DEB 80

“We have signed a non-aggression treaty with the demons, and Zenith was the last hostage we received through that treaty, so Verita must be at the temple.”

Nameless, who had been guessing where Verita might be, stared intently at Huiyun for a moment.

“…Why are you looking at me like that? If Verita is at the temple, we should go there.”

“In that condition?”

“…What?”

The tone was so disrespectful that Huiyun couldn’t hide his bewilderment. 

What’s wrong with my condition?

Zenith answered the question that rose in his mind, challenging Nameless’ tone.

“Indeed, you don’t look well, Yasha. It might be better to rest first.”

“Yeah, Yasha. You should contact your brother, too. This time, I can’t cover for you. Even I find your brother a bit much…”

“Oh.”

Right, there’s Huigang.

As if on cue, the doll used to contact Huigang began to glow.

[Huiyun!]

“Brother.”

[It finally connects. I was worried because the connection was unstable and I thought something happened. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you now?]

The questions came pouring out with no attempt to hide the anxiety. 

Distracted by his disciples, Huiyun hadn’t given much thought to Huigang, and he felt guilty about it.

Get it together, Mok Huiyun.

The only person Huiyun needed to care about as Huiyun was Huigang. 

Only him.

Neglecting that was inexcusable. 

As he was about to assure Huigang that he was fine, Jiwook suddenly handed him a phone with the front camera on.

“What….”

Feeling bewildered at what seemed like a sudden joke, he glanced at the phone.

“I thought you should see your own state since it seems you don’t realize it.”

Huiyun looked down and saw his reflection on the screen. 

His face was pale and gaunt, looking like a corpse.

So that’s why they told me to rest.

In truth, ever since Huiyun had started recalling memories related to his disciples, he had been in a semi-awakened state, pumped with dopamine. 

He hadn’t noticed his lack of strength or his racing heart, but seeing himself on camera made it all real, and he became acutely aware of his body’s signals.

“…I’m not hurt, but I’ve been exposed to mana for a long time, so I think I should go to the hospital.”

[What? Are you having seizures? Are you okay?]

“I’m okay for now. But….”

Huiyun cleared his throat, feeling a sharp gaze on him.

“But I think I should rest at the hospital and get checked.”

[Alright?]

Only after he confirmed this did Huigang’s voice and the disciples’ gazes soften. 

Huiyun looked at his disciples with a sense of exasperation.

Before, they wouldn’t have blinked even if I spat blood in front of them….

Was this the difference in respect? 

It felt a bit unfair and slightly irritating.

“Okay. I’ll head to the hospital now, so see you later.” 

[Alright. I’ll be waiting.]

The connection ended with Huigang’s now much calmer voice. 

Huiyun couldn’t shake off the lingering anxiety and voiced his concern.

“…Is it really okay not to find Verita right away?”

“He’s not in the demon realm, so there’s no need to worry. If he’s holed up in the temple, he’s probably receiving another revelation.”

“I think so too. We wanted to find him because we thought he might be in the demon realm. If he’s at the temple, we should wait for him to relay his revelation.”

“A revelation?”

Perplexed, Huiyun glanced at Zenith, who sighed softly.

“Don’t you remember anything about Verita, Yasha?” 

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Oh dear. Verita would be very upset to hear that.”

Zenith added that, in terms of pure respect, Verita followed Yasha with the purest heart. 

Huiyun wasn’t sure whether to feel touched or troubled by this, so he awkwardly smiled. 

From his past experiences, he realized that the higher the disciples’ dependence on Yasha, the more insane they tended to be.

Judging by the expressions, it seemed Vita, Vina, Ash, and even Moot acknowledged Verita’s loyalty, making Huiyun wonder just how crazy Verita might be.

Meeting him again might be both exciting and burdensome.

“Verita has always reincarnated as a priest. Even when he was Yasha’s disciple, he was called the High Priest and heard the voice of God in every life. Whenever we couldn’t reach him, it was usually because he was praying and listening to God’s voice. He will contact us when his prayer ends.”

Zenith’s further explanation gave Huiyun an idea of why Verita became Yasha’s disciple.

