Calm Before the Storm (3)
I let out a heavy sigh as I watched Hye-ryeong collapse onto the training ground floor.
“Ughhh… I’m dying here…”
She was panting hard, her chest rising and falling with each labored breath. The sight was far too stimulating for a former soldier like me. I quickly averted my gaze.
After spending nearly two years rolling around battlefields with sweaty men, seeing something like this was enough to crack a man’s sanity. That’s exactly what it felt like.
So please, for the love of my sanity, just be a little more self-aware… Ha.
She wasn’t eating like that on purpose, so what was the point in complaining? It wasn’t like she could just shrink them, either. I kept my eyes fixed on the empty air and spoke.
“Get up. Resting while sitting on the ground like that isn’t good for you.”
For my sanity.
“Okay…”
I heard the sound of her patting off her clothes as she stood. Only then did I turn my gaze forward—
“Hye-ryeong, fix your clothes a bit.”
That nearly gave me a heart attack. Thank goodness the bandages were there. If they hadn’t been, I would’ve been in serious trouble. As I looked away again, I heard the rustle of fabric being adjusted.
“Hehe. All fixed!”
“Good. Let’s clean up the training ground and go get something to eat.”
“Okay~”
Hye-ryeong hummed a cheerful tune, clearly delighted at the prospect of food. It was a melody you’d normally hear in classical Eastern dance. I let it wash over me with one ear as I began picking up the wooden sword fragments scattered across the ground.
Leaving splinters behind could injure anyone who came to train later, so collecting them thoroughly was important. I gathered every last piece and piled them neatly in the corner.
I recalled one of the servants saying they’d take care of them if left here. With that in mind, I turned around.
“Let’s go.”
“We worked up quite a sweat, so today’s meal should be—”
“…We should probably shower first. Or rather, bathe.”
Now that I thought about it, going like this wouldn’t do. I could get away with just washing my face and hands, but Hye-ryeong… She must have noticed her own state too, because she gave an awkward little laugh.
“Hehe… I’ll go wash up quickly!”
“Once you’re done, come to my room.”
Wait, that sounded wrong too.
I instinctively shut my mouth and glanced at her. Hye-ryeong was still looking at me with that bright, innocent smile. She didn’t seem to have caught the double meaning at all.
Thankfully, she didn’t appear to find anything strange about it, so I could breathe easy.
“See you in a bit!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
We turned our backs to each other and headed toward our respective rooms.
How long had we been walking? Suddenly, Hye-ryeong’s voice rang out from behind me.
“Mister! You can’t just say things like that so casually!”
Her bright laughter quickly faded into the distance.
“…”
…So she did know.
“I wonder when the letter we sent to the Wuxia Alliance’s Yangguang branch will arrive.”
Lim Ha-bong, the sect leader of the Hainan Sect, gazed down at the village visible beyond the window as he spoke.
It was an attempt to ease the frustration weighing on his chest, but unfortunately, it did little to relieve the pressure.
No amount of grumbling would make the Demonic Cult give up on destroying the Hainan Sect.
“Shouldn’t it have arrived by now?”
Lim Ha-jin, the next sect leader, offered a hopeful reply to his master’s complaint. But Lim Ha-bong’s expression only darkened further.
He answered in a skeptical tone.
“I’m not so sure.”
I can only hope it reached them safely.
“Il-san is quick on his feet. Even if the Demonic Cult’s dogs tried to follow him, he would have shaken them off easily.”
“That rascal certainly is fast.”
The sect leader gave a faint smile at his disciple’s words, then fell into quiet thought as he stared at the clean horizon, pretending nothing was wrong.
To think they would make us the first sacrifice of this war…
The Hainan Sect was the smallest among the Nine Great Sects.
Based on the small island of Hainan, it was difficult for outsiders to visit, and the constant raids by Japanese pirates meant many disciples either lost the ability to wield a sword or died outright. As a result, their numbers never grew easily.
While they were treated as a major sect, in reality their scale was rather ambiguous.
Even the truly powerful sects, those several ranks above them, would suffer devastating losses in a direct confrontation with the Demonic Cult—losses that would force them to close their gates for years. Could the Hainan Sect possibly endure?
This is truly difficult.
One wrong move and the Hainan Sect’s nameplate could turn to ash in his generation.
If only it ended with the nameplate being destroyed, that would be better.
While the sect was important, it could never be more important than the lives of his disciples. In the worst case, he had even considered abandoning the sect to save them.
It would be better than losing both the disciples and the sect, but since Hainan Island was home to more than just the sect’s members, such a choice was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
We must hold them off no matter what.
