Chapter 76
‘The person I’m looking for?’
I went, “Ah.”
‘She means the young lady.’
Right. Come to think of it, I had told Eom Papa before. That I was going to find my family. That I had a feeling that if I didn’t leave right away, I might never be able to find them again. That was why I had set out on the road despite Eom Papa trying to stop me, saying it was dangerous.
But the result hadn’t been good. The young lady wasn’t in the Namgung Family, nor was she anywhere in Hefei.
‘The young lady…’
Where could she be?
Just thinking about the young lady made my chest tighten again.
She wasn’t anywhere I went, and I couldn’t hear any news of her from anywhere. She had disappeared as if she had evaporated somewhere, as if her very existence had been erased.
Where could she be? Where had she gone? What if she was already somewhere I could never find her…?
‘No.’
Whatever happened, I wouldn’t give up until I confirmed it with my own eyes. And if that was the case, then I should refuse this offer.
“That’s right.”
I nodded and spoke calmly.
“I told you before, didn’t I? That I was looking for my family. Actually… there was no family at the Namgung Family. No, to begin with, I couldn’t find them anywhere in Hefei.”
“…”
“So while I was wandering around looking for my family, I ran out of strength and collapsed… Thank you very much for saving me. I’ll never forget this favor, even in death.”
“…”
“But becoming the Cult Leader… I don’t think I can do it. I need to go look for my family right away. If I spend my time looking for them, I’ll inevitably neglect the affairs of the Gwangjin Cult as well. If I can’t properly perform the role of Cult Leader, then it would be better not to do it at all…”
“There is no need for you to hurry so much. I have already sent word so that we can find the person you are looking for.”
“…not do–huh?”
Sent word? What did she send word about?
I stared blankly at Eom Papa. She opened her mouth with an unconcerned expression.
“The person the Cult Leader is looking for.”
Eom Papa said,
“She is the young lady of the Xiao Family, correct?”
I froze completely.
“…Excuse me?”
But Eom Papa’s astonishing revelation continued. She calmly went on.
“I already knew that the Cult Leader came from the Xiao Family.”
“…H-how did you…?”
“You may have thought you had covered your tracks well, but there were more than one or two holes in your story. When I put together where the Cult Leader came from, the circumstances surrounding the incident, the dates, and so on, they all coincided with what happened to the Xiao Family.”
“…”
“More importantly.”
Eom Papa shook her head and said,
“Whenever anything concerning the Xiao Family comes up, your eyes change first. How could I not know?”
Hearing that, I let out a groan.
‘She knew all along.’
I’d thought that might be the case.
I hadn’t lied about everything, after all. I’d even revealed some of the truth to Sahyeon, so I had wondered if I’d eventually be found out.
But hearing that he’d known from the beginning… Why was I so flustered?
While I was at a loss for what to do, Sahyeon beside me quietly spoke.
“It wasn’t intentional that I learned the identity of the person you were looking for. Whenever you were ill, you used to mutter ‘young lady’ to yourself.”
“I…?”
“Yes. I thought that if there was someone you would call that from the Xiao Family, it could only be the young lady of the Xiao Family. I’m sorry that we tried to find her on our own. But, Unnie…”
“…”
“Could you give me a chance too?”
A chance…?
When I looked at Sahyeon in confusion, he wore an expression more earnest than I had ever seen before.
“I don’t mean that I want you to take over the position of Cult Leader. I’ve wanted to help you for a long time. You’ve always done your best to help me, but I wasn’t able to do the same for you…”
“You…”
“This time, I want to help you. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do whatever it takes to help you achieve what you want.”
“…”
“…Would that be all right?”
At Sahyeon’s earnest words, I hesitated.
Then Eom Papa joined in.
“Cult Leader, think carefully. At a time like this, it is better to use a group rather than search by yourself. The Cult should be quite useful as well.”
“What do you mean…?”
“How do you think the Cult has managed to live in hiding until now? We had informants planted throughout the Central Plains even before the Cult fell. We would receive information in advance and use it to avoid danger.”
“…”
“Of course, their numbers have dwindled considerably compared to when the Cult was thriving, but there are still informants left. There are also quite a few followers who have blended in among the people of the Central Plains, living ordinary lives as merchants or farmers simply to make a living.”
“You mean…?”
At my question, Eom Papa nodded. Then he spoke with confidence.
