Chapter 240
Chapter 240
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Name
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"Hmm... alright, let me explain the situation first. As for what state this woman is in right now..."
After giving the Saintess a thorough scolding, Yeo So-cheon began cautiously explaining the situation, taken aback by my rare display of anger.
"You know this bead, right...?"
"...Isn't this Master's fox bead?"
"That's right. Given the nature of a gumiho, this bead is so deeply fused with her that it's practically her alter ego..."
It wasn't a complicated story, so I quickly grasped Yeo So-cheon's explanation.
Master was currently contaminated by some strange energy from the vampires, and that condition could be checked through the fox bead.
Impurities had invaded Master's body, which had previously held only 100% pure energy, leaving her unconscious.
So, the simplest and most fundamental solution was to expel those impurities...
"Hold on. You said this bead is Master's alter ego?"
"Yes... that's correct, right...? For a millennium-old fox, the fox bead is essentially half of herself."
"...I've been carrying this around with me."
"Well... that probably means she cherished you that much. She likely never imagined you'd take it and run off."
"..."
-Crunch
I bit my lip to swallow the words rising in my throat, then returned to the main topic.
"Anyway, we found a way to expel the impurities... but it's a bit dangerous."
"...What exactly is it?"
Did I have to commit some atrocity against human decency?
Something horrific like a human sacrifice...?
"......We need to ask the Heavenly Demon for help."
....................
"Pardon?"
The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, instantly cooling the boiling emotions surging within.
"I... I think I misheard you. Could you say that again?"
"...We need the Heavenly Demon's help."
Yep, I heard it right.
...
"Why?!"
Why was that woman popping up out of nowhere here?!
Were the Blood Cult and the Demonic Cult secretly in cahoots after all?!
Was the Heavenly Demon the real mastermind?!
"W-Wait, calm down. It's not like the Heavenly Demon is behind this or anything..."
"How do you know what I'm thinking?!"
"It's written all over your face... Ah, whatever, just listen."
Yeo So-cheon pressed down on my shoulders to forcibly calm me before resuming her explanation.
"First off, the Demonic Cult and the Blood Cult aren't particularly connected. I've checked the current Blood Cult too—no links whatsoever."
"Then why the Heavenly Demon...?"
"No connection between the groups, but the type of power they wield is similar."
Her subsequent explanation went like this.
Even if there was no direct link between the Demonic Cult and the vampires, both handled powers close to demonic energy, giving them an inherent connection.
Fundamentally, both defied heaven and nature—defying heaven itself. No matter how different their origins, as the saying goes, all streams lead to the sea; the higher one ascends in those realms, the closer they draw to demonic essence.
And demonic energy had a fundamental trait.
"Demonic energy is drawn to greater demonic energy."
Smaller demonic forces were inevitably pulled toward larger ones.
Thus, the energy corrupting Master's aura inherently carried demonic essence.
To extract it, we needed something stronger—greater demonic energy.
And in our world, the one person we could be certain possessed demonic energy surpassing even the vampire lord was...
"...Only the Heavenly Demon..."
"..."
At least for now, there was only one such person.
-Thud...
My mind went blank.
Was this for real?
Really just one person?
"No... uh... ha..."
I couldn't even form proper words.
Who could've predicted the Heavenly Demon would come up here?
I'd planned to deal with the world-ending Blood Cult first, then handle the personal issue of the Heavenly Demon later. But now the Blood Cult was slipping away, and I had to drag in the Heavenly Demon right now?
'...It's like someone's scripted this.'
Unfair treatment had its limits. Why her, of all people, here...?
"...Is there no chance of finding someone else besides the Heavenly Demon?"
"If we dig deep enough, maybe... the Central Plains are vast. But 99% of those who handle demonic energy are in the Demonic Cult... And asking for help from anyone there means you can't avoid the Heavenly Demon's gaze. Inevitably, you'll end up connected to her either way."
"What about using Daoist martial arts to purge the demonic energy?"
"...It's worth a try, but it might drive it deeper instead. Think of it like rats hiding in a building... If you charge in with a sword, they won't meekly stick out their necks."
"..."
"Of course, if there were no other options, we'd do it... But in a situation with no risk of worsening, it's too dangerous as a last resort. This is just my opinion, though—the decision is yours. You're the only one who can claim to be her protector right now."
...Master's protector... me...
"...How long can Master hold out?"
A sudden heaviness settled in my chest.
But she wasn't wrong.
Among everyone here, I was the only one who could step up as Master's protector.
Coldly speaking, the others had barely met her.
"Assuming no special variables... about a month. Based on the current erosion rate... though we can't rule out it accelerating."
"..."
"Don't take it too heavily. We'll look for someone to ask without relying on the Heavenly Demon. There's this secret art from the Kunlun Sect called the Demon-Subduing Sword Technique—it's a bit different from other Daoist styles... might be worth hoping for."
"Uh... isn't the Kunlun Sect still sealed off after the last war with the Blood Cult? Rumors say it's not really sealed—just so devastated it's effectively wiped out..."
"..."
-Drip, drip
Cold sweat beaded on Yeo So-cheon's forehead at Dang Ayoung's point.
"W-Well, the Central Plains are vast! We'll find someone if we search! If not, we'll scour the whole place and drag out a god if we have to—so rest for now! You look terrible."
I hadn't said a word, yet Yeo So-cheon shoved me toward the bed.
...Did I really look that bad?
'...Can't feel good, though.'
I thought it was all over, but the vampire lord escaped, Master was comatose, and who knew what would happen if left like this.
If that energy fully eroded her... what then?
Yeo So-cheon hadn't said it, but I could vaguely sense it.
