A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 404

404. A Fragment of God

Empress Sarasvati’s beautiful eyes cast an enchanting gaze upon Son Bin.

“What are you hesitating for?”

The Empress asked, her red lips barely moving.

“’Raja’ has already claimed the fragments of the Water Demon God and the Sword Demon God. And your beautiful, merciless sword won’t allow me even a moment of resistance.”

The Empress’s voice trembled slightly, though not with fear, but something closer to joy.

“The victor always takes everything. It’s very simple….”

She licked her lips seductively.

“It’s an extremely simple rule.”

‘Hmm.’

Watching, Noh Gun furrowed his brow, struggling to control his agitated mind. Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wol-ah mirrored his struggle. Seo-rin seemed less affected, perhaps due to her training in orthodox Taoist qigong [a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for health, spirituality, and martial arts], or perhaps because of her youth. Geom-hee, however, remained expressionless. Son Bin was silent for a moment, not because he was considering the Empress’s proposal, nor trying to calm his mind like Noh Gun.

“I can’t understand.”

Son Bin said, looking directly at the Empress.

“Why do you say that?”

Though compelled to tell the truth by her promise, the Empress was clearly goading Son Bin, urging him to kill her.

“Do you also… want to escape your destiny?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say ‘like the Water Demon God or the Sword Demon God.’ The fact that all he could offer them was death and a few words weighed heavily on Son Bin’s heart.

“Oh, that’s not it.”

The Empress said, laughing as if the idea were absurd. Her charm, shifting between cuteness and seductiveness with a mere inflection, was truly captivating.

“I like this world very much, even more so since the ‘fragment’ awakened. The place in my memory was a terrible place. So I want to live in this beautiful world for as long as possible. Very, long.”

Rustle.

The Empress moved closer to Son Bin, her black eyes sparkling as she looked at him across the table.

“But even if you kill me and take everything from me, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Her subtle voice slipped out between her moving red lips.

“If I remain in ‘Raja’s’ memory forever, that would also be what I desire.”

At that moment, Noh Gun felt a fierce, murderous intent towards the Empress surge within him. The thought that this was what she wanted, or the serious consequences of killing her, didn’t even register. The intense urge to kill her now threatened to consume him. Sa Soo-yeon, having learned about Sa Ja-hyuk, was even more affected.

Gritting.

Sa Soo-yeon channeled her inner strength, controlling her boiling rage. Noh Gun, Dang Wol-ah, and even Seo-rin were gritting their teeth, holding back their impulses. They recognized this as the power of a Demon God.

Rustle.

Empress Sarasvati straightened, assuming an even more noble and beautiful posture.

“So do as you wish, my ‘Raja’.”

Son Bin remained silent. Instead, he slowly reached out and gently wrapped his hands around the teacup in front of him.

Swish.

Warmth radiated to his fingertips, and the soft fragrance of tea tickled his nose.

“If I win.”

Son Bin said, looking down at the teacup.

“You said you would let me know everything, right?”

A flicker of change crossed the Empress’s eyes.

“Yes.”

“But that didn’t mean you would tell me everything. It meant that it would happen that way.”

The Empress’s promise to let him know ultimately meant that if he took her ‘fragment,’ he would gain deeper knowledge. It never implied she possessed that knowledge or would willingly share it.

Tock, tock.

Son Bin’s fingers lightly tapped the still-warm teacup.

“You also said it would be better to hurry.”

Son Bin continued, his gaze fixed on the fragrant teacup.

“But that doesn’t mean something happened to him. It’s just an opinion that it would be better to do so. Isn’t that right?”

The Empress didn’t answer, but Son Bin’s assessment was accurate.

‘It would be better to do so’ was merely her suggestion, not a statement of fact.

“Even now, you say that if I kill you, it’s as if I can take everything.”

Son Bin raised his eyes, his gaze meeting the silent Empress’s.

“You have never once said that it is true.”

