Chapter 149
When the two of them had spoken alone in the cave. Originally, Liyeon had not intended to tell her about his circumstances. If anything, he had done his best to hide his circumstances until now.
There were several reasons for that.
First, he didn’t want the world to know that he was the sole survivor of the Xiao Family Manor. He still couldn’t even guess why the Demonic Cult had attacked the Xiao Family Manor, but if it became known that he was the remaining survivor, he had no idea how the Demonic Cult would react.
For the sake of revenge, it was best to be cautious about everything. That was why he had even abandoned his family name and used only the name ‘Liyeon.’
The second reason was…
He simply didn’t want to bring up the story of that day.
What could he do?
Just recalling that day made Liyeon’s heart sink. Sometimes he could barely breathe, and there had been more than a few nights when he woke from nightmares and couldn’t fall asleep again. A lot of time had passed, and things had improved considerably now, but even so, the memory of that day was still branded into him.
That was why Liyeon never spoke of his story, and no one knew about his circumstances. There would be no one who would know in the future, either.
‘No.’
Now there was one person who knew.
Flower-Glutton.
That person who resembled Seo Dan.
He didn’t know why he had confessed to her. It was simply that, after watching Flower-Glutton casually tell him things she had hidden from him until now… before he knew it, his own lips had begun to move.
It had been a little sad when he talked about his past. At the same time, it had been somewhat relieving.
Because he had never spoken about it like this in front of another person.
Because he had never revealed his feelings to anyone.
Because he thought it would be all right if it was her…
“What is it that separates the orthodox and the demonic?”
But Flower-Glutton had said something strange.
What was orthodox, and what was demonic?
“If people didn’t call someone demonic even after committing every kind of evil deed, did that mean they weren’t demonic? And if people called someone orthodox, did that make them orthodox?”
He didn’t know what those words meant. Nor did he know what Flower-Glutton’s intentions had been in saying them.
There was only one thing Liyeon had felt: Flower-Glutton seemed to be trying to persuade him in some strange way.
Don’t become consumed by revenge.
“First, make sure that it really was the Demonic Cult that harmed your family. You can never know the truth about anything, and the reality may be different from what you believe you know…”
‘Nonsense.’
No.
That couldn’t be.
Those masked men back then had definitely been members of the Demonic Cult. In the first place, just before he went to the Namgung Family, Steward Jeok had given him a hint that he was trying to hide because he was connected to the Demonic Cult. Besides, the Demonic Cult was the only group capable of killing people so recklessly, and there were many families besides the Xiao Family Manor that had suffered at their hands.
‘It’s nonsense.’
Thinking that way, he became angry without realizing it.
She hadn’t even been there.
She hadn’t experienced the same pain as him…
Perhaps that was why he had become even more hostile.
Even though he knew Flower-Glutton wasn’t blindly defending the Demonic Cult. She had even shown signs that she suspected he might be connected to the Demonic Cult and that she wouldn’t let him off if that were the case.
In the end, Flower-Glutton seemed to give up and stopped talking.
And that was when it began… When Flower-Glutton started drawing a line between them.
“……”
Liyeon once again looked at the two figures in the distance. By now, the two were far enough away that he couldn’t make out their faces. He couldn’t tell what they were talking about, either.
Yet that relaxed smile kept hovering before his eyes.
There had been a time when Flower-Glutton smiled like that in front of him, too.
That was after what happened in the forest, when he listened to her drunken ramblings and lent her his leg. At the time, Flower-Glutton had been embarrassed, but from that day onward, she had also treated him much more comfortably.
She spoke to him more often, sometimes laughing foolishly. She joked with him as she did with the others and would occasionally lean into him or nudge him playfully.
He hadn’t disliked it.
…He might even have liked it.
But that would never happen again.
Flower-Glutton was still smiling as though nothing had happened, but Liyeon knew.
Behind that smile was a wall he could no longer cross.
“…Then where are you going now…”
When he came to his senses, Flower-Glutton and Baek Seol-yeong were already returning toward the building. Liyeon almost unconsciously stepped toward Flower-Glutton, but the moment her gaze turned toward him, he was startled and hid behind the building.
Flower-Glutton tilted her head for a moment.
Perhaps she recognized him. But she no longer paid any attention to him. She simply smiled with Baek Seol-yeong and went back inside the building.
Why did that sight remain so deeply etched in his eyes?
“……”
Even after Flower-Glutton went inside, Liyeon remained standing there until Woonhak came out looking for him. His stomach felt strangely queasy.
That feeling continued until the next day.
“Aah, I don’t wanna gooo!”
