𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔𝟒
That evening, after the new policy was set, I had a conversation with Shin Pyo-eul, who had just returned from the market, about our future plans.
“I can’t go into too much detail, but due to those circumstances, I plan to focus on gathering my comrades for the time being.”
“Then, the quest to solve the Pyeong Clan’s problem. . . . . .”
“Yes. I think that will have to wait until after that.”
In addition to changing my top priority, there was another reason why I made that choice.
“Didn’t you feel that something was strange about Consort Hwi’s behavior after she saw Azure Dragon?”
“I did feel that she was somewhat subdued.”
Shin Pyo-eul agreed, and Cheong Juhwa, who was in a corner of the room, nodded in agreement.
Consort Hwi had certainly been very agitated after summoning Azure Dragon, unlike her previous composure.
“This may sound strange, but I actually felt that Consort Hwi was projecting someone else’s image through Azure Dragon. And she was afraid of that memory.”
To my surprise, it was Azure Dragon who responded to that statement.
『I think so too. It seemed like her gaze was directed at something else. I wasn’t the object of her fear.』
Since Azure Dragon, who had finished her off, said that, the other two nodded in agreement.
Feeling that I was almost ready, I continued speaking slowly.
“Consort Hwi may have already encountered Taotie, whom we are pursuing in the Pyeong Clan’s case.”
“. . . Why do you think that?”
“I remember that Gonha, one of the Nine Children of the Heavenly Dragon who originated from dragons, was also very flustered when he recognized the Yeouiju. And according to the information I’ve gathered so far, Taotie seems to be exceptional even among the Nine Children of the Heavenly Dragon.”
In other words, I thought that,
“Could Consort Hwi have either fought Taotie or witnessed its power firsthand? And when she encountered Azure Dragon, a real dragon, she was simply overwhelmed with fear.”
To be honest, it didn’t feel like a coincidence.
Perhaps she had been defeated by another dragon-related entity, not necessarily Taotie, or she might have been afraid for a completely different reason.
However, my intuition told me that this was the correct answer.
Pyeong-eun-ha also said this when she evaluated Taotie.
She said that she realized the moment she encountered it that it was an insurmountable existence.
And Consort Hwi’s reaction felt similar to me.
“However, if that guess is correct. . . . . .”
“Yes. Even if it’s a one in a million chance, Taotie may be a yokai with even greater power than we imagined. That’s why I don’t plan to confront it until I’ve gathered all of my comrades.”
After laying out my reasoning like that, even Shin Pyo-eul couldn’t argue with me.
So now it was her turn to make a decision.
“If we’re going to part ways, now is the time. I haven’t given up on the Pyeong Clan’s quest either, so we might cross paths again someday as we follow each other’s traces.”
“. . . . . .”
Shin Pyo-eul seemed somewhat confused.
It was clear that she was also struggling with whether to part ways with me or come with me.
「𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨.」
Shin Pyo-eul had been there with us during Consort Hwi’s final moments.
She must have sensed something strange from Consort Hwi’s words, and if she digs into it, there’s a good chance she’ll uncover our secret.
Regrettably, it would be better for her to part ways with us and go her own way.
“Indeed, that seems like the most efficient choice.”
“Then. . . . . .”
“But before that, I have one question.”
Shin Pyo-eul gulped and then carefully met my gaze as she continued speaking.
“Mr. Kang-yoon’s guess about Consort Hwi is probably correct. There are no dragons in the present era, and the only powerful beings that symbolize them are the Nine Children of the Heavenly Dragon you mentioned earlier. My master told me that herself, so it must be true.”
“. . . . . .”
Shin Pyo-eul’s master is none other than Seo Cheon-ye, the greatest exorcist of the present era.
And from that, I could guess what she was going to say next.
“But then, why do you have an entity called Azure Dragon with you. . . . . .?”
“That’s.”
“I heard Consort Hwi’s last words. She said that she was just an imitation, not a real being. And she also said that only you, who are not from this era, are real beings. . . . . .”
Of course, her intelligence had already led her to a partial understanding of the truth.
When I looked at her with a bitter expression, Shin Pyo-eul said this.
“I want to know the truth. What was Consort Hwi trying to say then? I have a feeling that I should know it. That I have to know it. . . . . .”
As a being reborn in the shamanic world, she seemed to have noticed the oddness on an instinctive level.
In response, I answered her with what could only be described as a cold attitude.
“I can assure you of one thing. You will not be happy if you learn it, Miss Shin Pyo-eul. It’s better to just forget about it and live your life as usual.”