Even the idea that everyone had accepted as fact—that killing her would grant him everything—was unconfirmed. The Empress had never stated it as truth, only presented it as a provocative possibility.

“I kept asking myself.”

Son Bin continued in a calm voice.

“Was it really because I defeated them with force that I came to take the ‘fragments’ of the Water Demon God and the Sword Demon God?”

If he hadn’t sensed the Water Demon God’s final wish, he might have believed it, seeing himself as a beast claiming the spoils of a defeated foe.

But Son Bin had seen it: the Water Demon God’s heartbreaking longing, and that dream filled with happiness.

After witnessing the Sword Demon God’s memories, that thought deepened. The Sword Demon God was not someone whose will would break simply from a single defeat.

“Perhaps what I cut was…”

Son Bin bit his lip slightly.

“Wasn’t it just that I had removed the shackles that bound them, just that?”

The Empress did not answer, and Son Bin didn’t wait for her to.

“If you don’t want to escape the shackles, there’s nothing I can do. So I will reject your offer.”

Quietly, but clearly, Son Bin said.

“I hope you slowly learn how to live with others in this beautiful world, as you wish.”

The Empress closed her eyes. The impulse that had inflamed everyone’s hearts vanished as if it were a lie, and the Empress’s eyelashes trembled as she closed her eyes.

Click.

Son Bin rose from his seat.

“I’ll be going now.”

Son Bin said with a soft smile.

“Because it seems like it would be better to hurry, as you said.”

Just as Son Bin was about to turn around…

Whoosh.

In an instant, Son Bin felt something terribly eerie reveal itself and disappear. He couldn’t mistake that feeling; it was exactly what he felt when he faced the darkness of the abyss.

“What!”

Noh Gun also noticed it. Sa Soo-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, Seo-rin, and even Geom-hee were about to draw their swords for the first time, but there was no need.

“Your will.”

Whooooooong.

The Empress said, her eyes now golden. She had transformed into a being with divinity, neither human nor demon.

“It is stronger and more beautiful than your sword.”

Whoosh.

It disappeared as quickly as a flame extinguished, and with it, the darkness of the abyss vanished, as if that moment was its final cry.

“W-what is this….”

While Noh Gun was bewildered, the Empress, who had been sitting, quietly stood.

Rustle.

Her eyes had returned to normal. The Empress approached Son Bin with a gentle movement and bowed politely.

“I apologize for testing ‘Raja’.”

She didn’t kneel, but the Empress spoke in a more polite and courteous manner.

“But will you forgive me? The Water Demon God and the Sword Demon God once drew their swords against ‘Raja’.”

Son Bin offered a bitter smile in response to the Empress’s smile. The golden eyes were gone, and the darkness of the abyss was no longer felt. She was definitely the Empress, Sarasvati.

“I will.”

Son Bin nodded obediently, staring blankly at the beautiful Empress.

“……Was I, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then the words that you can’t know about ‘Mu-je’….”

“It’s true.”

Son Bin let out a small sigh. In the end, nothing had changed, just as he had chosen a little while ago.

“I see. Then I…….”

Rustle.

The Empress’s slender fingers grabbed Son Bin’s hand as he was about to turn around. Son Bin was startled.

“Aren’t you going to say anything to me?”

Son Bin blinked, then realized what she meant: she wanted him to say something to her, as he had done for the Water Demon God and the Sword Demon God.

“That’s already…….”

“One more time…….”

The Empress said, looking at Son Bin.

“……Please tell me.”

Son Bin couldn’t turn away from those earnest eyes. Even though she wasn’t dying, it was clear she had been bound by a terrible yoke for a long time.

“……In this beautiful world.”

Swish.

The Empress grabbed Son Bin’s hand with both of hers, placed it on her chest, and closed her eyes tightly. Son Bin was startled, but the Empress’s expression was so solemn that he couldn’t say anything. After clearing his throat slightly, Son Bin quickly continued.

“I hope you live slowly and long. Ah, over there…….”

He was going to say it as he had before, but the words got tangled, and the conclusion came out first. Son Bin quickly added.

