Chapter 111: Dang Yeo-eun-2
Chapter 111: Dang Yeo-eun-2
Then the warriors, startled by our sudden appearance, immediately pointed their blades in our direction and shouted.
"Who goes there?!"
"What bastards are you?!"
But the moment they confirmed our faces, their mouths fell open and they froze on the spot.
"Gam...!"
"Th-that...!"
I had roughly expected it, but at their even more intense reaction, a bitter smile involuntarily escaped me.
All of their eyes were nailed squarely on Lady Dang's face.
They even had their mouths hanging open with dazed expressions, as if they had forgotten the current situation entirely.
'Well, that worked out nicely.'
Though they were pathetic sights, this situation itself was exactly the picture I had wanted.
The reason I showed myself before making a judgment was precisely because I wanted to confirm their reactions upon seeing Lady Dang.
I first took a step forward, offered a clasped-hand greeting, and said,
"I am but a passing traveler who came because I heard a commotion. It seems, however, that many of you are threatening a single person."
The first to react to my words was a large man among the warriors.
He furrowed his brows fiercely and shouted at me.
"If you're just passing through, then keep passing through! How dare you meddle, knowing where this is?! Do you intend to obstruct the affairs of our Sucheonhoe?!"
But even as he shouted, the bastard's eyes kept sneaking glances at Lady Dang.
The unmistakable light of greed visible in those eyes was clearly apparent to me.
'Hmm, points off for you guys right away.'
I could roughly pass judgment on them from their current reactions.
It wasn't openly displayed greed like the Blood Cult bastards, but they certainly didn't seem like men who could be called virtuous.
Then I turned my eyes to the young man named Do Mun-seung, the one they had surrounded.
He was looking at us with dark eyes.
After pondering something for a moment, he slowly released the sword hilt he had been gripping tightly and spoke to us.
"First, I offer my thanks to you two for coming on my behalf. However, the present situation is not what you imagine it to be. It is merely... a momentary disagreement with friends from my hometown. So there will be no need for you to worry."
Hearing his words, I smiled slightly.
He had phrased it euphemistically, but he meant it was nothing, so we should just pass on by.
I felt I could tell, without needing to confirm, that he had said such a thing out of concern for the safety of us, who were unrelated to him.
Thus, there was no longer any need to agonize.
Because it had become clear whose side I would lend my strength to.
At that moment, one of the large men shouted at me.
"Why no answer?! I asked if you intend to obstruct the affairs of our Sucheonhoe?!"
Looking at the bastard again, for some reason, their hostility was now focused more on me than on the young man named Do Mun-seung.
The bastard approached me with a menacing expression and shouted.
"Are you ignoring me right now?! Huh?!"
But even as he did so, the bastard kept stealing glances at Lady Dang.
And seeing that, I immediately understood why they were acting that way.
'Seems like they want to deal with me.'
The reason was probably because of Lady Dang.
I grinned.
I had just decided whose hand to take anyway, so them setting the stage for me like this was nothing short of a blessing.
Smiling fiercely, I moved to take a step toward the bastard.
"Now this, thank...!"
But just then, Lady Dang's urgent telepathic transmission reached me.
- Gongja, no!
I halted for a moment.
No? Why?
I looked at her with a puzzled thought, and she sent another telepathic transmission.
- If those men truly are Sucheonhoe, they are allies of the Tang Family. And ones the family head considers extremely important, at that....
At her words, I had no choice but to stop my steps.
Allies of the Sichuan Dang Clan?
Those bastards?
The taste in my mouth turned bitter.
If that was true, didn't it mean I couldn't deal with those bastards?
Because if I acted as my mood dictated, Lady Dang's position would become difficult.
But still, leaving it like this left an awfully foul feeling....
As I bit my lip and hesitated, unsure what to do, the large bastard drew right up to me and shouted.
"You little shit! I'm asking why you're not answering?! Huh?!"
Then another man behind him scoffed.
"Maybe he's too scared to answer? Doesn't his face look like a gisaeng's boy toy? Looks like he's completely shriveled up."
"Keuheuheuheuheu!"
Hearing even their mockery, something hot surged up from inside me.
It was a moment of agonizing over whether I should really just leave such scum alone, no matter how difficult Lady Dang's position might become.
At that moment, the young man named Do Mun-seung shouted at them.
"Wonwang! Upo! I will go with you!"
