Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Reunion
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-Creak
"Wow... how long has it been since I last came here..."
After entering the city where my old fortune-telling shop was located, I stepped down from the carriage and looked around.
I hadn't expected to be gone this long when I first left—unexpectedly, several months had slipped by.
'I wonder if my shop is okay... and Dang Ayoung too...'
It was my fortune-telling shop in name, but strictly speaking, Dang Ayoung had been letting me borrow the place. If anything happened to her, I was done for.
That was why we'd agreed to exchange letters occasionally, but who could've predicted I'd suddenly get whisked away to some far-off place?
'I hope they're both safe...'
I was mulling over which to visit first, what Dang Ayoung might be up to at this hour, and where I should go to meet her when—
"We'll be parting ways for a while now."
The Sword Empress's voice reached me.
It was a flat tone, somehow laced with suppressed emotion.
"Are you really leaving?"
"You have your own matters, and I have mine. This place must feel comfortable for you as well."
"That's... true."
Still, after traveling together and growing somewhat attached, the thought of parting now left a faint pang of regret.
But she was right—we couldn't just keep wandering together forever. No matter how much it stung, there was no helping it.
I was just a lowly fortune teller, after all, while she was the Sword Empress of the Mount Hua Sect.
The weight of our positions was worlds apart.
In fact, it was a miracle we'd traveled together this long.
'I might need her help later when approaching Yeo Socheon... but for now, I've just returned after so long...'
Right now, I just wanted to check in and get some rest.
I was already worn out from all the things on my mind lately.
"We'll meet again, right?"
"...Do you want to?"
"Of course. I've received so much help from you—er, from the divine lady. I still owe you a ton."
I nearly called her Sword Empress out of habit but caught myself, remembering the people around us, and switched to a more neutral title.
"You speak of debts..."
A faint crack appeared in the Sword Empress's composed expression, which had seemed to be holding back emotions all this time.
Was she feeling reluctant to part ways too?
"Take this, at least."
She handed me a wooden plaque.
"What's this?"
"Think of it as a token signifying a connection to me. If you ever need to see me, bring it to Mount Hua. I'll let them know in advance."
"...Oh."
Now that she mentioned it, this was quite a valuable item.
A token linking me to the Sword Empress of Mount Hua—no telling how useful it could be, depending on how I used it.
"What if I misuse it?"
I half-jokingly asked, seeing her hand over such a thing so readily, but—
"Use it however you like."
"...Pardon?"
"Anywhere you want, so long as you don't use it for crimes or to harass the innocent. I know you're not the type."
"Uh..."
I was flustered by how much trust she was placing in me.
"Besides, knowing your personality, you wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. You're not one for drawing attention. I doubt you'd have the boldness to stir up a fuss over minor issues and attract every eye around."
"...Well, yeah, you're right."
Unless my life was truly in danger, I had no intention of using it lightly.
In this world, drawing great attention was tantamount to courting death.
Even a martial artist confident in their own strength could handle immediate threats, but I—with no one to protect me—couldn't even fend off an ordinary person with a knife.
I had no plans to use it unless it was dire.
"I'll gratefully accept it, then. I do need a way to reach you again, after all."
"And just so you don't feel burdened—truly, use it as you see fit. I owe you a debt as well."
"Me?"
Her words made me tilt my head in bewilderment.
If it were the other way around, sure—but me making the Sword Empress indebted to me?
It made me wonder if something had happened without my knowledge.
"...You may not realize it, but you do. A great debt, almost as if you saved my life."
"That big...?"
Flustered, I racked my brain desperately, but nothing came to mind.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't recall doing anything like that.
"Is it related to one of my readings for you?"
"Uh, y-yes? That's... right. Yeah."
Her obvious fluster struck me as odd, but considering it, fortune-telling was the only way I could've helped her.
What aid could someone like me offer her otherwise?
I had nothing to give beyond my one area of confidence.
"I see... Which reading was it? There are so many minor ones, it's hard to pinpoint..."
