The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

A well-prepared meal.

That was what one might think of this situation.

I stared blankly at her lying on the bed. She was breathing heavily, her face flushed, seemingly in discomfort from the black ropes.

Following her labored breaths, my gaze fell to the rope starting at her neck. It accentuated the sexual lines of her body.

Even standing still, her feminine curves were noticeable, but now, with the ropes, she exuded femininity.

She really was beautiful.

It was unbelievable that such a woman would casually suggest sleeping together or being tied up like this.

Far from a well-prepared meal, I had never even had a chance with a triangle kimbap meal. This situation was an enormous temptation.

But, of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to bury my face between those massive peaks or silence her heavy breaths with my mouth.

Regrettably, I knew who she was.

It wasn’t a woman trying to seduce me lying on the bed.

It was the Heavenly Death Star, a notorious killer.

If I indulged, I would suffer. If I dove in, I would truly die.

I was still alive because I had been acting like her childhood friend, not because I was her lover.

“Yun-ho.”

She still looked for me, her gaze lost.

“I won’t leave, little sister.”

Having decided to play the role of her brother, I might as well do it until the end.

I mentally flipped over the lavish 12-dish banquet in my mind, dragged a chair from the desk to near the bed, and sat down.

“Where are you?”

Despite speaking right next to her, she couldn’t find me.

This situation seemed serious. Was this rope really okay?

It was supposed to be used for sleeping, so there shouldn’t have been any major risk, but her current state resembled someone intoxicated with strong liquor or drugs.

Hearing my voice beside her, the Heavenly Death Star reached out, but her hand only stirred the air.

Her searching hand looked forlorn, like a child lost in the world, seeking something to cling to.

“Sohee, I’m right here.”

I gave her hand something to rely on.

Her hand, calloused from martial arts training, felt like a disheartened child’s—lost and forlorn.

“Don’t go.”

Perhaps she felt the comfort of my hand, for she turned to look at me. Life seemed to return to her once hazy eyes.

“I won’t leave you, Sohee.”

“Okay.”

She nodded slightly and then gazed at our joined hands.

The act of holding her hand seemed to calm her. Her labored breathing slowly stabilized.

“You’re sweating a lot.”

I needed a towel and some water.

When I tried to release her hand to fetch a towel and a water bottle, she clutched my retreating hand tightly.

“Don’t let go. Stay here.”

Her plea sounded like that of a child fearing their mother might disappear while being cared for.

She must be really struggling.

It was no time to provoke her in her unstable state. Still holding her hand, I leaned over as far as I could to bring a cloth and water bottle within reach.

I moistened the cloth with water and softly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

“It’s cool. Feels good.”

The Heavenly Death Star, weakened, accepted my touch without resistance.

Wish she were always this expressive. Don’t just say “anything” when ordering food.

‘Is the past that precious to you?’

The decision of the Heavenly Death Star to bind herself, leaving herself defenseless beside me instead of taking my life, was an action that would make any martial artist shudder.

Her choice indicated how valuable her lost past was to her.

‘She trusts me.’

The time I had invested in the past few days had not been wasted.

She had entrusted her life to me.

Although she was not entirely convinced that I was her childhood friend, she at least believed I would not harm her.

As our relationship continued to evolve, perhaps she would come to recognize me as her childhood friend, even if her memories failed to return.

Suddenly, an idea to escape this world occurred to me.

[Ending Condition: Conquer the true heroine.]

Could the Heavenly Death Star be the true heroine?

‘No. She’s not the heroine.’

She couldn’t be the heroine. The Heavenly Death Star was designed to be a villain.

She had lost her parents in a tragic event and had forgotten her past. She had lived her life as the Heavenly Death Star, honing her skills in killing.

She had voluntarily bound herself with these ropes to avoid killing me, but such measures would eventually become futile.

Someday, she would go mad, and after committing countless murders, she would meet her end.

An antagonist was created to power up the protagonist and increase his fame. That was the role she had been given in this world.

‘A tragic fate.’

Looking at her acting childishly vulnerable, I felt a wave of sympathy that surpassed any fear or tension I had towards her.

A woman doomed to disaster.

Even if I felt sympathy and maintained a good relationship with her, her future wouldn’t change.

It wasn’t a fate that a mere barbarian madam like me could alter.

Ultimately, the only thing I could do was to continue playing the role of her brother faithfully.

“Sohee, if it’s too hard, shall I just untie the ropes?”

The Heavenly Death Star’s breathing had stabilized, but her face was still flushed, and she continued to sweat. Seeing some consciousness in her eyes, I asked her intention.

“No. I’ll sleep like this.”

“Okay.”

“Yun-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Tell me… a story from the past.”

She spoke sleepily, as if asking for a lullaby. Yesterday, the Heavenly Death Star had slept soundly after hearing a bedtime story. Alright, I would tell a story that would be the final blow to her drowsiness.

“Once, a long time ago…”

“Tell me about when I was young.”

