Chapter 398: Force (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 398: Force (1)
Roughly an hour after the incident, I surveyed the situation with a hand resting on my forehead. My gaze first fell upon the girls seated on my bed.
Starting from the farthest left was a girl with brown hair tinged with gold: Wi Seol-Ah. I fixed my eyes on her and posed a question.
“What’s going on here?”
“Huh?”
Wi Seol-Ah flinched. I could see her pupils shaking uncontrollably. I stared into her eyes and asked again.
“Why were you all in my room?”
“…Well, about that…”
Wi Seol-Ah glanced to her side. There sat Namgung Bi-ah, still drowsy and not fully awake. Why was she looking at her?
I waited silently for an answer. After a moment’s hesitation, Wi Seol-Ah finally spoke.
“…S-Sis was walking inside… so I followed her.”
“…”
I shifted my gaze to Namgung Bi-ah. Noticing my look, she rubbed her eyes and mumbled.
“…You… weren’t coming…”
“What does that have to do with you walking into my room…?”
“…Hmm?”
Namgung Bi-ah looked at me as if the connection was utterly obvious. Why was she staring at me like that?
I could understand Namgung Bi-ah’s behavior; she had a habit of occasionally sneaking into my bed to sleep. But I couldn’t fathom why Wi Seol-Ah had followed her.
“And why did you follow her?”
“…She said she was going inside… so I just did…”
Wi Seol-Ah averted her eyes, her ears turning bright red. I couldn’t help but sigh.
“…Are you trying to imitate her or something? Since when did you start trying to sleep in someone else’s bed?”
“I’m sorry…”
“And as for you… never mind.”
I considered scolding Namgung Bi-ah as well, but I let it go. She wouldn’t listen to me anyway. Instead, I clenched my fist and gave her forehead a light bonk.
“Agh…!”
Namgung Bi-ah let out a short scream and clutched her forehead. She then looked up at me, her expression a mix of sleepiness and resentment.
“What gives you the right to stare at me like that? You’re not exactly innocent either.”
“…”
“You were the one who took my blanket last time, weren’t you?”
“…!”
Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes widened in shock. Did she really think I wouldn’t know it was her? She hadn’t exactly been subtle about it.
“Why do you keep stealing my pillows and blankets?”
“I ran out…”
“Ran out of what? Pillows? Blankets? And even if you did run out, you could just say so. Why do you keep taking mine?”
It wasn’t as if Namgung Bi-ah was poor. I couldn’t understand why she insisted on handling the matter this way. Apparently dissatisfied with my response, she narrowed her eyes.
“…That’s… not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“…Never mind…”
She refused to answer further, seemingly starting to sulk.
What did I do this time to make you sulk…?
Setting Namgung Bi-ah aside, I turned to the girl sitting farthest to the right. It was Tang Soyeol, the light green-haired girl I had dinner with earlier, who wore a deeply dissatisfied expression.
“…Hey.”
Tang Soyeol flinched upon hearing my voice, realizing I was addressing her.
“Don’t you think most people don’t just barge into someone else’s room like that?”
I was referring to her earlier intrusion into my room without any warning. Normally, one would knock before entering. Or, at the very least, ask for permission. I hadn’t expected her to just charge in.
As I pointed out her mistake, Tang Soyeol turned her head away after a moment, puffing out her cheeks until she resembled a squirrel with its mouth full of acorns.
But why were all these girls making such faces? What had I done wrong?
“Why are you guys—“
“I admit I messed up, but…”
Just as I was about to ask what they were so unhappy about, Tang Soyeol shouted, clenching her eyes shut.
“This is all Master Gu’s fault!”
“…What?”
I looked at Tang Soyeol, confused. To my surprise, both Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah nodded in agreement.
“What did I do…?”
This is utterly frustrating…
All I did was run around all day, endure an uncomfortable meal, and return to my room to get a change of clothes. And suddenly, I’m the one at fault?
I stared speechlessly at Tang Soyeol. Then, as if on cue, all three girls stood up simultaneously. I instinctively backed away a step in shock.
They then stomped towards my door. Were they leaving just like that? Though they clearly still seemed dissatisfied, I decided it was best to let them be for now. I felt I’d be completely drained if I didn’t.
As I let them leave without stopping them, I called out.
“…Wait.”
I stopped Namgung Bi-ah, who was about to follow the others. When I grabbed her hand, she stared at me as if hoping for something. I didn’t know what she was expecting, but what I was about to say probably wasn’t it.
“…Can you ask the Lord of the Namgung Clan if I could visit him soon?”
I knew it was poor timing to ask this question now, but I had to seize the opportunity. With my training focus, I needed to settle this.
I can’t just ignore this, after all.
Honestly, I wanted to ignore it, but knowing Namgung Jin’s personality, he wouldn’t let me. He likely wanted to learn something else from me, but this time I had an excuse ready.
