The World’s Best Childhood Friend Episode 904 (904/1020)
Plum leaves continue to fall.
When I looked up, the sky was so thick with branches and leaves that I couldn’t see it.
Light pours in through the small gaps between the windows. It spreads out as if it were embracing the blue floor.
It was beautiful. It was so splendid that even I, who has no interest in scenery at all, could feel it.
I followed Noya amidst the fragrant scent of plum blossoms and the cool breeze blowing.
The distance to the destination was not that far. I walked at a slightly faster pace, and by the time I realized it, I had arrived at the place I wanted to go.
‘It’s big.’
It looked big from afar, but it was even bigger up close.
This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a big and thick tree.
How high is it? The terrain is excavated downwards, but the peak rises so high that it almost touches the clouds.
“What the heck is this?”
What kind of plum tree is this big?
When I asked him why he was still dumbfounded after seeing it again, Shin Noya looked at me and said.
“Well, I don’t know exactly, but I heard it’s called Shinmok (信木).”
“Is it a sacred tree?”
Tree of God? It may sound like an odd name, but given its size, I think it deserves to be called that.
“It shouldn’t be that surprising, haven’t you seen it?”
“Me?”
“okay.”
“Where have I seen something like this… Ah.”
I was wondering what you meant. Are you really talking about that?
‘Noah.’
The world tree whose name has been forgotten. It was originally the master of the Central Plains.
And, the person responsible for bringing back Yeonilcheon… .
‘The being who designated me as an apostle.’
That tree was also quite large in size.
It’s dry and twisted and looks like it’ll crumble if you touch it, but if you compare them, they definitely feel similar.
but.
‘The presence is very different.’
The sense of presence it exudes is on a different level.
Was the plum tree in front taller? It wasn’t.
‘No self is far more overwhelming.’
In terms of existence, they were on different levels.
What was in front of us could be seen as a simple tree, but it was not anatta.
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It’s like… .
‘Mother or Kkureungi.’
The feeling of seeing an incomparable being.
I felt that way from Muah, but the tree in front of me didn’t have that feeling.
It was just a tree. A rather large and beautiful tree.
Of course, there was an overwhelming sense of size.
It’s so big that it can’t be there.
Finally, I approached the so-called sacred tree. Only then did I look around.
Flowers were blooming where the light was pouring in, making the perceived beauty even greater.
I tried to find the important things by looking at each of those things.
‘Where is it?’
Noya said that the goblin was somewhere around here, but I didn’t see anything like that.
There’s no way you can hide that size. Where the hell is it?
At this point, it should be visible, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see it.
In the meantime, Noya continued to approach the sacred tree.
Noya, who had approached, eventually went into the gap at the bottom.
I was about to ask while looking at that.
“Noya. Where the hell is that guy…?”
“Hey, are you okay?”
Shin Noya looked through the gap and asked.
‘hmm…?’
I frowned at that.
The gap was cave-like in size due to the size of the sacred tree, but it was not extremely large.
But speaking towards that place, is it possible… .
[Grrrr.]
“…!”
As Noya spoke, a sobbing sound was heard from within the gap. It was low and heavy.
As soon as I heard it, goosebumps appeared on my arms.
It’s just a crying sound, but my body reacts as soon as I hear it.
I entered a combat stance on my own. My heart pounded and I stopped walking, unable to move forward.
It’s dangerous.
It feels much more dangerous than when I saw the huge shape from a distance last night.
Yeah, this is it.
‘…the difference in class.’
Something you don’t even dare look up at.
An entity that feels like it is in a different dimension itself, and makes you tense just by seeing and feeling it.
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I caught my breath, holding my pounding heart.
at that time.
“If you’re awake, come out right away. Why are you sleeping in broad daylight?”
Shin Noya snickered and spat out the words. Then, dust fell from the gap with a thud!
I can feel the presence of the person in my body.
Something comes out.
Something huge is walking out of the gap… .
[Krrrr.]
“…huh?”
I narrowed my eyes at the guy coming out of the gap.
Something considerably smaller than the gap it was in was walking out.
It’s more or less what I expected.
“Cute…?”
It had a very cute appearance.
That’s a lot.
***************
I sat down with Noya under the sacred tree.
