The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 23

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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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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 023
Namgung Hyeon.
Was she a year older than me? I couldn’t quite remember, but I knew she was my senior.
Since I’d never bothered to investigate her properly, I didn’t know the details, but I could tell she had an irritating personality that matched her appearance well enough.
She was certainly beautiful.
Even her furrowed brow was lovely, and with her refined features—eyes, nose, mouth all in perfect proportion—she had the kind of face that made men lose their minds just looking at her.
Compared to my sister who’d run away from home, she fell just slightly short.
The memory sent a chill down my spine.
‘…That woman doesn’t just match her appearance, though.’
With that personality, she wasn’t just living up to her looks—she was simply a worthless human being.
Anyway….
As I rubbed my arm to shake off the chills, Namgung Hyeon asked me a question.
“What did you just say…?”
Had my words wounded her pride? Her expression was deadly serious.
Yes, that was the exact same face she made whenever I picked a fight with her.
“Ah, you didn’t hear me?”
Then I should kindly repeat myself.
“I said I’m not going.”
“…Why?”
“Pardon?”
She tilted her head as if she didn’t understand. What kind of strange question was that?
“Why? Because I don’t want to go. Do you need some other reason?”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to talk to me…? That can’t be right…?”
“….”
I see. From this brief exchange with Namgung Hyeon, I’d identified her problem. It seemed that whenever she spoke, people simply agreed and followed along.
I understood. Looking like that, it was certainly possible. Even I, unlike in my past life, had gained some advantages from my handsome face in this life.
Since I knew exactly how to handle someone with that kind of temperament, I immediately nodded and spoke to her.
“Why would I have a conversation with someone so foul-tempered, so disrespectful to others, and who throws tantrums whenever something doesn’t suit them?”
“….”
Namgung Hyeon’s eyes widened at my words. The solution was simple.
Just say what you want to say.
“Am I crazy? Or are you? It’s absurd. Why are you even asking why? If you were going to do this, you should have apologized first—this is also disrespecting me. I understand you were raised with everyone saying yes and yes at home, but if you have business with me, you need to settle what happened before. That’s how it works.”
She faltered. As I spoke without pause, Namgung Hyeon stepped back in confusion.
I followed her and continued speaking. Without realizing it, my eyes had grown sharp.
“That’s why I don’t talk to people from my clan. They all refuse to listen to a word anyone says.”
I took a breath and continued.
“If people from the Sect just spent two days being treated like parachute drops, they’d finally understand how fortunate their position is. But since they don’t know that, they act like this from the very first meeting.”
[…Wait… Calm down….]
I heard the Old Man trying to stop me, but I ignored him.
Ah, as I spoke, all the hardship I’d endured came flooding back, and my emotions surged.
“And what now? You want to talk? What kind of nonsense is this? Did you leave your brain at home, or are you insane? Nothing you’re saying makes any sense….”
I paused mid-sentence. There was still plenty more I wanted to say, but Namgung Hyeon’s reaction was strange.
Her hands, gripping the hem of her skirt, trembled uncontrollably, and her cheeks and ears, which had been faintly flushed, turned crimson like ripe apples.
Her eyes glistened with moisture, threatening to spill over at any moment… and then they did.
Namgung Hyeon began to cry.
Watching her, my father’s words suddenly came to mind.
‘Everything else is fine, but be careful of a woman’s tears. That’s quite dangerous.’
Even a man seasoned in charming women had warned me about it, and it proved true.
Seeing a beauty like Namgung Hyeon weeping was genuinely pitiful.
However.
“What did you do so well that you’re crying like this?! Honestly, this is why-!”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the type to be swayed by such things.
I continued scolding her for quite some time after that.

* * *
“Sniff… Whimper….”
The sound of sobbing echoed clearly from behind me.
If others saw this, they’d probably be shocked. Who could have predicted it?
A bloodline of the Five Great Families crying near a well, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
“Whimper… Whimper….”
She was crying so miserably that not only tears but snot was running down her face.
Quite unsightly. No matter how beautiful or accomplished, snot was simply unbecoming.
Meanwhile, I found myself sitting beside Namgung Hyeon, offering her comfort.
“…Come on, stop crying already. You’ve cried enough. How much longer do you plan to cry? You’ll end up filling your belly with water from the well at this rate.”
[Comfort? Is that what you call comfort?]
This was definitely comfort.
She was crying so much that I was worried and told her to stop—wasn’t that comforting?
[You’re insane….]
