In the end, all that’s left is the phrase asking to wait for four years. sigh

And there remains that unsettling feeling of a space that should hold something but is empty. gulp

It feels like I’m lost in an endless ocean. splash

Maybe I am that ocean, and there might not even be a road. swish

Yet, even while worrying, time keeps flowing. tick-tock

When the sun sets, I have dinner with Soo-oh, and when night falls, I sleep on the porch, feeling the night air. zzz

And when morning comes again, I hold Soo-oh and tell her the stories I know. Most are tales adorned with dreams and hopes, draped in righteousness and morality, along with a few simple facts. tada

Math was really just the basics. ding

I absolutely detest doing anything with numbers; there was no choice. ugh

After all, I am neither a parent nor a teacher, so if Soo-oh doesn’t want to, we won’t do it. meh

Soo-oh speaks informally to me, referring to me by name. At least it’s clear that she doesn’t see me as a parent. wink

And as far as I know, Soo-oh’s family is alive. She wasn’t abandoned by her family. happy dance

Because all the children around Cheonma Church are forcibly dragged here. yikes At a certain age, they’re pulled into Cheonma Church, brainwashed, and injected with bugs. eww

And Soo-oh knows that this is beyond what parents can control. nod

So maybe she treats me just as she did back at the main hall, rather than as family. shrug

She might be thinking about returning to her family someday when she grows older. hmm

No, there’s the matter of Cheonma. It’s also possible that Soo-oh doesn’t think as I speculate. thinking face

It wouldn’t be bad to ask once. ding ding

“Soo-oh. Do you miss your family?” curious tone

The summer room is so hot that we mostly hang out on the porch. sweat

At my question, Soo-oh, who was lying like she was glued to the porch, raised her head. thunk

“Why do you ask that?” puzzled

She looks at me as if I’ve suddenly asked something odd. wide eyes

“Don’t children want to see their parents?” curious

Most people would assume so. Even in this era, where family values have significantly disintegrated, the bond between parents and children isn’t something that easily breaks. family ties

So generally speaking, wouldn’t Soo-oh also want to see her family? thinking out loud

However, Soo-oh glanced around before asking me, “What about Choseol?” questioning

“Choseol’s parents are both already dead.” somber

The former church leader had captured Eunjai’s descendant to uncover the secret of Cheonma Martial Art. dramatic music In fact, they were very close to uncovering it. clue!

The Cheonma Martial Art that Eunjai used was fighting with me as a pawn. playful jab

And since I wasn’t asking about myself, I described Choseol’s situation. I wonder what happened to the parents of the man buried in faded memories. lost in thought

“I see. I’ll have to meet them someday. Right?” nodding

What a strangely cold attitude. chill

“Don’t you want to meet them? You remember your parents, right?” poking

“I do remember. That’s why I don’t want to meet them.” shrug

I tried to understand Soo-oh’s response, but I failed. If you remember them, wouldn’t you want to meet them? confused

Upon looking into Soo-oh’s memories, her relationship with her parents wasn’t bad. looked again Sure, her older brother and sister disappeared, and only her younger brother and sister were left, but that was normal in that village. shrugging slightly

At any house, there are no kids in the intermediate age group. head shaking They all go to Cheonma Church. And only half of them come back alive. ooof

There are many dangerous circumstances within Cheonma Church. beware!

Of course, that isn’t true for everyone. If we look at Gapjae’s memories, those living in the village to the west of Cheonma Church don’t have their kids dragged to the main church. phew

The village touching the west side is Cheonma Church, while other villages exist beyond that. directions

To put it simply, Cheonma Church Main Hall is like the Blue House, and the villages attached to the main hall’s west side are like Seoul. Meanwhile, Soo-oh’s dragged village is like towns in the countryside. map time

“Is that so?” leans in

“Yeah. Why are you suddenly asking that?” suspicious

Soo-oh asked with a rather oddly annoyed expression. eye roll

“I was just curious all of a sudden.” shrug

I had actually been thinking about it for a while, and if it were yesterday, I might have asked if I could live well like this after gaining independence. pondering

But now, it’s tied up for four years. sigh

So it turned into an unimportant question. shrug

Somehow, Soo-oh crawled over to me, clinging to my body and burying her face in it. snuggle I felt like it wasn’t even hot, but she held on tightly. sweet

As I was thinking about how long this would go on, eventually, Soo-oh pulled away, saying she was hot. blushing

And around that time, Cheonma approached. dramatic music

Lunch time had already passed. clock ticking

I stood up from my seat. rise and shine

“Let’s eat lunch first.” cheerful

“Wow!” excited

Soo-oh got up from her spot. giddy

And for the first time, we had lunch together with Cheonma, who arrived before we started. group lunch

By the way, Cheonma grieved how terribly tasteless the food was and asked if we ate such things every day. sigh

Well, compared to what Cheonma eats at Cheonma Church, it is indeed tasteless. meh

After tidying up, the two of them started their training. let’s go!

