Episode 18
A Thirst for Power
‘Why did he tell me to come to his room when I can’t sleep?’
“Young Sect Leader, are you still up?”
“Usually. With the Heavenly Demon gone, I've got twice as much work.”
‘Oh man, Dad's gone because he's taking care of me, so the Young Sect Leader has to do Dad's work too.’
So he wanted me to help out if I couldn't sleep. Makes sense!
The Young Sect Leader wouldn't just call me to his room for no reason.
“Actually, I think I could fall asleep right now if I lie down.”
“Is that so? Then go back.”
“Yes, then I’ll be going.”
Worried I'd get dragged into doing the Young Sect Leader's work, I tried to sneak away.
“That wasn't very thoughtful of me.”
Just then, the Young Sect Leader continued speaking with his back turned.
“Sleep well.”
With just those words, the Young Sect Leader went into his room without another glance.
‘Did the Young Sect Leader just apologize to me?’
"Who apologizes because their servant can't sleep?"
Then, I suddenly remembered what the Young Sect Leader had said.
“Seol's my servant. It'd be a pain if she got sick.”
‘Ah, I see.’
Remembering what I talked about with Chaechae, I figured he takes such good care of his servants because it messes up his work if they get sick, right?
“Well, at least I don't have to worry about getting sick on the job.”
‘But….’
Feeling lonely, I opened the door to my room.
The room with the window open only had the cool evening breeze flowing in, and I couldn’t sense any presence.
“Pippi, you're not coming today?”
Yesterday, he knocked and showed up way earlier than this...
Just as I was feeling down, the firefly Chaechae gave me started glowing brightly inside the glass jar.
The room was quickly filled with a warm glow.
‘I wonder how much work Chaechae and Jangryu put into catching these fireflies?’
Thinking about that, I couldn't help but smile.
“Right, I can't depend on Pippi every night. I need to get used to sleeping by myself!”
I hugged Chacha, the doll Chaechae lent me, and lay down in bed.
The fur was so soft and cozy against my skin.
‘The doll kind of smells like Chaechae...’
Because of that, I didn’t feel lonely.
“Good night, Chacha.”
‘And good night, Dad.’
Maybe it was because I fell asleep thinking about Dad, who was probably fast asleep.
That night, I had a happy dream where I made a medicine to cure Dad's mental weakness, and he gave me a big hug.
The fireflies Chaechae caught buzzed around Dad and me, shining brightly.
It was such a warm, comforting dream.
---
“Were you just with Cheon-seong?”
When Jeok-un got back to his room, Oh-haeng, who was working with him, asked with a kind smile.
“Yeah, just for a bit.”
Jeok-un sat down at his desk as if it were nothing and picked up the scroll he had been working on.
“Still, it's pretty unusual. It's not like the Young Sect Leader to show so much interest in someone else.”
“……”
Oh-haeng spoke like he'd been watching everything that happened outside.
“This is the first time you've ever disobeyed the Heavenly Demon.”
Jeok-un, who had been acting as if he didn’t care about Oh-haeng’s words, turned to look at Oh-haeng at that one sentence.
“Didn't the Heavenly Demon tell you to wake him up and tell him if anything happened to Cheon-seong?”
“Oh-haeng... you knew too?”
“Of course. The Heavenly Demon gave me the same order.”
“…I see.”
Jeok-un understood; the Heavenly Demon never overlooked anything.
“But why didn't you report what happened with Cheon-seong to the Heavenly Demon?”
“It’s for Cheon-seong’s sake.”
Jeok-un looked confused.
Oh-haeng continued to speak with a gentle smile, as if it were understandable.
“When Cheon-seong was a baby, I definitely thought she needed the Heavenly Demon's protection. But now, I think he's too focused on her. He gets worried if she's out of his sight for even a second. If I tell him what happened, Cheon-seong will never get a chance to be independent.”
Oh-haeng was the loyal subject who'd suggested Cheon-seong leave the Demonic Cult and live somewhere else until it was safe.
So, he always thought about what would be best for both the Heavenly Demon and Cheon-seong.
“It'd be a huge loss for the Demonic Cult if Cheon-seong's potential isn't unlocked because the Heavenly Demon is too protective.”
Jeok-un greatly agreed with Oh-haeng’s words.
Especially regarding Cheon-seong’s potential.
‘She’s definitely an incredible genius.’
“But how are you so sure about Cheon-seong's potential?”
“Well, Cheon-seong is special from the start. Her father is the Heavenly Demon, and her mother was the top fighter from the North Sea Ice Palace. But even without that, it's obvious.”
