EP.60 The Fall of the Plum Dragon (3)
Plum Dragon Falls (3)
It’s not pleasant.
The sound of falling rain, and the moonlight that knows no subject.
Even the breeze that brushes my hair.
Not everything is pleasant.
The woman asks in the gap of her thoughts.
[… Are you crying?] [Don’t be ridiculous, anyone can see that it’s rainwater.]
The man answered roughly, but the woman’s hand touched his cheek.
Normally, he would have kicked her out, but this time, the man held back.
[No… I see.] [You want something big.]
Because I’ve been through too much to cry.
Now there was nothing left to cry about.
[… What a pity.]
There was no emotion in the woman’s voice.
Even when he reached the brink of death, he remained the same.
Perhaps it is because I have observed and experienced countless deaths that I have become numb to even this.
The woman had one arm torn off and a large hole in her chest.
The fact that she is barely breathing despite her injuries that should have killed her immediately is probably because she is a warrior who has reached the highest level.
Even that isn’t much left.
[Why did you do that?]
The man asked the woman, unable to understand.
At the last moment, the pouring swords were aimed at the man.
The woman took the man’s place even though she could have lived well enough.
The man couldn’t understand.
The man didn’t want to understand.
It had to be me who lay on this ground.
It was decided that way from the beginning when the war started.
The woman interrupted that.
That made me mad.
Yes, he was angry. That’s what the man thought.
The woman slowly stroked the man’s cheek.
The sound of the rain falling steadily was disgusting to the man.
[don’t cry.]
The man tried to wave his hand away at the woman’s words.
He grabbed my wrist and made a joke about it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
[…don’t cry.]
The woman kept repeating the same thing to the man. What was she talking nonsense about when she already had her eyes closed?
Is it sympathy?
Is this meaningless camaraderie?
I couldn’t figure out anything.
[… I said I wouldn’t cry.] [Don’t… cry.]
The woman’s pale white hair gradually loses its luster as it gets wet with rain.
The moonlight that used to shine so brightly, unfortunately, only disappears at times like this.
[… The moon is up… ?]
The woman asked.
The man looked up at the sky at those words.
The sky is covered with dark clouds and only rain is falling.
The woman loved the moon.
I often sat alone on a rock and looked at the moon.
The man remembered each and every one of those images, as if they were nothing.
[… Yeah, it’s floating well.]
The moon couldn’t be seen because it was raining between dark clouds.
Both the woman and the man knew it.
It’s just a meaningless play.
[…are you next to me?]
It’s a woman’s question.
The man let out a dry laugh at those words.
[He asks that while touching his cheek awkwardly.]
The corners of the woman’s mouth seemed to move slightly at the man’s words.
Did you laugh? The man thought he had seen things wrong.
[… I have both, thank goodness.]
What’s fortunate?
The man couldn’t ask one more question.
Because with those words the woman’s breath died.
Only then did the man slowly put the woman’s hand down.
It didn’t seem like it would be possible to bury the body nicely or take it away.
A woman wouldn’t want that either, and it wasn’t even a situation where that would happen.
[Found it…]
The man slowly got up at the sound of a voice coming from behind him.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of drones faced the man from behind.
Those wearing white and blue clothes with the word “oath” written on the bottom.
Among the countless unmanned soldiers, a man with a statuesque appearance stood at the very front, pointing the tip of his sword.
[Fortunately, I guess he didn’t run far.]
The will to uphold justice and agreement stands out on his face.
The man had to suppress the creepy feeling he felt at the sight.
[…Meteor Sword.]
Jang Seong-yeon, the swordsman of Yoo Seong-geom, was called the future of the next generation of politics.
I quietly spat out the bastard’s name.
At the man’s call, Yoo Seong-geom’s eyebrows tremble slightly.
The woman next to him shouted.
[How dare you! Don’t speak of the Lord with your dirty mouth!]
I didn’t say anything to the shouting. The pouring rain felt particularly heavy.
[…I keep forgetting.]
Feeling tired, I ran my hand over my face.
Yeah, I keep forgetting.
Why am I standing here?
I keep forgetting what my role is.
[… Cheonma will die soon. Surrender obediently!]
A hollow laugh escaped from Yoo Seong-geom’s words.
I tried to refer to it, but I just couldn’t.
[The leader? To whom.] [The Three Lords are now with the Heavenly Horse…] [Oh, the Three Lords? You left them in the hands of those old men and came here to catch a commoner like me.]
The corners of my mouth kept going up as the laughter suddenly broke out.
Yoo Seong-geom’s face becomes more and more wrinkled.
The man barely stopped laughing at that sight.
[Yeah, I have to do it… I have to do it quickly, if I don’t do it right I’ll be in trouble again.]
As the man took a step forward.
