Chapter 183. Fate (3)

To my question, the Dalai Lama responded with his characteristic benevolent smile.

“Hahaha. Since it is a shameful past for that child, I cannot tell you whose story it is.”

Because of that benevolent smile, it was difficult to read the Dalai Lama’s inner thoughts.

It didn’t matter.

Because my suspicion was already almost solidified.

The last piece for certainty. I only needed to get that.

After racking my brain for a moment, a useful method came to mind.

“I understand the Dalai Lama’s will. I will not ask for a duel. Instead, may we join in the work of helping living beings?”

Perhaps misunderstanding my words as an intent to take refuge in Buddhism, the Dalai Lama smiled gently and accepted.

“Hahahaha. You have thought truly well. Rather than accumulating killing karma, please erase your karma little by little by helping living beings together.”

The corners of my mouth also went up.

Because if I do that work together, I will naturally keep getting entangled with that guy Hyeonam.

***

Leaving the Dalai Lama’s Dharma Palace, a young Lama monk was waiting for us.

Regrettably, it wasn’t Hyeonam.

Following behind that young Lama monk, we were able to return to the accommodation we stayed in the previous day.

“Amitabha.”

Immediately after the young Lama monk left with a clasped hand bow. The Tang guy crumpled his face and spoke.

“Are you sane? You seemed a bit quiet recently, did your madness relapse again?”

“What bullshit are you spouting again?”

“No, what crazy bastard spouts crazy talk about killing and such at the Potala Palace? Honestly, to anyone seeing it, it would have looked like you were picking a fight with that monk named Hyeonam.”

“I was picking a fight.”

To observe the bastard’s reaction.

At my answer, the Tang guy blinked his eyes a few times and sighed deeply.

“Haa. Now tell me a bit. Why on earth did we come here? I’ve just followed whatever you said so far, but I must ask this time.”

Come to think of it, my companions didn’t know the fact that I came to the Potala Palace because of that guy Hyeonam.

But I couldn’t say that I regressed either.

Ignoring the Tang guy’s point, I asked my companions.

“What do you think about the person named Hyeonam? Don’t mind me and just answer honestly.”

To this, Nam Geon scratched his head and answered.

“I, to me he j-just looked like a kind monk brother.”

Junior Sister Baek Hyang spoke with an awkward expression.

“Honestly, I don’t know well. Senior Brother.”

Nodding at the answers of the two, I looked at Junior Sister Choyeon.

Junior Sister Choyeon seemed to ponder for a moment, then gave a strange answer.

“The assassins of Red Moon Falling Flowers have their emotions removed during the training process.”

The Unwavering Heart Divine Art that Junior Sister learned was a prime example.

“However, when we finish training and go on a killing mission, we learn something new then.”

However, I couldn’t know why she was bringing this story up suddenly.

“Since we must not show signs of being assassins, we receive training to make expressions. Mimicking others’ expressions regardless of emotions. That person named Hyeonam was like……. It felt like he only trained one expression perfectly.”

“……Do you mean that benevolently smiling expression?”

“Yes. Senior Brother.”

“Why did you think so?”

The answer Junior Sister brought out to my question was something I hadn’t thought of at all either.

“The smile Hyeonam wore was identical to the Dalai Lama’s smile.”

“…….”

In my head, the Dalai Lama’s face and Hyeonam’s face overlapped.

Completely different looking faces. But thinking of them overlapped, it was truly the exact same smile.

Perhaps everyone was coming up with similar thoughts to mine, silence settled for a moment.

The one who broke that silence was the Tang guy.

The Tang guy scratched his head roughly as if he had a headache and said.

“I understand that Monk Hyeonam is suspicious. But there must be a reason why you came here, right?”

“I came because of that Hyeonam.”

“……How do you know about a monk in this Tibet from that distant Central Plains?”

“There is nothing to know.”

“Then what was that story about the monk you mentioned earlier? The monk who kills people spewing strange sophistry. I have no memory of hearing about such a monk.”

“I just made it up roughly.”

