Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1040

Chapter 1040

“You… utter fool.”

“What?”

I frowned at his words. What had he just said?

“…What did you say?”

“…You are a damned fool.”

“Ah… so it is this fool who is damned?”

He nodded.

Du Ryeong, still clouded by the demonic energy, nodded. Watching him, I rubbed my temples.

“…What a pointless reply.”

Such a meaningless response.

Should I just strike him? I hesitated briefly but held myself back.

“Enough of that. Tell me something useful. Is he from the Moonlit Night Tribe?”

“…No.”

That was a relief. At least he was responding. Alright, understood.

‘This bastard. He shouldn’t be the one explaining things.’

It seemed the only answers I would get from him were yes or no.

It was enough to drive me mad, truly.

“If he’s not from the Moonlit Night Tribe… then is he someone who gained his master’s favor?”

“…Yes.”

“Hm.”

If he wasn’t from the Tribe, that was almost certain. So, the next question…

“Is he a general?”

“…Yes.”

I narrowed my eyes at his response. Just as I thought.

‘So, he is a general as well.’

In that case, he must be the final one.

‘The one with the least known about him.’

The general about whom the least information existed, whose very role was a mystery.

I had heard he was stationed at the heart of Mount Marryeong and the Mount Hua Sect—at the Black Phoenix Palace. That was where he was supposed to be.

‘So he showed himself and was backing Du Ryeong.’

Whether Du Ryeong wanted it or not, his appearance here was an issue.

What this meant was—

‘The master might be aware of what I have done.’

The fact that a general aided him suggested the current master—who remembers nothing of me and seeks my death—might know of this event.

I frowned and questioned Du Ryeong.

“Does he know that Yusa is dead?”

“…”

Du Ryeong’s body shuddered. He looked at me, trembling, and nodded.

‘This bastard.’

He knew.

‘How did he find out?’

I wondered. I had killed Yusa near Yahwol, but—

‘There was no trace of anyone nearby.’

I had ensured no one could have noticed his death. I believed it would be some time before he was found.

‘But him acting so swiftly means the information reached him quickly.’

Where did he learn of it?

‘…Hmm.’

I could not find an answer.

‘But that is not what matters.’

The important thing is not how he discovered it.

‘What matters is that he knows.’

The problem is his awareness. That was why I had avoided direct action against Du Ryeong.

‘It would have been perilous without Cheonma.’

Had I fought without her, I might have ended up facing two generals. That would have been a disastrous situation.

‘Bringing Cheonma was a brilliant move…?’

It seemed asking Cheonma to accompany me had paid off.

‘…Cheonma.’

The thought of Cheonma made my head throb.

‘Damn.’

There was more to handle than I anticipated.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

‘And I missed it…?’

Cheonma had said she was going to capture something, but I missed it. How had things developed? She hadn’t left Mount Marryeong for three days.

She had been waiting for me.

‘Surely not.’

A suspicion shot through my mind. Could Cheonma have orchestrated this?

‘It is possible.’

If it were the Cheonma of this life, I would not think so. But the one I encountered before was unmistakably from my past life.

Viewed that way, it would not be surprising.

‘Is she trying to tie my hands?’

I quickly shook my head, dismissing the idea.

‘No.’

That could not be it.

Although I believed Cheonma capable of it, the Cheonma I knew would not employ such a tactic.

She would simply obliterate everything.

‘She would have no need for a scheme like that.’

I clicked my tongue and relaxed my posture.

I turned to look at Du Ryeong. I focused strength into my core and waved my hand lightly, causing the demonic energy ensnaring him to dissolve.

I let out a sigh of relief once it was done.

‘There is likely nothing left to gain here.’

I had no more time to wait. There was no guarantee Cheonma would appear.

I glanced up at the sky.

‘Night is still a long way off.’

It was midday.

Night was still far away. Moving under cover of darkness would be best, but…

‘…Tch.’

It seemed wiser to move now. Waiting further would only compound the problems.

No, the problems had already begun.

“Ckugh…”

I looked down at Du Ryeong, who was groaning on the ground.

“Hmm.”

What should I do with him?

‘Take him along?’

Would he even be useful? He obeyed, but only through coercion, making him incapable of creative use.

He seemed unfit for any stealth or reconnaissance mission.

‘Then…’

What to do? After a moment’s thought, an idea came to me.

