Absolute Regression

The face of the Drunken Demon turned red.

It was unclear if it was due to the alcohol, the sunset, or the long-buried shame.

“I need to drink more.”

I sat back down after attempting to stand.

I knew why the relationship between the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the One-Slash Sword Supreme had soured. The two had once been romantically involved but had parted ways unpleasantly. However, I hadn’t known that the Drunken Demon had been involved in that breakup.

“Since long ago, I used to drink and chat with the Sword Supreme from time to time. One day, she asked me if I knew what kind of person the Blade Demon was. I asked her why she was curious. She said he had drawn a picture for her. I asked to see it. It was a beautiful portrait of her, more stunning than in real life. At that moment, I knew it. Ah, the Blade Demon likes the Sword Supreme. I just felt it.”

It was them in their youth. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon drawing a picture for a woman! It was an unimaginable sight.

“Sure enough, after that, the Blade Demon started expressing his interest in her frequently. Inviting her for tea, taking walks. The Sword Supreme would tell me all about her meetings with him. Do you know how I felt at that time?”

“Were you upset?”

“Did you like the Sword Supreme as well?”

“It wasn’t like that from the start. When I realized the Blade Demon liked her, I suddenly felt rushed. Until then, I thought the Sword Supreme liked the Cult Leader. So I assumed no one else would matter, but that wasn’t the case. She only respected the Cult Leader purely.”

I poured more alcohol into Song Sa-hyuk’s glass. He stared blankly at the glass, reminiscing.

“One day, while drinking, I subtly hinted to the Sword Supreme about my feelings. But….” 1

The Drunken Demon couldn’t continue. I sighed and spoke in his place.

“She rejected you.”

He nodded slowly.

“She said her heart was set on the Blade Demon.”

Suddenly, Song Sa-hyuk shouted.

“Does that make sense? Does it? That skinny, ugly Blade Demon, who was much older than us! I was so frustrated that I couldn’t sleep. I was angry at myself for not confessing more carefully and even more furious that my embarrassed reaction to the rejection was seen.” ṙ₳ΝỖBΕS

The Drunken Demon candidly revealed everything from that time.

“Such thoughts tormented me. Honestly, I didn’t even like the Sword Supreme that much, but when I found out the Blade Demon did, I didn’t want to lose to him, so I confessed. What an idiot! I came up with these excuses after being rejected! I couldn’t sleep for several days.”

Thinking of the pure side of the now-cunning Drunken Demon was truly unimaginable.

“Weren’t those the days of foolish beasts driven by instinct?”

“You weren’t like that, were you?”

I was the same.

“Damn it! Just thinking about that time makes me feel incredibly embarrassed and annoyed!”

The Drunken Demon abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the pavilion. Then, he collapsed in a heap against the railing and looked at the now-darkened lake.

“From that day on, my mind became twisted. I didn’t show it outwardly, but I wanted to drive a wedge between them somehow. But as time passed, So Yeonrang’s affection for Gu Cheonpa only grew. Then came one day.”

The Drunken Demon lit the lantern hanging from the pavilion’s pillar. His actions—getting angry, talking, pacing, lighting the lantern—conveyed his complex feelings. As the lantern lit up, the surroundings brightened.

“I was walking down the corridor of the Giru when I heard the Blade Demon’s voice. He was drinking with martial artists from the Southern Heavens Blade Family. They must have been talking about the Sword Supreme because the martial artists were asking about her. How much do you like her? Have you kissed her? Slept with her? The usual things friends ask, but I was furious. Those bastards!”

The Drunken Demon downed his drink. I drank with him. Perhaps due to the atmosphere, the alcohol didn’t make me drunk. I felt as if I was standing in that corridor with the young Drunken Demon.

“I should have barged in and turned the place upside down. Bastards! Shut up!”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I felt like my life would end the moment I broke down that door.”

Now we know. Nothing much would have happened even if he had. Looking back, it would just be remembered as a day of fighting and chaos.

“The next day, I met the Sword Supreme and told her about the previous night. I mentioned that I had seen the Blade Demon at the Giru. That alone would have upset her, but I went further and added things that weren’t true. I said that the Blade Demon was talking about kissing her, even though it was the other men who had been saying such things. I still vividly remember my heart pounding like crazy as I lied. Was I really doing something this petty? Was I such a lowly person? While my heart raced and my mind scolded me, my mouth was saying, ‘Men always boast in front of courtesans.’ I didn’t even know if there was a courtesan in that room.”

Crack.

The railing of the pavilion splintered in the Drunken Demon’s hands. The anger and regret in his drunken eyes were palpable. Now, I understood the source of the emptiness in his gaze.

“Some time after that, the Sword Supreme told me she had a huge fight with the Blade Demon and they broke up. From that day on, every time they met, they argued.”

“Did you continue to sow discord between them?”

The Drunken Demon shook his head.

“There was no need. Once the relationship soured, it deteriorated very rapidly on its own. These days, I freely badmouth the Blade Demon with the Sword Supreme over drinks. It’s almost enjoyable.”

“Have you ever thought of apologizing to them?”

“I have.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

“If there had been a significant reason, I might have apologized to the Sword Supreme. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it was out of jealousy. Or maybe I still don’t want them to get along.”

The Drunken Demon looked at me and added.

“I am a petty and despicable person.”

“I know.”

“What?”

“Did you think I saw you as an upright and honest person? You are sly and mean….”

“Enough!”

Hearing his own flaws spoken aloud seemed to make him boil with anger.

“What did I do so wrong? If their relationship could be broken by a few words, it wasn’t strong to begin with, right? Am I wrong? He did go to the Giru, and it was true that he brought up the Sword Supreme. Who forced him? Who told him to meet me there? Damn it!”