The sparks released from the tip of his feet instantly spread throughout the forest.
Among the unmanned units preparing for battle, the man was only looking at the meteor sword.
The man said as he looked at Yoo Seong-geom, who had returned to his original position with an expressionless face and was meeting his gaze.
[Disgusting little shit.]
The corners of Yoo Seong-geom’s mouth trembled slightly at the man’s words, but soon his expression was obscured by the flames and he could not see it properly.
The flames, which had been spreading, soon engulfed the entire forest, burning down a wide space of nearly ten li in less than an hour.
The subsequent report to the Murim Alliance stated that Mine had escaped and the only survivor was Yoo Seong-geom.
******************
“No.”
I swallowed my breath at Namgungbia’s words.
Sometimes, flashbacks that pop up without our will only bring back disgusting memories.
Why? Why did this memory suddenly come to mind? And why now of all times?
I couldn’t bear to look at Namgungbia’s stern gaze, so I turned my head slightly.
I thought I would become sensitive when I remembered that time.
“… Can’t you see that I just finished my training?”
I just finished a duel with Youngpung.
Namgungbia must have seen that too?
In what case would it be right to come and fight right away?
Namgungbia’s lips slightly protrude at my question.
Why are you making such a weird expression?
It was a rare thing.
In a previous life, I could never have imagined that Namgungbia would make such an expression.
Every time this happened, I gradually felt that she was different from the Demon Sword Master, but a strange feeling welled up inside me.
[You’re always talking nonsense inside. You’re crazy, so just stay still.]
‘Are you becoming more and more aggressive?’
[joy.]
I wish I could be a good person, but I don’t like it when it turns out that he is my successor.
Hey, can you really be that narrow-minded?
[….That rotten bastard.]
‘… I guess I was right.’
But is he still a volcano character?
Even though time has passed, I still have those kinds of feelings.
[That’s a separate story. The children of today are the ones who need to be taken care of by the current head of the household.]
‘Then what don’t you like?’
[… It makes me feel a little sick to see him take out a plum and beat it up. It wasn’t like that when I was there…!]
‘… No, what is that?’
[These days, anyway, ah… . The Plum Blossom Sword Technique isn’t swung like that… .]
I decided to just ignore him because he was spouting such crap.
I said while looking at Namgungbia.
“Are you still upset about this?”
Are you being so stubborn because you rejected my offer and got upset about doing it with Youngpoong?
Namgungbia’s eyes trembled slightly, whether she had expected it or not.
“… I’m not upset.”
His voice was also shaking a little.
“I think it’s crooked?”
“no.”
“Isn’t that true?”
But why do you keep avoiding eye contact? Were you originally someone who showed your emotions so easily on your face?
Is it because Namgungbia is still young, or is he always like that?
I couldn’t really understand it.
I suddenly had a question for Namgungbia, who kept avoiding eye contact.
“Lady Namgung.”
“…huh?”
“Do you like the moon?”
Namgungbia tilted her head at my question.
It was a question so out of the blue, so that could be the case.
Namgungbia rolled her eyes as if she was thinking for a moment and then answered.
“not really…?”
I laughed out loud at those words.
“Didn’t you like the moon?”
I think I liked it.
No, you’ve never said it out loud.
“…?”
I said this while looking at Namgungbia who was looking puzzled.
“Let’s do the rain next time.”
“…!”
Namgungbia’s eyes widened.
Is it really that surprising that I said I’d do it next time?
“… Are you going to do it?”
“If you tell me not to speak informally.”
“yo. this?”
“No… It’s okay. Do whatever you want.”
Honestly, I’ve half given up now.
This really feels like something that will never get better, even if I die.
I’ve spent too much money right now and my body will get tired quickly.
Even though I tried to control it, it was a martial art that was difficult to use for a long time, and my body would soon become overloaded.
I guess I’ll have to lie down and suffer for a while.
[I wish scissors were pressed.]
‘Are you going to keep saying things that are not worth your time? A ghost like you is talking about scissors…?’
[Night price…!? This guy is so shameless…!]
I keep getting a headache because it’s been so noisy lately.
As I was wrapping my head around my throbbing hair, Namgungbia came closer to me.
“what’s the matter?”
“I just have a headache…”
Suddenly, Namgungbia’s hand touches his cheek.
That’s why the thoughts that just occurred to me overlapped.
“Fever….”
[don’t cry.]
An unpleasant feeling welled up inside me and I unconsciously pushed Namgungbia’s hand away.
“…?”
Namgungbia looked back and forth between her thrown hand and me.
I didn’t realize that I was acting too harshly.
He coughed once and apologized to Namgungbia.
“I’m sorry. I was startled.”
[Even if you really give it to me, I can’t eat it.]
Namgungbia nodded her head slightly.
