After hearing the words that came mixed with the spring breeze.
I couldn’t say anything.
‘What did you just say?’
Did I hear that correctly?
I heard what Wi Seol-ah was saying, but it felt like she was rejecting it in her head.
It had to be that way.
Because it was too bizarre for me to understand.
“What… What did you say just now?”
“…”
At the question, Wi Seol-ah makes a bitter expression.
Secondly, why do you make such a face?
I should have listened more closely.
“What made me regress….”
It was none other than the being who sent my time back to the past.
“A thousand horse…?”
He is the person who made my already rock bottom life fall even further.
He is the master of the Demonic Cult.
An entity that will bring about a bloody disaster in the Central Plains in the near future.
‘You made me regress?’
No matter how much I thought about it, it was something I couldn’t understand.
“Old Confucius… .”
“Explain… explain. What do you mean?”
“…”
He grabbed Wi Seol-ah’s shoulder and asked.
I saw Wi Seol-ah’s face grimacing as if she had held on too tightly without realizing it.
Looking at that, I hesitated and relaxed a little.
“…Calm down….”
“That might be a bit difficult. It’s not something to be taken lightly about.”
“…”
“You know why I’m living like this now.”
What have you been rolling around for so long for?
I was so absorbed in raising my level that I barely slept.
The reason why I keep walking forward tenaciously.
The person in front of you will surely know.
“… Old Prince.”
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Kill the Heavenly Horse and prevent the bloody disaster.
This life was meant to be like that.
Not for me.
If it were for me, I would have stayed in the mountains and spent my life alone without meeting anyone.
That might have been better.
The reason I’m rolling around like this is…
Not my peace.
It’s like an apology to those who died for me and lived for me.
But.
“…Why Cheonma?”
From the moment Yeonilcheon asked if my return was just a miracle.
I always thought.
I feel like there’s someone’s intention behind my regression.
If it is true that Cheonma sent me back to the past as Wi Seol-ah said.
What I am doing right now.
Should I assume that all the situations that are happening to me were foreseen by Cheonma or are part of Cheonma’s will?
When I think about it like that, my mind becomes dizzy.
“Old Confucius… .”
“Really?”
“…”
“Really… Is it true that it was Cheonma who made me regress?”
I wanted to hear the word no.
I’d rather say it was a joke. I said it was a joke because the atmosphere was too heavy.
I wanted to hear that.
“…that’s right.”
Wi Seol-ah was resolute.
“If not me… she is the only one in this land who could do something like that to the old prince.”
“…that.”
At Weiseol-ah’s words, I bit my tongue.
If it’s not you, then it’s only the devil.
There was a lot of meaning hidden in it.
That means, neither Wi Seol-ah nor Cheon Ma are human.
As with the World Tree, it meant that he was a being so high that he could turn back time for others.
Plus.
This means that Wi Seol-ah herself is aware that she is not human.
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“…you.”
“I think the old Confucius would already know.”
“…”
I know.
The fact that Wi Seol-ah is not human. It may have been vague in the past.
Now I know for sure.
Wi Seol-ah reads my expression and smiles.
Was that why you had such a funny expression on your face?
“That’s fortunate.”
What does it mean to be fortunate?
“… Even though you know that, your attitude is still the same.”
He frowned at Wi Seol-ah’s words.
“Why would that be any different?”
Wi Seol-ah opened her eyes even wider at my words for a moment, then quickly covered her mouth and laughed even harder.
“I see. What could have been so scary?”
I was concerned that my shoulders looked a little smaller.
Right now, the conversation we had just had was more important than that.
“… So what you mean by saying that if it wasn’t you, it would have been Cheonma who did it, is just a prediction?”
“No, I’m sure.”
“Why…? Why do you think that?”
Cheonma died at the hands of Wi Seol-ah.
This is a clear fact.
And it was a few days later that I met my death in the dungeon of Meng.
Cheonma should have died a long time ago.
There were many problems with the story that said that Cheonma made me regress.
But why is Wi Seol-ah so sure?
After hearing my question, Wi Seol-ah avoided eye contact and said this.
“Because it’s something you have to know.”
“…What does that mean?”
“That’s the way we are.”
The saying that you can’t help but know. Those words particularly sink into my heart.
“What the hell are you guys?”
“…”
“What is your relationship with Cheonma?”
It can’t be said that they have no relationship.
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I could tell just by looking at it.
It’s not just that they look alike, but that Weeseol-ah and Cheonma look exactly the same, as if they were looking into a mirror.
Everything is the same except for hair color and eye color.
They say there are countless coincidences and miracles in the world, but can they really be called coincidences?
“What kind of relationship do we have with each other? It’s hard to define.”
“What is that…?”
“It’s just… It should have been one person, not ‘we’ from the beginning.”
“Do I really have to go through all the trouble to explain this to you? You know I’m not that smart.”
“… I’m sorry, please understand.”
Wi Seol-ah smiles pitifully and grabs my wrist.
I could feel my voice becoming a little rough because I was frustrated with myself.
I also feel it calming down a little when Wi Seol-ah grabs my wrist.
