Chapter 112: Rampage (1)
More than five months had already passed since I’d entered the Hall of the Demonic Way. Just a little longer and I’d hit the half-year mark.
I let my mind and body drift on the cool breeze, lazily flicking my sword through the air.
The whole world just felt like a chore.
'Nice weather.'
Yawning languidly while my sword traced aimless patterns in the air, I felt like I just wanted to lie down right there and take a nap.
"Seeing how relaxed you are, it seems this instructor will have to test you in a duel.”
If only it weren't for Chu Il-hwan's voice reaching my ears at that mont.
'Tch.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly and quickly straightened my posture.
"You're mistaken, Instructor. I was rely reflecting on my insights, swinging slowly to gather my thoughts.”
When I said this to Instructor Chu Il-hwan, he flashed his signature smile while watching from beyond the human barrier.
"Ho. Insights, you say."
But for so reason, despite the smile on his lips, the vein on his forehead was throbbing violently.
‘Is he going through nopause or sothing? He’s been especially sensitive lately.’
He is a bit young for dentia to hit him, but since he was soone who had spent his whole life cultivating Demonic Arts, it wouldn’t be strange for ntal issues to arrive early, right?
‘Or maybe… he’s sexually frustrated?’
A shiver went down my spine as I recalled Chu Il-hwan’s particular tastes.
‘Co to think of it, I’ve been getting the chills a lot lately… Don’t tell …’
A suddenly ominous thought crossed my mind.
What if this crazy pervert is secretly stalking ?
My eyes naturally narrowed as I looked at Chu Il-hwan with suspicion.
"What's with that look? You want to have a go with ?"
His smile widened as black lightning crackled to life in his right hand.
I had to force myself to look away.
'You don't avoid shit because you're scared of it. You avoid it because it's disgusting.'
And right now, Chu Il-hwan was the one piece of shit I absolutely had to steer clear of.
‘That Dokgo Pae fellow seems to be keeping his promise, at least.’
Ever since I gave him that advice, he hadn't challenged to a duel unless it was during an exam or under an instructor’s orders.
For so reason, a cadet nad Gwak Sul was being dragged around by Dokgo Pae in my place, but that wasn't my concern.
'I don't think I need to visit that clearing anymore either.'
Four won—Jeong Hyeon, Ju Seo-yeon, Bang Mi-hwa, and Ha Young—were training together and refining their acting skills.
To be precise, the acting was pretty much just Bang Mi-hwa’s solo performance. Ha Young clapped enthusiastically from the side while Jeong Hyeon and Ju Seo-yeon were little more than stage props.
Anyway, what mattered was that after spending about a month together in the clearing, Jeong Hyeon had more or less grown accustod to the other three.
'Bang Mi-hwa is obsessed with acting, and Dokgo Pae is with Gwak Sul. There's no one else chasing after , so I really don't need to go to that clearing anymore, right?'
Did true peace finally arrive upon ?
'Good. From today on, I'll just hole up in the Black Dragon Pavilion.'
The thought that my dream life at the Hall of the Demonic Way was finally about to begin filled with glee.
***
That afternoon.
As usual, Jeong Hyeon was the first to arrive at the secluded clearing.
"Nom."
She took a bite of the rice ball she pulled from her bosom and looked up at the blue sky.
Due to the side effects of her Ghostly Spirit Divine Bow, she avoided crowded places, so after classes ended, she would always stop by the cafeteria to grab only rice balls and co to the clearing like this to eat alone.
Being near people made her nerves fray to an extre degree; eating with soone else required an imnse amount of courage.
Setting aside the awkwardness, she would definitely get indigestion.
Still, that didn’t an she enjoyed eating alone like this every single day either.
'...If we got a little closer, could we eat together?'
She saw Il-mok’s face overlap with the fluffy clouds drifting in the sky.
‘If he was that far away, I think I’d be okay.’
If they ate together while he was as far away as those clouds, surely even she could enjoy a al without feeling uncomfortable.
Not knowing how far clouds actually were, she savored her rice ball alone while entertaining those silly thoughts.
Just as she finished eating and was rinsing her hands with water from her gourd, she sensed a presence at the clearing’s entrance.
“Disciple Jeong Hyeon! I knew you’d be the first one here!”
Jeong Hyeon gave an awkward smile at the sight of the energetic Ju Seo-yeon.
It was partly because she was uncomfortable dealing with people, but also because of Il-mok's advice.
'He told to avoid being alone with her.'
Jeong Hyeon couldn't understand why Il-mok had given such advice.
But even without knowing the reason, she faithfully followed Il-mok's advice.
The mont the brightly smiling Ju Seo-yeon took a step closer, Jeong Hyeon took a step back.
Ju Seo-yeon remained cheerful despite the obvious avoidance.
"Ah! Going any further would make you uncomfortable! Hahaha! Then I'll stop here!"
