The Heavenly Demon Is Just Stuck In My Head

As usual, I walked along the road.

The only difference from yesterday was the unexpected company by my side.

Shushruta skipped along like a squirrel, bouncing beside me, then leapt up into the trees to bound from branch to branch while keeping pace.

I found myself wondering if she hadn’t been a squirrel in a past life.

Sometimes she seemed like a squirrel, sometimes like a cat, yet when she opened her mouth, she sounded like an old man.

Truly, an incomprehensible creature.

Another difference from yesterday: there were no ambushes today.

At least, not yet.

I glanced at Shushruta hopping along beside me and asked, “No one’s attacking today?”

She replied, “Of course not. The ones who came yesterday, I lured them myself.”

“Wouldn’t that spread the word even faster, then?”

She snorted. “What do you take me for? Do you think I’d handle information so carelessly?”

“…Fair enough.”

If she really ran a thieves’ guild, she’d know what she was doing.

“Let’s stop for lunch.”

“Already?”

I nodded and stepped off the road into the woods.

Finding a suitable spot, I sat and pulled out some jerky, tossing the pouch to Shushruta.

There was a reason for the early lunch.

I wanted to finally practice the Night Sky Star Moon Art again.

After running nearly an entire day yesterday with my movement technique, I could afford the time. Besides, my body itched for training.

Yes, it was important to hurry before more people came for the dagger. But growing stronger was no less important.

No—thinking it over, it was even more important.

I quickly finished my jerky and called out, “Shushruta.”

“What is it?”

She answered with her mouth full.

“I’m going to meditate for a while. Keep watch while you eat.”

Her head tilted to one side, “Meditate?”

“A special kind of meditation. It’s called circulating Qi.”

“Circulating Qi.”

She repeated the unfamiliar term carefully, as if trying to memorize it.

“Yes. Circulating Qi. It requires deep concentration, so no matter what, don’t touch me.”

“What happens if I do?”

Her curious eyes fixed on me. I put on my most fearsome expression.

“You’ll get stabbed before you realize it. I’ll treat anyone who touches me as an enemy.”

“What! Isn’t that a bit cruel to a companion?”

She looked startled.

I shook my head slowly, feigning regret.

In truth, the Heavenly Demon had told me this was the most vulnerable, defenseless moment of all. But I wasn’t about to admit that.

“Sorry, but it’s out of my control. When I circulate Qi, I enter such deep concentration I’m unaware of the outside world.”

“How terrifying…”

Her mouth hung open in awe.

“So no matter what happens, don’t touch me. Be careful not even to brush against me.”

“Understood.”

She nodded gravely.

Of course, it was a lie. But since I didn’t trust her completely yet, it was better this way.

I folded my legs and added, “I’ll be focusing on my circulation. Keep an eye on things. If enemies appear, warn me immediately.”

“All right. But if you’re concentrating so deeply, will you even hear me?”

It contradicted what I’d just said, but I answered shamelessly, “I’ll recognize a companion’s voice.”

Shushruta blinked, then whispered softly, “Companion…”

“Yes, a companion. While one circulates Qi, the other stands guard. We call that ‘protecting the Dharma.’”

“Protecting the Dharma…”

I locked eyes with her and said, “This isn’t something you ask of just anyone. Only a trusted companion. It’s that important.”

Shushruta swallowed hard, then asked in a tone tinged with emotion, “Is that so?”

“Of course. I can count on you, right?”

“Of course! Leave it to me.”

She thumped her chest with a determined look.

I nodded. “Then I’ll trust you with it.”

“Certainly, Ashuban. But… will it take long?”

“Probably.”

With that, I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing.

“Hoo…”

Finally, I could train the Night Sky Star Moon Art.

My heart pounded with anticipation. I had to work to calm it.

I stilled my mind with steady breaths, then let myself sink inward.

Leaving just enough awareness floating above like the surface of water, I descended into its depths.

There, in the silence, I began to circulate my Qi according to the mysteries of the art.

This time there was no starlight guided by the Heavenly Demon. I had to find my own path through the intricate meridians.

It was nerve-racking.

But as my Qi flowed slowly along the Conception and Governor Vessels, the feeling was different—richer—than before.

It was like the difference between walking blindly behind a guide and walking alone while taking in the scenery around you.

With each step, tiny star-like insights shattered and merged into the stream of Qi.

Why was it the Night Sky, why the Stars, why the Moon?

How should the night sky be scattered, how should the stars tear through it as they fall, how should the moon be reached?

A higher understanding seeped into me.

The Qi that began at my lower abdomen rose up my spine to the crown of my head, then flowed down my face, through my chest, and returned below.

The Small Heavenly Circuit was complete.

A faint thrill rippled through me.

Not as overwhelming as the first time I practiced, but still a strange and exhilarating sensation.

“Mhm.”

I opened my eyes.

I could feel it clearly—the Night Sky Star Moon Art had deepened a step.

The meridians it traversed felt stronger, more resilient.

I rose immediately and drew my sword, letting the art coil around it.

Wooong—

The blade hummed as black mist—like the night sky—wrapped around it, and a single bead of radiant starlight gleamed at its tip.