I realized that it wasn’t just the Blade Demon and the Sword Supreme who had been fighting all these years. Perhaps the Drunken Demon had been fighting the hardest.

“You’re right. If they truly loved each other, they wouldn’t have been shaken by that. They would have broken up over something else eventually.”

“Right? Isn’t that so?”

The Drunken Demon sidled up to me, grinning. Then, suddenly, he sighed.

“But when they broke up, I wasn’t happy at all.”

It was time to ask the reason.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Haven’t you been asking? Why did I approach you? At a recent drinking party, the Sword Supreme mentioned that you wanted to make the Blade Demon and her your wings.”

“Did you come to cut the wings? Or to help them fly together?”

The Drunken Demon shook his head.

“I don’t know. Seeing the Blade Demon and the Sword Supreme mingling around you, I felt like I should jump in too. I never thought I’d end up saying all this.”

“Do you feel relieved after telling me?”

“I’m already regretting it. Why did I have to reveal such a pathetic story with my own mouth? It’s like I was possessed by a ghost, getting swept up by your talk of half-pure whatever.”

He lay flat on the floor, staring blankly at the pavilion ceiling.

“Every time you see me, you’ll remember this.”

“I probably will. Ah, my foolish brother.”

At my words, the Drunken Demon laughed. The small laughter grew louder. After laughing heartily, he asked.

“Are you going to tell them the truth?”

I shook my head.

“It’s not my decision to make.”

“I plan to never reveal it to them.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m really going to do it.”

“Do it.”

The Drunken Demon suddenly stood up and looked at me.

“Don’t you want them to reconcile?”

“Would they really be happier knowing the truth?”

“!”

“Setting aside their hatred for you, they would regret that their love was thwarted for such a reason. The disappointment of not being able to change the past would be even greater. And now, could they start a new love? No, all three of you would end up more miserable than you are now.”

I believe this truth should remain buried forever. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon might try to kill the Drunken Demon in a fit of rage. Even if he succeeded, he would have to pay the price. And what about the Sword Supreme’s feelings in the midst of all this? After all, it was because the Drunken Demon liked her.

“Think of it as using your one chance to reveal the truth to someone.”

Whether he told me or not would make a significant difference. This past, clinging to him like a ghost, wasn’t something he could face alone.

“By freeing yourself from the obsession of revealing the truth, you might actually be able to reconcile the two better. From now on, try to get closer to old man Blade, and when you drink with Senior Yeonrang, offer praise instead of slander. Eventually, an unexpected opportunity might arise to bring them together. Give them wings now.”

“You should be the elder brother.”

“No, thank you. It’s much more fun to tease you if you’re the older one.”

The Drunken Demon’s expression relaxed noticeably. Having said everything, he seemed relieved.

“Promise me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Cut back on drinking and eat some food. Given how things are, we need to make sure our foolish brother lives a long life.”

I didn’t know if today would mark a turning point in the Drunken Demon’s fate. Whether he would still die from alcohol or lead a different life was uncertain.

Maybe his fate would change and he would die even earlier. But that was okay. Any death would be better than dying from alcohol-related illness.

“Brother, let’s have one last drink. I can’t drink any more. And… thank you for being honest.”

The expression on his face was one I had never seen before. Would we be able to maintain this expression towards each other until the end?

“Little brother… thank you.”

The Drunken Demon raised his glass to toast with me.

* * *

The next day, my father summoned me.

As I entered the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, I sensed that the atmosphere was different from usual.

The Strategist Advisor Sima Myung was there, and so was my elder brother, Geom Muyang.

After greeting my father and Sima Myung, Geom Muyang spoke to me.

“You reek of alcohol. How could you smell like alcohol when meeting Father?”

“I overdrank last night. With the person who loves alcohol the most in our sect.”

I mentioned the Drunken Demon on purpose. Geom Muyang tried to remain calm.

“I’ve heard you’ve been spending a lot of time with the Drunken Demon lately. Don’t drink too much.”

Geom Muyang must have been annoyed. He probably hoped the Drunken Demon would cause trouble for me, but it looked like we were getting along just fine.

Despite that, Geom Muyang struggled to keep his emotions in check. He was definitely acting as a different person in front of our father. 2

“Aren’t you the one who should be more careful?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you’ve been spending time with the Poison King lately. I’m dealing with alcohol, but you’re dealing with poison. Be careful, brother.”

Even in front of our father, a tense battle of nerves unfolded. I didn’t bother hiding it. Not from father, nor from my brother.

As seen in the case of the Drunken Demon, hidden emotions inevitably cause problems. It’s better to fight openly and engage in these nerve battles to save my brother. If you express anger outwardly, you may be scolded, but if you harbor it inwardly, it leads to sending vicious assassins.

Geom Woojin watched our conversation with an inscrutable expression, then nodded at Sima Myung, signaling him.

Sima Myung stepped forward and said, “Today, each of you will receive different tasks.”

He held two red envelopes.

The moment had finally arrived. The real test to determine the successor had begun.

“To ensure fairness, choose the one that appeals to you.”

Seeing those envelopes stirred up intense emotions within me.

I remembered this day from before my regression. The two tasks given to us.

My brother succeeded gloriously, and I pitifully failed.

Failing this task had completely distanced me from the position of successor.

Just as in the past, my brother let me choose first.

“Go ahead and choose. Don’t regret it later if you pick the wrong one.”

“I doubt that will happen.”

I slowly reached out and picked one of the two envelopes.

1 : Friendzoned huh ? *Pats him in the back*

2 : Must be exhausting to be ‘the good son’ all the time. I couldn’t do it.

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