Since the Tang guy seemed like he would keep digging, I changed the subject appropriately.

“Starting today, we will watch that guy named Hyeonam together.”

“I, I got it. Brother!”

“I understand. Senior Brother.”

“Yes. Senior Brother.”

Unlike the Tang guy, Nam Geon and the Junior Sisters didn’t express any particular questions.

As expected, the Tang guy was the problem.

***

After finishing the morning offering. We descended the mountain with the Lama monks.

Just like yesterday, the Lama monks moved to help the living beings of Lhasa.

Lama monks moving busily here and there. In the center was, of course, Hyeonam.

Was it because of what I heard from Junior Sister Choyeon?

That benevolent smile like yesterday stood out particularly.

One worry filled my mind.

Should I kill that bastard or not.

Judging by the circumstances, emotions were lacking in that bastard.

Perhaps that was why he became the future Blood Disaster.

Despite receiving Buddhist teachings.

The problem was just one.

Should I kill him just because he lacks emotions?

What if he hasn’t committed a crime yet?

I heard he killed small animals when young.

But it was vague to kill him just for that.

I wondered if it would be better to drag him around and watch him so he couldn’t commit evil deeds instead.

Like I did with Hwangbo Ak or Junior Sister Choyeon.

Then how will I drag that bastard around?

Should I kidnap him? A monk of the Potala Palace?

While coming up with these worries in my head, on the other hand, I helped poor and powerless old people and the sick with the Lama monks.

It wasn’t that difficult.

Because I had experience caring for beggars helping the Beggar’s Gang in the past too.

Among them, the one who shone the most was, as expected, the Tang guy.

“Hah. How did you endure until it became this state?”

He utilized his medical skills to the fullest and took care of the patients.

Perhaps thanks to that guy’s performance, the gazes of the Lama monks became much more favorable.

Once, Hyeonam, who was caring for the sick, approached and offered thanks.

“Amitabha. Thanks to the help of the benefactors, we were able to help more people today.”

“It was rewarding for us too to be able to help those in need.”

“Hahaha. If the Dalai Lama heard, he would be truly pleased.”

“In that sense, do you perhaps have any thoughts of helping more people?”

Hyeonam asked back with a smile.

“More people, what do you mean?”

“Besides this Lhasa, there are truly many living beings in pain. Do you not have thoughts of leaving the Potala Palace to help them?”

Hyeonam, who blinked a few times, answered.

“We have not even fully saved the living beings here yet. How can we help living beings further away when we have ignored the living beings right in front of us?”

A polite refusal.

Should I kidnap him or kill him. The worry deepened further.

A few days of helping living beings with the Lama monks continued after that.

Perhaps because they became comfortable treating us thanks to receiving our help a few times.

An old man whose body wasn’t healthy told a strange story.

“It happens occasionally, but sometimes people disappear without a trace. Cough.”

“……Perhaps, were they murdered by someone?”

To my question, the old man shook his head with difficulty.

“What ominous words are those. Cough.”

According to that old man, it wasn’t murder, kidnapping, or robbery.

They just disappeared without a trace literally.

The old man talked as if it was truly mysterious, but my gaze naturally turned to the side.

“Please have strength a little more. You will definitely get better. Amitabha.”

Towards that bastard who was busy caring for a patient.

Did he feel my gaze? The gaze of the bastard, who was busy caring for a patient, turned towards me.

Wearing a benevolent smile as if he knew nothing.

***

We embarked on the investigation of the disappearances in earnest.

We asked the patients and old people we encountered about the rumors of disappearances.

We also asked the Lama monks who were caring for living beings together about the rumors.

Hearing it, they said the disappearance cases happened very occasionally.

About once or twice a year.

And it was something that started happening about four or five years ago.

Naturally, I asked Hyeonam about that matter too.

“How could this small monk not know that rumor? Among those I helped, there is a person who disappeared. It is truly regrettable wondering where on earth they went.”

Should I praise Junior Sister Choyeon’s insight?

The bastard answered with a benevolent smile to this question as well.

The option of kidnapping was disappearing, and the direction was being set towards killing.

