Do You Happen to Know Dan Mok-gyeong? (4)
Whether she was the protagonist or not, she was definitely connected to all this.
If she truly had no idea, she wouldn’t have hesitated before answering. She’d put on a decent performance while hiding it, but… there was no way anyone could stay silent when asked outright about a name that no one should know.
“Sorry. It seems I mistook you for someone else.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who should apologize for being unable to answer your question.”
The person I was almost certain was the protagonist of this world returned my apology with a polite fist salute. I mirrored the gesture, bowed my head, then turned to Hye-ryeong, who was staring up at me with a strange look in her eyes.
“Let’s continue our tour.”
“Who was that? You suddenly ran off and startled me.”
Hye-ryeong followed after me and immediately fired off the question. It was a natural reaction; from her perspective, she had every right to be curious.
“...I thought it was someone I knew, but I was wrong.”
“Someone you knew?”
Hye-ryeong looked at me as if she had no idea what I was talking about. I paused to choose my words, then brought up what had happened back in Chibi.
There had been a guard with the surname Dan. He’d asked me to pass on a message to his younger sibling if I ever found them. Fortunately, Hye-ryeong accepted my explanation without suspicion.
“I see…”
“Sorry for startling you.”
“It’s fine. If that’s what happened, you couldn’t help it! Should I help you look for them?”
“No need. If I stay here long enough, we’ll probably run into each other eventually.”
Or rather, she would come looking for me.
I hadn’t called out to that figure watching my back from afar without any plan. Considering the original story, even this single point of contact should be enough to prompt meaningful action from her.
The real conversation would begin from there.
“...Mister, let’s go look around somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“Hmm… how about we just take a stroll around the whole area!”
“Then let’s go.”
Since I had achieved my immediate goal, I could enjoy a relaxed walk. I left the patrol headquarters with Hye-ryeong.
“Good night, mister!”
“You sleep well too.”
After a hectic day, I stepped into the dark room and lit the oil lamp. The flickering flame cast a soft glow, spreading a faint warmth no larger than a grain of millet through the chilly space.
It was far from enough to truly warm the room, but it was still better than nothing. It wasn’t as if I could expect a boiler in this era. Besides, everyone staying here was a martial artist; a little cold like this wouldn’t even give them a sniffle. So a single lamp this small was more than enough for heating.
I sat on the bed, picked up the sword I had leaned against the side, and drew it from its sheath.
The blade reflected the lamplight, scattering a sunset-colored gleam. I had cleaned it just yesterday, so skipping a day wouldn’t hurt, but what kind of swordsman would neglect his blade if not him?
I lightly oiled a cloth and began wiping the sword down.
Since I oiled it every day, the task didn’t take long. Once the blade was spotless with a perfect coat of oil and not a single nick, I sheathed it and pulled out the Shadowless Divine Thief manual I had stored in the drawer.
There was still time left, so I might as well read it.
I still didn’t fully understand the contents, but the more I read and increased my comprehension even a little, the better I could modify the footwork technique to match Western aura arts.
The West didn’t use mana roads with the same precision as here.
Almost all martial arts of the Central Plains were built on the foundation of mana roads—what they called acupoints or meridians—so there were quite a few differences from aura arts. To begin with, unless a master personally taught you the paths along which internal energy flowed, you had to memorize the acupoints first. The characteristic of Central Plains martial arts was how they branched out in countless directions from those memorized points.
By comparison, Western aura arts valued simplicity. Or perhaps it was simply that knightly aura arts tended to lean that way.
At any rate, they focused far more on external techniques than internal energy, unlike the Central Plains. The region wasn’t suited for accumulating internal energy like here, and there weren’t piles of spiritual herbs lying around either. That was why some even ate volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius in an attempt to build up their aura.
Because of that environment, they had to start by learning how to use mana roads with delicate precision.
First, memorize the acupoints, learn how to operate internal energy, then the mental cultivation methods… though I wasn’t sure if I could learn those. There was a mountain of things to study. If I ever got the chance to enter the Wuxia Alliance’s archive later, I would have to take a look.
...There’s a disgusting amount to do.
So it would be nice if she came soon.
I gazed out the window.
