The World's Greatest is Dead

Heavenly Fist.

At those words, Bow Ghost’s face became something worth seeing. Her eyes were full of every irritation in the world.

“Why would I mention that eccentric old hag?”

“......”

Mm. I see. An ill-fated relationship, then.

I could tell just from her face.

The two of them did not get along.

Bow Ghost set down the bowl of rice she had been secretly eating.

Watching that, I had to let out a hollow laugh.

“No, why are you sneaking into the kitchen and eating in secret?”

“......Kgh.”

At my remark, Bow Ghost’s ears turned red.

Apparently, she knew it was embarrassing too.

I seriously did not understand.

Heavenly Fist was Heavenly Fist, sure, but still.

“What are you, a thief?”

“A thief......!? Who are you calling a thief......!”

“Look at yourself right now. If this isn’t a thief, what is it?”

“......Kgh.......”

Bow Ghost gritted her teeth.

Then she glared at me.

What? What was she going to do if she glared?

“This is all your fault.......”

“What?”

“The Head Steward....... That old man called the Head Steward refuses to give me food unless it is mealtime!”

“......Well, of course he does. What do you think our house is, an inn?”

Did she expect food to come out the instant she ordered it?

“Because of you....... My body has become so weak that I cannot do anything. And yet this frail flesh is somehow always hungry......!”

GRRRRMBLE.

“Looks like it.”

“Damn it!”

Bow Ghost slammed the floor.

Even though she struck it with her tiny hand, there was no strength in it, so it barely made a sound.

“......Damn it......! I’m hungry.......”

Her voice was full of despair.

Watching her was more miserable for me.

How had this woman ended up like this?

I had heard she was one of the beings beyond heaven, and on top of that—

......Apparently, she’s the North Sea Ice Palace Lord’s bloodline.

I did not know the details, but she had to be from a remarkable family.

Seeing her reduced to this over mere hunger felt absurd.

Mm.

I stared at her for a moment.

“Then will you make one promise with me? If you do, I’ll make sure you’re properly fed.”

“......What?”

At that, Bow Ghost’s eyes turned murderous.

“You. Do you think I would sell my pride over something like food and cling to you.......”

“Never mind if you don’t want to.”

“I will hear you out.”

“......”

“What is that look?”

“Nothing. You’re just more honest than you seem.”

She was transparent to an absurd degree.

“It’s nothing much. Heavenly Fist is looking for you right now.”

“......What?”

Bow Ghost flinched at my words.

“Heavenly Fist....... Why would Heavenly Fist? No, that is not the point. How do you even know Heavenly Fist in the first place? That monster from a previous era......?”

“We aren’t exactly close. I just happened to see her around....... Something like that. Anyway, that old lady told me to bring you.”

“Old lady? Did you just call Heavenly Fist an old lady.......”

“The fortunate part is that Heavenly Fist does not think you are Bow Ghost.”

“......”

Looking at her current state, who would think that body was Bow Ghost?

“And if people find out you’re Bow Ghost, I think I’ll be in trouble too. So if possible, I’d like us to get our story straight between ourselves.”

“Story?”

“Yes. Just pretend you aren’t Bow Ghost. Pretend you came in properly as my attendant. It would be nice if you acted the part a little.”

“Ha!”

After hearing my request, Bow Ghost let out a sound of disbelief.

“Are you truly insane! You expect me to fawn in front of that damned Heavenly Fist just for some paltry rice!!”

“So. An attendant?”

“Yes....... My name is Seolhyang, from the North Sea.......”

“......”

Watching Spot....... no, Seolhyang bow demurely in front of Heavenly Fist made all sorts of thoughts run through my head.

Is food really the problem?

What was food, that she would go this far for it?

As far as I was concerned, I had nothing to say about someone that proud being ruined to this degree.

“Seolhyang, is it.......”

Heavenly Fist.

The headmaster stared directly at Bow Ghost.

She seemed to be thinking about something after hearing the name.

