Chapter 52
The Heavenly Demon and the Sink
Jang Chaewon, who had been listening with great interest to the Heavenly Demon’s story, widened her eyes.
“So? What was the reason?”
“That sickly wife was the only daughter of a wealthy manor lord in Jinan—someone notorious for being rather gassy. And the young man was a poor scholar born into a fallen household, orphaned at an early age.”
“Kyaaa, so they eloped for love?”
When Jang Chaewon squealed, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
“Correct. With no other choice, the two of them secretly fled the manor. But the furious lord hired martial artists to track them down.”
“I see. So a noble lady abandoned her family to pursue love.”
Resting her chin in her hands, Jang Chaewon gazed dreamily into the air.
“So even in your world, there’s romance? I thought it was nothing but nonstop brutal fights.”
She blinked several times, tilting her head.
“But what does that story have to do with the married couple who just left?”
“I owe them a debt.”
“A debt?”
“Yes. I became indebted to that couple.”
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes deepened as if recalling the past.
“Before I realized it, the sun had set while I was listening to their story. So I spent the night at their small wooden hut. And seeing how they lived healed my exhausted mind and body quite a bit.”
“Healed?”
“Yes. Even with their physical disabilities, the young couple relied on each other and moved as if they were one body. Not only that, they had an incredibly strong emotional bond. They understood each other’s thoughts with just a glance.”
“Huh?”
“And despite their difficult circumstances, they treated me with great sincerity. After observing their simple, honest life in the mountains for a day, my weary mind gradually became clearer.”
The Heavenly Demon crossed his arms, his eyes blurring.
“My life until then had been nothing but endless struggle.”
Jang Chaewon stared at him, one eye slightly squinting.
“So watching that young couple healed you?”
“I ended up staying there for ten days.”
“What? You stayed at someone’s newlywed home for ten whole days?”
“Yes. I gained much inspiration from them. Oh, and my martial arts progressed as well.”
Imagine a rock that can talk.
How bizarre and creepy would that be?
That was exactly how Jang Chaewon felt.
This clueless guy… staying at complete strangers’ newlywed home for ten days!
With the Heavenly Demon rambling on about unrelated things, he looked to her like nothing more than a talking stone.
“I hate owing debts. So when I left, I said I would wipe out the wealthy manor for them, but they refused. And they also refused when I offered to teach them valuable martial arts.”
“……”
“In the meantime, that persistent Magija eventually discovered my location and sent experts from the Seven Gods Shrine after me. So I had no choice but to leave the hut without repaying my debt.”
Jang Chaewon was so shocked she nearly burst out laughing.
“So what? How are that young couple and the customers who came earlier related?”
She looked into the Heavenly Demon’s suddenly somber gaze and gasped.
“Don’t tell me… you think the customers earlier are the same couple from the martial world?”
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense! That’s a different world. They just happen to resemble them.”
“Their disabilities, their voices, even their demeanor are the same. They’re the same people.”
Seeing Jang Chaewon’s doubtful eyes, the Heavenly Demon sighed deeply.
“They must have reincarnated from the martial world into this one.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense. The timing doesn’t match.”
“It does.”
After a short pause, something shocking flowed from his lips.
“Not long after I left their hut, the couple was killed by the pursuers sent by the manor lord.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Unwilling to leave an emotional debt behind, I sent ten thousand nyang worth of gold through my subordinates. But the hut was already in ruins, and the couple was dead.”
A horrifying end.
Jang Chaewon’s eyes trembled.
“Even the wife? Why would the pursuers kill her? She was the lord’s only daughter!”
The Heavenly Demon spoke with a lonely expression.
“They didn’t kill her.”
Jang Chaewon turned pale and covered her mouth.
“Then… no way…”
“Yes. She took her own life.”
Avoiding her gaze, the Heavenly Demon spoke quietly.
“The pursuers slaughtered the young man right before her eyes. And upon witnessing it, the wife drew the dagger she kept in her bosom… and killed herself without hesitation.”
Hands behind his back, the Heavenly Demon looked toward the distant sky.
“When I heard the news, I intended to annihilate the manor. But I stopped myself—because I felt they would not have wanted that.”
“…I see.”
“I still owe that couple a debt. And now… I see them here, in this world.”
The Heavenly Demon murmured softly, almost to himself.
“You may not believe me, but to my eyes, those two were the same ones who once welcomed me.”
Jang Chaewon did not believe in reincarnation at all.
But seeing the Heavenly Demon’s expression and the sincerity in his eyes, she felt that maybe… just maybe it could be possible.
“I really hate owing debts. I simply wish to repay mine.”
“Fine. I get it.”
Taking a deep breath, Jang Chaewon organized her thoughts.
“Call Moomyeong. Have him check whether we can craft a sink using dungeon materials.”
“Thank you.”
The Heavenly Demon calmly headed to the storage room.
“Hey, Heavenly Demon.”
She called out sharply as he walked away.
“If we’re doing this… let’s make them the best sink possible.”
Turning his head, the Heavenly Demon revealed a fang and smiled faintly.
“Very well.”
