Hand Over That Child To Me

“You see Yu Seha as a man, don’t you?”
“……”

Peng Jin-ah froze like stone at Su Ok-bin’s sudden words.

A long silence passed.

Tick-tock.

Only the small ticking sound of the clock turning told her that the world hadn’t stopped.

Peng Jin-ah stood still like a stone statue.
It took her a full 15 seconds to regain her senses.
She muttered “Uh, um…” in slight embarrassment.
First, she carefully put down the beer glass she was holding so it wouldn’t break.
And the words she uttered were a denial.

“…Ah, no. That’s not true.”

She evaded the issue.
This meant she was so embarrassed she couldn’t even get angry…
Which meant Su Ok-bin’s earlier words were true.

Su Ok-bin gave a bitter smile at that sight.

“…Doesn’t it hurt? Hiding your own feelings.”
“…Don’t talk nonsense!”
“To me, it looks ridiculous.”
“…What?”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not mocking you. Or maybe I am.”
“…You witch!”

Su Ok-bin looked at the calendar hanging beside her.

“Do you know how old I am with the <Overlord Sword>?”
“Hmph, I’ve said it often. I’m 290 years old… but that’s—”
“-Yes, I’m young for an Elf. Usually, Elves have a different sense of time, so they say I’m like in my twenties in human years… but I’m a bit of an exception.”

A hybrid of Elf and Vampire.
From the moment she just started walking.
Years spent running without knowing why.
Living on scraps, flattering and fawning,
Years spent desperately studying the power flowing in her body to grow stronger.

“To me, every minute and second was time to survive. So my sense of time isn’t very different from yours. I’ve lived 290 years and seen many people. Among them, I’ve seen those who, like you, struggle with contradictory feelings.”

“……”

“I felt it then, and now I see you as pitiful.”

“…Pitiful?”

“How long do you think you can live? Even considering you’re an awakened one, probably 200 years is your limit.”

Su Ok-bin rested her chin on her hand, her face slightly flushed.
The <Overlord Sword> user before her.
She chuckled at the wary 30-year-old girl.

“What are you laughing at!”
“It’s funny. The age difference is just a bit over ten years. You’re a short-lived species anyway. Why can’t you be honest about your feelings? Every time I see it, it’s ridiculous and pitiful. If it were me, no matter what others say, I’d force myself to claim it.”

Society’s gaze?
Criticism from others?
Age difference?
Teacher-student relationship?

“What meaning does all that have?”
“…You keep saying strange things. I don’t see Yu Seha like that—”
“-It’s all been exposed already, you fool.”
“…!? You, you…”
“It’s frustrating to death. Ha, you look at him with pink eyes so openly, it’s stranger if one doesn’t know.”

Every day, it’s still too soon for Yu Seha.
It’s dangerous.
He’s just a cadet.
He’s a B-rank hunter, all that nonsense.

“Isn’t it just a woman’s heart worried that her man might get hurt even a little?”
“……”

Peng Jin-ah hesitated, unable to say anything.
Su Ok-bin continued.

“…Mr. Yu Seha probably has some idea too. But he seems to avoid facing it for his own reasons. Well, time will sort it out.”

Su Ok-bin wiped her forehead.
To confess the truth,
She hadn’t intended to say it like this.

She wanted to calmly inform her as an elder.
To give her time to sort out her feelings herself.

To Su Ok-bin, Peng Jin-ah was just a grown body but a young girl who hadn’t fully realized her own feelings.

But it was troublesome in many ways.
This stubborn girl wouldn’t understand unless told directly, so she threw a blunt remark.

“<Overlord Sword> I want you to be happy.”
“…What’s this all of a sudden…”
“And I want Yu Seha to be happy too.”

From my perspective, the one in Yu Seha’s future is you.

Su Ok-bin said no more after that.
She just sipped her drink and nibbled on snacks.

Peng Jin-ah, silent,
Slowly stood up.

“…My head hurts. I’ll go back now.”

Peng Jin-ah only said that,
And quietly left with a dark expression.

Su Ok-bin watched her retreating figure.
She gave a bitter smile and drank her beer in one gulp.

Bang.

“…Haah, it’s difficult. Difficult. Maybe it was meddling after all…”

Still, she couldn’t leave it alone.

Though the <Overlord Sword> user herself didn’t seem to know.
Her growing feelings had deeply rooted and were shaking her mind.

If this continued to be suppressed…
Her heart would die, and no one knew what would happen.

‘…A pitiful person.’

Peng Jin-ah is an adult.
A strong and beautiful woman of marriageable age, undeniable to anyone.

But Su Ok-bin knew well from the Plum Sword Empress.
And she was certain from what she saw herself.

That deep inside her heart, she was no different from a child.

Probably, she lost her mother early.
Seeing that death with her own eyes must have had an impact.

One might ask what the problem is.
In other words, she had no one around to seek advice from,
No elder to help her.

Literally the opposite situation of Yu Seha.

That role was hers.
And the Sword Empress had to fulfill it.

Anyway, her role ended here.
Even if she wanted to help more, she couldn’t.

Su Ok-bin leaned back in her chair.

Now…

“It’s your turn, Yu Seha.”

“……”

Peng Jin-ah was confused.
Sudden words.
Sudden advice.

She wondered why Su Ok-bin said such things.
At the same time, she thought if she really saw Yu Seha that way.

‘No…’

She shook her head.
It wasn’t doubt.
She already knew.
She felt it deeply herself.

She just denied it and looked away.

…But isn’t that inevitable?

‘Me and Yu Seha…’

They were cadet and instructor.
Student and teacher.
That kind of…
To reveal such ugly feelings?
To him who looks at her purely and smiles?

‘…No.’

