Chapter 410: The Last Bandit (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 410: The Last Bandit (1)
That White Ripple Sword had appeared out of nowhere and dumped a fresh pile of trouble right in my lap.
I cleared up the—
Well, to be honest, I hadn't so much "cleared up" the misunderstanding as I'd managed to shoo away the bastards who were eyeing me with suspicion. Finally, I was able to sit down with Moyong Biyeon herself.
I tried to talk to her then and there, but her incessant howling made it impossible to get a single word in.
I'm going insane.
Who would have thought a middle-aged woman—a renowned master, no less—would wail at the top of her lungs while sprawled on the ground? The memory alone was enough to leave me speechless.
I prayed no strange rumors would spread, but I knew it was inevitable. That bastard Woo Hyuk was undoubtedly already broadcasting the news far and wide. I still remembered the days of suffering I'd endured in my past life because of some bizarre rumor he'd spread about me and the Snow Phoenix. She'd been so infuriated she nearly froze the Sleeping Dragon alive; only the Celestial Sword's intervention had saved him.
I should have taped that bastard's mouth shut the moment he witnessed the scene, but I couldn't do it right now. It was… understandable, given the circumstances.
“Sigh…”
I sighed, my eyes taking in the spectacle before me. After pondering how to deal with this mess, I decided to speak first.
But what could I even say to her?
“Uh…”
Flinch.
She flinched the moment I started to speak. I sighed again.
Sigh—
She seemed to misinterpret my sigh, because she looked up at me with an utterly pitiful expression. “…S-Should I raise my arms higher?”
Despite her cold and dignified appearance, the lady was on her knees, arms held high in the air, speaking in a squeaky, penitent tone. It looked for all the world like she was being punished.
The problem was—
“…No, please put them down.”
I hadn't made her do any of this; she'd assumed the position herself. Moreover, she was more than twice my age. Not just in years, but in her vast experience within the Central Plains and her status as a master martial artist. Yet here she was, presenting such an embarrassing spectacle in front of me.
I simply didn't know what to do.
Driven to exasperation by the absurdity of the situation, I addressed the self-proclaimed penitent, Moyong Biyeon, the White Ripple Sword. “Why are you acting like this…?”
“I knew it; I’ll raise my arms higher—”
“Please, Senior…! Please put your arms down.”
Only after I begged her did she carefully lower her arms. Just watching the cautious movement made me nervous. Why was this woman putting me through this?
Trying to find a reason was already giving me a headache.
Suppressing my annoyance, I asked her again as she carefully stood up. “What’s your reason for doing this to me?”
“Huh…?”
“I’m asking why you are acting like this.”
I couldn't find an answer no matter how hard I thought about it. I didn't know why she had suddenly accosted me, begging on the ground and clutching my pants, nor why she had dropped to her knees with her arms held high as if punishing herself. This woman, the White Ripple Sword, was profoundly hard to understand. She was a first for me.
Just what was her deal?
As I continued to stare, the White Ripple Sword responded with an awkward smile. “I have to be punished since I messed up.”
Setting my emotions aside, I gave her a strange look. Technically, she wasn't wrong, but her answer was… fascinating. We lived in a world where the powerful often made the rules. It would have been understandable, even expected, for someone of her stature to be shameless and simply brush off the incident. Yet here she was, openly admitting her fault.
But still… “…But you can’t just go on your knees like that all of a sudden.” A woman decades older than her junior, kneeling? Such a thing should never have happened, according to my principles. And yet, because of that very fact, it was hard to summon any real anger.
When I continued to stare at her bewilderedly, she asked me a question, her voice hopeful. “Are you going to forgive me?”
“…”
I was rendered speechless. Why was she so obsessed with obtaining my forgiveness? I did my best to hold in my frustration and responded as calmly as I could. “Senior. Shouldn’t you be apologizing to others first rather than me?”
The White Ripple Sword honestly hadn't done anything directly to me. I wasn't the one she had fought. My right arm had ached a little afterwards, but that was because I was the one who intervened to stop their clash. If anyone deserved an apology, it was the girls she had actually confronted.
When I responded with that in mind, the White Ripple Sword brightened, smiling as if a great weight had been lifted. “I already apologized to them before coming here.”
