麻豆工作室

 Beggar King Ma Ilseok, who had come face to face with his sworn brother for the first time in a long time, stared at Mok Riwon, who kept trying to look at them secretly from the other side of the wall.

 “That’s the kid?”

 “Would I have brought another child in such a short time?”

 “…He’s grown damn big, huh?”

 It was their first reunion after seven long years apart.

 Ma Il-seok watched the boy with subdued eyes before shifting his gaze towards Mok Seon-oh.

 “That child’s body was made for demonic arts. I recall asking if you could investigate whether more cases like this existed.”

 “Right.”

 Mok Seon-oh’s expression was grim.

 “I wished to impart my martial arts unto him. However, with his meridians being the way it is, I wondered if my teachings may become a poison to him.”

 “Anyhow, you really are quite cautious, Brother.”

 Ma Il-seok snorted.

 “I’ve been looking into it for a while now. I searched the Alliance’s Library and found something quite unexpected about that phenomenon.”

 “Unexpected?”

 “That bloody day from seven years ago.”

 Mok Seon-oh’s eyes widened.

 Ma Il-seok nodded his head while saying.

 “It’s what you’re thinking right now. The day we set the Blood Cult aflame, some texts regarding a forbidden ritual were recovered from the ashes.”

 “This ritual you speak of…”

 “Do you remember where we found the child?”

 He could never forget.

The altar behind the side door in the palace had reeked with the scent of blood.

 It was a place certainly intended for a sinister sorcery upon the child.

The memories remained vividly etched in Mok Seon-oh’s mind, his expression darkening.

 “…You mean, the ritual had already been performed on his body. Is that what you want to say?”

 “Right. The books referred to this forbidden ritual by this name.”

 Ma Il-seok steeled himself and took a deep breath before uttering the chilling words.

 “The Supreme Demonic Body.”

 Mok Seon-oh drew a sharp breath, his face contorting terribly.

 How could he not know what it was?

Anyone who had ever stepped foot in the martial arts world would know about the Supreme Demonic Body.

 “…The body of the Heavenly Demon.”

 “Right. Lee Mubaek, the Third Heavenly Demon. Even now, when naming the greatest of all time, he is among the top three, having been born with the Supreme Demonic Body.”

 Ma Il-seok sighed.

 “And he was born under the Heaven-Slaying Star as well.”

 “…Did the Blood Demon desire the second coming of Lee Mubaek?”

 “Who knows now? Didn’t you cut off that bastard’s head yourself, Brother?”

 Mok Seon-oh laughed bitterly.

 It was truly a vexing situation.

 With no clear path forward, he was filled with a sense of emptiness and helplessness.

 Ma Il-seok understood Mok Seon-oh’s feelings.

 How could he not?

 The child he had taken in, whom he had vowed would overcome the fate bestowed upon him, even forsaking his own name for, was now revealed to have a body created for mastering demonic arts.

 If this situation didn’t frustrate him, wouldn’t that be even more strange?

 However, Ma Il-seok thought that perhaps this was actually a fortunate turn of events.

 “Brother.”

 “Speak.”

 “…It is not yet too late.”

 Mok Seon-oh’s eyes widened.

 Undeterred by his reaction, Ma Il-seok pressed onward.

 “I refrained from acting that day out of respect for your wishes, Brother. I also did my best to come here, knowing of your righteousness. But look at this. In the end, the fate bestowed upon the child is one that cannot be changed through effort alone. So it is time to give up…”

 “Enough–!”

 Mok Seon-oh’s roar thundered forth.

 Ma Il-seok’s mouth shut firmly while Mok Riwon, who had been eavesdropping, was startled badly by the shout.

 Two gazes sharply fixed on the boy who awkwardly scratched his neck and left.

 Mok Seon-oh watched the retreating back of the child with mournful eyes.

 “…No more of this.”

 “Brother.”

 “My beggar friend.”

 Ma Il-seok’s fists clenched tightly.

 He knew all too well what words would follow when his brother addressed him by that old nickname.

 “I…”

 As Mok Seon-oh began to speak, Ma Il-seok abruptly rose to his feet.

 “…Please don’t say anything else.”

Mok Seon-oh’s gaze turned to him.

Biting his lips harshly, Ma Il-seok then uttered.

 “You will try persuading me again. You will try to advocate, saying that bastard will help others. But you know what…?”

 Ma Il-seok drew out his next words.

 He knew what he was about to confess would hurt his sworn brother, and so he hesitated.

