Chapter 51: Hexennacht (10).

Knocking out the thoughts that were repeating and muddled in her head, Chayeon turned around.

Perhaps she was going to say something more about Arena and Byul’s whereabouts.

“Are you… Is the Shinryeong inside of you, Heukgumiho?”

However, what Yeonkyung put into words was not what Chayeon was expecting.

That’s why we’ve come to this point.

“That’s right.”

“…I see.”

Yeonkyung bit her lip tightly.

The anxiety that had continued ever since she felt the aura of Heukgumiho from Chayeon led to a single, terrible possibility as Yeonkyung came here and saw the demons that had died appearing through the rift in perfect condition.

While wishing that her thoughts were wrong, Yeonkyung put her next question into words.

“…Then, do you know about Melara and Meridi?”

If, by any chance, Heukgumiho had been divided into three vessels, not two.

Chayeon simply shattered that hope.

Chayeon silently shook her head.

She had asked Heukgu, but Heukgu also answered that she didn’t know.

<<However, judging from the situation, it seems that they’re the names of the things that are impersonating me.>>

‘Come to think of it, that’s right.’

<<I think I know their identities.>>

Yeonkyung opened her mouth with a trembling voice.

“…Doppelgangers.”

The worst demon in history, who had almost led Jindal to destruction when the headmaster of Jindal was still Yeonkyung’s grandmother.

The most dangerous royalty-class demon, who perfectly copies the nature, abilities, and aura of the desired target and disguises themselves.

Since her grandmother had already subjugated them a long time ago, there couldn’t be more existences like the Doppelgangers.

Moreover, even if they were Doppelgangers, they couldn’t copy even the abilities of Heukgumiho, who was called the king of the Shinryeong. That’s how it should have been originally.

However.

Numerous powerful demons, who she had thought were already dead, had revealed their appearance on this island.

It was a situation that she had never experienced before, that she had never even heard of.

Putting aside how on earth this could happen, once she accepted this phenomenon, one possibility naturally came to mind.

The Doppelgangers may also be alive.

And the most suspected to be Doppelgangers were Melara and Meridi.

Of course, in this case, the possibility that Chayeon was a Doppelganger remained.

But if that was the case, there would be no reason for Chayeon to eliminate all the demons that had appeared and save Yeonkyung’s group.

Foolish.

She had been so foolish, and so complacent.

She had been so complacent that she couldn’t believe it herself.

One hypothesis that had been established by the timing that matched too well, along with the incident a year ago, and the fact that Chayeon had tried to kill Baekgumiho afterward.

Because she was tied to that hypothesis, she had failed to suspect what she should have suspected.

Chayeon turned her body again while seeing Yeonkyung clench her fist tightly and tremble.

“…Wait, wait a minute.”

Because she was being held back again, Chayeon was getting annoyed.

Time was of the essence.

There was no need to answer Yeonkyung’s questions any longer.

Arena was the priority.

Chayeon ignored Yeonkyung’s call and tried to move her body into the forest as it was.

However, Chayeon had no choice but to stop once again at Yeonkyung’s following question.

“Is Jeong-sensei, is Seohee here?”

“…What are you talking about.”

Was Seohee here?

It was a question that she couldn’t understand.

Wasn’t Seohee-sensei in Jindal?

Yeonkyung, who had heard Chayeon’s answer, grinded her teeth as well, just like Chayeon.

“…I see. As expected…!”

“What are you talking about!”

Chayeon, who had rushed in in an instant, grabbed Yeonkyung’s collar and pulled her up.

“Wasn’t Seohee-sensei in Jindal!? Answer me!”

“…Jindal.”

Instead of answering Chayeon’s question, which was stained with anger and bewilderment, Yeonkyung,

“Jindal is in danger. Please help me.”

Said that.

There was a limit even to being shameless.

To Chayeon, Jindal was no longer any of her business.

“You guys.”

A dark prison.

The light of a dim light bulb.

