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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1103: The World of Ascension (33)
Chapter CH.1103: The World of Ascension (33)
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Right after meeting my mother.
Even after a new day arrived, our schedule didn’t change much.
We were still heading toward Anhui, and just because another day had begun didn’t mean our route would be any different.
Hiiiiiing—!!!
The neighing of horses and the sound of wheels rolling. I endured the damn noise that I had been hearing for days.
The constant rattling that made my shoulders bump against each other was the same as well.
It was downright unpleasant, but I didn’t let it show. That morning, Mi Horan had warned me that if I caused another commotion, she’d throw me out.
Perhaps that was why even Namgung Jin had kept his mouth shut this time.
Though the irritation and discomfort on his face hadn't disappeared.
‘Hmm.’
Ignoring him, I recalled the events from before.
Naturally, I thought about my mother and father’s situation.
‘In the end, it looks like she’s coming with us.’
In the morning, just before the carriage departed, my father had spoken to Mi Horan and Soi. The moment they heard what he said, their eyes widened, and they looked clearly troubled.
Seeing that reaction—
‘It’s because of Mother.’
It seemed that Father had informed them that my mother had come along. Which meant—
‘They already knew about her.’
By this point, everyone was aware of my mother’s existence. Additionally—
‘It doesn’t seem like she’s been around for long.’
Judging by their reactions and expressions, it didn’t seem like my mother had been by my father’s side for too long.
‘How did they even meet?’
I was curious about how my parents had encountered each other.
Last night, I had even tried asking my father about it.
I told him that I didn’t mind keeping her hidden, but I asked what their relationship was. If she was perhaps his fiancée or something.
But all I got was—
‘Do I have to answer that?’
That was my father’s cold, indifferent reply.
In other words, he had no intention of answering.
‘Tch.’
So I wouldn’t get an answer.
‘Still.’
It wasn’t a total loss.
I had been pondering what exactly I needed to do in this world.
‘Now, the picture is becoming clearer.’
Father, Do Yun—
And now my mother had appeared as well.
Looking at it this way, I was confident I wasn’t on the wrong path. No matter how I saw it, this was the right way to go.
Regardless—
It seemed that Father’s method of handling things was simply to bring her along. I had caught a glimpse of my mother getting into the large carriage.
Only by focusing intently had I been able to notice it.
Since her presence was so faint, neither Do Yun nor Namgung Jin had seemed to realize it.
‘Is it really okay for her to come along?’
Seeing my mother, I wondered if simply bringing her along was the right answer.
She looked—
‘Like Wi Seol-ah.’
It reminded me of when I had traveled with Wi Seol-ah in my past life.
She had grown physically, but mentally she had still been too young, making it difficult to control her actions.
‘She’s different from the mother I knew.’
The mother I knew had commanded overwhelming presence as the ruler of Mangye.
Even when she had raised Gu Ryunghwa and me, she had been vastly different from how she was now.
It made me suspect that something had happened.
‘Hmm.’
What exactly had happened? What events had taken place?
Was my mother even fully aware of her situation?
Most likely—
‘My mother’s purpose was to emerge as a calamity. Or—’
To give birth to the calamity itself.
And the one she had chosen for that purpose—
‘Was Father, a member of the Gu family, cursed by the world.’
But how had that process unfolded? How had those results come about?
Moreover—
‘If either my father or mother were to die right now—’
Then I would never be born.
Wouldn’t that, in a way, mean escaping fate?
The thought crossed my mind, but—
‘......It doesn’t matter.’
Nothing could be changed anyway.
My ancestor’s words had already confirmed that.
It was nothing more than meaningless curiosity.
‘Hah.’
If this was truly what I was meant to do, then I should be satisfied with the fact that I was on the right track.
If this world had certain expectations of me, now was the time to figure them out.
Clatter—!
The carriage shook.
Feeling the discomfort, I narrowed my eyes.
The carriage was still cramped. Namgung Jin’s presence was still irritating.
**********
A few more days passed. Even then, nothing much had changed.
Kuaaaang—!!!
As we entered the mountains, the resistance from the beasts grew more intense.
We had spent a bit of extra time dealing with them, but—
‘Even this...’
Would be over by tomorrow.
After making some calculations, we determined that we would reach Anhui by tomorrow night at the latest.
Drip.
As I took down another beast, I surveyed my surroundings.
Green and blue-colored beasts were mixed together, but at this level, anyone among us could have easily wiped them out.
"It's done."
I spoke as I finished off the last of them.
Soi, who stood ahead, nodded.
"We've cleared them all."
At her words, Father also nodded.
Behind him lay a pile of corpses, and the thick scent of burnt flesh filled the air.
He must have incinerated them with fire.
‘Yeah, that’s the easier way.’
If it were me, I would have done the same.
It was a shame that I couldn’t.
‘Tsk.’
Having to fight them all one by one was a hassle.
Tap, tap.
I dusted off my hands and wiped them on my clothes.
"Ugh..."
Soi gave me a disgusted look.
What was with those eyes?
"What?"
"Why are you wiping that on your clothes?"
"I need to wipe it off somewhere."
