Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Episode One - Childhood (3)
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The wooden floor of the thatched house.
Beggar King Ma Il-seok sat facing his longtime sworn brother, glancing at Mok Ri-won who was peeking over the fence.
“Is that the kid?”
“Do you think I’d have brought another one in the meantime?”
“…He’s grown up quite nicely.”
It had been about seven years since they last met.
Ma Il-seok gazed at Mok Ri-won with sunken eyes before turning his gaze to Mok Seon-o.
“That child’s body was made for demonic arts. I remember you asked me to investigate if there were any other cases like this.”
“Yeah.”
Mok Seon-o’s expression was grim.
“I wanted to teach him my martial arts. But with his meridians twisted like that, I started wondering if they might even poison him.”
“Anyway, you’re always so cautious, brother.”
Ma Il-seok snorted.
“I did look into it. I rummaged through the Alliance’s library and found something about that phenomenon in an unexpected place.”
“Unexpected?”
“The Blood Ritual from seven years ago.”
Mok Seon-o’s eyes widened.
Ma Il-seok nodded and continued.
“You’re thinking of it right now. Among the documents we took while burning down the Blood Heaven Cult that day, there was something about a great ritual.”
“A great ritual…”
“Do you remember where we found the child?”
He couldn’t possibly forget.
The altar behind the main hall, reeking of blood through the side door.
It was a place where they suspected some sinister sorcery aimed at the child had taken place, and the memory remained vivid in Mok Seon-o’s mind.
Mok Seon-o’s face twisted.
“…He’s already been through the great ritual. Is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s right. The book called it by that name.”
Ma Il-seok hardened his expression and steadied his breathing for a moment.
Then he spoke.
“Extreme Demonic Body.”
Mok Seon-o gasped.
His face crumpled miserably.
How could he not know?
Anyone who had set foot in the martial world knew what that Extreme Demonic Body meant.
“…The Heavenly Demon’s flesh.”
“That’s right. I Mu-baek, one of the Three Great Heavenly Demons. Even now, when counting the greatest of all time, he ranks among the top three, and he was born with the Extreme Demonic Body.”
Ma Il-seok let out a sigh.
“And he was also born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
“…So the Blood Demon was hoping for I Mu-baek’s reincarnation.”
“Who knows now. You cut off that bastard’s head, brother.”
Mok Seon-o let out a hollow laugh.
It was a frustrating situation with nowhere to turn, filling him with emptiness.
Ma Il-seok understood Mok Seon-o’s feelings.
Why wouldn’t he?
The child he had taken in, even abandoning his own name for, the child he swore to help overcome his fate, had a body made for demonic arts. It would be stranger if he wasn’t frustrated.
But setting aside those emotions, Ma Il-seok thought this might actually be for the best.
“Brother.”
“Speak.”
“…It’s not too late yet.”
Mok Seon-o’s eyes widened.
Ma Il-seok pressed on, ignoring his reaction.
“I didn’t step in that day out of respect for your wishes. And knowing your resolve, I did my utmost to come here. But look. The fate bestowed on that child can’t be changed by personal effort alone. So now, give up…”
“Enough—!”
Mok Seon-o bellowed.
Ma Il-seok clamped his mouth shut, and Mok Ri-won, who had been eavesdropping from afar, flinched in surprise.
Two pairs of eyes turned to Mok Ri-won, who scratched the back of his head awkwardly and left.
Mok Seon-o watched the child’s retreating back with a sad face and said.
“…Enough.”
“Brother…”
“Beggar.”
Ma Il-seok’s fists clenched tight.
He knew exactly what came next when his brother called him by that old nickname.
“I…”
As Mok Seon-o tried to continue, Ma Il-seok shot to his feet.
“…Stop.”
Mok Seon-o’s gaze turned to Ma Il-seok.
Ma Il-seok bit his lip hard before continuing.
“You’re going to try convincing me again. Preach that righteousness of yours again. But…”
Ma Il-seok trailed off.
