A stake. I tilted my head when I saw it.

“And why this?”

Why had he brought the stake? At that, Strange Demon looked at me and spoke.

“An order has come down from the cult. A revelation telling us to finish the job.”

“If by the job, you mean...”

Did he mean drive that stake in and complete the six-point star?

“So?”

“And so, I came to ask my Heaven. What would you have us do?”

“Hm?”

My eyes narrowed at Strange Demon’s words. What did I want him to do?

“You’re asking me that?”

“Yes. My Heaven.”

“...What if I tell you not to do it?”

“Then we will retrieve what was prepared in Shaanxi and dispose of it so that it causes no trouble for Heaven.”

Retrieve everything they had driven in and dispose of it? Hearing that, I asked again.

“You... do you even know what that is?”

“I do not.”

Strange Demon answered proudly.

“I only move according to orders. I do not know the little master’s will.”

“...”

Was Strange Demon telling the truth? It sounded different from what he had said before.

“So you only follow the little master’s orders...”

Then did that Baek Clan bastard know what these stakes meant?

“The heretic bastards are definitely involved in this.”

The fact that they were doing this while knowing what would happen if these were driven in was absurd.

“Tsk.”

Strange Demon knew I was paying attention to this, and had come to ask what should be done.

“The two points currently installed are already fully prepared, and dealing with the place that concerned Heaven, along with the remaining point, will take less than a day.”

“...”

The place that concerned me.

That meant the stake I had gone and removed myself.

“So he knew.”

He had known everything. That made my blood run cold.

“He knew and was watching?”

He had known all of it and stayed still. Which meant he had known even before anyone got the wrong idea that I was the Heavenly Demon’s child.

“Whether he guessed it or saw it for himself, I don’t know.”

That didn’t change how chilling it was.

“If there is any matter troubling Heaven, then I, who have become Heaven’s servant, shall fulfill anything you wish. Even if my body must be shattered in the process.”

I flinched as I looked at Strange Demon while he spoke. It was the same look as before. He was looking at me with eyes full of madness.

That gaze was exactly it.

“The eyes of fanatics.”

No different from the mad eyes those bastards who followed the heretics had worn.

What the hell was so special about the Heavenly Demon’s child that this man was this obsessed?

And at the same time.

“A stake, huh.”

I fell into thought as I looked at the stake Strange Demon had brought. He said he would deal with it?

If I just let it become a six-point star, that would be a problem in its own way.

“The things that’ll happen there are such a pain in the ass.”

If he wanted to clean it up for me, that was good news in one sense.

“...Mm.”

But something bothered me.

“If I stop this one now...”

Not only would those bastards notice that something was off, what came after would become a problem too.

And also—

“Strange Demon is a problem too.”

What he meant by handling it cleanly was only that it wouldn’t cause trouble for me.

He wasn’t taking his own safety into account at all.

Honestly, from my perspective, it wasn’t any different. Whatever happened to Strange Demon was none of my business.

But still.

“I could use him.”

Setting his identity aside, he was useful.

Was this really the right thing to use him for?

“Not yet.”

Not yet. If this business was tied to the heretics from my previous life, those lunatics, then he wasn’t a card I should burn like this.

That was where my thinking ended.

“Fine.”

“Ah, then I shall at once—!”

“Go ahead.”

“Finish the job...? Pardon?”

Strange Demon faltered. He looked like he thought he had heard wrong.

“I said do it.”

Open the six-point star.

I intended to find something to gain from it.

“It’s not like I’m completely out of options.”

Better to open it than not.

A way to screw over the heretic bastards and take a profit myself.

I had that option.

“You can carry out the plan that bastard gave you as it is. However.”

I stepped closer to Strange Demon.

As I moved in, I caught a whiff of something fragrant. What kind of smell was this on a man? It raised goosebumps a little, but I ignored it and spoke to him.

“...!”

Strange Demon’s eyes widened at my words. Seeing that, I said,

“You can do it, right?”

“...Yes.”

Strange Demon answered me with a bright smile.

“Leave it to me, my Heaven.”

*****

That was how I sent Strange Demon away. There was nothing good to be gained from him staying here any longer, so I told him to meet me tomorrow.

After that, I picked up the noodles I had been making and went back to Yuyeon.

“Hey. I brought—”

When I returned to where she had been, I saw a familiar face.

“Young Master Bang.”

It was Cheon Eujin. He looked me over with a face stiff with tension.

“...Are your injuries all right?”

“Ah, yes. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“...Haah.”

At that, Cheon Eujin let out a sigh of relief. Then, with a faintly angry look, he said to me,

“What in the world were you trying to—!”

He bit his lip and stopped himself midway.

“...My apologies. Who am I to say anything.”

He froze after nearly raising his voice, and just as I was about to say something—

“You must not have told me because I was no help.”

“No, that’s not—”

That made me think of what Cheon Hyein had said. That this was different from Cheon Eujin’s situation.

That made things a little awkward.

“Young Master Cheon. It’s not that...”

“I apologize. I had hoped I might be of some help, but it seems I’m still very far from that... I simply heard you were here and wanted to at least come greet you.”

Cheon Eujin gave me a small bow and turned to leave.

