Chapter 15 :

Chapter 15. Third-Rate Warrior Who Saves a Girl (2)

Bicheolgak was the hall closest to the sect leader’s residence, and it was where important guests of the Iron Sword Sect stayed.

As such, its facilities were impressive, but above all, its security was extraordinary.

However, none of the guard warriors who would normally have filled the place were stationed there.

That was because Jegal Somyeong was currently using Bicheolgak, and that very Jegal Somyeong was personally checking the condition of a man, but that man had driven the Iron Sword Sect into a pit of filth, so not a single warrior wanted to stand guard at Bicheolgak.

“…”

Seong Moran circled around Bicheolgak, sighing for no reason.

It was not because of the serious reason that the relationship between the Murim Alliance and the Iron Sword Sect had worsened.

It was because of that man whose condition Jegal Somyeong was checking.

The man had left such a severe blow that even if he had poured oil over the entire Iron Sword Sect and set it on fire, he could not have caused as much damage as he had now.

“Haa…”

Seong Moran sighed at the state of her own emotions, which she could not understand.

She had felt a sense of kinship from the sight of him driving Seong Mohyeon into a corner.

His movements were not dependent on internal energy or techniques, but were filled solely with adaptability born from effort.

That was something only Seong Moran, who had struggled tirelessly to find a way to defeat Seong Mohyeon while excluding internal energy and techniques, could understand.

On top of that.

[Pay the price!]

[Pay the rightful price for this vile act that you and your descendants have committed!]

The resolve of shouting for what was right while vomiting blood.

[In that case… I will receive the price in blood.]

The conviction and will to prepare for death even though he knew he was no match.

Even though her grandfather, father, brother, and all the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect had fallen into a difficult situation, Seong Moran could not take her eyes off Jin Sowoon, who was vomiting blood while his eyes flashed fiercely.

‘Just how is that man…’

He was an enemy, yet when she looked at him, her heart throbbed violently.

At the same time, her chest ached so faintly and painfully.

And at the moment when he finally proved his righteousness and collapsed as if fainting,

Seong Moran had to stop herself from running toward Jin Sowoon without realizing it.

“Phew.”

What on earth should she do?

It was no longer a relationship where she could approach him out of curiosity.

Even more so now that they had become enemies.

Even knowing that, she herself did not know why she continued to remain in this place.

‘No, this is not right.’

The moment Seong Moran gritted her teeth and tried to leave, she heard a clack.

Through the open door, Jin Sowoon came out into the courtyard with a pale complexion, holding the Ninefold Sword.

Seong Moran forced herself to turn her gaze away and tried not to meet his eyes.

“…”

Step. Step. Step.

But then, did he not pass by her as though she were not even there?

Her heart, which had barely calmed down, began to pound violently again.

“You were… too reckless.”

The instant she said it, she thought, ‘Oh no!’ but the words had already slipped out on their own.

At Jin Sowoon’s cold gaze as he turned his eyes toward her, Seong Moran felt her chest ache even more.

“What was?”

“The sparring… why did you go that far?”

“…Are you saying I should have obediently accepted miserable humiliation?”

“No… what I mean is…”

Words different from what she felt kept slipping out without her realizing it.

But because she still did not know what she wanted to say herself, she merely blurted out words.

When Jin Sowoon took one step closer, Seong Moran unconsciously took one step back.

“Were your thoughts correct?”

“…Pardon?”

“I asked if your thoughts were correct. My father knelt, and while I was vomiting blood, unable to endure the humiliation, I challenged your grandfather to a life-and-death enmity. Can you still take pride that your sect is not such a vile existence?”

“…”

Seong Moran gently bit her lower lip.

She had nothing to say.

Would excuses like saying she had not known, or saying it had nothing to do with her, really let her escape this moment?

Would they heal that person’s wounds?

Such thoughts swirled endlessly in her head.

“…I’m sorry.”

Twenty years ago, they had given his father the same humiliation, and after twenty years, they had repeated it once again.

