Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
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The door opens. A small hand slips in.
"Lo, lord."
A servant boy with a wound that hasn't fully healed yet. His cheek is still faintly swollen as he abruptly hands over something.
"Ca, candy... would you like some...?"
He hesitates. And that behavior of his.
It's been quite a while since she last saw him, but he's still shy. Number 20 knew exactly what that dawdling meant.
Children remember old events far better than one might think.
Especially things they themselves couldn't do.
The ones living below are like that. She had been too. How much effort had it taken just to avoid fitting in.
She stares blankly at the candy held in the child's hand. There are five pieces laid out. They're terribly cute atop his fidgeting fingers.
...Her older sister too.
Used to bring them just like that.
Acting shy, pretending it was no big deal, but hoping she'd eat them up enjoyably.
"...Come in."
Number 20 steps aside.
"Let's eat together."
"I, I'm already full..."
"Told you before, right? Eating together is what doing well means. Candy doesn't taste good alone."
The child stumbles inside. He sets the pouch full of candy on the table, then glances at her warily.
Number 20 picks one up. A slightly dark one, overflowing with a sweet aroma.
She takes a small bite. As expected, delicious.
"...It's tasty."
This isn't the taste of the candy.
It's the taste of goodwill.
Number 20 slides the pouch over to the child.
"What are you doing? Not eating?"
"I, I'll eat well..."
Though hesitant, the child puts a piece of candy in his mouth. His tense expression melts away smoothly.
How pretty his smile is. Children truly are wonderful. Cute, full of affection, and pure.
"Tasty?"
"Yes...!"
"Eat plenty."
"B, but this was brought for you, lord..."
"I'm eating too."
It suddenly occurs to her, and she asks.
"By any chance, on your way here, did you see the tall, burly man I came with?"
"Yes! I met him. I already shared some with him. He told me to give some to you too... so I brought this."
"......."
That guy.
Always so nosy.
Number 20 tosses the rest of the candy into her mouth. One piece carried a somewhat complex flavor.
Men are loathsome. But what about Number 30?
She wasn't sure.
Perhaps because of what that man had given her. Or maybe just...
---He feels different from the people she's known.
"Um... lord..."
"Yes?"
"The, the Sima family head... he's an incredibly kind person."
"Hmm... He sent this?"
"Y, yes?! N, no. Actually... I told the one I bumped into earlier too, but... I wanted to let you know as well..."
The young servant fidgets with his hands.
He sets down the candy. He doesn't even look at it.
"Bu, but if you actually talk to him, you'll see he's really kind!"
"He seemed to have a filthy personality."
"Y, yes?!"
"Just kidding. He might just be prickly on the outside."
In truth, she doesn't like him.
That beggar-like way of speaking. She doubts she'll ever get used to it, even upon seeing him again.
But to protect the child's innocence, she smiles faintly.
"Why do you like him so much?"
"He, he treats us well. So very..."
"How does he treat you well?"
"He makes sure we have food... raises our pay... provides places to rest... and reduces our workload."
"Hmm..."
"But there's something even greater than that."
"What?"
"He always smiles at us."
That man does?
"He seemed like someone who doesn't know how to smile."
"N, no! If you look closely, the corners of his mouth are slightly upturned."
"Is that so?"
"B, but it's true. They're really up. His speech is stiff, but he always smiles. When the family head smiles..."
The young servant giggles.
"I feel like I'm truly part of the Sima family---and it makes me want to do anything for him."
"......."
"S, so if you keep running into him, you'll understand too."
"Is this a bribe?"
"I, it's not a bribe... just..."
The young servant fiddles with his cheek.
"I, I did something mean. To you, lord. But you put medicine on me instead. So... you and the family head are both good people..."
"Even good people don't always get along."
"...Is that right."
The young servant wilts. Number 20 smiles faintly.
She rolls the candy in her mouth with the tip of her tongue.
Sweet.
Indeed sweet.
Terribly sweet.
"Well, I've already eaten it anyway."
".......?"
What is goodwill?
Truthfully, she doesn't know.
...But there's one thing she does know.
"I'll give it a try."
That candy from someone else is sweet.
...
