Knock, knock.
“Senior, are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
As I replied to Black Cat’s question from outside the room, I took one last look around. It was still a guest room, and even after living here for six months, it didn’t really feel like home.
The scenery of the room seemed to say it was fine to leave at any time, so I shook off my feelings and moved on.
Black Cat and I headed straight for Wi Seoryeon’s room.
“Are you planning to leave?”
“Yes.”
Wi Seoryeon nodded with a calm expression.
Maybe it was just my feeling, but for a brief moment, a hint of regret flickered across Wi Seoryeon’s face.
She stood up and approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
Crack!
…If that’s how you console someone, then you’re about to crush my shoulder.
“Do not forget that I postponed our match out of consideration for you.”
“….Yes.”
“Do you understand? The match is postponed, not over.”
Feeling the intensity of Wi Seoryeon’s gaze, like that of a hawk eyeing its prey, I instinctively shook my head. Seeing my reaction, Wi Seoryeon relaxed and smiled lightly.
“You should be able to handle it well, but don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“Yes.”
This time, she seemed genuinely encouraging as she lightly patted my shoulder twice before turning her gaze back to Black Cat.
“You’ll be leaving as well, right?”
Black Cat nodded silently, and Wi Seoryeon made a somewhat sulky face.
“So, in the end, it turned out this way. I treated you so well…”
“Not that well, really…”
“Hmph, is that so?”
Wi Seoryeon strode up to Black Cat and suddenly hugged her.
Black Cat flinched and awkwardly placed a cautious hand on Wi Seoryeon’s back.
“I’ll give you a visitor’s pass, so you can always return to the Demon Sect.”
“…Thank you.”
After breaking the hug, Wi Seoryeon opened a drawer under the desk and pulled out a secret manual. From the stiffness of the paper and cover, it was clearly a copy and not the original.
As Black Cat read the title of the copy, her eyes widened in surprise.
I was quite startled as well.
The cover read “Minor Divine Skill.”
“Take it.”
“This… really…?”
Black Cat stammered, looking at Wi Seoryeon with bewildered eyes. It was certainly a reaction she would have.
The Minor Divine Skill, known in the Central Plains, was truly one of the representative martial arts of the Martial World.
“It’s nothing to be so surprised about.”
Seeing Black Cat frozen, Wi Seoryeon cast a glance in my direction.
“If you had combined the essence of the ten secret texts you mastered, you may have been able to create a martial art similar to this Minor Divine Skill.”
…Did I get caught?
“…Huh?”
“The Heavenly Demon Library isn’t hidden in the slightest. It’s called that because it’s a place where the martial arts created by past Heavenly Demons are stored.”
“Really?”
“The only martial arts that can be inherited by the next Heavenly Demon are the Heavenly Demon Arts. Therefore, past Heavenly Demons would weave together their realizations into martial arts books and place them in the library. Even if they did not master the martial arts themselves, it’s not uncommon for them to create their own by being inspired by other martial arts in the library.”
Black Cat’s mouth hung open at the information that could be called the Demon Sect’s hidden lore.
“As you might guess, the Minor Divine Skill is a martial art created by a past Heavenly Demon. Well, it’s unlikely the Heavenly Demon himself could have fully mastered such an intricate martial art, so naturally, it ended up sleeping in the Heavenly Demon Library. But I doubt even the Heavenly Demon who created the Minor Divine Skill could have predicted that a female martial artist would master it and bring chaos to the Martial World.”
The ten martial arts that I had explicitly ordered Black Cat to acquire.
One Heavenly Demon mixed those ten martial arts to create the Minor Divine Skill.
“Well, since you’re quite gifted, if you took your time and gradually combined your martial arts with Ho Cheon-an’s help, you might one day create a martial art similar to the Minor Divine Skill.”
Wi Seoryon precisely identified my intentions.
Then, she handed Black Cat the secret manual for the Minor Divine Skill.
“There’s no need to feel burdened. I’m curious about how Ho Cheon-an knows the secrets of the Minor Divine Skill, but he wouldn’t share them.”
I quickly began examining the wood grain of the floor beneath me. The growth differences caused by changes in seasons and temperature reflect directly in the wood grain’s pattern.
What a marvelous wonder of nature!
…While I was distracting myself with that thought, Wi Seoryon let out a cold scoff and turned her gaze back to Black Cat.
“So it’s really not an excessive farewell gift, as you think.”
“Still…”
“If that’s the case, then you should visit the Demon Sect again.”
Wi Seoryon said with a grin.
“Master the Minor Divine Skill properly, and you too shall entertain me.”
With trembling eyes, Black Cat stepped closer and hugged Wi Seoryeon.
“…I will.”
“Hmph.”
Wi Seoryon, embraced by Black Cat, had a gentle expression that didn’t quite match the Heavenly Demon.
But thinking that such an expression wasn’t so bad was probably not just my imagination.
“Be cautious; the nights in Xin Gang are swift and the mountain paths treacherous.”
Would a master of Hwa-gyeong and an expert at the Peak Stage really struggle with a night in rough mountain paths?
It was a metaphorical warning about the various dangers on the way back to the Central Plains after leaving Xin Gang.
