Childhood Friend of the Zenith
chapter-252

How long has it been?

It hasn’t been that long ever since this happened, and judging by the moon in the sky, it must have just passed midnight.

It was a rather late time for a guest to visit, but Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t say anything.

After all, it was a very special guest.

“…”

As Namgung Bi-ah searched everywhere, the lady who sipped the tea she had somehow found carried herself with profound grace.

Despite her age, she was maintaining her great beauty, and the clothes she wore were clearly not ordinary, as Namgung Bi-ah could tell from a mere glance.

The continuing silence felt heavy.

Should she start a conversation?

Namgung Bi-ah resented herself for not being talkative.

As she fidgeted with her lips, reluctant to speak, the lady seated across from her broke the silence first.

“I’m sorry for visiting you so late at night.”

The lady smiled lightly as she spoke,

her smile brimming with an indescribable elegance that only made it harder for Namgung Bi-ah.

“Oh… I… was in the middle of training anyways… so… you don’t need to worry.”

“Thank you for understanding. Training huh… Do you always train at this time?”

“…Ah, yes…”

“I see. How diligent of you.”

After her remark, the lady began to write something on a paper she had laid out.

“…Training… at night.”

She seemed to be writing something very important, and Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t dare to take a peak despite being very curious.

Noticing Namgung Bi-ah’s attention, the lady cleared her throat slightly before speaking again.

“Sorry, I had to write something down for a moment.”

“No problem…”

“Is it fine if I call you Young Lady Namgung?”

Namgung Bi-ah nodded at the woman's question, instantly regretting.

She should have replied verbally. Was it nervousness that made her feel as though her brain had malfunctioned?

“You can just call m-”

The lady suddenly stopped midway into her words.

It sounded like she had something she wanted to say, but had trouble saying it.

“…Lady Mi. Yes, that’s it. You can call me Lady Mi.”

“Understood…”

“I’m sorry I visited you so late. I heard that a blood relative of the great Namgung Clan was here, so I really wanted to have a conversation.”

Namgung Bi-ah nodded, but was that really the reason?

It seemed she wanted to talk, but perhaps not just because Namgung Bi-ah was from the Namgung Clan.

…Why?

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t know why she was thinking in such a way, but she just felt that way.

After all, her intuition was rarely wrong.

“Young Lady Namgung is very calm I see.”

“…Ah.”

Was that a roundabout way of saying she was too quiet and boring?

If that was the case, Namgung Bi-ah wanted to change it herself, but she had no way of doing so.

She actually didn’t talk much after all.

“It would be nice if my daughters… had taken after you in that regard.”

“Huh…?”

Was she okay?

Namgung Bi-ah couldn’t understand the way this conversation flowed.

What was happening?

Struggling to suppress her nervousness, she observed the lady in front of her.

…The stench is… light…?

It was so light that she couldn’t even notice it unless she tried to.

This subtlety, however, was a testament to Namgung Bi-ah's own advancement in skill, which enhanced her sensitivity to such details. Yet, the faintness of the lady’s presence remained unchanged.

This realization alone was comforting to Namgung Bi-ah.

However, the silence continued.

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t know what to say as she wasn’t the talkative type, and more than anything, she didn’t know how to treat her guests.

Considering that Gu Yangcheon was born of a concubine, and the woman in front of her was the legal wife, Namgung Bi-ah pondered her role in this complicated social situation.

She then remembered what Gu Yangcheon once mentioned.

-You have a need to study common sense sometime.

Was this a situation where common sense was needed?

If so, then she should’ve listened to him way before.

Especially if she had anticipated being in such a situation.

“That child.”

Lady Mi broke the silence once again, causing Namgung Bi-ah to tense up.

…What…?

When she said that child, it sounded like she was referring to Gu Yangcheon.

She seemed to be referring to Gu Yangcheon.

Criticism…?

Typically, when a legal wife spoke of a concubine's child, it was rarely positive.

After all, Namgung Bi-ah herself witnessed it many times.

Was she going to criticize Gu Yangcheon for his wrongdoings in the past, or wrongdoings he’s never done?

How should she respond if that were the case?

Should I… be angry at her?

Under normal circumstances, she might have drawn her sword without hesitation, but now she needed to consider her actions carefully.

If she acted recklessly, she was the only one going to be the one responsible.

Knowing this, Namgung Bi-ah had to think deeply, for any action she took should not harm Gu Yangcheon.

She couldn’t afford to do anything reckless if she wanted to stay near him.

As she braced herself for what might come next, tensely awaiting Lady Mi's words,

“Does he treat you well?”

“…Excuse me?”

“That child, does he treat Young Lady Namgung well?”

But it was way too unexpected of a question, which made Namgung Bi-ah’s blank head even more blank.