"It may have seemed trivial to you but had a major impact on me, so you might not remember. Don't strain yourself. The fact that I owe you remains unchanged."
"Uh... alright."
Memories of the readings I'd done for her still floated in my mind, but I decided to think on it later.
"Then just tell me this: how did my reading help you?"
My final question before we parted.
And her answer was—
"...It kept me from falling into qi deviation."
'What on earth...'
It was still an answer I couldn't quite grasp.
.
.
.
After parting with the Sword Empress, I headed first to the location of my old shop.
Part of it was to check if another business had taken over, but mostly because she usually met me by visiting the shop there.
And when I arrived at the spot where I'd run my fortune-telling business—
"Good, it's still intact."
There wasn't a single sign of tampering; it was just as I'd left it.
I felt a small swell of emotion.
She could've assumed I was dead after months without contact and disposed of it, but leaving it like this meant she believed I'd return.
'...Or maybe she was just too lazy to deal with it?'
I didn't know exactly how wealthy she was, but given her resources, leaving a single shop empty probably wasn't much of a loss.
In any case, with the shop confirmed safe, it was time to go see Dang Ayoung.
I knew where her house was, though she'd said she didn't use it much. So I checked the academy first.
"We're on break right now."
"...They have breaks here too?"
"Yes. Everyone needs rest."
I hadn't realized the academy had breaks.
'Maybe she's at home, then?'
I'd heard she occasionally returned to her family home in Sichuan, but she didn't like going because the elders disapproved.
She didn't use the house much either... but with no other leads, I had no choice.
I headed to Dang Ayoung's house, the one I'd visited with her before.
As I walked, I reflected on what had happened before parting—
'Oh, right—we agreed I'd show her my face.'
I'd momentarily forgotten.
I couldn't understand why she was so desperate to see a guy's face that she'd risk her life for it...
'Well, hiding it so obsessively would make anyone curious.'
I let it slide.
Hell, even I'd be curious in her shoes.
Last time, an ominous vibe had made me say I'd show her after a trip, but it had stretched far longer than expected. She might've even forgotten.
I was heading to greet her after so long, but I had too many other worries pressing in.
When Yeo Socheon had ambushed me before, I'd thought I couldn't survive in this world anymore and should just grab a book and retreat to the mountains.
But after hearing from the Saintess, even that wasn't viable.
What good was hiding in the mountains if the world was ending?
With no clue how much time was left, I couldn't just twiddle my thumbs waiting for my master, who was in closed-door training.
'Maybe I should've never left the mountains...'
Those ten peaceful years in seclusion felt like a dream now. Things hadn't stopped piling up since I emerged.
Maybe some curse clung to my life—drawing endless incidents the moment I entered the mundane world.
'...Sigh. Whatever.'
Even if I'd stayed hidden, the clock to apocalypse was already ticking. It wouldn't have changed much.
I'd have just met the end oblivious in the mountains—far from unscathed.
Vampires had been active long before I left seclusion.
So no amount of lamenting would improve things.
The only thing I could do was find Yeo Socheon and hear her out...
'But I don't even know where she is.'
She'd flushed red, sulked at my teasing, and fled—who knew where.
She'd vowed revenge, so we'd probably meet soon, but with no idea when or how, it was a headache.
'...First things first, say hi to Dang Ayoung.'
At times like this, I missed Dang Ayoung, who was always straightforward and easy to talk to.
We could catch up after so long... maybe grab a drink.
I needed a break; body and mind were exhausted.
-Knock knock
"Anyone home?"
[Who iiiis it...]
It was nearly noon, yet her voice dripped with sleep, like she'd just rolled out of bed.
Good—she was home, after all.
"It's me. Faceless Golden Ghost."
It had been ages since I'd used that moniker.
I'd never told her my real name, so this was how I had to announce myself.
[Ah...]
She recognized my voice with a soft gasp, and then—
-Crash!
[W-wait a second!!]
Her voice snapped fully awake amid a clamor from inside.
I could vividly picture the chaos within.