Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 46

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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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46.

“You came out of school?”

Yueul’s question carried an assumption, as though he hadn’t expected me to emerge at all.
I struggled to calm my heart, which was pounding wildly with anxiety.
The dark energy that had surrounded me came flooding back to memory.
That sensation of every hair on my body standing on end—it persisted even now.
I couldn’t fathom how I hadn’t noticed it when we first met.
I tried to shake off this feeling.
To appear as composed as possible. To act as though I knew nothing. So that Yueul would approach me again.
That was how I had to deal with Yueul.
That was the purpose of my return to school.

“Of course I came out. Isn’t that obvious?”

I smiled with innocent naivety.
At my smile, a crack appeared in Yueul’s expression for just an instant. I didn’t miss it.

“True enough. But Jiho.”
“Yes?”
“Where’s the prince who was protecting Princess Jiho this time?”

He was referring to Cheonhaerang.
I mustn’t waver. I steadied myself once more.

“The prince had to return to the palace.”
“….”
“Isn’t that right, Yueul?”

Though I was smiling, only a chill as sharp as frost flowed toward Yueul.
I continued speaking.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

I passed by Yueul. He didn’t stop me.

* * *

“Sigh…”

I exhaled deeply. It was a sigh of relief.
I thought my heart would burst. I worried what would happen if Yueul attacked me like before.
Fortunately, Yueul’s attack never came. Yet I couldn’t let my guard down completely.
I touched my neck. A star-shaped pendant hung there.
The Jade Emperor had given it to me this morning before I left for school.

“Little one. This will protect you for a while.”

He said it was something Yeonhwa had given him. He’d infused it with her power, so even the Heavenly Realm wouldn’t be able to touch me carelessly.
The Jade Emperor added this while stroking my head.

“And while this protects you, I’ll be taking care of things, so don’t worry too much.”

His hand was gentler than I expected, and for a moment, I recalled those days when he used to play with me.
So much had changed since then. I couldn’t simply rely on him like I did back then.
I had to be able to protect myself.
I gripped the pendant and made a vow, then moved forward. The cafeteria was already filled with children.
I saw children whispering as they looked at me, but I pretended not to notice. For a while, Cheonhaerang and I would likely be the talk of the school.
I put an appropriate amount of side dishes on my tray and sat in an empty seat.
A savory aroma tickled my nose, but I had no appetite. It was different from when I came with Cheonhaerang.
I wasn’t particularly hungry either, but I had to eat to have strength. I forced the rice into my mouth.

“Hi.”

A cheerful voice pierced my ears, and I paused, lifting my head. An unfamiliar girl was smiling at me.

“Can I sit here?”

The girl was pointing to the seat in front of me. I nodded and saw the girl’s name.
Kim Seulgi. A name I’d never seen before. She wasn’t from my class.
There was only one reason a girl from a different class would approach me.
The Heavenly Realm. This girl might be from the Heavenly Realm too.

“Thanks.”
“…No problem.”

I responded dismissively and resumed eating.
Kim Seulgi gazed at me with curious eyes and began to speak.

“You’re Ryujiho, right? I heard about you. A really pretty transfer student came to Class 4. I’m in Class 8, and my name is Kim Seulgi.”
“Yeah. Nice to meet you.”
“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we stay close from now on? I’d like to become friends with you.”

I nearly let out a hollow laugh. Of course she’d want to be friends. She must be from the Heavenly Realm.
No, she definitely was from the Heavenly Realm.
The Jade Emperor hadn’t told me everything about this necklace.
The necklace imbued with Princess Yeonhwa’s power didn’t merely protect me—it also revealed the names of those from the Heavenly Realm.
Above the name Kim Seulgi, another name rose like white smoke before fading away.
The child before me was Gi from the Heavenly Realm.
Had she infiltrated this school under the name Kim Seulgi from the beginning?
Or had she approached me knowing I would arrive today?
There was no clear answer to either question, but one thing was certain.
Just as I’d anticipated, the Heavenly Realm was approaching me.
Since she had made the first move, there was no need to refuse.
I answered calmly.