“While learning how to live with other people.”

Son Bin was so embarrassed by his flustered appearance that his face turned red, but his attempt to quickly pull his hand away failed.

Whoooo.

A blue flame-like energy erupted from the Empress’s entire body, becoming a river of blue flames that poured into Son Bin.

Uuuuuung.

The sight was brief. While Noh Gun and the others watched, the river of blue flames softened into a gentle wind, then transformed into sparkling light, and finally disappeared. The blue energy was gone, but the Empress did not open her eyes. She held Son Bin’s hand, which she had placed on her chest, preciously with both hands, and kept her eyes closed.

“Can you feel…… my heart beating?”

The Empress, who quietly opened her eyes, asked, looking at Son Bin.

Son Bin didn’t answer; he couldn’t. He knew what this phenomenon meant: the Empress was no longer a Demon God.

Having lost the ‘fragment of God,’ she could no longer wield transcendent abilities or repeat countless lives. Perhaps she would live a little longer than others, but only ‘a little.’ Empress Sarasvati, the woman with the name of a goddess, had become human. What she meant by ‘my heart is beating’ was exactly that.

“……Yes.”

Son Bin couldn’t hide the emotion in his voice. Empress Sarasvati smiled softly.

“Your hands are really warm.”

Quietly, she released Son Bin’s hand. From her chest, where the heartbeat had been transmitted, Son Bin slowly withdrew his hand.

“Just one thing…….”

Son Bin began, hesitating slightly.

“Can I ask you?”

“Anything.”

Now she could answer, because she was no longer a Demon God, nor burdened by the shackles of the darkness of the abyss.

“If I had tried to kill you, what would have happened?”

The Empress spoke the terrible words without hesitation.

“I would have died.”

“But I would have been reincarnated again with the ‘fragment of God,’ and my divine status as a Demon God would have been a little higher. Corrupting the noble ‘Raja’ is quite a great thing.”

At those words, Noh Gun inwardly clicked his tongue. In fact, even Noh Gun had thought that killing the Empress was the way to obtain the ‘fragment.’ Son Bin said with a bitter smile.

“The Water Demon God called you ‘the one who guides the way,’ is that true?”

“Meeting the right path.”

The Empress smiled brightly.

“It’s always after you’ve lost your way.”

Son Bin was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t argue. He had learned a lot from her.

“Are you going to leave like this?”

“Yes.”

Son Bin answered without hesitation.

“As I said, I have to hurry.”

“I see.”

The Empress raised her hand lightly. A maid approached silently and bowed her head in front of the Empress.

“Is Rahman ready?”

“You can depart at any time.”

The maid’s answer was in the language of Tianzhu [an ancient name for India], but Son Bin understood it well enough.

“Ready?”

“The west is a dry and desolate land.”

The Empress said in a low voice.

“It was once fertile and abundant, but now it is an abandoned land where no one can live, where sandstorms blow. It’s not a place you can go without preparation.”

Chief Hwang had said the same thing: going west without a plan was a death sentence, long before he could find Mu-je’s trail.

“Rahman and his companions are familiar with the western terrain, and they have plenty of combat experience, so they can guide you well enough.”

It was a little unexpected that they had a lot of combat experience, but the Empress quickly continued.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you exactly where, but there won’t be any problems. The gate of Naraka [the Hindu or Buddhist hell] will reveal itself to you.”

Son Bin nodded. Now he understood clearly: reaching the gate of Naraka that the Heavenly Demon opened wasn’t just a matter of knowing the geographical location.

“Thank you.”

“Be careful.”

The Empress said with a serious look in response to Son Bin’s sincere gratitude.

“The other Demon Gods have already lost all reason and become beasts, or they have succumbed to the darkness of the abyss. In order to take the ‘fragment of God’ from them, you have no choice but to destroy their existence.”

“Destroy their existence?”

“That’s…….”

As if conveying a secret message, the Empress raised her hand and moved closer to Son Bin. Son Bin lowered his head and listened.