 Yet he had to speak from his heart.

 “I despise that child.”

 Ma Il-seok hated Mok Riwon.

 The boy who had robbed a great hero’s glorious name.

For a child seemingly fated for evil, despite all that had been sacrificed, was too bitter a pill to swallow.

 “Had he never existed, you wouldn’t have cast your name aside. No, isn’t it far more than just that? Many masters of the Orthodox Faction would have willingly bowed their heads and followed in your footsteps. Under your banner, the Orthodox Faction might have entered a new golden age!”

 The words poured out like a torrent, and the emotions he had long since buried, which had continued building up these past years, flooded out unchecked.

“Even now, so many still await your return! For you to shatter your stubbornness and reclaim your rightful place as the highest star! The light by which all are guided!”

 Sword Star, Mok Seon-oh.

 The name of the brightest star in the martial arts world.

 “At least…”

 That name, at least, should not disappear for the sake of a being like that, one that may even grow up to be evil.

 Ma Il-seok’s face twisted in anguish as he pierced through Mok Seon-oh’s gaze.

Unable to offer any rebuttal under that sharp glare, Mok Seon-oh lowered his head.

 Could this have been his true feelings all along?

 Had his selfishness wounded so many others?

 A feeling of regret and deep guilt stirred within him.

 Yet that undeniable stubbornness was simply his nature.

Or rather, as he would now admit, affection.

He could not bring himself to abandon the child who bore his surname. The boy, Mok Riwon, whose smile lit up as brightly as any small forest animal.

 “…Forgive me.”

 Ma Il-seok despaired.

 ‘…No.’

 Somewhere in his heart, he must have known.

His sworn brother was such a person, one who never swayed from his chosen path.

 Sighing heavily from the futility of it all, Ma Il-seok turned away from Mok Seon-oh.

 “My apologies. I’m not in the position to yell at you…”

 As silence descended between them, Ma Il-seok realized he had become too heated for a reasonable conversation.

 “…I’ll take some time to cool my head.”

 Ma Il-seok took his leave.

 Alone now, Meok Seon-oh raised his head, gazing at the sky, calming the sorrow deep inside his heart.

* * *

 Ma Il-seok left the straw-thatched house and wandered aimlessly.

According to what he saw on his way here, if he continued down this road, he would come across a stream where he could wash up.

 Pushing through bushes and weaving between trees, Ma Il-seok arrived at the stream. There, the sight of a small figure before him caused his expression to darken.

 “…Ah! Beggar King!”

 It was Mok Riwon.

 His skin was as fair as pearls, hair as dark as night, and face as delicate as any girl’s.

Ma Il-seok clicked his tongue and strode past the boy.

 “Why are you out here?”

 “I was waiting for your talk to end! The mood seemed so serious, I didn’t want to interrupt!”

 His precise and clear manner of speaking made him seem quite sharp despite his age. Ma Il-seok, struck by that thought, shook himself as if to dispel the idea.

 “…Bah, at least you know how to read the air.”

 He knew he was being childish, but what could he do?

How could he not help but feel sick to his stomach at the thought of what his sworn brother and the Orthodox Faction had lost due to this child?

 Ma Il-seok’s expression soured as he looked at Mok Riwon, who appeared far too well-behaved and kind no matter how he looked at him.

 “Isn’t the Beggar King, Master’s Brother?”

 “…What?”

 “I heard it from Master! He said that among the heroes he knew, one of the five greatest heroes was his sworn brother, the Beggar King! Imagine how shocked I was when you said your name!”

 Mok Riwon seemed unfazed by the harsh treatment, continuing to animate the story with his arms and a bright expression.

At that moment, Ma Il-seok found himself struggling to suppress a smile.

 “Brother spoke of me…?”

 So his brother had already told this child about him.

 In no time at all, he had found himself leaning in closer to listen to the boy.

 “Yes! Whenever he talked about the martial world, he’d mention you! Like the fierce battle you both fought at Blood Valley, your encounter in the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Tournament finals, and…!”

 The child could not stop chatting away, his voice bright and clear as a bird’s tweeting. As Ma Il-seok kept listening, his chest tightened more and more.

 ‘Everything…’

 Had his brother remembered everything?

 Ma Il-seok thought that he had already forgotten, that after relinquishing his name and going into seclusion, he would believe those days to be nothing more than distant memories from a past he had left behind.

 “…Ah! But what was especially exciting was the story of your life-or-death duel with the Crimson Lady of the Azure Night!”

