The city of Hanan, renowned as the most developed metropolis, always gleamed brightly. Unlike other places that naturally turned dark as night approached, Hanan remained illuminated, unaffected by the cover of darkness. Strings of decorative lanterns spanned the spaces between buildings, ensuring the city was never shrouded in gloom. As a result, even at night, Hanan bustled with rows of market stalls and the crowds that flocked to them, enjoying the vibrant nightlife.
I slowly navigated my way through these throngs, tightly clutching my bamboo hat to ensure it didn’t come off. Frankly, I was so on edge that I used a bit of my internal energy to slightly obscure my presence. To an ordinary person without heightened senses, they likely wouldn’t notice me unless I was right in front of them. They’d hardly even realize I was there.
In that regard, I knew the man following me was no ordinary person. From the moment we met, I could sense it. Despite the fact that I had muted my presence, he had easily spotted me and called out. He had asked for directions to the Baeklim Tavern, and although I hadn’t scrutinized him closely, I knew he was a skilled martial artist. The energy I felt emanating from him was sharp and intimidating, and his gait and the way he breathed were characteristic of a swordsman.
Even if he hadn’t worn the sword at his side, I would have known he was a swordsman. He had to be at least at the peak level of mastery, and perhaps even at the Flame Level. I couldn’t quite gauge his level precisely, which suggested he was concealing it. And if he could hide his level to the point that I couldn’t discern it, he must be at a well-honed peak.
Who was this man? With skills like his, he had to be someone known in the martial world. But nothing about his aura gave me any hints.
Yet, contrary to his intense presence, he was unexpectedly talkative.
“So, my daughter….”
“Yes…”
This man, with a seemingly razor-sharp aura, was unexpectedly loquacious, and most of what he said revolved around his daughter.
‘So his daughter’s a female martial artist staying at the Baeklim Tavern, huh?’
A few names came to mind. There weren’t many female martial artists in the Shinryong Academy. Identifying a female martial artist who wielded a sword should be fairly easy. Of course, just because her father was a swordsman didn’t mean she had to be one, but still, it narrowed things down.
‘Could it be from the Yeon or the Seon family?’
It felt like he belonged to one of those families. I knew a little about both, but I didn’t remember every family name of the female martial artists. A few came to mind, though, and based on his cheerful tone, it sounded like his daughter was one of the survivors.
As I discreetly glanced over at him, the bamboo hat obscured his face too much to discern anything clearly. I could increase my internal energy and heighten my senses to see through it, but he would probably notice if I did that, which might upset him.
I wasn’t particularly interested in other people’s affairs, but my curiosity was piqued by this man.
‘…Could it be…?’
I wondered if he was a family member of someone in my circle. Given that the heads of the Four Great Families were all attending, and three of those families had connections to me, I was a bit wary.
I dismissed the thought quickly, though. ‘There’s no way they would’ve arrived with seven days left to go.’
The Four Great Families were houses of nobility. This meant that their heads were people who carried immense prestige and pride. The first battle these noble families often waged wasn’t with their fists or swords but over something as petty as who would arrive first. It would be a disgrace for any of them to arrive too early. With seven days left, it would be unthinkable for any of them to show up now.
So at the very least, I was confident he wasn’t from one of those families.
I quickened my pace, and from behind, the man called out to me again.
“May I ask what business you have at the tavern?”
“…I have some friends staying there.”
“I see. Friends, you say…”
Judging from his response, he hadn’t realized that I was one of the young martial artists staying there.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Yes?”
Ugh, why was he so talkative?
“Do you happen to know anything about the young martial artist with the title So-yeomra?”
“…”
At the mention of that name, I flinched. Even hearing it made my ears burn.
“…Why do you ask?”
“Well, he’s apparently quite a famous warrior here in Hanan recently.”
“…Famous, yes, but only due to some ludicrous rumors.”
Damn it. I never thought I’d hear people talking about me like this.
It didn’t seem like he suspected me of being So-yeomra, though.
“Rumors, you say. So, you think it’s all just a lot of hot air?”
“Yes, it’s a load of nonsense. Pure exaggeration.”
I replied, and he suddenly patted me on the shoulder.
What was up with this guy?
When I looked over at him, he was beaming, inexplicably delighted.
“Young man, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. I like you!”
“…Suddenly?”
What had I said that was so deep? All I did was dismiss the rumors about So-yeomra as nonsense.
‘Is he… all there?’
Thinking that, I unconsciously put a bit more distance between us. I figured the quicker I got him to the tavern, the sooner I’d be rid of him.
The tavern wasn’t far, but the crowds made it feel like a hassle. Hanan was always bustling, but it seemed especially crowded now. The reason was obvious: the assembly. Specifically, people were flocking here to catch a glimpse of the big names attending.
The assembly was set to feature monsters known as the “kings” of the martial world, and many of the top ten and top hundred warriors were expected to attend. No wonder people were coming from everywhere to witness the spectacle.
“Excuse me, sir.”