At his sudden shout, everyone's gazes turned toward him.
He had, at some point, completely let go of his sword and was standing in a defenseless state.
He spoke in a desperate tone.
"I will go with you. So stop this. Are you not martial artists of Sucheonhoe, representing the orthodox faction of Sichuan Province? How can men like you threaten people who have nothing to do with this?"
At that, the large man furrowed his brows, seemingly dissatisfied. But even so, he stepped back as if he had no other choice.
Once the name of Sucheonhoe itself was brought up, it seemed he had no justification to keep picking a fight.
He clicked his tongue as if regretful, then restrained the arm of the young man named Do Mun-seung and began dragging him roughly away.
"Tsk, let's go!"
But even as they were doing that, they didn't forget to keep stealing regretful glances at Lady Dang's face.
'Tch!'
I felt the same regret.
If they had taken some sort of action, a justification for me to move would have been created.
As I watched the bastards leave without doing anything, feeling regretful, I subtly turned my head to look at Lady Dang.
She was staring only at the ground, her head bowed with a dark expression.
***
After letting them go, we increased our speed and entered nearby Yeongnam in Sichuan Province.
Since that young man named Do Mun-seung was said to be a disciple of the Yeongnam Sword Gate, he was likely from this place.
Lady Dang suddenly asked me.
Her expression had remained dark ever since that incident.
"Will you go directly to the Yeongnam Sword Gate?"
"No. Let's go to the inn first."
It would be nice if I could go straight to the Hao Gate branch, but since I didn't yet know the location of the Hao Gate here, I planned to go to an inn first and gather information.
And so, having gone to the largest inn in the vicinity, we were able to hear various stories by slipping a few iron coins to the serving boys.
"Sucheonhoe, you say? Aigoo, that place is precisely the pride of us southerners of Sichuan! The reason we can survive in this southern corner of Sichuan Province, beyond the reach of the Qingcheng, Ami, and Dang Clan's influence, is all thanks to Sucheonhoe!"
"That's right! If not for them, we would have already been murdered by the Blood Cult bastards from Yunnan or the Six Ghosts Hall bastards from Guizhou!"
The local populace's sentiment toward Sucheonhoe was unexpectedly very positive.
It seemed likely because Sucheonhoe itself was a group that had spontaneously arisen to protect southern Sichuan from external invasion.
The serving boys explained that the sects of southern Sichuan had each contributed disciples and funds to create a self-defense force, which became the present Sucheonhoe.
On the other hand, opinions on the Yeongnam Sword Gate, and especially Do Mun-seung, were divided even among the serving boys.
"Young Master Do Mun-seung of the Yeongnam Sword Gate is a truly excellent person. He's so renowned for being gentle and fair that, at least here in Yeongnam, he is someone like a paragon of a righteous hero."
"Hmph! What paragon of a righteous hero! Isn't Young Master Do the very hypocrite who violated Sucheonhoe's conscription order and even fled?!"
"Ah, you scoundrel! When Young Master Do is the sole person upholding the Yeongnam Sword Gate right now, how could he go to Sucheonhoe?! Even if he left too, it's plain as day the Yeongnam Sword Gate would collapse entirely!"
"Isn't that just his personal circumstances?! Despite such circumstances, everyone gathered their strength together—that's how Sucheonhoe came to be what it is now! If one only asserts their personal circumstances and violates the greater cause, how can they be called a righteous hero of the orthodox faction?!"
It seemed the current Sucheonhoe maintained its forces by conscripting disciples from nearby sects, much like drafting soldiers.
Do Mun-seung of the Yeongnam Sword Gate had refused on the grounds of his sect's difficult circumstances, and Sucheonhoe's declaration that they would execute him as an example was apparently the cause that led to the current situation.
I asked them a few more questions.
"Were there ever cases in the past where someone could not answer the conscription due to personal circumstances? And did they also declare immediate execution back then?"
Then the serving boy, who had been searching his memory for a moment, answered.
"Ah, there was! When I was young, there was someone who refused due to his sect's circumstances, and I recall the conscription period was postponed for him back then!"
"Huh? Was there?"
"Ah, what do you mean? Young Master Sang of the Baekdo Sect—wasn't it him?!"
"Ah, Young Master Sang! Right, that's what happened!"
Having listened to their words, I asked again.
"So declaring immediate execution for refusing conscription like now doesn't seem to be a normal situation, then?"
