By Zephyria Let’s Go Back. (2)
“Mother! Stop it. At this rate……!”
Seong Mu-yeon struggled to pull her away. Seventh Madam’s face was pale, but she exerted superhuman strength and wouldn’t let go. She didn’t stop taking his Essence either. The fierce Essence stirred inside Seventh Madam’s body, turning it into a pulp.
Soon, a stream of red blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, and the arm she had struggled so hard to hold onto fell limply.
This time, Seong Mu-yeon didn’t let her go. He hugged her limp body and cried out her name.
His body was suddenly turned around, and when he raised his head, he saw a Demonic human grabbing his arm.
“No! Let go! I said let go!”
As the Demonic human tried to pull Seventh Madam from his arms, Seong Mu-yeon struggled to keep her. But in the end, he was caught in their grasp and dragged away.
Hot tears streamed down his cheeks. Seventh Madam was sprawled on the ground, growing farther and farther away. The sight was blurred and distorted by tears.
Seventh Madam had told him to go to his maternal family. She had left without even telling him where his maternal family was. If he put his mind to it, he could find out somehow…….
‘But Mother…… how can I go alone without you?’
His mother had died because of him. Who would welcome the grandson who killed their daughter, appearing alone at their doorstep? Moreover, the person who had pushed her to the brink of death was his own father.
No matter how shameless he was, he couldn’t set foot in his maternal family’s home.
Seong Mu-yeon was dragged away by the Demonic humans, looking up at the sky dyed red.
Then, where was he to return to…….
When he suddenly turned his body, the Demonic humans, who had been careless thinking he had given up, lost their grip on him.
The price of carelessness was their lives.
Seong Mu-yeon swung his sword in an instant, blowing away the heads of two Demonic humans, and rolled across the floor.
When he raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot with madness.
‘There is no place to return to.’
He would never return to the side of the man who had caused his mother’s death. He wouldn’t obediently die either.
Nor would he leave this place and live cowardly as if nothing had happened.
Even if it meant abandoning everything…… no, he had nothing left anyway.
Seong Mu-yeon took advantage of the Demonic humans’ confusion and leaped onto the roof. Then, he cut down those who regained their senses and followed him, one by one. Thanks to Seventh Madam’s sacrifice, his body was lighter and his mind clearer than ever before.
He ambushed the Demonic human who was hanging from the eaves and jumping down, striking the back of his neck, and he waited for the enemy searching for him while holding his breath in the trees of the alley. Seong Mu-yeon dealt with them one by one.
He didn’t care about his own life.
When the fear of getting hurt disappeared, dealing with Demonic humans who were much more skilled than him became surprisingly easy. Seong Mu-yeon moved towards the Main Palace, and upon witnessing the carnage in the middle of the village, he plunged his sword into the chest of a screaming resident.
After some time, there was no one alive around him.
Covered in blood, he roughly wiped the blood dripping from the ends of his hair with his sleeve and continued on.
The Main Palace, where the banquet was in full swing, had lax security. As the faint music grew louder, the boisterous sounds of laughter and chatter became close enough to hear.
As soon as someone discovered Seong Mu-yeon, who had appeared covered in blood, and screamed, the scream was cut off by the sword that pierced his neck.
And all the music and voices ceased as well.
“What is the meaning of this!”
The old servant who was in charge of the banquet also collapsed, scattering blood.
“Stop him!”
All those with high positions were present at the banquet. Their guards, following their superior’s orders, rushed to subdue Seong Mu-yeon.
Seong Mu-yeon swung his sword indiscriminately, gradually getting closer to the head seat.
The boy, who was only in his teens, displayed swordsmanship with surprising ruthlessness and composure.
“Yeon-ah……!”
The faces of the six Young masters sitting at the head seat were filled with shock. Only the second Young master, Seong Mu-ryong, who had some interaction with Seventh Madam and her son, jumped up from his seat.
At the same time, the Cult Leader’s subordinates with high positions stiffened their faces and twitched as if they were about to move, but the Cult Leader raised his hand to stop them.
The Cult Leader leisurely tilted his wine glass, watching the Seventh Young master wreaking havoc.
It was as if he was appreciating it.
Seong Mu-yeon, who had slaughtered all the approaching enemies, walked right up to the Cult Leader, leaving behind bloody footprints.
