Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 940

Chapter 940

After our encounter with Cheonma, I made my way through the town.

We hadn’t decided to travel together.

I was merely walking, and she chose to follow.

We still hadn’t exchanged a word.
I wasn’t in any state to speak to her.

What was there even to say? At best, I might have lashed out or condemned her.

The fact that I held back even that much meant I was holding myself together.

That’s what I kept telling myself.

And I had to.

We walked for a long time.

The physical distance wasn’t great, but the time passed slowly.

That was because I kept my pace deliberately slow, observing everything around me.

As always, these streets were unnervingly identical to the halls of the Mount Hua Sect.

“It’s like they copied it exactly.”

It probably wasn’t just a feeling. It seemed to be a perfect replica.

Quiet, yet full of life.
The air was filled with the sound of people’s laughter and conversation.

Every time I saw it, the same thought returned.

“How much did he miss this?”

How deeply must Shin Noya have longed for these streets and this view?
How powerful was his nostalgia to have recreated it all himself?

These questions rose in my mind from time to time.

Was it pitiable? Or something else? I couldn’t find the right word.

It just left me… agitated.

I wasn’t sure if that irritation was aimed at myself or at someone else.

If I had to choose, it was probably directed at me.

“…”

The fact that Shin Noya ended up in this situation was most likely my fault.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and continued scanning the area.
Today wasn’t just about looking—I needed to verify something I’d overlooked before.

“It should be around here somewhere.”

The last time I explored, I remembered it being in this part of town.

The Mount Hua Sect wasn’t especially large, so it shouldn’t have been hard to find. Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t locate it.

“Hmm.”

I narrowed my eyes and turned.

“Hey, you…”

I was about to ask Cheonma when I saw her and stopped short.

“…What is that in your hand?”
“Hm?”

At my question, she glanced down at what she was holding. A skewer.

She stared at it blankly for a second before offering me the end of it.

“Want some?”
“…”

Who asked for that?

I was so stunned I couldn’t even form a response.

“When did you even get that?”

Just a moment ago, her hands were clearly empty. She must have taken it when I wasn’t watching.

“…Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Did you pay for that?”

When I asked if she’d paid, Cheonma tilted her head.

“Pay?”
“…”

Her reaction made it obvious she hadn’t. I felt a headache coming on.

“They told me I could have it.”
“…I’m sure they did.”

The people here knew that Shin Noya had brought Cheonma and me.

From what I’d observed, Shin Noya’s influence in this place was significant.

That was probably why they simply handed her the food.

“Take it back. Now.”

I didn’t want to accept handouts like that.

I pulled some money from my pocket and gave it to Cheonma.
The money, incidentally, had been taken from Gubong.

If this were Sanseo, I might have let it slide, but this was Shin Noya’s domain.

I didn’t want to create any unnecessary issues.

Cheonma accepted the money without argument, nodded, and hurried off.

I watched as she approached a street vendor a short distance away.

That must have been where she got the skewer.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a heavy sigh as I observed her.

Why?

“…Is that really Cheonma?”

The question surfaced in my mind as I watched her clueless figure.
Was that truly the same Cheonma?

Her face, her body—it was undeniably her.

But her behavior…

“Something is seriously off.”

There wasn’t a trace of dignity left. Her voice and actions carried no weight at all.

She was almost like a young Wi Seol-ah. Was this really the Cheonma I knew?

The more I watched, the less it made sense.

“Did something happen to change her?”

At first, I thought this behavior was temporary, that she would revert to her old self once she reappeared after certain events.

I assumed the Cheonma I remembered would eventually return.

But…

“There are only a couple of years left.”

At most, two years. That’s all the time left until the timeline matches when the original Cheonma appeared.

But if she’s like this now…

“Will she ever become the Cheonma I knew?”

I wasn’t sure.

“If not, that would be for the best.”

If she doesn’t, it’s better for me.

With the Blood Demon issue already weighing on me, it would be a relief if Cheonma, my biggest worry, fell apart on her own.

Thinking about it, it should be a good thing.

But…

“If she has fallen apart, why?”

If the Cheonma in this life isn’t the same as the one I knew,
what caused that change?

The answer was simple.

“It’s because of me.”

What else could it be? Most of the irregularities were likely due to my actions.

“So, where did I go wrong?”

It wasn’t easy to identify the problem with so many possibilities.

I’d done far too much.

“…”

Turning it over, I shook my head.

“Thinking about it now won’t give me any answers.”

Even if I figured it out, there was no way to restore the old Cheonma…

“…Huh?”

As that thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened.

“What in the world?”

What was I just thinking?

“Bring her back? Why would I want that?”

Have I lost my mind?

