Chapter 19

“But my arm-!!”


“…It’s okay.”

My body is trembling. Guhae’s trembling is transmitted to me. Confusion, fear, guilt, and various emotions pour out along with tears.

I hug Guhae even tighter. So tightly that I can’t even think of unnecessary anxieties… tightly… I hug her.

Maybe it’s because I lost a lot of blood… My mind is hazy, and I can’t remember clearly whether it’s my past life or this life… but I once broke a large flowerpot.

It was so long ago that I don’t even remember why I broke it. Maybe I was angry at something and broke it.

Breaking a flowerpot just because I was angry… What a bratty childhood.

But the funny thing is, after breaking it myself, I was startled by the unexpectedly loud noise and got scared.

I couldn’t even think of running away and just stared blankly at the broken pieces of the flowerpot and the pile of soil on the floor. My mother rushed over and hugged me.

She didn’t even glance at the broken flowerpot and comforted me, asking if I was okay and if I was hurt.

A remnant of the past that can’t even be called a memory anymore, as it’s already too hazy. But the warmth I felt back then… it was so warm… so gentle…

The sensation of that day still faintly lingers in my heart.

I want to share even a little of that warmth with the child crying silently in my arms, so I hug her tightly and comfort her.

“It’s okay… I don’t dislike you… I don’t hate you… I’m not scared…”

I force a smile on my face, which is contorted with pain, as I meet her tearful blue eyes looking up at me.

“…I’m okay. So don’t cry.”

When I used to watch anime, I never understood why mentor characters always acted so cool in front of their students. Now I get it.

Mentors naturally want to show only their cool side to their students.

…In the end, Guhae didn’t stop crying. Instead, she hugged me tightly with both arms, sobbing until she eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.

I wanted to sleep too, but if I fell asleep here, I felt like I might never wake up, so I somehow kept myself awake.

Murmur murmur~ Murmur murmur~

“Young Master! Young Master! Are you alive?!”

I see Jang Sam-i leading a group of people approaching. They show up after everything’s over, just like the police in B-grade horror movies.

I check Guhae’s face. She’s definitely asleep. Now I can drop the mentor act.

As people approach, the pain I had been ignoring becomes real. Tears and pain pour out.

My face turns pale, and I burst into tears as I shout at Jang Sam-i, who’s running towards me. I didn’t plan to cry, but it hurts so much that tears just come.

“Sniff- So much has happened. Sob- It’s unfair that my leg’s crippled… If my arm gets crippled too, there’s really no hope. Sob- It hurts so much. Hurry and bring a doctor. Quickly.”

***

After injuring my arm, I realized something.

I finally understood why Shanks boasted about giving his arm to the “new era” instead of admitting it was bitten off by a sea king in East Blue.

“What?! How did your arm end up like this?”


“…Actually, it was bitten by a ten-year-old girl.”

I still can’t forget the doctor’s eyes, looking at me like I was the biggest idiot in the world.

Now I see that Shanks was not only strong but also smart. Next time, I won’t be honest either-

“Ah- this? I gave it to the future strongest in the world.” – I’ll have to spin it like that.

As I look down at my left arm wrapped in bandages, thinking such thoughts, Jiegal Yang, who came to visit, struck up a conversation.

“How’s your arm?”


“Ah. Thanks to you, it’s getting better. …But was it really okay to give me that ‘Summoning Pill’?”

Shaolin’s Summoning Pill. A remarkable elixir made with rare herbs and Shaolin’s secret techniques, capable of greatly enhancing internal energy when consumed.

Though its efficacy is inferior to naturally formed elixirs, it’s still a top-tier elixir that requires vast wealth and connections with Shaolin to obtain.

Even though I used most of its energy to recover my body and didn’t get much of the internal energy enhancement, my internal energy has doubled compared to before the injury. It’s no wonder they say Shaolin’s elixirs are exceptional.

“You’re an arrogant brat, but your Go skills are beautiful. Beautiful things should be left in the world.”

Thanks to him, I survived, but he’s really an old man who loves Go too much. Still, if it weren’t for Jiegal Yang, it might have taken longer to recover. I might have even lost my arm.

I should set a date later to formally express my gratitude.

Just as my opinion of Jiegal Yang was about to skyrocket, he pushed a Go board and stones in front of me.

“Since you seem to be in good condition, you can play Go. Give me a 2-stone handicap.”


“…Old man, I’m injured.”

When I waved my injured left arm, Jiegal Yang pointed to my perfectly fine right arm with his chin.

“One of Go’s advantages is that you can enjoy it with just one arm. If you don’t want to play, spit out the Summoning Pill.”

…A crazy old bastard obsessed with Go.

Of course, I couldn’t spit out something I had already digested, so I had no choice but to play Go. And since things had come to this, I asked about what had happened while I was being treated.

Tap.

“Within the Jiegal Family, there were talks of killing Guhae.”


“…And?”

At my trembling question, Jiegal Yang placed a Go stone with a calm face.

“So, of course, I ‘persuaded’ them not to. As I said before, I always keep promises made to my Go friends.”

