Chapter 753: Dragon Heaven Pavilion

And so.

Under the guidance of the beastkin, we climbed the mountain path.

As I did, I thought.

‘I understand why they cannot stop me.’

They seemed extremely displeased by it.

But these people valued rules more than they appeared to.

Even now, when the martial hall had ended up in this state, that part remained the same.

That was why they were still obeying the rule their master had set.

Right, I understood that much, but.

‘Why did they want to stop me?’

That was only the reason they could not stop me.

I still did not know the reason they had tried to stop me.

As I began climbing the mountain while thinking that.

Srrrk.......

“......?”

A soft sensation I suddenly felt.

How should I put it.

I felt as if my body had passed through some invisible curtain.

And.

At the same time, what I felt was.

Whoooooooooosh......!

“......!”

From up above, sweeping down.

I began to feel an enormously vast energy.

“Sergeant Shin!”

“Ghk......!”

Was I not the only one who felt that energy?

PAK!

The Legion members blocked my way as if protecting the front of my body.

I could see cold sweat flowing down their faces.

And that was only natural.

‘......What is this energy?’

The wind sweeping down from above.

The strength of that wind itself was not that strong, but.

The ferocity contained within it was beyond words.

Right.

‘Similar to what I experienced in the north.......’

An energy of that level.

If it had not been me or an awakened at squad-leader level, even enduring it would likely have been difficult.

‘Why.’

And.

I thought while sweating coldly.

The fact that an energy of that scale was lurking here itself was not especially surprising.

I had already heard stories about their master.

What was more surprising than that was.

‘How did I not notice it until we got this close?’

Even an awakened of my level.

Until I approached this much, I had not felt at all that that energy was rampaging.

“Senior Sister Miyang.”

And.

It seemed that I and the Legion members were not the only ones startled by that energy.

“The fact that the wind is blowing from here, even though we have not even entered the pavilion yet, means.”

“Mmm.......”

The five beastkin who did not belong to the Legion.

They nodded with stiff faces.

“Junior Brother Woojin.......”

“Does that mean even Senior Brother Jin’s ability can no longer block it......?”

At those words of theirs.

Seohwan opened his eyes wide and said.

“Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters......!”

“.......”

“What exactly is happening here right now!”

“It is nothing much. Simply.”

They quickened their steps and said.

“It is not as though cleaning up the problem Master caused is something we have done only once or twice, is it?”

With those words.

PAK!

They kicked off the ground.

And ran toward the pavilion at the summit of that mountain.

“W-wait a moment. We will come with......!”

Seohwan also tried to run after them, but.

“Seohwan.”

A voice called him.

“Senior Sister Miho......?”

“There is no need to be so hasty, is there? Do not forget our role.”

Unlike the five who were running toward the pavilion.

Miho, who remained beside me, looked at Seohwan and spoke with a leisurely attitude.

“The current us are disciples of the martial hall, and at the same time, martial instructors of the Legion, are we not?”

“.......”

“Our Commander has come to visit the martial hall. Our duty is to guide the Commander through this martial hall. How could we leave the Commander’s side?”

At those words from Miho.

Did Seohwan feel some strange energy?

“......Yes. That is true. Thanks to Senior Sister, I have gained realization.”

Seohwan, who had been about to follow the five fellow disciples with a flustered expression.

Nodded with a stiff face.

“The wind is rough. Commander, please follow carefully.”

“......Right.”

By the time things had come this far.

I and the Legion members too could understand that something unusual was happening here.

But Miho, who was guiding us, moved her steps as slowly as possible.

How should I put it, as if.

‘As if she hopes that what will happen there...... happens as late as possible.’

......Well, even so.

‘There is no need to rush Miho here.’

Just as she had said herself.

She was a martial instructor of the Legion.

Once, she had wanted to stay embedded in this martial hall with her fellow disciples until this world collapsed.

But now, she was someone who had chosen to live together with the Legion.

“This is Woljeong Bridge. It is the only bridge leading to Master’s residence.”

“Do you see the cave below that cliff over there? It is called Hancheon Cave, and it is a place used when the disciples of our sect undergo closed-door training. I too once used it for a while when I hit a wall.”

An ominous energy was sweeping down from above, but.

Without paying it any mind at all.

‘Woljeong Bridge, Hancheon Cave.’

I took the places she guided me to into my eyes.

