"Young Master?"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Um... Young Master, I've brought your meal."
"Yeah, just leave it there."
The voice of Seoryang, who was lying on the bed with the blanket pulled over his head, sounded very forlorn. Aenghwa's face looked worried. Since his return, the Young Master hadn't eaten a single meal. It was impossible not to be concerned. But since he wouldn't even show his face, she couldn't easily start a conversation.
In the end, all she could say today was, "I'll come back to clean up later."
Creak.
Even after Aenghwa left, Seoryang remained motionless under the blanket. Geumho, who was sitting by the window and yawning, slowly approached Seoryang's bedside.
"Whine."
"Go play somewhere else."
"Bark!"
"......"
"Bark! Bark!"
"I said go play."
"Bark!"
Geumho pressed down on Seoryang's head with its front paws. It was a rather cute sight, but somehow it seemed to be scolding Seoryang.
After being toyed with by Geumho's paws for a while, Seoryang finally pulled the blanket off.
"Ah, why!"
"Bark!"
Geumho sat on the bed, wagging its tail.
Seoryang frowned.
"You eat well on your own now. There's your portion over there. Go eat."
"Bark!"
"That little thing sure barks a lot."
Grumbling, Seoryang completely removed the blanket and got off the bed.
For someone of his skill, not eating for two days wouldn't cause any physical problems. However, his face looked quite gaunt, as if he had a lot on his mind.
"Here, eat."
As he offered the boiled meat, Geumho eagerly ran over and started chewing.
Seoryang grumbled.
"You knocked out all those monsters with one roar, yet you still bother people like this. From now on, handle things on your own, got it?"
Geumho didn't respond to Seoryang's words. It just focused on eating the meat Seoryang gave it.
Seoryang snorted as if he couldn't believe it.
"I know you understand everything. Do you think pretending not to know like before will work?"
Geumho's ears twitched slightly. But that was all, there was no other reaction.
"Really, you're a strange creature."
Seoryang propped his chin and petted Geumho's head. Geumho seemed to enjoy it, chewing the meat even more enthusiastically.
"At least you're a good eater."
After chewing for a while, Geumho licked its lips clean and sat down, looking up at Seoryang.
"......"
Seoryang sighed as he looked down at Geumho.
"Alright, alright. I was going to move soon anyway."
Geumho approached Seoryang's elbow and lay down, panting heavily. It seemed to have eaten quite a lot.
As Seoryang scratched Geumho's belly with his index finger, he fell into thought.
"Damn, there's no other way."
He didn't think the odds were high.
But it was his first outing. The disappointment was quite significant because the expectations were high.
It would have been nice if he could have left the Heavenly Demon Cult for good with just this one outing.
"Damn it, check the branch? Gather information? Remember the routes? That's nonsense."
Not long after departing, he heard information about Jeong Il-ryong from Ma Dong-pil.
The moment he heard that information, nothing else mattered. He was busy controlling the hatred and deep-seated resentment, the rising murderous intent and anger towards him.
It was fine until he smashed Jeong Il-ryong.
He genuinely felt relieved, satisfied, and as if a blocked corner of his heart had burst open.
But the problem was what came after.
"......I collapsed embarrassingly and was treated like luggage on the way back?"
Seoryang ruffled his hair wildly.
"Ugh, this idiot! I thought I was getting better, but I messed up again, only seeing what's right in front of me!"
Geumho curled up in surprise at the dust being shaken off.
After a long time of self-reproach, Seoryang let out a deep sigh.
"Enough, what's the point of self-torture now? The ship has already sailed, waving won't do any good."
He knew. He knew, but his heart felt heavy.
In truth, there was no reason to be so caught up in self-reproach, even if there was some regret.
He wasn't a sensitive person to the point of sulking for days over such matters.
There was a separate reason why he lay on the bed for two days, engrossed in self-reproach.
"I couldn't control it."
The moment he heard the name Jeong Il-ryong, his eyes and ears went blind.
He didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, he found himself terrifying.
Just hearing the name of an enemy he might or might not meet required him to control his emotions for days.
In other words, the desire to kill his enemy outweighed his longing for freedom.
"It can't be like this."
Even if he secretly escaped from the Heavenly Demon Cult, could he live a normal life in the martial world?
The Heavenly Demon Cult was in the south, but the Eocheon Alliance was in the north.
His important safe houses were also in the north, and to ultimately escape to the north beyond the borders, he couldn't avoid passing through the Eocheon Alliance's territory.
Of course, if he passed through without knowing, it wouldn't matter.
But could he really do that? Could he control this anger that reacts instantly just by hearing the enemy's name?
If, just if.
While passing through the north, if he heard news of the Eocheon Alliance's leader, how would he act?
Crash!
Unknowingly, he gripped the edge of the table with force. The corner of the table broke and fell.
"......I wouldn't be able to ignore it, shouting for freedom."
Jeong Il-ryong was one of his enemies, but he wasn't the main culprit who took his life. In fact, looking back at the past, there were dozens he wanted to kill more than him.
Shiver.
As he recalled each of their faces, his demonic energy surged. To control the writhing demonic energy, he had to exert enough force to make his eyes bloodshot.
Seoryang took a deep breath.
"Calm down."
He had just lived that way, but his personality didn't suit that of an assassin. However, at least in the past, he could somehow control his emotions.
But what was this now?
"I shouldn't regress when I haven't even improved from the past, damn it!"
It might be because he learned demonic arts. No, that was probably the biggest reason.
But that was just an excuse. Ultimately, the one who moves the body and emotions is always me.
