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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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As soon as Bing Yeon left the bath, Bi Wol hurried in, using the excuse of cleaning the room.
She didn’t want anyone else getting there first.
Then,
Click. She locked the door.
Her eyes darted around, checking if anyone was watching. She moved like a small animal wary of predators, afraid of being caught.
“…Master’s scent.”
Having confirmed she was alone, Bi Wol peeled off her clothes, revealing her naked body.
Splash!
She sank into the bathwater Bing Yeon had used, submerging herself completely until only her head remained above the surface.
This was one of her wicked little secrets, known only to her.
She couldn’t bear for even a trace of his warmth to disappear.
Secretly pressing her lips to his teacup after he’d finished drinking, inhaling the scent of his clothes, this was simply an extension of that desire.
“Always so cold. As expected of someone with the Extreme Yin Body.”
Splash, splash. Bi Wol murmured to herself, coating her body with the remnants of Bing Yeon’s presence. Tiny ice crystals had already begun to form in the water.
Her master’s weak constitution meant he was fated to die young, his life force being the price for his extraordinary martial arts prowess.
The excess Yin energy obstructed his meridians, preventing his energy from circulating properly. This illness, known as the Nine Yin Severed Pulse, was gnawing away at him like a parasite. Bi Wol, with her innate sensitivity to energy, was acutely aware of this.
“For now, the tree grows faster than the insects can devour it…”
Bing Yeon’s body was like a tree that sprouted new leaves as quickly as insects could eat them.
His prolonged life was artificial, sustained by elixirs and fortuitous encounters. An ordinary person would have long succumbed to the excruciating pain that wracked his body.
But he had fought, blood spilling from his lips, to save her from that cult.
He asked for nothing in return, no reward, no recognition.
‘How can someone be so inherently kind?’
He was her opposite in every way. Unlike her, born under the Heavenly Demon Star, It was as if he was born under the Purple Star of Benevolence.
Bi Wol believed that the title people used for him, the Ice Dragon, was well-deserved.
“…Will it stay this way as he gets older…?”
Her feelings for him grew with each passing day. She imagined him in the distant future, his back bent with age, wrinkles etched upon his face.
“No, that’s impossible…”
Bi Wol shook her head, a melancholic expression on her face. It was inevitable that one’s energy would wane with age. Unless he achieved some miraculous rejuvenation or underwent a complete transformation, death was unavoidable.
“Master… what should I do…?”
She thought about Bing Yeon, his touch, his warmth, gently stroking her own hair as she continued her internal struggle.
He had become more of a parent to her than her own mother and father, whose faces she could no longer recall.
He taught her to value life, unlike the cult leaders who had schooled her in the art of killing.
He had given her a home, a sanctuary to which she could always return, unlike that prison where sleep only came with the cessation of another’s life.
He had become an indispensable part of her, her most precious treasure.
“Just the thought of Master makes my heart ache, as though a blade were piercing my chest and drawing blood.”
Bi Wol clutched at her chest as if she were suffocating.
She knew better than anyone how much pain he endured.
Blood trickled from his nose and mouth whenever he used his internal energy, and he coughed up blood almost daily. It was agonizing to witness.
“But every time you see me like this, you smile brightly, as if you feel no pain or worry. I hate that smile, that facade, that pretense…”
He hid his suffering from his other disciples, forcing a smile upon his lips so they wouldn’t worry.
“A worthless disciple like me, with a foolishly kind master… There’s nothing I can do…”
Tears welled up in Bi Wol’s eyes. She bit her lip, trying in vain to hold back the sobs that threatened to spill forth.
The thought of him turning cold, his warmth extinguished, his body transforming into a lifeless corpse like those she had seen in the cult, was unbearable.
The thought of him fading away, leaving nothing behind, his gentle voice, the scent that surrounded him now, and that foolish smile all becoming mere fragments of a memory…
“I… I…”
She gritted her teeth, the words catching in her throat. It frustrated her to no end that she could do nothing as he slowly slipped away.
She wished she could be his strength, his support. She wished they were closer in age, close enough that she could address him as “Brother” or even “Husband.”
She wished her presence alone could give him the will to live, the desire to fight against his fate.
“… I hate it…”
She bit her lower lip so hard that it drew blood, but she felt no pain, only a growing desperation.
Her love for her master was twisted, a deviation from the norm.
She didn’t know what real love was, because he had never taught her.
How could a man who had never even held a woman’s hand teach a pubescent girl about love?
“Tonight, I will sleep in your clothes once more, Master. And with my innate senses, I will be the first to arrive at your bedside when you wake.”
And so, her first love was tinged with a touch of madness, a possessive fervor that burned like an inferno.
“In this way, I alone will have the privilege of seeing your unguarded sleeping face, Master. It is the greatest happiness you have bestowed upon me.”
The murderous impulses of the Heavenly Demon Star, denied their natural outlet, found a new, twisted expression.
An all-consuming love, heavier than death itself.
– Hey, you’re really content with just looking at his sleeping face?
Another voice echoed in the depths of her heart.
It was the essence of the Heavenly Demon Star, the part of her that Bing Yeon thought he had completely eradicated.