I thought about just letting him pass, but grabbed him first.

“Young Master Cheon.”

“...Yes?”

“...Do you like noodles?”

“...?”

Cheon Eujin’s eyes narrowed for an instant.

I dragged him over and sat him down on the wooden porch. I couldn’t bring even Cheon Eujin inside, because Seongheon was in there.

When I arrived, Yuyeon came out as though she had been waiting.

Then her eyes widened when she saw the noodles I had brought.

“Eat.”

“...”

Yuyeon plopped down at once and stared at the noodles.

I handed the portion meant for me to Cheon Eujin.

“Please, eat. I just made them.”

“Young Master Bang made these...?”

“Yes. They won’t be as bad as they look. You should eat too—... looks like you already are.”

There had been no need to worry. Yuyeon was already wolfing down the noodles like crazy.

At the sight of her eating so frantically, Cheon Eujin stared at her blankly.

“...I, well...”

“I went ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to the trouble of making them, so please try some.”

“...”

Cheon Eujin hesitated, then took a bite.

“...Mm...”

The reaction was ambiguous. Of course it was. It was just noodles with broth poured over them. How good could it be?

Especially for a rich family’s son like Cheon Eujin, it probably wouldn’t be anything special.

“It’s good...”

“You know you’re not very good at lying either, right, Young Master Cheon?”

“...”

“It’s fine.”

I hadn’t given it to him because I wanted it to taste good anyway. It was just an excuse. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

An excuse to keep Cheon Eujin here.

“Young Master Cheon.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“...!”

The moment I lowered my head, Cheon Eujin jolted in shock.

“N-no, please don’t bow your head to me!”

“...It’s not that I was specifically trying to exclude you.”

Honestly, that was true. I had also truly thought he was too weak to bring along.

“The situation was urgent, so I couldn’t give you any warning. Things were that pressing.”

“...I understand all of that.”

He understood it. But emotionally, he probably couldn’t accept it.

He had to know himself that he was the weakest one among us, and even aside from that, I knew very well he was struggling from constantly being compared to his older sister.

“I wanted to try doing something together, but the circumstances were strange, so I couldn’t pay attention to you.”

“...Even that is something you needn’t trouble yourself over. Young Master Bang, you are not like me. There is no reason for you to concern yourself with someone like me. It is simply something I should have handled better myself.”

Well.

Even so, I had brought him here as a companion. Leaving him hanging wasn’t exactly admirable.

Still, rather than apologizing twice, it was better to bring up something else.

Cheon Eujin was the sort of person who stayed on my mind.

For all that I had tossed him aside, he was actually the one I had been paying the most attention to.

Unlike that handsome face of his, there was the inferiority and anxiety I could feel from him.

The way his self-esteem had sunk without limit kept overlapping with someone in my memory.

Maybe that was why Cheon Eujin always stayed on my mind.

Not that he seemed aware of that, the way he kept worrying about me.

“Young Master Cheon.”

“Yes...?”

“I know this isn’t exactly the right situation to be saying this, but may I ask you for a favor?”

“...What...?”

A favor, out of nowhere? Cheon Eujin looked puzzled.

Seeing that, I spoke.

“If you grant me this favor, I’ll teach you one of my master’s secret arts.”

“...What?”

[What?]

Cheon Eujin was shocked to hear that, and even Yoo Cheongil, who had been silent, was shocked.

[What nonsense are you spouting?]

Since I had said it without his permission, I could see him frowning.

It scared me a little, but I ignored it.

“What do you think?”

“...Why...? If it is because you are concerned about me, then you needn’t—”

“I am concerned about you. But you can’t stay like this forever, can you?”

“...”

“I need strong people.”

Honestly, I didn’t even need that. Still, some things had to be said.

“People who can follow me on the road I’m taking without growing exhausted. That’s the kind of people I need.”

I didn’t need anyone like that. I felt like I was the one about to get exhausted on the road. I knew that perfectly well, but I said it anyway.

“But you are not that kind of person right now, Young Master Cheon.”

“...”

Cheon Eujin bit his lip. Seeing that, I continued.

“So seize this chance. It’s not a chance I would offer to anyone else, but you are special.”

“...I’m special?”

“Yes. I believe in your potential, Young Master Cheon.”

There had to be some. That wasn’t an empty compliment. His older sister was Cheon Hyein, and his father was the Moon Immortal Sword.

Surely Cheon Eujin wasn’t someone with nothing at all. He wasn’t some child picked up off the street.

“So please, don’t let this request pass you by.”

“...”

Cheon Eujin’s eyes trembled. Ripples passed through those blue eyes that had not been open for long.

“What will you do?”

“...”

Cheon Eujin fell silent. All kinds of thoughts showed on his face.

Pressure, maybe. Anxiety, maybe. In the middle of all those things I couldn’t tell apart—

“...What... what is this favor?”

In the end, he chose the answer I had wanted.

Seeing that, I smiled.

“It’s nothing much...”

I looked at him quietly and spoke.

“I’m supposed to meet Strange Demon this time. I’m planning to get a little help there.”

“...What?”

At my words, Cheon Eujin went rigid like stone.