Absolute Regression

Chapter 485: We Are the Ones Others Watch

When I returned to our lodging, Hui finally revealed himself.

He appeared mysteriously, as if he had been standing there all along.

Geom Mugeuk respectfully clasped his fists and bowed with formality.

"You must have gone through a lot to protect me."

Hui responded to Geom Mugeuk’s greeting with a smile.

"It’s fine. In fact, it’s more comfortable when I’m hidden."

How could that be true? It must have been physically taxing, and mentally as well, having to stay alert to both the opponent and the surroundings. He was saying that just to keep me from worrying.

"What did you think of him?"

Geom Mugeuk asked Hui about Myungshin.

"He was an assassin of the highest caliber."

Indeed, Hui had judged that just from observation, without even crossing swords with him. Just by watching his steps and hand movements, he precisely gauged the man’s skill.

Hui cautiously asked.

"What do you intend to do now?"

Normally, he wouldn’t have asked. But he had seen how I parted from Myungshin after maintaining such a cordial relationship, which is likely why he asked. In response, Geom Mugeuk shared his plan.

"I’m thinking of turning him to my side."

Though Hui knew Geom Mugeuk’s abilities better than anyone, the problem was that the man in question was an assassin.

"Assassins are not to be trusted."

It was the first time Hui had ever spoken with such firmness.

Geom Mugeuk understood Hui.

Hui and Myungshin were opposites, standing at polar ends.

Hui would not trust him—rather, he likely loathed and despised him.

He simply did not show such feelings in front of me.

Knowing that, I still intended to bring Myungshin to my side, because I understood the path that had shaped his life. But I couldn’t say such things aloud. ṞἈɴ𝘰ᛒËS̈

"Yes, I won’t trust him. But even so, the effort itself is meaningful. Even if he doesn’t become an ally, a moment of hesitation from him at a crucial time might save our lives."

Hui sensed it—as always, the Young Cult Leader was seeing something he couldn’t.

But at least when it came to assassins, he had to speak clearly.

"Assassins are not to be trusted. Please, I ask that you never forget that."

It was the first time in Hui’s life he had repeated the same words twice.

"Yes, I will keep that in mind."

Only after hearing that reassurance did Hui’s expression relax.

"I also have a request for you, uncle."

"Please, go ahead."

Geom Mugeuk untied the high-grade heavenly silkworm thread he had wrapped around the hilt of the Black Demon Sword and handed it to him.

"Wrap it around your heart and core."

"I’m fine. You should be the one to wear it, Young Cult Leader."

In response, Geom Mugeuk loosened his clothes and showed the high-grade heavenly silkworm thread wrapped around his chest and abdomen.

"I already have it on."

"Wrap two layers."

"I have three layers. So please, at least wear one layer."

Hui looked at Geom Mugeuk.

“This may not look like much, but it’s a high-grade heavenly silkworm thread with quite a history. Even the Demon Supremes have worn it before. Ah, of course, it’s been thoroughly washed. And I’m not giving it to you permanently. You’ll have to return it later.”

Because when the final battle came, I would need to wrap it around my entire body.

And at the forefront of that battle, I would stand.

Hui knew. No matter how many times he refused, Geom Mugeuk would not back down.

“Understood. Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”

In front of Geom Mugeuk, Hui wrapped the high-grade heavenly silkworm thread around himself.

Only then did Geom Mugeuk smile in satisfaction.

“It suits you well. Here, take a look.”

Geom Mugeuk drew his sword and used its blade to show Hui his reflection.

The image reflected in the sword’s blade felt unfamiliar.

He had spent his entire life protecting others, yet this was the first time he felt protected.

“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”

Geom Mugeuk asked him gently,

“You’d like me to go to Father right away, wouldn’t you?”

Since he had left and returned without guarding Father, he must be curious about how he was doing.

“No, that’s not necessary.”

“Then may I go out again for another errand right away?”

As if I might rush off again, Hui responded with an expression that said he’d lost.

“You’ve just come back—shouldn’t you at least greet him before heading out again?”

With a smile, Geom Mugeuk turned around.

“Where would I possibly go again?”

As he entered the building, Geom Mugeuk called out,

“Father, your son has returned.”

Hui followed behind me with a pleased look on his face.

Father was in his room.

He was reading a letter sent from the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.

He was staying informed while fully entrusting me with the tasks at hand.

Yes, it’s only when you have the patience to wait for the child who climbs the cliff alone that the cliff gains meaning.

“I’m back, Father.”

Father lifted his head and looked this way.

The moment our eyes met, I felt it.

He had become stronger!

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had been training.

Before, I could vaguely sense that he had grown stronger. But now, I could feel it clearly.