And while engraving that introduction into my memory as much as possible.

I moved my steps leisurely.

“We have finally arrived.”

And soon.

At the summit of this destroyed world.

The pavilion located there.

“This is Dragon Heaven Pavilion.”

We were able to arrive at Dragon Heaven Pavilion.

***

A tall, sheer cliff.

Wooden buildings located above it.

Although the steep cliff looked like a place where it would be difficult for people to live.

The wooden buildings around it were in perfect harmony with that cliff.

“I apologize, but.......”

The entrance to the pavilion was wide open, as if it had no intention of refusing visitors.

But, unfortunately.

“Could the four squad leaders please wait here?”

“......?”

“The ones permitted to pass beyond this point are only the disciples of the martial hall and the Commander.”

The ones permitted to pass through this place were only those who had been acknowledged by more than half of the disciples, or had defeated them.

In other words.

It meant only me.

“What are you saying.”

“You are telling us to send Youngjun alone after coming this far?”

At those words from Miho, the four squad leaders frowned.

They too had just realized that something unusual was happening here.

They must have thought they could not send me alone here, but.

“That is what she says.”

“Excuse me?”

“You four wait here.”

“Sergeant Shin......!”

I decided to have them wait here.

“Do not misunderstand. You are not sending me alone.”

And at the same time, I told them.

I was not an idiot either.

There was no way I would like heading into such a dangerous-looking situation alone, but.

“Two martial instructors of our unit are going with me.”

Fortunately.

I was not alone right now.

Seohwan and Miho.

Those who had decided to live together with the Legion.

Two of them were going with me.

And they had asked the Legion members to wait here.

“I’m counting on you.”

“......Yes.”

There must have been some reason for that as well.

The unit members too seemed to realize that fact only then.

They nodded heavily.

THUD!

“Until Sergeant Shin returns.”

“We will guard this place.”

They planted their feet on the floor and stood firm.

They could not follow me inside.

But those four squad leaders would firmly guard this place until I returned.

Whoooooooooosh.......

And so.

I moved my feet into the pavilion where the wind was sweeping.

The first thing visible was a vast lake.

And the sight of a beautiful garden spread around that lake.

Even though below the cliff, there should have been only the endless universe.

The water of the beautiful lake, whose source I could not know, formed a waterfall that continued down below the cliff.

And.

Past that garden, seated a little farther up.

At the highest point of this martial hall, there was one enormous mansion.

“That lake is Dragon Spring. The name of this place, Dragon Heaven Pavilion, comes from that lake.”

Listening to Miho’s explanation, I moved my feet inside.

Passing through the beautiful garden, walking beside the lake.

When we headed toward the pavilion at the highest point.

“.......”

Suddenly.

My steps stopped.

“Commander?”

Miho and Seohwan looked at me as if puzzled, but.

I stopped walking and looked around.

‘This garden.’

When I saw it for the first time, I had not known.

My gaze had been drawn to that lake and the mountaintop pavilion, so I had not been able to focus only on the garden.

But as I walked through that garden, my point of view continued to change.

And soon, a scenery I seemed to have seen somewhere appeared.

“That pavilion is.......”

A beautiful garden located where the lake could be seen.

An eastern-style pavilion in the middle of it.

Even though it was a place I only had to pass by in order to head to the mansion at the mountaintop.

I could not take my eyes off the pavilion beside it.

And that was only natural.

-Heh-heh, what a fierce-looking fellow you are.

In the past.

The image of an old man sitting in that pavilion came to mind.

-What are you doing standing there blankly. Come here and sit.

Right.

I had been to this place before.

I had sat on that pavilion, facing an old man.

And had once been served tea by him.

And.......

{Still a dazed fellow, I see.}

“......!”

It was the same even now.

At the voice I heard, I opened my eyes wide and looked up at that pavilion.

{Do not stand there like that, come here and sit.}

An old man of elegant impression, sitting atop the pavilion.

Looked down at me and spoke.

“......As expected, you were here.”

The one there was.

“Mirinae.”

The person I had come to find.

Mirinae was there.

***

“......As expected, you were here, Mirinae.”

When I said that.

“......Commander? What did you just.......”

“Shh.”

Those who had been walking with me.

Miho and Seohwan looked at me with strange eyes.

And soon, they stepped several paces back.

“You surprised me by appearing so suddenly.”

