Saved a Heroine From the Brink of Death

69. Thoughts

#69. Thoughts

Joo Hyun-oh cleanly admitted defeat.

Her daughter, Joo Se-rin, was completely defeated by Cynthia. ‘… It’s an absurd ability.’

He recalled the words Cynthia had uttered just before she performed her martial arts.

-A god of monstrous strength and chaos.

Cynthia clearly did not use the Thousand-Yi-Mu-Bong.

Joo Hyun-oh had also fought against Cheonmu-bong, and had seen many people who had learned under Cheonmu-bong use the martial arts, however imperfectly, so he was confident.

In this fight, the martial art that Cynthia used was not the Thousand-Yi Moobong, but the martial art called the Great Strength God.

And that martial art must have been created by Cheonmu Bong himself. Otherwise, the incomprehensible group within it could not be explained.

‘At first, I thought it was just spreading magic power haphazardly… but the directions the magic power was directed towards were all refracting the light of the places where the new Sogaju moved.’

As the head of the Jeokryungju family, which is known as one of the Seven Great Aristocrats, Joo Hyeon-o had good eyesight.

And through those eyes, he knew what kind of phenomenon Cynthia had caused through her martial art called the Great Power God.

It refracts light to hide its appearance,

He strengthened and accelerated his body to the extreme to unleash his attacks.

The last attack that was deployed was a combination of the above two and deployed simultaneously.

‘It’s Cheonmu Peak, but… the ability of the new Sogaju who can unleash it is also amazing. It didn’t just refract light, but it also used the high-level group’s magic and special abilities to hide its body.’

If the criminal saw it, it would feel like a ghost had appeared. No, even if an awakened person saw it, it would be the same.

It disappears like a goblin and reappears with the wind, and at the same time, it crushes the opponent with great force.

‘Even the Awakened could not detect the presence of the enemy, so they covered the surrounding area with magical power and even refracted light. I was able to see it this way because I was an observer… but if it was a real fight, even I would have had a hard time detecting it.’

Every movement contained a deep martial arts logic that was incomprehensible.

The traits of that group and Cynthia were merging, causing strange phenomena.

The martial arts she displayed were not at all worthy of the name of a supernatural being.

‘I thought it wouldn’t matter if I could just get Han Sung-jin… but it was the opposite. Cynthia’s abilities are better than I thought. In this case… I guess I should change my mind.’

Joo Hyun-oh changed his evaluation of Cynthia.

‘He’s a guy who’d be a pain in the ass if you made him your enemy. And given his personality… if you just make a few concessions, you could make him your ally.’

Although it was only a short time, he had come to understand Cynthia to some extent. Perhaps because she was young, her inner feelings and thoughts were reflected in her actions.

“Your victory, Cynthia Gaju.”

Joo Hyun-oh smiled as he erased his karma.

It was painful to give up Han Sung-jin, but I decided that it would not be a loss if it strengthened the solidarity between Cynthia and Kwon Sung-shin.

“father?”

“Serin, you lost. You have to admit what you have to admit. Or are you planning to embarrass this father?”

“… No. I, lost, lost.”

Joo Se-rin bit her lip and barely opened her mouth to speak.

Joo Hyun-oh turned his gaze away from Joo Se-rin and spoke to Cynthia.

“I didn’t know that the new Sogaju’s abilities were this outstanding. Is this why you accepted the bet?”

“… I guess so. By the way, Your Majesty. Could you please step aside for a bit?”

Cynthia said with a frown.

She was determined to finish with Joo Se-rin. She didn’t think she’d be able to calm down unless she broke at least one thing.

“Can’t we just ignore my daughter getting hurt? How about ending it here?”

“Why should I do that?”

“I think it would be better for both of us to end it here. For the sake of our future relationship with Shinga.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“… Let me put it simply. Of course, I will accept all the terms of the bet, and I will not withdraw my support for the Shinga.”

Cynthia tilted her head and asked at Joo Hyun-oh’s words.

“Wasn’t supporting the new family part of the original bet? Even if I attack Joo Se-rin now, you can’t reject the new family as promised, right? What happened just now was just something that happened during the bet.”

