Chapter 28: The Demon Sword (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Demon Sword (5)
We had stayed the night at the lodge, and morning had arrived.
Well, to be precise, it was still the middle of the night. But if we wanted to reach the Tang Clan's estate by day's end, we needed to be up and preparing around this time.
I stepped out of my room, shaking off the grogginess of sleep, and scanned my surroundings with a weary gaze. Just then, Wi Seol-Ah emerged from the servants' quarters.
She looked just as drowsy as I felt, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. I walked over and gave her a light flick on the forehead.
"Ow!"
"Wake up. Go wash your face."
"It huuuurts…"
"Stop being so dramatic. What kind of servant wakes up after their master?"
"The other servant sisters left without waking me…"
"You need to learn to wake yourself up."
"Sorry…"
After our brief exchange, Wi Seol-Ah shuffled downstairs with small, sleepy steps.
I wondered how long it would be before we could set off.
About two hours, maybe?
- Creak
I turned toward the sound of an opening door. It was Namgung Cheonjun.
He was already fully dressed and looked ready to depart. When our eyes met, I frowned.
Do I still need to greet him?
After what happened yesterday, I honestly didn't feel the need.
His gaze sharpened when he saw me, and he opened his mouth as if to say something—
But just then, Namgung Bi-ah stepped out of her room.
The moment she appeared, Namgung Cheonjun's expression transformed instantly, reverting to the kind, friendly older brother persona he'd shown when we first met.
"Young Master Gu, you're up early. Did you sleep well?"
"...Ugh."
I was genuinely impressed by the sheer speed of his switch. Where had the Namgung Cheonjun who looked like he wanted to slice me in half vanished to?
It reminded me of Peng Woojin. I'd initially thought he was a lunatic, but seeing the Young Master of the Namgung Family now, I felt a little bad for having judged Peng Woojin so harshly.
That guy might have been insane, but at least he was a decent person.
This Namgung Cheonjun, however, was a straight-up lunatic.
Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head, confused by my reaction and our standing together. Her eyes clearly asked what was going on.
"I happened to run into Young Master Gu after waking up. You look like you just got up yourself."
"Ah… Yes…"
"We'll be leaving soon, so you should start preparing. I'll send a servant to your room."
"...Alright."
Watching their exchange, I concluded that Namgung Cheonjun was a pro at cutting people off. The ease with he consistently interrupted his sister showed this was a well-practiced habit.
Namgung Bi-ah gave a short yawn and returned to her room. The moment her door closed, Namgung Cheonjun's expression switched back again—the sharp glare from before returned in full force.
He spoke, his voice low.
"Don't forget the warning I gave you yesterday."
Then he went downstairs without another word.
As I watched him leave, a thought crossed my mind: Was the man known in the future as the Lightning Sword always like this?
Before Namgung Bi-ah went mad and annihilated her clan, he had been renowned as a man of justice, the Lord of the Namgung Family who would protect the world.
The Namgung people were truly insane, from the Lord down to his descendants. The experiences of both my lives did nothing but reaffirm this fact.
And someone like that is fated to lead the Namgung Family? What a world…
I headed downstairs shortly after.
The Gu Family servants were already gathered on the first floor.
Muyeon saw me coming down and immediately approached.
"Young Master, would you like to eat something?"
"Hm… I'm not particularly hungry…"
"The dumplings are quite good."
"In that case, I'll have some."
The word 'dumpling' struck a chord within me.
Wi Seol-Ah, who still looked half-asleep, was having her hair tended to by the other servants.
"Seol-Ah has such lovely hair."
"Isn't it because she's young? I had nice hair when I was young, too…"
"Pfft, nice? Your hair was such a mess your brother said it could be used as a mop!"
"...Don't bring that up. I scratched his face when he first said it."
"Oh? I asked him where the scar on his face came from, and he told me a cat did it. So that 'cat' was you, huh?"
"Is Sister Hongwa's hair a mop?"
"Seol-Ah, don't pick up such rude words!"
They were engaged in idle chatter, with the drowsy Wi Seol-Ah occasionally chiming in.
But… why does she have a dumpling in her hand? Does she eat even in her sleep?
I shook my head at the scene and followed Muyeon to where the food was.
After sitting down, I picked up a dumpling and took a bite…
Delicious…
- Scrape
I heard a chair being dragged over next to me. I looked to the side—it was Namgung Bi-ah. She looked freshened up… but that wasn't the issue.
Why are you sitting next to me!?
"...I believe your place is over there, not here."
The Namgung Clan members had gathered on the other side of the room. Logically, Namgung Bi-ah should have been with them.
Her sitting by me caused the clan of lunatics to focus their fiery glares on me.
Seemingly oblivious, Namgung Bi-ah reached for a dumpling. I intercepted her with my chopsticks.
"Lady Namgung, that is my dumpling. And why are you sitting here, again?"
"...I just sat in the nearest empty seat."
"Your brother is staring daggers at me."
"...?"
Namgung Bi-ah turned to look at her brother, but all she saw was his kind, chameleonic smile.
"What a lunatic."
Why is he treating me like this? Did I actually do something to offend him?
Namgung Bi-ah looked back at me, her eyes full of confusion. I decided to let it be.
But stop stealing my dumplings, you…
I stood up after shoving the last dumpling into my mouth.
Namgung Bi-ah remained seated, a forlorn look in her eyes as she stared at the empty bowl. What could she do?
As she sat there looking desolate, Wi Seol-Ah randomly appeared with more dumplings. Though I suspected they were meant for herself.
It was a rare sight—someone so obsessed with food offering her share to another. A situation where neither party would likely be satisfied.