She already knew Jeong Hyeon had trouble being near people.
She plopped down right where she stood and looked up at the sky with a vacant expression.
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence naturally descended upon the clearing.
It might be different for soone who enjoyed being alone, but Jeong Hyeon wanted to be with people. She just couldn't because her constitution just wouldn’t allow it.
And as is typical for people who want to be with others but have abysmal social skills, this kind of silence was suffocating.
Because it felt like it was her fault sohow.
‘You can do it, Jeong Hyeon! You’ve practiced for this!’
Recalling the mories of being tornted by the now-departed Baek Cheon, Jeong Hyeon mustered a lifeti of courage and opened her mouth.
"Wh-what are you thinking about?"
It was a mont when she succeeded in sothing that would have made Baek Cheon pat her shoulders proudly, saying she'd grown wonderfully, and probably caused Jeong Hyeon to have a panic attack.
Still staring into the sky, Ju Seo-yeon pointed a finger at a cloud and replied, “I was thinking of Miss Jin Hayeon. That cloud looks just like her.”
Since Jin Hayeon was soone who had been with Il-mok before entering the Hall of the Demonic Way, Jeong Hyeon naturally beca curious about her.
"J-Jin Hayeon... you an the p-person who was I-Il-mok Young Master's s-servant?"
And that was the wrong topic to choose.
Ju Seo-yeon’s head snapped to the side at an unnatural angle, her gaze turning from the sky to lock onto Jeong Hyeon, her eyes shining with a brilliant light.
"You've heard about Miss Jin Hayeon! Hahaha. To speak of Miss Jin Hayeon is to speak of a beauty so profound it would be no exaggeration to call her a flower sculpted from the ice of a ten-thousand-year snow mountain. On the surface, she possesses a coldness and grace that seem utterly unapproachable, but that is rely her exterior! Within her breast beats a passion like the lava of a volcano! Is she not like the swans that swim upon a river? So elegant and proud on the surface, but beneath the water, she strives and devotes herself to overcoming the harsh storms of this world…”
An endless torrent of praise for Jin Hayeon poured from Ju Seo-yeon’s lips.
Jeong Hyeon listened to the incantation with a blank face as if hypnotized.
She was barely able to escape Ju Seo-yeon's brainwashing when she felt a presence at the clearing's entrance.
"Ohoho. What pleasant stories are you sharing?"
Bang Mi-hwa snapped open her fan as she spoke. Jeong Hyeon breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her.
To be honest, Bang Mi-hwa was an intimidating person for Jeong Hyeon.
It wasn't because of her haughty laughter or her self-centered behavior.
That was similar to Baek Cheon anyway, so it was a sowhat familiar personality.
It was just that ever since the incident in the bathhouse, she would often catch Bang Mi-hwa stealing glances at her, which made her uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, she was relieved by Bang Mi-hwa’s arrival, mostly because of who she expected to appear behind her.
"???"
But for so reason, even though Bang Mi-hwa had arrived, Il-mok was nowhere to be seen. Only Ha Young was with her.
While Jeong Hyeon was feeling puzzled, Ju Seo-yeon and Bang Mi-hwa began their conversation.
"I was talking about the woman I most admire. Hahaha."
"Oh my. You were discussing ."
“Her na is Miss Jin Hayeon. She is an incredibly beautiful woman from the Hidden Guard Pavilion. Hahaha.”
"Hoohoo. There's no need to be so embarrassed, Ju Seo-yeon. You should bla my irresistible charm that captivates people regardless of age or gender. Hohoho."
Could this even be called a conversation? They were exchanging such nonsensical dialogue.
Jeong Hyeon stared blankly at the festival of nonsense for a mont.
'You can do it, Jeong Hyeon! You just did it a minute ago!
She repeated the mantra to herself and carefully opened her mouth.
“Um… w-where did Young Master Il-mok go?”
Bang Mi-hwa, who had been in the middle of boasting about herself, snapped her fan shut as if just rembering sothing and answered.
“Co to think of it, Young Master Il-mok won’t be coming here today. He said he had sothing else to do.”
"Pardon?"
Jeong Hyeon was montarily stunned by the unexpected news.
"......"
Then she belatedly realized that an awkward silence had fallen over the clearing once more.
"!?"
When she ca to her senses, she saw Bang Mi-hwa staring intently at her.
"Co to think of it, today there's no Baek Cheon or Young Master Il-mok, so it's just us won."
Bang Mi-hwa, who was always so confident, suddenly covered her mouth slightly with her fan as she spoke.
“So, as one woman to another, would you give an honest answer, Disciple Jeong Hyeon?”
“A-An honest answer about what?” Jeong Hyeon stamred back, trembling with an inexplicable sense of foreboding as Bang Mi-hwa boldly took a step forward.
As Jeong Hyeon stepped back by the sa distance, Bang Mi-hwa spread her fan with a swoosh and pointed it at a certain part of Jeong Hyeon’s body.