As I tried to hurry along, the man called out to me again. I considered telling him to stop talking, but before I could…
“Do you happen to have a fiancée?”
He was now asking about my personal life.
“…Yes, I do.”
And yet, here I was, answering him.
“I see. Do you have feelings for her?”
“I wouldn’t say I dislike her.”
Why was he asking such things? He was certainly making it hard to breathe with all this talking.
After hearing my answer, he fell silent, which I thought would be the end of it.
“My daughter, you see…”
Apparently not. How close was the tavern, again?
‘Not far now.’
I decided not to respond this time. The sooner I got there, the sooner I could say goodbye.
“It seems like my sweet daughter has gotten involved with some rascal.”
“Haha, I see.”
Now that was definitely personal. I couldn’t help but wonder just how exasperated he was to bring it up, but I had no desire to hear it.
“The scoundrel supposedly already has a fiancée.”
“That’s something.”
But this one caught my interest a bit. So, he had a fiancée but was also involved with someone else’s daughter? This guy’s daughter really had questionable taste if she liked someone like that.
“She claims he’s willing to break off his engagement to be with her. Such a rotten bastard, don’t you think?”
“He’s insane.”
Honestly, what a lunatic.
He was willing to ditch his fiancée just to be with someone else? How did he manage to juggle all that?
‘How good-looking must he be to pull that off?’
I bet he was tall and handsome. Whoever he was, he must have had a carefree life. I felt bad for the daughter who had fallen for someone like that, though. A guy like that would likely move on to the next woman without hesitation.
‘Tsk, tsk.’
She was probably a young girl with no experience in the ways of the world. These modern kids… just hearing this made me shake my head. Not that I could speak from experience.
“You must be going through a lot.”
I hadn’t intended to respond, but his story was too pitiful to ignore.
“I appreciate it… But there’s more.”
“There’s… more?”
“Yes. I’ve also heard rumors that this wretched guy has other women around him.”
“…What a character.”
Not just one or two, but more? Wow, he really was something else.
‘Should I envy that?’
Sure, it might be something to admire as a man, but I didn’t feel the slightest bit envious.
While I was lost in thought, the man continued talking.
“For the sake of my daughter, I tried to overlook it… but if the rumors are true…”
‘If they’re true?’
“I’m going to break his limbs. No matter what.”
His voice was filled with killing intent. He was definitely serious.
I didn’t have kids, but if I did, and I found myself in that situation, I’d probably tear the bastard apart too.
“I see… I hope you succeed.”
“Thank you for humoring me with this nonsense, young man.”
It seemed he realized that he’d been rambling. Hearing this, I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
“It was somewhat entertaining.”
That was a lie. It wasn’t entertaining at all, but I figured it was only a matter of time before we parted ways. And sure enough, that time had come, as we arrived at the Baeklim Tavern.
Hanan’s largest inn. Moyong Heea had once told me about another big and fancy inn, but this one was quite impressive too. The food was particularly good.
‘The others are probably waiting for me.’
I’d been spending so much time on my crazy training in the mountains that my meal times were all over the place. I had told them to go ahead and eat without me, but they always waited until I returned. I tried to hurry back because of this. If that was their plan all along, it was quite impressive.
I reached for the door handle, and the man called out to me once more.
“Thank you for showing me the way. When the time comes, I’ll repay the favor.”
As I grabbed the door and opened it, I replied,
“No need to repay me. We just happened to be going the same way.”
I really didn’t want to get further entangled, but he seemed to take it differently and let out a small chuckle.
“That won’t do. It’s only proper to return a favor double, so I’ll do it with my name, Moyong Tae.”
“No, really, it’s… what?”
I froze mid-step, my foot hovering in the air. What did he just say his name was?
“Moyong…?”
“Young Master!”
I heard a familiar voice. Moyong Heea had spotted me from afar and was rushing over, a rare look of urgency on her face.
“Something’s happened… I just got word that my father has arrived in Hanan…”
As she drew nearer, her expression changed to one of sheer panic. She froze upon seeing the man who had followed me in, mirroring my own reaction.
Once I confirmed what I feared, I slowly turned around to face him.
Creeeak.
It was as if my neck had rusted over and creaked as I turned. When I finally looked up, I saw him without the bamboo hat obscuring his face.
Sharp features, thick eyebrows, and piercing, ice-cold eyes. There was a certain softness to his rigid face that mirrored the gentleness and coldness of Moyong Heea.
“…F-Family Head?”
Moyong Heea addressed him in a shaky voice, and my mind went blank.
He also turned his gaze toward me.
Those eyes were like frost.
“Young man.”
His voice was completely different from before.
The man who had spoken so lovingly of his daughter now spoke as if suppressing an eruption of rage.
“…Uh… Um?”
“Now that I think of it, I haven’t asked your name.”
Thunk.
He placed a hand on my shoulder, gently but with a weight that made me feel like my shoulder would dislocate.
“What’s your name?”
“…”
Feeling the immense pressure in his question, I instinctively nodded.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to be absolutely screwed.