DEB 30

Tap, Tap, Tap.

With his fingertips continuously tapping the wall, creating a tense atmosphere, Jiwook leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Leaning slightly, he looked down at Huiyun with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Firstly, to trust your words, we need evidence that you are Yasha’s disciple. Do you have anything?”

The arrow of doubt was still aimed at him. Knowing how to handle such situations well, Huiyun didn’t hesitate to turn the arrow back towards him.

“Well then, I also want evidence that you three are Yasha’s disciples. How do I know if you’re not just using a false identity?”

“We know about Yasha.”

Juan retorted as if his argument made sense. 

“So do I.”

“Even though your memories are incomplete?”

“Isn’t it common for everyone at first?”

“No. We all had complete memories and were reborn multiple times, even when Yasha was alive. That’s why it’s suspicious. You claim to be Yasha’s last disciple, yet you never revealed yourself in the past ten thousand years. It’s unlikely that this is only your second life.”

What?

It was unexpected information. Yasha’s disciples were reincarnated while Yasha was alive?

It was a fact that he didn’t remember. Huiyun looked at the expressions of the other two to gauge whether Juan’s story was true or false. 

They all seemed to only doubt Huiyun, showing no signs of surprise or shock. 

It was likely to be true.

So, did Yasha’s disciples follow Yasha through multiple reincarnations?

If the master-disciple relationship continued even after death, it was understandable why they were so abnormally obsessed with Yasha.

This complicates things even more.

Although he insisted he was the last of Yasha’s disciple, there were limits to how much he could lie. 

He didn’t think those cunning disciples, who were eager to dissect and preserve him, would easily believe a hastily concocted lie. 

Even now, rather than questioning whether he was Yasha’s disciple, he had a strong feeling that they were interrogating him to find out his identity, assuming that he was not Yasha’s disciple.

How far should he persist, and how far should he lie?

Huiyun eventually chose silence. When things were at a disadvantage, keeping quiet was the best option. Juan chuckled and continued.

“Also, if you were Yasha’s disciple, you would have heard our stories. Our personalities aren’t common, so this should be enough evidence.”

It was a ridiculous statement, but the problem was that it made sense.

It wasn’t common to have someone who said they would dissect you, preserve you, and kill you and eat your corpse.

Yasha. 

What did he do to get such a weird disciple?

Huiyun, who now wanted to completely separate himself from his previous life, swallowed his pride and raised his chin.

“You said you could smell Yasha from me. Isn’t that enough? Since I inherited Yasha’s Domination Ability, it’s natural that I would smell like him.”

“You could be Yasha’s reincarnation instead of his disciple.”

“If that were the case, you would have recognized me at first sight. I wouldn’t be acting like this. Yasha cherished his disciples.”

Huiyun spoke brazenly as he recalled the memories of the garden he had built for his young disciples, the memories of giving them knee pillows and putting them to sleep, the memories of comforting his crying disciples. 

In response to his, Jiwook snorted.

“Would someone who cared so much about his disciples commit suicide without even leaving a word?”

It was like hearing reproach face to face.

Although his heart throbbed with anger, Huiyun quickly put on an indifferent expression and explained.

“…There was a reason for Yasha’s death. His disciples shouldn’t have known the reason.”

“Then as his disciple, you shouldn’t know either.”

“I was Yasha’s last disciple, who he chose to pass on his abilities to before his death, so I couldn’t help but know about his death. In other words, I’m an exception.”

“An exception… What a convenient excuse.”

Jiwook tapped his finger once again. Huiyun couldn’t shake off the feeling that this conversation was going in circles. Then, Nameless removed his suspicious robe and locked eyes with Huiyun.

“It’s suspicious no matter how you look at it. How did you happen to meet Yasha right before his death?”

“I was in the forest where Yasha resided. I was taking care of the forest when I noticed a disturbance and went to investigate, leading me to encounter Yasha. I have nothing more to say. My memories are incomplete, so I can’t say more.”

“Memories. Yeah, it’s strange that they’re incomplete. If you’re Yasha’s disciple, that shouldn’t be the case.”

Juan muttered, sinking into his chair and tilted his head back. He looked up to the ceiling, causing his hair to fall to the floor.

He let out a long sigh. As the confrontation dragged on, his eyes turned into a gaze filled with resentment directed at Huiyun.

Jiwook clicked his tongue in disappointment. 

“This is when Verita should have been here.” 

Verita? 

