Moon Immortal Sword?

Drip. Drip.

Blood fell from the tip of the sword.

No matter how anyone looked at it, Moon Immortal Sword was the one who had stabbed that woman.

The icy blue eyes staring down at Cheon Hyein were so cold that the moment I met them, a chill ran down my back.

What kind of—

How could a person’s eyes be that cold?

It wasn’t enough to call them merely irritable, or numb. They looked frostbitten.

Gulp.

My throat bobbed as if I were swallowing.

Of course, I couldn’t actually swallow. In this half-transparent soul state, something like saliva didn’t exist.

What is this?

What kind of situation was I looking at?

Why was Cheon Hyein clutching that woman and staring at Moon Immortal Sword?

[Father... please... Mother...]

My eyes widened at Cheon Hyein’s words.

Her mother?

That woman was Cheon Hyein’s mother?

Then—

Did Moon Immortal Sword stab Cheon Hyein’s mother?

Had he stabbed his own wife?

Why?

While I was still trying to understand—

Srrrk.

Moon Immortal Sword, still holding the sword, began to walk slowly toward Cheon Hyein.

[Please, please...!]

Cheon Hyein desperately tried to block him, but his steps never stopped.

Slowly, he approached the bleeding woman.

Then—

He stopped.

Right in front of Cheon Hyein.

His gaze lowered over her. Their faces met, and then Moon Immortal Sword’s lips moved.

What is he saying?

I couldn’t tell.

He was clearly saying something, but I couldn’t hear the voice, and I couldn’t read his lips either.

Just as I was staring—

Riiiiip—!!!

...!

The space collapsed.

The scene twisted, and before long, everything shattered.

Crunch.

The sound of it breaking jolted my mind awake.

*****

“...Haa...”

A breath tore out of me, and as my awareness returned, I staggered.

“...Ugh.”

My head hurt.

I clutched at my chest with a trembling hand.

Pain from the soul.

Then I looked at my other hand.

...I pulled it out.

The sword.

The one I had been trying to grasp was now in my hand.

And more than that—

I stripped off some of the divine energy too.

The divine energy that had seeped into it from the Divine Tree had been loosened to some extent.

Which meant—

That memory just now—

It had been a congealed memory manifesting from the sword under the influence of divine energy.

...Hm.

That left a bad taste in my mouth.

A congealed memory.

That’s resentment.

Resentment clinging to an object.

The remnants left behind when the original owner had died with unresolved attachment. That had entangled with the divine energy and surfaced as a memory.

And from what I just saw...

It absolutely wasn’t a good memory.

The energy itself didn’t feel evil, but objectively, it was still deeply unsettling.

Tch.

I peeled all the talismans off the sword in my hand.

They were spent already. There was no point leaving them attached any longer.

Then I tore off part of my martial uniform and wrapped the sword in it. The little divine energy that had remained no longer made itself felt.

This should hold for now.

This much would let me manage it, at least for the moment.

The instant I confirmed that, I moved. I shouldn’t stay here any longer.

Still—

What is this thing?

What exactly had this tree the Heavenly Demon called the Divine Tree been placed here for?

He had called it a Divine Tree, and true to the name, it was saturated with divine energy.

[A Divine Tree is proof of one thing.]

As if he had read my thoughts, the Heavenly Demon spoke. The sword at my waist trembled.

Proof?

Proof of what?

When I asked, he answered—

[The heavens.]

“What?”

[Everything is proof for the heavens.]

“...”

I had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

The one thing I could understand was—

This belongs to the Demonic Cult.

That the Divine Tree, that radiant tree, belonged to the Heavenly Demon’s Holy Cult.

And—

Why did that man take it?

Why had he taken the Heavenly Demon’s tree and buried it in a place like this?

Holding the sword, I could only stand there with a strange sense of dissonance.

*****

I went outside.

I kept moving through the same quiet surroundings, the sword wrapped in cloth tucked in my arms.

After a while, I started feeling eyes on me.

“...It’s the Moon Hero.”

“So he really recovered?”

“He definitely looks—”

I could pick up the reactions of the other disciples.

My senses had sharpened even more. Things I normally wouldn’t have noticed were coming in with unnatural clarity.

I ignored them and fixed my direction.

There was only one place I was going.

A large building on the grounds of Azure Moon Sect.

I had never been there before.

As I approached it, someone stepped in front of me.

“Hold— ah.”

The one stopping me looked like a second-generation disciple. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

I looked at him and asked,

“Is Lady Cheon inside?”

“...Well, that is...”

“If she is, tell her I’m here.”

Trouble flickered across the disciple’s face at my words.

What?

Was someone else inside?

I was just about to glance past him and check for myself when—

“Then let us finish the rest another time.”

“Please go in safely.”

Someone came out from inside the building.

The moment I saw him, my eyes narrowed.

Baekyeon.

Baekyeon and Cheon Hyein were coming out together.

“Oh, well, look who this is.”

Baekyeon smiled when he saw me.

The moment I faced him, I bowed.

“Greetings, Elder.”

“Yes, I’ve finally gotten to see our Moon Hero. Is your body holding up?”

“Yes. I’m all right.”

“Mm, good. That’s a relief.”

Still smiling broadly, he reached out and patted my shoulder a few times.

“Well then, let’s speak properly another time.”

“Understood.”

Baekyeon left after saying that, and I brushed off my shoulder where he had touched me, like I was dusting dirt away.

“...Ha.”