 “Er, what?!”

 The Beggar King shuddered in surprise, shivering at the mere mention of that name.

 Crimson Lady of the Azure Night.

 The Witch of the Blood Cult, who had attempted to steal information from the Martial Arts Alliance.

 For Ma Il-seok, it was one of the few names he would never forget for the rest of his life, as much as he might wish to.

 It was the incident when Mok Seon-oh had saved him from completely falling victim to her, which led them to becoming sworn brothers. How could he not react in such a way when that traumatic story came out of this child’s mouth?

 “The Crimson Lady! Master said that the Beggar King had tied down that seductress’s feet for three days and nights! He said that without you that day, the Crimson Lady of the Azure Night would never have been captured!”

 Tied down, yes.

 Or rather, ‘was tied down’ described it more accurately.

 That day was one of the most shameful moments in Ma Il-seok’s life. When he was squeezed dry for three days and nights, after being seduced by her beauty and lured to have sex.

 “Ah-Ahem…!”

 Ma Il-seok’s face flushed crimson, but innocent Mok Riwon simply looked up in awe, unaware of the reason.

 While feeling ashamed, Ma Il-seok had a sudden realization.

 ‘Wait…’

 Had he sensed any evil from the child just now?

 Had he detected any demonic qi from this child?

 As those questions surfaced, Ma Il-seok’s expression grew solemn. His gaze, reflecting his serious demeanor, remained fixed on Mok Riwon.

 Mok Riwon tilted his head, confused.

 His eyes shined purely.

 As Ma Il-seok examined closely, his eyes were dark brown with a hint of red.

 …Within them was none of the evil Ma Il-seok had feared.

 “…”

 Ma Il-seok’s eyebrows narrowed.

 Indeed, it seemed unlikely that Mok Seon-oh would ever teach the child anything bad.

Even if the child’s fate was beyond anyone’s control, Mok Seon-oh was the kind of person who would continue to love him.

 As the gentle stream flowed by, Ma Il-seok met Mok Riwon’s gaze directly and asked.

 “You.”

 “Me?”

 “You, tell me…”

 Ma Il-seok paused, his lips hesitating as he carefully selected his next words.

 Had he been enchanted by those eyes?

It was a question without an answer, but the faint hope he had harbored seven years ago, that ‘what if’ this boy could resist his fate, was rekindled.

And he soon found himself asking.

“…What is it you wish to become?”

 Mok Riwon looked at Ma Il-seok, wondering.

 Why was he asking this question?

A doubt crossed his mind, but that didn’t matter, because Mok Riwon had already known what he wanted to become for a long time now.

 “I want to be a hero! A great hero like Master!”

 Ma Il-seok’s eyes widened slightly, his fists clenching as if his hands were being crushed.

 “And why is that?”

 “What do you mean?”

 “There has to be a reason, right? Do you wish to become a hero for fame, for power and authority, or for riches?”

 Ma Il-seok purposefully gave specific examples in hopes that the boy would latch onto one, and put his own heart at ease. That way, he would feel a little less ashamed of himself for harboring such strong resentment toward this child.

 However, Mok Riwon was not some shining light in the dark world who would grant Ma Il-seok’s wishes. The boy simply smiled and said.

 “I saw stars coming from Master’s sword. It was so dazzling and beautiful. When I close my eyes, I can still see them.”

 He shut his eyes as he spoke, his smile deepening.

 “I like Master’s stars. When I look at them, the whole world seems to light up. Even on the darkest nights, thinking of them drives away all my fears.”

 It was a voice as if he were lost in a dream.

 Within Mok Riwon’s words was a distinct longing, entwined with a deep, innocent love.

 “I want to have those stars like that too. To become someone who protects others. To shine as a beautiful bright star and illuminate everyone around me.”

 Mok Riwon opened his eyes.

His appearance, once described by Ma Il-seok as girlish, now bloomed even more beautifully as his eyes curved into crescent moons.

 “The stars I want to have are Master’s stars. And Master’s stars are the stars of a hero. So I want to become a hero.”

 When he finally finished, Ma Il-seok laughed weakly.

 “Hah…”

 There was something he did not want to admit.

 Something he wanted to hold onto as a grudge.

 And that very thing was the child standing before him.

 Yet, Ma Il-seok couldn’t help but see someone else in the child’s appearance.

 “You’re quite the cheeky brat.”

 Mok Riwon’s beaming smile was the very picture of a dashing hero, as though he were Mok Seon-oh himself.

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