Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Should I let her go?

Namgung Bi-ah’s words, saying she wanted to go, left my mind in turmoil.

If I were to let her go… Why should I let her?

The Northern Sea.

That distant land—did I really want Namgung Bi-ah to go there?

I wanted to stop her.

And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do so easily.

The reason was simple.

‘Her eyes.

’The eyes Namgung Bi-ah fixed on me were clearer than ever.

Her usual vacant stare was gone, replaced by brilliant blue eyes that gleamed like gemstones.

Like someone who had discovered their path.

Looking into those glowing eyes, it was difficult to tell her not to go.

Still, I tried to say it.

To ask her not to go.

To beg her not to leave me behind and travel to that faraway place.

Even if it was selfish and petty.

Even if it was disgraceful, I wanted to hold on to her that way.

Such a shameless emotion.

I had tried to deny it over and over, pushing it away, but now it consumed me like a seed that had taken root.

This wasn’t love—it was possessiveness.

Having Namgung Bi-ah in my heart had made her presence grow larger and larger until it became impossible to let her go.

And yet—“I have to go.

”Even as I begged her not to, Namgung Bi-ah stared at me with unwavering determination.

Her gaze was as clear and bright as ever.

Eyes she rarely let me see before now, suddenly on full display—it felt unfair.

So, should I let her go?

Just like this?

I couldn’t.

She said she needed to grow stronger to protect me.

She needed to go to the Northern Sea for that.

Ridiculous.

‘Who’s protecting whom?

’I had been struggling for so long.

Struggling for what purpose, only for her to now claim she would protect me?

Nonsense.

I wanted to yell it at her, to her face.

‘You’re not the one protecting me.

I’m the one protecting you.

’So just stay quietly by my side.

That petty thought burned in me, but I bit my tongue and held it back.

This cursed emotion called love— It stoked my possessiveness and yet also forced me to suppress it.

So I couldn’t speak the words.

But not being able to speak didn’t mean I couldn’t act.

I stood face-to-face with Namgung Bi-ah.

“…”As I stared at her, our eyes met.

I didn’t look away.

I locked onto her blue eyes.

‘…’But the longer I stared, the more I wanted to avert my gaze.

When was the last time I looked at her so intently?

I tried to recall, but—‘I don’t think there ever was a time.

’As far as I could remember, there wasn’t.

I had never looked at Namgung Bi-ah so closely before.

And perhaps that’s why, now, I looked deeper.

Her white hair, faintly tinged with blue, her pale skin—almost as if powdered.

Her features carried a delicate, faintly mysterious charm.

She was beautiful.

Still, she was as beautiful as ever.

And as I looked, my eyes caught something.

“…”A hairpin in her hair.

It was the moon-shaped ornament I had given her as a gift.

She still wore it.

Even though it was a cheap trinket, it looked a bit worn now.

I should get her something better next time.

‘Ha.

’The thought made me sigh softly.

What was wrong with me, thinking about trivial things like this?

A flood of scattered thoughts overwhelmed me.

Random, fleeting concerns filled my mind.

And I knew it.

I knew that all these thoughts were just an attempt to avoid the one thing I didn’t want to face—that I didn’t want to let her go.

Knowing this, avoidance was futile.

If I could truly avoid it, I wouldn’t have kept her by my side in the first place.

She couldn’t know.

She could never know how significant a choice it was to keep her by my side.

And I wished for her not to know.

Shing.

The sharp sound of a sword being drawn reached my ears.

It was Namgung Bi-ah drawing her sword.

Seeing this, I asked her:“You’re really going through with this?

” “Yes.

”Her firm nod was unwavering.

Her stance was straight, and her demeanor was honest.

A sparring match.

Despite my unreasonable demand, Namgung Bi-ah accepted without hesitation.

It was impossible.

No matter how much of a genius Namgung Bi-ah was, this was beyond her reach.

She must have known that as well.

