Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 578

#578

Taejonbirok Volume 24, Episode 3

Chapter 128: The Lazy Man and the Breakup (3)

"I'll really work hard. I'll become a disciple who you, Master, wouldn't be ashamed of. Of course, it won't be up to your standards, Master…"

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“It’s not that I didn’t answer….”

Wi Yeon-ho licked his lips.

“I thought about it once in a while… no, often.”

Words I couldn't bring myself to say.

Words I'd thought about in my head but couldn't express to anyone. But words I had to say someday.

“If it weren’t for me…….”

If it weren't for me.

“If I hadn’t been the one who discovered that cave, if I hadn’t been the one who entered that cave… If a better person had met Master and become His disciple….”

Wei Yanho's wet voice flowed out slowly.

“If only I had been a little smarter, if only I had been a little more diligent, then Master’s teachings could have been more easily and completely transmitted. If only I had been a little smarter, if only I had been a little more diligent….”

Why didn't I know that back then?

How great it is to have oneself.

If only I had known that a little sooner.

“I’m sorry, Master…….”

I didn't even think about wiping away the tears that were flowing down my face.

“I’m sorry for being unreasonable. I was so stupid… that’s why I didn’t know anything. So…”

I only found out afterward.

What you have learned.

What it was that he had to continue.

How great a warrior was the man who looked at him with a smile in front of him.

I didn't know anything.

That's why he could be so stubborn. That's why he could throw a tantrum. But now I know. How foolish his actions were.

Baek Muhan's sword wasn't going to disappear like that.

Every breath, every gesture, had to be passed down to future generations without a single mistake. His sword was the history of the martial arts world, the very essence of the martial arts that had been created over millennia.

He buried the sword in his stubbornness.

It can never be restored.

I now know how huge that is. I know it.

That's why I couldn't bear this guilt.

“If it weren’t for me….”

chin.

Baek Mu-han shook Wei Yan-ho's head a little more forcefully.

“You idiot.”

The hand holding the head is strengthened.

"Yes, you're not entirely wrong. It's true that you're inadequate to inherit my martial arts."

“…….”

“But that’s all.”

Baek Mu-han looked at Wi Yeon-ho with an extremely warm face.

“You are a disciple who is not qualified to continue my teachings. But to me, you are the most perfect disciple in the world.”

It was a word that made people feel dumb.

"Ignorance is just a part of who I am. It's not everything. What I had to convey wasn't just ignorance."

Baek Mu-han's eyes were completely clear.

Those eyes spoke only the truth, without a single lie. Even Wei Yanho could clearly sense that.

"I was wrong, too. I shouldn't have waited for someone to inherit the martial arts. I should have found someone to inherit mine. The moment I thought I'd stay in the cave and wait for someone to come, everything went wrong. But as if by fate, you came to me. Not my martial arts, but my disciple who would inherit mine."

“Master…….”

“Did you say you were lacking?”

Baek Mu-han slowly shook his head.

"No, it wasn't you who was lacking. It was me who was lacking. I was simply trying to teach without even knowing what to teach. It was my shortcomings that made it difficult for you. Please forgive this incompetent teacher."

“……Don’t say things like that.”

“Hey, guy.”

Baek Muhan's face brightened.

As if he had no regrets, that clear and pure face made Wi Yeon-ho's heart ache even more.

“Yeonho.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Don’t obsess over that.”

"but……."

"Don't follow me. If you do, you'll only see my shadow for the rest of your life. Forget about surpassing me. What matters is following your own path."

“……My way.”

“Yes, your way.”

Baek Mu-han smiled brightly.

"Life is too precious to waste on trying to surpass your own limits. You have so many possibilities, so many paths."

“The situation is not good enough to find something like that.”

“Not everything can be perfect.”

Baek Mu-han gently stroked Wei Yan-ho's head once more and smiled softly.

"The world may be a little harsh on you. The mountain you must overcome may be too high. But what can you do? Ultimately, it's something you must overcome."

“…….”

“I believe you can do it.”

“……Really?”

"then."

Be firm.

And it's warm.

so…….

That's why it's even sadder.

“Because you are my only disciple.”

Just as Baek Mu-han is special to Wi Yeon-ho, no, even more so, Wi Yeon-ho is special to Baek Mu-han.

Regardless of age and era, there was no one who understood Baek Mu-han as well as Wi Yeon-ho.

The best sword of all time.

Light sword.

The perfector of ten thousand swords.

Wi Yeon-ho was the first and last person in Baek Mu-han's life to look into his eyes, beyond those useless, empty adjectives.

Just as Wei Yanho found comfort from Baek Muhan that he could not receive from his parents and siblings, Baek Muhan also received warmth from Wei Yanho that he had never felt in his entire life.

'Only after death, that is.'

Baek Mu-han smiled a little bitterly.

If he had known these feelings, these emotions, a little earlier, wouldn't his life have been a little different?

'Do you feel sorry?'

Yes, that's right.

Yes, that's right.

It's a bit of a shame.

But that's okay. I'll show him emotions he couldn't feel, a world he couldn't see. His disciple, his clone.

“This is really the end.”

“Master…….”

“Yeonho.”

"……yes."

“Did you have fun?”

“…….”

