Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: I Love You Too.
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‘Dad!’
I wanted to run to my father as he returned from defeating the Demonic Cult and call him 'Dad'.
And I wanted to call my mother, who stood beside him, 'Mom'.
That's why I desperately wished for my father to come. It was the first time I had ever missed someone, ever waited for someone.
My father and mother truly wanted to hear me call them Dad and Mom. They always asked.
‘Aren't you scared at night?’
‘Didn't you miss your dad and mom?’
I wasn't scared, and I didn't miss them.
That was the kind of person I was.
But after my father left the family for the War of Orthodox and Demonic Factions, I seemed to be changing, little by little.
I wanted to open my heart. So I wanted to try. I wanted to be like other children.
But…
My father never came back.
No one came back.
From that day on, the family was filled with the sounds of death, and I stayed in my room, covering my ears, refusing to go out.
I didn't want to hear it.
I didn't want to cry.
No tears came out.
Why!
Why didn't he come back?
Did he not want to hear me call him Dad?
No. I know that's not it.
It wasn't that he didn't come, but that he couldn't.
Because of those bastards right in front of me!
But what!
You say I can't kill them?
No, I will kill them. I must kill them. I will kill them!
My father left without ever hearing me call him 'Dad', something he so desperately wanted. Because of that, my mother never got to hear me call her 'Mom' either.
So those bastards must die!
By any means necessary.
Absolutely.
They are the ones who stole my father and mother from me. If they could return them right now, I wouldn't even think of killing them.
So, can you give them back?
Can you!
You can't!
That's why you have to die.
And I'm the one who has to kill you!
“Aaaaaaaah!”
An endless rage surged from the depths of Namgung Urin's heart.
Jang Gae, standing before Namgung Urin, frowned. Namgung Urin's energy was not just growing; it was exploding.
‘Indeed…’
He wondered if he could subdue Namgung Urin without harming him. But he had to succeed.
No, even if he couldn't, he had to stop this situation. Before the boy became a madman and caused countless casualties.
As an elder of the Beggars' Sect and one of the Ten Great Masters of the realm, it was a duty he could not refuse.
Just then.
Inside Namgung Urin's mind, the Second Shadow spoke.
‘First Shadow. It's the only way.’
‘Yes. I think we have to.’
The Primordial Chaos or the Shadows could exert their power regardless of their master's will when the master of the Primordial Chaos Art's life was in imminent danger.
The Shadows were in agreement.
To draw their lord into the abyss of Primordial Chaos. In other words, to draw Namgung Urin into his own mind, just like the Shadows.
A place from which one cannot leave once entered.
No, it was a place one could only leave if summoned by the master of Primordial Chaos. The Shadows could leave because their master, Namgung Urin, summoned them, but what if Namgung Urin himself entered the abyss? How would he get out?
They didn't know.
But they had to draw him in now.
It was the same for anyone. You had to be alive to do anything.
The Shadows chanted an incantation. An incantation Namgung Urin did not know.
In that moment.
Namgung Urin's energy, which had seemed on the verge of exploding, stopped as if by a lie, and he collapsed on the spot.
Lady Yeonhwa, the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade, and everyone who had come to support the Namgung Family, who had been watching anxiously from their camp, rushed forward.
The Baekri Family Head, Baekri U, thinking this was a fortunate turn of events, left with a wide smile, leading his people back to the Baekri Family estate.
As Lady Yeonhwa rushed forward to embrace Namgung Urin, Namgung Yul stopped her.
“Sister-in-law! You mustn't touch Urin's body. It could be dangerous right now, so please hold back.”
Lady Yeonhwa collapsed to the ground. She looked at Namgung Urin and wept endlessly.
The Iron Blood Sect Leader Han Seo-hui, Zhuge Siyeon of the Zhuge Family, and Seo I-ryeong of the Hoyeon Merchant Guild also shed tears, their fists clenched tightly.
The members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade—Namgung Hyeon-u, Namgung Seol, Namgung Jun, Namgung Chi-hyeok, and Namgung U—were no different.
Namgung Yul looked down at Namgung Urin with pity in his eyes.
“Urin…”
How did it come to this…
Why…
It felt as if the sky was falling.
Without wiping the blood from his lips, Namgung Yul scanned Namgung Urin's body. He seemed peaceful, both inside and out.
Namgung Yul took a long, deep breath and approached Namgung Urin. Just then, Jang Gae, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, stepped forward.
“Stay back. I'll do it.”
Namgung Yul bowed his head in gratitude.
Jang Gae carefully took Namgung Urin's wrist. Then, he infused his own true energy into him.
“Damn it.”
Everyone was startled by Jang Gae's voice, wondering what was wrong. Namgung Yul's heart sank.
“…Is it not good?”
“That's not it.”
“…Then?”
“My true energy can't even enter. It's immediately repelled, so there's nothing I can do.”
“How does he look to you?”
Of course, Jang Gae, who had reached the absolute realm, would have a better judgment than Namgung Yul himself.
“Strangely enough, there's nothing wrong. It would be best to move him somewhere nearby and examine him further.”