She was quite demanding.

For the sake of playing a good brother, I shouldn’t complain in such a situation.

What story should I tell?

Maybe the story of when the neighbor’s childhood friend was sick.

“Holding your hand, Sohee, it reminds me of the past. You came over to play even though you had a fever and cough. You didn’t know you had the flu and just wanted to see me.”

I gently brushed her fallen hair back from her face with a tender expression.

“The flu.”

Her words slowed down.

“I was so worried after I took you home. I couldn’t sleep.”

I hadn’t said much, but the Heavenly Death Star’s eyes were already closing.

“Sohee, it’s okay. Sohee, please. I brought you some taffy. I stood in front of your house and said that to your worried mother. Then your mother…”

Fall asleep quickly. I’m sleepy too.

The night in Chilgok County was filled with the sound of cicadas.

That night, I ended up continuing to watch over her, a woman with a tragic fate.

She dreamed a warm and nostalgic dream.

That was the first thought of the Heavenly Death Star as she woke up to the sound of birds in the morning.

Opening her eyes, she saw Kang Yun-ho sitting uncomfortably asleep beside her, her own hand holding onto his with care.

The Heavenly Death Star gently wiped the dampness around her eyes with her free hand, careful not to wake him.

‘When did I fall asleep?’

Her memories were fuzzy after he had tied the ropes. She began to recall the previous night’s events.

She remembered being carried in his arms to the bed. His embrace felt more secure and comforting than she had expected.

What did she say after that?

‘Yunho, don’t go.’

She felt all traces of sleepiness vanish as she remembered the weak words she had uttered last night.

Such weakness was due to the Qiyasheng. She blamed the innocent artifact.

‘Is it because I haven’t used it for so long?’

The effects of the Qiyasheng are not usually this intense.

It was supposed to mildly suppress her murderous intent, martial skills, and emotions, but last night, its strength was overwhelmingly powerful.

The Qiyasheng, made especially for the great Heavenly Death Star, had accumulated the power of its enchantments over the years of disuse.

Fortunately, its effects seemed temporary, as she regained her senses by morning.

Using it lightly in another situation could have led to serious consequences.

She reflected briefly on the previous night.

Left alone in bed, she experienced an unfamiliar loneliness and helplessness, like being stranded on a raft in a stormy sea, feeling she could die at any moment.

‘This brother won’t leave you.’

The realization that this man had been by her side during such a time brought her a small sense of relief.

The Heavenly Death Star moved her thumb gently, caressing his fingers that she held.

His hand, unlike hers that wielded a sword, was delicate.

Yet this delicate hand had been a sturdy anchor, protecting her through the perilous night.

“Sohee, are you awake?”

Feeling her touch, the man awoke. His voice, still drowsy, was gentle as he inquired about her awakening.

The Heavenly Death Star did not let go of his hand as he awoke.

“I’m awake.”

“Do you want me to untie the ropes?”

“… Please untie them.”

She could actually untie them herself, but for some reason, she wanted him to do it.

Kang Yunho carefully helped her sit up and began to untie the knots from behind.

She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck but stayed quiet, sensing his cautious touch.

“Sohee, shall I get you some water?”

“Okay.”

The ropes binding the Heavenly Death Star were completely untied.

She should have felt liberated, but oddly, she found herself caressing the areas where the ropes had been tight and where she had felt his breath.

“Here’s the water.”

He handed her the glass.

The Heavenly Death Star tried to grab the glass with her dominant hand but, realizing something, quickly switched to her other hand.

Slowly drinking the water, she looked at the hand he had held throughout the night. It seemed to retain some of his warmth.

Feeling that residual warmth, a strange tingling sensation crept into the Heavenly Death Star’s heart, but she deliberately ignored it.

She had exciting news to share with him.

The Heavenly Death Star opened her mouth to deliver the news.

My neck was really sore.

I should have just slept on the floor.

I had spent the entire day discussing various incidents and ended up falling asleep myself.

Could I even work today?

As I handed the Heavenly Death Star a glass of water and pondered this, she spoke.

“I had a dream today.”

“Oh? What kind of dream?”

Just as long as it’s not about killing me.

“When I was little, I remembered my mom taking care of me when I had a cold.”

“That sounds like a precious memory.”

Being cared for by a mother when ill was a common childhood experience.

Wait.

Memory?

“It was a memory of my mom looking at me with concern, wiping away my sweat.”

Her lips formed a faint smile. It was an expression of nostalgia mixed with joy—the first time I had seen her smile.

But that smile made me uneasy.

“When I was sick away from home, I often thought about my parents. Sohee, maybe you recalled that because you felt ill yesterday.”

I sympathized with her while subtly trying to gauge her reaction.

Please, agree with me.

Contrary to my hopes, she didn’t lose her smile but instead shook her head gently.

“It was a memory that came to me for the first time. A forgotten memory from my childhood that resurfaced.”

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