"There’s a stream up ahead. Couldn’t you just wait until then?"
"......Do you think our carriage is spacious? How am I supposed to sit there quietly with bloodied hands in that tiny space?"
"......."
She seemed to acknowledge my point and gave an awkward expression.
"Just don’t mind me and go about your business."
"Hmph."
Waving her hand, she turned away.
At the same time, my gaze shifted toward the carriage.
The one where my mother was.
I still couldn’t sense her presence.
As I stared intently—
"What are you looking at?"
Soi approached and asked.
She had seemed so disgusted just now—why was she suddenly coming closer?
‘Ah.’
Was it because my mother was inside?
She must have rushed over to divert my attention.
It seemed that when my father had told them, he hadn’t mentioned that I already knew.
"Nothing. Just thinking that it’s quite a large and elegant carriage."
"......."
"Ours is cramped, though."
"Well... that’s..."
Guilt flashed across Soi’s face.
She must have realized the stark difference between the carriages.
"......Want to switch?"
"......."
That was what she blurted out after holding it in?
Hearing that, I let out a scoff.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"Nothing. It’s just kind of funny."
"What...?"
Soi frowned at me for laughing so openly.
But what was I supposed to do when it was genuinely funny?
I never realized this woman had this kind of personality back then.
It was kind of amusing.
At that moment—
"You two seem close?"
The carriage window slid open, and Mi Horan stuck her face out.
"Lady Soi, you seem to like this young lord."
"...Huh?"
At Mi Horan’s words, Soi’s eyes widened.
"What are you talking about...?"
"You usually don’t even go near men, saying you can’t stand their obvious intentions. But look at you, sticking close to this White Young Master."
Mi Horan gestured toward us with her chin.
And, well, to be fair, we were standing pretty close together.
"...!"
Hearing that, Soi quickly stepped back.
She must have realized she had been standing a bit too close.
"Why? You might as well enjoy it."
"...Excuse me?"
"Mount Hua doesn’t really care about marriage matters, right?"
At those words, discomfort flickered in Soi’s eyes.
"You know that’s not the case, Lady Mi."
"Oh? Do I?"
"...Lady Mi."
"Oh my, are you getting mad?"
Mi Horan playfully teased before shutting the carriage window.
"Ha..."
Soi let out a deep sigh.
Watching her, I decided to speak up.
"Senior."
"...Yes?"
She flinched at my sudden call.
"Just in case, let me make something clear."
"...."
Her face immediately twisted into discomfort.
Did she already expect what I was about to say?
Or maybe...
Was she assuming I was about to confess?
Like hell I would.
Before the misunderstanding deepened, I quickly clarified.
"I have no interest in you, so don’t worry."
"...What?"
"I have not even the slightest bit of interest in you. Not even a little."
There was a significant age gap between us.
No matter how beautiful the future Demon Sword Queen might be for her age, I had zero interest.
Besides, she was also Gu Ryunghwa’s teacher.
"Ah... A-ah, okay."
Soi’s expression faltered, clearly thrown off by my unexpected response.
"Just saying."
I had no intention of dealing with any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Honestly, no one even caught my attention in the first place.
‘No matter how beautiful she is...’
My gaze naturally shifted to Namgung Jin, whose face was still bruised.
Looking at him reminded me of someone else.
‘No, absolutely not.’
A woman with piercing blue eyes.
I let out a slight chuckle as her image came to mind.
Just as I was about to shake off those thoughts—
Kuaaaaaaang—!!
"......."
I turned my head at the distant sound.
‘Still more of them?’
It was the presence of a beast.
The type was—
‘A bear.’
A bear-shaped beast.
One that frequently appeared in the mountains.
Its rank...
‘Green, probably.’
And more importantly—
‘It’s coming this way.’
It was running straight toward us.
The others must have sensed its presence as well because they shifted into a combat stance.
However—
‘Hmm...?’
Something felt off.
The urgency in its movements...
‘Is it fleeing?’
It wasn’t charging toward us—it was running away from something.
Wait.
This felt familiar.
When was the last time I felt this?
Ah.
‘Namgung Bi-ah.’
When I first met Namgung Bi-ah.
Back then, a beast had been fleeing from her.
And now—
Kuaaaaaaaang—!!!
Just like before, it burst out of the underbrush.
‘And next...’
Swiiiish—!!
Splat—!!!
This time, it wasn’t exactly the same as before.
Something came flying in and crushed the beast’s head.
Without slowing down, the object slammed into a tree with a loud thud.
A mace.
‘A mace...?’
Why was something like that suddenly flying through the air?
As I was trying to make sense of it—
"Ah, caught it."
A new figure emerged from the underbrush.
"Almost lost it."
It was a woman.
Drenched in blood.
Her entire body was soaked in monster blood, and though her hair was originally black, it was now slicked back with crimson streaks.
Drip.
She grabbed the hem of her clothes and wrung the blood out.
While everyone else was still too stunned to react—
"...What the hell?"
The most shocked person here was none other than me.
Because the black-haired woman who had suddenly appeared—
"...Namgung Bi-ah?"
Looked exactly like her.