“You did?”
“Of course!”
Wait a minute. A horrifying thought struck me. “…Did you perhaps do it in the same way as earlier?” Had she gotten down on her knees, arms raised, and begged forgiveness from Wi Seol-Ah and the others?
When I hurriedly asked, the White Ripple Sword waved her hand dismissively. “Nah, of course not.”
Good. So even this eccentric woman had her limits. She wouldn't subject just anyone to that spectacle—
“I didn’t get down on my knees, but I did beg with my hands clasped!”
“…”
“And they told me that it was okay.”
Well, who in the world wouldn't feel compelled to forgive the White Ripple Sword if she begged so earnestly? I put a hand to my forehead. …Should I be glad about this? I truly didn't know anymore.
“Oh, the Lord of the Tang Clan told me he’d kick me out of the party if I went out of control again. He said he’d seriously get mad.”
So she'd spoken to the Poison King as well. 'Kick her out if she went out of control'… What a way with words. I was sure the Poison King hadn't used those exact phrases, but I understood the meaning perfectly. It would be problematic for the caravan if a martial artist of her caliber kept causing trouble, so he'd essentially told her to shape up or ship out.
I found myself newly impressed by the Poison King's patience. If it were up to me, she would've been kicked out already. Even with her strength being an asset to the caravan's security, an uncontrollable element causing constant trouble wasn't worth it. And considering his daughter, Tang Soyeol, had been involved in the fight, the fact that he only gave a warning… My opinion of the Poison King shifted slightly.
Turning back to the matter at hand, I pressed the White Ripple Sword. “Can you please tell me why you are doing this?” This was the question I'd wanted to ask from the beginning.
She responded with the same awkward smile. “Like I said, I came here for your forgiveness—”
“I don’t think there is a need for you to go this far.” I had no plan to let her off the hook so easily. “Is there something you want from me?”
“…”
It would be strange for her to go to such extremes unless she had an ulterior motive. As I asked about her true intentions, her expression shifted subtly. It seemed I was right; there was something else.
What is it? I wracked my brain but came up empty. There was nothing particularly special about my relationship with the White Ripple Sword, which only made me more curious.
“If there’s something you want from me, you should just tell me—”
“You told me… to stop being your escort.”
“…Huh?” I tilted my head. Escort? Escort, huh…
After a moment's thought, I remembered what I'd said earlier. I'd told her to stop being my escort if she wasn't going to listen to me. Wait, did that mean… She was doing all this because I dismissed her? I'd said it for both our sakes, but she was so bothered by it that she came to seek forgiveness?
Why, though? It made no sense. She had come as my escort at Lady Mi's request. For a master martial artist like her, being tasked with escorting a junior should have been a chore, if not an insult. Shouldn't she be happy to be released from the duty? Instead, she was here begging…
What is this? Was there something she wanted to gain by remaining as my escort?
Seeing the strange look I was giving her, the White Ripple Sword spoke carefully. “I’m sorry. Can you please let me stay as your escort?”
“…”
“I won’t cause any more trouble. I’m usually good at that, but I went out of control a little because it’s been so long since I last had a proper spar, you know?”
“White Ripple Sword.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s with this obsession? Why do you want to be my escort so badly?”
“Well… That’s because of Lady Mi’s request…”
She had no intention of telling me the real reason. So she has a reason to stay, but she can't tell me, huh. What should I do? Just let it be? But leaving such an unknown variable unchecked would bother me. Whatever her reason, she had an intention I wasn't privy to.
After a moment's consideration, I came to a decision. “Fine. You may continue being my escort.”
Her expression instantly brightened. Was it really that important to her? Just being an escort?
However. “There is a condition.” I laid it out plainly.
Hearing that, the White Ripple Sword looked confused, as if she hadn't expected it. The atmosphere around her seemed to grow slightly colder. I was a little concerned, but it was what I wanted.
“Condition?”
“Yes.”
It was simple. First, “I hope you don’t act on your own without my approval.”
“…”
I was asking her to consult me before taking any action, to prevent a repeat of the earlier incident. Essentially, I was demanding she seek my permission first. For an escort, this shouldn't be a problem, but for a martial artist of her seniority and status, it could easily be seen as an insult.