The Old Man shook his head in disbelief. His expression was quite irritating, but I didn’t press the matter.
Since it was I who made her cry, there wasn’t much I could say.
“Whimper… Whimper….”
“…This is driving me mad….”
There was no sign of her stopping. Once the floodgates opened, she couldn’t seem to close them.
What should I do now? I thought for a moment and came to a decision.
“Well then, handle it yourself. I’ll be going now.”
I quickly tried to leave. I didn’t want to stay here any longer, so I attempted to simply flee.
Tug.
“Oh, how annoying….”
Namgung Hyeon grabbed my clothes with uncanny timing. I tried to shake free with force, but failed.
‘…How is she this strong?’
I couldn’t break free. Could this person actually be stronger than me…?
Only then did I realize something. Come to think of it, Namgung Hyeon is also from the Namgung Clan, and as a direct bloodline member, she must be a martial artist.
Of course she’d be stronger than me.
“….”
Once that thought crossed my mind, I halted my struggling body for a moment.
In that state, I spoke to Namgung Hyeon.
“…Why?”
My voice was far gentler than before.
At my question, Namgung Hyeon stared at me with tears still streaming down her face.
“…Ugh, what a mess of snot and tears, huh? Don’t look at me like that. You’ll make whatever feelings I had disappear.”
“….”
“I’m joking.”
In truth, seventy percent of that was sincere, but I pretended it was a joke. Otherwise, she looked like she’d cry even harder.
“So, what is it?”
Why did you grab me? When I asked that, Namgung Hyeon spoke.
“Jua… kka… aeiomaeyeo.”
What was she saying?
Her pronunciation was completely mangled, as if her teeth were missing. Just as I was about to strain my brain trying to interpret it.
[She’s asking to have a conversation.]
Yoo Cheon-gil interpreted for me.
“Ah, you want to have a conversation?”
Namgung Hyeon nodded at my words. Her tears, of course, didn’t stop.
A conversation? She’s holding on this tightly—I’m curious what she wants to say.
“But before that, there’s something you need to do first, isn’t there?”
If that was the case, there was something I needed to receive first.
“An apology.”
“…!”
“Apologize to me. Formally.”
I wiped away the reluctant expression and the bitter tone from my voice. I spoke to Namgung Hyeon with a completely serious face.
“That comes first, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?”
Apologize for being disrespectful to me back then. At those words, Namgung Hyeon’s pupils trembled.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Time passed. When it reached five seconds.
Thud—! She released the hand she’d been holding and pushed herself up.
“If you don’t want to, then forget it.”
Without hesitation, I turned my back and was about to leave.
“Je… jeseong-hahabnida….”
Namgung Hyeon spoke to me in a tearful voice. Her pronunciation was so poor she was sniffling and swallowing something. I didn’t particularly want to imagine what.
“…I… was disrespectful to you back then… I, formally apologize. Please… give me the chance to speak with you.”
“Hmm….”
I turned my head slightly and glanced back.
His pride was so wounded that he trembled visibly—quite an impressive sight.
That was enough.
“Very well.”
The moment I granted permission, Namgung Hyeon’s face brightened.
The woman who had just been crying in anger at my words now wore such a peaceful expression at the mere offer of conversation.
That was somewhat pitiful.
Of course.
‘Though I did orchestrate this outcome.’
The pressure that guided the situation this way had been my intention all along.
I closed the distance between us and approached Namgung Hyeon.
I knelt to meet her eyes, then asked.
“So, what did you want to discuss with me?”
“I, well….”
Namgung Hyeon hastily withdrew a letter from her bosom.
“…The thing is… would you be willing to join hands with me?”
“Hands?”
I tilted my head upon hearing her words.
My eyes still studied Namgung Hyeon’s gaze.
“What do you mean by hands?”
“…In truth, I wish to push my brother aside.”
“Ah, is that so?”
I smiled wickedly. The context of the conversation mattered little.
What mattered was only Namgung Hyeon’s reaction.
Thinking I had shown a positive response, the corners of Namgung Hyeon’s eyes shifted subtly.
“Yes…. And given that the Bang Disciple has just defeated my brother in combat… if you were to join hands with me at this moment instead, I could offer you much.”
“What examples do you have?”
“Examples, well….”
Her voice trembled. Her eyes rolled from left to right in an imperceptible flicker.
A typical expression of someone trying to recall something—more precisely, something she had memorized.
