The Heavenly Demon's Dignity
I stood quietly in front of my master's room, waiting patiently. At this hour, she was almost certainly doing what she always did—sitting in lotus position, circulating her internal energy in a meditative state. To the untrained eye it might look like nothing at all, but for her it was the single most important ritual to begin the day. And if she were interrupted mid-circulation, the chaos it could cause inside her body would be no small matter.
Of course, Master already knew I was waiting right outside her door. I'd made just enough of a presence for her to notice.
“...You may enter.”
Once her permission came, I opened the door and stepped inside. Naturally, I was careful not to approach her too hastily. The very first time I'd done so, I'd walked in on her while she was still in the middle of putting on her clothes.
For some strange reason, whenever the Heavenly Demon sat in lotus position to circulate her energy, she insisted on doing it completely naked. Something about clothing interfering with her focus. I had no idea why she was so stubborn about it. It wasn't as if she were a frog that needed to breathe through her skin. Still, if that was what she wanted, who was I to argue? All I could do was be as cautious as possible on my end.
Saruk—
Once the sound of rustling clothes had died down, I finally approached her. She had washed herself, but unlike other women she didn't bother with powders or makeup. Even so, her beauty was still enough to throw any man's heart into disarray.
“...What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“The next destination has been decided. So...”
“You came to inform me, is that it?”
“Yes, Master.”
“How strange. Is the one leading this journey not you, but me?”
“That is true, but it still felt only proper to report to you...”
“When you entrust a task to someone responsible, even an emperor should refrain from meddling. Especially when the one who planned and will carry out the entire operation is you. Why do you keep worrying about your master's opinion?”
“...”
“Do as you wish. This master will simply support you from behind. Did I not tell you? That I would stand at your back. I will no longer stand in front of you like before.”
She was phrasing it in a rather roundabout way, but the message was clear. She didn't want me bowing my head to her in front of the other disciples. This journey belonged entirely to me, and she would simply remain quiet in the background. I could feel how hard she was trying to protect the pride of her one and only disciple.
“...Thank you.”
Because I understood the heart behind those words, I bowed my head. Although she was once known as the Heavenly Demon—the most ruthless figure in all of Murim—right now, to me, she was simply the most reliable master in the world.
“Still, since you've come all this way, I suppose I should hear the details.”
Master sat down and spoke. I explained in full that our next destination would be the Royal Capital, and that the royal family—both the owners of the capital and the rulers of the kingdom—were quite uncomfortable with my disciples. With the Heroes.
“...I understand what you're saying. It was the same when I was in Murim. The imperial family and the martial world existed in the same realm, yet the basic principle was to avoid interfering in each other's affairs as much as possible. The imperial family didn't want unnecessary chaos. And the martial world couldn't withstand the empire's overwhelming wealth and endless supply of weapons and soldiers.”
“Actually, that part always made me curious. With powerhouses like you, Master, wouldn't it be possible to wipe out the imperial family in an instant if thousands of you stepped forward?”
I didn't know much about the world of Murim. I'd only encountered it a few times and barely knew a handful of terms. So I had no real understanding of how that world operated.
“You might think so at first glance. But the imperial family is not without power. They have the Imperial Guard, and weapons far more terrifying than anything used in Murim. And they have the wealth to make all of it possible. From what I see, the relationship between your disciples and this so-called royal family isn't all that different. They know each other's strength, so they avoid provoking one another. But the moment that line is crossed, everything could explode. That's why they're trying to maintain that boundary and avoid any unnecessary stimulation, isn't it?”
“...If you put it that way, yes.”
“Exactly. That's simply how the world works. Me, you, your disciples—we're no different from the countless masters who once walked the martial world. If a blade pierces the heart or severs the neck, we die. And even a child can swing a blade. Those who understand this truth fall into two categories: those who will kill even children, and those who will not lay a hand on them. I've noticed the former never lasts long. That is why I find you and your disciples—who follow the latter path—truly admirable.”
I bowed my head at her words. The truth was, we had no choice. Fighting with only the disciples would have been incredibly difficult. To gather as many allies as possible—or at least ensure they didn't become enemies—we had to show that we wouldn't harm even the innocent. That was why the disciples were Heroes by nature, and why I had stolen Master's position in order to guide them. In the end, it was how I became the master of all those children.
“So, when do we depart?”
“I plan to leave sometime this afternoon.”
“You could have left in the morning.”
“That was the original plan, but...”
