Chapter 199 :

<An Unwelcome Visitor to the Academy (4)>

The representative council meeting proceeded reasonably well.

"The Hengshan Sect has agreed to organize this event."

At Eunho's words, I tilted my head.

"Organize it? Not merely send practitioners?"

"Yes. They have offered to provide a curriculum on evil-banishing and spirit-exorcising themselves."

When we had requested practitioners, they had said scheduling difficulties meant they could only send people toward the end of the year.

If they were organizing the event and providing a curriculum, we would have to make it a major undertaking, comparable to an event hosted by the Martial Alliance.

Why was the Hengshan Sect suddenly putting so much effort into an academy event from which it stood to gain nothing?

"They did not mention a particular reason, so I did not ask."

"…Well, it is certainly good news."

We had established a favorable relationship with the Hengshan Sect during the Maling Plateau incident, but not enough to make them act like this.

I had no idea why they were suddenly taking such an interest.

Then—

"Could it be because of you, Young Master Jin?"

Seong Moran's words were puzzling.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that the Hengshan Sect sold an enormous number of Demon-Subduing Talismans because of the recent events in Sichuan."

"What?"

"For some reason, even the Martial Alliance urgently sought out their talismans despite having its own methods of evil-banishing and spirit-exorcising. After that, martial artists throughout the murim world began buying them as essential protective items, and the price apparently rose several times over."

"Ah…"

In other words, a windfall had spurred them into action.

Who would have thought things would turn out like this?

Well, I had not planned it, but the Hengshan Sect had benefited thanks to me, had it not?

I would have to make the most of it.

"This works out well for us."

"Indeed."

In any case, with the Hengshan Sect organizing the event, attracting participants would not be difficult.

Even those outside the Righteous Path Association would naturally become interested in evil-banishing and spirit-exorcising once they heard about what had happened in Sichuan.

"Um… Young Master Jin."

Namgung Seonhwa spoke more cautiously than usual.

"Yes. Is something wrong?"

"It is about… my grandfather…"

Watching her trail off, I nodded silently.

The "Distinguished Guest Invitation" event was originally scheduled to follow this one.

It was an opportunity to invite renowned figures from the murim world and demonstrate one's influence to the other students.

Namgung Seonhwa had confidently declared that she would invite the Azure Emperor Divine Sword, but it seemed things had not gone well.

'That is understandable. The Namgung Family has only just begun to stabilize.'

By developing the Blue Sky Cloud Prestige Sword Art, Namgung Taeha, the Azure Emperor Divine Sword, had secured a firm hold over the collateral branches.

But that did not mean he possessed unquestioned authority.

Moreover, Namgung Gipyo and other members of the Namgung Family's collateral branches, along with disciples of sects supporting them, were currently opposing Namgung Seonhwa within the academy.

They had probably invited the Azure Emperor Divine Sword to the Distinguished Guest Invitation as well.

Since he could not be in two places at once, he had almost certainly refused both sides.

"Still, Grandfather has not given me a definite answer, so I will ask again. If necessary, I will visit the family myself."

Something impossible would not become possible merely through insistence.

Knowing when to take a step back was important too.

I shook my head.

"No. Asking the Divine Sword again would only burden him, would it not?"

Even so, Namgung Seonhwa lowered her head deeply as though she had committed some offense.

I deliberately praised her further.

"Moreover, as a member of the representative council, you have many things to do for me, Young Lady Seonhwa. You are extremely important to me. Traveling all the way to your family over this would be a waste of your time."

"…Yes."

She nodded with a faint blush, seemingly understanding, but her expression suggested she had not given up.

She would probably ask a few more times.

'I cannot stop her from doing that. Perhaps the Divine Sword really will come.'

The Distinguished Guest Invitation would be the most difficult event for me.

With everyone expecting guests at least as prominent as a Martial Alliance pavilion master, I could hardly invite the guildmaster of the Daecheon Merchant Guild out of nowhere.

Ultimately, I would have to invite someone who kept to themselves and rarely ventured out…

'The second event of the new term will be more troublesome than the first.'

Setting those thoughts aside for the moment, I continued the meeting.

Next, Seong Moran and Hong Saryeon reported in turn on the progress of the matters they were handling.

Then Jang Ujae spoke.

"For now, I have selected some students who could work for the representative council."

Looking at the names densely filling the document, I tilted my head.

"Why are we suddenly recruiting workers?"

At my question, Jang Ujae looked puzzled instead.

"Why…?"

"The paperwork is being handled without any problems, is it not?"

Jang Ujae sighed softly.

"Is the fact that it is being handled without problems not itself the problem?"

"…"

"The council is running smoothly solely because of your exceptional abilities, Representative. If you are absent again, as you were this time, the council's continued operation could be threatened."

True. The academy had entered a temporary recess because the events in Sichuan had been so serious.