So he kept his promise to look after Guhae. It couldn’t have been an easy task. He’s a grateful old man after all.

***

“Guhae, you’re heavy. Move over.”

Guhae’s cheek was squished against my outstretched right arm, but she showed no signs of giving up and kept inching closer.

“…No. I’ll sleep with you. We’ll be together forever.”

She used to follow me around like a little chick, but after the rampage incident, she’s been sticking even closer. It’s almost obsessive.

Whenever I go somewhere, she asks, “Where are you going?” or if I talk to someone, especially a girl, she interrupts, asking, “Who’s that?”

Even now, she’s bulldozing her way into my bedding, pushing my arm aside. I thought I should scold her, but her determined face was so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh.

It’s too late to keep my distance.

In the end, my heart softened, and I moved to the left, making space for Guhae to come in.

“Fine, come in here.”


“Okay!”

Guhae smiled brightly, unlike her usual expressionless face, and snuggled into the blanket, hugging me.

Even though it’s midsummer and sleeping close might be hot, Guhae’s skin is soft and cool, so it’s actually more comfortable.

The problem is that she tends to climb on top of me while sleeping. Not only is it uncomfortable, but I also have to be careful because of my injured left arm.

“If you climb on top of me today… Oh, she’s already asleep.”

Guhae was already sound asleep.

It’s not worth waking her up to scold her, so I’ll just sleep today. I’m tired.

As Mantian closed his eyes and fell asleep, two blue eyes glowed eerily in the dark room.

Guhae gazed intently at Mantian’s profile with her bright eyes that shone even in the darkness. She watched quietly until Mantian was completely asleep.

After some time, when she was sure Mantian was deeply asleep, Guhae pushed aside the cumbersome blanket, climbed on top of him, curled up, and prepared to sleep.

She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

His heart is beating. He’s alive. He’s safe.

Guhae used the steady sound of Mantian’s heartbeat as a lullaby and finally fell asleep.

‧


‧


‧

In the dead of night when everyone was asleep.

Assassins, who had received orders from elders of a different faction within the Jiegal Family—or more accurately, assassins who no longer had any connection to the Jiegal Family—approached the guest house where Mantian and Guhae were sleeping.

“Kill them quickly and disappear.”


“According to the information, the child from the Sima Family is also with them.”

The leader of the assassins drew his sword.

“Doesn’t matter. That family has no power except for their wealth. The elders will cover it up.”

At his words, the masked men nodded and drew their swords.

Ten assassins closed in on Mantian and Guhae, who were sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger. Then there were eight.

“Gahk-!”

Two assassins who were fine just moments ago let out death cries and collapsed. While the remaining eight were stunned by the sudden turn of events, two more assassins fell.

Now there were six.

“Gather up!”

As the leader shouted, two more died. Now there were four.

This is strange. This wasn’t supposed to be such a dangerous mission. It was just a simple task of killing two sleeping children.

Something flashed in the darkness and flew towards the leader. He reflexively raised his sword to block.

Clang-!

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the silent darkness. The leader blocked it, but his subordinate didn’t.

Now there were three.

Swallowing hard, he focused his mind. To not miss even the smallest detail, he heightened his senses. As a result, the assassins noticed a shadowy figure they hadn’t seen before.

Ting.

A clear sound rang out, and another assassin fell.

Now there were two.

Nervousness dried his mouth, and his back was soaked with sweat.

As the clouds covering the moon drifted away, the transparent moonlight lifted the veil. The figure hiding in the shadows with stealth techniques was revealed.

An ordinary face, an ordinary build. It was hard to believe that this ordinary-looking person had just killed eight assassins in an instant.

Moreover, he recognized that ordinary face. After receiving the mission, he had thoroughly investigated Mantian and Guhae’s surroundings. He was just a regular servant. How could this guy…

“Sima Family servant, Jang Sam… Boong?”


“Drop the ‘Boong.’ It sounds stupid.”

Another assassin fell as Jang Sam flicked a metal ball, piercing his heart. Now there was only one left.

“H-how can someone like you?! The Sima Family is nothing but money-”


“Huh- Huhuhuhuhu.”

The assassin’s desperate cry was drowned out by Jang Sam’s quiet, chilling laughter. Jang Sam looked at the leader with a look of disbelief.

“The Sima Family is the last group you should trust in this world. You shouldn’t believe what you see.”

“…What are you?”


“Sima Family servant, bodyguard, and assassin.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a metal ball flew.

Clang-!

The moment the leader thought he had blocked it, a second metal ball pierced his body.

“Gahk- Keuk-!”

The leader knelt and slowly collapsed from the shock of his body being pierced by the heated metal. Jang Sam approached him and spoke kindly.

“Both of us live lives stained with blood for others. Don’t worry about the bodies. I’ll handle them.”

When Jang Sam placed his hand on the leader’s face, something astonishing happened. Even as he was dying, the leader couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes.

‘He’ was looking down at himself.

“Ah- Ah- Was this my voice? Everyone, gather up!”

In that nightmare-like scene, the leader lost consciousness and slowly died.