Rustle.

The Empress’s small voice tickled Son Bin’s ear. Son Bin frowned slightly as he listened, and Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wol-ah’s expressions were not very good as they watched.

“What is that…….”

“Shh. You mustn’t say it out loud carelessly. Do you understand?”

Son Bin tilted his head in incomprehension and pondered. He didn’t see the Empress smiling at Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wol-ah as if to show off. Sa Soo-yeon’s beautiful eyebrows were slightly distorted.

“Until the day we meet again.”

Son Bin raised his eyes at the Empress’s voice.

“I’ll be waiting. My Raja.”

Son Bin offered an awkward smile as he faced the eyes of the beautiful Empress Sarasvati.

“There’s no need to call me that anymore. So just comfortably…….”

She no longer possessed the ‘fragment of God,’ and she was no longer a Demon God, so there was no reason for Son Bin to be called ‘Raja’ by the Empress.

“That’s not true.”

Empress Sarasvati shook her head with a smile.

“You are ‘My Raja.’ Anytime, anywhere, and in front of anyone.”

Her eyes towards Son Bin were more confident and beautifully sparkling.

***

On that very day, Son Bin and his party left the Red Fort, Lal Qila [a historical fort in Delhi], with the cavalry led by Rahman, the imperial guard. The Empress stood with her maids on the huge gate of Lal Qila, watching Son Bin and his party leave. The Empress did not leave her place until the green flag embroidered with golden lions and the sun disappeared into the distance.

“How many people follow me?”

The Empress suddenly asked. It was a sudden question, but the maid answered immediately.

“Five great territories and seven great generals have sworn allegiance to Mama. Their forces are…….”

“That doesn’t matter anymore.”

Depending on the situation, it was a force that could overthrow the empire, but it no longer had any meaning to the Empress.

“Anyway, everyone will start moving according to their own greed from now on.”

It was an incomprehensible statement, but the maid did not ask, as she had done so far. However, even the maids couldn’t help but be startled by the Empress’s subsequent words.

“I’m going to leave the empire.”

The Empress spat out those shocking words without concern.

“If the ship is sinking, it doesn’t matter even if you occupy the largest and most splendid cabin.”

The destruction of the empire was irreversible. Now that she had lost the power of the Demon God, there was nothing more she could do. Empress Sarasvati turned her head and looked at the maids.

“Is there anyone who wants to go with me?”

Shale. The maids immediately knelt and bowed their heads.

“We will follow Mama to the end.”

“It won’t be easy, though? You won’t even be able to communicate.”

“Even if that place is death.”

The eyes of those who bowed their heads did not waver.

“It is what we gladly desire.”

The Empress sighed softly.

“What about the guardian guards?”

“They are the same as well.”

The Empress’s direct guardian guards, including Rahman, would also give the same answer.

“We’ll need several large ships.”

The Empress said with a sigh. There were more than three hundred male and female guardian guards who followed her alone. It would have to be a fairly large fleet to take care of people, supplies, and treasures.

“Where are you planning to go?”

“Well? First of all…….”

The Empress smiled.

“Shall we go to a place where the sun is soft and the wind is cool? Where cute children laugh and play…….”

It was a very warm and happy sight. When her ‘fragment’ went to Son Bin, she also saw Son Bin’s memories.

“……To a small and beautiful place.”

Perhaps the Water Demon God and the Sword Demon God also saw it. Empress Sarasvati sincerely hoped that the sight would be a small comfort on their way.

“Whether it’s the twilight of the gods or the dawn of the dark ages…….”

Empress Sarasvati turned her head and looked at the western sky as the sun set.

“It’s all up to you.

My Raja.”

The beautiful Sarasvati sighed softly, her red lips barely moving. She couldn’t take her eyes off the western sky until the surroundings were slowly dyed with darkness.

(Author’s words)

My heart, which came up with other thoughts at the Empress’s words, ‘Can you feel my heart beating?’ is not very beautiful.