Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 60. Mental Image
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The reception hall was the place for greeting guests.
It was originally where Nangong Yurin had welcomed her grandfather, the Sword King, but since he wasn't there, she had asked about his whereabouts first.
It would only be a needless bother if he came in during a consultation.
"You'll be staying here for a while, so he went to pay his respects at the Murim Alliance."
That was a relief.
"Then you're not returning to the family right away?"
Seeing Yuseong look pleased, Nangong Yurin couldn't help but smile faintly.
She was happy too.
Whether it was because she could avoid the maid, or for some other reason, even she wasn't sure.
"Yes. I don't have to go back for a while. But in exchange, I'm going to learn martial arts from Grandfather."
"The Sword King is teaching you personally? Congratulations."
"...Thank you."
Wasn't learning martial arts directly from the Sword King an honor for any martial artist?
Despite his congratulations, her expression seemed somehow dissatisfied, so Yuseong quickly got to the point.
"Oh, the reason I came is—"
"Wa-wait a moment!"
Inhale—exhale.
Inhale—exhale.
Nangong Yurin took deep breaths.
She recalled sitting side by side with him under the full moon in the pavilion, where Yuseong hadn't been able to finish speaking in his gentle voice.
'The mood was right, so he must have been about to confess.'
If Jang Chil hadn't come running...
It seemed Yuseong had hurried over upon hearing she had to leave.
'But I just told him I'm not going back now, so why is the Medical Pavilion Leader in such a rush?'
She still hadn't decided what answer to give him.
She definitely had feelings for Yuseong, but she wasn't sure if they were strong enough to accept a confession.
'I don't know. I'll just go with what my heart tells me.'
Having made up her mind, Nangong Yurin opened her mouth.
"You can tell me now. I'm ready."
Gulp.
He swallowed dryly once more.
"Ah, yes. I'd like to examine your body a bit."
"Wh-what did you say? Al-already?"
"Already? This is the first time, isn't it?"
"Of course it is! Medical Pavilion Leader, I didn't think you were so rude!"
Nangong Yurin couldn't hold back and yelled.
From what she heard, it sounded like there was nothing he wouldn't do.
No matter how handsome he was, how could he say something like that to a maiden?
The goodwill she had been building up little by little plummeted.
If it weren't for her brother's eye treatment, she vowed never to exchange another word with this lecherous man.
"I didn't realize you'd hate an examination so much. I'm sorry for asking so casually."
"...Yes?"
"Yes?"
When Yuseong said he wanted to 'examine her body,' it was the standard phrase he used for patients.
It was perfectly normal wording for a physician to use with a patient.
He had originally planned to just check her head, but considering there might be issues with her throat or elsewhere, he intended to scan her entire body with his divine power.
It was better to detect any illness early if it existed.
However.
Nangong Yurin's face rapidly turned red.
A radish?
No, not even close.
It was like a persimmon ripened to a bursting crimson.
She also seemed angry.
'What did I do wrong... It's not trauma, but could she have something wrong with her head like Paeng Jisan?'
Yuseong quickly stood up.
Continuing the conversation now would only fuel her anger more.
"Um... let me apologize once more. Then I'll be going."
As he tried to leave the reception hall,
Swish.
Yuseong's sleeve was grabbed.
Then, a mosquito-like voice followed.
"You can... examine me..."
Could a person's attitude change this quickly?
'At least Paeng Jisan was consistent.'
A serious misunderstanding had nearly occurred, but fortunately, her next words cleared it up.
"I misunderstood earlier because I misheard. I'm sorry for yelling..."
"Ah, I see. Then let's proceed with the examination. There were a few suspicious points."
He decided to ponder what misunderstanding she had later, and Yuseong sat back down, taking Nangong Yurin's wrist.
He infused divine power and scanned every corner of her body.
'As expected of a direct descendant of the Nangong Family?'
He hadn't fully examined Paeng Jisan's meridians and bones, but Nangong Yurin had far superior ones compared to the other Murim Academy students.
'Well, that's why the Sword King is personally teaching her martial arts.'
Satisfied, Yuseong confirmed there were no particular abnormalities in her body and directed his divine power toward her brain.
The real reason he wanted to examine her.
Her comment that watching sparring matches was painful.
It hinted at some kind of trauma.
Finally, when the divine power reached her brain,
'As I thought...'
Yuseong detected a faint gray haze.
He couldn't rule out the possibility of the same type of mental illness as Paeng Jisan,
But given how faint the gray haze was, it was more likely a symptom caused by trauma.
Or perhaps that's what he wanted to believe.
The problem was, there was no way to treat it right now, which was regrettable.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
Nangong Yurin cautiously asked, seeing Yuseong's serious expression.
