Chương 85: S.05 Time to Fly 02(06)

Scene 11_03. At Seon-woo's polite charge, Eun-jae did not press further. Eun-jae, having nodded without a word, gently stamped one foot and set off blue flames. After the flames flared up with blue smoke, neither Eun-jae nor Soo-a remained. Seon-woo let out a large sigh and turned to look at Yu-seok again. Seon-woo: Honestly, you fucking piece of shit. You lot — there is not one thing you do properly. Yu-seok: You are right. I did not know that one would come, either.

Soo-a staying behind was not in my plan either, truth be told. Seon-woo: Right, then. Since you really do seem better off croaking on this occasion, do not run — be sure to croak by my hand. Seon-woo's one eye stained black. The fading wounds on Yu-seok's body and the black water on his clothes were drawn in toward him as if swallowed up, and then stained one of Yu-seok's eyes black. Seon-woo: This time — Seon-woo's head twisted at an eerie angle and her body lunged toward Yu-seok in a heartbeat.

There was no contest with Seon-woo in a fight. Yu-seok raised black sand to try to block Seon-woo's bare hands, but Seon-woo's palm, which did not so much as flinch though its own skin burst and broke down, gripped Yu-seok's collar. Seon-woo's hand, which had been filled with wounds, mended in a heartbeat and left only a trace of black water. Gripping Yu-seok by the collar, she hurled him to the ground with all her force. As Yu-seok fell, Seon-woo shaped Grey Sand again and rammed it down into Yu-seok's neck.

Seon-woo: Croak. Without fail. You hear? Seon-woo's hand, which had shown no mercy, turned the blade lodged in Yu-seok's neck downward and split Yu-seok's upper body lengthwise. Without holding back, Seon-woo rammed Grey Sand into Yu-seok's cheek and temple. With the Grey Sand bursting outside the skin in repeated rounds, half of Yu-seok's face was nearly gone. Though Yu-seok had been rolled flat across the floor, the wounds did not last long.

The black current rose up into his skin in a heartbeat and stitched the split flesh of Yu-seok back together. Seon-woo grabbed Yu-seok's head, the wounds of which had mended, with one hand as if seizing him, and slammed Yu-seok's head down onto the floor. Seon-woo: I, told you, not to do that. Yu-seok: And you do not? Seon-woo: Did I not also say it was not what I wanted? Yu-seok, who had staggered up from the floor, rolled his neck this way and that. Yu-seok: I was offered, too.

So — do not chew me out so damn hard, would you? Seon-woo: Since you did a damn thing, I have to Jiral damn-style about it. So today, Seon-woo gripped the Grey Sand blade she had shaped again, and glared at Yu-seok with a sneer. Seon-woo: I really do think I need to kill you off. Seon-woo shaped Grey Sand into a murky form and scattered it at Yu-seok. Yu-seok, returned to his unmarred form, deflected Seon-woo's grey daggers and lunged at Seon-woo.

Seon-woo did not turn aside the lunging Yu-seok, who did not know he was going to die. She thought he would draw right up to her. Seon-woo, who had waited for Yu-seok to come all the way, took up the blade in her grip and drew in black water. The black water that seeped into the blade-edge swept fast toward the space between Yu-seok's shoulder and neck.

Yu-seok, sensing this time was dangerous, twisted his body to slip past the blade, and as he tried to strike Seon-woo's side, the Grey Sand blade flashed with an eerie light and severed Yu-seok's arm clean off. Yu-seok, not seeming to mind, shaped his arm again from the black current and gripped Seon-woo's neck. Seon-woo, briefly thrown by the moment, gripped Yu-seok's hand back. From the black current, the smell of rot was felt. Black water rushed through Seon-woo's mouth, nose, and ear-canals in a heartbeat.

Seon-woo, with her breath sealed off, regripped the blade and worked to the end to sever Yu-seok's wrist. Each time the blade-edge struck Yu-seok's arm, the black current sprayed in all directions, but Yu-seok did not let Seon-woo go to the end. Yu-seok: You — you can take it in, yes? Can you not?! Country bitch?! Black current began to rise in Seon-woo's other eye, the one that had been unmarred.

As Seon-woo, thrown off, dangled in Yu-seok's grip and writhed, Yu-seok sneered, shaped black water onto the floor, and tossed Seon-woo whole into it. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. A sudden stillness fell. Yu-seok drew a large breath, then in his entirely wrecked form, walked over to Hong-sin, who was lodged into the wall.

Looking at Hong-sin, whose face was half-grotesquely-burst but who was not yet dead, only unconscious and pinned to the wall, Yu-seok let out a sigh as if he found him pathetic. Pulling Grey Ash from inside his coat, Yu-seok tucked it into the front pocket of Hong-sin's robe as if tidying it, then stepped away from the place. Scene 12_01. Hyang-rim, who had heard everything So-hui said, rather wore a face of unburdened ease and even held a faint smile.

Gyeong-seo and Yeon-su seemed to have stepped aside, and in the wide room of Hyang-rim there were only the three — Hyang-rim, So-hui, and Si-yeon. So-hui carefully folded the record-sheet she had been writing and tucked it into her sleeve. Hyang-rim, who had heard out all of So-hui's plans, gently drew her seated body forward. Hyang-rim took the hands of So-hui and Si-yeon as if folding them together, and asked the two. Hyang-rim: Were you two — not hurt anywhere. It was an elder's worry.

A worry only an elder could carry. It was a sentence anyone could have spoken, but the depth and warmth held within it could only be offered by a true elder. So-hui and Si-yeon, with throats brimming, could not bring their voices forth, and only nodded. Hyang-rim: What a relief. I had not known you would meet such a thing on your way. So-hui: No, Bishop. Rather — having made Jeong-seon step away for even a moment, that is what we are sorry for. Hyang-rim: She needs a little outside air too.