---Chiiiing!!
Swords clash. Her fingertips vibrate.
Her body is pushed back accordingly. Footprints carve long gouges into the ground.
Number 20 pants for breath.
What's in front of her? Dust clouds obscure it, making it hard to see clearly.
A sword. A grotesquely shaped sword. The figure wielding it slowly emerges.
The disciple of Soul-Stealing Sword No Ha-jin, who revealed his own identity.
---Geuk Jin-myeong.
Her hand trembles. It's not simply from fear. After just one exchange of strikes, her hand shakes unnaturally.
As if the spirit in her hand has flown away. Why is this happening?
What kind of nonsense is this...
"Miss. It's not too late yet."
A somewhat shaky voice whispers. The one who named himself Geuk Jin-myeong opens his mouth.
"Step back. Then I'll let you go."
"I told you I can't do that!"
She charges in immediately. She unleashes the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.
Power surges into her extended sword. Even without sword aura, that single stroke is sharp.
A downward slash. The Soul-Pulling Thrust, capable of cleaving anything.
But it bounces off. The extended strike fares the same.
All of them.
---All of them bounce off.
"Kuh?!"
Something slams into her abdomen. Number 20's form is flung straight back.
Her unsteady body twists dizzily. Only after vomiting up what was inside could she barely gasp for breath.
Her stomach feels strange. Just like when the swords clashed.
...This is.
"Internal... injury...?"
"The Soul-Stealing Sword is a technique that robs the enemy's soul. Even a clash alone ravages the internals."
Geuk Jin-myeong shakes out his hand. There's a bizarre energy flow within it.
It's been stolen. A portion of her qi.
"It must be excruciating pain. Miss. You'll see some of your inner energy has been stolen too. With the Soul-Stealing Sword, the more you fight, the longer you can keep going, while your foe continually tires. The amount stolen and damaged grows even greater the wider the skill gap."
"Hah... hah..."
"Miss. That's why I'm saying what doesn't need to be said. I don't want you to die. Not just anyone can have the resolve to throw their body for someone else."
Geuk Jin-myeong smiles bitterly.
"People like that need to live long. I know because I've been helped by someone before. So I'll say it clearly: this is an unnecessary death. Miss."
"Who... are you... to decide... that...?"
"From now on, I'm going to pursue the Sima family head. My master saved me-he's like my benefactor. So no matter what, I intend to chase him. If something blocks me, I'll cut it down; if it's sturdy, I'll smash it."
"......."
"Whether you throw away your life here or not, the Sima family head will end up in my hands. So stop this futile struggling. You can't beat me, miss."
He mutters on his own.
Annoyingly so.
Number 20 bites her lip. She straightens her shaky body.
She recalls what she can do.
Ghost Hand One Demon. And its four derivative forms.
Ghost Spirit Step and Soul-Pulling Thrust. She's learned all but one.
She checks what she can do.
And confirms how far she can push.
Her gaze sinks. Even quieter.
She's afraid. It would be strange not to be.
Geuk Jin-myeong is right. Whether she dies or not, the outcome might not change. It could all end with her dying pointlessly, achieving nothing.
It's frightening.
The very fact of her struggling might become meaningless.
"......."
But does that make it a reason to drop her sword?
...She still doesn't know.
She doesn't understand anything...
She probably can't be like you after all.
...Even so!
She exhales. Her vision is blurry. No matter how she circulates her qi, it's the same.
Even so, she steps forward. She hears Geuk Jin-myeong click his tongue.
"A bad move. Miss."
Shut up.
She channels the unspoken words into her sword.
They clash.
---Kaaang!
The swords cling to each other. She advances. She misses. They clash and crumble.
Breaths intertwine once. She twists her body. She dodges the thrusting strike. She presses the assault relentlessly.
She steps on his foot. She strikes at Geuk Jin-myeong's distorted form from above.
She loses her grip on the sword. She's sent flying backward.
She stands again. She moves. She swings her sword.
She swings her sword...
---Kaaaaang!!
She swings her sword...
---Kaaaaaaaang!!!
Her sword... swings...
---Crunch.
What was that?