It seemed like a sign that things were okay.
“Then… next time.”
Namgungbia, who said that, turned his back and walked away.
Is it an illusion that the footsteps seem more lively?
Looking at that, Shin Noya asks.
[You didn’t want to do that, what are you thinking?]
‘When did I ever not try to do it?’
[Even at the moment I told that woman that I would do it, and even now, the words of a guy who finds it awkward…]
‘I just said it because it seemed like you really wanted to do it.’
[… Okay, if you do, adjust it a bit this time.]
‘What are you talking about?’
[If you’re going to use bets, whether it’s that beastly martial arts or whatever, be careful.]
I didn’t quite understand what Shin Noya was saying. It didn’t sound like he was joking.
[I was picking out bets randomly, so the guy went wild and I had a hard time putting him to sleep.]
‘…yes?’
[What on earth did you eat to have such a strange thing in your stomach…. Is this old man going to have to suffer like this?]
‘What do you mean, he is no longer in this world?’
Shin Noya screamed at my answer.
This was even more annoying because it wasn’t something that could be solved by blocking one’s ears.
Although it was said playfully, it was actually a difficult topic.
If you bet a lot, you’ll get into trouble… .
Shin Noya’s words were uncomfortable for me.
Now that you’re able to move around a bit, problems are popping up inside you?
‘What on earth is it…?’
Did you come over riding on the spirit of the ghost?
I couldn’t tell if there was something inside my body in the first place.
I also considered the possibility that Shin Noya was lying, but in the end, I wasn’t sure about that either.
‘If we go to the volcano quickly, will we be able to find out anything?’
Actually, I didn’t think it would be possible to go to the volcano, but there was no way right now.
‘Is this something I should find out later?’
There was no way to do anything in the mountains.
He returned to the campsite, leaving Youngpung’s affairs to the Hwasan faction.
Suddenly, I arrived and felt a sense of unease. I thought about what was different and realized that Wi Seol-ah had not come running out.
“… What the heck? Where did he really go?”
It wasn’t a given that he would come out to greet me, but I felt a little uneasy because he was always there, but I couldn’t see him.
I wondered where he had gone, so I stopped a passing servant and asked him.
“Seol-ah was with Grandpa Wi earlier.”
Only then could I feel reassured by the servant’s words.
If you’re with Geomjon, there’s nothing to worry about.
… Starting tomorrow, will you be accompanying Namgungbia?
[… That would be nice. It’s full… .]
It was Shin Noya’s words that popped out while I was worrying about what to do.
‘…Shin Noya, you’re not really a Taoist, are you?’
[Aesong-ah… You keep talking nonsense to the ancestors of Taoism.]
No, no matter how I look at it, this human shouldn’t be the volcano’s long-legged friend… .
It would be even worse if it was the Volcanic Sword.
It was a terrible thing for the Hwasanpa writers living in the present day.
[…Do you know what I’m hearing?]
‘Yes, I know that and I’m doing it. Don’t worry.’
[Hahaha, he really is a rotten guy.]
By the time I finished my training, the night had gotten much deeper than before.
I had to go to bed quickly because tomorrow would be tough if I stayed up any longer.
I was concerned that Youngpoong might have overdone it a bit.
[Overdone…? Burning a plum tree right in front of you and eating it is just overdone…?]
…I thought that he would overcome it on his own.
If it was going to collapse to this extent, it would have been impossible to climb over the wall in the first place.
I felt like I was a little sweaty because I had been moving around, so I wanted to wash up and go to bed, but I was too lazy, so I decided to just go to bed.
[… He really is a shameless guy who just tries to sleep like this.]
As always, Shin Noya’s words were ignored.
******************
Wi Seol-ah was talking to Geom-jon for the first time in a long time.
Even if we call it a story, all it is is Geomjon telling his old story of martial arts, adding details to it like a tale.
Wi Seol-ah just listened with interest.
When her eyes were half-closed and she was about to fall asleep, Wi Seol-ah asked Geom-jon.
“grandfather.”
“huh?”
“What is a fiancé?”
“…huh?”
Geomjon made a subtle expression at Wi Seol-ah’s question.
Even though I raised him freely, I felt guilty and embarrassed that I hadn’t taught him even this much common sense.
I don’t know what my granddaughter’s intentions are for suddenly asking such a question, but she is a very curious person, so I thought it might be because she sometimes asks strange questions like whether eagles or hawks are tasty.
Thinking that it was the same story this time, Geomjon answered Wi Seol-ah.
“…I mean, fiancé.”
“huh…!”
As Wi Seol-ah listened to Geomjon’s explanation, her expression gradually darkened.
The sword master, who didn’t notice it, continued explaining in a whisper.
So the next day.
Wi Seol-ah didn’t speak to Namgung Bi-a.