Hands like pot lids.

Unpleasant memories came up.

Heukgu was just quietly watching such Chayeon.

“You guys………………”

As she tried to continue her words while forcibly fixing her voice that was shutting down on its own,

However, the words weren’t being connected logically.

She wanted to get angry and lash out properly, but words wouldn’t come out easily.

Yeonkyung’s eyes widened as she saw that appearance.

“I’m not a demon.”

Her arm began to tremble.

“I begged you to stop, begged you to stop so many times, so many times…

Chayeon clenched her teeth tightly and continued her words.

Don’t cry, don’t cry, you crybaby.

At this rate, she felt that the accumulated resentment would explode and she would show a pathetic appearance.

“……Whether you guys are in danger or not isn’t my business.”

So Chayeon only said up to that point and pushed Yeonkyung away roughly.

Yeonkyung slumped down on the snowfield powerlessly.

What had happened?

Yeonkyung could vaguely guess.

“…I’m sorry. So you escaped…

“What are you saying now…! More than that, tell me. What happened to Seohee-sensei?”

“Seohee is highly likely to be in Jindal.”

It was a statement that contradicted what she had said before.

Clearly, Yeonkyung had asked if Seohee wasn’t here.

“What on earth are you talking about.”

“It’s as it sounds. Judging from the situation, Seohee is highly likely to be somewhere inside Jindal.”

Even while listening to Yeonkyung’s words, Chayeon couldn’t hide her impatience.

She had to go find Arena, Arena and Byul quickly.

If she listened to Yeonkyung’s words, it seemed that she also didn’t know Seohee’s whereabouts accurately.

Perhaps she had tried to persuade Yeonkyung’s group, but things had gone wrong and she was hiding.

Either way, Seohee has teleportation ability.

Even if Jindal was in danger as Yeonkyung said, she believed that she would have safely escaped to a safe place.

“Seohee is being held captive right now.”

Yeonkyung shatters that belief.

“Being held captive? What does that mean…?”

“It’s as it sounds. Judging from the circumstances, it’s highly likely that Seohee has been incapacitated and is being held captive by someone right now.”

“What on earth are you talking about! Explain so I can understand! Someone, who!”

“I don’t know either! It’s not like I know everything!”

As the two raised their voices, gazes gathered around.

Yeonkyung, who had calmed her excitement first, continued her words.

“…I’m sorry. It’s all because of my foolishness. I will definitely take responsibility for this by giving everything I have. Maybe what I thought was wrong this time too. But if what I think is right, then right now Seohee, no, Jindal as a whole is in danger.”

-Please, help us.

While saying that, Yeonkyung dropped all her pride and bowed her head to the girl in front of her and to the king of the Shinryeong beyond her.

The situation had grown uncontrollably large.

She was only hoping that what she thought, that the puzzle that had finally been connected, was assembled incorrectly.

If what she thought was even a little right, if Melara and Meridi were really Doppelgangers, and so the fact that she had entrusted Jindal to those two and had come out was actually like entrusting fish to a cat.

The only one who could stop that was the girl in front of her.

Therefore, she had to persuade the girl.

Chayeon’s eyes, looking down at Yeonkyung, were shaking to the point that anyone could tell.

<<Chayeon, breathe.>>

Heukgu gently embraced Chayeon.

“Hua, hua-“

Chayeon, who had been unknowingly holding her breath, began to breathe roughly.

<<You’re doing well. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.>>

With that gentle energy that was embracing her whole body and those words that were echoing in her head, Chayeon’s breathing gradually began to regain its stability.

<<Don’t worry. You can save both of them.>>

The voice that was quietly calming Chayeon.

<<Everything will be okay.>>

That voice, for a moment, felt like a human’s voice.

<<Have you calmed down.>>

“…Yeah, thank you.”

Heukgu’s voice returned to its original form.

<<There’s nothing difficult. Set the priority and act. Right now, this woman isn’t throwing a choice of either/or at you.>>

It was as she said.