{Pretending to be surprised when you came already knowing everything.}

“I mean it. I knew you would be somewhere around here, but I did not expect that I would be able to see you like this.......”

Leaving those two behind.

I moved my feet up onto the pavilion.

{Who said you could come up?}

The Mirinae I had met last time had called me up onto the pavilion and served me tea.

But.

The current Mirinae was a little different.

{An uninvited one forcibly came here, and yet you are shameless too.}

Sip.

Mirinae took a sip of the tea in front of him.

{There is no tea to serve you, so know that.}

“Huh.”

Along with those words.

The old man looked at me with an expression that showed he did not like this at all.

Fortunately.

I did not feel very disappointed by that appearance.

Because I could guess the reason behind that behavior to some extent.

One was.

As he had said, this time I had not been invited.

There was no reason to serve tea to someone who was not even a proper guest.

And another was.

‘......Because this is reality.’

With that thought.

I approached Mirinae, who was glaring at me, and sat down.

“Well, it is fine even if you do not serve me tea.”

And then.

[Shadow Curtain]

I put my hand into the shadow.

And rummaged around, taking something out.

What soon popped out was.

“My own brewed tea is more delicious anyway.”

{.......}

A small thermos.

Pour.......

I used the lid of the thermos as a cup and poured tea.

Then drank that tea and looked at him.

{Huh.}

Perhaps finding my appearance absurd, Mirinae let out a hollow laugh.

{Fine. Why have you gone out of your way to come to this place where there is nothing, again?}

“I.......”

The reason I had come here was obvious.

The being that had appeared in the north.

Because I needed advice in order to respond to it.

That was why.

In response to Mirinae’s question, I had come because I needed your help.......

I tried to say that, but.

“......Ah?”

For some reason.

My mouth would not open properly.

I wondered whether Mirinae had done something to me.

But.

That was not it.

It was a situation even I could not properly understand, but, how should I put it.......

‘That reason is not everything.’

The reason I had come here.

Might not only be because I needed Mirinae’s help.

***

{Stopping in the middle of speaking, are you.}

Normally, it would not have been strange for such a being to catch something from that appearance of mine.

But Mirinae seemed to feel nothing strange from me, and continued speaking as if it were nothing.

{Well, even if you do not go out of your way to say it, I roughly know the reason, so I suppose it does not matter.}

“Yes?”

{Is it not obvious?}

His head turned, and he looked down below the mountain.

Where that gaze touched was the black hole leading to our world.

{Something major must be happening on the other side.}

It was the entrance to the gate.

{And so my help became necessary. From the conversations until now, you guessed my location and came to find me....... Is it not something like that?}

“Mm...... well, it is roughly something like that.”

{I understand why you came to find me. And, I am sorry, but.}

Sip.

{The current me cannot help you. So go back now.}

Despite the relationship there had been between us until now.

He firmly declared that I was being turned away at the door.

{It is true that I have helped you until now, but that was only my goodwill. It is not as though I have a responsibility to help you.}

“That is...... true.”

{Moreover. I know you. I do not know what has happened, but there is no way a fellow like you would try to rely on me for everything without any countermeasure. Surely you must have prepared a method of your own.}

“That too is...... true.”

{Then focus more on that method. As I said, the current me is not in a situation where I can help you.}

At those words.

I looked at Mirinae.......

No.

At the mountaintop pavilion visible far behind Mirinae, and said.

“Did something happen to you?”

{......I am sorry that I suddenly cannot help you. But this is my problem, not yours. It is not something for you to concern yourself with either.}

“Why are you being so cold. Who knows? Once I hear about it, it might be a problem I can solve.”

{It is not a problem you can solve. There is no meaning in speaking further, so hurry and go back.......}

Right.

Just as those words were about to come out...... at that very moment.

{......It hurts.}

{......!}

“......Huh?”

A voice heard from somewhere.

I turned my head in the direction where that voice came from.

Then.

What I saw there was.

{It hurts...... so very much.}

Wearing a splendid palace dress.

A woman with her head lowered as if in pain.

Seeing that sight, I opened my eyes wide and muttered blankly.

“Mirinae is.”

Mirinae in the form of a sharp-tempered old man.

Mirinae in the form of a palace-dressed woman.

“......Two people.”

Because the two of them.

Were visible in my sight at the same time.