Inspection Corps Unit Five decided to return immediately. After all, they had delayed their departure despite the Alliance’s order to return right away.
Things had ended more quickly than expected, but disobeying the order was still disobeying the order. They were taking the Pleasure Pills made by the Pleasure Pavilion back as evidence, but receiving punishment was unavoidable.
The only way to reduce their punishment even slightly was to hurry back. Woonhak had already discussed as much with them.
“When we get back, they’re going to scold us again for never listening and say that’s why we’re the lowest-ranked unit! No, did we do anything wrong? The people who said the Pleasure Chamber wasn’t the Demonic Cult are the ones who did something wrong!”
“Hi-ya, calm down. Calm down… Still, we’re bringing back the Pleasure Pills as evidence, so won’t they go a little easy on us?”
“T-That might be difficult, though. Orders from the units under the Alliance Leader are absolute. Even if we’ve rendered great service, I don’t know if they’ll let us off…”
“Don’t ruin the mood, you drunken monk!”
“What? Miss Tang, you don’t want to go? Then do you want to stay with me forever~?”
“I’d hate that even more!”
Despite the sudden farewell, Flower-Glutton wasn’t particularly surprised.
She merely watched them with a smiling face and her hands clasped behind her back, as though she had expected this to happen. From time to time, she even added a word or two in response to the unit members’ complaints.
Seeing her like that made Liyeon feel strange again.
It was almost like… sadness.
‘Me?’
Just as Liyeon stopped short, Woonhak said something similar to what Flower-Glutton had said.
“Master Dan, we’ve grown attached after traveling together all this time, so it’s a shame to part like this. It would have been nice if we could have traveled together a little longer.”
“Really? When was it that you nearly talked yourself to death trying to convince me because you didn’t want to travel with me?”
“Ahahaha, well, that…”
“Flower-Glutton! Since things have turned out like this, why don’t you stop acting like a member of the Unorthodox Faction and apply to join the Inspection Corps? You don’t seem that old, either.”
“How do you know that?”
At Tang Hee’s words, Liyeon couldn’t help but prick up his ears. But Flower-Glutton merely snickered as though she couldn’t believe the things she was hearing.
“Who doesn’t know that the Inspection Corps only accepts people from prestigious backgrounds comparable to the Nine Sects and One Sect and Five Great Families? With my pathetic background and sect, they’d kick me out immediately if I went there.”
“Should I recommend Master Dan? With your skill…”
“Oh, come on, enough, enough! I’d have to do nothing but righteous deeds if I went there! I’m suited to wandering around the martial world like this for the rest of my life, following pretty women around!”
“Still…”
“Gasp, are there lots of pretty girls in the Inspection Corps too?”
“Just don’t come.”
Woonhak spoke with an exasperated expression. Even so, Zhuge Ye, who was standing beside him, said with a genuinely regretful expression,
“Still, it’s really a shame. I was happy to meet Brother Dan again…. We’ll be able to meet again, right?”
At Zhuge ye’s words, Flower-Glutton smiled without saying anything. Then she looked at the Inspection Corps members around her, one by one.
It almost seemed as though she was engraving them into her memory, or perhaps trying to remember this very moment.
Finally, her gaze turned toward Liyeon.
“Those who meet must eventually part, and those who leave will eventually return.”
“Pardon?”
“If the opportunity arises, won’t we be able to meet again?”
‘If the opportunity arises.’
Liyeon unconsciously turned those words over in his mind.
Not long afterward, the Sacred Flame Sect members brought seven horses. They were gifts Baek Seol-yeong had prepared so that everyone could travel comfortably.
The unit members each mounted a horse.
Liyeon was about to mount his own… when he suddenly turned around.
There was Flower-Glutton, still watching them with her hands behind her back.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Flower-Glutton looked at Liyeon.
When he couldn’t bring himself to look away, Flower-Glutton opened her mouth, puzzled.
“Why?”
“……”
Liyeon almost asked without realizing it.
‘How is your body?’
How are you feeling?
Are your wounds all right?
Does it hurt? Don’t you need treatment?
As for being able to meet again…
‘When will that be?’
But all of those were things he couldn’t say.
Liyeon silently turned his head away. Seeing him like that, Flower-Glutton merely let out a breathy laugh and didn’t bother to stop him.
Once he had mounted his horse as well, the Inspection Corps soon departed.
The distance between them gradually grew.
Liyeon turned around once again.
He could see Flower-Glutton still standing in the same place.
The medicine box in his hand rattled.
He couldn’t tell whether it was the sound of the box or the sound coming from his heart.
Comments (0)