But that wasn't all. I had one more condition. “And I’d like to make a request.”
“…A request?”
“Yes.”
Not only was I demanding pre-approval for her actions, but I was also adding a personal request on top. She frowned. Good. If I were in her position, I would have felt insulted and refused outright. Her reaction was exactly what I'd expected. I was pushing hard, enough to bruise even her laid-back pride. Surely, the White Ripple Sword would deny my request, perhaps even become angry—
“That’s it?”
“…Huh?”
“Let’s do that. So Big Sis can stay as your escort then?”
I was rendered speechless seeing her suddenly become happy again.
“Wait… Senior. Did you not just hear all my conditions?”
“Of course I did. You told me to get your approval before doing anything and that you wanted to request something, right?”
“Yes, but then why are you…” After all that, she was still happy? …Why the hell was she happy?
Seeing my bewildered expression, she tilted her head. “Can you not believe me?”
“…”
I nodded slowly. I honestly found it hard to believe. I personally wouldn't have accepted such terms.
The White Ripple Sword rolled her eyes as if thinking, then clapped her hands as an idea struck her. “Do you want to put a Shackle on me if you have trust issues?”
She said something even more absurd.
“…Pardon?”
A Shackle wasn't some kind of joke; it was a serious restraint. Yet a martial artist of her caliber was offering to let me place one on her so casually? As I stared at her in disbelief, she continued, “Then you’ll be able to believe me. Where do you want to put it on me? Stomach? Chest? I’ll take my clothes off now!”
“Wait, I don’t think a Shackle is necess- Agh! Stop stripping! What do you think you are doing!”
I quickly moved to stop the White Ripple Sword as she made to take off her top, a single thought crystallizing in my mind.
This was definitely a mistake. I should have realized it the first time I met her. The White Ripple Sword was much, much crazier than I had ever imagined.
* * *
It had been a little over a month since our journey to Sichuan began. The difficult paths we'd been traversing had delayed our estimated time of arrival, but it didn't matter too much. I had built extra time into my schedule due to the incident at the Heavenly Dragon Academy, and I was using this travel period for training. So, the delay wasn't a big problem.
Though, of course, "training" was a mild word for the hell I was experiencing. Physically exhausted from traveling by carriage all day, I was then repeatedly 'killed' by the Dark King in my dreams at night, only to be beaten and rolled in the dirt by the Dishonored Venerable during the day. I wasn't having the nicest time.
It got so bad that even Wi Seol-Ah tried to get me to rest, her worry evident. But ironically, seeing her only made it harder for me to slow down. Was it because of her spar against the White Ripple Sword? Both Wi Seol-Ah and Namgung Bi-ah were dedicating significant time to their own practice. Knowing that the people around me were pushing themselves almost as hard as I was, I couldn't bring myself to rest, even when they urged me to.
It was strange. I'm running through this hell so that I can give you all a break, you know… I was working myself to the bone to prevent the tragedies of my past life from repeating. But my relentless effort seemed to be inspiring, or perhaps infecting, those around me to train just as fiercely.
What was going on…? Was I influencing them negatively? But was it really a bad influence if it motivated them to grow stronger as martial artists? Whatever it was, the situation felt weird.
Anyway, all of us were now spending our days in rigorous training. And we were finally about to step into Sichuan's territory.
It was during a short break after a particularly harsh beating that the Dishonored Venerable approached me.
“Child.”
“Huff… huff… yes?” I managed between heavy breaths.
The Dishonored Venerable looked amused as he delivered a message. “This is what that bat bastard said.” He was, of course, referring to the Dark King. Jeez… I couldn't believe he casually called the king of assassins a 'bat'. This old man was definitely not normal.
Noticing my expression, the Dishonored Venerable frowned. “It seems like you’re insulting me again in your head, judging by your face.”
“…Not at all. I wouldn’t do such a thing.” He was disgustingly sharp.
He stared at me with doubt but didn't press the issue, having more important news. “Anyway, it seems like there are some weird bastards around us, according to him.”
“Weird bastards?”
“Yes. He said they seem to be bandits. I can’t believe there are still bandits operating these days… tsk, tsk.”
“…!”
My eyes widened.
Bandits?