Chapter 48
Ch. 48 .｡.:✧ As We Walked ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“You attack first, then ask for mercy?”
Before I realized it, Eun Ha-seol had come right up to me and grabbed my arm tightly.
I could feel the tremors running through her.
“After what you did, you have the nerve to beg for your life without a shred of remorse?”
“….”
She continued, her voice thick with anger.
“I’m disgusted by you! I hate you!”
She clearly wasn’t willing to let Na Hee-rin go unpunished.
As the tension hung heavy in the air, Na Hee-rin coughed up another mouthful of blood, her voice barely a whisper.
“Please… spare me. I’ll do anything…”
“…”
I hesitated.
Killing Na Hee-rin here… the consequences were unpredictable.
How would the protagonist of the novel, already entangled with her, react?
Would her master, if she had one, seek revenge?
The Heavenly Sword Sect might be a single-lineage sect, but they weren’t without allies or connections. But then—
“Don’t be absurd. You threaten my family, try to kill us all, and now a simple apology is supposed to suffice?”
“…!”
“There are consequences for your actions.”
“You…!”
Na Hee-rin flinched at my cold reply.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to think rationally.
‘Sparing her life offers me practically no benefit.’
The likelihood of her willingly handing over the Heavenly Sword Sect’s techniques and treasures was slim to none.
Considering how she treated the protagonist in the novel, I could only imagine the trouble she would cause later.
And then—
“…Ha-seol.”
“…Yes, Oppa.”
“Is your wrist injured?”
I glanced at Ha-seol.
She flinched under my gaze.
I felt a surge of anger.
There were clear marks on her wrist, red scrapes where someone had grabbed her roughly.
‘Na Hee-rin did something to her. Something cruel. I don’t know the details yet, but…’
The fact that Na Hee-rin had used force to drag Ha-seol here, the clear intent to silence them all… it was enough justification to kill her.
And what about the “tragedy” Ha-seol seemed to be hiding?
Na Hee-rin was undeniably in the wrong.
Ha-seol, sensing my anger, took a step back.
Her passive demeanor frustrated me even further.
I sighed.
“Ha…”
“Ghk…!”
As I sighed, Falling Star hummed, vibrating with barely contained rage.
My killing intent solidified.
‘I’ll kill her.’
There was no more hesitation.
The Heavenly Sword Sect’s vengeance?
The protagonist’s involvement?
What did it matter?
I wouldn’t stand idly by while my family was threatened.
A distant memory surfaced, a bitter reminder of my past helplessness.
I cursed myself.
‘I should have contacted Ha-seol sooner… she suffered because of me.’
I would kill Na Hee-rin.
Sensing my resolve, her eyes widened in fear, and she stumbled backwards.
But my decision was made.
“…I was originally going to take an arm, or cripple your cultivation.”
I murmured, my voice low and dangerous.
“W-What…?!”
“But now… I’m just annoyed.”
“What are you going to do?! You…!”
Thud-Thud-
I advanced on Na Hee-rin.
She raised her sword defensively, but her resistance seemed feeble, childish.
A defeated warrior, injured and cornered, was a pitiful sight.
‘I was too lenient. Even Ha-seol, a merchant’s daughter, wouldn’t forgive this.’
A cold glint entered my eyes.
Na Hee-rin, in a last-ditch effort, launched a weak attack.
It was a desperate attempt, her qi barely holding together.
Crack!
I flicked Falling Star, effortlessly deflecting the attack.
Then, I sent a chilling message directly into her mind, a technique known as Sound Transmission.
[Do you remember Han Cheon-woo of the Han Clan Estate, the boy you encountered before?]
“…!”
Na Hee-rin shuddered.
Normally, I wouldn’t be able to use Sound Transmission, but my breakthrough to the Peak Realm had unlocked this ability.
The principles of projecting sword qi and projecting one’s voice were similar.
Na Hee-rin, her voice laced with disbelief, asked,
“H-How do you…!”
[It’s obvious. You saved Han Cheon-woo from the cliff not out of kindness, but out of selfish ambition. You claim to be compassionate and forgiving? Don’t make me laugh. You took him in, hoping to exploit him for his knowledge of the Heavenly Evasion Sword Technique.]
“N-No…!”
[No? I doubt you can deny it. You’re a hypocrite, obsessed with stealing a technique that doesn’t belong to you],
Hummm—
Falling Star vibrated in my hand, resonating with my anger.
[…and Han Cheon-woo, despite knowing your intentions, tolerated you, hoping to win your affections. He was blinded by your beauty.]”
“That’s… that’s not true—!”
[If not for your beauty, he would have killed you long ago. You pathetic, delusional woman.]
“…!”
Na Hee-rin trembled, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion.
I sneered and swung Falling Star, cleaving the air with a diagonal slash.
“May your journey to the afterlife be swift, Na Hee-rin of the Heavenly Sword Sect.”
Shhk—
The sword qi sliced through the air, severing Na Hee-rin’s head.
Her head flew through the air, her eyes still wide with disbelief.
Blood spurted from her severed neck. The scene felt strangely surreal.
“…”
Thud—
Her head rolled across the ground, her face frozen in a mask of shock.
The Heavenly Sword Sect, a single-lineage sect passed down through generations, had met its end.
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The Heavenly Sword Sect’s hidden chamber encompassed the entire area beneath the cliff.
I sent Ha-seol’s two remaining guards back to the village.
As Ha-seol and I walked silently along the lakeshore, her voice broke the silence.
“…Oppa.”
“…Yes.”
“…Are you alright?”
Ha-seol looked at me, her eyes filled with concern.
I stopped and sighed.
I wasn’t alright, not really.
But I couldn’t show it.
“…I’m fine.”
“Really…?”
“I simply did what needed to be done. I don’t know much about the Heavenly Sword Sect, but judging by the fact that she brought you all the way here alone, it must be a single-lineage sect.”
“…”
“There won’t be any further trouble.”
“…Oppa.”
Ha-seol’s voice was hesitant.
“I’m not worried about the consequences, or the aftermath.”
“…What?”
“You’re so dense, Oppa. Do you really think I’m worried about that?”
“…”
I was speechless.
Ha-seol continued, as if anticipating my silence.
“…You pushed yourself too hard, didn’t you?”
“…”
“You did it for me, didn’t you? Just now.”
“…”
“I’m not blaming you for hiding here, Oppa.”
Her voice was soft, soothing.
I listened intently.
“I just… I don’t want you to overexert yourself, Oppa. Not for me, or anyone else.”
“…Why do you think I pushed myself too hard?”
“Hmm… I don’t know exactly, but I’ve felt like you’ve been carrying a heavy burden, Oppa. Ever since before you left for Mount Hua.”
Her voice was clear, innocent.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, Oppa. And I don’t want to pry… but I want to understand you, even just a little.”
“…”
“We’re family, aren’t we? So… is it too much to ask that I share your burden, even just a little bit?”
Ha-seol smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes, a vulnerability that made—
“…”
—me speechless once again.
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