‘The powerful martial arts just waiting to be unleashed inside her.’
Oh-haeng’s specialty was assessing the martial arts of others and selecting talented individuals.
“But it'll all go to waste if it doesn't come out.”
‘That powerful force withering away… what a waste.’
Jeok-un felt a pang of regret, even though it was just a hypothetical.
“Oh-haeng.”
Jeok-un, who had been lost in thought for a moment, called out to Oh-haeng.
“Cheon-seong being in the Demonic Cult is….”
“Don't worry. Like I said, I want Cheon-seong to discover her own power and flourish. I am a little worried about how to deal with the Heavenly Demon's anger later, though.”
Oh-haeng, who had been wearing a worried expression, soon wore a gentle smile.
“Well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes. Ho ho ho!”
“I'm relieved that you feel the same way.”
Jeok-un was relieved inwardly.
“I'm relieved too. Young Sect Leader, you're usually so strict about separating personal and official business, I was worried you'd already reported to the Heavenly Demon on your way back.”
Oh-haeng looked at Jeok-un with eyes that seemed to see through him.
“Has there been some change of heart?”
“W-well, it's good for the Demonic Cult to have another reliable person. That's it.”
“Ho ho, let’s just say that.”
“It’s just that!”
“Yes, yes, it’s just that. Ho ho.”
Realizing he was just giving Oh-haeng more amusement, Jeok-un went back to his scroll.
“Anyway, there's something I wanted to ask you, Young Sect Leader.”
“What is it?”
“You're only about four years older than Cheon-seong, right? You're practically the same age.”
“That’s right.”
“So I figured you, of all people, would understand what Cheon-seong is thinking.”
Jeok-un's ears perked up when Oh-haeng started talking about Cheon-seong.
“So, what’s the point?”
Oh-haeng, with a very serious expression, opened his mouth.
“How can I get Cheon-seong to call me grandfather?”
“Give up.”
To Jeok-un’s answer, which came without hesitation,
“That's harsh, Young Sect Leader! Agh!”
Oh-haeng’s wail filled the Young Sect Leader’s room.
“Stop thinking about useless stuff and figure out what you're going to do when the Heavenly Demon finds out.”
But Jeok-un didn’t even bat an eye and turned his gaze back to the scroll.
---
“I was wrong to trust the Young Sect Leader.”
Early this morning, I'm back at the cave to get spring water from the Ten Thousand Mountains.
It's what I usually do, but I was way more grumpy than normal, and for good reason.
“From today, you don’t have to carry my meals anymore.”
Those were the words he said when I went to the Young Sect Leader early in the morning to carry his breakfast.
“Really?”
I thought I was finally free from this awful slave—I mean, servant—life after just two days.
Until I heard the Young Sect Leader’s next words.
“Instead, fetch spring water twice a day.”
“Spring water twice a day?”
Actually, getting the spring water is way harder than carrying meals.
Because I have to climb up and down this crazy steep hill.
“…My throat has been twice as dry lately.”
Compared to the intensity of the labor, the reason for making me do it was too trivial.
“Ugh, if you're so thirsty, get it yourself! Why do I have to do it?”
I stopped filling the kettle and just slumped down, pulling at my hair.
"I don't even have time to find a cure for Dad's mental weakness... I've wasted two whole days doing nothing because I became the Young Sect Leader's servant."
‘I didn’t come to the Demonic Cult to be the Young Sect Leader’s servant.’
"Lotus, I can only say this to you, but... if I had strong martial arts, would I be able to get what I want faster?"
I complained about my difficult feelings to the innocent lotus flower.
"Yeah, it's all because I'm weak. If I were strong like Dad, I could've found a cure faster and helped him..."
The pale face of Father flickered before my eyes, and I felt like I was going to cry.
No, I can't get weak.
No matter what, I'm going to cure Dad, and we're going to live happily ever after, just you wait and see!
I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand, got up, and scooped up spring water in both hands to water the lotus flower.
“Thank you for listening to my story. I’m glad I at least have you.”
It was then.
A bright light shone from the lotus flower, and someone grabbed my wrist, which was wet with spring water.
‘The lotus….’
The lotus bud had already bloomed into a golden flower, and that flower was….
With eyes as clear and mysterious as honey-colored gold.
With golden hair that shone brightly as it was wet with water.
“D-did it turn into a person?”
The boy, wearing golden clothes like his shining hair, looked at me.
“Shall I take it out?”
Then, the mysterious boy pointed his finger at me, and his red lips curved up diagonally.
“The power you want.”