Step, step.
Peng Jin-ah tightly closed her eyes.
Before she knew it, she arrived.
Without realizing, she had just walked to the training ground.

Suddenly, chattering sounds reached her.
She glanced inside.
Her eyes trembled.

Yu Seha and the Plum Blossom Sword Empress.
The two were happily talking to each other.

Sometimes when Yu Seha said something, the Empress held his hand.
She taught him grip techniques and how to hold the sword.
Undeniable educational purpose.
At the same time, undeniable skinship.

Seeing them, Peng Jin-ah’s heart began to flutter again.
She hurriedly turned and fled.
And this scene…

“……”

The Plum Blossom Sword Empress, Wei Ga-ryeong.
She glanced over.

Whoosh!

A powerful downward strike.
A flowing follow-up strike.
A continuous flurry of blows.
Another strike.
Endless repetition.

Across the adjacent training ground.
Peng Jin-ah swung her sword as if dancing.
Beads of sweat poured down like rain, but she didn’t stop.

No, she couldn’t stop.
Because if she stopped, her whole body would feel like it was burning.

‘Huff, huff…’

It was hot.
Peng Jin-ah was dumbfounded by the burning sensation in her chest.
It felt like a thousand fires were raging.

The conversation scene between Yu Seha and the Empress she saw earlier came back to mind.
She had fled here as if escaping.
At some point, she was swinging her sword recklessly.

Peng Jin-ah squeezed her eyes shut.
Why did she run away?
Why did she not want to see their conversation?

Her body trembled with rising ugly feelings.
Peng Jin-ah was an adult.
She hadn’t wasted her years.
She roughly understood what it was.

‘…Am I jealous of the Empress right now?’

Why?
It was just a conversation scene.
But why…

“…”

Soon, she found the cause.
The Plum Blossom Sword Empress.
The Empress.
Wei Ga-ryeong.

‘…Afraid that she might take him away…’

Afraid she would take Yu Seha away.
That scared her.

She dug deeper.
A question arose.

Yu Seha was her top disciple and a genius.
It would be good if he learned a lot from the Empress and became stronger.

That’s true.
But she hated it.
She wished he wouldn’t leave her side…

“Ah.”

A small sigh.
The sword dropped to the floor with a clink.

Peng Jin-ah stopped like a wooden statue.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Thump, thump, thump.

Her face flushed red.
She shook her head.
She denied and expressed it again.
But the more she did, the more that woman’s words kept coming to mind.

-It’s all been exposed already, you fool.
-You see Yu Seha as a man, don’t you?
-Isn’t it just a woman’s heart worried that her man might get hurt even a little?

No. No.

‘That can’t be true!’

I…
I can’t possibly have such feelings for him.

I, I…!

“I am his teacher!”
“That’s right, a teacher.”
“…?!”

Peng Jin-ah quickly turned her head at the voice near her ear.
The Plum Blossom Sword Empress, Wei Ga-ryeong.
To Peng Jin-ah, she was both the Empress and like an older sister.

She was approaching without her noticing.
Not noticing her presence was one thing,
But she was embarrassed to have shown such an ugly side.

The Empress, seeing this, gently said one word.

“Jin-ah?”

Swish.
The Empress drew her sword from her waist and pointed it.
Then she smiled softly.

“After a long time…”

Shall we have a sparring match?

Clang, ching-!
Ka-ga-gang-!

A feast of sword energy spreading in all directions.
Both were among the strongest hunters at the pinnacle.

Their clashing strikes could split mountains.
Their retreating steps were so fast the sound chased after them.

Truly a battle like a painting.
Repeated clashes of swords, over and over.

About five minutes.
Counting strikes, about 45 moves.
Gradually, the outcome began to show.

Naturally, the one being pushed back was <Overlord Swordsman> user Peng Jin-ah.
She sweated profusely, focusing on blocking the Empress’s sword with all her strength.

Watching her like that.
The Empress slowly spoke.

“Yu Seha.”
“…!”
“That child is truly incredible.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, a talent of a lifetime.”

Peng Jin-ah was momentarily surprised.

The Empress wasn’t stingy with praise,
But she didn’t speak too highly beyond a certain point.

The praise from her mouth was the highest Peng Jin-ah had ever heard.

“Honestly, Jin-ah. When I first heard it from you, I was half in doubt. I knew you wouldn’t lie, but it was hard to believe.”
“……”

Endless praise continued after that.

Mentioning Yu Seha’s genius in mastering each skill completely.

Also saying his understanding of the sword was top-notch.

At first, Peng Jin-ah had no reaction, but gradually smiled at the praise for her precious disciple.

‘Hmm, hmm…’

The fiery emotions had long since vanished.

Her thoughts filled with Yu Seha gave her inexplicable strength.

She swung her strike like that.

It was clumsy and light, unlike Peng Jin-ah’s usual style…

Kaang-!

“…!”

The Empress parried it, flinching slightly at its power.
Seeing that, the Empress stepped back and was certain.

‘As expected…’

Unaware of the Empress’s gaze, Peng Jin-ah proudly straightened her shoulders.

“Of course. He will surely rise higher.”
“Yes, and from what I see, he no longer needs to be under you.”
“…What?”
“He’s learned everything. The Overlord Sword Technique and even Overlord Annihilations.”

You don’t need to claim to be his teacher anymore, right?

It was an abrupt, aggressive remark.
Peng Jin-ah narrowed her eyes and asked hesitantly.

“…What do you want to say, Empress?”
“I’ll be straightforward.”

Swish.

The Empress lowered her sword.
Plum blossom petals bloomed ominously along the sword’s path, swirling around.
The unwavering sword tip pointed precisely at Peng Jin-ah.

“Yu Seha.”

That child…

“Hand him over to me.”