At that, both men readily nodded their heads.
"Yes, at least this is the first I've heard of it."
"Same for me."
But one of the serving boys who had answered that hastily spoke again.
"However, that's probably because the situation for Sucheonhoe these days is desperate! I've heard there have been many casualties lately while holding off the invasions of the Blood Cult and Six Ghosts Hall!"
"Mm, right. I heard that rumor too."
I slowly chewed over their words.
'So the casualties are increasing because of invasions from the Blood Cult and Six Ghosts Hall?'
Then I asked again.
"Have you by any chance heard stories recently of people who suffered actual harm from the Blood Cult or Six Ghosts Hall?"
At that, they shook their heads and answered brightly.
"No. Not at all! How could they dare, when Sucheonhoe is protecting us?"
"That's right! The fact that we live so peacefully is all thanks to Sucheonhoe!"
"I see. Thank you."
I pressed a few more iron coins into their hands and sent them on their way.
Then I asked Lady Dang, who had been listening beside me.
"What do you think, my lady?"
She answered, her expression still seeming drained of energy.
"It is a bit strange. The current leader of Sucheonhoe, the Heaven-Ascending Swordsman Mak Woo-jeon, is a master nearing the transcendent peak. That's why my father... the family head is also extremely wary of him. And yet they're suffering casualties from the Blood Cult and Six Ghosts Hall. If the Blood Cult's forces had crossed the frontlines and moved north, there's no way we wouldn't know, and the Six Ghosts Hall lacks the strength to invade Sichuan Province."
It was a precise analysis.
I also thought that part was strange.
The fact that Sucheonhoe was suffering harm from the Blood Cult while the frontlines were intact was one thing, and the idea that the Six Ghosts Hall—just one of the Guizhou Eight Families—could invade a place that had ties to the Tang Family was utterly impossible.
Just like during the Jeonghyeopbang incident before, the power disparity between the Guizhou Eight Families and the factions of Sichuan Province was considerably severe.
So the claim that Sucheonhoe was struggling because of the Six Ghosts Hall's invasion was as absurd as saying a pack of wolves was struggling because of an invasion of cats.
But Lady Dang, who had spoken up to that point, soon bowed her head and added self-deprecatingly.
"But... even if that's true, what could someone like me possibly do? I'm sorry, Seonu Gongja. Because of me, all this..."
At the sight of her looking so dejected, as if she wanted to sink into the ground, I let out a deep sigh.
She definitely had a problem.
More than anything, that rock-bottom self-esteem was bound to cause problems in Lady Dang's life eventually, one way or another, even if not right now.
I had sensed that side of her for a long time and had wanted to talk about it.
But until now, I had been too cautious to approach others....
Somehow, now I felt like I could do it.
No, I felt like I had to.
I looked at her and carefully opened my mouth.
"Lady Dang. I deeply like the side of Lady Dang that you show only in front of me. Because it's so endearing and makes me want to help in any way I can."
At my sudden confession, she was startled and lifted her head, looking at me.
"Pardon?"
Her face was flushed red like an apple.
But I paid it no mind and continued speaking.
"But I also like the side of you as a squad leader that you show in front of the squad members. Because it inspires trust, and I can feel the strength that seems able to push through any adversity together."
"Ah..."
Now her expression became one of confusion.
It was an expression that said she couldn't understand what I was trying to say at all.
Looking at her like that, I asked seriously.
"I truly like both versions of Lady Dang. So why is it that you dislike and deny your own self?"
"...Pardon?"
To her, who still seemed unable to understand my words, I decided to bring up a different story for a moment.
"There are times when I am afraid to deal with people. I lost my mother when I was young, and I was ostracized by my siblings and family, so approaching people has always been difficult and awkward for me. And I was also afraid they would drift away."
"......"
At my out-of-the-blue confession, her eyes grew slightly moist.
It seemed likely because she too had suffered pain similar to mine.
"On the other hand, when dealing with enemies, I can become more ruthless than anyone. Not only killing, but I don't hesitate in the slightest to use schemes against them. That bastard Bi Sa-yeong sometimes curses me, saying I seem like a cold-blooded monster when he sees how I deal with the Blood Cultists."
At that, she nodded as well.
"Ah, yes. That, I also..."
But my words were not finished yet.