That doesn’t mean it’s completely cooled down.
I just held back because I didn’t want to ruin the unexpected reunion like this.
‘So, is it true that Cheonma made me regress?’
According to Wi Seol-ah, that may be true.
It’s questionable.
Apart from the fact that Cheonma had that power in the first place.
The World Tree, which was the master of this world, was confined to a false world in exchange for allowing the human named Yeonilcheon to return.
The World Tree was imprisoned and all records and memories of its existence were lost.
There is no trace left of its existence.
If it is true that Cheonma made me regress.
‘Why can Cheonma exist?’
What was the Cheonma I saw the day before?
Perhaps, it is something that can be done without punishment.
‘And above all.’
If you have that kind of power, you can just regress.
Why did you have to make me regress?
Also, if you listen to what Wi Seol-ah has to say.
What I’m saying is that Wi Seol-ah can’t do that, but Cheon Ma can.
‘That means….’
Doesn’t this mean that Cheonma’s power was stronger than Wisul-ah’s power?
It’s a story I thought about absentmindedly one day.
The new sword was strong.
Although I have never fought her myself, I could at least see from afar how strong Wise Woman was during her prime.
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She is strong.
He was a powerful warrior, so much so that I could confidently say that I would not be able to win if I dared fight him.
‘Cheonma… Was Cheonma really weaker than the divine sword?’
If you ask whether the being called Cheonma (天魔) was weaker than the divine sword.
I can’t possibly answer.
That being really seemed like a different class.
So, at the end of the last war, when I heard that Cheonma had died.
Along with the peace that had quietly settled in a corner of my heart, a question arose.
The question is how Cheonma could die.
“The more I learn about something, the more my questions seem to increase, even though they seem to be solved.”
Just when you think you’ve figured out something.
The world throws out one secret after another.
“As if… . you were waiting for me to reveal the secret.”
“…”
Wi Seol-ah didn’t say anything at my voice that seemed to be stuffy.
“Do you have to do it too?”
“… Old Prince.”
“You said you didn’t hate me. You said you were sorry. Then… .”
“sorry….”
Wi Seol-ah offers me an apple once again.
“I want to tell you everything you want to know… everything I know.”
“Then why don’t you just tell me?”
“…”
If you know, if you want to tell, just tell me.
What does this fucking world want from me?
If you could just tell me everything about why Cheonma made me regress, it would be fine.
Everyone keeps their mouths shut, as if they have something to say.
“just….”
“I don’t have any more time.”
“what?”
The mouth that was about to ask a question as if it was forced due to the stuffiness.
Wi Seol-ah’s single word shuts me down.
“what?”
A bitter smile appears on Wi Seol-ah’s face as she checks my reaction.
No time?
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“What do you mean, there’s no time?”
“… Now I don’t have enough strength left to tell you the stories that the old princes are curious about. The stories about the Heavenly Horse were the limit.”
What are you talking about now?
It feels like it’s not going in as well as it did when I talked about Cheonma earlier.
You don’t have time.
“… I’m sorry… I can’t tell you more.”
“Wait a minute… What do you mean? Are you saying it’s going to disappear?”
“It has held up for a long time now. I can’t strain this child’s body.”
Did you say that the current Wisul-ah is borrowing the body of the current Wisul-ah?
“… Then, then who was there originally?”
“I put him to sleep for a while. He will find out someday, but… it’s not a story I want to tell him now.”
“Does that mean you’re really going to disappear?”
“…”
“Please answer…!”
But there was no answer.
A silent answer could be heard from Wi Seol-ah’s smiling face.
Suddenly.
Wi Seol-ah’s hand touches my cheek.
It’s cold.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen that expression.”
What kind of expression am I making that makes you make that expression?
“Good. I can see this kind of face too.”
“How much… is left? How many years are left?”
“…”
“Or, a year? A few months?”
If not, there should have been at least a few days left.
If even that wasn’t left.
This is a really fucked up story.
“Old Confucius… .”
“Is this what you meant when you said you’d regret it earlier?”
“That’s not it… I don’t think you’ll regret me disappearing… .”
“What could be more regrettable than this?”
“…”
Wi Seol-ah flinched at the decisive words.
“Will it get better if I go back into my body and rest? Then go in now.”
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“…sorry.”
“Please… stop with those damn apples and tell me the solution.”
I wanted to scream, but I held it back.
He didn’t even take his hand off my face.
All I can see is Weiseol-ah’s shaking eyes.
What kind of expression am I making right now?
All I know is that it’s definitely not a normal expression.
Wi Seol-ah, who was looking at me, laughed again.
“Don’t laugh… What are you laughing at in this situation?”
“How can I not laugh?”
The hand that touched the cheek moves.
Should I say it feels like a stroking sensation?
“You look at me and worry about me.”
“…Then should I swear at you?”
“This close. We’re even touching each other’s cheeks.”
“…”
“Do you know that?”
She smiles so damn pretty. I can’t say anything.
“This was my dream. More than world peace. This is what I wished for.”
The voice is shaking.
“Why didn’t I know that?”