If that Cheonma is gone, it’s a good thing. Why would I think about bringing her back?

“This is crazy.”

Did getting hit by Noya last time damage my brain? What kind of nonsense was I thinking?

It made no sense unless I’d completely lost my grip.

“…Is it because this regression keeps bothering me?”

Maybe. Or at least, that’s what I wanted to believe.

The turtle’s words were still weighing on me, and I couldn’t stop wondering what Cheonma had sacrificed to make me regress.

That’s probably why those thoughts slipped into my mind.

At that moment, nothing seemed more absurd than my curiosity about the Cheonma from that time.

‘She was one of the reasons my life was destroyed.’

The main reason was me, of course. But after myself, Cheonma had the biggest impact.

“…Hah.”

I sighed again, trying to clear the confusion in my head.

“I’m back.”

Cheonma returned after paying for the skewer.

Her voice drew my attention, and I looked up at her.

She stood there, watching me with clear, untroubled eyes. Her violet irises and pale skin seemed to shimmer in the light, making me instinctively frown. I reached out and pinched her nose.

“…???”

Her eyes widened even more, confused by what I was doing.

The strange thing was, she didn’t resist.

Why wasn’t she reacting?

“What exactly are you?”

I asked, unable to make sense of the situation.

“…”

Cheonma didn’t answer. She just looked back at me with her usual detached expression.

Annoyed by her silence, I clicked my tongue and released her nose.

“Forget it. What am I even doing?”

This wasn’t the time to be messing around with her.

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration, my fingers trembling slightly.

I ignored the tremor and started walking again.

Then—

“Honored guest?”

A voice, unfamiliar yet faintly recognizable, called out from behind me.

I turned and saw a woman with white hair and cat-like ears.

It was Seol Yeong, the first disciple of Mount Hua.

“I called out on a guess, and it really is you. What brings you here?”
“What about you? Why are you here?”
“Ah, I…”

Seol Yeong lifted the items in her hands. A basket filled with clean cloth and sewing needles.

“I needed to buy some fabric and have these needles repaired, so I was on my way to the blacksmith.”
“I see. Wait—what?”

It took me a second to process what she said.

“You’re going to the blacksmith?”
“Yes.”

Seol Yeong’s reply made me nod without thinking. This worked out perfectly.

The blacksmith was exactly where I needed to go.

“I need to go there too. Would you mind if I came with you?”

I asked her with a cheerful tone.

“Huh? Oh… alright.”

She agreed, though she seemed a little hesitant.

******************

Following Seol Yeong, I reached the blacksmith’s workshop.

As expected, it wasn’t far from where we had been.

Clang! Clang, clang!

The rhythmic sound of a hammer striking metal filled the air, mixed with the faint, sharp scent of iron.

Thanks to my heightened senses, both the noise and the smell felt unusually intense.

“Well, look who’s here.”

As soon as we entered, a short, elderly man noticed us and came over.

It was the blacksmith, who also seemed to serve as the gatekeeper.

“Seol Yeong, is that you?”
“It’s good to see you. How have you been?”

The old man greeted Seol Yeong warmly, and she returned his smile. They clearly knew each other well.

“I need to have some needles repaired and pick up a few more. Would that be alright?”
“Oh, of course.”

The blacksmith laughed heartily. Then his eyes shifted to me, and his brow furrowed slightly.

“And who is this?”
“Oh, him? He’s a guest brought here by our sect leader.”
“Ah, I see. Of course.”

The moment Shin Noya was mentioned, the old man nodded as if everything suddenly made sense.

I found myself wondering once again what kind of person Shin Noya was to provoke this kind of reaction everywhere.

As I was thinking, the old man approached me.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Myung Song, the one who runs this forge.”

He held out his hand toward me.

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you. I’m…”

I reached out as well, assuming he wanted to shake hands.

Since I had business here, it couldn’t hurt to be polite.

I noticed something unusual about his hand, but it didn’t seem important. I took his hand without hesitating.

In that moment—

“Gu Yang…”

Ssshhhhh!

“…Ugh?!”

A sharp, burning pain shot through my hand, and I jerked it back.

Startled, I looked down at my palm. The skin was blistered and sizzling as if it had been scorched.

“…What is this?”

I stared at Myung Song, completely bewildered by what had just happened.

“…What…?”

But it wasn’t just me who was shocked. The old man looked even more startled.

No, startled wasn’t the right word.

“…A dragon…?”

Fear and bitterness twisted his expression.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“What? A dragon?”
“A dragon? What are you talking about…?”

Everyone in the blacksmith’s workshop turned to look at me, their stares sharp and intent.

Every single one of them.

“Hm…”

I sighed inwardly.

It felt like everything was falling apart right from the beginning.