If the Blood Cult had not appeared, there would have been no such break.

"We are still short of people overall, but most of these students come from merchant guilds or officials' families. They should have little difficulty learning the work."

Huh. He was cleverer than I had thought.

When I showed agreement, Jang Ujae's voice gained confidence.

"We should also consider gradually filling the remaining positions and properly establishing the council."

True. As a result of recent events, I now had to report to the Intelligence Department every weekend.

Considering that my workload would only increase, recruiting more people was an urgent matter.

I looked at Jang Ujae with renewed wonder.

'How does he understand my situation better than I do?'

"…At present, you are handling the work alone, Representative."

The others were all doing their share in their respective roles, but Jang Ujae displayed particular talent in personnel management.

Personnel management was central to improving an organization's efficiency.

By gaining one person, I could make use of dozens or even hundreds more.

I really did have an eye for people.

I looked at Jang Ujae with satisfaction.

"Is there something else you wish to say?"

Apparently embarrassed by my stare, Jang Ujae watched my expression.

I shook my head with a benevolent smile.

"You are doing an excellent job!"

"…Not at all. I am only doing what I should."

He scratched the back of his head bashfully.

Humble too. His character was outstanding.

Good. Very good.

Next, Nam Hwaseong spoke.

"I-I was thinking, for this event…"

"That concludes the meeting."

"…!"

"Hmm? What?"

Nam Hwaseong blinked his usual bovine eyes.

"What could a spy contribute besides sabotaging the event?"

His face reddening, Nam Hwaseong slammed his hand on the table and sprang to his feet.

"Fuck! I-I am not a spy!"

"Yes, yes. Let us say that is true."

"I really am not! I plan to bring people to the event too!"

"All right. Let us say you do."

I would have to fix that temper of his first.

After the meeting, I left the tavern's detached room.

Since we had rented it anyway, I suggested that those who wanted to stay for drinks could do so, while the rest could return to the academy.

Nam Hwaseong stayed, holding on to Jang Ujae and Eunho.

Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa also stayed, saying they felt like drinking.

In the end, only Saryeon and I returned to the Martial Academy.

It had been a while since we had spent time alone together.

"Eldest Senior Brother. Will it be all right?"

"What will?"

Concern showed on Saryeon's face.

She had always worried about me, even in my previous life.

"Nam Hwaseong."

"Ah… That."

"Nam Hwaseong is a disciple of the Samwon Sect, which ranks highly even within the Twelve Peaks Fortress. He could not have joined without a reason."

I nodded at her words.

"Of course, that may be true. But you need not worry so much."

"Why?"

"Because I cannot see Cheol Sunjik's intentions in Nam Hwaseong's actions."

"…"

Saryeon frowned slightly, apparently not understanding.

"If Cheol Sunjik were behind it, he would probably have joined the council himself or sent someone else. The fact that Nam Hwaseong came suggests he likely chose to do so himself."

Even after my explanation, Saryeon pressed her lips together, still looking worried.

I smiled at her.

"Once we rise higher, all sorts of people will begin gathering beneath us anyway. There may be times when we must cooperate with someone like Cheol Sunjik."

"Rise higher…?"

I nodded.

"Yes. Think of this as practice for that."

"…I like the sound of that."

"Hmm? Of what?"

Saryeon's voice rang through the cool night air.

"What you said about rising higher."

When I looked at her, she was gazing at me with eyes sparkling like the stars overhead.

"If you rise higher, Eldest Senior Brother, it means we will rise with you. And that the Taeul Sect will rise higher too."

"That is right."

"I really like the sound of that."

"…"

Saryeon's steps grew lighter, like those of an excited child.

What had she been like in my previous life?

A memory buried deep in the past suddenly surfaced.

[Eldest Senior Brother Cheolyeong has ordered everyone to assemble. Even the youngest disciple.]

[He says it is for the Taeul Sect, but I do not know whether this is right.]

[I am worried. Is this truly for the Taeul Sect? Is it really for our junior brothers?]

When Gye Cheolyeong's request had taken us to the Martial Alliance before the scheduled recruitment date, Saryeon had spent day and night without sleep.

In those days, even trying to imagine what lay immediately ahead must have been painful for her.

But what about now?

"Just as you said, Eldest Senior Brother, I keep looking forward to what comes next!"

Saryeon was anticipating a future that had not yet arrived.

She would no longer lose sleep over doubts and worries.

Instead, she would lie awake imagining the bright days ahead.

"This is all thanks to you, Eldest Senior Brother."

Saryeon smiled brightly, free of concern.

I was so pleased by the sight that I stroked her head.

"What unnecessary things you say."

"…"

Her eyes widened at my touch.

I spoke with conviction.

"This is simply what I should do."

The painful memories of my previous life washed over me like waves, then receded.

I would never let them engulf me, my sect, or the people precious to me again.

Apparently moved by my words once more, Saryeon kept her head lowered.

