Episode 1495. There’s no need for that. (5)
Cheongmyeong looked at his trembling hands, unable to hide his passion, and quietly closed his eyes. I felt like the words I had spoken were swirling around my whole body.
“after.”
Cheongmyeong let out a short breath and tried to push away the surge of emotion and looked at Hyeonpungsingae again with calm eyes.
“How did know? “It couldn’t have been easy.”
Hyeonpungsingae slowly raised his head. My eyes were full of water.
“Where would you have imagined it at first?”
There was a slight grumble in his tone. Cheongmyeong did not necessarily blame that fact.
“I thought it was impossible. I thought it was nonsense. But the more I watched, the more I had no choice but to come to that conclusion. Even if the spirit of the volcano in the world of heaven were watching closely, it would be impossible. “For such a young swordsman to be able to accomplish so much…”
It’s obvious. But it was also something that was not taken for granted.
There have been quite a few people who have doubted the identity of Cheongmyeong so far, but none of them have reached this conclusion.
“I tried to deny it. I tried to dismiss it as a ridiculous imagination. But the sword…John. It definitely exists in the world. These are the people who have reached the reverse heaven by defying the final destination called death. Haven’t you already met Geomjon?”
“…is it Daleurama?”
“That’s right.”
The Chief’s Daleurama. It is a widely known fact that the head of Podalap Palace has led Podalap Palace for hundreds of years through repeated death and reincarnation.
However, it is such an absurd story that few people believe it.
Cheongmyeong smiled a little bitterly.
– Why are you willing to go through three kalpas that are no different from the hell of your father?
Words I heard in the past flashed through my mind. What interrupted that memory was the sound of Hyeonpungsingae’s dry cough.
“And… as you might guess, Kulkuk Geomzon…”
“Yes.”
Cheongmyeong answered calmly.
“There’s probably one more.”
“…I think the same thing.”
Neither of them bothered to say that name out loud. Because it is the most ominous and fearful name for both of them… or rather, for them.
“Perhaps Geomjon can be reborn like them. After thinking about it like that, all my questions were answered. It was so clear that all the time I spent worrying about understanding the identity of Cheongmyeong of the Hwasan Sword Association was considered foolish…” “
Why did you think it was me? “It could have been considered just one of the inspections of the volcano in the past.”
“…How do you not know?”
A cloud of water filled Hyeonpungsingae’s eyes again.
“Still… I still see good things… I still vividly see Geomjon wearing the martial uniform of Hwasan and cutting down the evil thugs of the Demonic Cult without hesitation with his sword. How can I think of anyone else? “Is it?”
Hyeonpungsingae shook his head.
“The many things that Geomjon showed me through the child’s body convinced me. This is something that no one but Geomzon can do. This is not something I could know because I am an ark of openness. “Anyone who lived through that war would have come to the same conclusion.”
A short sigh escaped Cheongmyeong’s mouth.
“It was like that.”
After Cheongmyeong’s words, silence fell between the two for a moment.
An unexpected encounter in an unexpected situation. Because we met each other without preparation, it was not easy for us to come up with anything to say.
“When exactly was it? What made you convinced that I was Geomzon?”
“I wasn’t sure… Even though everything was clear, still…”
Hyeonpungsingae’s hands were shaking.
“I only had a vague suspicion, but I wasn’t completely sure. “Even though I was briefed on what happened in the North Sea, heard what happened in Hangzhou, and watched the entire journey to Hainan… I did not dare to be certain.”
“….”
“Maybe I was just afraid. I hoped so badly that you were Geomzon, but at the same time, I prayed that you never were. “I looked forward to seeing you again and again, but I also prayed that this moment would never come.”
“….”
“Forgive me, Geomjon…. Please forgive me, please forgive me….”
Tears of remorse and repentance that had been pressing on for a long time drenched his wrinkled face.
“How can I repay the sins I committed against Geomjon? How can the government repay the sins it committed in the Daesan association? “How dare you even mention the crime that the world committed against Hwasan…”
Cheongmyeong’s lips were tightly closed.
“Just… just…”
Although Hyeonpungsingae was not wailing, he was clearly screaming. Cheongmyeong was able to understand.
The person lying here is not a great hero who revived openness that was on the verge of extinction, nor a vicious beast that has been lurking behind the scenes for countless years.
He was just a weak and shabby human being groaning under the weight of the sins he had committed.
Cheongmyeong, who was watching the struggle, slowly opened his mouth.
“It’s in the past.”
“Geomzon….”
“There was nothing you could do. “It just happened because I was foolish, so you don’t have to feel responsible.”
Hyeonpungsingae’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Old people probably know this too. This is not forgiveness. It’s just Cheongmyeong’s consideration to make Hyeonpungsingae a little more comfortable.
However, even this small consideration was something Hyeonpungsingae was just grateful for and grateful for.
“I guess that’s why…”
A bitter regret appeared on Cheongmyeong’s face as he reached the truth.
If it had been someone else who had done something like this, Cheongmyeong would never have forgiven him. Maybe he was trying to punish me with a sword.
But this thin, twisted old man couldn’t bear it.
“It’s something I didn’t want to go through again.”
Hyeonpungsingae trembled and fell silent.
Even after so many years, it felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. The light did not fade, and even the air and smells of that time were clearly visible when I closed my eyes.
The moment when everyone died as insignificantly as an insect. That part of hell that descended on Royalty.
“…I…I believed in Geomzon.”
