Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Conscience
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"Wh-what is this?! Why are you suddenly covering my mouth and dragging me..."
"Didn't I tell you before not to reveal that to the Sword Empress?!"
"...Uh..."
Did she say that?
Once Yeo Socheon dragged me into the room and finally released my mouth, my lips—which had parted to protest—snapped shut again.
Come to think of it, she had said something like that.
No one else, but especially not the Sword Empress. I was absolutely forbidden from admitting I was a possessor from another world.
"When someone tells you something, you should at least remember it properly! We almost had a huge problem just now!"
"It's not that big a deal to reveal it."
"That's because you don't know what kind of state that woman is in! Touch it wrong, and she could fall into qi deviation!"
...That serious?
If Yeo Socheon—who knew so much about weird things—was saying this, it really seemed better not to mention it.
She'd known the Sword Empress far longer than I had, so she probably understood her better too.
"...But then, you already knew the one who crushed my dantian was the Sword Empress's disciple?"
"Th-that's..."
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"You never asked in the first place!"
...That was fair.
I hadn't exactly asked, now that I thought about it.
"If you'd really been curious, I would've told you! But honestly, you didn't seem that interested. And besides, this is something the Sword Empress should tell you herself. If I spill it first, what does that make her?!"
"...You always have a point. Mind if I punch you once?"
"If you think you can break through my protective aura with your bare hands."
"Tch."
That would just hurt my hand, so I let it go.
"Anyway, if you're saying I can't tell the Sword Empress... then the only option left feels a bit unsatisfactory..."
"Well, there are such things as white lies in this world, and ignorance is bliss. Right now, that's the smoothest way to handle it."
"...Guess I have no choice then."
In the end, with things like this, I only had one play.
Act like the original owner of this body and forgive the Sword Empress.
Since I wasn't actually the one she'd wronged, it felt a little off, but there wasn't a better solution at hand.
"If it still bothers you, just pretend it's real amnesia."
"No, a soul swap and amnesia aren't the same."
"Or since you've lived in that body way longer than the original owner did, you might as well think of it as your own."
"...Sigh."
Honestly, it did feel like my body.
With no memories from Earth, all I had left were the ones after entering this body. It was only natural to see it as mine.
...Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely someone else's affair. I'd been the one living in the shattered-dantian body, so I had some right to forgive or not.
"Oh, right. One thing I've been wondering."
"What?"
"Is it true my ability to read heavenly secrets came from the Lord of Heaven, Earth, and Gods?"
The words from Master came back to me, so I asked Yeo Socheon again. She gave me a look like I'd asked the obvious.
"Why ask something so obvious? Of course it's his grace."
"I thought I'd earned it through my own efforts."
"Effort or not, if it doesn't suit his fancy, a hundred years of trying won't get you anywhere. Even searching back through history beyond this era, no one could read heavenly secrets as freely as you."
"Hmm..."
Looks like Master was telling the truth.
I'd asked just in case, but the answer confirmed it.
He'd tossed me into this world without explanation, but he had looked out for me in his own way.
"...If you'd just told me he was watching over me from the start, I might not have resented him so much."
"Sh-shut up! Don't try to fathom a god's will, you mere human!"
"You're human too."
"A-anyway! We shouldn't leave those two alone too long, so head back and say something. Oh, and later, drop by my room for a bit. I have things to say about that White Witch you've been in contact with."
Something to say about the Saintess.
I panicked, wondering if she'd figured out about the contract, but her eyes didn't suggest that. I kept quiet and headed back to the Sword Empress and her disciple.
While we were gone, they hadn't talked or anything—they were frozen in almost the exact same state as when we'd left.
The Sword Empress's face was still stiff, but I could sense an unmistakable tremble of worry about what I'd say.
Her disciple... looked utterly detached already.
Given how she'd calmly offered her own life earlier, she probably had no will to live left.
"Um... alright, let me sum things up first."
