Chapter 153: What on Earth Am I?

“Damion, are you all right?”

Ion, who had been staring up at the crescent moon alone, turned his head. The nobleman approached with a grace more elegant than moonlight and sat beside him.

“You’re presence-less whether you’re a bat or a human.”

“That is why I called out to you before sitting down. I am an obedient bat.”

“Uh, right…”

“Are you all right?”

The nobleman gazed worriedly at the boy’s vacant expression. Ion, who had been staring at the sky with unfocused eyes, shook his head once and replied shortly as if nothing were wrong.

“About what?”

“You heard that your family died this morning. It would be strange if you felt fine.”

“I’m not even sure if he was really my family.”

“You are being stubborn. Sanse would have been angry if he were here.”

It wasn’t stubbornness. Ion truly lacked certainty. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to admit he wasn’t twenty; he genuinely doubted if he was the “Heavenly Stray.”

‘I will show you photos. See for yourself how much you resemble him.’

The Great Sage had brought out dozens of photos and portraits. The faces captured from various angles had a delicate and gentle impression. The large, round eyes did seem to resemble Ion’s slightly. However, there were too many differences to definitively call him a twin.

‘He has… a beard.’

The King grew a fine beard, whereas Ion had very little body hair, and what he did have was light. Crucially, he knew that twins usually grew to similar heights regardless of environment, but the King was about 10cm taller than Ion.

‘What do you think? Do you not look alike?’ ‘I’m not sure. But you have so many photos. Dozens of them… Is there a rule that you must keep the King’s photo at home?’ ‘The Great Heavenly King searched desperately for his twin brother. His Majesty never gave up until the end. He had new photos taken and distributed as he aged. That is why there are so many taken from different angles.’

The Great Sage had given Ion one of the King’s photos.

‘It is late, so sleep for now. Tomorrow, after meeting the successor, we will go to the Temple of Records.’ ‘The Temple of Records?’ ‘Because our lives are short, we leave behind incredibly detailed records. Did you not say you came here to find your roots? Whether you are the lost brother of the former King or a hybrid born before exchange was cut off, you will find more information at the Temple.’

Furthermore, records of the person from Idea suspected of kidnapping the stray 18 years ago were also kept there. Ion finished the conversation hoping that he might also find information regarding the missing Demon King or the Divine Zone.

Ion wasn’t sure if he was the twin brother… but he thought it would have been nice to have met the King and spoken with him directly.

But the King, who had searched so longingly for his brother, had died just this morning.

‘If I had arrived yesterday as the memoir said… I could have met him.’

He had intentionally arrived a day late specifically to avoid following the memoir. The ripples of that choice were massive. His head throbbed. His temples ached, and his ears felt sharp. [Enjoyment] had overlooked Ion departing for the Heavenly Realm a day later than his scenario dictated.

Was that “overlooking” actually a warning? A warning that failing to follow the scenario would lead to great regret? Even so, a question remained.

‘The Teacher clearly said I was a “residue” who doesn’t appear in [Enjoyment]’s play.’

If he truly was the Heavenly Stray, he was a proper character appearing in [Enjoyment]’s play. The Teacher had lied.

‘Why?’

Was he really the baby who vanished 18 years ago? Could he have really seen his family if he had arrived yesterday? If he had come yesterday… if he could have had even one conversation with the Great Heavenly King who searched for him…

‘No… no. If I were pure-blooded, I wouldn’t have survived past age eight. The brother the King was looking for isn’t me.’

Ion pressed his palms against his aching head. He desperately missed .

“Damion, do not think too much. Sanse is not here to soothe your headache right now.”

The handsome bass voice whispered.

“Instead, put your finger in my mouth. I am not tired, but I shall yawn for your sake.”

Ion let out a hollow laugh and looked up.

“Please don’t. Did you consume enough Mana Sulfur?”

“I must eat some now.”

The nobleman opened a bottle containing Mana Sulfur. He took a handful with his bare hands and tossed it into his mouth. Ridiculously, even that action overflowed with elegance. His pitch-black eyes gazed at Ion with concern.

“The Great Sage has gone to sleep. Shall I become a bat for a moment?”

“No. The miniaturization device is one-time use, and if you become a bat here, the entire palace will collapse.”

“Then at least pet my head. You like fiddling with me.”

That was true. In his current state, Ion wanted to rub his cheek against Sanse’s long leaves or mess with Baba’s soft fluff. But he wanted to touch Baba, not this Northern Duke… this icy nobleman.

“…It’s cold. Let’s go in. Is Blan sleeping?”

“Blan went out to play with the servants who came to bring us bedding.”

“What?”

“Ah, right. He told me to tell you, but I forgot. He said he would be back before morning.”

“Crazy… that libertine hybrid is trying to mess with the Heavenly people too!”

Ion stood up in shock and ran inside. Baba watched his receding back and followed slowly. His “cute child” seemed to have many questions after hearing today’s story. However, Baba was worried because one specific question seemed missing from his mind.

Lifespan.

Ion’s twin brother had died because his lifespan ran out, even with the privileges of being the Great Heavenly King. Did that mean Ion’s lifespan was also near its end?

Since Ion wasn’t worrying about it himself… it was the bat’s job to worry.

The next day. Ion’s group visited the Royal Palace with the Great Sage and Vice Commander Hwa-mong. They also met the next Great Heavenly King, who was set to ascend after the mourning period. The position wasn’t hereditary but chosen from the tribal chiefs, though coincidentally, the next King was the former King’s grandson.