And yet, the reason she accepted was—‘…Because of my absurd terms, no doubt.

’The condition I attached to the match must have been the reason.

The sparring wasn’t just a simple duel—it had a stipulation.

She didn’t need to win; she needed to gain my recognition.

A word game on my part.

It was a ploy to make the duel more acceptable for her.

In the end, I had to offer something that Namgung Bi-ah would find worth pursuing.

My plan was simple.

I would make her lose and give up.

That was my goal.

Shameless?

‘I know.

I’m fully aware.

’I knew how petty it was.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t want to let her go.

Gone were the days when I pushed her away, shouting for her to leave.

Now, without her, I couldn’t function.

Especially not in my current state.

‘…My mind isn’t in the right place.

’I hadn’t told anyone, but my mental state was far from stable.

With the added strain of stabilizing my energy, I needed time to adjust to my altered emotions and thoughts.

Given the situation, I desperately didn’t want Namgung Bi-ah to leave right now.

Let people call it ugly possessiveness or selfishness— I didn’t care.

That’s how I felt.

Facing Namgung Bi-ah’s drawn sword, I also picked up a blade.

It was just an iron sword I had grabbed from nearby.

Truthfully, I wanted to use Gui-jeong.

But that felt like overkill.

As I raised my sword, I felt the weight of the gazes around me.

Moyong Biyeon and Namgung Hyeong were watching closely.

Their curiosity was evident—they were undoubtedly wondering why I, of all people, was picking up a sword to spar with Namgung Bi-ah.

From their perspective, it must have seemed absurd.

The gap in our expertise was clear.

For someone like me, who specialized in unarmed combat, using a sword was akin to fighting with my arms tied behind my back.

I had no real understanding of swordsmanship.

Even if I used internal energy, it would produce a crude, incomplete sword aura.

I didn’t even know how to properly follow a sword path.

If I fought Namgung Bi-ah, who had perfected her craft, I would undoubtedly lose.

At least, that’s what they would think.

Even Namgung Bi-ah probably thought so.

Yet she accepted the match.

But—‘…Shin Noya, I’ll be counting on you.

’I had the Honored Sword of Mount Hua, Shin Cheol.

He wouldn’t lose to anyone in swordsmanship.

A man who rose to prominence with just a blade.

Even Namgung Myung was treated like a child when sparring with him.

I planned to rely on him again.

Or so I thought.

[…Hmm?

Me?

]Shin Noya’s sudden response threw me off.

His tone was oddly uncertain.

‘What’s with that reaction?

’ [Wait… Are you expecting me to fight?

] ‘Of course.

Who else would fight?

’ [You fool!

It’s your body, so of course you have to fight!

]Shin Noya’s exasperated reply left me dumbfounded.

‘But how?!

I don’t even know how to use a sword!

’ [And whose fault is that, you idiot?

If you didn’t know how, you shouldn’t have agreed to this!

] ‘It’s obvious!

When I use a sword, you step in and handle it!

’That’s how it had always been.

So naturally, I assumed it would be the same this time.

[Hah… This brat.

Always trying to take the easy way out.

]Shin Noya sighed heavily, clearly annoyed.

[I thought you were just trying to let her win… But your shamelessness knows no bounds!

To pull this on your fiancée?

Unbelievable.

] ‘Fine, fine!

Lecture me later.

Can you just help me this once?

’I felt his contempt, but I was desperate enough to beg.

[No.

]Shin Noya’s refusal was immediate and absolute.

‘Shin Noya…!

’ [No matter how much you beg, the answer is still no.

] ‘Why?

You’ve taken over my body plenty of times before—why are you acting like this now?!

’ [Because I can’t.

]‘What?

’That response made my eyes widen.

[Since your body changed, I can no longer borrow it.

] ‘What the hell does that mean?!

’It was the first I’d heard of it.

Even after my transformation, this issue had never come up before.

