Bigwanggeomhyeong
The next day, at lunch.
The dining hall of the Asonia family mansion.
Gathered around the broad table were Leon, Aria, Cheren, and Count Philtron.
"…"
Not a word passed across the table. The only sounds were the occasional clink of servants shifting plates and the soft murmur of dish introductions.
It was simply that none of them were talkative people.
Cheren and Philtron went without saying — and Aria rarely opened her mouth except when speaking to Leon. Even Leon, the most conversational of the lot, was too busy shoveling food to break the quiet.
The first real exchange came only when dessert arrived.
Philtron asked,
"Is the meal to your liking?"
Leon answered,
"Yes. It's excellent."
"…"
"…"
Silence settled over them again. When the conversation simply died, Leon looked faintly flustered. He glanced around the table, then gave a small nod — as if he finally understood why the meal had been so unnaturally quiet. This particular combination of people made perfect sense of it.
Philtron set down his spoon and spoke.
"I wish to apologize to you, young master, for the successive unpleasant incidents that have occurred within our main house. The same apology extends to Miss Aria, of course."
He meant the Kendrick gang affair, and the assault at the training hall the day before.
Leon chose his words carefully.
"I don't think an apology is necessary. Those were my problems with them from the start."
How could he blame the Asonia family for Kendrick's pack of idiots? Even if they had been trainees here, the real fault lay with the houses that had failed to raise them properly.
"If anything, I'm the one who should regret that the Asonia family suffered because of me."
While Sahyang's assassins had infiltrated as far as the training hall the previous day, several Asonia martial artists on guard duty had been cut down. The final assassin's self-detonation had also left one of the advanced sparring halls in ruins, unusable.
Strictly speaking, those killers would never have come to the Asonia estate if Leon had not been there. That was the point he was making.
"That was their duty. You need not concern yourself. And failing to properly protect a guest staying under our roof remains a grave failing of this house. Coincidentally — or not — they struck when every Master of the family was away."
"It can hardly have been coincidence."
"Indeed. Overnight we conducted a thorough investigation and rooted out the spies. Nothing similar will occur again while you remain within the family grounds. Security has been doubled, and at least one Master will always be stationed inside the estate."
"That's reassuring."
Leon anticipated Philtron's next offer and struck first.
"Were you thinking of assigning me an escort as well?"
"I was."
"I'm grateful for the thought, but that would only make me uncomfortable. Aria feels the same, I'm sure."
"You do tend to go about without even a single attendant. You seem to dislike that sort of thing by nature. May I ask why?"
"It's simply how I am. And as of yesterday, I can handle most attacks alone — or with Aria."
Leon still lacked certain insights, but in raw combat power he was already no less than an upper-rank Expert. Philtron knew that well enough and accepted it.
"Your personal martial prowess is truly formidable; I cannot deny it. Any enemy you could not face would render escorts useless anyway. Still, it would be wise to prepare emergency measures — a safety net, a means of contact."
"I've already taken precautions of that sort. Are the Seven Seats of Sahyang that strong?"
At the question, Philtron fell silent for a moment, considering, then answered.
"A difficult question. Assassins' methods and techniques differ greatly in nature from those of martial artists like us. Their combat strength fluctuates wildly depending on the situation and the opponent. Their ranks cannot simply be divided into the User, Expert, and Master tiers we commonly speak of — lower, middle, upper, and so on."
"So assassins have their own separate hierarchy?"
"It is convenient to think of it that way. Consider the Seven Seats the seven most exceptional among Sahyang's killers. One thing I can say with certainty: the Ghost Fox who infiltrated the Dragon Heart Palace last time was not particularly skilled in one-on-one combat."
"I thought as much. She seemed that way."
"She excels more at black magic, magic circles, schemes, and infiltration. Among the Seven Seats, the ones with truly outstanding assassination skill are men like Mudo, Amja, and Cheoksaeng."
Leon asked again, almost idly,
"Men, you say."
"Men."
Philtron's expressionlessness outdid even Cheren's. Not a single eyebrow twitched.