Seeing Wi Seol-Ah's gesture, Namgung Bi-ah patted her head and accepted the dumplings.
Wi Seol-Ah beamed, clearly proud of her good deed, then came and sat beside me.
She tilted her head toward me, expecting a pat in return.
I flicked her forehead instead.
"Ow!!"
"What are you seeking praise for?"
"Grandpa said it's good to share food with someone who's hungry…"
"She would have gotten plenty of food from others without you! Now go eat more dumplings."
"...Okay."
With a sad expression, she returned to the other servants, who dutifully fed her more dumplings.
I sighed and closed my eyes to rest. Muyeon approached a short while later.
"Young Master, it looks like we'll be departing soon."
"Sooner than I thought. Is everything prepared for the journey?"
"Yes. As soon as we finish eating, we will load the necessities into the carriages."
We would probably arrive sometime after noon.
Thankfully, we were still more or less on schedule.
"Alright then, let's get rea—"
As I spoke, I noticed Muyeon's attention was elsewhere.
I followed his gaze and saw Namgung Bi-ah staring intently at his sword.
Sigh… This girl.
"...Lady Namgung, we've already declined your challenge. Please stop staring; you're making my servant uncomfortable."
With that, I released Muyeon, seeing it was impossible to continue our conversation in this atmosphere.
Muyeon quickly bowed and made himself scarce, visibly relieved to be dismissed.
"Why are you so fixated on Muyeon?"
I turned to Namgung Bi-ah after he left, my irritation clear.
"There are plenty of other skilled swordsmen you could meet."
"He is very strong… I feel I could learn a great deal by crossing blades with him."
"Then go practice with your brother, who's staring at me like a madman."
"Cheonjun is…"
Namgung Bi-ah trailed off, making me frown.
Shouldn't the Lightning Sword be incredibly powerful? Right now, he should be stronger than Gu Yeonseo and Gu Jeolyub, though I wasn't sure about Muyeon.
Namgung Cheonjun was on a level where I couldn't beat him even if I used the same tactics I did against Gu Jeolyub.
Thinking that far, I suddenly paused as a realization struck me.
Come to think of it, shouldn't Namgung Bi-ah herself be a well-known figure?
The Demonic Sword was a peerless swordswoman.
Even before she became a demonic being, she was insanely powerful. So…
There's no way her monstrous talent for the sword hasn't blossomed by now.
I couldn't gauge their exact levels, but I was sure she couldn't be far behind the lunatic currently giving me death glares.
Besides, she was eventually given the title "Demonic Sword."
By now, she should already be known as a swordswoman of exceptional strength for her age.
So… why isn't that the case? Ranking-wise, she should at least be among the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
Is there something I'm missing…?
"I should stop being curious."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Enjoy your dumplings; I'm leaving."
I stood up quickly and went outside. Wi Seol-Ah followed me as if she'd been waiting. She held two dumplings and looked ready to eat them.
"You're going to eat two? You'll make yourself sick if you keep eating like this."
"One is for you!"
"Oh. That's thoughtful of you."
We walked toward the carriages, eating our dumplings together.
It seemed my appetite was growing, too, since Wi Seol-Ah was always giving me food.
I was starting to gain a little weight around my hips… It looked like I needed to intensify my training as well.
* * *
Namgung Bi-ah's gaze remained fixed on the backs of the boy and girl who had gone outside.
She couldn't look away.
Why was that? She asked herself, but she already knew the answer.
Suddenly, Namgung Bi-ah perceived a horrible stench.
She wanted to cover her nose, but she knew it wasn't a smell that would disappear so easily.
"Sister."
Namgung Bi-ah slowly turned her head to look at her younger brother.
It was a thick, pungent odor. Why did her brother always carry such a foul stench?
She couldn't understand it.
She didn't want to be near her father, the elders, or even her brother.
Her brother treated her kindly, but that alone couldn't change how she felt.
She didn't know if she felt guilt toward her family, or just pure hatred….
…I want to run away.
She wanted to flee from this terrible stench.
"Everyone else is over there. Why did you sit here?"
Namgung Cheonjun asked.
Because the smell is worse when everyone is gathered together like that.
Namgung Bi-ah couldn't say that, of course.
"...This spot was just the closest to me."
"You can cause trouble for others if you act like this. Next time, sit in the proper place."
"Yes… Sorry."
She saw Namgung Cheonjun's smiling face, but it only made her feel more frustrated.
I want to run away, but where can I go?
Namgung Bi-ah asked herself. Then she thought of the boy.
The boy she had met by chance surprisingly had no stench around him at all.
He carried no smell. It was the first time she had experienced such a thing.
The man named Muyeon had a slight odor, but even his smell seemed to fade when he was near the boy.
She didn't understand why the boy seemed annoyed by her and wanted to keep his distance, but even so, she felt comfortable around him.
After being near him, after experiencing what it was like not to have to endure the smell, the stench emanating from her brother became particularly unbearable.
She stood up abruptly.
"Sister? Where are you going?"
"The carriage… I'll go on ahead."
Namgung Bi-ah left her younger brother and quickly followed after Gu Yangcheon.
Namgung Cheonjun, left behind, watched her go, his expression slowly shifting.
The mask of the kind younger brother fell away, revealing his cold, true face beneath.
"What is the problem?"
- Crack. Crack.
Namgung Cheonjun had a habit of cracking his knuckles.
Something was wrong. Namgung Cheonjun could tell that much. This had never happened before.
"I hate disruptors."
The sound of cracking stopped. Namgung Cheonjun slowly turned around.
His eyes, now that he had turned, were filled with a clear, murderous intent.