“You truly… look like the late King.”

Hwa-mong, the Great Sage, and the successor King all repeated the word “resembles,” since they couldn’t be certain Ion was the stray from 18 years ago.

“May I hug you?”

“Pardon? Ah… yes.”

The next King pulled Ion into an embrace. If Ion truly was the stray, the grandson of his twin brother was currently holding him. The successor King hugged Ion tightly, stroking the back of his head, shoulders, and back. It was a strange sensation for Ion—half ticklish, half awkward.

They moved to the palace audience chamber. Blan looked back and forth between the two sitting opposite each other.

“Wow, you two really do look alike. Big eyes, big pupils, delicate features…”

“Blan, this person is a King. Watch your language.”

“Ah, right. Yes, yes. Sowwy.”

“It is fine. I am not yet the King.”

The future King in white mourning clothes did not rebuke Blan’s flippant behavior.

“Ion, whether or not you are the stray the entire Heavenly Realm searched for 18 years ago, you are certainly a member of our tribe. I can feel the Won-gi circulating within you. Welcome home.”

“Thank you.”

“I heard you are going to the Temple of Records, so I will provide an escort. Come see me again after you return. It is difficult to pay proper attention during the mourning period, but once it ends and I ascend, let us have a deep conversation. I will also prepare a place for you to live in the palace.”

It was overwhelming hospitality, likely because they had all but confirmed Ion as the stray.

“Ah, that’s not necessary. We’re going to return to Idea once our work is done. Is the Heavenly Realm planning to continue its isolation from Idea?”

“Returning?”

“Yes, I have much to do on Idea and Earth…”

“You finally returned to your home with such difficulty; where could you possibly be going?”

The young King clicked his tongue and held out his palm. What? Is he doing the ‘hand!’ command to a dog?

As Ion looked on confused, the Great Sage instructed him to offer his wrist. When Ion held out his wrist, the King checked his pulse.

“If your lifespan is nearly spent, I would recommend spending your remaining days here. When our lifespan ends, we return to Won-gi and become part of the River of Light. Then we are reborn as Won-gi is granted to new lives. The late King did the same.”

“Then if I have a lot of life left, will you let me go?”

“I will. I cannot bind someone who has experienced the vast freedom of the outside world to such a dull place. We are not a malicious race.”

The King closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a look of confusion.

“Ah… you were a hybrid.”

“I’ve already lived for… about 20 years. If I were pure-blooded, I would have died long ago.”

“But… the late King was pure-blooded.”

“Then I guess I wasn’t the late King’s lost twin.”

“It is strange. You resemble him so much…”

Ion agreed. It was strange.

“And even for a hybrid, a lifespan of 20 years is… extremely rare.”

“Why? If a Heavenly person has a child with a human, doesn’t that child get the average human lifespan?”

“You possess the blood of a Celestial, and Celestials—unlike other Heavenly races—cannot exceed twenty years even when they have offspring with other races…”

This wasn’t just normally strange. Then what on earth am I?

“Was one of your parents perhaps a dragon?”

“I know nothing about my family. I want to know, too.”

“Hmm…”

As the future King withdrew his hand, the nobleman suddenly spoke up.

“How much of Damion’s lifespan is left?”

“Baba, I told you not to speak informally.”

“It is fine. Since you are hybrids accustomed to Idea’s etiquette, you must be used to speaking informally to those younger than you.”

The future King was truly a benevolent person.

“His Won-gi is heavily damaged, but it is not so little that I must keep him in the Heavenly Realm. I will let him go to Idea.”

The nobleman let out a breath of relief. But it was too early to relax.

“He has roughly 1 or 2 years left… so I hope you do not forget to return and restore yourself to the River of Light when that time comes.”

“One or two years?”

“What? One or two years? This guy is going to die in a year or two?”

“Based on the remaining Won-gi, yes. Oh, is that short by your standards?”

Blan and the nobleman both hung their mouths open in shock. Ion, however, was thinking of something else.

‘[Sadness] gave the one-hour-old Heavenly baby to the Teacher and said: “I have already taken measures, so do not worry. This baby will soon forget this memory, and his growth rate will slow down like a normal human.”‘

If it was impossible to live nearly 20 years even as a hybrid, it occurred to him that his lifespan might have been extended thanks to the Apostle’s intervention.

Currently, that was the most likely scenario.

The young King, facing his coronation, was very busy, so the conversation had to conclude there. Ion’s group headed to the Temple of Records accompanied by the Great Sage and the royal guards the King had provided. The island housing the Temple was isolated from the others, a distance that required half a day of constant flying.

This was a burden for Ion, who needed to conserve mana, but fortunately, the King provided a “Hwan-cha”—a carriage pulled by two winged white horses. The guards escorting the carriage looked even younger than Vice Commander Hwa-mong from yesterday.

“I wonder how old our guards are? They look so fresh and soft~”

During the journey, Blan couldn’t help but start flirting. However…

“I was born last year.”

“I am turning three this year.”

When those answers came back, even a libertine like Blan decided this wasn’t right and stopped his advances. After a moment of thought, Ion asked one of the guards.

“Does the Heavenly Tribe grow that fast from birth? Looking like a four or five-year-old human at age one or two…?”

“Ah, yes. That is correct. After half a year of life, we appear to be four or five years old by Idea’s standards.”