"If men of that caliber come for you, survival will be difficult unless you are at the Master level."
"Quite the killing machines, then. I'll keep that in mind."
There was not a trace of fear in Leon as he said it. He answered with perfect calm, then lifted his spoon and finished off the remaining pudding.
In the meantime, Philtron's gaze met Cheren's. She looked at him and gave a slight nod.
"And this is both a token of apology and a gesture of my sincerity toward you and Miss Aria. I hope you will accept it."
A servant presented something to Leon and Aria.
Aria received a ticket; Leon, a booklet.
Philtron explained Aria's first.
"That ticket is a reservation voucher for Lapri Restaurant in the First District. Usable whenever you wish."
Aria's eyes went round. It was the capital's most famous high-end restaurant, where the waiting list was measured in years as a matter of course.
"I am grateful for your kindness, Count."
"And," Philtron added, glancing briefly at Leon, "it is for two."
"…!"
Aria's widened eyes sparkled. She bowed her head with perfect courtesy.
Philtron turned his gaze to Leon.
"That is a martial arts manual. I selected a technique I believed you would find useful."
On the cover was written Bigwanggeomhyeong.
"As you know, when facing assassins one often needs a sword barrier. This is not merely a barrier technique — it is a secret manual compiling various defensive and survival arts. It should suit you well."
"Oh. Thank you."
"If anything confuses you while learning it, you may ask the vice family head."
The vice family head meant Cheren. She took up the thread.
"Come find me whenever you like."
"I will. Ah — and Count, may I make one more request?"
"Speak."
"I would like to borrow a sword. Mine is currently being forged at the smithy."
Daggers were fine, but using one's primary weapon was always better. Just yesterday the short blades had left him in the awkward position of being unable to properly stop an explosion.
"That is no trouble. Vice family head — select something suitable from the sword vault and bring it."
"Understood, Family Head."
The moment the meal ended, Leon headed for the training hall.
He waited in the advanced sparring grounds. After a short while Cheren entered, an extra sword in hand.
"Ah, Instructor. You've arrived."
"How does it look so far?"
She was asking about the martial arts manual Leon was leafing through.
"Beyond anything I imagined. These are extremely high-level techniques. There are applications I never even considered… Are you certain I'm allowed to learn this?"
It more than lived up to the name of a secret manual. He could scarcely believe they had simply handed something like this to an outsider.
"It is one of the Asonia family's representative ultimate arts. To my knowledge, only blood relatives are permitted to learn it. So do not distribute it to anyone else."
"Of course not."
"The Family Head gave it as a gesture of sincerity, hoping you and this house will maintain amicable relations going forward. Accept it without worry."
"Mm… Yes. I'll accept it gratefully."
Is there something they want from me?
Even accounting for goodwill, sincerity, and apology, it still felt excessive. But Leon decided to let it pass for now. Better not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"And here — the sword you asked to borrow. I chose one that should suit you reasonably well. It will serve for the time being."
"Oh."
Leon took the longsword from Cheren. Gripping the hilt, he swung it this way and that, then poured mana into the blade.
"I like it a lot."
"Good."
Cheren's eye had carefully assessed Leon and selected a sword that matched his style perfectly.
Arms folded, she regarded him steadily and asked,
"Any parts you don't understand?"
"Hmm. I'll try performing it once first. Point out anything lacking."
"Understood."
Leon prepared the first form of Bigwanggeomhyeong.
"Here I go."
At once, his sword traced a circle as mana surged up along the blade.
Bigwanggeomhyeong — First Form: Pagwang
Wave Light
Hwaaaaaaaaah!
Blue radiance erupted in every direction.
Centered on Leon's body, a cyan spherical wave of force expanded outward in concentric rings. It was a perfect sphere enveloping every angle. His form was wrapped tight in a sword barrier that showed not the slightest gap.
Shwaaaaaa—
"Hmm."
As the mana settled, Leon looked to Cheren and asked,
"Instructor, how was that? Did I do it right?"
"…"
Cheren's pupils trembled violently.