There’s a Monster Inside Me Chapter 18

There’s a Monster Inside Me
Chapter 18

After escaping through the crack in the rift, Gurumi, Jin-dallae, and I underwent various investigations for a while.

Thanks to Baek Eun-ok’s order to Gurumi and Jin-dallae to absolutely keep silent about him before he disappeared, the fact that there was a white, beautiful immortal remained unknown.

We just became children who ‘coincidentally’ entered the rift’s crack and ‘somehow’ rescued Princess Eun-deok.

Several days later…

“What, in my room?”

“What kind of crazy talk is this?”

We were all dumbfounded by the news delivered to Jin-dallae early in the morning.

My ear holes couldn’t be malfunctioning, right? No, it came as a document, so it must be my eye holes.

We stared at the piece of paper alternately, but no matter how many times we read it, the content remained the same.

“The Princess is going to stay with you, Jin-dallae?”

“In the room next to ours?”

“AACK! I need to clean! Help me, quickly!”

Jin-dallae shouted while frantically messing up her bright red hair.

We never imagined that the girl we rescued from the rift’s crack would be the only daughter of Grand Duke Sudeok.

No wonder the Rock horn monsters were extracting such expensive-looking ornaments!

In my previous life, Grand Duke Sudeok’s precious daughter fell into the rift’s crack and never returned, losing her life at a young age.

Who would have thought that crack was this crack!

No wonder her hair color was the same shade as Senior Usol’s!

If I had known she was a royal, I wouldn’t have grabbed her hair or knocked her out with a stone club…

‘Surely they won’t arrest me for that?’

By the time we finished cleaning like mad, skipping lunch, another message arrived.

“GASP, now we’re called to the Grandmaster’s office!”

“All three of us…”

“Why…!”

As we walked through the maze-like corridors, we saw a procession outside the window.

It seemed that people sent from the royal palace had arrived at the Thousand-Year School while we were obsessed with cleaning.

I don’t know how many trips they made with the small carved boat that could only carry two people, but an enormous number of people filled the academy courtyard.

Judging by the gleaming attire and tall flags, it was clear that an important person had personally visited.

Seeing the knights lined up from the corridor made us feel so intimidated.

We searched for the Grandmaster’s office wearing expressions as if we had become traitors.

When we opened the door and entered, there was a green bamboo forest all around.

With mysterious magical arts, clouds flowed on the ceiling and a stream flowed on the floor.

“Come in.”

The one looking at us contentedly was the Master of All Under Heaven, the Grandmaster of this room. And beside him, welcoming us with a hearty laugh was…

“Father, it’s them!”

Seeing Princess Eun-deok sitting closely beside him, it had to be Grand Duke Sudeok.

“So you are the ones…!”

Grand Duke Sudeok stroked his silver beard. Emerald eyes gleamed under the shadow of his hat. And Senior Usol was standing on one side like an apprentice.

Despite being a noble princess, she was positioned on the side with the officials.

“Bow down.”

Thanks to the senior’s quiet whisper, the three of us were able to perform a deep bow.

“Thank you. Since you rescued Princess Eun-deok, you are my benefactors.”

“W-we are honored!”

“No need for formalities. Chief Clerk, please read it.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

When Grand Duke Sudeok gestured, the clerk who had been bending his back stepped forward.

He unfolded a shining scroll and began to recite.

“To the new students of Thousand-Year School, Bada Maru, Bada Gurumi, and Dol Jin-dallae, we bestow eleven rolls of silk each, eleven ivory ornaments, a box of seven treasures, eleven gold spoons, eleven lotus ceramics, and eleven silver ingots. Especially to Bada Maru, who showed great merit, we granted eleven gold ingots.”

“To the Thousand-Year School that trained the students sufficiently, we bestow three hundred and thirty-three gold ingots, three hundred and thirty-three sacks of rice, three hundred and thirty-three gold spoons, and three hundred and thirty-three silver spoons.”

Once again, a whisper of salvation reached us who were dumbstruck.

“Offer words of thanks.”

“Th-thank you!”

“W-we are honored, Your Grace!”

“I am humbled, grateful… and super duper thankful!”

Without Senior Usol’s help, we would have just turned pale and couldn’t even greet him.

As we knocked our foreheads on the floor, hearty laughter echoed.

