DEB 44

“What’s with the fox?”

“Took you long enough to ask.”

Huiyun had been with Siho since he left the hospital, but neither the Bureau Director nor the three hunters had asked about it. It seemed like they deliberately avoided the topic, focusing solely on Yasha.

Thinking that they were remarkable in many ways, Huiyun petted Siho.

“As you can see, it’s a silver fox.” 

“It doesn’t seem like just any ordinary fox.”

“Perhaps the heavens pitied my miserable life being stuck with you guys and sent me a divine beast.”

“Hmm…. So, you don’t want to talk about it in detail. Got it, I won’t ask anymore.”

Juan backed off smoothly and poked Siho’s nose with his finger.

“Oh, it’s moist.”

“Moist?”

Surprised at the unusual description, Huiyun stroked Siho’s nose and indeed felt the moistness, similar to touching a dog’s nose.

Interesting.

Enjoying the pleasant sensation, Huiyun continued petting Siho, who growled in discomfort. Siho tolerated Huiyun but seemed unwilling to accept Juan’s fingers, attempting to bite them whenever he reached out playfully.

He’ll get bitten at this rate.

With nothing better to do on their way to the Gate, Juan occupied himself with teasing the fox. 

It struck Huiyun how unimpressive the reality of an S-rank hunter could be. Meanwhile, the conversation of the Ash Guild members following them could be heard in hushed tones.

“Did you hear that? He said it’s a divine beast.”

“A divine beast? Those are super expensive, right? Didn’t a divine beast egg start at a billion won at the last auction?”

“The final bid was over 3 billion won.”

“Crazy. He’s practically carrying an apartment on his shoulder.”

“Hey, if he’s the Guild Master’s master, do you think a mere apartment’s worth matters to him?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

Not really. 3 billion won is a lot of money. A huge amount, actually.

Feeling overwhelmed by the conversation, Huiyun cleared his throat. Taking it as a sign to quiet down, the Ash Guild members fell into line behind Huiyun and Juan. 

Flustered by the unintended display of authority, Huiyun noticed Juan showing interest.

“Are you trying to train them?”

“Do you think that’s my intention? …When are you going to correct their misconception?”

“About what?”

“That I’m your master.”

“Oh, right. You asked me to call you a fellow disciple, didn’t you?”

Responding as if he had forgotten, Juan turned to look at his guild members. Raising his hand over his head, he gathered their attention and pointed at Huiyun.

“He’s not my master, he’s a fellow disciple!” 

“He’s not the master, he’s a fellow disciple?”

“But didn’t he say master initially? From the Guild Master’s attitude, it didn’t seem like a lie. Is he saying that because they’re tackling this Gate together?”

“Ah… I think he asked for the correction after hearing our conversation. Maybe we were making him uncomfortable, and he wants us to be more relaxed around him….”

“If that’s the case… that’s insane.”

“How could someone like our Guild Master… be his disciple? Can a bad student really come from a good master?”

“Hey, shh. The Guild Master can hear you.”

The guild members, who had been shaken by Juan’s single statement, began talking even more animatedly in lower voices. Huiyun, hearing all their conversations, felt increasingly uneasy. 

Somehow, he was being elevated to a near-saint status among the Ash Guild members without having done anything.

That backfired spectacularly.

Noticing the unintended consequences, Huiyun grabbed Juan’s collar, quickening his pace to put some distance between them and the guild members. Lowering his voice, he confronted Juan.

“Why did you say it like that?”

“How else should I have said it?”

“You should have clarified that it was a joke earlier. No one will believe that correction the way you said it.”

“Really? Don’t worry. If they don’t believe it, I’ll just tell them to believe it.”

As if that would work. Seeing the guild members’ reactions, if he said it that way, they’d likely think, “Oh, he’s just being considerate of us again!” and accept it as such.

Huiyun’s initial thought seemed correct. 

The stronger one was in the awakened world, the more unhinged they were. 

Ash Guild only recruited strong people, and they all seemed a bit unhinged, reinforcing Huiyun’s belief in that hypothesis.

Realizing it was futile to clear up the guild members’ misunderstandings, Huiyun showed his frustration. 

Juan leaned in, looking puzzled.

“Why do you dislike it so much? They might be idiots, but they’re good kids.”

“It’s not that… I’m not your master to begin with.”

“There you go again.”

The lie, which had never been effective, was instantly dismissed. Seeing Huiyun furrow his brow, Juan seemed to tire of the topic and changed the subject, sharing his honest feelings.