“Sure, then.”
“Really? Thanks, Jiho! Then should we finish eating and head out to the playground? We can get some fresh air, walk around, and chat.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Kim Seulgi smiled brightly, and I smiled back in response.

* * *

His eyes briefly turned crimson before returning to normal.
He moved stealthily through the school, carefully observing the students and teachers.
At first glance, he spotted two beings from the Heavenly Realm. Both had approached Jiho.
Particularly Gi, with great familiarity.
Hand Ogeong watched the two beyond the window quietly.
Kim Seulgi and Ryujiho.
The two walking around the playground together looked like the closest of friends.

“So, Hand Ogeong. You could go there, couldn’t you?”

I lost track of the conversation for a moment. Hand Ogeong turned his head and met the gaze of the woman whose eyes were fixed upon me.
Yeonhwa’s complexion could hardly be called pleasant. It was the face of someone who had just learned of a victim.
Seeing such an expression, I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had simply failed to hear the conversation properly.
Not knowing where this was leading, Hand Ogeong nodded his head nonetheless.

“If Your Highness wishes it, I am entirely at your service.”
“How long do you think it will take to go and return?”
“Well, a few hours should suffice, should it not?”
“Then I shall have you go and return now. There are no classes in the afternoon anyway.”

Hand Ogeong desperately wanted to ask where he was being sent.
He was hesitating, wondering whether to simply confess honestly and ask, when the ground beneath him blazed with brilliant white light.
A thought flashed through his mind—surely not.
And as if to prove that suspicion, Yeonhwa spoke.

“Go and carefully observe the condition of the Evil Spirit, then return.”

In the same instant, he fell into the light.

* * *

Everything was pitch-black darkness.
He remembered this darkness. It was the Darkness of the Evil Spirit.
A thick, oppressive miasma enveloped him. He walked through darkness so complete that he could scarcely see the path before him.

How long had he walked thus? At last, the end of the path seemed to come into view.
Hand Ogeong stopped in his tracks. Soon the darkness lifted.
Yet what lay revealed was not clear air, but a thick black fog that blanketed everything.
His eyes turned a deep crimson. Within the fog, he beheld a Massive Gate.
A gate bound tightly with iron chains.
It was a seal containing the Evil Spirit. The layered seals could not be broken easily.
But if there were hearts, that would change everything.
Red traces lingered upon the gate. Three marks in total.
Three hearts had already been consumed to break the seal.
He walked through the fog and approached the gate. With a sharp metallic sound, the iron chains wound around the gate began to turn of their own accord.
As if welcoming his arrival.
Hand Ogeong gazed upon the gate. His eyes pierced through it, allowing him to confront what lay within.
The Evil Spirit’s body was also bound entirely in chains. They glowed with a pale blue light.
When the Evil Spirit’s eyes met his, it pulled its lips back in a grin—a voice so chilling it made one’s skin crawl echoed through the space.

I remember you, Jade Emperor. Looking at that face of yours, it seems you’ve been living quite well. Meanwhile, I’m wasting away like this!

Whoosh! A violent gust of wind swept through. Hand Ogeong’s face hardened like stone.
This couldn’t be happening. The heart was still less than half filled. Yet the Evil Spirit was exerting its power.

Ha ha. Why? Do you think I’ve lost my strength so much? That’s ridiculous!

As the wind swept through again, Hand Ogeong found himself closing his eyes involuntarily. But at the sound of a sharp crack reaching his ears, he forced them open.
Cracks had formed in the iron chains binding the Massive Gate.

Tell the Patriarch this: no matter how much you and your ilk struggle, you cannot stop me. Kya ha ha!

A piercing laugh echoed across the vast space. And then it was pushed back.
He was looking at Yeonhwa again.

“…Hand Ogeong? What’s happening here?”

Hand Ogeong swallowed hard. After a brief silence, he opened his mouth as if he had resolved himself to something.

“Compared to when the Patriarch sealed it away….”
“….”
“The Evil Spirit has grown stronger, Your Highness.”

She didn’t want to believe it, but there was no other conclusion.

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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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