Her bounced body tumbles across the ground. Geuk Jin-myeong pants heavily.
But she can't even see the tail end of his ragged breaths. She forces strength into her collapsed body.
She can't stand.
She can't move.
"...Just like..."
Geuk Jin-myeong said.
"...stay lying there. Miss."
Just lie there.
...Yeah.
Maybe.
But who will stand in place of the time she's spent lying down? Number 20 flails about and grabs her sword.
The skill gap is vast. Her body won't move properly.
Her internal injuries are severe. Even swinging won't reach.
She barely grazed one. Then what?
After her entire body is wrecked?
Her mind won't turn. Number 20 exhales her blocked breath. Spitting blood, trembling, she rises.
"Why..."
Geuk Jin-myeong asked.
"Why go that far?"
Why that far?
She doesn't know. Maybe her head's gone strange from all the swinging. Or is it stubbornness? Rivalry? Aspiration?
She doesn't know. She doesn't know.
Just...
Because the sword is there.
Because the sword is there.
"...Ah."
Her voice scrapes along the ground. But her body still struggles not to yield.
She raises herself. Leaning on her sword, she staggers to her feet.
One eye won't see. She feels blood trickling down half her face.
Her body isn't whole. One arm is ruined. Only one arm remains.
Even so, the sword...
She can still grip the sword.
"Why..."
Why, he asks.
She whispers into the sword she's gripped. Right before reaching life's final moment, she poses the question.
Why... work that hard...
Because...
Because...
"Baek Mae. It's okay. You're a pretty, delicate flower."
Because...
"The aftertaste might be a bit bitter, Number 20."
Because...!
"I'll give it a try."
Because I hate myself!
Because I hated this self that kept making excuses and giving up!
"Wa...nt to... change..."
She yearned for it so earnestly.
To change.
So many times, to change.
Not the self who fled, abandoning her sister.
Not the self who sent Number 30-who spouted fancy words-alone into that cave.
Not the self who knew it was wrong but deliberately looked away.
A different self.
A proud self. She wanted to change into that.
But she always failed.
She was always too late.
Always...
Always too late.
"...I... was always... too late..."
She gasps it out. Her vision is still gone on one side. The remaining side is dyed red.
But it's fine. She's gripping her sword. Late though it is, she's gripping her sword.
"Too... slow... me... but... but... sister..."
Her sister had said.
Even if late, just catch up.
"Keep walking steadily. Even if you keep looking away, even if you stray sometimes..."
"The 30th... that child..."
"Eventually, every road comes to an end."
Her words slur and spill from her mouth. Tears mix in as well.
But instead of sobbing, she grips her sword. She wipes her eyes with her sleeve.
Blood smears.
Tears mingle.
The emotion that had long echoed within her leaks outward.
Move, even if belatedly.
Number 20.
That's the one thing you were good at.
"Everything... is precious... don't want to give up..."
She grips her sword. She pours in strength.
Grips it tight so it won't slip.
The child who was always one step behind but eventually always caught up now wields her sword.
A bloody afterimage clings to the sword tip. With her battered body, she whispers.
"Can't... let you... go..."
The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art's Soul-Pulling Thrust.
The sword, tempered in flight, reveals itself for the first time beneath the moonlight.
"I..."
She tries to swallow her sobs and lifts the corner of her mouth. With her ruined lips, she cracks a joke to force a smile.
Chew the pain too.
To stand.
"I've... received an advance..."
"...What advance?"
She moves her sword.
"One... piece of candy."
One more afterimage attaches amid the bloody trail.
A faint but certain resolve engraves itself. Amid the footsteps transcending death in earnest, swirling emotions rise.
The result belatedly catches up to the body that has crossed the death line.
Geuk Jin-myeong's eyes widen.
"Sword aura?!"
Her body tilts diagonally.
One foot forward.
One foot back.
She takes her stance.
"Number 20."
Just like that.
Like always taking bold action first from her own place, upright.
"...Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art."
She whispers to steel her resolve.
She desires one thing.
It was always just one.
"Soul-Pulling Thrust...!"
Not leaving her wish as mere wish.
The white flower that bloomed late moves.
Piercing the night's silence---
To advance.