Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: An Awkward Atmosphere
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The atmosphere felt awkward.
Su-ah glanced at her furtively. There wasn't a trace of levity in the demure way she gazed up at the moon.
Still, she mustered the courage to speak. She stated her purpose in coming.
But Baek-mae rejected it outright.
"A gathering? It's meaningless."
"...Hah, but..."
"Count me out, Su-ah. I don't have the time or the leisure for it. I'd rather swing my sword one more time during that hour."
"R-Ryeong unnie is wasting away...!"
"Is there anyone among us who isn't slowly wasting away?"
Baek-mae rose to her feet.
"We're all dying bit by bit. We're just clinging to life for a reason. I should have been stubborn and stayed behind that day... I regret that moment endlessly."
"...Unnie..."
"Su-ah. I wanted to join the Blood Execution Squad."
She lifted her matted hair and dirt-streaked face. She whispered softly.
"At first, it was for wealth and honor. Power to save my unnie. That seemed important. But after meeting him, it changed. That man... he handed me everything I wanted on a platter."
"......."
"He even risked his life for me. To save my unnie, someone he'd never met... Back then, it was an insane thing for him to do without hesitation. Just for me. Because he wanted to look after the girl he'd fought alongside once."
"...Unnie."
"After that, my goal stayed the same, but my motivation shifted. I wanted to help him. Maybe even more than that. I'd received so much from him. I wanted to give back just as much. But... I couldn't even do that. I couldn't share his pain. All because he told me to go, I made that foolish choice."
Her voice caught slightly.
But Baek-mae forced even that hitch back down.
"...I believed he'd return, just like always, because it was him. And that... we all thought the same."
"......."
"Our complacency killed him. If we'd at least stayed by his side, maybe something would have changed, but we acted like obedient dogs... Is there anything more idiotic than that?"
Baek-mae scraped the ground with her drawn sword. She dragged it back to the center of the clearing.
"It wasn't a disaster because we trusted him. It was because we left the man who always shared our burdens to carry it alone. I killed him. Alone. Lonely. Without anyone to witness it..."
"......"
"So there's only one thing for me to do. I'll kill them all. Everyone connected to Reverse Heaven, without exception. I'll stain my blade with their blood and pile their corpses before a grave with no bodies. All those tied to his death. But I lack the strength for it. Still not enough, so I have to keep building it up."
Obsession gleamed in her eyes.
And the miracle born from that obsession was faintly visible.
Baek-mae's eyes narrowed. Above her faintly rising sword aura, the world distorted-just a glimpse.
Fragments of the Heart Sword.
"Sorry, Su-ah. I'll eat dinner separately. And unless it's urgent... don't come looking for me."
"......"
"I'm busy."
She began swinging her sword again. Su-ah, who had been watching the female expert gazing toward the Profound Realm, turned away.
She understood her feelings.
If only she'd learned martial arts sooner. If only she could swing a sword like Dad...
Then Dad wouldn't have died so lonely and alone.
Regret crushed a corner of her heart. She looked back at her one last time.
She was cold, yet burning.
And that fierce passion was even more twisted than Eun Seol-ran's.
Not relying on factions or others' power in a group effort...
But punishing them personally, as an individual.
"...Unnie. Take care of yourself."
Coming back would just be a nuisance.
She was honing herself. Into even harder steel.
Feeling like she was seeing Dad's back, Su-ah walked away.
I want to get stronger.
But...
Even if she did, Dad wouldn't return. The more she swung her sword, the more bittersweet it felt.
When everything ends, where will I be? What will I dream of?
...I don't know.
I just miss him.
Dad.
...
Su-ah emptied her pockets. She booked a fancy restaurant.
She poured in every coin from the First Demon. Even rented out the entire place for one meal.
Joo Ryeong-ryeong eyed the inn dubiously.
"...Isn't this too much?"
"They say the food here is especially good. And with no one else around, we can eat comfortably! Come on in, unnie."
She led Joo Ryeong-ryeong inside. Two seats were already set at the table.
Black Peony, who had been talking with Eun Seol-ran, looked up. She sighed at the sight of Joo Ryeong-ryeong.
"...Ryeong-ryeong. Didn't I tell you to take good care of yourself?"
"I just didn't have an appetite. You're looking skinny too, Dan-hwa."
"I'm just a bit slimmer. I'm on a body management kick lately."
Joo Ryeong-ryeong chuckled at Black Peony's joke.