‘Ah.’

That could work.

“Hey.”

I called out to Du Ryeong.

“Crrr…”

He answered with a guttural groan. I gave him his orders.

“Perfect timing. You have a task to perform.”

I summoned back the demonic energy I had just withdrawn.

Now, Du Ryeong had a purpose.

**********

I returned to Mount Marryeong. Over the past three days, the place had undergone changes.

Unlike its usual sealed silence, a growing murmur of activity was now perceptible.

Had they finally realized Du Ryeong was missing? That might be it, but…

In contrast to their rising commotion, the spirit’s state was unchanged.

She sat silently by the Divine Tree, sometimes feeling the wind, sometimes inscribing charms, her expression perpetually sorrowful.

Noting this, I approached and spoke.

“Still playing the fool today, I see.”

“Ah…”

The spirit reacted to my voice, shifting weakly to look at me.

“Why? You pleaded for freedom, but now that you have it, does it feel hollow?”

“…”

She had yearned for freedom—first from her master’s service, then from her bonds to Mount Marryeong. I had granted it, yet here she was.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

A thought occurred to me belatedly.

‘I never asked Du Ryeong about this.’

I had forgotten to ask why he came to Mount Marryeong and began taking other creatures. I had temporarily set it aside.

‘I will ask next time.’

Du Ryeong had likely already left Mount Marryeong, set in motion by my command.

‘It might be a good chance to observe.’

I could see what happened as the distance increased. It would be a useful test.

Would my control break if we were far apart? It might be different in the Abyss, though other demons did not behave that way.

“It seems I need to step out for a while. Find a way to occupy yourself.”

“…Are you being serious right now?”

“Yes. Something has come up.”

“…”

The spirit’s gaze drifted to a specific point. She was staring at my chest.

At the place where the gem was embedded.

I offered a faint smile as I watched.

“I don’t know what you’re hoping for, but let it go. Isn’t this precisely what you wanted?”

“Master… Can you hear your master’s voice?”

“My master? The master of the Abyss?”

“…Yes.”

“No. Not at all.”

There was no way she could hear a voice after absorbing the gem.

She kept staring in that direction, clearly longing to hear her master.

“Don’t raise your hopes. It won’t happen.”

I could not hear it.

As much as I wished to, I did not.

“…Anyway. I will be back soon. Tell her to wait for me when I return.”

I did not need to come back to Mount Marryeong. My business here was concluded, and I could leave without obligation. Yet, I told the spirit I would return.

There was only one reason for that.

‘Cheonma might appear.’

It made sense to say I would be back soon after a brief scouting mission.

The task was short; I would return before long.

“…”

The spirit did not answer. I had sensed something in her break since last time.

But I did not particularly care.

‘Whatever the reason may be.’

It was not my concern. My own path was urgent.

I turned my back and gathered strength in my legs.

I leaped toward the ceiling, which was no longer sealed.

Whoosh!!

A spark ignited, and my speed surged.

My destination was the Black Phoenix Palace.

Where the general known as the Crow was stationed.

**********

Thud.

I reached my destination and landed on the ground.

I withdrew the flames enveloping my body and surveyed the surroundings. The journey had taken roughly two days.

I had moved at my utmost speed to get here.

Unlike the rocky terrain of Mount Marryeong, this place was a dense, lush forest.

Compared to the barrenness of the Mount, this area teemed with the essence of living things.

“Hm.”

It was almost excessively vibrant. I could sense even insects. After the near-total absence of life at Mount Marryeong, save for the Abyss, this felt disquieting.

‘…This is not at all what I anticipated.’

With names like Black Phoenix Palace, I had expected a place as bleak and foreboding as Mount Marryeong.

‘It’s just a forest.’

It resembled any ordinary forest. Was this truly the location of the Black Phoenix Palace?

As doubt crept in, I concentrated my energy and expanded my senses.

Whooooosh—!!!

My energy unfurled outward.

If the information from the turtle was accurate, it should be somewhere near.

I was thinking this as my senses spread, and shortly after, something registered at the periphery of my awareness.

‘There… Hm?’

It was good that I detected it, but the sensation made me frown.

It was similar to last time, yet different.

At Mount Marryeong, the utter lack of presence had been a shock. This time, however—

‘There is too much.’

There was, in fact, an overwhelming abundance.

And it was repulsively dense.