“… Then why don’t you do it now? If it doesn’t disappear… ”
Wi Seol-ah’s eyes widened even more at the words she blurted out without thinking.
“That’s greed.”
“What if you’re a little greedy? Everyone lives greedily.”
I would have lived my entire life without ever being greedy.
Such was the life of the new sword.
Honey, how about you start living a little more greedily now?
Even though she said those words, Wi Seol-ah just shook her head.
“… It’s also a foolish thing to me.”
As she spoke, Wi Seol-ah slowly took back the hand that was touching my cheek.
“I was very greedy. At one point, I even thought about taking over this child’s body.”
“…”
“Can your Majesty tell me to do that?”
The answer came to my mind.
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I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud.
It means that the divine sword enters and takes over the body of the current Wisul-ah.
In some ways, I think it might be possible since they are the same being.
Could it be said that he has become a being similar to the current Wisul-ah?
No answer came.
“I thought you wouldn’t be able to answer.”
“… That’s it.”
“Well, that’s fortunate. You’re that kind of person.”
“…you.”
“This life belongs entirely to this child. There is no place for me to interfere. That is why the moment I am meeting you feels like a regret to me.”
Wi Seol-ah takes a step back.
“The regrets I have are fading away.”
“…regret?”
“The regrets of what it would have been like if I had met you differently, if my life had been a little different. These are being erased by this child.”
“…”
“I know it was the efforts of the old Confucius. That’s why I have more regrets.”
I tried to be different from back then.
She must have been watching everyone.
“So I can’t stay here any longer.”
“What does it matter… If you don’t want me to interfere, just watch.”
“Not only is that impossible… Even if it were possible, I would be greedy. I would be greedy to feel that happiness myself.”
Two steps further away.
I took a step towards him.
No. I tried to approach, but I couldn’t.
“…!”
A small light begins to shine from Wi Seol-ah’s body.
Anxiety is rising.
For some reason I couldn’t approach it.
******************
The woman looked at the man.
Even in the blurry vision, his face was unusually clear.
The man shouts.
“You…! Wait a minute!”
The face looks bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
I can see that kind of face too.
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There were a lot of new faces today.
That made it better.
Killing the swelling emotions.
The woman says.
“I didn’t want to say goodbye like this. I knew there wasn’t much time left… and I didn’t want you to find out, if possible.”
All those actions.
Because his very existence might become a chain to him.
That’s the woman’s reason.
“… Still. I feel fortunate to see you happy that we were able to meet like this at last.”
The karma of going against fate and distorting the law of cause and effect has accumulated in the soul.
If you disappear like this, you will be punished.
The woman was terribly afraid of that.
He didn’t show it on the outside.
Look into the man’s eyes.
Her face is a mess. Are those tears forming in her eyes?
Probably not.
Because I’ve never seen him cry.
‘No, I don’t think I cried when she died.’
Didn’t you cry when the Demon Sword Master died?
Even at this moment, such childish jealousy arose.
The woman says, recalling that.
“I’m not in a position to say this to you, but… I have two requests.”
Even as the woman spoke, the man was trying to move somehow.
It’s a shame to try, but you won’t be able to move.
The world is in the process of carrying out karma.
It was a great thing just to be able to see it with my own two eyes.
“Please love this child very much… .”
He didn’t add the afterword, “As much as I couldn’t do for you.”
Because I didn’t want to burden him with these words.
Another one.
“…Please call this child by his name.”
A man who tried to move his body even by force.
Guyangcheon stops.
Never.
Not once has Guyangcheon called anyone by their name.
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That would be the case for everyone, including yourself.
I don’t know why they do that.
Let’s make a vague guess.
I wonder if it’s because I don’t want to have someone precious enough to call by name by my side.
You too.
He was a very timid man.
Even though I know that, it seems selfish and embarrassing to ask.
I thought that this was the only request I could make at this moment.
Yet, without including the women around him.
It’s just this child asking for a favor.
It must be the only selfishness that one can have.
Passssssss… .
I feel like I’m going crazy.
The body doesn’t collapse.
It would be a feeling of soul disappearing.
This is what it feels like when your soul disappears.
What will remain after it disappears?
Whatever it was, he probably wasn’t there.
‘That would be… very sad.’
The woman smiled as a thought occurred to her.
The regret still remains.
Because there were so many things I couldn’t say to him.
I couldn’t even say that I missed you.
I couldn’t even finish saying the most important thing.
I liked it.
I dared to love you.
The woman couldn’t bring herself to utter those few words.
The man who heard this.
Because I know what kind of mind you will have.
He seemed to be having a hard time with his own words, so he tried to swallow them.
This was enough.
‘I feel sorry for you.’
This is what I said to my younger self while he was sleeping.
There was a lot I wanted to tell you.
It seems like there wasn’t that much time.
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But on the other hand, I was jealous.
Something I have never experienced.
I am talking about my younger self who will live a life with him.
With that thought, the woman closed her eyes.
at that time.
Kkwaddeuk-!
With the sound of something tearing.
A warm hand appeared and embraced the woman.