“It’s just burdensome.”

“What is? Them?”

“That too… but I just don’t feel comfortable living up to such expectations.”

“And yet you work as the savior?”

“…”

Though Juan’s remark seemed offhand, it was a sharp question. Feeling as if Juan had struck a nerve, Huiyun winced. With a deep sigh, Juan placed his arms around Huiyun’s shoulders, facing him directly.

“I get what you mean. I’ll make sure the guild members keep their mouths shut and treat you respectfully without being a burden. But, Yasha.”

In a calmer voice than usual, Juan called out to Huiyun, lowering his head to meet his gaze.

“Great power tends to reveal itself. Just like how your identity as the savior was eventually discovered. You know it’s not something that can be hidden. So why act stubborn? I really don’t understand your thoughts. You’re more complicated now as a human than you were as a dragon.”

Having laid his cards on the table, Juan looked at Huiyun, as if asking for an explanation for his suspicious behavior. His kind yet ominous red eyes were solely focused on Huiyun. 

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the Ash Guild members had stopped walking and kept their distance from Juan. 

Now alone with Juan, Huiyun felt tired of the scrutiny in Juan’s gaze, which sought Yasha rather than Mok Huiyun.

How much longer do I have to keep making excuses?

The repeated situations were wearing him down as well. Standing in front of eyes that showed no doubt about him being Yasha, Huiyun spoke impulsively.

“Do you know why Yasha died?”

“…What?”

Juan’s questioning voice was sharp. The usual playful, childlike tone was gone, replaced by a fierce, battle-hardened warrior. 

He gripped Huiyun’s shoulders tightly.

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“…”

“Yasha.”

With a stronger grip, Juan fixed his eyes on Huiyun. The tension in his voice and the veins standing out on his neck indicated he was holding back an outburst. 

Huiyun, showing no sign of pain, grasped Juan’s hand and pulled it down.

“Find out the reason. Then you’ll understand why I’m acting this way.”

“You could just tell me.” 

“…”

“Now that we’ve met, you could tell me directly. Why do you want us to find out on our own? We spent ten thousand years trying to figure out why you died, why you left like that. And now, even with you in front of us, you want us to uncover the reason? It doesn’t make any sense!”

Juan, scowling, shouted and shook Huiyun. Despite being much taller, he seemed like a child in Huiyun’s eyes. Huiyun closed his eyes, trying to calm the emotions stirred up by Yasha.

Juan lowered himself to match Huiyun’s eye level, leaning his forehead against Huiyun’s shoulder.

“Tell me, Yasha.”

The whisper reached Huiyun’s ear.

“Why did you die alone? After you died, the demons… they were weakened. Is it related?”

Juan’s tone, drastically different from his earlier outburst, pleaded for an answer.

It was close to the truth, but Huiyun couldn’t admit it. Saying it aloud would be tantamount to acknowledging that he was Yasha.

In reality, that was just an excuse.

If Huiyun wanted to reveal it, he could have given subtle hints. But as Yasha, he didn’t want to disclose the reason for his death. It was a life already concluded, and nothing would change by digging up the past. It would only add to the guilt they felt towards each other.

Even so, why was he—

Huiyun, troubled, clenched his fist.

“…You’re right. I don’t even understand myself. It’s too complicated.”

After a long silence, Huiyun agreed with Juan’s earlier lament. Juan’s trembling eyes met his. 

This time, Huiyun didn’t avoid his gaze.

Twitch.

Juan’s fingers trembled.

“…If we continue like this, we’ll just keep hurting each other. Let’s just pretend we don’t know each other, like we never had a connection.”

“Yasha!”

“Ash, please.”

“…”

“If you truly care for me, you all need to become independent. We’ve crossed into new lives, so our master-disciple bond is severed.”

Although he didn’t explicitly say he was Yasha, it was essentially an admission of his reincarnation. Juan, clearly not expecting such words, let go of Huiyun and looked at him with wide eyes.

“…You were the one who taught me that connections don’t sever easily.”

The words hit Huiyun like a blow to the head.

“Connections don’t sever easily. If you cross into a new life and seek me out again, I will gladly take you as my disciple once more.”

Those were Yasha’s words to Ash, who had feared death as the Red Dragon. The memory of Yasha’s voice resurfaced vividly, causing Huiyun to grimace. He stepped back and, almost in a flight response, ran towards the place where the Gate had opened.

He needed time to clear his head.

Juan, standing stunned, did not stop Huiyun from running off.