“To be exact, it meant that I would step down cleanly so that no ill feelings would remain. In other words, if you win, I will withdraw my support, but I will not leave any ill feelings behind. It could also be interpreted as not sticking to the Sun, Moon, and Yoon Ga.”

“… … .”

“But I’ve changed my mind. The stock price still intends to fight against Ilwol Yoonga by Shinga’s side.”

“…Why?”

Shouldn’t it be normal to be upset when you lose a bet? Cynthia didn’t understand.

“Because it’s worth it.”

“If it’s worth it….”

“Cynthia Gaju, I decided to invest in Kwon Sungshin after seeing you. I, Joo Hyun-oh, decided to invest in Kwon Sungshin after seeing your strength, talent, and future potential.”

“…Okay. But please promise me one thing.”

“If it’s a promise…?”

“Please make sure that Joo Se-rin never approaches my brother again.”

“I promise.”

Joo Hyun-oh nodded without a moment’s hesitation. Joo Se-rin seemed to have something to say, but when Joo Hyun-oh looked at her and shook his head, she quickly closed her mouth and lowered her head.

“Okay. I think it will be a good relationship with the stock price.”

***

Joo Hyun-oh and Joo Se-rin left.

I was looking at Cynthia, who was standing blankly in the middle of the training ground. Judging by her pensive expression, it seemed like she was reviewing the training session from just a moment ago.

‘… How much stronger have you become to defeat Joo Se-rin, who has completed the third stage of the red ritual?’

It seems that Cheonmu Bong taught him properly.

Of course, it would have been possible to raise it to that level since it was Cynthia’s basic ability.

‘I thought I would lose… but it turns out I was the one who lacked faith.’

To be honest, when Joo Se-rin became one with Jeok-ryeong, she was secretly planning to negotiate with Joo Joo-ga.

However, Cynthia surpassed my expectations and defeated Joo Se-rin to take the victory.

‘But why did you train so hard…?’

The powers that Cynthia possessed were not ordinary.

Even with outstanding talent, it was a strength that could never be obtained without undergoing a harsh training process.

‘It must have been quite a strain on your body to gain strength in a short period of time… Why?’

Cynthia is usually passionate, but now she has gone beyond that level of passion.

I suddenly wondered why she, a mere academy cadet, trained with such passion and achieved such success.

Because people don’t change easily.

As I was blankly staring at her, Cynthia noticed my gaze and smiled bashfully and waved.

-Then just believe and wait. It’s okay if I win, right?

-I need to take this opportunity to remind everyone what happens if they touch what’s mine.

-Because my brother is a great person. I have to prove that I am worthy of being by his side.

Suddenly, I remembered what Cynthia had said before the sparring began.

I realized it only now, but her words were filled with strong desire.

Possessiveness.

‘…no way.’

I thought of a possibility that came to mind, one that I had denied and ignored time and time again.

‘Because Cynthia likes me?’

Possessiveness. Affection. Obsession.

When I think about my conversation with Cynthia, I can sense these emotions in her tone.

‘That can’t be… .’

It was a conclusion that had already been reached based on numerous evidences and existing data.

There’s no way Cynthia likes me.

But… that wasn’t it?

“It’s embarrassing when you stare at me like that!”

Cynthia, standing in the middle of the training ground, looked at me and shouted. Cynthia’s top was burnt here and there. Her face was also covered in soot, making her look a little dark.

It was pretty nonetheless.

“…But it’s still pretty.”

I looked at Cynthia and muttered softly.

It was a word that came out quietly and unconsciously.

And as soon as that one word came out, I realized something deep in my heart that I had never known about.

I don’t know if Cynthia likes me.

But I like Cynthia. And not just because she’s my favorite.

My favorite character is still the future Cynthia, the divine archer.

Nevertheless, what I like now is the 18-year-old Cynthia in front of me.

It wasn’t because I was young.

I just liked the fact that she was in my heart without me realizing it. I felt comfortable when she was around me, and I felt good when I looked at her.

“What did you just say?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Chee-!”

I think it would be nice if I could just be by your side. Even if you don’t necessarily date, you’ll have plenty of time to be by your side.