To think that he couldn't control his emotions because of demonic arts, it was a problem he needed to seriously reflect on.
Gurgle.
Seoryang looked down at his stomach. Geumho, who was curled up, also glanced at Seoryang.
"......Damn, and yet I was hungry."
Well, he hadn't drunk a drop of water for two days, even though he could easily consume enough for three or four people per meal. Of course, his stomach would be growling.
Seoryang flinched for a moment as he picked up the chopsticks.
Most of the food prepared was easy on the stomach. It was a meal that reflected Aenghwa's concern.
Apologizing to Aenghwa in his heart, Seoryang began his meal.
"Yeah, let's forget about the past. I was planning to make long-term plans anyway, right?"
As he stuffed his cheeks full of food, his eyes remained serious. It was an expression that skillfully balanced comedy and seriousness.
"Let's think of this outing like this. Whether I can leave if I set my mind to it or not."
Thinking that way, he could see it as a kind of harvest. Didn't he leave more easily than he thought when he decided to go out?
Seoryang's expression brightened considerably.
"Alright, I just have to keep doing this from now on."
Thanks to So Yeon-shim, but ultimately, it was he who led the situation in that direction. In other words, if he set his mind to it, he could leave the cult in some way.
"......Good."
He clenched the chopsticks with determination.
"Let's work harder from now on. If you work hard, you'll always find a way."
Changing his mindset made him feel at ease. Imagining a rosy future made his heart race again.
After finishing his meal for the first time in two days, Seoryang came out to the training ground.
Aenghwa, who was cleaning the yard, was startled to see him.
"Y-Young Master?!"
"Oh, are you cleaning?"
"Yes, yes! Are you alright?"
Seoryang smacked his lips. He felt embarrassed for making Aenghwa worry over his trivial concerns.
"I'm fine. You must have been worried."
"Hehe, did you finish your meal?"
"I even licked the seasoning clean."
"I'll go clean up right away!"
"Take your time."
Aenghwa, who was sweeping the yard brightly, hurriedly moved. Though she moved quickly, her face was bright.
Seoryang scratched his head.
"By the way, isn't it too much to get attached to a place I'll eventually leave?"
Well, what can you do? If you cut off your emotions in advance, life here would become too harsh.
Besides, it's already someone who's entered deeply into my heart. Emotions aren't something that can be easily severed just because you want to.
"Enough, let's loosen up a bit. Oh, I'm stiff."
As he stretched his legs, cracking sounds naturally came out. It was only natural after lying in the same position for two days.
Whoosh!
The punches he threw and the kicks he swung were imbued with strong force.
Seoryang clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Look how stiff it is."
Bang bang bang!
The Heavenly Technique is an excellent martial art. Its value as a killing technique is high, but if you use it with the right amount of force, it's more effective than any martial art for warming up the body.
After half a quarter of an hour, a warm heat rose from Seoryang's body.
As time passed, his body was drenched in sweat. Once his body was somewhat loosened, he moved on to more detailed training.
When discussing his posture as an assassin or a demon, Seoryang might be lacking in many ways.
But as a martial artist, Seoryang had a great advantage. His mind and body were always in harmony, allowing him to pursue martial arts.
It's not about the level of martial arts, but the attitude towards martial arts. In that sense, he was a natural martial artist.
"Whew, not bad."
The training, which started just to loosen up, ended after an hour.
Lying down in the training ground, Seoryang saw the clear sky.
"Not a single cloud... well, there is one. Anyway, it's clear."
A smile naturally spread across his lips. Indeed, there's nothing like sweating when your mind is complicated.
"Yeah, this is it."
My future will be as clear as that sky. Even if the unpleasant past grabs me by the hair, always look at the sky with a smile. Then the answer will come.
It was then.
"Young Master."
"Huh?"
Seoryang quickly got up.
A cautious voice came from outside the gate. It was Ma Dong-pil.
"Dong-pil?"
"Yes, Young Master."
Feeling glad, Seoryang ran to open the door. There stood Ma Dong-pil with a somewhat awkward expression.
"Aren't you supposed to be working? What brings you here? Aren't you busy?"
"Well..."
"Hey, just in time. I just finished training. I'm getting hungry, so let's have a meal together."
"Before that, I have something to tell you, Young Master."
"Something to tell me? Sure, what's up?"
He seemed brighter than usual.
Relieved of his burden, Ma Dong-pil cleared his throat and slowly knelt down.
Seoryang's eyes widened.
"What? Are you sick? What are you up to again..."
"I, Ma Dong-pil, hereby declare that I will serve as the personal guard of the Third Young Master with all my heart from this moment on!"
"......?"
"......"
"......Personal guard?"
"Ah, well, that's..."
To Seoryang, who asked in disbelief, Ma Dong-pil explained the situation.
"...So, for the time being, I've become your guard, Young Master. Though it's temporary, it seems it will be quite a long time."
"......"
"I will protect you with my life, Young Master."
Rumble!!
It felt like thunder was striking from the clear sky.
"You... as a personal guard?"
"Yes? Ah, yes. I will be staying at your residence, providing close protection."
"Who told you to do that?"
"I received the order from the squad leader, but since external organization transfers are not under the jurisdiction of the Law Enforcement Hall, it must have been from the higher-ups... Huh! Young Master?!"
Ma Dong-pil hurriedly approached Seoryang. Seoryang had suddenly collapsed to his knees.
Seoryang looked up at the sky with a sorrowful face. The once clear sky no longer seemed clear.
Freedom? With a close guard, freedom?
"......Damn it."