He knew the words he was about to say would hurt his revered sworn brother, which was why he hesitated.
But even so, he had to voice his honest feelings.
“I hate that kid.”
Ma Il-seok hated Mok Ri-won.
The child who had stolen the name of a great hero deserving of praise, a child who seemed destined only for evil.
It filled him with resentment.
“If it weren’t for that kid, you wouldn’t have had to abandon your name. No, was that all? Countless orthodox masters would have followed you, bowing their heads gladly. Perhaps the orthodox martial world might have entered a new golden age under your name!”
The words poured out at length.
The resentment he had harbored and fermented for years was now spilling forth like an abscess.
“It’s the same now! Many are still waiting for you. Waiting for you to break your stubbornness and return, to shine as the brightest star once more!”
Sword Star Mok Seon-o.
It was undoubtedly the name of the most brilliant star in the martial world.
“A mere…”
A mere, potential evildoer like that infant wasn’t worth vanishing for.
Ma Il-seok’s face crumpled pitifully as he stared through Mok Seon-o.
Mok Seon-o bowed his head, unable to add more words in the face of his demeanor.
Was this what he truly felt?
Had my selfishness hurt others this much?
He felt sorry.
He also felt guilty.
Yet deep inside burned an unyielding stubbornness.
No, to be precise now, it was affection.
He couldn’t bring himself to cast out the child who shared his surname, the child who smiled at the small forest animals.
“…I’m sorry.”
Ma Il-seok groaned in lament.
‘No…’
He might have known all along.
His sworn brother was that kind of man, whose stubbornness had never once been broken.
In his hollow frustration, Ma Il-seok sighed deeply and turned away from Mok Seon-o.
“I’m sorry. I had no right to raise my voice…”
Silence hung in the air.
Ma Il-seok thought.
His head was too heated now for a rational conversation.
“…I’ll go cool off for a bit.”
Ma Il-seok left.
The remaining Mok Seon-o looked up at the sky, steadying his heavy heart.
*
Ma Il-seok wandered blankly after leaving the thatched house.
From what he’d seen on the way, following this path would lead to a stream, where he could at least wash his face.
Pushing through the brush and weaving between trees, Ma Il-seok arrived at the stream and scowled at the small figure before him.
“…Ah! Beggar King!”
It was Mok Ri-won.
Pale skin, black hair, and a face like a girl’s.
Ma Il-seok clicked his tongue and walked past Mok Ri-won.
“Why are you out here?”
“I was waiting for your talk to end! The mood seemed serious, so I thought I shouldn’t interrupt!”
His quick, pattering speech made him seem quite clever.
Ma Il-seok, having that thought, shuddered belatedly and shook it off.
“…Hmph, at least you can read the mood.”
He knew this attitude was childish.
But what could he do?
Thinking of what his brother had lost because of this child, what the orthodox martial world had lost, twisted his guts.
As Ma Il-seok pulled a sour face at Mok Ri-won’s unappealing appearance, Mok Ri-won spoke.
“You’re Master’s younger brother, right?”
“…What?”
“Master told me! Among the heroes he knows, the Beggar King, his sworn brother, ranks in the top five! You can’t imagine how shocked I was when you said your name!”
Ignoring the curt response, Mok Ri-won waved his arms animatedly with a bright face, explaining.
For a moment, Ma Il-seok had to stop his own lips from curling up at the words.
“My brother said that…?”
It seemed his brother had already told the child about him.
Realizing that made him listen to the child’s words more closely.
“Yes! When he’d tell stories about the martial world, he’d mention you too! Like the fierce battle together in Residual Blood Valley, or meeting in the finals of the Azure Dragon Martial Tournament, and also…!”
The chattering voice continued.
It was a clear, chirping voice like a bird’s trill.
The more Ma Il-seok heard, the more something in his chest stirred warmly.
‘He…’
Remembered it all.
