SYM 61

“Great Hero Ha, what are you saying? Master? Do you perhaps want to learn some new divine art from me?”

Eun-hyeon’s eyes widened for a moment before calmly settling down.

He had considered that a day like this might come. So, he had prepared what to say in such a case, or how to treat Ha Yeo-un. However, it came much faster than Eun-hyeon had anticipated.

Where did he get a hint?

Eun-hyeon gave Ha Yeo-un the softest smile he could muster.

For the first time, the composure vanished from Ha Yeo-un’s face, the same Ha Yeo-un who had remained calm even when trapped in a formation and surrounded by Undead.

“…How long were you planning to pretend you didn’t know? Were you going to keep it a secret forever if I didn’t figure it out?”

“…Great Hero Ha, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ha Yeo-un’s face contorted.

It was an expression that couldn’t be described with a single word. It seemed to simultaneously hold the sense of loss of a child who had lost their mother and the fury of facing an irreconcilable enemy.

Ha Yeo-un rose to his feet.

Soon, a rough sound of bones colliding, creak, creak, could be heard. At the same time, Ha Yeo-un’s body gradually grew larger. The body, which had been reduced through Bone Contraction Skill, returned to its original form, and the shape of his muscles changed. If Ha Yeo-un’s body was that of a martial artist in training, Cheong-un’s body was already complete.

If someone without deep knowledge of Martial Arts were to glance at them, Ha Yeo-un’s body would appear more impressive.

The Heavenly Demon’s body, at first glance, didn’t seem to have enough muscle and looked like that of a scholar. This was because the Heavenly Demon’s Martial Arts had already reached a stage where it was not restricted by the physical body.

Ha Yeo-un began to move the muscles in his face as well. The likeable but subtly blurred impression disappeared, and increasingly flamboyant features began to emerge.

Eun-hyeon stared at the sight as if mesmerized.

When Cheong-un was young, he had simply thought he was pretty, but now that he was an adult, his face had become something that couldn’t be described with the word “pretty” alone.

“…Great Hero Ha?”

“Even after seeing this, will you continue to call me Great Hero Ha?”

The smile that appeared on his flamboyant face was closer to a sneer. Facing it, Eun-hyeon felt a chill as if he had goosebumps.

“What are you saying…? If you’re not Great Hero Ha, then who exactly are you? Since you’re saying things I can’t understand at all, I’ll get up now. I’ll make my own way back to the clan.”

As Eun-hyeon rose from his seat, Ha Yeo-un grabbed Eun-hyeon’s arm.

His expression crumpled because the strength was greater than he had expected. But even seeing Eun-hyeon like that, Ha Yeo-un didn’t loosen his grip.

“Stop it now. Today, when you tried to save Namgung Eun-gwang, Namgung Eun-hyeon, who has never learned Martial Arts, was using footwork and Martial Arts. And it was Martial Arts that I’m very familiar with.”

He must have been busy dealing with the Undead, so when did he see that? It wasn’t really even Martial Arts, just some footwork and a bit of physical skill, but it was unbelievable that he could be so sure just from that. Eun-hyeon sighed inwardly.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Fine. Then I’ll have to kidnap the Eldest Young Master and take him to the Demonic Sect. It doesn’t matter whether you admit that you’re my Master or not.”

“Why the Demonic Sect all of a sudden? Great Hero Ha, could it be that you were affected by the formation earlier and something’s wrong with your mind? How about calming down your head by doing some Qi Circulation?”

“Haha, now you’re treating me like a madman? Well, you’re not wrong. I’ve hardly been sane since Master died.”

“…I don’t know who your Master is.”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un approached Eun-hyeon. Eun-hyeon, unsure of what Ha Yeo-un was going to do, watched him warily, when Ha Yeo-un suddenly knelt down in front of Eun-hyeon.

As Eun-hyeon tried to avoid it in surprise, Ha Yeo-un quickly grabbed Eun-hyeon’s hand.

“Great Hero Ha, what is this…?”

Ha Yeo-un took Eun-hyeon’s hand and pressed it gently against his forehead.

It was as if he were a religious person praying. Like a devout worshiper, Ha Yeo-un kissed the back of Eun-hyeon’s hand and rubbed his face against it. Eun-hyeon watched Ha Yeo-un and couldn’t say anything.

Watching what Ha Yeo-un was doing, his face gradually turned red. Even though Ha Yeo-un hadn’t done anything particularly outrageous.

His face flushed red, and his heart beat wildly.

Was it because that face was unfamiliar?

Eun-hyeon took a ragged breath and forcibly turned his eyes elsewhere.

“No matter what Great Hero Ha says, I don’t know such a person.”

“Fine. Since you say you don’t know me, I’ll just tell my story. My Master is the one who picked me up and raised me when I couldn’t even tell right from wrong.”

Eun-hyeon didn’t say anything and kept his mouth shut. Ha Yeo-un, not caring about Eun-hyeon’s attitude, grabbed Eun-hyeon’s hand tightly and interlaced their fingers.

It was as if he was trapping him with his fingers, pushing his fingers between Eun-hyeon’s fingers.

“My Master picked up a dirty and filthy me and raised me like a pet.”

Eun-hyeon flinched at the word “pet.”

A pet?

Ha Yeo-un continued, massaging the tips of Eun-hyeon’s fingers.

“My Master was a truly cruel person. He took pleasure in harshly beating and abusing me, who was just a child.”

Eun-hyeon blinked.

Was Cheong-un really talking about himself right now?

“W-What does that mean…? So, are you looking for your Master to get revenge?”

Eun-hyeon said, trying to pull out his interlaced hand, but Ha Yeo-un didn’t budge.

“That’s right. Revenge, I have something to repay my Master for. He was fascinated by my beautiful appearance and committed shameless acts from when I was not even ten years old.”

“…What?”

Eun-hyeon’s voice trembled slightly.

Was he misunderstanding something? Or were Cheong-un’s memories strange?

“That person enjoyed molesting me at will under the guise of being a Master, and he called me to his bed every night. He committed countless unspeakable acts on a young me.”

“…W-What kind of acts?”

“He took my body every night and pounced on me greedily. It was no use crying and begging. He was a pervert. He especially liked young children and enjoyed sadistic acts. When I was young, he mainly liked to abuse and torment me, but after I grew up a little, he even made me do dirty things.”

Ha Yeo-un lowered his head. Eun-hyeon was so flustered that he tried to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t move.

“N-No, wait a minute…”

“He would tell me to hit him, and he would bare his buttocks and present them to me. Even if I cried and said I didn’t want to, he would force a whip into my hand and make me hit him. Once, after training, he didn’t let me wash. He forced me to lie down, saying he would clean me by licking me, and he licked my body.”

“No, that’s just a pervert…”

Listening to Cheong-un’s words, he felt nauseous as if he was about to throw up.

“That’s right. I realized it later, after I grew up. That such a person is a pervert. A pervert who pretends to be a righteous Grand Knight on the outside but makes his young disciple spread his legs every night. Master was a very extreme pervert, even among perverts. Like an evil heretical master who has mastered Yin energy, he couldn’t overcome his seething lust every