"Also, when I'm with friends, I can be quite playful. Especially when I'm with bastards like Bi Sa-yeong or Bae Jong-gwan, I often play childish pranks like a ten-year-old kid."
And then I looked her straight in the eyes and said it.
What I truly wanted to say to her.
"It changes depending on the situation, but all of this is me. Every part of it is the person named me. And I think that only when all these versions come together does the real me exist. And perhaps as time passes, there will be yet another new version as well."
That was probably true.
Because people are not beings that stop at a single version of themselves.
Isn't there a saying that to stop is to rot?
And I asked her.
"So why is it that Lady Dang defines herself solely as a wounded young girl? And why do you hate that child so much?"
"...Pardon?"
Her flustered gaze wavered greatly.
Lady Dang thought that only the image of the hated young child from her early years was her true self.
And she felt guilt toward everyone else who saw her other sides, thinking those were all just lies.
And more than anything, Lady Dang hated that young child who had been hated by her mother—hated that version of herself.
She had defined herself as someone deserving of her mother's hatred, as someone unworthy of anyone's love.
That was probably because she was far too kind a person.
Because she was a kind and tender person who, no matter how much hatred she received, could not bring herself to hate her mother.
But there was no way someone who trapped herself inside the image of a child deserving of hatred could ever become happy.
This was a fact I, who had hated myself more than anyone in my past life, knew all too well.
"The Lady Dang I see is a lovable woman, and at the same time, a squad leader overflowing with leadership, and also the image of a martial artist who diligently and earnestly trains herself. So why is it that only Lady Dang keeps herself trapped inside that child?"
At that, her eyes were now drifting aimlessly, having lost their focus.
Her confusion resembled my past memories so much that it struck me painfully.
I looked at her with pitying eyes for a moment, then gently opened my mouth again.
"I think Lady Dang is an incredibly remarkable woman. Not just the image of a wounded young girl or the cold, commanding image of the squad leader—not any single one—but the Lady Dang of now, created by the gathering of all those versions. And I'm sure that was the same for the Third Squad members, and for the departed Myeong-hyeong as well."
Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at me.
Inside them was a child.
A wounded child who had wanted to be loved by her mother.
A kind child who could not bear to hate her mother and instead chose to hate herself.
Looking at that child, I spoke warmly, pouring in all the feeling I could muster.
"So now, my lady, please let that child go. Don't you, Lady Dang, now know better than anyone that the child did nothing wrong?"
In that instant, a stream of tears trickled down from her eyes.
"Ah."
She wore a flustered expression, surprised by the tears that had fallen.
They seemed to be tears she herself hadn't even recognized.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry. Why is this..."
But once the tears began to fall, they didn't stop.
As if pouring out all the sorrow she'd held in until now, they continued to flow without ceasing.
Somehow, I felt as though I could understand the various emotions mingled within them.
I left her alone and quietly came outside.
I wanted to give her time to sort out her heart on her own.
"Huuuu."
I let out a deep sigh.
The words I had said to Lady Dang were not just for her.
They were also words I had wanted to tell my past self.
To that me, who had been so afraid of hating and shedding blood with his family that he chose instead to ruin himself.
At least once, I had wanted to say this to that bastard from my past life.
That he was young and couldn't help it.
That it was okay.
That I understood him.
Somehow, the sky was growing overcast and hazy.
***
Time passed, and it was about half an hour later when Lady Dang came outside.
Perhaps she had cried a lot in the meantime, because clear tear stains were visible on her face.
But as I looked at her, a pleased smile naturally spread across my face.
Because her eyes were shining more refreshed and radiantly bright than ever before.
Lady Dang smiled like sunshine and said to me.
"Thank you, Seonu Gongja. And..."
She hesitated briefly, then continued.
"I want to help that person named Do Mun-seung."
At those sudden words, I chuckled and asked.
"Even though Sucheonhoe, which captured him, is a sworn ally of the Sichuan Dang Clan?"
Then she smiled gently and answered.
"Yes, yet I still feel like helping him. Do you think there might be some way?"
On her face as she asked, there was a hint of mischief and a subtle smile tinged with confidence that I hadn't seen before.
That expression, too, was so beautiful and charming that it was dazzling.
I grinned and answered.
"How could there not be? Where in the world is there anything truly without a solution? Shall I try to find a way?"
At that, she smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yes! Please do!"
That smile, as if she had shed a layer of skin, was shining brilliantly in the sunlight.