Perhaps it was also a nod to the threat of Jeong Cheol that we might encounter right after leaving Black Dragon Castle.
“I will be cautious.”
“I look forward to the day we meet again.”
Black Cat and I bowed deeply to Wi Seoryeon, showing our respect. As usual, she was a fierce and imposing Heavenly Demon, silently nodding in acknowledgment.
Black Cat and I took one last look at her before leaving her residence and crossing the gates of Black Dragon Castle.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes. Senior.”
Donning our stiff new bamboo hats, Black Cat and I mixed into the crowd leaving Black Dragon Castle, moving toward the Central Plains.
*
‘Have they gone?’
Wi Seoryeon closed her eyes to soothe the emptiness and sorrow that came over her. After calming her restless emotions for a while, she got up.
She needed to break a sweat to chase away her idle thoughts.
After stretching her body through training until sunset, Wi Seoryeon washed up lightly and naturally started to move, then paused.
She was headed toward the room where she received reports about Ho Cheon-an from her subordinates and had gambled with Black Cat.
“Tsk.”
Wi Seoryeon clicked her tongue and returned to her room, ordering her subordinates to bring her tea.
As she slowly drank the moderately hot tea, Wi Seoryeon let out a bitter smile.
The time spent with Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat was brief, yet the habit of soothing her mind and body with a cup of tea after training was a routine she had practiced for a lifetime. Yet she found it puzzling how deeply loneliness weighed on her.
At that moment, she felt the outside becoming noisy.
Though it wasn’t overwhelmingly loud, there was an unsettling commotion among the servants.
After that brief uproar passed, Wi Seoryeon’s door swung open.
“Did you come?”
“Mm.”
It was none other than Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon visiting her.
“Have they left?”
“Yes.”
Wi Ji-cheon couldn’t hide the lonely expression on his face as he looked at Wi Seoryeon for a moment before sitting down in front of her.
“Shall we have a round of gambling?”
Wi Seoryeon stared at Wi Ji-cheon for a moment.
He actually came to her place to suggest gambling.
Could this be his clumsy way of comforting her?
“…Should we?”
As those thoughts raced through her mind, Wi Seoryeon nodded. Her subordinate hurriedly brought gambling chips, dice cups, and card sets.
Wi Ji-cheon offered the cards, and Wi Seoryeon nodded in agreement.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The light noise of cards mixing filled the space between them for a moment.
“I’ll wager one.”
“I’ll take it.”
With only the necessary words spoken, the gambling proceeded quietly. Wi Seoryeon focused on the cards in that tranquil atmosphere.
How many rounds did they play?
“You’ve taken quite a long break.”
Wi Ji-cheon’s sudden remark made Wi Seoryeon momentarily pause, but she soon grasped the context of the conversation.
It had been six months since she’d sustained injuries from the Brain Crystal.
To keep a promise with the Unknown, the Heavenly Demon chose solitude.
Since then, the gambling match with Ho Cheon-an had continued for six months.
“So you’ve effectively been on break for a whole year.”
“That’s right.”
Wi Ji-cheon spoke, gathering his cards.
“It’s not easy to tackle all the piled-up tasks at once.”
The outcome was Wi Seoryeon’s victory.
She lightly brushed off Wi Ji-cheon’s comment and shuffled the cards again.
“Could you help me out a little?”
Wi Seoryeon’s hands, which were shuffling the cards, froze. One card slipped out, but she kept her gaze fixed on Wi Ji-cheon.
The suggestion from Wi Ji-cheon seemed trivial, yet it was an exceptionally bold proposal.
In the history of the Heavenly Demon Sect, a cooperation between the Heavenly Demon and the Minor Heavenly Demon had never occurred.
“But I’m a Minor Heavenly Demon.”
“Precisely why I’m asking.”
Wi Ji-cheon replied with a sly smile.
“Is there anyone besides the Minor Heavenly Demon who can share the burdens of what only the Heavenly Demon can accomplish?”
“Ha.”
Could this too be Wi Ji-cheon’s unique form of comfort?
No matter how long he had been on break, there was no way Wi Ji-cheon could truly feel overwhelmed handling everything on his own, and it made Wi Seoryeon chuckle unintentionally.
Though Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat had left, Ho Cheon-an’s legacy remained.
The thrill of climbing the mountain of gambling and feeling that joy together with Wi Ji-cheon stayed behind.
Wi Seoryeon felt the loneliness filling her heart gradually fading away.
“Since Father is so busy, it’s only right for a child to help out.”
“That’s great news. In that case, starting tomorrow, you’ll come to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.”
Wi Ji-cheon spoke gracefully while drawing a card.
“From tomorrow on, it will be quite busy.”
“Still, I suppose there will be time to roll the dice together after work?”
In response to Wi Seoryeon’s playful question, Wi Ji-cheon calmly nodded.
“Of course.”
“Hahahaha!”
Wi Seoryeon burst into laughter as she drew the cards.
“I’m looking forward to that.”
On the day when Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat left to find their paths and departed from the Demon Sect, both Wi Seoryeon and Wi Ji-cheon began to walk new paths as well.
