Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 948

Chapter 948

 

Crunch…

Dust kicked up sharply into the air.
The wind wasn’t strong, yet the abrupt pressure felt manufactured and unnatural.

Crack.

The earth started to fracture.
A small fissure slowly widened, spiderwebbing outward without end.

But the cracking wasn’t the only issue.

Sssaaaahhhh–!!!

The ground began to darken, as if scorched by an invisible fire.

And it all stemmed from a single woman’s toe.

“You.”

Cheonma’s amethyst eyes glinted as she spoke.

“Do you want to die?”

Her voice reverberated, the vibrations intensifying with each syllable.
Rumble—! A faint tremor began, steadily growing until it forced a reaction from everyone nearby.

“What—what’s going on?”
“Is the earth… shaking?”
“A noble has fallen…!”

Some felt a deep unease about the situation itself.

Others panicked at the sight of Cheong Seon, who was already collapsed on the ground.

And then.

‘Oh, great.’

I could only scrub a hand over my face as I took in the scene.

RUMBLE—!!!

Cheonma moved forward, a dark, smothering energy radiating from her. Unconsciously, I swallowed hard, my throat dry.

Each of her steps was deliberate and heavy. Her gaze, locked ahead, was completely vacant of emotion.

Her aura spilled out in crushing waves, so lethal that I had to focus all my energy into my heart to resist it.

Thump! My heart hammered wildly as I pushed energy through my body, fighting back against the pressure Cheonma was emitting.

If I hadn’t acted, everyone in the vicinity would have lost consciousness immediately.

Just as I barely managed to contain her power:

‘…Damn.’

Her energy was even more potent than I’d anticipated.

CRACK–!!!
The clashing forces sent visible shockwaves through the air.

I was only blocking to prevent collateral damage, but the raw strength behind it was staggering.

In that instant, I remembered something I’d foolishly dismissed.

‘…Right.’

The woman in front of me was Cheonma.
The same Cheonma who was once considered an absolute ruler in my past life.

She might have seemed like a simpleton in this life, but faced with this, I could feel it.

‘I’ve been far too careless.’

She had changed so much that I’d unconsciously started to think of her as a different person. But seeing this, I knew my mistake.

Screech.

Cheonma pushed against the resistance, continuing her slow, purposeful advance.
Her goal was obvious—the place where Cheong Seon had been thrown.

“Ugh… ah…”

From where he had fallen, Cheong Seon struggled to get up.

His cheek was flushed red from the slap, and blood trickled from his lips, telling the whole story. His expression, however, was one of pure confusion, as if he couldn’t process what had just occurred.

“This… this is impossible…”

He swayed as he stood, and when his eyes met Cheonma’s approaching form, they widened in sheer terror.

“What—what is this? You dare, you wretched—!”
“What were you going to do to someone’s limbs?”
“What…?”
“What were you planning to do to their limbs?”

Screeeech.

‘Oh, you have got to be kidding me.’

Every word she spoke amplified her aura.

By now, even containing it was a strain.

“Grrr…!”

No matter how much I blocked, Cheong Seon, standing so close to her, was undoubtedly bearing the full weight of her presence.

His body began to shake uncontrollably.

The sheer terror in his eyes showed just how overwhelming she was.

“Whose limbs were you planning to—”

Even as she witnessed his state, Cheonma kept walking.

“—do what to, exactly?”

Finally, she reached Cheong Seon.
Sssaaaahhh…!!

The aura that had been pouring out began to condense. Like mist coalescing into droplets, the energy started taking tangible form in the air.

It looked dangerous at a glance. Seeing it, I clenched my teeth.

Without a second thought, I lunged forward and grabbed Cheonma from behind.

Clench!

“…!”

As my arms wrapped around her, her body went rigid. I could feel her aura lashing out violently.

“Have you lost your mind? What are you trying to do? I told you to stay calm!”

Did it get through to her?
I added more words, but Cheonma stayed frozen, not responding.

I thought it might be working.

The proof? The swirling energy began to fluctuate.