“Truly righteous and pure students!”

“Indeed, Your Grace.”

Princess Eun-deok was also full of smiles beside the Grandmaster and Grand Duke Sudeok who were smiling gently.

“I look forward to our time together, fellow classmates.”

Princess Eun-deok’s gaze met mine.

Somehow my body trembled involuntarily.

Jin-dallae also couldn’t close her gaping mouth.

“Princess, really… really, you’ll share a room with me…?”

Jin-dallae hoped to hear a response like,

‘How could that be? How could I share a room with a lowly person like you? There must have been a mistake!’

But Princess Eun-deok answered while curving her eyes like a crescent moon.

“Yes, I look forward to it!”

Did I hear Senior Usol’s low sigh, or was it my imagination?

Grand Duke Sudeok stroked his beard beside Princess Eun-deok, who was smiling brightly.

“Through this incident, Princess Eun-deok also felt the need to protect herself. She will stay as a short-term trainee, so please take good care of her. But I should mention in advance, even though she’s a princess, do not give her any special treatment.”

“Ah, yes… h-honored… humbled… super duper am I.”

Jin-dallae was looking quite miserable as she bowed her head while trembling.

Even Gurumi and I, who would be using the next room, felt chills down our spines, but Jin-dallae who would be sharing the same room…

SIGH, I silently prayed for her departed soul.

***

…Until then, I didn’t know.

That the one whose departed soul I should pray for wasn’t Dol Jin-dallae, but myself!

On the way from the dormitory to the lecture hall.

“Benefactor Maru, let’s go together!”

Princess Eun-deok linked her arm through my right arm.

“Uh, y-yes…”

“I told you to speak casually!”

“Uh, y-yes…”

I frantically signaled with my eyes, but these traitors, Gurumi and Jin-dallae, only kept their distance and absolutely, positively would not come near me.

“Benefactor Maru, what class do we have today?”

“Well, today is also meditation class…”

“Oh my! We did meditation all day yesterday, and today again?”

“Uh, that’s because… new students must take meditation classes in the morning no matter what…”

“Oh my, I see!”

As we entered the lecture hall, the gazes of my gathered classmates turned toward me.

Yes, I know.

If I were them, I would probably have stared too, as if drawn by a magnet.

At the sight of a guy entering arm in arm with the princess.

Damn it!

I was used to living inconspicuously like dust.

I couldn’t understand how my life had become so turned around.

Meditation is training that both unburdens the mind and sharpens all bodily senses.

The posture didn’t matter,whether kneeling, sitting cross-legged, or lying flat looking at the ceiling. As long as you could focus everything on yourself.

When the senses awaken, you can see even with your eyes closed and feel places far away.

The senses expand endlessly until finally surpassing the limits of the physical body.

“SNOOORE…”

One must not be disturbed by snoring sounds. One must not be agitated even if a shaman ritual breaks out right beside you. Nothing can affect a practitioner in meditation.

“SNOOOOORE…”

Blocking out sounds and dulling the senses, everything is training.

“SNOOOOORE…”

I closed my hearing.

As the sound receded, everything became quiet. I couldn’t hear anything, but my other senses became sharper.

In my previous life, it took me over 3 years just to awaken my five senses.

I barely reached the level that my classmates achieved in 1 year after a full 3 years of struggle. I wasn’t just slow, I was extremely slow.

Yet now, the once-dull me was sensing things sharper than anyone else.All thanks to the endless struggle of my past life.

TOK.

A sound penetrated from far away. Truly like the sound of a needle dropping.

I didn’t hear it with my ears but felt it by opening all my bodily senses.

I raised my hand instantly.

When I opened my eyes, only two people including myself had raised their hands. We had detected the faint sound from outside the closed door.

The rest were all frowning deeply.

“SNOOORE…”

Among them, the one with the most grim expression was Jin-dallae, sitting to the right of the sleeping Princess Eun-deok.

Between Jin-dallae and me, Princess Eun-deok was nodding her head up and down.

The instructor gestured. It meant I passed and could leave.

RUSTLE!

As I got up silently, Princess Eun-deok suddenly opened her eyes.

“Me too, me too…”

She raised one hand slightly while grabbing the end of my sleeve with the other.

I looked at the instructor with desperate eyes.

‘Professor, please… Princess Eun-deok didn’t pass!’