Cheon Hyein’s eyes widened when she saw that.

Her expression practically said, How can you be that obvious about it?

“...What is it?”

“Ah, I had something to give you. May I come in?”

“...Come in.”

With Cheon Hyein’s permission, I stepped inside.

The interior was remarkably neat. There were still cups of tea left behind and signs that someone had been sitting there, proof that Baekyeon had only just been there.

“Just so there’s no misunderstanding,” Cheon Hyein said to me.

“I only met with the Elder because I had something to discuss with him. I have no intention of playing games with you.”

“Oh.”

So that was what she wanted to say?

“I don’t care.”

“What?”

“Do whatever you want.”

I answered flatly. I genuinely didn’t care.

“It’s not like any of that is going to harm me anyway.”

“...”

Cheon Hyein’s brow creased. Apparently, she didn’t like how calmly I said it.

“...What confidence...”

“Anyway.”

Thump.

I set the thing I had been carrying onto the table in front of her.

“What is this?”

“The item you asked me to find.”

“The item I asked for?”

“You asked me to find a sword, didn’t you?”

“...!”

Her eyes went wide at my words.

She immediately reached for the sword in a rush, undid the cloth, and checked inside.

“Ah...!”

The moment she saw it, a gasp burst out of her.

“That’s the one?”

“...Yes.”

Her eyes shook violently.

“Where... where did you find it?”

“It was there. Do I need to tell you that too?”

“...No. That’s fine.”

I would’ve expected Cheon Hyein to press the question, but she didn’t.

It looked like she had already guessed I’d found it in the vault.

Seeing that reaction, I nodded and said,

“Then as promised—”

“...Thank you.”

“What?”

I flinched.

What had she just said?

Had Cheon Hyein really thanked me?

“...What did you just—”

“I’ll do everything I promised.”

“Lady Cheon?”

What kind of insane nonsense was this?

“I haven’t forgotten what I promised. Thank you. Truly.”

“...”

Apparently I had heard her right.

That woman was thanking me.

A shiver ran over my skin. I rubbed my shoulder without thinking.

“...Well. It’s fine as long as you found it.”

Clack.

Cheon Hyein gripped the sword and drew it from the scabbard.

The old blade came into view.

Rust-covered. Edge badly worn away.

“...”

Could that really still be used as a sword?

No matter how I looked at it, calling it an antique seemed more accurate.

Even so, Cheon Hyein couldn’t hide the way her eyes shook as she stared at it.

“...Thank you for finding it, but I think I need to get up now.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. I have somewhere to go.”

Cheon Hyein rose to her feet.

“I’m sorry.”

She was even apologizing before she left.

What the hell was this?

Was I hallucinating?

I stared blankly at Cheon Hyein’s back as she hurried away, her footsteps sharp with urgency.

Was that sword really that important?

While I was watching her with that thought—

Hmm.

I scratched at my cheek.

What now?

Cheon Hyein was gone, so there was no reason for me to stay here either.

Thinking that, I rose as well.

Then—

[Excuse me.]

“...”

The voice transmission made my body go rigid.

[My Heaven.]

It was Freak Demon.

[I have something urgent to tell you.]

At his words, I straightened fully.

What was this about?

[My Heaven.]

Freak Demon spoke.

[A message has come from the Demonic Cult.]

“...”

This time, my expression hardened.

*****

Creeeak.

The door opened.

When a presence appeared in the Sect Leader’s office—small in one sense, vast in another—Moon Immortal Sword raised his head from where he was seated.

A woman stood there, looking as though she had run the whole way.

His daughter, Cheon Hyein.

“What is it?”

“...”

Without answering, Cheon Hyein strode straight toward Moon Immortal Sword.

Then—

Shrring.

Without warning, she drew the sword she had brought with her.

Thunk—!

She stabbed it directly into his desk.

Even then, Moon Immortal Sword didn’t look remotely surprised.

He only stared at his daughter.

“What exactly are you doing?”

His voice was different now than before.

At that, Cheon Hyein looked at him with sharpened eyes and said,

“I found it.”

“...”

Only after hearing that did Moon Immortal Sword look down at the sword embedded in the desk.

And for the first time, his eyes widened, if only slightly.

“This is—”

“As promised, I found it.”

Something blazed beneath Cheon Hyein’s beautiful voice.

“Sect Leader. This is the sword that will kill you.”

“I see.”

Even faced with his daughter’s violent words, Moon Immortal Sword remained calm.

As if he had expected this all along.

That reaction itself seemed to enrage Cheon Hyein further, because she bit down on her lip.

Moon Immortal Sword spoke to his daughter.

“I will send word to the Tang Family. Take the sword there and have it repaired. That is your task.”

“...Ha. Repair the sword?”

A hollow laugh slipped out of Cheon Hyein at the absurdity of it.

“But do you think you can sever my neck with that worn-out blade as it is?”

“...”

“If you mean to bare your fangs, they should at least be sharp.”

Creak.

Cheon Hyein ground her teeth at that.

“You leave tomorrow.”

“...Yes. I will.”

With manners that barely matched the form, Cheon Hyein pulled the sword free.

“Excuse me.”

Her eyes gone cold, she gave him a bow and turned for the door.

Bang—!!

The door slammed shut behind her.

Moon Immortal Sword looked at it, then lifted a hand delicate enough to seem almost too fine for a man and dragged it over his face.

Today of all days—

it was a deeply, bitterly cold day.