WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈
Chapter 4: Chapter One - Childhood (3)
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The porch of the thatched cottage.
The Beggar King, Ma Il-seok, sat across from his old sworn brother and watched Mok Ri-won peeking at them over the wall.
“That’s the boy?”
“Did you think I’d brought home another child in the meantime?”
“...He’s grown up rather well.”
It had been roughly seven years since they had last met.
Ma Il-seok studied Mok Ri-won with somber eyes, then turned to Mok Seon-o.
“I recall you asking me to investigate whether there had been other cases like this. You said the child’s body had been made for demonic arts.”
“That’s right.”
Mok Seon-o did not look pleased.
“I wanted to teach him my martial arts. But with his acupoints in that state, I feared my martial arts might become poison to him.”
“You truly are cautious, Brother.”
Ma Il-seok snorted.
“I did look into it. I searched through the Alliance archives and found records of such a phenomenon in a rather unexpected place.”
“Unexpected?”
“The Bloody Affair from seven years ago.”
Mok Seon-o’s eyes widened.
Ma Il-seok nodded and continued.
“You’re thinking of the right thing. Among the materials we brought back after burning down the Blood Heaven Cult that day, there was something concerning a certain grand ritual.”
“A grand ritual...?”
“Do you remember where you found the child?”
How could he forget?
The altar beyond the side gate behind the main hall, thick with the stench of blood.
It was a place where it had been suspected that wicked sorcery had been performed upon the child. Even now, the site remained clear in Mok Seon-o’s mind.
Mok Seon-o’s expression hardened.
“Are you saying the ritual had already been completed?”
“That’s right. That was the name written in the book.”
Ma Il-seok’s expression turned grave as he gathered his breath.
Then he spoke.
“Extreme Demon Physique.”
Mok Seon-o drew in a sharp breath.
His expression crumpled.
How could he not know what an Extreme Demon Physique was?
Anyone with a foot in the martial world knew of it.
“...The body of a Heavenly Demon.”
“That’s right. Yi Mu-baek, the Third Heavenly Demon. Even now, he is counted among the three greatest figures of all time, and he was born with the Extreme Demon Physique.”
Ma Il-seok sighed.
“And he, too, was born under the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
“...Did the Blood Demon wish for Yi Mu-baek’s return?”
“Who knows now? You cut off that bastard’s head.”
Mok Seon-o let out a hollow laugh.
It was truly a frustrating situation, but there was no one left to question. A helpless emptiness welled up inside him.
Ma Il-seok understood how he felt.
How could he not?
The child Mok Seon-o had taken in after casting aside even his own name, the child whose fate he had sworn to help overcome, possessed a body made for demonic arts.
Still, when Ma Il-seok set aside his emotions, he could not help thinking that perhaps this was for the best.
“Brother.”
“Speak.”
“...It is not too late.”
Mok Seon-o’s eyes flew open.
Ignoring his reaction, Ma Il-seok continued.
“I did not intervene that day because I wished to respect your will. Knowing your chivalrous convictions, I also did my utmost to come here. But look at this. The fate bestowed upon that child has taken a form that personal effort cannot change. So give up...”
“Enough-!”
Mok Seon-o thundered.
Ma Il-seok clamped his mouth shut. Mok Ri-won, who had been trying to eavesdrop from afar, jolted at the shout.
Both men’s gazes fell on Mok Ri-won. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before slipping away.
Mok Seon-o watched the child’s retreating back with a sorrowful expression.
“...Enough.”
“Brother...”
“Beggar.”
Ma Il-seok’s fist tightened.
Whenever Mok Seon-o called him by that old nickname, he knew exactly what his sworn brother was about to say.
“I...”
Before Mok Seon-o could continue, Ma Il-seok sprang to his feet.
“...Stop.”
Mok Seon-o looked at him.
Ma Il-seok bit down hard on his lip before speaking again.
“You’re going to persuade me again. You’re going to preach that damned chivalry again. But listen...”
His voice trailed off.
The words he was about to speak would wound the sworn brother he respected. That was why he hesitated.