“…Ahem. Princess, you may leave as well.”

My desperate gaze was completely rejected.

The professor’s eyes looking back at me were just as desperate.

‘Maru, sacrifice yourself. Please… let me teach my class!’

When the snoring sound disappeared, the students’ expressions instantly brightened.

Gurumi and Jin-dallae, winking their eyebrows, also had happy faces. Some even put their hands together in gratitude.

Do you guys really appreciate this bleeding sacrifice of mine?

Finally, I left the meditation room with Princess Eun-deok in tow.

“Benefactor Maru, where are we going now?”

“Well, I’m going to the library… Princess, you must be tired, perhaps you should rest?”

“KYAA! I wanted to read books too, this is perfect!”

Ah, suddenly I feel exhaustion coming on.

In my previous life, an unwanted food spirit creature clung to me, and in this life, a princess is sticking to me! Am I destined for complications?

Sighing secretly, I headed toward the library.

As I walked while hiding my expression, I met an unexpected figure in front of the library door.

“Princess Eun-deok.”

“Oh my, Senior Geum Tae-min?”

Princess Eun-deok looked Geum Tae-min up and down. I respectfully bowed on my side.

“Following the principles of heaven, earth, and the world. Junior Bada Maru pays respects to Senior!”

“Following the principles of heaven, earth, and the world.”

Geum Tae-min responded with gentle eyes.

Looking at Geum Tae-min’s golden curving eyes, who would dare guess that a black serpent is coiled in his heart?

Just a beautiful and noble senior.

There were many juniors who were captivated by his appearance and followed Geum Tae-min, making him their life goal and role model.

No one would dare imagine that he would become an accomplice in burning down the Thousand-Year School and destroying the mortal world.

“I told you not to call me princess here, didn’t I?”

Princess Eun-deok’s eyes were cold. I found it difficult to hide my expression of surprise.

Could the princess not feel the gentle dignity and firm authority that emanated from Geum Tae-min’s entire body?

Despite the chilly response, Geum Tae-min’s gaze remained unchanged.

“Then what would be appropriate to call you?”

“Just don’t call me anything. Don’t even pretend to know me.”

GASP!

I screamed internally. In both my past life and current one, I had never seen anyone speak to Geum Tae-min like that. My fondness for Princess Eun-deok suddenly increased.

“How could I possibly dare…”

Geum Tae-min calmly lowered his eyelashes. It was a gentle and virtuous expression that made my heart tremble.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work on Princess Eun-deok.

A cold response followed.

“I’ve permitted it, so do as I say.”

“It’s an audacious act, but since the princess commands it, I shall comply.”

“Good, now be on your way.”

“…Understood.”

Until the end, Geum Tae-min’s response remained gentle.

I bowed deeply toward Geum Tae-min as he turned away. I covered myself with the solid facade of a respectful junior.

As he passed by, Geum Tae-min glared at Princess Eun-deok’s fingers threaded through my arm. As if he regretted not being able to cut them off immediately.

When Geum Tae-min’s eyes met mine, they had softened again as if everything I had seen was just an illusion.

Suddenly, I detected a familiar scent from him.

“…Senior, are you perhaps injured?”

Having trained to sharpen my senses, I was extremely sensitive.

There was a faint scent of iris from Geum Tae-min. It was an ingredient in golden wound medicine used for injuries.

“Hmm, just a little while training.”

“Is there someone at Thousand-Year School who could injure you, senior?”

He might have heard this as deep reverence. Geum Tae-min gently closed his golden eyes and answered.

“A divine person must surpass their own limitations. One cannot always be the best, nor should one consider themselves as such.”

He turned away with a smile that seemed capable of bewitching people.

All that remained at the tip of my nose was the subtle scent of blood and iris.

How strange.

Who could have injured Geum Tae-min, who wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest flaw?

“The young master’s complexion looks unwell, and his hair color seems different than usual.”

At Princess Eun-deok’s words, Geum Tae-min momentarily paused as he was turning away.

My gaze suddenly shifted to Geum Tae-min’s hair.

Why did his hair look particularly dull?

His hair, which usually fluttered like fine golden threads, now seemed to have the sunken color of soil.

In that moment, Geum Tae-min’s back, which had appeared as gentle as clouds, turned as cold as fallen snow.