“. . . I still want to know.”
“You can’t. I can’t tell you.”
I hesitated for a moment, but I still couldn’t do it.
The secret we hold is literally a source of despair for the beings of this illusory world.
I was certain that if she learned it, Shin Pyo-eul would also be led to ruin.
However, Shin Pyo-eul seemed to sense something from my attitude.
“Is that so. . . . . .”
And then.
“If you don’t intend to tell me the truth, I will end my life here and now.”
“What. . . . . .!”
Shin Pyo-eul was not joking. In an instant, she drew the short sword from her waist and stabbed herself in the neck, but Cheong Juhwa, who was taken aback, stopped her.
With her hands bound by the chains of Azure Serpent Binding, Shin Pyo-eul continued speaking in a very calm manner.
“I can tell. I feel like I can tell. If I can’t know the truth, then there is no meaning in me living any longer.”
“Miss Shin Pyo-eul, you’re too confused right now. There’s no reason to think that way at all.”
“No. That’s not it. I don’t know why, but this is a definite conviction. . . . . .”
Shin Pyo-eul smiled sadly and presented us with her final choice.
“Mr. Kang-yoon, make your judgment. If you still can’t tell me the truth, then I will disappear and never appear before you again.”
She said that, but I knew what it meant.
After much deliberation, I finally sighed and uttered my conclusion.
“. . . You will regret it.”
“Yes. That doesn’t matter.”
Even though she was nothing more than a being replicated by shamanism, I had certainly spent every day with her and received much help from her.
If I were to reject her to the very end, it felt like I would be denying her existence.
“. . . That’s how it is. It may sound absurd, but it’s all true.”
Shin Pyo-eul, who had finally heard the whole truth from me, hung her head low and said nothing.
Of course she would.
She had been living her life normally, but now she was told that she was a replicated being, merely a part of a world created to find clues about Polar Night.
There was no way she could be happy to learn such a thing. It wouldn’t be strange if she became completely disheartened and gave up on life.
However, after a long silence, she raised her head and thanked me.
“. . . Thank you for telling me. I might have harmed Mr. Kang-yoon while I was desperate.”
“Are you. . . . . . okay?”
“No. To be honest, I’m not okay.”
Shin Pyo-eul quietly shed tears.
We simply watched her in silence, and after a while, we could see the intelligence in her eyes.
“I’ve accepted it all.”
“. . . . . .”
“My current situation. And what I have to do.”
She no longer hesitated.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at her firm and sincere attitude.
“I will help Mr. Kang-yoon. To find a way to counter Polar Night and save the people of the future.”
“Are you really sure about that?”
In response to my somewhat harsh question, Shin Pyo-eul smiled.
“Yes. Because that is the will that I, a mere replica, have chosen for myself.”
She was truly worthy of being called a hero.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
“Honestly, it gave me the chills just listening to it.”
“Sorry for deciding without consulting you.”
In the end, the three of us, who had truly become comrades, left Seocheon to search for the rest of our scattered group.
“Well, it turned out well in the end. . . . . . . But to be honest, if I were in her shoes, I might have tried to subdue her right away and take her body.”
“Really?”
“I might have. I can’t help it when I get excited.”
Since even Cheong Juhwa said that, it was clear that it was something that an ordinary person definitely couldn’t handle.
“. . . Well, in other words, it means that your sister valued you quite highly as an exorcist, doesn’t it?”
“Is that so?”
“At least that’s how it looks to me. If some random nobody had said that, she wouldn’t have reacted the same way yesterday.”
Cheong Juhwa said that as she watched Shin Pyo-eul buying something in the market in the distance.
Although she didn’t show it, Cheong Juhwa was also quite impressed by Shin Pyo-eul’s state of mind.
“So please take good care of her for a while. She’s more than qualified. . . . . . .”
“Of course.”
As we continued our idle conversation, Shin Pyo-eul, who had finally finished her business, approached us and handed each of us a necklace-shaped amulet.
“A present.”
“Did you cast a defensive spell on it? No, I don’t sense anything like that. . . . . . .”
“Would it be strange if I said I just wanted to give it to you?”
Shin Pyo-eul said that, and Cheong Juhwa and I smiled wryly and accepted them.
“. . . Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”
“We’ve only exchanged amulets for exorcism, so this is surprisingly the first time for something like this.”
And so, we finally left Seocheon and set out on our journey again.
Our next destination was far to the north.
We were chasing the traces of the Water God.
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Translation-(COMPLETED) – I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥《⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐》!!
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