“Of course, the support from the Namgung Clan that my brother mentioned… and access to our Trading Guild’s facilities, or if you wish, I could even help arrange a betrothal with the Namgung Clan.”
“A betrothal? With whom?”
At my interested tone, Namgung Hyeon pointed to herself with trembling fingers.
“…With me… a marriage with me….”
“Ah… with Miss Namgung?”
With her?
‘Hmm.’
Certainly, Namgung Hyeon was of direct bloodline, and becoming a son-in-law to the clan would offer a promising future.
The problem was.
“In exchange for all that, what am I supposed to do?”
If I received so much, what would I owe Namgung Hyeon in return?
When I asked out of curiosity about this matter, Namgung Hyeon spoke as if she’d been waiting for the question.
“…Well, I was hoping you might give me the Cheongryong Gu that you possess, Young Master.”
The Cheongryong Gu. She was likely referring to the blue orb that Namgung Seong had been searching for.
“Ah, that orb? You need it?”
“Yes…. With just that, I could defeat my brother too.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“I think it’s a good proposition…. After all, if my brother were to awaken now, you’d find yourself in quite a difficult position, Young Master Bang.”
I widened my eyes at those words and asked.
“Me? Why?”
When I spoke as if I knew nothing at all, Namgung Hyeon swallowed slightly and continued.
“Well, that’s… just. Young Master Bang struck my brother’s vital points even after the duel ended… and, that’s something our household cannot simply overlook.”
“That’s true enough.”
She was right. If Namgung Seong, who was currently unconscious, were to awaken and make an issue of this, it would certainly be troublesome for me.
The duel was already over, yet I’d kicked that spot out of irritation.
But forming a connection with Namgung Hyeon here? That meant she was saying she’d protect me from Namgung Seong’s grasp.
Not bad. As a deal, it wasn’t unfavorable. I kept nodding in response, and Namgung Hyeon spoke to me as if something had been settled.
“So then… let’s join hands….”
“But your brother is already awake, isn’t he?”
At my words, she closed her mouth.
She’d gone rigid like stone. It was so amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
“Haha…. Ah…. Sorry. It’s just funny.”
“…What… are you… saying?”
“What do you mean, what am I saying?”
I cleared my throat, stopped laughing, and deliberately changed my expression as I spoke.
“Your brother is already awake, isn’t he?”
“…No. My brother is currently bedridden….”
“Come on. That’s not it.”
I lowered my voice subtly. Though even if I did lower it, she wouldn’t hear me anyway at this point.
“You came here on Namgung Seong’s orders. Everything you just said—it’s all his words.”
“That’s… not true….”
I ignored Namgung Hyeon’s denial. There was no need to listen.
“The conditions themselves weren’t bad… but your acting was lacking… what a shame. Ah, no. The conditions weren’t that good either. Who’s supposed to marry whom? If you’re going to do it, do it properly. I can’t get immersed in this.”
Where did the problem start?
Namgung Hyeon’s sudden arrival—that was the problem from the beginning.
And what she came to say was that she needed to push Namgung Seong aside and take his place?
It wasn’t even funny.
“If this is the extent of the scheme you’ve concocted, I’m quite disappointed… but well, it’s fine.”
I smiled and looked at Namgung Hyeon, and unlike before, she avoided my gaze.
“Anyway, whether it’s the Cheongryong Gu or the Changryong Gu, you need it, right? That’s fine with me. I was planning to give it away anyway.”
“…!”
Namgung Hyeon flinched. Was it really so surprising that I had intended to return it?
It wasn’t a lie. Far from it.
“Is that… truly so?”
“Yes. It’s an important item, after all. It should be returned to its rightful owner.”
“Then… that means…”
“So I returned it just now.”
“You… what?”
Upon hearing my words, Namgung Hyeon’s face went blank.
Returned it?
“To whom… exactly…?”
“To whom else? The Namgung Clan, naturally. It’s their possession, after all.”
“…”
Namgung Hyeon’s face grew increasingly pale as she grasped the meaning of my words.
Indeed.
The Cheongryong Gu that Namgung Seong had tried to reclaim in secret would likely, by my estimation, arrive within two days…
“The Cheongryong Gu will be properly packaged and delivered to your clan head.”
Following my request, it will arrive under the name of Cheonwol Gate through Cheon Euijin.
In other words.
“Could you tell your brother not to worry too much?”
It meant Namgung Seong was utterly finished.

* * *
And as expected.
“이 새끼가—!!”
Not long after, an enraged roar echoed from somewhere.

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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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