As her power receded, I carefully relaxed my grip.

Gently, I let her go. Thankfully, she didn’t resist.
I took hold of her wrist instead.

Her skin was cold, almost unnaturally so.
Watching for her reaction, I glanced at her.

‘She seems alright now?’

Unlike before, her demeanor was much more subdued.

“…”

Seeing this, I stepped back, guiding her with me.
Fortunately, she followed without protest.

As the space between her and Cheong Seon widened:

“Gaaah… haaah…!”

Cheong Seon finally released the breath he’d been holding. He looked like he might be sick, but at least he wasn’t vomiting blood. His internal organs seemed to be intact.

“You… you monsters… you monsters…!”

When I first saw him, he was pristine and composed, his appearance elegant. Now, after one slap, his disheveled state was almost pathetic.

His long hair was tangled, and his once-immaculate clothes were smeared with dust and debris.

“I will never forgive you… either of you…!”
“Why am I being dragged into this?”

I felt genuinely aggrieved.
If I hadn’t stepped in, who knows what would have happened to him?

“Seize them! Arrest those criminals at once!”

Cheong Seon shouted.
Finally, his guards seemed to snap out of their daze and started toward us.

“…Hmm…”

What to do?

‘Should we run? Or fight?’

Escaping wouldn’t be hard.
But the fallout would be a headache.

Beating them all up…

‘That doesn’t seem ideal either.’

It wasn’t like the incident with the Baek family.

‘Not that I couldn’t do it… but still.’

Something about it felt wrong.

Maybe we should just run?

I pondered, glancing upward in thought.
Then, suddenly, the sky caught my eye.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, and night would soon fall.

As I stared at the darkening sky:

“Ah.”

An idea came to me.
Nodding to myself, I turned to Cheonma.

“Hey.”
“Yes?”

Her demeanor was much calmer now.
The only remnant of her earlier fury was a faint flush on her cheeks—likely from anger. It stood out starkly against her pale skin.

«That should fade on its own,» I thought, deciding to let it be for now.

“Listen carefully.”

I whispered softly, then used energy to send a message directly into her mind.

“…”

Cheonma, hearing the transmission, gave a quiet nod of understanding.

“…From now on… we shall apprehend the criminals who have harmed the noble…”

As the figures closed in on us, we calmly extended our arms.

Clink.

And just like that, the shackles were fastened around our wrists.

“I will… I will never let this slide.”

Cheong Seon, clutching his bruised cheek, trembled with fury as we were led away.

And so, we were taken into custody and escorted toward the Cheong family estate.

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

The Cheong family estate was located the farthest from the street we had been on.

It sat nearly at the edge of the city walls.

Unlike the estates of the White or Black families, whose positions were more straightforward, this one felt distant and obscure.

‘It seems to be the largest, though.’

Of all the estates I had seen, the Cheong family’s was by far the most expansive.

It wasn’t just the land—the main building stood a full story taller than the others.

I wasn’t an expert on architecture, but even I could tell immense effort had been poured into its design.

Still, one impression persisted.

‘It’s beautiful, but it looks fragile.’

The structure didn’t appear built to last. Its interior seemed hollow, giving the feeling that a firm shove might make it all come down.

‘Hmm.’

A simple, primal urge to test that theory stirred in me—a desire to see it break apart.

If circumstances were different, I might have tried.

‘Tsk.’

Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for that.

“Keep moving!”
“Yes, yes.”

The guards jerked our shackles, pulling us along.

We followed with deliberate slowness.

‘They sure got bold once the shackles were on.’

Their attitudes had shifted the moment they restrained me and Cheonma. Earlier, they had treated us like live explosives.

‘It must be because of these shackles.’

I’d worn similar bindings back in the Black family’s territory.

Apparently, they were forged from a special mineral. The restraints were meant to disrupt energy flow and drain physical strength.

‘It’s true.’

The moment they locked into place, I felt both my internal and external energy falter. It didn’t just interrupt my energy—it also seemed to inhibit my muscles.