Death... or if she survived, she wouldn't be the Master I knew.
She was precious to me, but first and foremost, a gumiho.
If a gumiho who'd amassed energy for a millennium was tainted by demonic essence...
-Crunch
'...Don't think about it.'
I pushed away the scene from last night's dream.
It was just a nonsense dream.
I'd had plenty of nightmares about being tormented by the Heavenly Demon, then raped by the daughter we had—terrible stuff.
I didn't have prophetic dreams or anything...
......Probably not.
'...Guess I'll take a nap.'
I hadn't been awake long, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet, but mental fatigue crashed over me. Better to sleep and wake refreshed.
Staying awake wouldn't let me do much anyway.
"...I want to sleep. Could you knock me out?"
"...Pardon?"
"Like when you took me to Kunlun last time. Not full knockout—just enough to drift off? Can't fall asleep like this."
"Uh... yeah, I can. Hold on..."
Yeo So-cheon approached like before, placing her hands on either side of my head.
-Crackle
That was the last thing I saw before sleep claimed me.
I'd once asked Master her name.
"By the way, Master, what's your full name?"
"My name, you say?"
"We've been together a while now, but I've never heard it."
I usually called her Master anyway, so not knowing hadn't bothered me much, but upon reflection, I was curious.
We'd been together for years already—how could I not know her name?
She mostly called me 'disciple' too, rarely 'Yuseong,' but still, knowing and not knowing made a difference.
"Why the sudden curiosity? Feeling like learning more about your master now?"
"...Well, if you pass away, don't I need to know the name for your tombstone?"
"You brat. When did you plot to kill this master and claim her legacy?"
"And when will you stop teasing your disciple, Master? It's straight-up criminal."
A childish argument with no quarter given.
The pointless bickering dragged on, and eventually, Master raised the white flag first.
"Fine. You're that curious about this master's name? I'll tell you."
'Oh.'
Master had finally decided to reveal it.
I waited eagerly for her to speak.
"......"
"...Master?"
Nearly five minutes passed, but her mouth stayed shut.
"...You don't remember, do you?"
"...Pardon?"
"Not that I don't remember—more accurately, there's nothing particularly worth calling a 'name.'"
"...You have no name?"
"A name only functions if there's someone to call it... No need to set one aside specially. I've lived alone in the mountains, and ties to others that required a name can be counted on one hand... I probably used aliases back then."
"Then how about telling me one of those aliases?"
"I've used and discarded five or six. Hardly proper names."
"..."
It was a reason I'd never imagined.
I'd never thought someone could lack a name,
or that living alone in the mountains meant never feeling the need for one.
'If no one calls you, a name loses meaning, sure...'
But wasn't a name's value more than that? It was an identity for self-reference too.
As I pondered Master's name issue, she spoke again.
"On second thought, no need to make one now."
"...Pardon?"
"Whatever my name is, you'll call me Master anyway. No point creating one."
...What was she saying?
Since I'd always call her Master, no need for a name?
"I do call you that, but still, for introducing you to others..."
"No need."
"Pardon?"
"My only human tie now is as your master, and I doubt it'll grow beyond that with time."
"..."
"'Master' is enough for whatever anyone calls me."
-Flinch
'W-What is this woman saying?'
She sounded like a marriage proposal.
Anyone would think she meant spending her life with me alone.
Masters could say anything to disciples.
Once the disciple learned enough and came of age, send them down the mountain to independence—not plan to live together forever.
I almost misunderstood.
If I weren't used to her teasing, I'd have blushed embarrassingly here...
"Your face is red again. Feeling hot?"
"?!"
Her words startled me; I touched my cheek and felt the burning heat.
"I-It'S summer! I'm off to bed then..."
-Whoosh
"Whoa?!"
She grabbed me as I fled to hide my flushed face, pulling me onto her lap.
My back against her chest, facing the same direction.
"Didn't you want to see fireflies? I scoured the mountain to catch and release these—watch properly. They'll be dead by tomorrow."
"...Pardon?"
I vaguely remembered saying yesterday, 'It's summer this year, but no fireflies—just boring bugs. Might miss them entirely.'
But now...?
"Look. They're flying now."
"...Wow."
Looking ahead as she said, dozens of tiny lights twinkled and danced over the grassy field.
I'd lived in these mountains a while, but never seen so many at once.
Usually just five or six.
"They're beautiful..."
"Good."
-Thud
"...This is uncomfortable."
"Good."
She'd naturally rested her chin on my head, adding pressure up top.
The discomfort from my back was bad enough, but now my shoulders too—though whatever.
'She's showing me this rare sight—I'll endure.'
Twenty or thirty minutes tops; no need to squirm free.
"...Master, do you know why they glow like that?"
"What a random question. Isn't it obvious?"
"Oh."
Surprisingly, she knew.
I barely recalled something about chemicals in their tails reacting with air...
"To mate, obviously."
"Pfft?!"
"One flashes to signal mating intent, the other responds by glowing too. Not just fireflies—most forest bugs do it that way. Cicadas buzzing all day are just seeking mates for breeding..."
"O-Okay, stop!"
This woman really had no filter?!
Okay, it was about bugs,
unrelated to humans, but still...
"You asked first, then get mad. Weirdo."
"I meant the mechanism, not the reason!"
"Then ask properly next time. You confused me first."
"...So, do you know?"
"No."
"..."
A refreshingly honest answer that left even me speechless.
"Sigh... fine."
"Don't you usually explain that stuff yourself?"
"That's why I asked—I don't know!"
"Boring guy."
After that, we bickered over silly topics for a while, watching the fireflies until moonlight hid behind clouds, then lay down.
Just an ordinary day with Master—nothing special.