"Do not tell me… You are so touched that you are crying again?"

Intending to tease her, I lowered my head to look at her face.

"…Grind."

Huh?

"I told you not to touch my hair!"

Her eyes turned fierce in an instant, and she lunged at me.

"Ah! Ah! Junior Sister, wait!"

We would wash once we reached the dormitory anyway. How was touching her hair such a mortal sin?

I unleashed World-Solitary Divine Movement at full strength and fled.

"Stop right there!"

Even in my second life, I could not understand women at all.

The last day of the temporary recess.

The regular academic schedule would resume tomorrow.

Today would probably be the last time I could meet Yaryul Geuk so frequently.

'Still, he seems to have more or less grasped the idea of softness overcoming hardness. He should no longer try to slam his opponents down through brute force.'

As I straightened my clothes, I heard a voice behind me.

"Master Sowoon. Shall we prepare your meal outside again today?"

The head maid had entered the building and asked quietly.

After glancing toward the training ground, I answered.

"I will skip breakfast. It seems he has not come."

"…Has something happened?"

"It is nothing."

Leaving the concerned head maid behind, I stepped outside and headed toward the private training ground.

A boulder-like figure sat cross-legged in its center.

'What an imposing build.'

The man was so enormous that Bang Duchil's physique could not compare.

The huge spear lying at his feet was far longer than those ordinary people used.

Even after I approached within a short distance, the man did not open his eyes.

Then he asked—

"Are you Jin Sowoon?"

His low voice was as fierce as a tiger's growl.

In this life, I had never felt intimidated by someone who practiced external arts, yet a single sentence from him put me on edge.

Even so, retreating here would wound my pride as a former member of the Sojeong Unit.

Besides, when it came to talk and sheer nerve, was the Sojeong Unit not the best in the world?

A twitch.

At my provocation, the man opened one eye, releasing killing intent that seemed to pour out in a bloody gleam.

"Are you saying you expected me to come?"

His physique was imposing enough, but his manner of speaking was unusual too.

This was not simply the tone of someone overconfident in his family's martial arts.

'Is he one of their direct descendants?'

While my mind raced, the man slowly rose.

"Or… Are you saying it does not matter who I am?"

He was clearly not drawing up his internal energy, yet his fighting spirit felt savage.

More importantly—

A thick smell of blood, far beyond anything an ordinary person should carry, brushed my nose and set alarm bells ringing in my head.

"What an arrogant brat you are."

They said dogs would wet themselves and flee at the mere appearance of a dog butcher.

Though his clothing was neat and his appearance immaculate, looking at him filled me with instinctive revulsion.

His growling voice rang out again.

"That must be why you could do such a thing to Jupyeong."

Ak Jupyeong was one of the Ak Family's direct heirs.

Calling him simply Jupyeong suggested that the man's own standing was no lower.

Then his rocklike frame rose like Mount Tai.

He appeared to stand a full eight chi tall.

I understood why he used such an abnormally long and heavy-looking spear.

"Let me see what you can do!"

Whoosh!

Despite its enormous size, the great spear slashed toward me with ferocious speed.

Using a spear to slash rather than thrust seemed foolish, but that was not what he was aiming for.

Boom.

Although I drew the Blood Dragon Sword and blocked, my body lifted off the ground and flew backward.

Scrape—

I barely managed to regain my footing with footwork, only to find him already before me.

'What kind of speed is that?'

I used the Iron Plank Bridge technique to evade the spear shaft.

As it swept just above my face, I realized this was no ordinary weapon.

'A steel spear shaft…'

There was a reason my hand had gone numb even after deflecting it with the Blood Dragon Sword.

Whoosh—crash!

I dodged the spear as it descended to split my head, and it struck the training ground hard.

The solid marble shattered, sending fragments flying in every direction.

Only then did a name emerge from the records of notable figures stored in my mind.

"Ak Byeongbi, master of the Inspection Pavilion's Third Hall."

One of his eyebrows rose.

Grinding my teeth, I spoke.

"In the murim world, they call you Blood Ghost Flying Spear, do they not?"

He paused his attack and reset his stance.

"My fellow members of the righteous faction often criticize my epithet."

"…"

He glanced briefly at his hands.

Then he looked at me with detached eyes.

"But I do not care. To uphold the justice of the righteous faction, I will gladly become a 'blood ghost' to heretics and followers of evil."

Damn it.

Even so, I had never imagined he would come personally.

"So, just like yesterday, have you come as a representative of the Inspection Pavilion?"

I met Ak Byeongbi's gaze without looking away.

"Am I… a threat to the justice of the righteous faction?"

There was not a trace of hesitation in his eyes.

The seven stars that protected the Martial Alliance.

"One thing is clear. You are no true member of the righteous faction."

Ak Byeongbi, who held the position of the Blood Star among them, regarded me as an enemy.