Perhaps it’s because I had become stronger myself and could perceive it more distinctly. Regardless, it was a good result.

Father, become even stronger. Strong enough that Hwa Moogi and the unification of the Martial World will all seem laughable. I’ll fill the emptiness that strength brings.

Father’s gaze turned to Hui.

Hui bowed respectfully to Father. On his face bloomed relief and gratitude.

“This is the first time, isn’t it? That you’ve been away from Father’s side like this.”

Hui was human too—how could he have stayed at his side without rest?

Eating, using the restroom, bathing, and changing clothes…

But I could imagine it—just how tightly packed that time must have been. How much Hui must have rushed within that brief span.

Please, let nothing have gone wrong during the moment I was gone!

Hui once said that for a bodyguard, the only blessing was to die before the person they had to protect.

But there must be a curse as well. That the one moment you leave your post, the person you were meant to protect dies.

And no one understood Hui’s heart better than Father did.

“I’ll be staying at the safehouse for a while.”

It was Father’s way of telling Hui not to worry, even a little.

He had even packed all his belongings already.

When Father slung the large leather satchel over his shoulder, Hui cried out in surprise.

“Please, give that to me. Let me carry it.”

Hui was flustered. He had probably never once let Father carry his own luggage.

Then Father said to Hui,

“Aren’t you carrying out my orders right now?”

“Cult Leader!”

“I’ll be fine.”

Hui looked at me. His gaze clearly said, *Take the luggage and lead the way already.*

“Father, let me carry it.”

“That’s enough. Just don’t die.”

Father slung the satchel over his shoulder and stepped out of the room.

“You look great with that satchel, Father.”

I meant it sincerely. More than anything, it was a refreshing sight I’d never seen before.

Looking at Hui, who watched the scene in helpless anxiety, I raised my voice so Father could hear.

“Stop staring already! Those shoulders—strong enough to bear a mountain—are going to wear out from your gaze, uncle!”

* * *

Myungshin returned three days later.

He had wanted to come running right away but intentionally delayed. He couldn’t afford to show that he was impatient.

“Care for a drink?”

“Gladly.”

Before departing, Myungshin handed over a wooden case.

Inside were daggers.

“To be honest, I could accept when it comes to swords or other weapons, but I just can’t bring myself to accept it when it comes to daggers. Think the Blacksmiths of the Cult still won’t want to kill me after this?”

Apparently, it still bruised his pride that the artisans of the cult’s forge weren’t jealous enough to want him dead following their last meeting.

Geom Mugeuk examined the daggers.

“Ah, anything else would be fine, but these—don’t ever show these to our Artisan Gwak. If you ask me to beg him not to kill you, I’d be in trouble.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Myungshin’s face lit up.

“Since I accepted the daggers, I guess I’m buying the drinks today. Last time I picked a terrible tavern, so this time, you choose.”

Myungshin nodded casually, as if it didn’t matter—but his heart had begun to pound.

‘Is it today?’

But if he had to leave the marketplace, the other might grow suspicious. He had to make his decision carefully.

And so, the two of them once again made their way toward the marketplace.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Ask.”

“These Golden Dragon Family people... they’re way beneath your level, aren’t they?”

Myungshin responded casually.

“You’ve lived a life giving orders, so you wouldn’t know. We live a life where we have to follow orders when they come. What power do we really have?”

“Coming from you, it sounds more like an excuse.”

Myungshin sensed the weight behind Geom Mugeuk’s words.

“You investigated me too, didn’t you?”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was known to possess the best intelligence network in the Martial World. Now that they had become entangled, there was no way they wouldn’t know about him.

“That’s right.”

Geom Mugeuk answered honestly.

“What kind of person am I in that report of yours?”

The answer came immediately.

“Myungshin, the second-in-command of the Underworld. There are three principles to his assassinations: he doesn’t kill children, he doesn’t kill those without martial arts, and he doesn’t kill those who are not evil.”

Up to that point, Myungshin expected as much. After all, the other side was the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

But the next piece of information caught him off guard.

“Because of that, you’ve recently been in conflict with the head of the Underworld.”

Myungshin flinched for a moment.

‘That matter was only between the two of us. How did he know?’

Feigning ignorance, Myungshin asked Geom Mugeuk,

“Conflict? What makes you say that?”

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk—who had been walking—stopped in his tracks. Myungshin stopped with him, waiting for an answer.

Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly.

“Because I’ve never seen an assassin like you.”

His gaze toward Myungshin was utterly serious.

“These days, there are no assassins who follow principles like that. That’s the sort of assassin you only hear about in stories. If your leader was like you, there’d be no issue—but he’s not that kind of person.”