– He’s going to die, you know. And it’ll be your fault because you’re doing nothing to stop it.
The voice whispered like a serpent, filled with longing for carnage and blood.
– If you become stronger, maybe you can save him!
She could reach even greater heights of power.
She could consume the life force of every living creature on this earth, drinking it in like water. She could devour every rare herb and mystical beast. It was all within her grasp.
“…Be quiet, bad Bi Wol.”
– Don’t call me bad! I’m just giving you some practical advice!
“…”
To be more precise, it was the other side of her, the side that was unrestrained and brutally honest about her feelings for her master.
– In the end, I am you, and you are me.
Rather than being separate entities, they were two sides of the same coin, her true nature kept hidden under the weight of her master’s teachings.
“Shut up. Master taught me that killing is wrong. I won’t do it.”
The whispers of her heart were a torment. Bi Wol shook her head violently, trying to dispel them.
– But what if your new junior sister is more appealing to him than you are?
“…What?”
– This is the first time he’s ever specifically sought out a female disciple, isn’t it?
The other Bi Wol chuckled, deliberately stoking the fires of her jealousy.
“But… but…”
– He always brought home disciples who were sick or poor, saying they were starving on the streets. Don’t you think it’s strange?
It was true that Bing Yeon always had a specific type of disciple. He took pity on those who were abandoned, those who had sold their bodies or organs, those who were missing limbs.
– He’s always said, ‘One needs no reason to show compassion.’ But for him to specifically seek out a ‘junior sister’…
“Am I… not enough for him anymore?”
Bi Wol bit her nails, her anxiety bubbling to the surface. The fear of abandonment, of losing his warmth and affection, was crippling.
– Or maybe he has other intentions…
The other Bi Wol continued to fan the flames of her insecurity.
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Before setting out, I took stock of my options.
I unfurled a bamboo scroll covered in my unique handwriting. I had written it shortly after arriving in this world, when I realized that the stories I’d written had merged.
‘…Verdandi Astrea holds a significant advantage against those with evil tendencies.’
It contained information on Verdandi. I needed to meet her first; it would make dealing with the last remaining final boss much easier.
Verdandi, as befitting the final boss of a novel titled [You Must Kill the Hero], had an unyielding sense of justice.
‘She has two main abilities: [Scales of Justice] and [Eyes of Truth]. ’
When writing her character, much like Bi Wol, I gave her a tragic backstory to explain her villainous turn.
Verdandi’s mother was raped by a robber and became pregnant with her against her will. As a result, she never received proper maternal love.
Verdandi was born with the potential to be a hero. She possessed the ability to see the good and evil deeds of others and to discern truth from lies. However…
‘…That’s what ended up poisoning her.’
She discovered that her mother had tried to strangle her to death when she was a child.
She realized that even her mother’s declarations of love were tainted with falsehood.
If only she hadn’t known, if only she had remained oblivious. She cursed the very abilities that made her unique.
‘I should have kept things simpler…’
A more skilled author could have written a compelling villain without resorting to such a tragic backstory.
Someone like Azazel, the Saint of the Outer God from [Trapped in an Idle Game], possessed a past that was both relatable and tragic, leaving room for empathy and understanding.
But with [You Must Kill the Hero], I had wanted to create a character who lived up to the title, a fanatic so consumed by their twisted sense of justice that death was the only answer.
I wanted to explore the idea that warped justice and righteousness, taken to their extremes, could be just as destructive as evil itself.
But these were my creations, my mistakes to rectify.
‘My current strength hasn’t even reached the peak of this world’s martial arts. Will I be able to do it?’
I wrapped bandages around my fists, assessing my condition. Even the slightest exertion could cause my meridians to go haywire, sending blood spearing from my orifices.
If Kim Hyul, the original protagonist of this martial arts world and the King of the Diamond Fist, saw me now, he wouldn’t call me the Ice Dragon; he’d call me the Blood Demon.
‘…But at least I have Bi Wol.’
I tied off the bandage, my thoughts turning to my disciple.
She was a martial arts prodigy, born with the Heavenly Demonic Body, originally destined to be Kim Hyul’s final opponent.
Despite bearing the burden of the Heavenly Demon Star, a fate that demanded she kill to survive, she had never taken a life since coming under my care.
Therefore, I was confident that I could also redeem Verdandi and Azazel.
After all, I was their creator, the one who had given them life.
The responsibility was mine to bear.
“…Master, I’m ready.”
The door creaked open, and I was greeted by the sight of Bi Wol kneeling respectfully.
For a moment, I almost fainted.
“Are you planning on taking all that?”
“I’ve only packed the essentials, Master. Is something wrong?”
I stared at the mountain of luggage piled behind her, which looked like it belonged on the back of a horse, or maybe a yak.
“This is your favorite teacup, Master. And this is your favorite bamboo leaf liquor. And I packed some fish-flavored pork slices because you mentioned wanting to try them. And…”
“Stop! Just pack some clothes and some simple provisions. I’ll take care of the rest.”
It seemed my disciple’s respect for her master bordered on the excessive.
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