The First Disciple's Request
“Took you longer than I expected.”
When I returned to my master’s residence, she was still in the pavilion. She had the pipe I’d given her between her lips, exhaling thick clouds of smoke while gazing down over the grounds. With the pipe in one hand and her arm resting on the railing, she leaned against a pillar. The pose was oddly alluring, and I couldn’t help letting out a small cough.
“Why the cough?”
“Ahem. It’s nothing, Master. By the way…”
“What is it?”
“Did you go somewhere?”
“…Hm?”
“Your breathing seems a little rough.”
It wasn’t just a guess. Normally, Master drew in a long breath from the pipe and exhaled slowly. Right now, she was puffing the smoke out almost immediately after inhaling, as if she’d just returned from somewhere and her breathing hadn’t quite settled. The shoes she’d left here were also in a slightly different spot. When I narrowed my eyes and checked her feet, I even spotted a few blades of grass clinging to them.
Just as I was about to ask again, she spoke first.
“Hyeon-ah.”
She called me by name instead of “disciple.” I knew exactly what that meant and shut my mouth at once. It was a warning not to press further when the answer would be difficult.
Honestly, it wasn’t my place to question where or when my master came and went. If anything, it felt like the disciple was monitoring the master’s every move. Realizing my mistake, I fell silent, and the atmosphere grew awkwardly cold.
In times like this, the best way to clear the air was with a gift.
“Master, about the ring you asked for earlier.”
“Mm?”
“This disciple managed to obtain one. Would you like to see it?”
“…Let me have a look. I know my disciple’s eye for quality, so I’m rather looking forward to it.”
She was always completely sincere when it came to accessories, especially those with gemstones. The way her eyes sparkled now made it clear her anticipation was far more than “rather.”
Still, after all these years she’d become quite good at lying. She no longer fidgeted or turned red like she used to.
“How is it?”
“…It’s lovely.”
Of course she would say that. The silver body had a subtle elegance, and the ruby set into it suited her perfectly. If she were a professional appraiser, she might have pointed out the tiny scratches, but the woman sitting before me was simply someone who had never been allowed to enjoy the things a woman should. Naturally, her reaction was warm.
A faint smile touched her lips as she accepted the ring from me. To anyone else it might have looked like an ordinary smile, but remembering that she almost never smiled at all, it was an unmistakably positive response.
“Take it back.”
“Pardon?”
She suddenly returned the ring. She’d said it was good, so I’d assumed she would put it on right away. Worry flooded in—had I chosen poorly?
“Master? Is there something you don’t like…?”
“You insolent disciple. Tch.”
“Why?”
“Think back. When you gave me those earrings before, what did you do?”
“…I put them on you myself, didn’t I?”
“Exactly. So why aren’t you putting the ring on me today?”
For a split second I almost blurted out, “That logic makes no sense.” The reason I’d put the earrings on her back then was because she had no idea how to wear them herself. She’d fumbled with them so clumsily I’d been afraid she’d tear her earlobe. But a ring? Even someone who’d never touched jewelry before could manage that.
“Master…”
I knew perfectly well what it meant in the modern world for a man to slide a ring onto a woman’s finger. A flicker of reluctance rose, but before I could speak, she extended her hand toward me without hesitation, as if to say, “What are you waiting for?”
…Did the murim world also treat putting a ring on a woman’s finger as a proposal? Damn it, I’d never read a single murim novel, webtoon, or game. Still, with the fearsome Heavenly Demon holding her hand out, I couldn’t exactly refuse.
Resigning myself and praying I was overthinking things, I carefully slipped the ring onto her finger—onto her index finger, at least, as a small safeguard.
“Hmm.”
Fortunately, it seemed my fears were unfounded. I studied her face anxiously, but there was no change in expression. She simply examined the ring now sitting neatly on her index finger.
“As expected, my disciple’s taste is flawless even in these matters.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“You did well. After dealing with those monsters, you still went out of your way to buy this.”
“…You knew?”
I’d fought the monsters, yet not a single drop of their blood had touched me. Still, she knew.
“Ahem. I could faintly smell those disgusting things.”
“Ah… I’m sorry. I thought I’d gotten rid of the scent.”