Does he… treat me well?

She pondered the question.

Lately, things had improved slightly, but he still avoided her when she approached.

He promised he wouldn’t disappear, yet often did without a word.

Then he comes back with a big injury.

He speaks rudely.

He also has no sense…

…?

She felt increasingly odd the more she thought about it.

As Namgung Bi-ah's expression grew more perplexed, Lady Mi spoke with a gentle smile.

“I can tell just by looking at your expression.”

“…Ah…! It’s…”

It was a mistake.

She should have managed her expression better.

Namgung Bi-ah hated herself for letting her guard down at a time like this.

“He’s a kid covered in thorns as you know already.”

Upon hearing Lady Mi's words, Namgung Bi-ah stopped herself from making any excuses.

“He's clad in thorns to cover his scars, so please, don’t hold it against him. It’s the fault of adults, not his...”

Her voice remained steady and calm.

Her emotionless voice was filled with coldness, but Namgung Bi-ah felt like she was beginning to feel more at ease after hearing each and every word that came from her.

She was way too different from the woman Namgung Bi-ah expected her to be.

“Thank you for having me this late at night. I shouldn’t take up any more of your time, so I shall be taking my leave.”

Lady Mi stood up and gently lowered her head.

Namgung Bi-ah quickly stood up after her, but Lady Mi gestured with her hand.

It seemed like she was saying that there was no need for Namgung Bi-ah to send her off, but Namgung Bi-ah felt like she couldn’t just afford to stay seated.

Did she really come here for this small conversation?

Did Lady Mi come here to see what kind of a person Namgung Bi-ah was?

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t know as their meeting was too short and she lacked understanding in this regard, but she felt like she couldn’t let her leave like this.

“…He’s… a good person.”

After hearing Namgung Bi-ah’s words she barely managed to get out, Lady Mi’s steps suddenly stopped.

“Young Lady?”

“Despite pretending to not care, he takes care of everyone around him.”

Namgung Bi-ah’s previously hesitant speech flowed more smoothly as she spoke of Gu Yangcheon.

It was very fascinating.

For her to change this much when it came to him.

“…Even if it looks like he’s acting recklessly, he always does it for someone else.”

Though his temper was harsh and his actions sometimes extreme, and despite his daily declarations of only living for himself, Namgung Bi-ah knew his concern extended beyond himself.

She couldn't understand why, occasionally, his gaze towards her was tinged with guilt and regret, but since he never addressed it, she didn’t bother asking.

Whatever the case, knowing he cared was enough for Namgung Bi-ah.

“…He’s a good person.”

She spoke clearly, but still failed to deliver everything she wanted to say due to her quiet nature.

Lady Mi, who was deep in her thoughts after listening to Namgung Bi-ah, soon offered a faint smile.

“…Is that so.”

With those words, Lady Mi slowly exited, her figure vanishing into the night.

Left alone, Namgung Bi-ah felt as if she had weathered a storm, finally allowing herself a deep breath.

In future reflections, she would remark that this day had been the most tense of her life.

******************

She walked through the night path.

There was moonlight, yet it remained dark and hard to see.

For an ordinary person without QI, finding the way without a light would be difficult.

However, Mi Hyoran calmly walked through the path.

She knew this path well, having walked it many times before.

There had been a flower on the left.

It wasn’t here anymore, but there used to be a flower.

She hadn't memorized its name, but it was certainly a white flower.

The grass was long due to the path not being managed and the trees grew in an ugly way as well, but Mi Hyoran didn’t care.

She already knew why her husband didn’t take care of this path.

It’s because he didn’t want to touch the garden that she made.

Regretful person.

That was what Mi Hyoran felt.

As Mi Hyoran slowly walked through the garden,

“Mujin.”

She suddenly called for someone,

-…Yes, Leader.

Then, a voice shockingly came from nowhere.

Unfazed, Mi Hyoran asked calmly.

“How is it?”

-…Like they said, it seems like a lot has changed.

“Like what?”

-For example, I think they noticed my presence.

At the words of the man named Mujin, a spark of interest flickers in Mi Hyoran's eyes.

They noticed his presence?

“Are you sure of it?”

-Yes. To be more specific, I believe they noticed my presence ever since I’ve encountered you, Leader.

He noticed Mujin’s presence ever since entering Gu Yangcheon’s room?

That child?

-Because of that, I couldn’t approach easily, but from a distance, he seemed to have changed a lot from before.

“…Hmm.”

Mi Hyoran wondered after hearing Mujin’s words, and she grappled with her swirling emotions.

“Was it joy, confusion, or perhaps regret?”

It was difficult.

Emotions were still a complex matter for her.