“If we broadly distribute the young lady of the Xiao Family’s description among our followers and have them search for her, we should be able to find her sooner or later, even if it isn’t immediately.”
At those words, I unconsciously drew in a breath.
Eom Papa was right. The truth was, I didn’t have much of a plan.
I didn’t know where the young lady was, or even where she might have gone, so how could I have a plan?
I’d simply intended to wander aimlessly throughout the Central Plains by myself, asking around about her. But how long would that take?
A year? Two years? Ten years?
Maybe I wouldn’t be able to find her even until I grew old and died. Even if I did eventually find her, it might be after an incredibly long time had passed.
It was practically like searching for a needle in a desert.
But what if I received the help of a major organization at a time like this?
‘…I might really find her soon.’
But could I accept the position of Cult Leader for that reason?
I had no idea what kind of turmoil this might bring later…
Sensing my hesitation, Sahyeon spoke again.
“Unnie, I’ll really do my best. Please trust us just this once.”
“…”
“If the position of Cult Leader is too burdensome… you don’t have to take it. Once we find her, you can leave immediately if you want.”
“Hyeonah!”
Eom Papa’s voice rose at Sahyeon’s outrageous statement. But Sahyeon ignored her and continued calmly.
“I just… want you to be happy. You’re a good person, so I want nothing but good things to happen to you. I’ll carry the difficult things on my shoulders, so if you can be happy… I don’t need anything else. I mean that, sincerely.”
For a moment, I was stunned.
For some reason, several people’s faces seemed to overlap with Sahyeon’s serious expression.
“I hope you’ll be happy.”
“Take good care of yourself.”
“You’ll do well wherever you go.”
The faces of the people who had loved and cherished me more than anyone. But now, they were no longer in this world.
It was because I hadn’t been able to protect them.
So I had thought I’d never hear those words again.
Who would say such things to me now that I was alone?
But hearing those words again… The words slipped out of my mouth before I knew it.
“Actually, I hate hearing that. Everyone who ever wished for my happiness ended up leaving me behind. What I wanted was to be happy together with them…”
“…”
“But I never thought I’d hear those words from you again. Honestly, I’m still uneasy about it, but…”
I gave a faint smile.
“It doesn’t feel bad.”
“…”
“All right. I’ll do it. Cult Leader!”
I shouted as though I’d made up my mind.
“Honestly, how could I refuse after you went that far? You saved my life, and you’re going to help me find the young lady. I’m worried about whether I’ll be able to do a good job, but you’ll help me too…”
Of course, I was still worried. I had no idea what kind of trouble I might get involved in while searching for the young lady, and it would be troublesome if the problem spread not only to me but to her as well.
But it was also true that I needed their help. I needed the Gwangjin Cult’s help to find the young lady. And if you receive something, you have to give something in return.
It was only fair that I gave them something they needed as well. If that meant taking a little hardship upon myself, I could do it.
And more than anything else…
“And you said I’d become stronger if I mastered this divine art, right? To the point where no one could even approach me.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You know, I wasn’t particularly interested in becoming stronger before. Back then, what I needed wasn’t strength but money. I thought that if I just had enough money, everything could be solved…”
“…”
“But after losing everything, I realized something. Whether it’s money or strength, in the end, you have to be strong yourself… If I’d had a little more strength back then, I wouldn’t have been completely powerless.”
“Unnie…”
“…I want to become someone who can protect people too.”
I thought of the people who had died before my eyes. Their faces flashed through my mind one by one.
It was still painful enough to make my breath catch, but now I could steel my heart.
If only so that I would never have to experience such a tragedy again.
“I’ll protect you.”
“…”
“You too, the young lady, everyone.”
Namgung Jeong had once said something like this.
That a martial artist needed a conviction. Because those who wielded swords could kill people easily. If they killed without reason, they were nothing more than murderers, so they had to wield their weapons carefully, with conviction.
I agreed with those words as well.
I had no intention of becoming a murderer. Nor did I intend to become a virtuous gentleman.
I simply wanted to live according to my convictions.
Then what were my convictions…?
‘Protecting the people precious to me.’
Having made up my mind, I raised my head.
Suddenly, I saw Sahyeon standing before me with tears welling in his eyes.
I looked at Sahyeon and smiled brightly.
“I’m going to have to help you a lot, aren’t I?”
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