Chapter 44: A More Relaxed Expression Than the First Day
Chapter 44: A More Relaxed Expression Than the First Day
Unfortunately, my wish did not come true.
"Second Young Master... how is this possible?"
The One Flower Sword Venerable’s voice trembled, though she fought to maintain her composure.
Her original plan must have been this: graciously concede the first three moves, toy with me for twenty or thirty more, and then claim an easy victory. Instead, she had been defeated in a mere three moves.
"Did I not tell you? This is the Black Demonic Sword. You should have been more careful."
I spoke as if I had only won because of the weapon, but she was not the type to hide behind excuses to cover a loss.
"Even if that were the Heavenly Demon Sword itself rather than the Black Demonic Sword, it was a fight I should not have lost."
She knew better than anyone that she had been bested by skill, not just a blade.
"I’ll let you in on a secret. I have already reached Great Achievement in the Flying Heaven Sword Technique."
She was visibly startled.
"Great Achievement? Already? I find that hard to believe."
The Flying Heaven Sword Technique was a martial art comparable to those practiced by the Demon Lords themselves. It was only natural for her to be skeptical that I had mastered such a high-level technique at my age.
"Do you not know my father? Would he appoint his own son as the Huangquan Pavilion Master based on blood ties alone?"
"Even if the Second Young Master has reached Great Achievement in the Flying Heaven Sword Technique..."
"You think my internal energy would have been insufficient? Did I not consume the Heavenly Outer Divine Pill?"
"Ah!"
I didn't bother mentioning that I had also obtained Demon Essence Pills from the Small Heaven Cave.
"I won this duel. Do you acknowledge it?"
"..."
She couldn't bring herself to speak.
"If I had known the Second Young Master’s skill was at this level, I wouldn't have been so careless."
She hadn't known my true strength, and the loss occurred while she was busy conceding the first three moves. Furthermore, her sword had been sent flying by an attack that struck the very moment she tried to speak. For her, it was a humiliating series of unfortunate circumstances.
"So, are you saying you won't acknowledge it? If word gets out that the Sword Venerable broke her word, the label of 'coward' will haunt you for the rest of your life."
"Silence! You don't need to provoke me with such petty words. I keep my promises. Second Young Master, what is it you want?"
"Since you said you would give even your life if you lost..."
"This duel was—!"
She started to make an excuse but bit her tongue. Whether she lost because she was careless or because her martial arts were weaker, a loss was a loss. It was her own arrogance that had led her to concede those three moves in the first place.
"Is it my life you want?"
"Of course not. I’ve been called a madman several times by Elder Blade Demon, but I’m not that crazy."
"Then what do you want?"
"Please accept my apology."
The Sword Venerable was momentarily stunned.
"I apologize for the rudeness I have shown you until now. This is a sincere apology, so please, forgive me."
She stared at me with an expression of utter incomprehension.
"Are you mocking me?"
"No. I was disrespectful to you today. I should not have summoned a senior to this place in such a manner."
"Why are you apologizing to me when you were the one who won?"
"Shall I be honest with you?"
"By all means!"
"I want to win your favor by apologizing like this. I want to earn your sincere support."
"Sincere? Are you talking about sincerity in a succession struggle? If you thought this was a world where such things worked, I am disappointed. I didn't know the Second Young Master was so naive."
"It depends on the opponent. I am the kind of person who, if someone throws dirt at me, pushes them into the mud; if they splash me with water, I respond with sewage. But with you, I want to win using sincerity."
"Why? Do I look that easy to manipulate?"
"No. It is because you possess a noble character. Because among the Eight Demon Lords, you are the one most worthy of respect."
Considering her future life, everything I just said was a lie.
However, those events had not happened yet. If her fate changed starting from her meeting with me, perhaps the future where she caused a bloodbath would vanish, and a new life would unfold. Could I make flowers bloom in the desolate wasteland I saw within her eyes?
"Do you really think that of me?"
"Yes. You are elegant and dignified."
She bit her lip slightly. She seemed pleased by the compliment, yet simultaneously conflicted.
I walked over, pulled the One Flower Sword from where it was lodged in the ground, and handed it back to her.
"Then, I shall see you next time."
After a polite bow, I headed back to my quarters.
I went straight to sleep, so I didn't know how long she stood there in the silence before finally leaving.
*
The following night, the One Flower Sword Venerable sought me out again.
Her eyes and face were puffy, as if she hadn't slept a wink.
"I will accept the Second Young Master’s apology."
"Thank you."
"In exchange, I have one request."
"What is it?"
"I lost yesterday's duel. I admit that. Instead, let us fight again today."
I refused immediately.
"I decline."
"Why?"
"Because I will never be able to win a second time. If you hadn't been careless, and if you hadn't conceded the opening moves, I would never have won."
"But you've reached Great Achievement in the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, haven't you? And your internal power is sufficient. You could win again."
"I won't."
"Why are you so certain?"
"It was the kind of luck that comes once or twice in a lifetime. I am not arrogant enough to mistake that for my own skill."
"I won't set any conditions if I win. Instead, if I lose, I will grant whatever the Second Young Master desires."
She was clearly desperate to reclaim her pride.
I felt like I understood why she had eventually collapsed after causing nothing but bloodbaths as the Cult Leader in my past life.