There was a chair and table placed underneath, as if someone had made it there. Seeing Shin Noya sitting there so accustomedly, it seemed like it had been there for a long time.
I sat there and stared at something quietly.
[Grrrr.]
“…”
[Grrrrr.]
Every time I hear crying, I find myself flinching without realizing it.
The sensation is still heavy and tingling.
“Stop barking. How long are you going to keep barking?”
[Greung.]
At Noya’s words, the guy hunched over sullenly.
Looking at that sight gave me an indescribable feeling.
It feels completely out of place, unlike the giant being I saw just before.
I definitely felt a gap that I couldn’t dare to describe… .
‘What is this?’
Now I just feel confused.
It had to be that way.
[Greung.]
The being I was seeing was quite small.
If I had to guess its size, it would be about the size of a neighborhood stray dog.
It looked exactly like a dog.
It’s more like a wolf than a dog, but they’re both the same, so I don’t think it’s that important…
It feels like a puppy, even though it’s not an adult dog.
Cute. It was an appearance that made me think that way on its own.
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‘… So this cute guy.’
[Knock knock.]
‘You mean that scary guy I saw last night?’
Kkurungi. That’s what they called him because he kept nodding every day.
He was the guy who took over my body with Noya and made a fuss every time I did something.
This is a guy who whines and whines for a long time when he’s even a little hungry.
He was a guy who was so annoying and I wanted to get rid of him.
But.
‘That guy was actually someone that even the Blood Demon was wary of.’
I remember the blood demon looking at the guy and calling him a bottomless pit and being wary.
Before falling here, the fight with the Blood Demon was extremely one-sided.
Even though it was the same verb, the level was different, and I felt so helpless in front of him.
Enough to be protected by the Heavenly Demon, who must be killed.
It was humiliating.
He surpassed the realm of his previous life and rose to the top ranks of the top ten masters.
It’s a situation where it seems like we might be able to win even if we fight against the strongest swordsman.
But, even after coming this far, you still feel powerless before the Blood Demon?
It was a shock to me.
How much stronger do I have to become? How far do I have to go?
I had a vague sense of despair.
‘That blood horse was so fierce that it was on guard against Kkureungi.’
[Krrrr.]
“…”
It was lying flat on its stomach in front of me, wagging its tail and rolling around.
It really looked like a puppy. It didn’t look dangerous at all.
“This is… This is the real him?”
Noya chuckles at my reaction and asks.
“Why? Is it so much less than you expected?”
“Yes. It’s very trivial.”
I answered without hesitation. There was no need to beat around the bush. In fact, it was overly trivial.
What the… is this a puppy?
[Knock knock.]
He glares at me as if he doesn’t like what I’m saying.
Even that seemed trivial.
“…”
Is this really that vast being? I can’t help but wonder.
“Don’t be like that. He doesn’t want to end up like that. In a way, it’s your fault, you brat.”
“yes?”
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It’s my fault?
And it’s not an intentional form?
As we focus on those words, Noya adds an explanation.
“You were acting a bit aggressively to get my attention, and it seems like you used too much force. That’s why you ended up like that.”
“Does it catch your eye?”
“Yeah, otherwise it would have been a big deal. Be thankful.”
It caught my attention. I thought about it carefully after hearing that.
If you do that, who do you think you’ve caught the eye of?
“…if.”
“right.”
Noya nodded.
“From your mother.”
“…”
What I had hoped for turned out to be true.
That was exactly the situation at that time.
‘Then, that’s what hid me behind the curtain.’
The reason I persevered despite being beaten by my mother.
Are you saying it was all like that?
then.
“…Why?”
Why did the guy have to get his mother’s attention?
“Didn’t I tell you? It’s dangerous to meet your mother. If this guy hadn’t caught your eye then, you might have been killed right then and there.”
“I don’t understand. Why is my mother attacking me?”
“That’s it….”
Noya looked at me with calm eyes and said.
“Because you are a dragon.”
“…What is that.”
“I explained earlier why this place is called Man-gye. Do you remember?”
“…yes.”
A world where the owner has disappeared.
It was said that because of that, some of the creatures that were supposed to perish came here without turning into monsters.