He glared at his father with emotionless, black eyes. The blood that soaked his entire body flowed down his arms and dripped from the tip of his sword.
“Do you want to kill me?”
Seong Mu-yeon did not answer. The Cult Leader laughed heartily.
“Do it if you can.”
He wasn’t being sarcastic. The Cult Leader was willing to offer his neck if his son had the ability to kill him. That was what he had lived for. If the Demonic Cult he had raised could rise to prominence, that was enough for him.
But Seong Mu-yeon’s sword did not reach the Cult Leader. He couldn’t even swing it in the first place.
Thud.
It was because Seong Mu-yeon collapsed on the spot like a puppet with its strings cut.
The Cult Leader’s calm face cracked for the first time.
“Yeon-ah!”
Seong Mu-ryong ran to check on him. He was breathing, but it was weak, and his body was cold. Seong Mu-ryong opened his mouth to call for a doctor, but a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Seong Mu-yeon’s arm, lifting him up.
“……This brat.”
The Cult Leader’s face, which had been calm even when his son approached him with a sword, was now twisted with anger. Seong Mu-yeon’s body, which had been burned to ashes at the end, was so damaged that it was difficult to touch.
The Cult Leader threw him away carelessly, as if he had never been pleased with him. Seong Mu-ryong barely caught his younger brother’s small body.
“Mimi deceived me.”
The Cult Leader muttered as if chewing on the words. Then, he left as if he didn’t like it.
That night, Seventh Madam’s body was found in the village. Along with the bodies of numerous Demonic humans. Although the seventh madam had died, people were not surprised. Since there were few of the seven madams still alive, it was not a strange occurrence.
Seong Mu-yeon was imprisoned in his residence after that. But he had no intention of leaving. He waited listlessly for death, thinking that the Cult Leader would soon come and deal with him.
But for some reason, the Cult Leader just left him alone.
Was it because he didn’t want to admit he had been deceived? Or perhaps it was to punish him.
No one mentioned what had happened that day. As if nothing had happened, the Demonic Cult returned to normal.
Servants and maids cleaned and brought food, but it could never go back to the way it was before. The last flame that Seong Mu-yeon had burned had left a great impression on everyone, but soon he was treated as nothing more than a showy dog with a good name, and no one sought him out.
It was because the possibility of the extinguished flame rekindling was slim. Seong Mu-yeon, who had become ashes, spent his days listlessly.
Occasionally, Seong Mu-ryong would bring a doctor and try to revive him, but the person himself had no will to get better.
Whenever he regained a little energy, Seong Mu-yeon would burn with the desire for revenge that he had not been able to carry out. Then he would quickly tire and collapse, and spend some time as if he were dead again.
In the meantime, listlessness became a habit.
He was constantly being sucked into a deeper and deeper place.
It was like a deep swamp that was hard to escape from, even if someone stabbed him in the side with a hot iron rod.
“Anyway, you did escape.”
After a long silence, Baek Ryeo-il said. When a warm hand wrapped around his shoulder, Seong Mu-yeon looked up at the person who had pulled him out of that deep swamp. Baek Ryeo-il was observing him closely, as if he wanted to read his thoughts with his heavy gaze.
Surprisingly, after telling everything, Seong Mu-yeon felt much lighter. There was nothing a person who had given up his life couldn’t do, but it was clear that it was not an honorable act. Seong Mu-yeon, resolving to accept any criticism, felt a touch on his neck.
Baek Ryeo-il pulled the string around his neck, taking out the necklace hidden inside his clothes and fiddling with it.
“Your maternal family…… shall I find them for you?”
That was all he managed to say. Seong Mu-yeon shook his head.
“There was a time when I wanted to find them, but not now. Rather, it would be helping them if I didn’t show up.”
The fact that a family’s daughter had voluntarily become the Demonic Cult Leader’s wife was a fatal flaw. Whether it was a large or small family, no matter how great, they would suffer irreparable dishonor.
Baek Ryeo-il couldn’t find any words to refute, so he quietly put the necklace back inside his clothes.
“But is this how you came here?”
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon notice his bare chest and was startled, firmly fastening his collar.
“How can a sick person walk around like this! That’s enough. Let’s go back quickly. I don’t really want to see those people’s faces, but…….”
“Then let’s not go.”