What was pride worth? To make such an offer without knowing what I might demand... she was truly foolish and naive.
"Senior, I will not tell anyone about yesterday's match. So, you don't need to try so hard to defeat me. No one will ever know what happened."
"One never knows with people. You might let it slip under the influence of alcohol."
"That will not happen."
I didn't rush. As long as I held the initiative, I just had to slowly draw her to my side.
"Please get some rest tonight. You look haggard."
As I turned to go inside, she suddenly spoke.
"It was humiliating."
Her words made me stop in my tracks. I turned back to her.
"Did I not tell you? My victory was purely luck."
"It wasn't just because I lost the duel."
The source of her humiliation was somewhere I hadn't expected at all.
"That comment about... 'not the face'... the more I thought about it, the more humiliated I felt."
Those were the words she had cried out when my sword lunged toward her.
Not the face!
"That's understandable. It's your face, after all. It wouldn't have been any different for me, even as a man."
"A normal person might react that way. But a Sword Venerable cannot. I should have let my face be pierced instead."
It seemed she felt her pride was wounded and she was disgraced for having uttered those words in a moment of panic.
Of course, I understood why she said it. She took as much pride in her appearance as she did in her honor and her title. She was someone who wanted to hear that she looked beautiful and young more than she wanted to hear that she fought well.
"Do you understand now why I came back?"
"Yes."
"Then, will you fight me?"
She was filled with desperation, but my answer did not meet her expectations.
"I still decline."
As I turned away, I heard her shout from behind me.
"Second Young Master!"
"Can you not just let me enjoy this one stroke of luck?"
Then, the Sword Venerable said something unexpected.
"I made a promise. That I would never lose."
"To whom?"
"That I would never lose to anyone except for him."
Him? If there was someone the Sword Venerable referred to as "him" with such reverence...
"Could it be?"
The person who flashed through my mind was the same one whose name left her lips.
"I promised the Cult Leader."
The moment I heard those words, I remembered what my father had told me.
— The Sword Venerable is a person with many scars.
I could see now that there was some deep, unspoken bond between my father and the Sword Venerable.
"When did you make that promise?"
Instead of answering, she simply showed her devotion.
"The only person I respect is the Cult Leader."
I couldn't believe her words.
Could someone who respected my father this much really have caused such a bloodbath just to take his position? Why on earth?
"I do not want to break my promise to the Cult Leader."
She quickly added, perhaps fearing I might harbor some insolent misunderstanding.
"If you are having any impious thoughts right now, let me be clear. Do not insult my pure respect for the Cult Leader."
"No, I wasn't thinking anything like that."
"I'm glad to hear it."
"Why do you respect my father so much?"
The Sword Venerable only gave a faint smile and offered no details.
Since she had brought up her connection with my father, she had played her final card. I could no longer refuse.
"Very well. A promise made to my father must be kept."
The One Flower Sword Venerable rejoiced. It was a smile of genuine happiness, one that made all her previous smiles and laughter seem like mere masks.
"Are you that happy?"
"I am."
"I will give it my all this time as well."
"That is exactly what I want."
I fought the second match with everything I had.
In fact, I felt more excited than during the first duel. The One Flower Sword Venerable was no longer careless, and her eyes were filled with an irrepressible passion.
Of course, this wasn't a fight to the death, but a duel to test our limits.
After ten moves of probing, we passed through a hundred moves as our bodies warmed up, and then over three hundred moves as we unleashed brilliant techniques.
As the duel continued, we both gradually moved beyond the concept of winning or losing.
We fell into the pure joy of clashing martial arts. Who would win became a secondary concern.
I was amazed by the way she linked seemingly impossible techniques, and even more surprised by her instinct for identifying my weaknesses.
Ah! Truly incredible! This person truly deserves the title of 'Venerable' for her sword.
Normally, I wouldn't have had the leisure for such thoughts, but as if by unspoken agreement, we retreated and rested whenever a moment of respite was needed.
Immersed entirely in the act of competing, we reflected on the various techniques we had exchanged.
This moment of pure martial competition provided a greater pleasure than any thrill I had felt at the crossroads of life and death in the past.
Just as I had with my father or Lee An, I had to admit there were parts of her I had misunderstood.
Her desire for honor and her pride were not merely struggles to fill a desolate spirit. Their root lay in her pride in her martial arts.
At least regarding swordsmanship, she was more serious, sincere, and genuine than anyone else in the world. Her attitude toward the sword even reminded me of how my father approached the path of the warrior.
The two of us, who had spent our entire lives learning nothing but the sword, fell deep into a conversation held through our blades.
The result was a draw. In a fight without the intent to kill, our skills were neck and neck.
"Since you likely didn't use your certain-kill move, I have lost this match."
"Is it not the same for you?"
"No, that was the full extent of my skill."
The One Flower Sword Venerable, who had been staring at me quietly, suddenly spoke.
"Second Young Master, thank you."
She left after saying those few words.
But one thing was certain: she returned with a much more relaxed expression than she had on the first day.
I still didn't know how she would act in the future. Since she promised my father she wouldn't lose, she might come back tomorrow. Or perhaps today's duel would be the last.
The duel with her had moved my emotions. I wondered what it meant to her. I couldn't know if it was enough to moisten the parched wasteland of her heart.
Regardless, my investment in her begins now. Making someone your own is truly a difficult task.