“Most of the world is a place that accepts all living beings without discrimination. That must be the meaning and purpose of the existence of the world. However, even in such a world, there are races that are not accepted and are expelled.”
“…”
I frowned when I heard that.
That’s because I could kind of predict what would happen next.
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“That’s a dragon.”
As expected.
I thought that would be the case after hearing that, and the answer came out as expected.
The problem is.
“I don’t understand.”
That answer inevitably raised questions.
The dragon was banished? If that’s true, then it’s second nature for now.
“Didn’t they say that Man-gye is a place where only those who have lost their masters come?”
Those who have lost their place to go as the master of the world has disappeared.
If the place that brings them to mercy is Man-gye, then.
“Is there a reason for these dragons to come here?”
I don’t even know how many dragons there were in the first place, but if there was a world where they all gathered together…
I felt like their world must still exist.
That would be the case.
‘Because the owner will be alive.’
The world where dragons live. The master of that place.
Anyone can see that….
‘Blood horse.’
He must have been called the Dragon Emperor, so how could he have been banished from the world?
Shin Noya seemed to understand my question as he narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke.
“Aesongi. I understand your curiosity, but I don’t know much about this part either.”
“…yes?”
“There weren’t enough numbers to know…. Isn’t it strange to think that way in the first place?”
Creak.
Noya leaned back deeply in his chair.
“Blood horse… If that guy had a world, there would have been no reason for him to show up in the Central Plains to take over the throne.”
“…!”
I opened my eyes wide after hearing that.
…surely.
‘… Really?’
If the Blood Horse had its own world, there would be no reason for it to come to become the master of the Central Plains.
Then why on earth did that guy show up and cause such a panic?
There, why do people still remain in the Central Plains and dream of paradise?
There was something very strange about it.
‘Besides. Why are you showing hostility by calling me a dragon here?’
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It seems like the Blood Demon did something to deserve this. If there were other dragons besides me who were banished, where did they go?
In addition to that.
“… Noya.”
“okay.”
“In the first place… If Man-gye rejected the dragon, then why did that guy save me?”
If the whole world really wants to reject me, or more precisely, the dragon, and even destroy me.
What was Kkureungi’s intention in protecting me?
“You clearly said it was related to the mother. I also don’t understand why the mother attacked the guy.”
“…”
“I told you not to meet your mother. And that’s how your mother reacted. What the hell is going on?”
Shin Noya, who heard the question, looks at me quietly.
I still feel something subtle in those calm eyes.
That was definitely a shame.
Why are you looking at me like that? I was wondering that for a moment.
“The reason why this guy saved you while enduring this fate is also because of your mother’s request.”
“yes?”
“That must be the reason why this spirit was in your body.”
“that…?”
Because of your mother’s request? He frowned. His words didn’t make sense.
“Then even more so… .”
Isn’t this the kind of situation that should happen? That’s what I’m trying to say.
“In that situation, how could your mother attack you and this guy?”
Noya’s words were faster.
“…yes.”
If he was the one who protected me at my mother’s request, then there was no reason for my mother to attack Kkureungi.
I also couldn’t understand why they tried to kill me just because I was a dragon.
one.
“It’s obvious.”
I had to keep my mouth shut after hearing Noya’s subsequent words.
“She is not the mother you knew now.”
I opened my eyes wide after hearing that.
“No?”
How could it not be? I understand everything else in the world, but this was not it.
She was definitely my mother. It was almost a certainty.
“Didn’t I tell you? If you expect even a little maternal love from her, then give up your expectations.”
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The voice of Shin Noya speaking to me like that was clearly mixed with a sigh.
“She probably doesn’t have any mercy or affection for you now.”
The more I listened, the more my eyes wavered.
It seems like my heart is shaking along with my shaking eyes.
Squeak.
Shin Noya got up from the chair he was sitting on.
“If you fail to fulfill your karma, you will be punished. That is the rule of the world. It was no different for your mother.”
“…punishment…?”
“That’s what he said.”
Noya stroked Kurungi’s head.
There is a rather strong force in the touch.
“Your mother, who did not perform the prescribed karma, was punished… . The punishment was.”
Plum leaves continue to fall from the sky to the ground.
“It is called forgetfulness, the inability to remember anything.”
The fallen leaf was like my heart.