Still, there was something he had to say honestly.
“I hate that child.”
Ma Il-seok hated Mok Ri-won.
He hated the child who had taken the name of a great chivalrous hero who deserved praise, the child who seemed capable of growing into nothing but evil.
He resented him bitterly.
“If that child had not existed, you would not have needed to abandon your name. No, would that have been all? Many masters of the righteous martial world would have gladly bowed their heads and followed you. The righteous martial world might have entered a new golden age beneath your name!”
The words kept pouring out.
Feelings he had kept bottled up for years now spilled forth, carrying all the resentment that had festered inside him.
“Even now, many people are waiting for you! They want you to cast aside that stubbornness and return. They want you to become the highest star once more!”
Sword Star Mok Seon-o.
Without question, it was the name of the brightest star in the martial world.
“Just...”
Just because of one little child who might grow into evil, that was not a name that should vanish.
Ma Il-seok stared at Mok Seon-o, his face twisted in anguish.
Mok Seon-o could not bring himself to say anything more. He lowered his head.
Had Ma Il-seok been carrying such feelings all this time?
Had his own selfishness wounded others so deeply?
He felt sorry.
He felt guilty.
Yet beneath it all was a stubbornness he could not cast aside.
No, if he had to name it now, it was affection.
Mok Seon-o could not abandon the child to whom he had given his surname, the child who smiled while watching the little animals in the forest.
“...I’m sorry.”
Ma Il-seok lamented.
‘...No.’
Perhaps he had known all along.
His sworn brother had always been this sort of person. His resolve had never once been broken.
Ma Il-seok let out a few empty sighs, then turned away from Mok Seon-o.
“I’m sorry. I have no right to raise my voice at you...”
Silence settled over the space.
Ma Il-seok thought that he was too worked up to have a proper conversation.
“...I’ll go clear my head for a while.”
Ma Il-seok left.
Mok Seon-o remained behind. He raised his head to look at the sky as he tried to calm his heavy heart.
* * *
Ma Il-seok left the cottage and walked aimlessly.
From what he had seen on the way here, a stream lay farther along this path. He thought he might at least wash his face there.
After pushing through the brush and passing between the trees, Ma Il-seok reached the stream. His expression darkened at the small figure standing before him.
“...Ah! Beggar King!”
It was Mok Ri-won.
Fair skin, black hair, and features pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl.
Ma Il-seok clicked his tongue and walked past him.
“Why are you out here?”
“I was waiting for your conversation to end! It looked serious, so I thought I shouldn’t interrupt!”
The child spoke clearly and politely.
Ma Il-seok found himself thinking that Mok Ri-won seemed rather clever, then quickly flinched and forced the thought away.
“...Hmph. So you know how to read the room.”
He knew this attitude was childish.
But what could he do?
Whenever he thought of everything his sworn brother and the righteous martial world had lost because of this child, his insides twisted.
Ma Il-seok wore a sour expression as he looked Mok Ri-won over. Then Mok Ri-won spoke.
“Beggar King, you are Master’s sworn younger brother, right?”
“...What?”
“Master told me! He said that among all the chivalrous heroes he knew, the Beggar King, his sworn brother, was one of the five greatest! I was so surprised when you told me your name!”
Though Ma Il-seok had been so cold toward him, Mok Ri-won paid it no mind. With a bright face, he continued explaining as he waved his arms about.
For a moment, Ma Il-seok had to stop the corners of his mouth from rising.
“My brother said that?”
It seemed Mok Seon-o had already told the child about him.
The thought made him listen more closely.
“Yes! Whenever Master told me stories about the martial world, he spoke of you too! The time you fought side by side in the Valley of Meager Blood, the time you met in the finals of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Tournament, and also...!”
Mok Ri-won’s voice chirped on.
It was clear and lively, like birdsong.
The more Ma Il-seok listened, the more something deep inside him stirred.
‘He remembered...’
Had Mok Seon-o remembered all of it?
Ma Il-seok had thought Mok Seon-o had forgotten those days after going into seclusion. He had thought his brother no longer looked back on that time.