"Hmm..."
How should he put it?
If it were treatable right away, he'd tell her gladly, but he hesitated, unsure if bringing it up would help her.
And for the patient, that was quite frightening.
For Yuseong, who could even save the dying, to be seriously deliberating!
It led her to the worst assumptions.
"Am I... going to die?"
"Of course not. It's nothing like that."
"Then is it something serious?"
She looked so worried asking that much, making it hard to keep hiding it.
"...I did find something, but I'm hesitating because I don't think I can help much right now. It might upset you to hear it, so you should decide if you want to hear it."
Normally, Nangong Yurin might have chosen not to hear it.
Even though it was about her own body, there would be a reason she dreaded hearing it from Yuseong.
It was her personality to avoid things for fear they might worsen.
But her recent experience.
Boldly conveying her wishes to the Sword King and having them accepted was an achievement even she could hardly believe.
Learning the Emperor Sword Form wasn't entirely welcome, but it was far better than returning to the family.
So, she made her decision.
She would face it head-on.
"I'll hear it. You can tell me."
"In that case, I'll explain. You might already know about it well..."
"..."
"From what I can tell, you seem to be suffering from a mental image."
Mental image.
A wound of the heart.
And the meaning of the mental image Yuseong wanted to convey was a mental illness—specifically, trauma.
"So that's it?"
Nangong Yurin's expression darkened.
"You knew."
"Yes. Do you perhaps have an idea what caused it?"
"From what you said last time, I think it's related to sparring."
Nangong Yurin slowly nodded.
"Yes. You remember. Hmm... Would it help if I told you the details?"
Simply confessing the trigger for acquiring a mental illness might have an effect.
"It might help with treatment."
"Alright. It's horrific just recalling the memory, but... I'll tell you."
'Let's take one step forward this time too.'
She began her story.
When she was ten years old.
She watched her brother Nangong Yuhyeon spar with one of the family's first-rate warriors using real swords.
She often watched his spars, but that day, it particularly captivated her.
The first-rate warrior was a good sparring partner for her brother.
Her brother progressed from the Daeyeon Sword Method to the Changgung Muae Sword Method passed down only to direct descendants.
A single sword freely traversing the endless blue sky without hesitation.
Witnessing the sword path transcending worldly constraints, Nangong Yurin felt awe.
The sword path seemed etched into her mind.
'Brother is amazing. I want to become a cool expert like him too. Someday, I'll learn the Changgung Muae Sword Method.'
Back then, Nangong Yurin enjoyed training in martial arts.
She trained diligently on her own.
After taking in her brother's form, she moved to another training ground with Juyeon, her dedicated maid and escort warrior.
"Sister, let's spar too!"
The maid, ten years older than Nangong Yurin, was a second-rate warrior.
She had more than enough skill to face Nangong Yurin, who had only recently begun proper martial arts training.
That day, Nangong Yurin wanted to wield a real sword like her brother.
"Sister, can we spar with real swords?"
"Young Lady, you could get hurt."
"You're an expert. I've never beaten you once."
The maid hesitated briefly before agreeing.
The skill gap was still large, so as long as she was careful, there shouldn't be any danger.
"Alright. But if it seems you can't handle it properly, you must use a wooden sword."
"Okay, great!"
Nangong Yurin picked up the real sword her brother had used as a child.
It was heavier than a wooden sword, but specially made for children, so she could swing it.
It was the first time in her life she held a real sword.
'It feels so much better than a wooden sword. I feel like I can do anything.'
The spar began.
As usual, Nangong Yurin started her attack with the Daeyeon Sword Method, but she felt something off.
'It feels like the sword is suffocating.'
She exchanged a few stances with Juyeon, but the frustration didn't fade—instead, it grew.
'This doesn't feel right.'
The sword path of the Daeyeon Sword Method, which she had never found strange before, no longer satisfied her.
Unable to bear the frustration, on her next attack, Nangong Yurin broke free from the forms of the Daeyeon Sword Method and swung the sword as her heart guided her.
The stance she unleashed unconsciously was strikingly similar to the Changgung Muae Sword Method her brother had used,
Piercing through Juyeon's desperate defensive stance and deeply slashing her face.
Slash—!!
Blood spurted out.
It felt like the world had stopped.
Juyeon, who had been excited about marrying the man she loved soon, collapsing—it all seemed unreal.
Nangong Yurin's hands, drenched in blood, trembled violently.
***
Yuseong was greatly flustered.
'No, I didn't expect a story this intense!'
Before his eyes, Nangong Yurin burst into tears again.
He had lost count of how many times he had seen her cry.
This time, it felt like he had made her cry, filling him with immense guilt.