“It’s fine. In any case, your sincerity is commendable, so I’ll accept it.”
She placed the pipe back between her lips. The Heavenly Demon wearing a silver cross earring in one ear and a ruby ring on her finger was an oddly mismatched yet strangely fitting sight.
“Master.”
“What is it?”
“Actually, I wasn’t the one who bought the ring.”
“…What do you mean?”
“To be precise, my disciple bought it first, and I purchased it from them.”
“In the end it’s the same thing.”
“It is, but if praise is being given, I thought my disciple should receive some as well…”
The relationship between my disciples and my master was just as important as the one between them and me. Even though she was the Heavenly Demon and therefore unable to slay Fragments of the Demon God, she could still teach the Heroes who held that role.
“Hmm… Proper recognition is important. Very well. Which child helped you?”
“Do you remember Garam? My first disciple.”
“Garam… Ah, yes. I remember. That strangely shaped fox, wasn’t she?”
“That’s right. The people here call her kind beastkin.”
“Her swordplay was quite bold and unpredictable, even if not quite at my level. Yes, I remember.”
From her reaction, Garam’s skill had clearly impressed her. Most others would have received harsh criticism—too slow, too predictable—but her evaluation of Garam was surprisingly generous.
After exhaling a long stream of smoke, she made a casual gesture. Permission to bring Garam here.
Normally she would have said it was troublesome or that she didn’t bother with children, but today she’d received a gift and a visit, so her mood was good.
“Garam!”
Unlike Iris, she didn’t come running from afar shouting “Yes, Master!” Instead, with the explosive physicality unique to beastkin, she appeared behind me in an instant. She dropped to one knee right beside me and bowed.
“I greet the Grand Master.”
“Come in. You’ve grown quite a bit. The first time I saw you, you were just a little girl.”
“A lot of time has passed since then. Yet you look exactly the same, Grand Master.”
“Even time itself is nothing more than a word before me.”
It wasn’t a joke or a lie. In truth, Garam looked more like the older sister. Compared to Garam’s mature, seductive image, Master still appeared like a slightly youthful woman. Thanks to Marrow Cleansing, age and time held no meaning for her.
“I heard from your master that you obtained this ring for me.”
She raised her hand slightly, showing the ring on her index finger. Garam nodded once in acknowledgment.
“You did well. I called you here to reward you for bringing such an accessory to me.”
“I merely paid the price for something my master wished to obtain.”
“Either way, it reached me in the end. You said you paid for it?”
“Yes.”
“Then did you receive the money back from your master?”
“Yes. Exactly the amount.”
“I see. But my pride won’t allow things to end there. If my disciple’s disciple paid the price, then I must pay a separate price as well.”
“…Then, may I make a request of you, Grand Master?”
Sudden unease prickled at me. Was she about to ask for the ring back, or tell her not to wear it? Something equally absurd?
“Would you be willing to grant this unworthy one some guidance?”
…As expected of Garam, my first disciple. Iris might have made some strange request, but Garam was asking for a sparring match with the Heavenly Demon herself.
“You’re requesting a match with me right now?”
“Yes.”
“Even for you now, it will be quite difficult.”
“It won’t even qualify as a proper match. I simply wish to fill my own shortcomings with the Grand Master’s teachings. Please grant this unworthy second-generation disciple’s request.”
She kept her head lowered in respect yet refused to bend her will. It seemed to please Master. A faint smile slowly bloomed on her lips.
“If that is what you desire, then so be it. However, I will not use a sword. You will. Do you have any complaints about that?”
“None whatsoever. It is already an honor that the Grand Master is willing to instruct me.”
When Garam answered, Master’s smile deepened. Then she turned her gaze to me.
“You said she was your first disciple?”
“Yes, Master.”
“I’m rather looking forward to this. She seems suitable to lead the other disciples.”
With those words, Master slowly rose from her seat. She tapped the ash from her pipe, set it down on the pavilion, and spoke.
“Well then, shall we go watch the fox perform a few tricks?”
The Sword Hero—Garam, who had even earned the title Sword Emperor from others. If the people here heard the Heavenly Demon refer to her skill as “tricks,” they would probably foam at the mouth or shout that it was disrespectful.