Dan Yuseong’s POV
How did they even set these prices? 10,000 points—roughly 10,000 days, or 27 years. Or 10,000 taels of gold, a fortune only the head of a major trading company could dream of. No way to gather it through normal ans.
Spirits of Heaven and Earth, not a single discount coupon in ten years of business?
Cursing the heavens had beco a daily ritual. I figured my sudden possession in this body, dropped into this world with a shop window as a supposed "favor," was their doing. So, I felt justified.
Dragging here and demanding 27 years or 10,000 taels to leave? I couldn’t not curse them. The outrageous pricing was bad enough, but being toyed with by their whims—reading the skies and getting caught in their twisted gas—only fueled my resentnt.
Lately, though, the heavens hadn’t sent divine punishnt. Back then, a little cursing brought rumbling clouds as threats, but now? Nothing. Had they grown used to ?
Grind.
Was there a better way to curse them? The lack of reaction, unlike their instant responses of old, made it dull.
Digging through Earth mories, I recalled sothing striking. I hadn’t been a fan, but it was trendy and impactful enough to stick with .
Could I really do it, though? What if they got mad and I couldn’t fix it?
Nah, no way. After all they’d put through, they wouldn’t kill over a prank, right?
Taking a deep breath, I let loose the line I’d conjured.
"A shitty ♥ heaven that can’t even ddle in the mortal world properly—"
[...]
Nope, too risky. I scrapped it.
Giving up on taunting the heavens, I glanced around. The only person with was the Sword Empress.
You’d think I could just chat with her, but...
Since that night, sothing had shifted in her. She barely spoke to . If I pushed, she’d respond briefly, but I could tell she didn’t want to.
Had I done sothing wrong? I was so drunk that night I couldn’t rember a thing. Had I offended her while wasted? Not knowing left paralyzed.
But I knew what was needed.
"Sword Empress, let’s talk," I said firmly.
When there’s a problem between people, conversation is the solution. I chose the direct approach.
"...I’ve got so things to think about right now. Maybe later—"
"You’ve been dodging like that for two weeks already," I cut in.
"..."
"Do you dislike ?"
"N-No! Not at all! Why would I dislike you?!" Her voice exploded with intensity, startling .
"N-No, I just thought... you’ve been avoiding , like I’ve beco a bother."
"T-That’s ridiculous!" she protested, her cheeks flushing as she waved her hands in a panic.
Was my comnt that shocking?
"So I’m not a bother or anything?" I pressed.
"Of course not!"
"Good to know."
I could tell she wasn’t lying. Traveling with her had shown she was terrible at hiding deceit. Sighing in relief internally, I spoke again.
"If there’s no issue, please talk to more. You’re all I’ve got."
"...Huh?"
The journey to Shaanxi would be long, and with just us in the carriage, I’d go mad staring blankly alone the whole ti.
"W-What do you an?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Huh? I an it’s just us in the carriage right now."
"Oh..."
She let out an odd little sound. Had I said sothing strange? I couldn’t pinpoint what was off.
Shin Yuwol’s [Sword Empress] POV
Since eting Soyeon and reevaluating my feelings for him, talking to him had beco difficult. I didn’t feel worthy of being near him, so I tried to keep my distance to ease the pain.
But splitting up here, so far from Shaanxi, wouldn’t guarantee his safety. So, I resolved to stay with him until we reached Shaanxi, then create proper distance.
Sorting my emotions wasn’t easy, though. Every conversation with him deepened my feelings instead of diminishing them. Sotis, mories of that "treatnt" day I’d sworn to forget resurfaced, stirring my heart further.
The devilish temptation to repeat it, just once more, lingered. In the end, I resorted to avoiding conversation within the carriage’s confines, as physical distance wasn’t an option.
But my condition was worse than I’d realized.
"Do you dislike ?"
His question unleashed a storm of thoughts. Did he think I hated him? Had my attempts to distance myself hurt him? What if he was upset because of ?
In that brief mont, worries and questions flooded my mind. Panicking and fumbling through excuses, I was relieved he didn’t seem too disheartened.