As I struggled to comprehend, Shin Noya continued:[I was so busy with everything else that I forgot to mention it.

] ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!

’My mind went blank.

So he really couldn’t take over my body anymore?

Then—‘What am I supposed to do?

’ [Why are you asking me?

You’re the one who caused this mess.

]I was screwed.

Completely and utterly screwed.

Shin Noya’s tone left no doubt: I was on my own.

‘This can’t be real.

Please, just tell me this is a lie.

I’ll let it slide this time.

’ [What, should I swear on the previous sect leader’s name?

That my words are true?

] ‘Even that won’t convince me.

You’d swear on anything if it suited you, Shin Noya.

’ [Hah, brat.

If I could still take over, I’d have already made you bite your tongue or throw your sword away out of spite.

But alas, I can’t.

It’s maddening.

]Damn it.

Hearing that, I was sure he was telling the truth.

Faced with this unforeseen problem, my thoughts started racing.

‘What do I do now?

’Panic set in, and my gaze darted nervously.

Namgung Bi-ah seemed to notice my distress, tilting her head in concern.

“…Why are you acting like that?

”Her worried voice reached me, and I felt a fleeting urge to suggest we fight with fists instead of swords.

[Don’t even think about it.

That’s far too pathetic.

]Shin Noya shut that thought down before I could even voice it.

I knew it too.

If I actually said that out loud, I’d hate myself for it later.

‘Then what do I do, Shin Noya?

I have no options.

’ [Just pick up the sword and fight.

How hard could it be?

]He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Of course, it wasn’t for someone like me.

If it were that easy, I’d have mastered swordsmanship long ago instead of relying on my fists.

‘Maybe I should use Gui-jeong.

’I glanced at the blade tied to my left arm.

Gui-jeong might not be a proper sword, but it was sturdy and reliable.

At least it was better than this plain iron sword.

‘Then again, Gui-jeong is more of an unbreakable weapon than a true sword.

It might not make much difference.

’With that in mind, I looked at the other sword in my hand: Thunder Fang.

I had spoken with Namgung Myung earlier, right after retrieving it from my quarters.

While the conversation hadn’t been long, it had covered significant ground.

Perhaps that was the issue.

Namgung Myung had fallen silent ever since.

‘In terms of utility, Thunder Fang is far better than Gui-jeong.

It amplifies the user’s power to the fullest.

’But there was a problem.

I couldn’t use it.

Even being able to hold Gui-jeong was remarkable enough.

Thunder Fang, however, couldn’t be wielded without its wielder’s approval.

“…”I stared at Thunder Fang and hesitated for a moment before channeling a bit of my energy into it.

Just to test it.

[What are you doing, you impudent brat?!

]Namgung Myung, who had been silent until now, suddenly erupted with anger.

So, he noticed.

I let out an awkward laugh and said:‘I was just curious.

’ [Curious, my ass!

How dare you try to channel your energy into this sword!

Don’t even think about it.

You’ll never be able to wield it without my permission.

]It seemed Thunder Fang needed not only the sword’s consent but Namgung Myung’s as well.

What an insufferable relic.

‘Gui-jeong is better after all.

’At least Gui-jeong didn’t come with a temperamental spirit to placate.

Still, a fleeting thought crossed my mind.

When I had channeled my energy into Thunder Fang just now—‘It felt like something might actually work.

’It seemed more responsive than I had expected.

Driven by curiosity, I decided to push more energy into it.

This time, Namgung Myung’s voice was tinged with exasperation.

[Didn’t I tell you it’s pointless?

I clearly said—]Whoosh!

“Huh?

” [What…?

]As I poured a significant amount of energy into Thunder Fang, its gemstone suddenly began to glow.

Whoosh!

From the light came an intense heat that radiated outward.

“…” […]Namgung Myung, who had been yelling moments ago, fell silent.

I stared at the glowing Thunder Fang in my hands and murmured softly:“It… works?

”