The sensation was deeply unpleasant.

‘But it’s not completely unmanageable.’

If I really wanted to, I could break free without much trouble, so it was more of an irritation than a real threat.

As we walked, I took the chance to observe the estate. After what felt like a long time, we reached our destination.

Creak.

The door swung open, releasing a wave of damp, stale air.

The sight of iron bars inside confirmed this was a prison.

“…”

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

‘Why does it feel like I’m seeing too much of these places lately?’

Ever since arriving in Mangye, I’d found myself in spaces like this far more often than I’d like.

I’d never been fond of prisons, perhaps due to memories from my past life.

‘Oh well.’

There was no choice now, so I stepped inside quietly.

Well, not exactly quietly—the guards shoved us in like bags of grain.

“You’ll stay here until your punishment is decided. Don’t cause any trouble,” one guard said, his tone dripping with annoyance.

I smirked and replied, “I’ll do my best.”

Crack.

The guard ground his teeth at my words. I found his reaction oddly amusing.

‘Their whole demeanor has changed.’

It wasn’t just their attitude—their very nature seemed altered. They were rougher, more aggressive than they had been during the day.

This wasn’t solely because we were prisoners.

‘Is it because it’s night?’

The moon was now visible.
Could that be the reason?

‘The Moonlit Night Tribe grows stronger after dark.’

Their regenerative abilities and physical power increase under the moon. If their temperament also becomes more volatile, that would explain a lot.

“The young lord will be here for you soon,” one guard announced.

“Tell him not to keep us waiting, then—”

Bang.

He didn’t let me finish, slamming the door shut as he left.

“Impatient, aren’t they?”

Scratching my head awkwardly, I looked to the side.

Cheonma was already lying on the floor, rolling around lazily.

“…”

How could she be so at ease?

“…Hey. What are you doing?”
“Hmm?”

At my question, Cheonma tilted her head.

“What?”
“Not ‘what.’ Do you even know why we’re here right now?”
“Why?”
“Because of you, that’s why.”

If she hadn’t attacked Cheong Seon so impulsively, we wouldn’t be in this situation.

Of course…

‘If she hadn’t hit him, I probably would have.’

Not that I was going to say that out loud—it would only make things worse.

“You couldn’t just keep your cool and avoid causing a scene?”
“…”

Cheonma pressed her lips together, looking displeased.

“He said something strange.”
“What did he say?”

Truthfully, he’d been crude, but not enough to justify her reaction.

“He said he’d cut your limbs off.”
“That was aimed at me, not you, you idiot.”
“Exactly.”
“…”

Cheonma’s calm reply left me momentarily speechless.

So, she had struck him simply because he had insulted me?

“…What is wrong with you?”

I couldn’t understand her logic and shook my head in disbelief.

“Why would you even get involved in that?”
“…”
“If anyone should have been angry, it was me. It wasn’t your place to interfere.”

Even before coming to Mangye, I’d noticed it—Cheonma’s bizarre behavior.

Back during the Blood Demon incident, and now again, she kept inserting herself into matters that concerned me.

It was unsettling and, frankly, irritating.

“If all you’re going to do is cause trouble and complicate things, just stay out of it. Or disappear.”
“…”

Cheonma pressed her lips together tightly, as if holding back words she wanted to say.

I clicked my tongue and turned away.

The situation was frustrating, and the shackles only added to the annoyance.

‘Should I just break them?’

I considered freeing myself but decided against it for the moment.

Instead, I sat down and closed my eyes.

‘How long will it take?’

I wondered how much time would pass before the person I was expecting showed up.

Just as I began to lose myself in thought:

Creak.

The sound of the door opening drew my attention.

I opened my eyes.

And then—

“Hello?”

A cheerful voice greeted me as someone stepped inside.

“It’s been a while.”

The bright, familiar tone immediately identified the newcomer.

“Do you need my help, by any chance?”

Standing there was none other than Mongmong—no, Yusa, the ruler of Yahwol Palace and the very person I had been waiting for.