Wi Yeon-ho's lips twitched.

What fun is that?

How could it have been fun if I was always getting beaten up, being bullied every day, and getting kicked whenever I was bored?

It would have been fun… … .

Wi Yeon-ho raised his hand and covered his face.

How can you say no?

It's so vivid.

It's so clear.

How can I say that I wasn't happy when the days I spent with my teacher remain so warm?

I can't hold back the tears that are bursting out.

I can't say anything because I feel like a weak sound will come out if I open my mouth, but how can I… how can that be possible?

“That’s enough.”

It seemed like there was no need for an answer.

“……Master.”

"huh?"

“Is this really a fantasy?”

“Well, what do you think?”

Baek Mu-han smiled brightly.

“No?”

“I don’t know.”

"Master, are you still in the inner sanctum? Are you now so weak that you only appear in dreams?"

"well."

Baek Mu-han didn't answer in a vague manner.

Well, what does that matter?

Whether the Baek Muhan before him is real or not is irrelevant. What matters is that the person before Wi Yeon-ho is undeniably Baek Muhan, and that he will never again meet that Baek Muhan.

'If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have gotten stronger.'

The Mongryun Gong is a martial art that ends only when one reaches a certain level. And Wei Yanhu has already reached the level Baek Muhan initially desired. That which loses its value will eventually disappear.

Now is the time to wake up from this dream.

“Can’t you do a little more?”

“…….”

"You know this isn't enough, Master. The bishops are one thing, but that Heavenly Demon or whatever is too powerful. Sending me out here is just neglect."

“I can’t help it either.”

“Is there any way…….”

Wi Yeon-ho closed his mouth.

The teacher's face, seen through wet eyes, is sad.

Only then did Wei Yanhu realize.

The really sad thing is that he is not the one.

He could meet, converse, and live with anyone, even if he wasn't Baek Muhan. But for Baek Muhan, this was truly the end.

So you shouldn't cry.

This is different from previous breakups.

It had to be different from that sudden, awkward farewell, with no time to prepare. Wi Yeon-ho, too, knew this moment would come someday.

You shouldn't act childish and refuse to accept it. To do so would be to show your teacher that nothing has changed since you emerged from the cave.

That would be the thing Baek Mu-han would most likely not want to see.

“Master.”

At Wi Yeon-ho's call, Baek Mu-han simply smiled.

“I… I will do well.”

Wi Yeon-ho also forced a smile.

I couldn't laugh or cry, so my face became weird.

"I can really do it. After all, I'm still your disciple. If you tell people you're the disciple of the Sword Emperor Baek Muhan, they'll be shocked and terrified. I'm that great. So… so…"

Wei Yanho stuck his stomach out.

“So don’t worry, just watch over me. I will spread your name to the world once again.”

“Enough, you punk. Who asked for that?”

"……omg."

"Don't worry about useless things and mind your own business. Please, be a little less lazy! Wash up! Clean up! You dirty punk!"

“Huh…….”

Shouldn't this be like this?

"and……."

The teacher spoke firmly.

"That guy, the Cheonma or something, is truly a fearsome being. You, as you are now, would never be able to deal with him."

“…….”

“Then what should we do?”

“I have to get stronger.”

Baek Mu-han nodded as if satisfied with Wi Yeon-ho's answer.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“But Master, until a little while ago you told me not to be obsessed with becoming stronger…….”

“That’s that!”

Wei Yanho's cheeks popped out.

'He was selfish until the very end.'

Well, that's true.

That's how it is. That's how it is… … .

“Yeonho.”

"yes."

"Find your own path. The same goes for learning. Don't follow me. All the answers lie within you. Look within yourself and you will find the path."

“……It’s difficult.”

“Everything is like that.”

Baek Muhan quietly raised his sword.

“What else do you want to show me?”

Baek Muhan smiled lightly without answering. Then he dropped the sword in his hand to the floor.

“…….”

After that, I looked at Wei Yanhu quietly.

Wei Yanho seemed to understand the meaning of that action.

“Master, I…….”

What should I say?

Will you become stronger? Will you become a good disciple who will not shame your master? Will you definitely win?

no.

no.

That's probably not the answer the Master is waiting for. What Baek Muhan wants is simply…

“Master, I…….”

Tears that can't be stopped, mouths that keep closing, and body that shakes.

Pressing all of that, Wei Yanho opened his mouth.

“I will be happy.”

It pops out like it's bursting.

"I'll be happier than anyone else! Really… Really, more than anyone else. So don't worry about me, Master. I, I… I'm really okay."

The master laughs.

Gently, lovingly.

and…….

So cool that you'll never see it again.

Wei Yanhuo didn't take his eyes off his master's fading form. Knowing this would be the last time they would see each other, he stared unwaveringly, as if trying to completely engrave his master's image into his eyes.

An inevitable separation.

last.

Then this time he should send his master.

“……Goodbye.”

Words declaring a breakup.

“Goodbye.”

Things to say with a smile.

“Goodbye…….”

Wi Yeon-ho bowed his head.

The world slowly falls apart with greetings that cannot be fully expressed.

The long dream ended here.

Wi Yeon-ho quietly closed his eyes, chasing the warmth of his teacher who had now disappeared.

"……hi."