Chapter 110

“I’m here.”

A day passed, and it was Sunday afternoon.

Cheong Joohwa, whom I met again, was dressed neatly for once, not in her usual activewear. For some reason, she looked refreshing, and I stared at her for quite a while.

“Is it that unusual? I don’t wear clothes like that every day, you know?”

“Sorry. It just suits you well.”

“…That’s a cliché way to dodge the question.”

Cheong Joohwa grumbled, but she didn’t seem particularly displeased.

As we left the Academy and headed toward our destination, just like last time, Cheong Joohwa seemed quite interested and asked various things about Cheong Jong.

“I heard he really hates the family too?”

“More precisely, he dislikes the current family for losing its original purpose.”

“Well, that’s pretty much the same thing. I also like Cheongil-nim from the old stories.”

At Cheong Joohwa’s words, I fell silent for a moment, recalling what had happened in the Eternal Labyrinth I had entered not long ago.

‘The future has likely been significantly altered. I wonder if he’ll be okay.’

Aside from the Black Forest we cleared, the remaining three areas.

And in one of them, the southern end of the Guilty Labyrinth, Cheongil was likely still trapped in a deep slumber.

‘…Surely he won’t be stuck there forever because of me, right?’

Although there were still many years left until Cheongil’s first appearance in the original story, which was in Series 4, I was more worried about what kind of storm the changes I’ve caused now might bring and how they would affect Cheongil.

After all, even that Cheongil was in a situation where he couldn’t escape the labyrinth on his own.

‘If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll just have to go in and pull him out myself.’

Anyway, that’s a matter for later. I put aside my thoughts and roughly explained Cheong Jong to Cheong Joohwa.

“I’m not sure if he knew your father. But they probably were at least acquainted.”

“It doesn’t matter. Anyone who dislikes Cheong Doyool can’t be a bad person.”

“…….”

I’d felt it since last time, but Cheong Joohwa’s feelings toward Cheong Doyool really ran deep.

No wonder they were called the greatest rivals in Series 1.

After getting off the bus and walking for a while, we finally arrived at Cheong Jong’s residence that I had seen before.

“…It’s more impressive than I imagined. Does he run a scrap metal business or something?”

Cheong Joohwa was startled by the long row of various parts stretching from the yard, but this was Cheong Jong’s hobby, so there was nothing to be done.

Thud.

Thump. Thud.

“Cheong Jong, sir, are you here?”

We had deliberately come in the evening when Cheong Jong would be awake, so fortunately, our timing wasn’t off.

“…You’ve finally arrived. You crazy brat.”

Facing us, Cheong Jong literally suppressed his laughter with great effort and guided us inside.

Rumble.

“So, you really succeeded in pulling out that Azure Dragon?”

“Yes. It’s still with us.”

“Huh, that’s truly miraculous. You really must have some talent.”

Cheong Jong nodded in admiration, then turned his gaze to Cheong Joohwa beside him.

“So, you’re Cheong Sawoon’s daughter?”

“Yes. It’s my first time meeting you here, Cheong Jong-nim.”

“Heh heh. No, kid. First time, my foot. I don’t know how many times I saw you crawling around.”

At that, Cheong Joohwa tilted her head in confusion, and Cheong Jong reminisced about the past as if missing it.

“That Cheong Sawoon was really stubborn. No matter how much you tried to dissuade him, he would never go back on something he’d decided.”

“You knew my dad?”

“Know him? I taught him how to catch crayfish by hand in the stream when he was little. Tsk, thinking back, his stubbornness was evident even then.”

After hearing the circumstances, Cheong Jong nodded contentedly and began patting Cheong Joohwa’s and my shoulders.

“Good. No matter how much those folks gossip among themselves, this is the right role. Brat, you’ve done a great thing.”

However, even as he said that, Cheong Jong soon issued a serious warning.

“Be careful. The family’s situation lately is truly unusual. It’s like a volcano about to erupt at any moment.”

“Is it that serious?”

“Yes. That Cheong Doyool was humiliated by the other Elders and has completely lost his mind, I hear. If he finds out you’ve pulled out the Azure Dragon, he’ll try to get it back even by using dirty tricks.”

At that, Cheong Joohwa muttered a complaint under her breath.

“Tch, when has he ever not done dirty things? He was always like that.”

“That’s not wrong, but at least in the past, all his actions were aimed at preserving the family. However, the current him has even forgotten that simple principle. He probably harbors an ideology even more dangerous than before.”

Cheong Jong’s words were not wrong at all. It was an assessment that almost seemed like he was describing Cheong Doyool’s character from the original story verbatim.

However, since what I wanted to hear today wasn’t about Cheong Doyool, I gradually changed the topic and asked Cheong Jong for information about Myeongyool.

“Cheong Jong-nim, by any chance, are you acquainted with Myeongyool-nim?”

“Myeongyool? Do you mean that old man who was a Special-Rank Exorcist?”

“Yes. That Myeongyool-nim, called one of the heroes of the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis.”

