Eat The World Tree

Chapter 159: Young Demon, Dowon (End)

chapter 159: young demon, dowon (end)

finally found it.

after wandering around for a long time without any sign, i began to wonder if it might be hiding inside the house. indeed, that was the case.

as i entered the second-floor hallway, where hwangdos room was located, i could hear the sound of a child crying. it was unmistakably hwangdo. i was worried that something terrible might have happened to him, but fortunately, it seemed that the worst-case scenario had not occurred.

there were those who were late.

the body of a woman who could no longer open her eyes lay there. people wearing dowons clothes were dead in various places throughout the house.

they appeared to be nobles from the peach tree family and the warriors guarding them. it seemed that a considerable number of hunters had entered the area.

-step.

traces of the fight extended beyond the hallway into the rooms. from daggers embedded all over the body to fresh burn marks.

in a world where so many were only looking out for themselves, it seemed there were still a few good people left by their side. i wondered what this woman was thinking as she was dying.

she seemed to be smiling rather than despairing as she died.

elder sister, sniff. sniffle.

ah.

so this person was that person.

hwangdos crying. i sat down and closed the womans eyes. as i walked from the hallway to here, baekdo was staring at me with a complex expression.

i told her.

put the dagger down. its okay.

.

trembling hands. blood oozed from the hand gripping the dagger tightly.

it seemed to be the place where i saw a scar when i was with baekdo once.

i wish i could heal you, sorry. my body is not in a good condition right now.

my powers were no longer working.

has it been hard?

no. sniff.

baekdo, shedding tears the size of chicken droppings, had been so tense for so long that as soon as she started crying, her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. the dagger fell from her grasp.

it seemed she couldnt think of anything, not even disliking me, at that moment. i gently patted hwangdos shoulder as she lay prostrate.

big brother sniff, ugh, waaah. elder sister elder sister

sniff, sniffsniff.

both were sobbing.

i was momentarily taken aback by the sight of them crying, but realized this was actually the appropriate response. cheondo had been too brave. despite my sporadic consciousness, i continued to pat hwangdos back.

eventually, baekdo came to my side and began pressing her face against me.

for a while.

i spent our last moments together calming them down. after the crying stopped, hwangdo was trembling all over. this trauma would probably last a long time.

even now, just mentioning elder sister makes hwangdos eyes moist, and she bursts into tears if anyone speaks about it. of course, the shock was severe. baekdo, despite being a troublemaker, had a tender heart unseen by the eyes, and it seemed unlikely that she, like hwangdo, would easily accept this situation.

after checking my condition belatedly, hwangdo asked with a trembling voice.

big brother.

yeah.

are you okay?

asking that now.

i took it as her not being in her right mind.

i patted hwangdos head.

its okay. its okay, now lets go to cheondos side.

what about elder sister?

sniff, sniff.

baekdo pressed hwangdo.

enough, hwangdo.

sniff, sniff.

at least, baekdo was holding onto her sanity. i leaned over and whispered to baekdo to take good care of hwangdo, and baekdo nodded after wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

hwangdo squeezed her elder sister tightly and squeezed out her last tears. i wanted to wait a bit longer, but now i was the one whos struggling.

you know my magic, right? ill send you to where cheondo is.

what about you, big brother

i cant go.

startled by my words, hwangdo grabbed my clothes.

why, why cant you go?

i have a lot to do. you know? i have to go save kids like you.

you wont die, will you?

why would i die?

i slowly extracted my magic. considering the naturally recovering mana, it seemed i would have to scrape the bottom to barely send these two.

baekdo.

yes.

come here too.

[its time to return.]

dowon was dying.

cheondo gave me the name aside from overlapping with this places name, i thought it was quite a cool name. i might use it as an alias if i need one later.

-ssararak.

peach blossoms didnt last long. they bloomed briefly and faded soon after.

however, the peach trees of dowon strangely had flowers that lasted a long time. beauty because they did not last long. theres a rumor about peach blossoms, but being beautiful despite lasting long was just the same.

i followed the path of petals.

the already fallen petals gathered on the ground, waiting for someone to sweep them up. over time, they naturally gather into the river and become fertilizer on the bank.

i continued walking along the path of scattered flowers.

hunters gradually came into view in the distance. they held their weapons at the ready as soon as they saw me.

so, i wont be able to see that cheonma till the end.

i could still feel the fluctuations of mana from afar. a dangerous aura of fighting for over half a day brought out a burst of laughter.

-woong woong!

i squeezed out the last of my mana.

a look of terror spread across the hunters faces. the dark energy gathered in my hand. i detonated it, urging life to continue.

the setting spring, above the bank. the blood dried and flickered.

-bang!

when the flowers bloomed, they arrived, and when the flowers wilted, they departed.

would anyone believe a person who lived out a sentence that a poet, basking in the beauty of life, might consider trivial?

if we keep up this pace, well rebuild it soon.

yeah.

at cheondos words, hongyeon laughed bitterly.

beneath the bare peach trees, cruel memories were etched. without a moment to forget, they began rebuilding.

its time to go in for today. the sun has set.

understood, sect leader.

yes, lord young demon.

the current lord young demon. even the sect leader of the demonic cult became aware of their identity. of course, it wasnt disclosed to everyone in dowon, to maintain secrecy.

wait a moment. cheondo.

yes?

cheondo, on the verge of entering the house, was halted by hongyeon. with an unchanged expression, hongyeon solemnly announced.

they said hes dead.

there was no need to specify who.

ah

cheondo, her bright red eyes wide open, initially showed no reaction then she managed a forced smile.

understood.

go ahead, then.

hongyeon observed cheondos departing figure with a sorrowful gaze.

-step. step.

the ceaseless steps of a young girl. dressed in black martial arts attire that seemed somehow adorable, yet demonstrated remarkable talent. hongyeon did not detain cheondo any longer.

-thump!

upon reaching home, cheondo immediately went to her room.

the dark room. a place filled with memories, yet devoid of any warmth. she remembered a face that made her long for even her own sleeping quarters.

cheondo removed her clothes, changed into indoor attire, and sat on the bed. handmade pajamas crafted from soft cotton. sitting on the cold bed, cheondo gazed at the nightstand.

ah.

a hand mirror and an ear pick.

the emotions she had been suppressing welled up.

tears streamed down cheondos parched cheeks.

ugh, sniff. sniffle ugh, sob.

like rolling jade beads, the tears that fell gathered on her chin and dripped onto the cotton blanket, leaving marks.

her shoulders trembled.

ugh, sob sniffle.

huddled up, she squinted her eyes.

she kept wiping the tears that flowed down her fists and arms.

no matter how much she tried to hold back, she couldnt stop, and it eventually burst out.

waaaaah

first love. farewell.

sleepless nights.

yearning for an unfulfilled old love, cheondo dearly missed it.

the overflowing tears blurred into a beautiful haze, leaving a scar that would never fade in a lifetime.