The trauma that had risen due to Yeonkyung’s statement, the impatience that she had to find Arena quickly was mixed with the anxiety about Seohee-sensei’s safety and had caused her to lose her reason due to the panic.

It’s not a problem of choosing between one of the two.

“I know.”

Chayeon spat out the words towards Yeonkyung, who was still sitting on the floor.

“I don’t care what happens to you guys’ f*cking academy, but, I understand.”

At Chayeon’s words, a look of relief fleetingly passed across Yeonkyung’s face.

“But.”

Before Yeonkyung could open her mouth, Chayeon continued to speak.

“After finding Arena and Byul. Their safety comes first. So help me search.”

At those words, Yeonkyung’s face was slightly shadowed, but she nodded readily.

In the silent forest where even the sounds of beasts couldn’t be heard.

Arena and Byul were quietly passing through the forest while holding their breath.

Contrary to the expectation that pursuit would follow right away, there were no signs that someone was chasing them.

The two girls, who had been running so hard that their hearts would burst at first, were now walking while suppressing their presence since some point.

“Are we still far?”

Arena was biting her thumbnail.

Her fingernails were already scabbed with blood because she had bitten them all the way here without realizing it.

“We just need to go a little further.”

Byul urged Arena on, somehow trying to soothe her.

Only that reassurance full of hope was the only lifeline for Arena.

She couldn’t stand it because she was anxious.

She remembers Chayeon, who had been beaten in the prison.

That Chayeon, that Chayeon who had completely overwhelmed her, who had captured that scary Rubrum-Luna and had saved her, had her hair grabbed by a large man and her face smashed against the wall several times, and the sight of her limbs convulsing wouldn’t leave her head.

She couldn’t forget that pitiful movement of her body curling up and trembling until she was about to faint.

To Arena, that appearance was too shocking of a scene.

-I was also scared.

The words that Chayeon had given her at the hospital were overlaid on her memory, amplifying her anxiety.

What if she was captured?

What if she’s captured and is getting beaten like that again?

Is she crying, is she trembling?

Will she be safe?

…She’ll be okay.

It’s Jeon Chayeon.

The more it is a time like this, the more I have to get it together.

Because she’s a fragile person unlike what she seems.

Arena was constantly repeating that in her mind and forcibly binding herself.

“We’re here.”

Byul and Arena, who had finally arrived at a cabin deep in the forest, quickly approached while surveying the surroundings.

“The Seven Divine Pillars?”

“Yeah, the 7th Divine Pillar, No One. That person is protecting this island.”

Knock knock- and, Byul knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

“Ajussi?”

Byul carefully made a voice, but still there was no answer.

The two girls, who had been looking at each other, shook their heads and pulled the door next.

As the door opened with a creaking sound, a narrow room came into view.

The room was a humble house with only one room and the minimum furniture, but a warm atmosphere flowed because the sunlight was coming in well.

There were traces of life, but she couldn’t see the shadow of a person.

“Could it be that he just went out for a moment?”

Byul’s words, who was saying that, contained a trace of unconcealed anxiety.

“Shall we wait?”

“No, let’s look around since he might be around here.”

Arena nodded at Byul’s suggestion.

She also thought that it was dangerous to stay in the same place for a long time in this situation.

The two girls entered the side road that was to the back of the cabin.

She almost passed it by because snow had been added, but clearly there were footprints there.

Thanks to finding the traces, the two girls, who had gained a look of delight, carefully went forward following the footprints.

Soon, the trees that had grown disorderly disappeared, and a clearing covered with white snow appeared.

The footprints were connected to the center of the clearing.

“Huh?”

“……This……
There’s no way.”

The two girls, whose gazes had reached the center of the clearing, froze on the spot.

“No…………way………………

Byul’s trembling voice became white breath and spread into the air.

The man who had once been the Seven Divine Pillars was a cold corpse.