Amidst a mix of anticipation and tension, Cheong Jong’s answer was fortunately positive.

“I know him. We haven’t had much contact since we both retired, but during the Night Parade era, we had many occasions to be involved.”

Then, timing-wise, it’s practically perfect.

Beaming, I asked Cheong Jong a question.

“I’d like to hear stories about Myeongyool-nim from that time. It’s something I really need.”

“It seems there’s something going on again, but I’d like you to narrow the scope a bit…”

“Do you have any information about incidents Myeongyool-nim was involved in in the past, or about any Fateful Connections he formed with someone?”

“I roughly get the kind of story you’re looking for.”

After briefly recalling memories, Cheong Jong began to fluently recount episodes about Myeongyool from that point on.

They were so vivid and accurate that it was almost suspicious, as if he had separately recorded them somewhere.

“And so, he made a name for himself among the high-ranking officials of that era. From then on, he often took on special missions alone.”

“Similar to the Executors at Headquarters nowadays?”

“Similar, but a bit different. Even back then, there was an Execution Department. I know Myeongyool often appeared at scenes even more dangerous than that.”

I roughly understood the feeling. It seemed likely that the secret Myeongyool was hiding was related to incidents from that period.

“To be honest, I don’t know much about what happened from that point on. If I did, it wouldn’t have been a special mission. However, I do remember the incident that made him decide to retire.”

“…What was it?”

Urged by me, Cheong Jong, unusually, hesitated briefly before speaking.

“…Well, from here on, it’s actually classified information, but since he’s retired anyway, it shouldn’t matter.”

What Cheong Jong revealed next was one of the secrets of the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis that I also knew.

“During the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis, what troubled us wasn’t just powerful Specters.”

“…Then what else was there?”

At Cheong Joohwa’s question, Cheong Jong nodded.

“Very occasionally, unidentified otherworldly spaces or structures would appear. And there, high-level Specters lurked, or sometimes something utterly incomprehensible was hidden.”

“So, what Myeongyool-nim experienced was one of those.”

“Exactly. A terrifying Forbidden Curse that existed within a temple that suddenly appeared. Retrieving it was Myeongyool’s final mission.”

I had a feeling. If there was something in Myeongyool’s past, it was clearly connected to that incident.

Cheong Jong’s words didn’t end there.

“I heard he lost many comrades in the process, and among them were those who were corrupted by the Forbidden Curse and had to be personally executed by Myeongyool. That must have been quite a shock.”

Thus, Myeongyool retired, and afterward, he immersed himself in Cursed Technique research for the sake of many people, took on disciples, and taught children.

That was all Cheong Jong knew.

“This has been extremely helpful. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Just take good care of Cheong Sawoon’s daughter.”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected that much, but Cheong Jong held more diverse information than I thought.

Having conversed to a satisfactory degree, Cheong Joohwa and I walked the night path, sorting through what we had each heard.

‘With this, I practically have an estimate.’

Clearly, the Forbidden Curse that was the target of that final mission must be significantly related to the current situation.

As I walked while thinking about future plans related to that, Cheong Joohwa, who had been watching me all along, couldn’t hold back and spoke up.

“But, if we walk all the way back to the Academy, won’t it take forever?”

“…….”

“Be honest. You didn’t calculate the time for the bus, did you?”

“Sorry.”

In the end, I had no choice but to soothe and coax Sorisoe, handing it over to Cheong Joohwa to hold, to placate the situation.

And it took a full two and a half more hours for us to return to the Academy.

Having gathered this much information, all that remained now was planning and action.

After finishing my contemplation, I went to find Arietta and asked if, among those who interacted closely with Myeongyool, there was anyone who had been active during the Night Parade of One Hundred Specters Crisis.

“Yes. There is. Uncle Heo Woongjeong, he still visits occasionally.”

He was said to have been Myeongyool’s junior in the past and a comrade who had done various things together.

‘It might be worth visiting him.’

That specter-like person was clearly tracing back individuals related to past events one by one.

Rather than targeting Myeongyool, who is at the center, it’s more likely he’s targeting others first.

Just as I was about to set out to find Heo Woongjeong, an unexpected hindrance tagged along. It was Arietta.

“…Junior, you’ve been acting suspicious lately.”

“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Just in case, I asked Grandma, and she said not to hold back and to stick with you even more than now.”

No, this old lady, seriously.

Sticking together is one thing, but doesn’t it make it difficult to actually engage in related activities?

‘…But thinking about it, maybe it doesn’t matter?’

This time, I’m not going to directly interrogate Myeongyool about something; I’m just meeting an acquaintance.

In fact, keeping her by my side to prevent any unforeseen accidents might not be a bad idea.

In the end, I took Arietta with me and headed toward the residence of a small-to-medium Cursed Technique family where Heo Woongjeong was staying.

And even before entering inside, we were stopped by a group exuding a fairly intense aura.

“Halt. You cannot enter this place without identity verification.”

A group composed of individuals with power levels exceeding the mid-40s.

They were none other than the Executors from the Exorcism Headquarters, who were pursuing the specter.