But then—
"If there’s no issue, please talk to more. You’re all I’ve got."
The mont those words hit, my mind went blank.
"...Huh?"
I let out a dazed sound without thinking.
But only for a mont. As his words sank in—
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart raced wildly. An unfamiliar heat surged within , a strange, urgent desire rising from my core, begging for release.
But his next words doused that fire with cold clarity.
"I an it’s just us in the carriage right now."
"Oh..."
Looking back, he’d always been like this. He’d say or do sothing casually, I’d overreact, and later, it’d turn out to an nothing special at all.
"...Haa."
I circulated my internal energy, forcing down the tangle of emotions swirling within . For now, I could suppress them like this, but what if a day ca when I couldn’t?
That day must never co.
Never.
Dan Yuseong’s POV
Clop, clop.
After breaking the ice with the Sword Empress, the monotonous carriage ride felt less stifling. Humans really are social creatures—there’s truth to that. Being stuck in the sa space with nothing to do but stare into the void, unable to even talk, had been unbearable.
"You seem to enjoy talking with others quite a bit," she remarked, her voice light.
"Do I?" I asked, tilting my head.
"When I avoided conversation, you looked half-dead. Now you’re much livelier."
"Hm..."
She had a point. Was I the type to get lonely easily? Back on Earth, solitude never bothered , but lately, I’d grown strangely afraid of being alone.
What had changed? Maybe it was the trauma from when I first possessed this body—nearly dying alone in an alley. Or perhaps living with Master for ten years, rarely ever alone, had eroded my tolerance for solitude.
Or maybe... this body’s original personality was to bla.
They say the mind and body are separate, but the mind is still shaped by the body. Possessing an unfamiliar body defied scientific explanation, so I couldn’t assu it had no effect. The mind resides in the body, after all.
"A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body," they say.
I glanced down at myself. The oversized cloak hid my fra, but I knew what lay beneath—a fragile form that explained my unease. A body like this getting lonely easily made sense, like a herbivore instinctively grouping up to survive predators.
No wonder I felt lonely.
Frad that way, this personality felt like an instinctual defense chanism.
"But knowing that, you still left alone and avoided talking?" I teased, pouting playfully.
"Ugh..."
It was just light ribbing, but her reaction was intense.
"S-Sorry!" she stamred, her face flushing. "I was caught up in so deep thoughts for a while. If I hurt you, I’ll do anything to—"
"Whoa, whoa!" I cut in, flustered by her fervor. "It’s not that serious. I was kidding. You think I’d get hurt over sothing like that?"
"I-Is that so?"
"Yeah. Just keep talking with from now on. I enjoy chatting with you, that’s all."
"Ugh..."
Was the misunderstanding still lingering? Her face remained red, her eyes darting nervously.
"You rember running the fortune-telling shop in Shaanxi, right?" I continued. "I didn’t realize it then, but looking back, I think I really do like talking with people."
"...Oh."
For so reason, we didn’t talk much more that day.
Rumble.
The sky was clear, yet thunder rumbled faintly throughout the day, an odd undercurrent to the silence.
A mory stirred, from not long after I t Master.
Rustle.
The cool breeze and chirping insects filled the deep night forest. I sat up, half-asleep, dazed.
"Master...?"
Out of habit, I glanced at the spot beside where I’d slept—Master’s usual place, always warm. Now, it was empty, radiating a biting cold.
"Master...?"
I called again, scanning the room.
No sign of her.
The night’s chill seeped into the house.
Rustle.
I rose from the bed, wandering through the house, searching for her. But she was nowhere to be found—just the cold, no trace of anyone else’s warmth but my own.
I slid back into bed, pulling the blanket over . My lingering warmth clung faintly to the sheets, but it was fading fast, soon to be swallowed by the cold.
"...No."
I curled up tightly under the blanket.
mories from before eting Master flooded back—a near-dead body rotting alone in an alley, nearly assaulted, barely resisting. Sleeping under a scavenged rag, drifting off in fear of soone approaching with ill intent. Waking to find two vagrants carrying off, screaming and thrashing until attention scared them away. That nightmare still haunted .
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