It was the hour when everyone prepared for bed. Stars dotted the night sky beyond the window. I stared blankly at them for a while, then lay down on the bed and read the manual.
It wasn’t exactly the best posture for studying, but if I didn’t do this, she definitely wouldn’t come.
I passed the time reading the manual, then quietly put it back in the drawer and closed my eyes.
She wouldn’t appear while I was still wide awake.
“...Wake up.”
“How about you move that sword first?”
I glanced at the blade pressed against my throat and spoke.
“...You sound like you knew I would come.”
A sharp, rough voice tickled my ear.
Just as I had expected, the protagonist of this world had silently broken into my room at dawn and was now glaring at me with eyes full of wariness. Her gaze was a mix of hostility, caution, and doubt.
Since I had deliberately provoked this reaction, the stage was now set for me to handle the situation my way.
“I didn’t approach you with any ill intentions, so how about lowering the sword?”
“…”
This was dangerous. I felt the cold touch of the blade tight against my neck as I sat up. The sword naturally followed the movement, but there was no need to worry too much.
At least if my memory was correct, this girl couldn’t defeat me in my current state.
“If you try anything strange, I will cut you down.”
“Leaning against the wall is fine, right?”
“...”
I quietly leaned my back against the wall.
In that position, I looked up at Dan Mok-gyeong, who was staring down at me, and asked.
“Tell me what you want to know.”
“How did you learn my name…?”
“So you really are Dan Mok-gyeong.”
“How did you know? I have never heard any story about the Yunnan Dan Family having ties with a foreigner from the Western Regions.”
Of course she hadn’t. There were no such ties. But as someone who had read the original novel, I had already prepared a plausible excuse.
“Some time ago, I met a man named Dan Gang-un. He told me the name Dan Mok-gyeong and asked me to find you.”
“That’s impossible. My uncle clearly…”
Mok-gyeong’s eyes widened. She seemed shocked by the unexpected mention of her uncle’s name.
“He left me a final message. The legacy of the Yunnan Dan Family is hidden at the waterfall he often visited.”
Confusion flooded Mok-gyeong’s face. The fact that I had met the uncle she thought was dead, and that he had given me his last words—it was clearly too much to process at once.
I watched her reaction and turned the gears in my head.
If my lie held up, I would become her benefactor… At the very least, it should get me out of the situation where a blade was closer than words.
I had no intention of becoming enemies with the protagonist, so if the misunderstanding could be cleared up, that would be enough…
“...You were my benefactor.”
Mok-gyeong lowered her sword and returned my fist salute.
Seeing the genuine remorse on her face, I waved my hand and spoke.
“No need for anything so grand. Just don’t forget to go check it.”
“...Thank you. But where exactly did you meet my uncle…?”
His location, huh.
I searched through the contents of the original story and answered.
“I met him in Huaning, Yunnan.”
“D-do you know where he is now?”
“...No. When I met him, he was already on the verge of death.”
In truth, he had been found somewhere in Huaning and buried by a herbalist, so she would probably discover him if she searched.
“I see…”
I didn’t realize I was this good at spinning lies.
I marveled at myself while observing Mok-gyeong’s reaction.
She was staring at the floor, quietly murmuring “Uncle…” in a distant voice.
I waited patiently so the protagonist, who had lost everything, could sink into her emotions.
Her family had been destroyed. Learning that the uncle she thought was dead had left behind a final message must have stirred up a torrent of feelings.
Even if it was a lie.
After some time passed, Mok-gyeong bowed to me once more with a fist salute.
“Thank you, Benefactor.”
“It’s late. You should head back now.”
“Understood. Then…”
“Wait. Don’t move from there.”
“Yes?”
I swiftly grabbed my longsword and thrust it toward the door. At the same moment, the door opened and a blade came flying out of the darkness, aimed straight at Mok-gyeong.
My longsword, placed exactly on the expected path, blocked the incoming sword’s trajectory. The blade froze in midair, trembling, and a familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows.
“Mister?”
“Hye-ryeong, he’s not a bad person. Put away your sword.”
This is exactly why I hate having someone in the room right next door.
I let out a sigh at the now even more complicated situation.