Because of that, I decided it was best to meet him as soon as possible to resolve the matter. Hence, I asked Namgung Bi-ah for this favor.
Upon hearing my request, Namgung Bi-ah frowned.
“…Father… has left.”
“What?”
I paused.
He left…?
To where?
Where did that man go all of a sudden?
Seeing my confusion, Namgung Bi-ah gave me a proper answer this time.
“…Anhui.”
He had returned to Anhui, where the Namgung Clan was headquartered.
* * *
After finishing my talk with the girls, I requested a spare set of clothes from a servant and headed to the cave.
I began digging using the Heaven Destruction Art as usual, but my mind was elsewhere.
Namgung Jin has left Henan.
That’s what Namgung Bi-ah had said. I couldn’t help but wonder ‘why?’ upon hearing it.
It was understandable for him to return; the Lord of the Namgung Clan returning to his clan wasn’t strange. However, I hadn’t expected Namgung Jin to leave without first pressing me to teach him again, especially given his obsession with reaching a higher level.
Though, of course, this was good for me, as it meant one less thing to worry about…
…Besides, I had nothing left to teach him anyway.
The first time, I had used Elder Shin’s words. The second time, I relied on what I learned from the Sword Queen. This time, I had nothing left in my arsenal.
Therefore, Namgung Jin’s sudden departure was convenient, but I was concerned about the haste with which he left Henan.
Did something happen in the Namgung Clan?
I couldn’t think of any other reason for such a hurried departure. I wracked my brain for any events that might have befallen the Namgung Clan during this period, but nothing came to mind.
Crack-
I continued to ponder as I destroyed the cave wall.
There was a reason I felt so sensitive about Namgung Jin’s abrupt departure. I was worried that I might have altered history once again.
It’s not just Namgung Jin.
More than one or two things had changed. There was the ambush at the Heavenly Dragon Academy, but also, the Harmonic Sword had resigned, and a new Alliance Leader was to be selected.
Originally, Wi Seol-Ah should have become the next Alliance Leader ten years later. Now, that event had been moved up ten years, and not under favorable circumstances.
Then who will become the next Alliance Leader?
I didn’t know the answer. There were many candidates from the Ten Sect Alliance, the Four Noble Clans, and other prominent clans, but with so many variables changed, I couldn’t make a reliable prediction.
What a mess, seriously.
I was working hard to make a difference, but I still fell far short. Was I really doing a good job? I continued my training to change history, but I knew that alone wouldn’t be enough.
Also… it’s the same for the Gu Clan.
The Gu Clan had undergone many changes as well. A problem had arisen after I killed the previous First Elder—specifically, changes within Gu Sunmoon.
Currently, the Captain of the first army was temporarily acting as the Leader of Gu Sunmoon. I was sure he was capable, but…
Wait, now that I thought about it, where had the first army’s Captain gone? Since he was my father’s direct escort, I’d heard he came to Henan with him, but I never once saw him.
Was he handling some business on his own?
That was highly likely, but I wasn’t certain.
Muyeon hadn’t come either. I had fully expected my escort, Muyeon, to accompany me, but he was absent.
Judging by this, it seemed Gu Sunmoon was deliberately keeping Muyeon there. They must have recognized his talent after he reached the Peak Realm. Since he was originally from Gu Sunmoon, I believed they were now trying to groom him properly.
Are they considering making him their Co-Leader?
That was the only explanation that made sense. Gu Jeolyub had seemed to share the same suspicion when we first heard the news, which was why he’d worn a gloomy expression for a while.
All I could advise him was to work hard so as not to fall behind.
Though, if Muyeon truly established himself within Gu Sunmoon…
It might actually be for the better.
It wasn’t a bad scenario for me.
My encounter with the Heavenly Demon had made one thing crystal clear: I need a force. I needed not only personal strength but an entire organization for the future.
I realized it would be far too difficult to confront the Heavenly Demon alone. I had known this before, but my meeting with him that day cemented the certainty.
If I truly intended to take the Celestial Sword’s place, I needed a force, just as she had.
Therefore, if Muyeon officially joined Gu Sunmoon, I could potentially help him secure a higher position. That way, I could use him—and by extension, Gu Sunmoon—as my own power base.
Initially, I had considered seeking support from the Murim Alliance.
But there isn’t a single faction I can trust.
There truly wasn’t a single place I felt I could rely on. Once again, I saw how the Central Plains was rotting from within because of these people.
Because of that, rather than joining an untrustworthy organization,
…I’ll create my own.
I concluded that it was better to gather people and form my own group.
That was why I was holding myself back, even when people called me the Lesser King of Hell or spread baseless rumors about me. Not only that, but I was already compiling a mental list of potential members.
However, one concern nagged at me regarding this plan.
If… I truly gather all the people I have in mind into one group…
Then there was no way my organization would ever be considered part of the Orthodox Faction.