Conversely, if she had been in the same position as him and suffered the same thing, could she forgive them?

Could she just let it pass?

It seemed impossible.

“I understand. Please raise your head now.”

“Pardon?”

Seong Moran asked again, wondering if she had misheard.

Really? This easily?

Was he accepting her apology so obediently that it made Seong Moran, who had apologized, feel ashamed instead?

“Young Lady Seong, you are the first and last person from the Iron Sword Sect from whom I have received an apology. Perhaps there will never be another one in the future.”

“…Is it really enough if it is from me?”

“We cannot continue this chain of misfortune forever, can we?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you feel sorry for what happened today, if you feel even a fingernail’s worth of guilt, then please change the Iron Sword Sect so that it does not remain the same kind of sect it is now. If that happens, perhaps one day the Taeul Sect and the Iron Sword Sect may become sects that cooperate with each other, no?”

Seong Moran felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside her.

Yes. He was this kind of person.

Jin Sowoon was this kind of person.

Her older brother, her grandfather, none of them could say that one word of apology, and so the matter had grown this large.

The apology she had already felt swelled with pain and gratitude, then burst forth.

“…I am truly sorry.”

“Tears do not suit a warrior.”

At his gentle voice, Seong Moran felt relieved inside and wiped away her tears.

“Are you all right?”

“The tangled energy and blood from when I was struck by rough energy have not settled, so I think I will need to recuperate for a while.”

“…”

“Please do not worry too much. The Taeul Sect’s heart method is pure, so after recuperating for about a year, I should be fine.”

“…A-A year?”

“Yes. I will not be able to properly take the Martial Academy exam, but failing to graduate from the Martial Academy does not mean one’s life falls into the gutter, does it? Haha.”

How precious was a year of time to a warrior who had not yet reached twenty?

Perhaps after a year passed, Jin Sowoon would not only be unable to compare with the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect, but even compared to the warriors of the Taeul Sect, there would be a significant gap.

Even so, he showed neither resentment nor anger at her single word of apology.

To him, such hardship and trials were nothing.

No, because there had already been hardships and trials far too immense in his life, he could remain indifferent even to the hardship that had befallen him now.

Seong Moran put an end to the dilemma she had been having while waiting for Jin Sowoon in the courtyard.

Should she give it, or should she not?

No, after his words, there was no longer any need to hesitate.

It was something she had been able to receive only because she was, at least, a direct descendant of the Ghost Sword Immortal Elder.

And for that reason, it was something even she herself had not yet been able to eat.

She took it out.

“What is this?”

“Whatever the case, I too am a person of the Iron Sword Sect. This small thing will not resolve anything, but please accept it as my sincerity. Of course, I do not think this compensates for the actions of our Iron Sword Sect. I am simply giving it with the hope that, as Young Master said, the Taeul Sect and the Iron Sword Sect may continue to have a good relationship in the future.”

Jin Sowoon looked at the wooden box for a moment, then slowly accepted it.

“The burden carried by Young Lady Seong, who bears the Iron Sword Sect, is probably heavier than that carried by the Taeul Sect. Even so, I will accept your sincerity.”

Why was she a child of the Iron Sword Sect, and why was that person someone of the Taeul Sect?

Seong Moran grieved over the tragedy of her own birth, something she had not even felt because of Seong Mohyeon’s existence.

“I hope we can meet with smiles next time.”

At Seong Moran’s trembling voice, Jin Sowoon finally gave her a smile.

“I hope so as well.”

#

On the third day, we left the Iron Sword Sect.

Naturally, there was no one to see us off.

Instead of me, Kang Chaeseok wrapped the Ninefold Sword tightly in cloth, hugged it to his chest, and slept with it all night. Even on the day-long journey back to the Taeul Sect, he did not let it leave his body.

“Still, isn’t taking it all the way into the bathroom a bit much?”

“What chance is there of it being stolen in the bathroom?”