“That… what’s the secret?”
"!?"
“I. Am. Not. Asking, Because. I’m. Jealous. Understand? I’m rely asking because it might help with my acting.”
What does that have to do with acting?
The question popped into her head, but her panicked mouth felt glued shut.
In that ti, Ju Seo-yeon’s gaze, which had been lost in her own nonsensical ramblings, had also turned toward Jeong Hyeon.
“Co to think of it, I’ve been very curious about that for a while now.”
Ju Seo-yeon suddenly stood up and began to creep slowly toward Jeong Hyeon.
'Wh-why are your hands...?'
Seeing Ju Seo-yeon's hands reaching forward as she approached, Jeong Hyeon suddenly rembered Il-mok's advice.
To never be alone with Ju Seo-yeon.
anwhile, Ha Young was also approaching Jeong Hyeon to satisfy her curiosity.
“It’s just us girls, so you can tell us comfortably.”
A closing pincer formation of three won advancing from three directions.
Normally, the sudden approach of so many people would have caused Jeong Hyeon to foam at the mouth and faint on the spot. But for so reason, she didn’t faint this ti.
Her instincts were screaming at her. A primal alarm bell warned her that if she fainted now, there was no telling what might happen.
Even as she desperately wanted to have a fit and pass out…
"Hieek!"
Jeong Hyeon let out a bizarre shriek. With an extre act of will, she suppressed the oncoming fit and launched herself away using her lightness skill.
Pat!
It was the most perfect display of movent technique in her entire life.
***
"Hmm."
A contented hum escaped Instructor Eun Ryeo’s lips as she savored the aroma of her tea on her quiet afternoon.
For her, who suffered from a rejection disorder that forced her to constantly wear a cold mask, these monts of solitary rest were a true pleasure.
But the faint smile on her face soon hardened, freezing over like a sheet of ice. Her senses had detected the subtle presence of soone stealthily approaching.
Not wanting to show her relaxed face to anyone, she let out a faint sigh and spoke.
"Co in."
Just from the presence alone, she knew who it was.
The mont she gave permission, the door opened, and the person she expected stepped inside.
Ever since Jeong Hyeon’s last panic attack at the clearing, Eun Ryeo had deliberately kept a distance from Jeong Hyeon due to her worry of triggering another bout of panic attacks.
Despite her icy exterior, she couldn’t help the part of her that wanted to care for the pitiable girl.
Eun Ryeo, who had been sitting at the table to maintain a distance from Jeong Hyeon almost gasped in shock when she turned around.
It’s because Jeong Hyeon's face was deathly pale.
"...Did you run into a problem?"
Barely maintaining her composure, Jeong Hyeon trembled as she answered.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Instructor. C-could you h-hide for a mont...?"
The sight of her, trembling and pale like a drenched kitten as she made this pitiful request, made Eun Ryeo’s heart sink.
"Feel free to use this place."
For soone suffering from rejection disorder, this was a request she couldn't possibly refuse.
"Co sit here."
Eun Ryeo willingly stood up and offered her seat so Jeong Hyeon could sit where she had been.
“You seem to have had quite a fright, and your body has grown cold. Warm yourself with so tea.”
Without even realizing it, Eun Ryeo's tone had also beco gentle.
Jeong Hyeon, who had been showing signs of a panic attack, followed Eun Ryeo's instructions. And when Jeong Hyeon appeared sowhat calr after drinking tea, Eun Ryeo belatedly asked.
"Is soone chasing you?"
Asking to be hidden must an there was a pursuer. But what reason could a student have to be chased within the Hall?
At Instructor Eun Ryeo's question, Jeong Hyeon flinched.
'Th-that's too embarrassing to say....'
Jeong Hyeon couldn't bring herself to say that she was being chased because of a certain… ample part of her anatomy.
"J-just... I'm b-being chased, Instructor."
"By whom?"
Eun Ryeo asked, her voice uncharacteristically gentle compared to how she usually treated the students.
"B-Bang Mi-hwa and H-Ha Young. And J-Ju Seo-yeon are ch-chasing , Instructor."
"Could you tell the reason you're being chased?"
When Eun Ryeo asked gently again, Jeong Hyeon could only shake her head frantically in embarrassnt.
Seeing her absolute refusal to state the reason, Eun Ryeo was forced to deduce it herself.
'Jeong Hyeon. Bang Mi-hwa. Ha Young. Ju Seo-yeon. Those nas… they sound familiar when connected together…....'
Individually, the four won were unrelated, but strangely, all of their nas were connected to one other na.
'It's because of Disciple Il-mok!'
The mont that na ca to mind, a whole story painted itself in Instructor Eun Ryeo’s head.
‘I knew he would beco a man of many sins, but to think he’d create a veritable scene of carnage!
(TL Note: Shuraba!)
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