She was very concerned about the child’s growth, wondering if perhaps he had overcome his past scars. For Mi Hyoran, could this also be called hope?

It was hard to identifywhat her emotion was.

“Right, so he’s called the True Dragon?”

-Yes. His name has been spread throughout the Central Plains.

She heard that the child was given a title.

She knew he was much talked about among the young prodigies, and that he had taken a place in their minds as well.

That child has achieved such a thing.

She wondered when the crumbling child that couldn’t win against his scar had transformed so, despite her absence, as if she had fled.

Thus, while Mi Hyoran was lost in these indescribable feelings,

…

Mujin was reflecting on their meeting he had earlier.

He didn’t mention it to his Leader, but Gu Yangcheon had done more than just sense his presence.

I can’t believe I was caught.

The moment he realized that the other had sensed his presence, he thought about gaining some distance, but Gu Yangcheon was looking at Mujin with a very annoyed expression.

Their eyes met.

At such a long distance at that.

Then,

[You are rather bothersome, so please stop.]

Mujin was very surprised when he heard him speak to him telepathically.

…How?

Back when Mujin saw his Leader’s son last, he had seemed irreparably shattered, in Mujin's view.

Mentally, not physically.

However, what about now?

It’s light.

Contradicting to his clear presence, the impression was too shallow to discern the person’s true nature.

This meant that Gu Yangcheon was very skilled in hiding his power.

How was this possible in only a few years’ time?

His Leader may have left the clan, but even that was only a few years.

Yet, in that short time, Gu Yangcheon had transformed everything about himself.

Was he really able to do that all by himself?

Or was there help from other sources?

Mujin abruptly erased the thoughts he had been lost in.

After all, there was no way his Leader wouldn’t know what he was pondering.

“I see. Good work.”

-…Not at all.

Mi Hyoran then decided to ask Mujin a different question as she started walking slowly again.

“Now that I think about it, is your son doing well?”

-Ah…

Mujin seemed momentarily flustered by Mi Hyoran’s question.

It was because he didn’t expect his Leader to remember such a thing.

After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, Mujin responded in an awkward tone.

-He seems to be doing well.

It seemed like his son happened to spend his time near Leader’s son, and he seemed to be doing well, judging by his expression.

“…That’s good to hear.”

-Leader.

“Hm.”

-May I ask how your meeting from earlier went?

After hearing Mujin, Mi Hyoran stopped her steps at once.

“Interesting, for you to ask me a question.”

-…I apologize if it’s a sensitive topic.

“No, you needn’t apologize.”

Her expression changed.

The fleeting emotion on Mi Hyoran's face faded, and she returned to her cold expression.

“She didn’t look to be the best.”

She was talking about Namgung Bi-ah.

She may have had an extreme beauty, yet she seemed to be lacking for her to be from a noble clan.

She had talent and also had a title for herself, but this didn't satisfy Mi Hyoran enough.

The world is full of talented individuals; thus, in this matter, something other than martial arts talent was more important.

I was going to take action myself.

Namgung Clan.

They may have been the center of the Four Noble Clans from the prideful Orthodox Sect, but it was also a place deeply entangled in countless dirty deeds.

The darkness that lied there was so dense that she was able to put an end to the engagement if she wanted.

Moreover, the White Flowers merchant association had many things when it came to this regard.

For Mi Hyoran, who was awkward in expressing herself, this was all she could do for her children.

Mi Hyoran could’ve stopped this engagement if she wanted,

-…He is a good person.

But after hearing what Namgung Clan’s child said at the end, Mi Hyoran put a pause on her thoughts.

“She may have been lacking, but she wasn’t a bad child.”

After saying those words, Mi Hyoran walked slowly.

She didn’t hear any response from Mujin, but she didn’t care.

“…It’s still difficult.”

She wished she could do for her other children as much as she did for the daughters, but she found it exceedingly difficult.

She didn’t know if she could even dare to do so.

Because she wasn’t their biological mother.

Moving slowly, she again looked toward the spot where the white flowers once bloomed.

The which that used to have white flowers in that spot.

“…”

Not too long in the past.

She remembered a child approaching her, pushed forward by a friend's hand, his face full of fear.

Because of how he had a similar face to her husband, she found it funny that he had tears filling his eyes.

While reaching his small shaky hand out towards her, the child said this.

-L-Lady Mi… this…

In his hand, was a white flower.

It was the flower that her friend grew in her garden.

She wondered what response she gave to the child while accepting the flower from his shaky hand.

Did I say thanks?

There was no way that I said such a thing.

If I said that, then he wouldn’t have run back to his mom with tears flowing down his face.

“How disappointing.”

Mi Hyoran didn’t know what she was disappointed in, despite saying those words.

Those words just came out suddenly.