To break the tension, I recapped the situation between the Sword Empress and her disciple.
"The Sword Empress feels guilty because her disciple gave the old me a lifelong scar, and she couldn't care for me or anything—just left me be?"
"...It happened because I failed to teach my disciple properly. Of course I feel guilty. Especially for a martial artist—crushing their dantian is worse than taking their life. It's not just some scar that lasts a lifetime."
'Is that body even worth calling a martial artist...'
Back then, this body's level—was it even third-rate?
Just learning martial arts doesn't make you third-rate.
You have to be able to do something with it. I knew this body well; considering it was still a kid back then, it wasn't even third-rate.
Crushing a real martial artist's dantian would be crueler than killing them, but this body's dantian back then probably wasn't worth that much.
Of course, it was incredibly dangerous. Without meeting Master, I wouldn't have known what would've become of me—it was that fatal.
But it was in the past, and not the Sword Empress's fault anyway.
It was her disciple who'd done it.
She'd even cut her own throat over it, so the Sword Empress didn't need more guilt.
"I'm fine."
Now I understood why the Sword Empress had seemed oddly uncomfortable around me all this time.
I'd thought it was her upright nature plus the age gap making her shy about romance, but who knew it was guilt.
"...What did you just..."
"I don't remember it anyway, and it's all healed now, so no need to feel guilty. We're going to live under one roof from now on—if you're uncomfortable over that, what then?"
"B-but I failed to teach my disciple..."
"Looks like you taught her just fine."
Glance.
I said that while looking toward her disciple.
If she'd been that stubborn at 14—far younger than when she crushed the dantian—I didn't think the Sword Empress had taught her poorly.
Something just changed her mindset at some point.
"And she was a full adult when she crushed my dantian. You don't need to take responsibility. If she were a minor, maybe, but adults answer for their own actions—not dump it on parents or masters."
"...A master taking responsibility for a disciple's wrongs is natural, no matter the age..."
"Come on, drop that rigid thinking. With this generation gap, can we even live together?"
"G-generation gap..."
"You helped me a ton on our travels and saved my life multiple times. Call it even. Or what, you hate me now? Want to break off the engagement?"
"N-no!"
Grab!
The Sword Empress urgently seized my shoulders and brought her face close.
"It's a misunderstanding! I... I'm just afraid you might despise me for deceiving you. If you want to end the engagement, that's fine—but I absolutely don't hate you! I can't even imagine life without you now..."
"Got it. That's enough."
Smack.
I stood on tiptoe and kissed the Sword Empress, whose face was right there.
"Wha-what..."
"You have to be a little selfish sometimes. I get you're principled, but always being so selfless like that? Only thinking of others will make you sick. You know how dangerous mental illness is? You're healthy enough not to get physical ones, but diseases of the heart are scarier."
"I-I know, but..."
"And you still do it?!"
"S-sorry!"
"Sorry isn't enough! Are you going to fix it or not?!"
"I'll try!"
"No trying—fix it!"
"I'll fix it!"
"Good. That's more like living."
The Sword Empress might think she's selfish for hiding her mistake to avoid my hate, but to me, she was foolishly selfless.
People need to live a bit selfishly.
"Now that you're going to be selfish, tell me one thing you want to do most right now."
"H-here?"
"What? You said you'd fix it—lying already?"
"N-no... but saying it outright is embarrassing..."
"What's to be embarrassed about? Be honest with your desires! Hurry up!"
"Urgh..."
What would this rigid woman want most?
Spending money wildly, traveling for fun? Stuffing herself with booze and meat? Ditching training to laze around?
Honestly, I was curious too.
What desire did the Sword Empress harbor...
"I want to mate with you!"
...What?
"..."
"Like before, grabbing your limp legs and thrusting deep..."
"S-Sword Empress... stop there. Your disciple's right beside you."
"...Ah!"
"..."
I quietly covered my face with my hands.
I really must be the root of all evil.