“Let's do that.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, So Hwi, the owner of the Myeongwol Pavilion, stepped forward.
“Our Myeongwol Pavilion is the closest place from here, so why not go there? You can all stay in the annex, and it will be quiet and undisturbed.”
Going to a physician would be useless. He had no external injuries. And since it would take three days to return to the family estate, the nearby Myeongwol Pavilion was the perfect choice for Namgung Urin's safety.
Namgung Yul replied.
“Very well. Let's go there.”
And so, they all headed for the Myeongwol Pavilion.
* * *
“This place is…”
The Namgung Family estate. More specifically, it was the training ground where the Family Head trained. And in the center of the training ground, my father was engrossed in his training.
Strangely, I had returned to the age of thirteen.
No, is this a dream?
It feels like a dream, yet it feels real.
Could this be the regression I've only heard about in stories?
But it feels so real, yet also like a dream.
Because my father was right before my eyes.
“Father…”
I'm so happy.
Yes, happy. This feeling… it's wonderful.
I hope… I don't wake from this dream.
No.
I truly hope this is a regression.
I watched my father train for a long time.
Today was five days before my father, grandfather, and the warriors of the Namgung Family were to leave the estate to fight the Demonic Cult in the War of Orthodox and Demonic Factions.
How do I know all this?
I don't know.
I don't even want to know the details. I just want to savor this moment.
It seemed my father had finished his training. He was walking towards me with a bright smile.
“Has my dear son been here all this time?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Wh-what did you just say?”
My father's eyes widened. It was amusing. And I was happy.
So I smiled.
My father was surprised again.
“Huh?! My son… you smiled?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Say it one more time.”
“Dad!”
“Puhahahaha! This is a joyous day for our Namgung Family! Hahaha. Oh, right. This is no time to stand around. Let's go boast to your mother. What do you say?”
“Okay.”
Excited, my father swept me up into his arms and headed for my mother's quarters.
Mother had finished preparing dinner and was waiting for Father and me.
“My dear!”
“Oh my. You startled me.”
“My dear! Hahaha!”
“Urin, it seems your father has gone mad from not wanting to go to the war. Right?”
“Dad's not crazy, Mom.”
“…Uh… Mom? Urin. Did you just call us Dad and Mom?”
My mother's eyes widened just like my father's.
“Yes, Mom.”
“Oh my! Good heavens! My son!”
Mother showered my forehead and cheeks with kisses.
The feeling of her lips on my forehead and cheeks was wonderful. I want to cherish this feeling for the rest of my life.
Until the day I die.
“My dear. A day like this calls for some wine, don't you think?”
“Doesn't it? Yes. I'll go get some right away.”
“My dear. Can't you just have the maids do it?”
“No. On a day like this, I'll go and get the very best wine myself.”
“Hahaha.”
They seemed very happy. Both my father and my mother.
Why couldn't I have done something so simple back then?
Still, being able to do it now makes me so glad, so joyous, so happy.
Mother truly brought the finest wine in our family. It was a wine my grandfather cherished deeply.
She must have taken it from him by force. My mother truly is an amazing woman, capable of besting even the Sword Emperor.
During our cheerful dinner, I spoke up, wondering if I could perhaps prevent that tragic day.
“Dad.”
“Yes, son. Go ahead and speak. Today, this father of yours wants to grant you anything you desire.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Then, don't go to the war.”
“…Why? Let me hear your reason.”
I told him I'd had a dream last night and recounted the tragic story of that day.
“I see. So that's why my son was worried?”
“Yes.”
“Urin. Listen carefully to your father.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Our Namgung is the greatest martial arts family in the world. That means our family holds the greatest power. And with power comes responsibility. Even if things happen as they did in your dream, your father and our Namgung Family will go. We must go. That is what it means to be Namgung. Do you understand?”
He was, as expected, a stubbornly traditional father, and a true Namgung.
“Do you think the same way, Mom?”
“Of course. The greatest family in the world can't be one that shirks its responsibilities.”
Cut from the same cloth, I see.
“Hmph.”
“Hohoho.”
“Hahaha.”
And so, I spent my days in happiness. And then, the day came for my father, for the Namgung Family, to leave.
After the departure ceremony, my father hugged me one last time and left.
I knew what would happen, but I couldn't stop him.
Because my father's words were so deeply etched in my ears.
That because he was Namgung, he had to go…
Tears streamed from my eyes. I was so sad. Incredibly sad. At the thought that I would never see my father again.
So I ran to my father like a madman.
“Dad!”
My father, and everyone else, looked at me with smiling faces. They were all smiling on their way to die.
My father asked me.
“What is it?”
“Do you really have to go?”
“Urin.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“If… if we truly don't return, just as in your dream, do not be sad. This father of yours… our Namgung Family… will remain in your heart. And the Azure Sky will be by your side.”
“Dad…”
“I love you, son. Take good care of your mother while I'm gone.”
“Yes…”
I love you too.
Father.
And so, my father and the Namgung Family left.
Tears flowed freely, but I was no longer sad.
Because my dad, and the Namgung Family, would remain in my heart.