“Don’t you know? Among all places where assassins throughout history have attempted assassination, the bathroom ranks second. When you’re straining your backside, even one of the Ten Great Experts Under Heaven has no choice but to let their guard down.”

“…”

After persuading him like that, I was finally able to make him leave the Ninefold Sword behind when he went to the bathroom.

Meanwhile, rumors reached the Taeul Sect first, but no one inside the Taeul Sect believed those rumors.

Since it was not that far away anyway, using messengers to exchange news would have been a waste, and because the rumors were utterly unbelievable, they were all pretending not to have heard them.

But when they learned that the item Kang Chaeseok had carried in while hugging it tightly like a lover was the Ninefold Sword, the elders and hall masters gathered in Daehyeon Hall embraced one another and shed tears of joy.

For the Taeul Sect, which had only walked a history of humiliation and grief ever since the Iron Sword Sect appeared, it was the moment they relieved one hundred and fifty years of resentment. So not only the elders, but even the young junior brothers of Busaeng Hall embraced one another and shouted.

Such a good day could not simply be allowed to pass.

The elders rushed to the Outer Hall all at once and insisted that a feast had to be held, but my father, who was as stingy as a rusty latch, proposed replacing it with a simple group meal, saying that the budget was insufficient.

“How can that be? This is the Ninefold Sword that Jin Sowoon, a disciple of the Taeul Sect, risked his life to seize.”

Even Hong Mungi, the sect leader, stepped forward and spoke to Jin Taesan, the hall master of the Outer Hall, but he was stubborn.

“I risked my life too, and the hall master of Kuaehwa Hall also risked his life. Are you not worried that if we hold one feast, the children’s side dishes will become shabby for the next half year?”

“This is no ordinary matter, is it? Sowoon protected the honor of the Taeul Sect.”

“I know that very well. So let us just end it with a simple group meal.”

“…Then I will put up my own personal money.”

At the sight of Jin Taesan blocking the feast like Zhang Fei at Changban, Hong Mungi eventually emptied his personal emergency funds, and following Hong Mungi’s example, even the elders and hall masters emptied their private money to prepare the feast expenses.

“Father, we are not struggling that much, are we?”

When I asked while thinking of the account books I constantly reviewed for calculations, Father smiled triumphantly.

“Thanks to this, I was able to empty the emergency funds of the sect leader and the elders, wasn’t I? How dare they try to use public funds on playing and eating?”

“…”

When the news that a feast would be held spread even to the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, Gye Yeonseok wagged his tail like mad, saying he would personally sponsor two cows, five pigs, and ten jars of liquor.

This time, that uniquely irritating arrogance and haughtiness of his were completely gone. It was because Gye Cheolyeong had slipped out at the moment when the Taeul Sect’s people were prepared to fight to the death at the Iron Sword Sect, so he could not lift his head.

Because of this matter, it was decided that of the three Iron Heart Pills received from the Iron Sword Sect, Saryeon and I would receive two, and the remaining one would be gifted later to a disciple with high achievement.

In order to recover his dignity somehow, Gye Yeonseok met separately with the sect leader and said he would give three inns if one Iron Heart Pill were given to Gye Cheolyeong, but it was said that Hong Mungi became stern and threatened that if he said such nonsense again, he would expel Gye Cheolyeong from the Taeul Sect.

“He is insane, insane. How much could one Iron Heart Pill even be worth?”

“Still, thanks to that, the junior brothers of Busaeng Hall are working harder.”

“You little bastard. Three inns in Hefei would make enough money in a year to buy five Iron Heart Pills! How can I not be frustrated!”

“If you are going to grumble like that, you should at least wipe the smile off your lips.”

“What, you brat!”

“I will go out for a bit.”

“Where are you going again?”

“I am tired of Father talking about money, money, so I am going out to earn money.”

“You bastard! What money are you going to earn!”

“I will be back.”

The time had finally come to remove the Gyeryong Merchant Guild from the Taeul Sect.