The two continued their conversation, standing by the roadside.

“To be honest, I don’t like assassins either. I’d rather amuse myself alone than befriend one. But I got curious when I heard you followed those kinds of principles.”

After a short pause, Geom Mugeuk added,

“That’s probably why they sent you. They must’ve investigated and found that I’d be interested in someone like you. If it had been anyone else who came a few days ago instead of you, I would’ve killed them on the spot. I’m the type who prefers to eliminate even one more enemy while I have the chance. In that sense, your leader’s a pretty smart person.”

Myungshin hadn’t expected Geom Mugeuk to know him this well.

“Why are you telling me all this? Because you’re confident you can handle me even if you do?”

Then Geom Mugeuk shook his head and said—

“What do you think you’ve been hearing all this time? I told you—I’ve taken an interest in an assassin like you. With an assassin like this, I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to be friends?”

In that fleeting moment, Myungshin felt the urge to draw a dagger and stab Geom Mugeuk in the throat.

His instincts told him the other man was off guard.

And the very fact that he felt such a desire might have meant the other man was speaking sincerely.

“You’re not trying to use me to wipe out the Underworld, are you?”

Feigning surprise, Geom Mugeuk laughed brightly.

“You figured that out already?”

Myungshin couldn’t tell if Geom Mugeuk was being serious.

Just then, a flock of birds flew overhead in formation.

Both of them naturally turned their gaze to the sky.

“An assassin and the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult, friends? Does that even make sense?”

“The Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult can also be friends with a tavern owner.”

Myungshin knew those words were true.

“How could the life of a tavern owner compare to that of an assassin? A tavern owner can close shop tomorrow. We’re not people who can do that.”

To that, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

“I think it’s actually harder for a tavern owner to close down.”

Myungshin, who had been looking at the sky, turned his eyes toward Geom Mugeuk.

“You probably don’t know how hard those people live. They’re the kind who’ll only shut down if their family is taken away. Do you really think you work harder than them? Honestly?”

Sensing Geom Mugeuk’s sincerity, Myungshin held back his answer.

“If they take one day off, they lose their customers. If I take a break, someone who made the trip on purpose has to turn back. At least you don’t have to worry about things like that. There’s probably someone out there waiting to die by your hand. But you don’t worry about that, do you?”

One corner of Myungshin’s eye twitched. He had tried to get along with Geom Mugeuk as much as possible. And yet Geom Mugeuk kept pressing somewhere deep inside him.

“Not being able to leave—isn’t that just laziness? Is it because you can’t bring yourself to change a life you’ve grown used to?”

Myungshin’s expression hardened slightly.

“Don’t talk lightly about someone else’s life. What do you even know about me? All you have is whatever scraps of information your spies managed to gather.”

“Isn’t that who you are?”

Again, Myungshin flinched.

“The version of me in your report, and the version of you in mine—that’s who we are, isn’t it? Do we really have a ‘true self’ apart from how others see us? If so, then we’ve been living misunderstood lives all along. Doesn’t that sound wrong to you?”

Myungshin couldn’t come up with a rebuttal.

“The way others see us—that’s who we are. In fact, that might be more accurate. We wish to be grander, more valuable than we appear, but really, you and I are just those people written in the reports.”

Myungshin wanted to say that wasn’t true. That he was better than what people saw him as.

And as he watched himself think that way, he realized something.

‘Ah... I wanted to be a better person.’

He had never had a conversation like this with anyone before, and so it was the first time he discovered this feeling buried deep within him. Perhaps even the principles he’d established for his assassinations had come from this very desire.

“Why are you doing this to me? If you truly want to be my friend, then tell me honestly what you’re thinking.”

He held back the words surging in his chest—he had to take Geom Mugeuk to the King of Killing.

‘You’re just trying to use me to wipe out the Underworld. How low do you think I am, trying to dig into me with cheap tricks like this?’

The two stood on the street, their eyes locked in the air between them. A conversation that could determine their fates was unfolding in the middle of the road.

“To be honest, it’s not for your sake—it’s to protect myself.”

Geom Mugeuk’s eyes were clearer and deeper than ever.

“I just don’t want someone like you getting swept away on the path I’m taking. I think somewhere in this world, it’d be nice if there was at least one assassin who takes a single coin offered by a child who unjustly lost their parents, and uses that coin as payment to kill the wicked.”

“!”

“I don’t want to go down my path after killing even someone like that. Yes, this isn’t for you—it’s to protect myself.”

Then Geom Mugeuk took a single coin from his robes and handed it to him.

“That’s why this money is a payment to protect me.”