She begged and pleaded that anything was fine except Spot, so I called her Seolhyang.

She said she hated Spot so much she would rather bite her tongue.

So I gave her a pretty name.

She seemed satisfied with Seolhyang too.

Heavenly Fist looked Seolhyang up and down.

“An attendant?”

“Yes.”

“How did you end up taking a North Sea person as your attendant?”

“......I picked her up.”

“Ha....... A North Sea person? You say that like you picked up some insignificant object.”

“But I really did pick her up, so what do you expect me to say?”

Strictly speaking, she had followed me on her own.

Well, that was that.

“You picked up a North Sea person? And.......”

The headmaster’s cold gaze pierced through Seolhyang.

“A pureblood North Sea person at that?”

“Pureblood?”

“White hair and eyes that vivid a blue are symbols of their blood. As for you, well. Whatever the Sword Saint did to you made you that way. It is far from what you were born with.”

“......That is true.”

“And yet you picked up a pureblood North Sea person? You say something that could make the North Sea rise in fury.”

“......Is there a problem?”

“There is. A large one. If the Palace Lord finds out, the North Sea army may march straight into the Central Plains.”

“......”

What the hell.

That was terrifying.

“If she is a pureblood North Sea person, it would not be strange for the Palace Lord to move. That is why I am curious.”

Heavenly Fist asked Seolhyang.

“Little girl.”

“Ye....... yes.......”

“I ask just in case. Are you truly from the North Sea?”

“......Yes?”

Seolhyang’s eyes widened as if asking what that was supposed to mean.

She had just been talking about pureblood North Sea people, so what was this all of a sudden?

While neither Seolhyang nor I understood, the headmaster spoke.

“I am asking whether your parents are perhaps Bow Ghost and the Sword Saint.”

“What kind of bull—”

Just as Seolhyang tried to raise her voice, I grabbed her wrist.

“......I don’t know what you mean.”

“Hmm....... No matter how I look at you, you resemble Bow Ghost, that ill-mannered wench?”

“I, I don’t know anything about that.”

“......Then it would mean the Palace Lord somehow managed something in his old age. But that should not be possible either. What could it be?”

“......Please think that part through on your own. Headmaster, I showed her to you, so are we done? The girl scares easily.”

“......Hmm.”

Her displeasure was obvious, but she nodded afterward.

“Fine. We are done. I wondered, but it seems what is not true is not true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wondered whether the one you had with you might be Bow Ghost.”

“......!”

I was horrified.

I had thought it might be the case, and she really had suspected it?

“I thought she might have undergone rebirth and be pulling some trick. But that does not seem to be the case.”

“You have some way to confirm that, then.”

“She has no energy to speak of in the first place. Even with rebirth, one cannot drain all energy to that degree. Besides.”

The headmaster spoke with an indifferent face.

“You would not know, but Bow Ghost is a prideful wench. For her to act as if she were trembling in fear in that young form? I wondered whether she could truly have fallen that low.”

“......”

“......”

I grabbed Seolhyang’s arm again.

Her arm was trembling as if she would explode at any moment.

“I have confirmed it, so go.”

“Yes. I’ll see you next time.”

“Do as you like. Ah, wait.”

The headmaster stopped me as I was about to leave.

“What is it?”

“I say this just in case. If possible, keep that girl hidden.”

“......Pardon?”

“I know you like sticking your nose into this sort of matter, but if it becomes known that a young pureblood from the North Sea is in the Central Plains, the thing I mentioned earlier may happen.”

“......Ah.”

The Palace Lord might lead forces into the Central Plains, was it?

“Yes. I will do that.”

I nodded.

“Good. Then get lost.”

“That way of speaking, seriously.......”

I came outside while watching the headmaster bite down on her pipe.

The Academy was quiet.

It seemed she had sent the children outside for our conversation with the headmaster.

After we had walked in silence for a while—

“......F....... fuck.......”

“......”