I glanced to the side.

Several Lama monks were coming and going around.

Can I kill this bastard in one exchange?

This place was no different from the front yard of the Potala Palace.

If the fight dragged on, I had to fight the entire Potala Palace, not just this bastard.

Just as I was making an estimate in my head. My eyes met with the bastard.

“What thoughts are you thinking so intently? Benefactor.”

A smiling face with the head tilted slightly to the side.

“It is nothing. Monk.”

I could tell intuitively.

That the bastard was already prepared for my surprise attack.

***

Deep into the night.

Junior Sister Choyeon returned with a very secretive presence.

“Good work. I will go out this time.”

After hearing the rumors about the disappearances, we were taking turns standing a sort of night watch.

It wasn’t a night watch to prepare for a sneak attack.

Strictly speaking, it was to watch Hyeonam.

There was only one way for the bastard to carry out that disappearance event.

Sneaking out of the Potala Palace at night.

Aiming for this, I, Junior Sister Choyeon, and Junior Sister Baek Hyang were taking turns standing guard.

Nam Geon and the Tang guy were excluded because they hadn’t learned stealth techniques.

I sent Junior Sister Choyeon inside and left the pavilion.

The outer wall of the Potala Palace. How long was I watching the surrounding presence while hiding in the shadows beyond the torchlight?

A secretive presence was felt from beyond the wall.

Paat!

I willingly threw my body chasing that presence.

The steep mountain path outside the Potala Palace.

Beyond the moonlight casting through the dense thicket, someone’s silhouette dressed in black was faintly visible.

Chasing that bastard for a while.

The bastard, who was running as if fleeing, stopped his steps.

The rapidly closing distance.

The moment five zhang of distance remained, the bastard turned his body.

It was an expected appearance, and also an unexpected situation.

As expected, that bastard was Hyeonam.

And beside where the bastard stopped, the figure of an old man was visible.

The figure of an old man sleeping very soundly as if his sleeping acupoint was pressed.

It was a familiar face too.

Because he was the old man that bastard was caring for a few days ago.

‘Please have strength a little more. You will definitely get better. Amitabha.’

Along with these words.

While examining that old man for a moment. Hyeonam’s voice came.

“A few years ago, while caring for living beings as usual, I witnessed a truly sad thing.”

While examining the old man subdued at the bastard’s feet, I focused on the bastard.

To catch the opportunity to save that old man and kill that bastard.

“He was an old man whose illness was evident. He was a person spending painful days having lost all his family too. That person said so. Please just kill him.”

“So did you kill him? That old man?”

“The benefactor also told a story, right? About that monk in the Central Plains. It was truly fascinating. I did not know there was a person with the same thoughts as me in the Central Plains.”

The bastard smiled saying so.

Ah.

I realized only now.

Junior Sister Choyeon’s guess was wrong.

My deduction was also fundamentally wrong.

The bastard’s smile was completely different from the smile I had seen before.

That bastard wasn’t a guy lacking emotions.

Because a guy lacking emotions couldn’t make such an expression filled with pleasure and joy.

“Acting like a lunatic. For a mere murderous demon bastard who killed just because killing people is fun.”

At my point, the corners of the bastard’s mouth went up even higher.

“Hahaha. As expected, I saw correctly. Aren’t you also making a face dying to kill people, Benefactor?”

Looking now, a smile filled with killing intent was spread on my face too.

Looking at my face, the bastard exhaled a heated breath.

“Haa. Since Benefactor keeps making such an expression, I just couldn’t hold it back. I wanted to kill you as soon as possible.”

A smirk leaked out.

“So did you leak your presence on purpose?”

Thanks to the subdued old man over there, I had already noticed.

This bastard’s goal was to kill me and frame me for the things he had done so far.

Just as I couldn’t ambush that bastard because of the Potala Palace Lama monks, it meant that perverted murderous demon bastard was also mindful of the Potala Palace monks.

What should I do about this.

“To think you even prepared a place to die. truly thank you.”

This feeling where laughter kept leaking out.

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