The night sky was darker, the starlight brighter.

I hadn’t yet reached the realm of the moon, but I had found a clue.

The progress was visible. I felt exhilarated.

[Hmph. Your comprehension isn’t entirely worthless, at least.]

A rare compliment.

I smirked. “Master, you said once I mastered this art, you’d teach me another.”

[That I did.]

“Heh… good.”

At this pace, I might soon reach the moon’s realm.

I dispersed the night sky and starlight clinging to my blade, then glanced around.

“…Where’d she go?”

She’d told me to trust her completely, and now she was nowhere in sight.

Extending my senses, I finally found her presence—perched high in the treetops.

I looked up.

There she was, sprawled across a branch like it was the softest bed in the world—sound asleep.

“…”

I swung my sword upward.

A scarlet arc of sword energy sliced through the branch she was lying on.

“Nyak!”

With a shriek, she flailed awake, twisting midair before landing gracefully on the ground.

“Oh, are you done already?”

Shushruta rubbed her sleepy eyes as if nothing had happened.

I let out a dry laugh. “You call that keeping watch?”

Yawning, she replied, “I told you, didn’t I? My ears are sharp enough to notice distant threats.”

“So you figured you could nap?”

“Exactly. Had there been danger, I’d have leapt up at once to warn you.”

“Unbelievable.”

I didn’t know how much of that I should actually believe.

Looking up, I saw the sun already slanting west, its light tinged with yellow.

At least the training hadn’t taken an entire day.

It would’ve been nice to supplement it with a medicinal elixir, but for now, that was only wishful thinking.

“Let’s go.”

I turned to set off again when—

“Wait.”

Shushruta’s face grew suddenly serious.

“Someone’s coming.”

“Who?”

“I’m not sure. But they seem to be looking for you. Shall we avoid them?”

I grinned. “No. If a guest comes knocking, I ought to greet them.”

After a long walk, we finally encountered a stranger.

I glanced sideways at Shushruta, astonished. “You really do have good ears.”

She only answered matter-of-factly, “I told you—they’re sensitive.”

To think she could hear someone from that far away, and even tell they were coming for me.

‘Is that even possible?’

Even with all the freaks I’d met in the Sherwood Mercenary Company, it wasn’t something I could easily comprehend.

The man stopped a short distance away.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, dressed in light leather armor and a cloak. A well-kept beard framed his stern face.

He pulled a paper from his cloak, studied it, then stared directly at me.

“The Red-Eyed Devil. That would be you?”

I answered flatly, “You’re mistaken. I’m the Red-Eyed Angel. Not a devil.”

He nodded and tucked the paper back into his cloak.

“Talking nonsense—just as it says here. That confirms it.”

I frowned. “Nonsense? Pretty rude for a first meeting.”

“The notes here say you’re prone to spouting nonsense.”

“What else does it say?”

“That you’ve black hair, red eyes like blood…”

“And?”

“And a face that looks insufferably arrogant.”

“….”

I stared at him in silence before asking, “Where’d you get that paper?”

“Bought it from the Thieves’ Guild.”

I turned a glare on Shushruta, who was standing idly by. “You sold my information?”

Unbothered, she replied, “Ashuban, one must separate public and private matters. Focus on the present, not the past.”

“You call that an excuse…?”

“Don’t worry. I only sold vague details, nothing that could pinpoint your exact location. In fact, it’s impressive this man managed to track you down at all.”

“He said black hair and red eyes.”

“That couldn’t be helped. The wanted posters already described your appearance.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

I turned back to the man. “She’s right.”

He nodded. “So it seems.”

Slowly, he drew his sword.

“I am the wandering knight, Roetgel.”

“Rotgeri?”

“No, Roetgel.”

“Wetgel?”

“Roetgel.”

“….”

I folded my arms. “Sir Oatmeal, then.”

“It’s Roetgel.”

“Your name’s a mouthful. How about Sir Fluffy instead?”

“…Who is Fluffy?”

“Bell’s girlfriend.”

“And who’s Bell?”

“My master.”

The Heavenly Demon sighed deeply.

[…How did this sovereign end up compared to a mere dog…?]

The knight shook his head. “Call me what you like.”

I nodded solemnly. “Very well, Sir Fluffy.”

Sir Fluffy raised his sword, settling into stance.

“Red-Eyed Devil. I come to charge you with the murder of Baron Lucas Barankia.”

“Well met, then.”

“You admit the crime?”

“Of course. I carved a new hole in that toad’s throat myself.”

“…So be it. Draw your sword.”

Shing—

I obeyed without hesitation, drawing mine.

“Hmm.”

Only then did I notice how badly worn the blade was. Its edge was chipped in several places.

It had held up well enough during the fight at Baron Barankia’s manor, but after countless clashes with bandits, the steel had reached its limit.

Hardly surprising.

I’d fought relentlessly, conserving inner energy by using the blade itself more than sword Qi, cutting through bone and steel alike.

The thought struck me—I would need a new sword soon.

I eyed the blade in Sir Fluffy’s hands.

“Oh…”

That sword looked… rather good.

(End of Chapter)