"What fat do you have to lose?"
"More than you think. Right, Seol-ran unnie?"
"Keep talking like that, and you'll get stoned. Su-ah. What about Baek-mae?"
"...She said she won't come."
The three fell silent. To break the awkward mood, Black Peony raised her voice slightly.
"Baek-mae's busy, you know. She's a candidate for the Blood Execution Squad, right? Lots to do, can't be helped. Unlike us with nothing to do."
"If she won't come, nothing we can do. We can order anything here, right?"
Eun Seol-ran tilted her head slightly and whispered to Su-ah.
"If you're short on money, just say so. Got it?"
"...Seol-ran unniii..."
"No need to worry about that. I already paid in full."
Black Peony sipped her tea as if it were natural. Su-ah freaked out.
"Dan-hwa unnie?! I said I'd pay!"
"How could an unnie take her dongsaeng's pocket money? It's fine. Right, Ryeong-ryeong?"
"...I didn't pay anything?"
"Your money is my money, and my money is yours. Paid from the Soul Pursuit Pavilion funds. We're all members, aren't we?"
"...There was still some left?"
"The First Demon said she'd never dissolve it..."
Black Peony cut herself off. She looked away awkwardly.
Su-ah knew the rest.
Dad's name was on the Soul Pursuit Pavilion roster.
The First Demon couldn't bear to let it vanish.
"...Anyway, eat up. Ryeong-ryeong. Don't leave any, or you'll get scolded?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Leave any, and I'll kill you myself."
Everyone turned at the sudden voice.
Jang Sam trailed down from the second floor. The First Demon, back from official duties, naturally took the head seat.
"I'll take the Soul Pursuit Pavilion funds. Using them without permission... You've finally lost it, Black Peony."
"I noted the source as public funds. Wrote 'team dinner' boldly. Plus, I'm the one who handles most of the work anyway. Half of your tasks, First Demon."
"Even that's less now. Cheon Jung-hyeok nailed my duties to security maintenance. And unlike before, I'm free from Grand Protector duties. If I list my official tasks, I can finish in an hour."
"I meant the unofficial ones. You won't deny those, right?"
"Don't take credit for tasks from the Supreme Cult Leader. Weren't some your own idea anyway?"
"Anyway, let us have a team dinner at least."
"...Do you know how much it costs to rent a whole building for a day? Don't spend money like water. It always gets traced."
"You're exaggerating."
"Look at her climbing... Why did I ever raise that one..."
The First Demon sighed. Her voice softened as her eyes met Su-ah's.
"...But it's not something to fret over that much. Don't make that face."
"Fiiirst Deeeemon..."
"You're only soft on Su-ah."
"Shut up and order food."
"Yees."
Dishes began arriving one by one. The four, chopsticks in hand, subtly studied the First Demon's face.
The mask she still wore. She always ate alone, so no one here had truly seen her face.
"...You're not just here to show up and leave, right?"
"Tch."
The First Demon scanned the table.
With a resigned air, she removed her mask.
Her pale pink hair cascaded down. Everyone's eyes widened, but Su-ah's the most.
"...Wow..."
They're all beautiful people.
But what if one stood unrivaled among them?
It felt like that illusion had descended before her eyes. Her abnormally long lashes lifted slightly. Her fine brows furrowed as she looked over the table.
Even that was pretty. Beyond beautiful-awesome.
Baek-mae, seen recently, had been breathtakingly stunning too, and everyone here was...
But the aura was different.
A poignant yet noble crane.
The First Demon brushed back her hair and growled.
"If you're here to eat, focus on the food. Staring like that-is that manners from your house?"
"...Talking like that confirms you're the First Demon."
"Say it again, and I'll sew your mouth shut. You won't eat for life."
The shock was brief.
Everyone started eating. Light chatter mixed in.
Fortunately, Joo Ryeong-ryeong seemed to have regained some appetite, smiling faintly as she joined the talk. She chewed slowly and swallowed.
But even as everyone laughed and chatted like they were enjoying it, pretending all was well...
Su-ah knew.
They all felt the emptiness.
The empty seat still lingered, even after much time had passed.
...No.
It grew larger with each passing day.
"...Dad."
Su-ah quietly slipped out and leaned against the wall.
The moon was bright. But that only deepened the shadows.
Especially during happy times.
Because there was no warm embrace, no hand naturally offering food.
So she whispered.
Her feelings for the one she could no longer see.
"I miss you."