If she stays too long with this old mother, even that would be stifling. It is just that she cannot say so. It is alright. Do not mind such things. So-hui: Bishop. At So-hui's voice, Hyang-rim let out a small sigh and shook her head. Hyang-rim: When your mother said to me, "The Guide has walked the path," I prepared myself for everything. I could not bring myself to give an answer. What it meant — I had heard far too much of it from the Guides before you.

So, that Jeong-seon might be able to see, I recorded a great deal. That impatient child opened it ahead of time, right before Fourth Butterfly served the Envoy — that was the problem. Even at Hyang-rim's light scolding, So-hui and Si-yeon could not easily release the weight from their faces. Hyang-rim: Third Butterfly — as you, So-hui, have already seen — Jeong-seon, too, knows. Si-yeon: Is there nothing more I can do to help. At Si-yeon's careful question, Hyang-rim smiled and shook her head.

Hyang-rim: Fourth Butterfly has already done a great deal for our Black Doctrine. Simply by gathering the lingering traces of the Envoy's Legion left on all and replacing them with the trace of the Envoy, you allowed us to live without minding the gaze of the Envoy's Legion. And so it shall be. By preparing things so that all may follow only the Envoy's will — by that alone, you have already done everything. So-hui: Bishop. That is why I wished to ask. Why is it that you — Hyang-rim: So-hui.

So-hui's question, pressed forward as if urging, could not reach its end. Hyang-rim briefly held back So-hui's question, smiled, and went on with what remained to be said. Hyang-rim: It is alright. It was a sufficient word. A short word that held neither many meanings nor much content, yet carried only emotion to the brim. So-hui and Si-yeon could not bring forth any further word.

The sun, which had been high, had tilted and tilted, and now poured in through the lattice of the paper-paneled window where the Mu-ryeom-ja had been rolled up. Scene 12_02. Jeong-seon was crying like a child. Ji-young's body, cool yet firm, was not unfamiliar to Jeong-seon. Jeong-seon was just as cold as Ji-young, but Ji-young's embrace was rather warm. Ji-young, soothing the bawling Jeong-seon, glanced at I-yeon's heavy expression.

It was the helplessness of those who knew what was to come, what was bound to arrive. Familiar. That was why I-sim had chosen as she had. So that even So-hui would not know — so that only Ji-young and Yeon-hui, who would each face the brief parting before them, would know — I-sim had laid the path she had walked. That made the weight all the heavier. Ji-young could only pat the back of the child-like weeping Jeong-seon.

After enduring in silence the grief Jeong-seon had wept for so long, Ji-young, still holding Jeong-seon in her arms, conveyed a calm voice. Ji-young: Just do not let yourself regret. For me — it is what I regret. At Ji-young's soothing, Jeong-seon could not bring a single word forward. Ji-young: I really debated whether to just tell So-hui everything. Because then she could have seen Mom for even one more day.

At Ji-young's plain confession, Jeong-seon, still held in Ji-young's arms, gathered her breath and began to fold the cries she had been pouring out, little by little, back inward. Ji-young: I will help. I promise. At Ji-young's quiet pledge, Jeong-seon only nodded. Jeong-seon: So, so. When Si-yeon sis served the Envoy, I lost the way on purpose. The Envoy came to Si-yeon sis. Truth is, I wanted to ruin it then. All of it. So I tried to make the path wrong, tried to make it go wrong — I tried.

At Jeong-seon's belated confession, Ji-young only smiled without a word and patted Jeong-seon a little deeper. There was nothing she could say. It had already happened, so no word would be of use. Ji-young knew that better than anyone. Jeong-seon: I thought maybe I had read it for nothing then. That I should not have opened it then. Ji-young: It is alright.... All of it. It is alright. Jeong-seon: It is not alright! I am sorry and I am angry and I am sorry, I said.

At Jeong-seon's child-like burst, Ji-young drew Jeong-seon in a little deeper. Jeong-seon: Even though it is all over, I am sorry. To the sisters. Ji-young: Do you regret it? Jeong-seon: No. Ji-young: Then it is fine. At Ji-young's soothing, the swing of the surging emotion settled. Jeong-seon, with only her sniffling left, belatedly pulled away from Ji-young's arms. Looking at Jeong-seon's round face with her two eyes puffed up, Ji-young passed her the tissue set beside the dressing mirror.

Jeong-seon, with a child-like grumbling motion of the hand, pulled out the tissue Ji-young had handed her, and blew out the tears and snot that brimmed and fell from her swollen eyes. At the sound of nose-blowing loud enough to flutter the tissue, I-yeon was about to say a word, but Ji-young only shook her head as if to say it was fine. When the air in Ji-young's quarters had been put a little in order, a somewhat hurried voice came through from beyond the door. Hee-jin: The Oldest. It is the Strategist.

Ji-young answered Hee-jin with a puzzled look. Ji-young: Yes. Come in. At Ji-young's call, Hee-jin, who had moved her steps in some haste, briefly checked the faces of I-yeon and Jeong-seon. But as if she could no longer delay, she spoke to Ji-young. Hee-jin: The Oldest. You need to head to the infirmary right now. At Hee-jin's voice, Ji-young did not hesitate. Springing up from her seat, Ji-young, with an apologetic look, conveyed her voice to I-yeon. Ji-young: I am sorry, but please stay here for a moment.

Both of you. At Ji-young's voice, I-yeon nodded. Leaving Jeong-seon and I-yeon in the room, Ji-young followed Hee-jin's hurried voice and headed outside.