“...Ah! My favorite was the story about the fight against the Azure-Blood Seductress!”
“H-hm?!”
Ma Il-seok jolted at the words Azure-Blood Seductress.
The Azure-Blood Seductress.
A witch of the Blood Heaven Cult who had tried to steal information from the Martial Alliance.
It was one of the few names Ma Il-seok could never forget.
Mok Seon-o had saved him when he nearly fell head over heels for her. That was how they became sworn brothers, so how could he not be startled to hear the story from the child’s mouth?
“The Azure-Blood Seductress! Master said that the Beggar King kept that demoness tied down for three days and nights! He said that if you had not been there that day, they never could have captured her!”
He had tied her down.
Or perhaps he should say she had tied him down.
The incident in which he had been bewitched by her beauty and wrung dry for three days and nights was one of the most embarrassing memories of Ma Il-seok’s life.
“A-ahem...!”
Ma Il-seok’s face reddened.
Young Mok Ri-won did not understand why and simply looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
As Ma Il-seok trembled with embarrassment, he suddenly realized something.
‘Wait...’
Had he sensed anything wicked from this child?
Had he felt any demonic aura from him?
Ma Il-seok’s expression grew serious.
He looked at Mok Ri-won with that thought plainly written on his face.
Mok Ri-won tilted his head.
His eyes shone with innocence.
On closer inspection, his brown eyes carried a faint reddish tint.
...There was not a trace of the wickedness Ma Il-seok had feared within them.
“...”
Ma Il-seok frowned.
Come to think of it, Mok Seon-o would never teach the child evil.
No matter how inescapable the child’s fate might be, Mok Seon-o was the sort of person who would give him love.
As their gazes met before the babbling stream, Ma Il-seok suddenly asked,
“You.”
“Yes?”
“You...”
Ma Il-seok silently moved his lips as he chose his words.
Had those eyes bewitched him?
For reasons he could not understand, the what-if hope that had arisen within him seven years ago welled up once more.
“...What do you wish to become?”
Mok Ri-won looked at Ma Il-seok and wondered.
Why was he asking that?
What Mok Ri-won wanted to become was so clear.
“I want to become a chivalrous hero! A great chivalrous hero like Master!”
Ma Il-seok’s eyes widened slightly.
His fist clenched so tightly it seemed ready to break.
“Why?”
“Why?”
“There must be a reason. Perhaps you want to make a name for yourself, or gain power, authority, and wealth by becoming a chivalrous hero.”
He deliberately gave specific examples.
Part of him hoped the child would name one of them and put his mind at ease.
Then perhaps he would feel a little less ashamed for resenting the child.
But Mok Ri-won was not worldly enough to grant Ma Il-seok that wish.
He simply smiled.
“I saw a star in Master’s sword. It was so dazzling and beautiful that even now, whenever I close my eyes, I feel as though I can see Master’s star.”
As he spoke, he closed his eyes.
His smile deepened.
“I like Master’s star. When I look at it, it feels as though the whole world becomes bright. When I think of it, even dark nights do not frighten me.”
His voice sounded as though he were dreaming.
Within it lay a clear longing and tender affection.
“I want to hold a star like that too. I want to become someone who protects others. I want to become a beautifully shining star and light the way for other people.”
Mok Ri-won opened his eyes.
The features Ma Il-seok had called girlish bloomed even more beautifully as his eyes curved into crescents.
“The star I want is Master’s star. And Master’s star is the star of a chivalrous hero. That is why I want to become a chivalrous hero.”
When Mok Ri-won finally finished speaking, Ma Il-seok let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh...”
There was something he did not want to admit.
There was someone he wanted to keep as nothing more than the object of his resentment.
Yet that child stood before him.
Even so, Ma Il-seok could not help seeing someone else in the child.
“...You are quite the arrogant little brat.”
Mok Ri-won’s radiant smile was the very image of Mok Seon-o’s handsome smile, the smile of a true chivalrous hero.
Footnotes:
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