Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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26.

* * *

The Archery Club students gathered on the playground followed Mr. Oh, their club advisor and Korean history teacher, as they slipped away from school and headed toward the mountain behind it.
After walking for about ten minutes, a vast archery range spread out before the students’ eyes.
It was the kind of sight that would have drawn gasps from anyone seeing it for the first time, but it held no interest for me.
My target had been positioned separately from the other students’ so I could practice without distraction, and though Mr. Oh was earnestly explaining the bow and archery techniques, his words barely registered in my mind.
My attention was entirely consumed by Cheonhaerang.
Throughout the walk to the archery range, I had been watching Cheonhaerang’s every expression from beside him.
Cheonhaerang never once looked back at me. Despite being so close, he felt impossibly distant.

Upon arriving at the archery range, Cheonhaerang separated from me.
It was for our individual practice, but my heart grew cold.
In truth, it was laughable that I felt this way at all.
It was only natural.

“Am I not even your friend?”

“Has my heart ever truly mattered to you, even once?”

I answered with silence. There were no words I could speak.
Because truthfully, Cheonhaerang’s feelings had never really mattered to me… perhaps not even once.
While pretending to understand him, I prioritized the Supreme Deity’s command.
The reason I could not force Cheonhaerang was not because of my heart, but because of his station.
So this rift between us was ultimately….

‘My fault.’

That I cannot even call Cheonhaerang my friend.

“Well then, shall we give it a try now, Jiho?”
“…Ah, yes, yes.”

I finally emerged from my prolonged reverie.
Perhaps this distance was better after all.

‘…For my own sake too.’

Even if it was selfish to the very end.
I picked up the bow. The bow, which I hadn’t held in a long time, felt strangely heavier than before.
I nocked the arrow and aimed at the target.

“Oh. You said it was your first time, but your form is excellent?”

Hearing Mr. Oh’s admiration, I drew the bowstring. The string pulled taut.
I released it.
Whoosh—
The arrow cut swiftly through the air.
Thunk—!

“Wow! Well done, Jiho. You seem to have real talent for this?”

Unbelievably, the arrow had struck the target.

I stared at the distant target with a bewildered expression.
Until now, with my terrible archery skills, I had never hit the target even once.
But.
Why now of all times.

“Wow. You’re really good at this. You said it was your first time—was that a lie?”

Someone approached me. It was Yueul.

“I was going to help you, but it looks like you don’t need it at this level.”

I turned my head to look at Yueul standing beside me. He was smiling at me with a grin.
A smile that felt somehow grotesque.
My entire body’s hair stood on end once more.
Behind Yueul’s smile, that sinister aura was definitely emanating outward.
In that moment, my head felt numb.
Ordinary mountains carry strong yin energy.

“Jiho!”

With a cry that seemed to echo from a distant place, I abandoned my bow.
Twang!
Crack. Boom!
The moment I drew the gun and pulled the trigger, the ground collapsed beneath us.
There was no time to confirm whether the bullet had struck Yueul properly.
I kicked off the ground and launched myself into the air.
Everything around me had turned pitch black. The dense, suffocating yin energy I had felt before now filled the space completely.

‘Damn it…!’

The curse escaped my lips unbidden. It was exactly the same situation as before.
The only difference was the branches extending from Yueul’s body, reaching out as if to seize me.
In moments like this, the best strategy was always the thirty-six stratagems of retreat. Tactical withdrawal was paramount.
Even without knowing where I would end up, I had to run through this space.
My form shifted into that of the White Tiger. With feet wreathed in azure light, I surged forward at tremendous speed.
Yet the branches pursued me with equal velocity.
They were upon my side in an instant.
I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed with every ounce of strength I possessed. Then came that moment.
Slash—! Cut!
The sound of something being severed. Followed by a thud as it fell.
I cautiously opened my eyes and glanced to the side. The branches were gone.
Bewildered, I looked down. A massive severed branch lay upon the ground below.
I hadn’t done that. If not me, then only Cheonhaerang could have accomplished such a feat.
Since when?
Or had Cheonhaerang been there even in that moment when I had wounded him?
I stopped running.
And I turned to look behind me.
All I saw was pitch darkness where the yin energy dwelled. It was as if I couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

“….”

If I said I wasn’t trembling, that I wasn’t afraid, it would be a lie.
But Cheonhaerang was in that darkness.

“It’s alright, Jiho.”

I steadied my resolve. And I moved my feet once more.
I pushed myself to the limit, accelerating further. I ran back along the path I had come.

How long had I been running like that?
Gradually, the oppressive darkness began to lift. Brilliant light pierced through the gloom and seeped in.
I spotted Cheonhaerang.
He stood atop a pile of branches.
Densely tangled twigs lay overturned across the ground.
Liquid dripped from the sword he gripped—blood as dark as the shadows themselves.
There was no sign of Yueul.

“Cheonhaerang!”

Descending, I quickly shifted into my human form and rushed toward him.
The tangled branches were uneven, but they meant nothing to me.
At the sound of my voice calling out, Cheonhaerang turned around.
Before he could even call my name—

“…!”

Warm embrace enveloped him. A familiar fragrance tickled his senses.
Cheonhaerang stood rigid, as if time itself had frozen. His lost hands wandered helplessly through the air.
It was a response he had never anticipated from me.
I simply held him without saying a word.

Whoosh.
The darkness had completely dissipated, and leaves danced in the gentle breeze.
Bright spring sunlight bathed them both.
As if finally deciding on a path, the young man’s wandering hands came to rest upon the girl’s form.
With just this single warmth, all the resentment he had harbored toward her melted away like snow.

“I’m fine, Jiho.”

At Cheonhaerang’s words, something deep within my heart surged and leaped up.
It couldn’t be fine.
The wounded expression on Cheonhaerang’s face was still vivid before my eyes.
I had always run away.
Without ever trying anything, I gave up saying it wouldn’t work, it was impossible.
I never once struggled against it.
So what were the results?
Was I happy because I gave up?
It was never like that.
I had to make an effort not to cross the line I had drawn myself.
I had to try not to think of anything.
Even turning away from happy memories.
Biting my lips as if holding something back, I exhaled into the scattering wind.

“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I’m sorry, Cheonhaerang.”

For not considering your heart. Because you were a princess, because I was your subject, for turning away from our childhood together.
The words circling in my mouth couldn’t escape my lips.
But instead, I offered different words.
Perhaps words that Cheonhaerang had been waiting for.

“Let’s not go to the Heavenly Realm.”

The warmth drew away.
Cheonhaerang met my gaze. My eyes glistened with moisture.
Yet I was smiling.

“Wherever you go….”

It felt as though Cheonhaerang was walking through a dream.
Every word I spoke.

“I’ll follow you, Cheonhaerang.”

It was the words he had most wanted to hear.

* * *

“My apologies, Master.”

Gihyeongrang gazed down quietly at the man bowing before me.
Black blood dripped steadily from where his arm had been severed.
Unless I willed it, that arm would never regenerate.
A subordinate of the Heavenly Realm. I was capable of severing his arm, then.

‘Blood truly calls to blood, doesn’t it.’
Gihyeongrang let out a soft chuckle. It seemed increasingly likely that more entertaining developments lay ahead.
Moreover, this incident had made Cheonhaerang’s weakness all the more apparent.

“You may withdraw.”
“As you command.”

The man vanished along with black mist.

Gihyeongrang’s eyes gleamed with an eerie, peculiar light as I gazed upon the empty space.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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