Hyeonpungsingae’s eyes, filled with countless emotions, followed Cheongmyeong.
“All these sacrifices won’t be meaningless. “The lives of all the sacrificed beggars will surely open the way for the future.”
“…”
“But… it was meaningless in the end. The death of beggars, the will of those who died on Daesan, and…”
“My sword.”
Cheongmyeong blurted out what he couldn’t say. Hyeonpungsingae clenched his fists.
“Even my sword was meaningless. Yes, looking back.”
A brief moment of regret appeared in Cheongmyeong’s eyes. Hyeonpungsingae said in a sorrowful voice.
“After Geomjon returned… or rather, after he left, it was those lowly bastards who took control of Gangho. “They intentionally neglected the remnants of the Demonic Cult and also thoroughly erased what they had done.”
“Of course, that action would have required the cooperation of openness.”
“…That’s right. I…”
“I couldn’t have done anything. Openness could not have disappeared into the back of history like a volcano.”
Instead of answering, Hyeonpungsingae bit his lip until it bled.
The Ark that revived openness. That was the assessment of those who only saw the surface.
Hyeonpungsingae had no choice but to live as their puppet until he resigned from his position in the Ark.
“But one question has been resolved.”
Cheongmyeong muttered bitterly.
“I never understood it. If the old faction really wanted to erase the volcano, they wouldn’t have been satisfied with the demonic cultists simply attacking the volcano. “There must have been many ways to extinguish the volcano without exposing already dirty hands.”
“….”
“Nevertheless, the volcano was not completely destroyed. Even though he was bleeding and looked miserable, he was still alive. “It’s as if someone tried to somehow keep the line alive.”
Cheongmyeong’s piercing gaze landed on Hyeonpungsingae.
“Was it you?”
Hyeonpungsingae chewed his lips.
“I dare say… it’s not something I dare say is atonement. “It wasn’t just my strength.”
“…okay. “It was like that.”
A short sigh escaped Cheongmyeong’s lips. A faint emptiness was overlaid in both eyes.
It’s funny. Even if you want to blame, there is no one left to blame.
Because those who took the lead in everything have already died without paying the price.
The only people left in this world now are those who don’t even know what they are stepping on. What difference will it make if you ask them about their sins?
Of course, this is also something I have already thought about and come to a conclusion about, so it is not new.
It’s just heartbreaking to hear from someone else’s mouth what I’ve been keeping to myself.
“So did opening up prevent them from cooperating?”
“….”
“At least so that you don’t become the head of the nine sects again?”
Hyeonpungsingae’s pupils wavered faintly. He shook his shaking head.
“No, Geomzon. That’s not… that’s not what it is.”
“…No?”
“Don’t look at me like that, Geomzon. “I don’t deserve Geomzon’s calm gaze.”
Hyeonpungsingae grabs my face.
“If I… had been so courageous, how would I have held on to this filthy life until now? I can’t be that kind of person. “I’m just a worthless… just a worthless guy.”
“….”
“I am… not Geomzon. I couldn’t be like Geomzon.”
“What are you saying?”
“Didn’t you see it? Haven’t you experienced it? And don’t you know?”
Hyeonpungsingae’s face turned pale. The guilt that had been eating away at him was pushed away, and in its empty space, emotions that Cheongmyeong was familiar with poured in.
“Him!”
Suddenly, a voice like a scream came out.
The old man’s expression was unfamiliar but familiar. It was… a human face engulfed in fear that could not be endured. My whole body convulsed as if I was suffering from a disease.
“Oh, I had no choice but to know. They ignored me and turned away, but I had no choice but to know. I am a person who deals with information. I could tell because everything was pointing to one thing…”
“…is it the Heavenly Demon?”
“Hmm…”
Hyeonpungsingae rolled his eyes. Just hearing that name feels like my soul is being torn apart. He stuttered and spoke quickly.
“He… that he will come back… that he… that damned demon will come to this land again, leading that group of devils!”
“….”
“And that we can never… face him again. It’s the end. The end of power and the end of the world. There is a certain conclusion coming that can never be avoided.”
Hyeonpungsingae took a deep breath. It’s hard to believe that he had a calm conversation even for a moment, and he has once again become a shabby old man like a bouncer.
“It was just… just a sand castle. No matter how much Kangho regains his former self, it will only be a loosely built sand castle on a white sand beach. The moment a huge wave hits the shore, it collapses and gets swept away…” “
….”
“Knowing this, how… how could I tell everyone? How can you tell them to sacrifice themselves for that sand castle? It’s meaningless anyway… If that’s the case… wouldn’t it be better to enjoy a trivial life in peace without knowing anything…”
Cheongmyeong sighed involuntarily for a moment.
In the end, it was the same with Hyeonpungsingae. I have lived until now without being able to escape even one step from that terrible war and the existence of the Heavenly Demon.
A survivor, a dregs, and…
a sinner.
Yes, just like clearing.
“So I…”
One.
“done. “There’s no need for that.”
Cheongmyeong resolutely cut off Hyeonpungsingae’s words.
“Geomzon…?”
“I’ve heard enough of your complaints.”
Cheongmyeong glared at Hyeonpungsingae.
“You may think the ending is fixed, but I don’t. No, even if I can’t change the ending, I won’t just sit around and wait.”
“….”
“So tell me. What should I do to return the opening to its original state?”
Hyeonpungsingae’s wide-open eyes trembled.