The warriors of the Hainan Sect, the residents of the island, and…
“Haa. I’m not sure if it’s right to drag Great Hero Wi into this matter.”
“Great Hero Wi may be an outsider, but he is an excellent martial artist.”
“That’s exactly why I’m worried. We have no choice but to risk our lives to protect our home, but that isn’t the case for Great Hero Wi, is it?”
He was, after all, an outsider. Simply repelling the Japanese pirates should have been more than enough repayment. At the very least, he had helped ensure the next sect leader didn’t die.
“That is true.”
A dark shadow fell over Lim Ha-jin’s face as well. This was the first time he had ever heard his usually confident master speak so weakly.
The Demonic Cult truly is a terrifying force.
“So, Ha-jin. If things go wrong…”
“You want me to take Great Hero Wi and Hye-ryeong and flee. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
Lim Ha-jin frowned, as if he already knew what his master would say. For someone born and raised on Hainan Island, it was a deeply repulsive suggestion. The same went for anything involving Hye-ryeong.
“It is.”
“Aren’t you being too protective of Hye-ryeong? She’s old enough now to understand what’s happening.”
“But she is still too young and fragile to be thrown into a battlefield like this. Moreover, I made a promise to my younger sister before she died that I would protect that child with my life.”
My own death doesn’t matter. But Hye-ryeong…
Wasn’t that why he had taken her in as his youngest disciple—so he could keep her close and protect her? Even if the Hainan Sect burned to ash, he wanted to save her at all costs.
Having cared for her like a daughter since she was too young to even speak properly, the paternal love he felt for her only strengthened that resolve.
“…Understood.”
“Now I feel a little more at ease. Still, Ha-jin, if we make good use of the island’s natural advantages, we may not be completely without a chance. Let us set escape as the last resort and focus entirely on defense.”
“We will win.”
It was a baseless boast.
Even so, the sect leader felt a small sense of reassurance in his heart.
The time of the decisive battle is not far off.
There was no way to know exactly when they would come.
But… Lim Ha-bong instinctively knew that the Demonic Cult would soon arrive to annihilate the Hainan Sect.
All we can do is give it our absolute best.
“…And so, they are preparing their defenses thoroughly.”
“This has become troublesome.”
Geum Cheon-gang, leader of the Black Shark Squad, stared at the faint silhouette of Hainan Island visible beyond the horizon and fell into thought.
I should not have used those Japanese pirates after all.
He had heard there were some skilled pirates and had commissioned them, but the ones who were supposed to raid the island lightly, escape, and deliver information had been completely wiped out without even managing to leave the island.
Losing the advance payment is regrettable, but now is not the time to dwell on that.
Their objective was the complete destruction of the Hainan Sect.
Even if the mission’s difficulty had increased, they had to succeed.
That was the sole reason for the Black Shark Squad’s existence.
“Squad Leader Geum.”
“Third. Speak.”
“Will we proceed with the operation as planned?”
“Of course. It has become a bit more difficult… but it is not impossible to break through. This level of complication was something we had already accounted for.”
“However… since we cannot know the internal situation, perhaps it would be better to delay a little longer…”
His subordinate, who had a rather cautious personality, offered a worried suggestion. Geum Cheon-gang frowned and rebuked him sharply.
“Third! Once a plan has begun, we cannot stop halfway. At the very least, we have confirmed that the Japanese pirates devastated the western port. You know as well as I do that we must strike now if we are to have any chance of victory. If we give them more time… we will never return to Tianshan. Do you understand?”
“My thoughts were too short-sighted.”
It was good to be cautious and wait for the right moment.
But in the end, the Black Shark Squad existed only to carry out orders. Their choices were limited.
The Hainan Sect’s warriors, even if you include every third-class martial artist, do not exceed six hundred. Four hundred members of the Black Shark Squad should be more than enough to handle them.
The Demonic Cult had specifically trained the Black Shark Squad in the counters to the Hainan Thirty-Six Swords, naval combat, and stealth techniques just to deal with the Hainan Sect.
Since they had been created for the sole purpose of eliminating them, the basic advantage clearly lay with their side.
We will deal with the sect leader, Lim Ha-bong, using sword formations and poison.
“Relay this to all squad members. The time has come for us to reveal ourselves to the world.”
“Understood!”
Third’s voice echoed across the cliff.
Geum Cheon-gang watched him for a moment before lifting his head to look at the sky.
The years spent swallowing hatred and living in hiding are finally coming to an end. Now… a new heaven will open.
The long-suppressed declaration of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s return began to ride the sea breeze, flying toward the Hainan Sect.