It was a name Huiyun hadn’t heard before. Judging by the type of name, he guessed that Verita was also one of Yasha’s disciples and remained silent.

“Yeah. It would’ve been convenient if Verita was here. When does Verita usually come?”

“They say he comes in the summer.”

“That’s late. Can’t he come earlier? If I said I found Yasha’s seventh disciple, he would’ve rushed over with excitement.”

“He’s the type to stick to his promised schedule no matter what.”

As Jiwook exchanged words with the others, he straightened his body against the wall. Striding forward, he approached in an instant. Huiyun reflexively stepped back, tripping over the bed’s leg. He caught himself before falling flat on his face, but his cautious eyes met Jiwook’s crooked head.

“Mok Huiyun.”

His name was called unexpectedly, and his shoulders tensed. It wasn’t intentional. It was his body’s involuntary reaction to Jiwook’s intimidating presence.

Confirming Huiyun’s wary expression, Jiwook lowered his gaze.

“Clumsy, frail, and sloppy.”

“…”

“You act like a twenty-year-old kid.”

“…Anyway, my body is indeed twenty years old.”

“If you were really Yasha, you wouldn’t act like this. Your behavior is so stupid and naive.”

Huh…?

Is this an opportunity?

Huiyun’s pupils flickered with hope as the situation seemed to sway in his favor. However, before his hope could swell, it was swiftly cut down.

“But it’s also suspicious to say you’re not Yasha. There are many points that make it dubious to claim to be Yasha’s disciple. Everything about you seems off and suspicious…”

As Jiwook lightly tapped the corner of his mouth, twisted the corner of his mouth. It was the most chilling and unpleasant smile Huiyun had ever seen.

“It’s extremely irritating.”

The blunt sincerity stirred Huiyun. 

He looked at Huiyun like a thorn at his side.

Jiwook withdrew his threatening upper body and chuckled.

“If you really are not Yasha, and the reason you smell like Yasha is because you are his disciple, then prove it.”

“…How?”

“We need to see your abilities directly.”

“What?”

His voice raised unexpectedly at the unforeseen solution. 

Jiwook walked to the door and pointed out to the window as if wondering why he was so surprised.

“Ash mentioned it, didn’t he? He said we had arranged a test to verify your abilities. Gate Out will happen today at 12 PM. We’ll have the hunters ready beforehand, so you’ll need to use Yasha’s domination ability in this room. We need to see how you use your ability and what scent it emits when you do.”

“What…!”

“If you want to propose an objection to this method, issue a command instead of a feeble excuse. Because that’s Yasha’s way.”

With authoritative words, he finished and opened the door. Without a word, he swiftly exited. Nameless approached Huiyun, handing something over.

A doll…?

It was the rice straw doll that Nameless always carried with him. Huiyun accepted it out of surprise, looking at it with a puzzled expression. The man lifted his index finger and brought it to his lips and laughed.

“When Verita arrives, we’ll know if your words are true or false. You know that, right? Whatever the outcome, it’s up to you, but Yasha will also have to bear the consequences.”

Speaking with a tone of certainty, the one who called him Yasha left through the open door. 

This time, Juan, who was the last one left, hugged Huiyun.

“I still think you are Yasha, but since you deny it so desperately, I’ll trust you for now. But if it turns out that you are Yasha, then you will have to hang out with me until I am satisfied. got it?”

He whispered innocently like a child. He then winked before leaving the room, leaving Huiyun to collapse into the bed. 

They give him time to think until noon.

“…I’m not sure if that was a good move.”

Even he thought that it was too clumsy and hastily constructed lie. 

He was sure that not many people would be fooled by such a lie.

However, even if it was just for a moment, it still managed to shake them up, to buy time. 

That was the minimum goal he aimed for, and trying it out turned out to be more difficult than he thought. 

The faith of the three disciples towards Yasha was so firm.

Surely he was also Yasha, so why don’t they believe him?

Huiyun, lamenting their selective respect, absentmindedly lifted the doll given by Nameless, only to realize that it was unexpectedly heavy.

Wasn’t it made of straw only?

Now that he thought about it, the belly seemed a bit thick. As he pressed it with his hand, his thumb sank in deeply, and Nameless’s voice flowed out.

[I like you, Yasha.]

“…Insane.”

Huiyun, who had been curious about the doll that Nameless carried around every day, realized that it wasn’t made entirely of straw. 

After listening to the recorded sentence, he threw the doll away.

“This is crazy, really.”

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t deceive them.