Yasha was the proxy of the gods, managing the world and maintaining balance according to their will. 

At least, he was in the beginning.

If Verita was that devoted as to be called the High Priest, it made sense for him to follow Yasha, the gods’ proxy.

At the same time, Huiyun looked at Zenith and thought that Yasha’s last disciple might have been someone like Zenith. 

With such deep faith and blind loyalty, anyone who spent ten thousand years without their master would surely have lost their sanity.

Or, if their faith was that deep, they might have always been half-insane, driven by their devotion.

A sense of foreboding crept on him.

…What was I in my past life?

At this point, Ash was right. 

He might have been a lord who picked up abandoned, wounded, or strangely behaved dragons.

Yasha… Sigh…

He was starting to habitually call out his old name with a sigh.

“Then we’ll have to wait for Verita to contact us.”

Swallowing his complicated feelings, Huiyun decided to forgo meeting Verita immediately and, following his disciples’ urging, moved to the hospital. 

Huigang, looking a bit worn out, rushed to check Huiyun’s condition and welcomed him.

“…You really aren’t hurt.”

“Bringing a bunch of S-classes and coming back injured would be strange. Oh, and… we have another companion.”

“Companion?”

The voice was slightly cold, the hostility clear. 

Huiyun awkwardly laughed and introduced Zenith.

“This is Zenith, the companion I said I needed to find.” 

“I am Zenith. It is an honor to meet you, Ya–”

“Zenith.”

“Um, relative of Huiyun.”

As Zenith almost called him Yasha, Huiyun lightly tugged her sleeve to remind her, and Zenith quickly changed the address, smiling warmly. 

Huigang looked awkwardly at Zenith, who resembled Vita a lot.

“You look a lot like Vita.”

“We’re twins. If my younger sibling has caused you any trouble, I apologize on his behalf. He tends to be unpredictable….”

With a slightly embarrassed expression, Zenith sent an apologetic look. 

Huigang glanced at Huiyun, seeming surprised to find someone among the S-classes with such common sense.

“Are they really twins? Their personalities are so different.”

“Brother, they can hear you.”

Ash and Vina’s shoulders lightly shook, and Vita frowned. 

Realizing belatedly that whispering was useless among S-classes, Huigang hesitantly took Zenith’s offered hand.

“…I’m Mok Huigang. I’ve heard of Zenith. You and Vita are known as miracle shamans in Thailand. How did you end up in Korea?”

“I wasn’t in Korea but in another dimension temporarily. Huiyun and the others came to rescue me.”

“Huiyun did a good deed.”

Huiyun felt relieved seeing Huigang having a normal conversation with one of Yasha’s disciples for the first time. 

Judging by the situation, if Huigang and the disciples were to converse in the future, it would have to be through Zenith.

“It’s unfortunate what you went through. It’s good you were safely rescued. Are you going back to Thailand now? With your twin?”

“Oh, that’s….”

Zenith trailed off and looked at Huiyun. 

They had discussed this beforehand in the hospital room.

Unlike before, when Huiyun thought about slowly distancing himself from his disciples, he had now decided to fulfill his responsibilities as their master. 

Inevitably, they had to stay together, so he could no longer keep up any pretense with Huigang.

Nor did he want to anymore.

He was done with lying and hurting people.

“Can you all go take care of your tasks? I want to talk with my brother.”

“Yes, Huiyun.”

“We’ll be waiting, so contact us through the phone or dolls!”

“I’ll be back, Ya– Huiyun!”

Following their pre-discussed plan, the disciples obediently left the room.

Huigang was surprised to see his brother speak casually to the S-classes and to see the S-classes listen and comply.

Now, only the brothers were left in the hospital room.

“Um… Huiyun?”

“Brother, I have something to tell you.” 

He began cautiously.

Nodding for him to continue, Huigang scanned the situation with his eyes and suddenly let out a gasp. 

Then, squinting his eyes, he chuckled and ran a hand down his face. 

Huiyun caught off guard, froze in confusion.

“…Brother?”

“Oh… it’s you?”

“Huh?”