'd just met suddenly called his sister a monster and tried to kill her, while she snapped her fingers like the flame alchemist "Roy Mustang" and unleashed fire. Stunned by the scene, his reaction was slow—but he did what he should have from the start.
He hid Yeomhwa behind his back.
He met Mukgang's gaze head-on, without flinching.
He took on the malice meant for her.
He protected his sister from the mysterious thug.
That was what Sima Mancheon, oppa to Sima Yeomhwa, should have done first.
"What are you doing? Move. It's dangerous."
The advice, laden with meaning, weighed heavily on his body. But he didn't budge.
Instead, he forced a casual smile and spoke.
Circulating his inner energy, he resisted the pressure bearing down on him.
"You seem like a good person at heart. Let's not fight—let's talk."
Mukgang frowned at the disarmingly calm words unfit for the situation, scrutinizing Mancheon's face.
He responded—for now.
"How do you know if I'm a good person?"
"Uh... intuition?"
"...I wouldn't know."
"See? That means you are. People who question themselves like that are usually good."
A faint smile tugged at Mukgang's lips—not at the words, but the actions. He smiled harmlessly while speaking, but concentrated his inner energy in his legs and staff. Ready to kick up dirt and flee if needed, he subtly dug into the earth, gathering soil. Prepared to use lightness skill and escape with his sister anytime.
Calculating the date... Protecting a girl he'd just met took impressive resolve. His speech and looks screamed playboy, but his character was solid.
But was the one he protected the same?
He'd never intended to harm Mancheon from the start. Mancheon was human—someone to protect.
He'd stopped approaching only because the monster might use him as a hostage.
But contrary to Mukgang's expectations, Yeomhwa wasn't a monster. Or rather, she'd reverted from monster to little sister.
...Impressive. Protecting her too?
Red eyes flashed behind Mancheon's back, burning with hostility several times fiercer than when her own life was at stake, glaring at Mukgang.
The back of the still-growing young man unfolded before Yeomhwa's eyes.
A proud yet faintly trembling silhouette shielded her from the enemy.
Not as a sacrificial offering for a mythic hero's devotion, nor for some golden contract. Just because she was his sister.
A simple reason, standing against an incomparably stronger foe.
No other motive. Purely to protect her.
It was real. A real oppa. My oppa.
Even in mortal danger, her face flushed. Her heart raced. Bells rang in her head.
As she leaned against his back, countless words flashed through her mind.
Fire Cult monster. World-burning saintess. Just one of many carelessly sown seeds. Filthy bastard child.
Her elated heart plummeted coldly.
She kept a step's distance.
Not yet—not yet.
Oppa didn't know about her.
That's why he protected her.
She couldn't trust it. She wanted love. But she was scared. She didn't want to get hurt.
...But still, she wanted love. She didn't want hate. She wanted protection. She wanted to lean in.
She wanted distance to hide her ugly monster form, but hated being apart. She craved his warmth by his side.
Contradictory emotions boiled up.
Foolish, vulgar feelings overflowed.
So she carefully gripped his clothes, careful not to let Mancheon notice. Spoiled against his kindness.
Just clutching the hem filled her with connected satisfaction, easing her heart.
...With him, she wasn't afraid.
As his sister, not a monster, she reignited the fire in her eyes to protect her oppa.