I intended to wait until Soo-oh trained autonomously, then planned to go to the village with Cheonma. plot twist But then, it suddenly crossed my mind that it might take too long. uh-oh

So I told Cheonma that I would walk to the village first, then left the house. on my way

It’s the time to prepare for the harvesting period. harvest time!

This time when heading to the village, I will go with Cheonma. team up!

If there’s an unknown group, it’s essential to go with the highest authority. strategize

And if the harvesting period keeps getting kidnapped, it can be easily identified. danger!

I crossed the ground where heat was rising, heading towards the village. hot footsteps Then, I stood near the entrance of the village, waiting for Cheonma. standing by

Before long, Cheonma appeared, having swiftly crossed the lengthy path I traveled. whoosh

Isn’t she faster than an ordinary car? zoom zoom

“Why are you so fast?” impressed

“Because I’m Cheonma.” proud

It’s funny to think of that as a valid explanation, but it isn’t entirely wrong, so I conceded and entered the village alongside her. tagging along

Upon entering the village, the atmosphere was dramatically different. swish

When I entered alone, I felt the gazes peering like a thief, but now it’s filled with awe and worship. gasp People bow as Cheonma walks by in greeting. oh wow

If it were a religion, that makes sense. nodding

Cheonma Church is akin to a group idolizing power, lacking codified doctrines. huh But still, a religion remains a religion. still valid

No, strictly speaking, there’s only one place with doctrines. attention!

Woljedang. wow

That place operates distinctly and oddly. While Cheonma Church comprises religion and violence, it singularly handles religious matters. woah

Cheonma is close to just a symbol. shining light

Of course, I didn’t say that to Cheonma. Although I mentioned swords and such, people’s thoughts aren’t always changeable, right? wink

I had no intention of speaking about the fact that I’m observing this through the eyes of a harvesting period. shh Because it’s one of my few weapons. secret weapon

And I’m not foolish enough to reveal that weapon’s weakness. shhh Knowing that I can’t accurately read what the harvesting period thinks is quite fatal. ouch

Cheonma and I advanced, crossing between the bowing people. smoothly

“To whom are you trying to grant a blessing?” curious again

Once we reached the village center, Cheonma stopped and asked me. pause

So I looked around. scanning

Many familiar faces were there. Some of them were limping. They were once whole people. gasp

I have no intention of touching them yet. nah

Hmm. pondering

Yes. I’m making an impromptu plan. creative mind

Wherever Cheonma’s strength reaches. This might be the moment with her highest favorability. heart thump Any request I make can be met. wish granted

Let’s take an adventure here. let’s go!

Woljedang is so hidden that I feel it’ll be hard to see unless Cheonma openly demolishes Cheonma Church. hiding

Originally, I want to provide strength to the oppressed, but more than that, I want to gain knowledge about summoning myself when I can get it. craving knowledge

“I’ll give it to the Woljedang leader.” devious grin

A look of bewilderment filled Cheonma’s expression. raised eyebrow

“The Woljedang leader? Why him?” curious kitty

I pointed at the village with my finger. pointing

“The person who shared fruit with goodwill has gone missing here. You remember, the man who generously shared fruit with me and Soo-oh.” memory flashback

I raised my voice. louder!

“He trampled my goodwill. I must meet the Woljedang leader.” determined

I’m wrapping it up as if I’m purely going to seek justice. In reality, I have no intention of seeking justice. After all, I’m the most wicked one! evil laugh

If I can gain warmth, I don’t care what happens. warm vibes

But the element of someone fighting for the lower ones is incredibly important. a hero’s narrative

The surface and justification. drama unfolding

I’ve experienced the power of that in the first world. flashback to first world

What I’ve learned should be used wisely. wisdom unlocked

First, let’s clarify who is right. figure it out

“Cheonma. I am the very power that Cheonma Church desires. Am I not?” spot on

Cheonma had mentioned something alike before. reminiscing

“Right. You stand at the end of Cheonma Martial Art. No, perhaps, you will be at the end of all destructive acts.” powerful statement

Cheonma nodded her head. agreement

“So if you refuse me, it means you’re a heretic, right? Is the Woljedang leader truly a heretic? Or not? Hehe. Let’s go meet him.” smirking

I scattered the sparks. sparkle sparkle

I jest as though I’m at the terminus of Cheonma Church, declaring that those rejecting me are the wicked ones. loud and proud I’ve given them a reason to rebel against those who helped me with goodwill. hyping up

Cheonnyeo. angelic voice

She has given goodwill from the heavens. In return, I am allowed to use that goodwill as a weapon. power play So if you get hurt, come find me. If your friend dies, come to me. let’s stick together

I will lend you my strength, so do whatever you want. empowerment

Find the right path armed with goodwill. hero’s journey

No matter how much blood flows beneath that, I’ll treat it as a blessing. blessing granted

I swallowed the words I shouldn’t say yet, then made a few remarks condemning the Woljedang leader with Cheonma and repeated that anyone uneasy with my strength is an enemy of Cheonma Church. mic drop

Then, I went with Cheonma to find the Woljedang leader. mission set

Now it’s the time to acquire knowledge. knowledge is power!

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