I quietly ignored Seolhyang’s whisper.

“That....... that damned thing......!!”

STOMP!

She kept kicking the floor with her little foot.

She looked furious.

Her face and ears were all red.

“Grrrrk.......”

“Hold it in. Heavenly Fist will hear you.”

“Damn it....... Damn it....... How did I ever.......”

“It’s your own karma, really.”

“......You.......”

“Stop getting angry and let’s eat. You’ve been noisy for a while.”

“......”

I could hear her stomach growling from here.

At the mention of food, Seolhyang went quiet for a moment.

I took her into a nearby inn.

“Bring us a few dishes, whatever is quick.”

“Yes, sir!”

The innhand took the money and moved swiftly.

I spent a little extra because I thought I needed to feed her fast.

“Hoo.......”

Seolhyang was still sighing, apparently unable to cool her anger.

Looking at her, I asked,

“What happened between you and Heavenly Fist?”

It did not seem like an ordinary ill-fated relationship.

Heavenly Fist had not participated even during the war with the Demonic Cult.

An old master.

By now, few people even knew of her.

What was the relationship between her and Seolhyang?

“It is an ill fate.”

“I can tell that much by looking.”

Who would not know that?

“Is there anyone you don’t have an ill fate with.......”

“......What?”

“Ah. Sorry. So what kind of relationship is it?”

My inner thoughts slipped out.

Oops.

“......”

Seolhyang glared at me, but I did not hear whatever she said after that.

A brief moment passed.

“Heavenly Fist once came to the North Sea in the past.”

“To the North Sea?”

What had she gone all that way for?

Ah, then again, that old woman was famous for wandering around.

“......Something happened then. That is all.”

“Hmm.”

It seemed she was trying to avoid the subject.

Then I did not need to dig any deeper here.

“Then what about the Palace Lord?”

“......What?”

“If the Palace Lord really finds out about you...... will he lead soldiers into the Central Plains?”

“Ha, absurd. Do you think the North Sea is some village of barbarians?”

“Right? I thought something like that would be too—”

“Not soldiers, but he would likely come charging in himself.”

“......”

Mm.

My head hurts.

You said they were not barbarians, damn it.

So I have to hide her somehow?

It meant I had to conceal Seolhyang’s existence.

At least until she returned to her own body.

“So hurry and restore me to my original body as quickly as possible.”

“No, I told you, that will happen once enough time passes.”

“How much time?”

“How would I know that?”

Could she release it herself?

Rather than that, waiting safely for time to pass seemed right.

That was my judgment, but—

“You think this will resolve with time? I even altered my body to block the baleful force.”

“Altered?”

“It is similar to sealing it so the baleful force could not burrow in. Because of that, I ended up with this body....... To undo this will take at least a year.”

“A year?”

Insane.

It would take that long?

That was really damn long.

As I thought that—

“When you say you sealed it so it would not burrow in, does that mean you changed the body that received the baleful force?”

“Yes.”

“......Then, to release the baleful force, you need to return to your original body, and that will take a year?”

“Yes! That is why I said it was a problem!”

“Are you insane? Why are you only telling me that now!?”

One year.

Seolhyang could not return for at least one year.

And she had to return before she could remove the baleful force or do anything about it.

Here.

If word of Seolhyang’s existence reached the Palace Lord’s ears in some strange form—

The Palace Lord invades?

That was what it meant.

“Let’s send a letter quickly. Say things turned out this way and tell him not to misunderstand.”

“I cannot send one.”

“Why not?”

“......Our relationship is somewhat poor right now.”

“With the Palace Lord? Why......?”

“I stole something from him. Leave it at that.”

“......”

At those words, I swept a hand over my forehead.

Why did all these beings beyond heaven go around stealing things?

“......None of them are normal. Damn it.”

Inside this considerably more troublesome situation, I steadied myself.

I must not grow old like that.

That was the moment I made that resolution while watching Seolhyang devour food that had appeared at some point.