He thought he had forgotten and retired, thought he no longer reminisced on those days.
“…Ah! The funniest was the story of your deathmatch with the Blue Blood Enchantress!”
“Uh, uh?!”
As the sentiment flowed, the Beggar King flinched at the words ‘Blue Blood Enchantress’ and trembled.
Blue Blood Enchantress.
The witch from the Blood Heaven Cult who tried to steal Murim Alliance secrets.
One of the few names Ma Il-seok could never forget in his life.
He had nearly fallen completely under her spell, only saved by Mok Seon-o, which led to their sworn brotherhood. How could he not be shocked hearing it from the child?
“The Blue Blood Enchantress! Master said you held that vixen’s feet for three days and nights! If not for you that day, they never would have caught her!”
He had held her.
No, perhaps ‘was held’ was more accurate.
The day he was utterly drained over three days and nights by her feminine wiles was one of the most shameful memories of his life.
“Cough, ahem…!”
Ma Il-seok’s face flushed red.
The young Mok Ri-won, unaware of the reason, simply gazed at him with eyes full of admiration.
Trembling in shame, Ma Il-seok belatedly realized something.
‘Wait…’
Had he just felt a sinister aura from this child while facing him?
Had he sensed demonic qi from this child?
His expression grew serious at the sudden doubt.
His gaze, carrying that gravity, turned to Mok Ri-won.
Mok Ri-won tilted his head.
Pure, shining eyes.
Dark brown irises that, upon closer look, held a faint red hue.
…There was none of the sinister quality Ma Il-seok had feared.
“…”
Ma Il-seok’s brow furrowed.
Right, thinking about it, Mok Seon-o wouldn’t teach the child anything harmful.
No matter how inescapable the child’s fate, Mok Seon-o was the kind of man to love him anyway.
As their gazes met by the babbling stream, Ma Il-seok suddenly asked.
“You see.”
“Yes?”
“You…”
Ma Il-seok hesitated, choosing his words.
Had he been bewitched by those eyes?
An inexplicable doubt arose, and the ‘perhaps’ he had pondered seven years ago resurfaced, prompting him to speak.
“…What do you want to become?”
Mok Ri-won looked at Ma Il-seok and thought.
Why ask this?
That question arose because what he wanted to be was crystal clear.
“I want to be a hero! A great hero like Master!”
Ma Il-seok’s eyes widened slightly.
His fists clenched until his knuckles whitened.
“Why?”
“Why do you ask?”
“There must be a reason. To raise your fame as a hero, or gain power, authority, and wealth.”
He deliberately gave specific examples.
Hoping the child would say one of them, to ease his mind.
So his own shame at resenting the child would fade a bit.
But Mok Ri-won wasn’t worldly enough to oblige.
He simply smiled and said.
“I saw a star in Master’s sword. It was so dazzling and beautiful that even closing my eyes now, I can still see Master’s star.”
He closed his eyes as he spoke.
His smile deepened.
“I love Master’s star. Gazing at it makes the whole world brighten, so even dark nights aren’t scary when I think of it.”
It was a dreamy voice.
What colored Mok Ri-won’s voice was a clear longing, and tender love.
“I want to harbor such a star too. I want to be someone who protects others. To be a beautifully shining star that illuminates everyone else.”
Mok Ri-won opened his eyes.
The girlish features Ma Il-seok had noted bloomed even more prettily as his eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“The star I want is Master’s star. And Master’s star is a hero’s star. So, I want to be a hero.”
At the end of Mok Ri-won’s words, Ma Il-seok laughed hollowly.
“Ha…”
He didn’t want to acknowledge it.
He wanted to cling to resentment.
Yet such a child stood before him.
Even so, Ma Il-seok couldn’t help overlapping someone onto the child’s form.
“…You’re one cheeky brat.”
Mok Ri-won’s radiant smile was just like Mok Seon-o’s—a dashing hero’s smile, perfectly copied.