“I see. You're trying to manage public sentiment, aren't you?”
I nodded. Although it was a remote area on the western outskirts with almost no floating population, it was still inhabited land. The Demon God Worshippers could appear at any time. Reducing the number of enemies, even by one, was always better. And if there was an easier, simpler way to do it, it was worth the effort. Even if it was a little annoying and time-consuming, rooting out the seeds of trouble was the best course of action.
“Two Heroes have come to this remote land. If they rest here without showing the people anything at all, many will surely be disappointed. So I told the disciples to take a little time and give the locals a proper display of their power.”
“What a wicked master you are, putting your disciples to work like that.”
“In the end, it's all for their sake. They wouldn't want to hurt ordinary people who were deceived by evil and forced to attack them.”
Master nodded in agreement. She had already acknowledged that the final decisions were entirely mine to make. After all, even the Heavenly Demon only drew her sword against opponents worthy of being called true martial artists. Why would she bother with civilians who couldn't even put up a fight?
“Then we still have some time left. Would you like to spar with this master once?”
“...I'm sorry. That might be a little...”
“Hah. Since when does a martial artist fear crossing blades?”
“It's not the crossing of blades that worries me. It's what comes after.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you and I truly went all out, I guarantee this entire place would collapse.”
Back in the mountains, I could swing my sword without any worries. I could just chop down all the vegetation, clear out a space, and everything would be fine. No matter what I did or how much power I used, there was no one around to get hurt. But here we were in the middle of a very cramped territory. If we sparred seriously, not only the castle but half the fief would be destroyed. Someone might ask why I couldn't just hold back, but knowing Master's personality, how could a half-hearted spar ever be considered a real fight? She probably understood that perfectly well. The reason she kept bringing up sparring was likely just her way of teasing me a little—something very unlike her usual self.
“Master.”
Since she kept teasing me, I felt like teasing her back. After all, subtly messing with Master was my specialty.
“Instead of sparring, would it be alright if I did something else for you?”
“What else could there be?”
“I could wash your feet for you.”
Master looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, Huh? Then, suddenly, the Heavenly Demon scooted backward in a hurry.
“Y-you scoundrel! Such a shameless act!”
“Last time when I offered to wash your feet, you didn't say anything.”
It wasn't some kind of event or an attempt to raise favorability. It was simply a gesture of gratitude—washing the feet of someone who had worked hard. I had done the same for my mother and father in the past. I'd offered it as an extension of that custom, and her reaction back then had been quite entertaining. Her face had turned so red it looked like it might explode. And it seemed that hadn't changed much even now. Master's face was gradually growing redder as she stammered incoherently. She even curled her toes and pulled her feet back, as if showing them was incredibly embarrassing.
...Wait a second. Now that I thought about it, hadn't Master stepped on me quite a lot in the past? Not in any strange way, but literally. During training, after I'd been knocked down, she had stomped on me quite frequently.
“This is a serious breach of etiquette! How dare you touch a woman's feet so casually!”
“You didn't say anything back then. And the one who said she was a master before she was a woman, and the Heavenly Demon before she was a master, is none other than you, Master.”
“Ahem! Hmph! That was then, this is now! Anyway, enough! Get out at once!”
“Master? I still haven't finished what I was saying...”
“Out! Begone, you rascal!”
At Master's order to leave, I had no choice but to exit the room.
...There. She won't call me back now, right? Okay, operation successful. I was worried she'd keep pushing for a spar, but I managed to defend against it again!
Click—
“...My disciple.”
Damn it, that startled me. I had just turned around while silently cheering when Master opened the door again, as if she'd seen right through me. I quickly schooled my expression in case she read my thoughts.
“Yes, Master.”
“There is one thing I forgot to mention.”
“...”
I refuse to spar. Please. There's no space here to cause a scene.
“You said that once we reach the Royal Capital, we would have no choice but to lower our heads somewhat.”
“That is correct.”
“You said it was to avoid unnecessary friction.”
“I did say that.”
“It is not a pleasant prospect, but it is understandable. I agreed to follow your wishes. However, my disciple, remember this one thing.”
I could already guess what she was about to say. It hadn't been just a day or two since I'd been with her—with the Heavenly Demon. How could I not know how she would react in this kind of situation?
“If the humans there cross the line, I will not stand by quietly.”
“That goes without saying. If they cross the line, I have no intention of overlooking it either.”
I might not be as extreme as Master, but I was still someone who had learned from the Heavenly Demon, after all.