Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Namgung So-yeon and the Black Moon Sword (6)
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Night fell, and a blue moon rose in the sky.
Normally, she would have been asleep by now, but Namgung So-yeon's heart was racing, making it impossible to close her eyes.
'The Heavenly Martial Assembly... Can I really do it?'
The Martial Alliance was in Henan, where the Shaolin Temple was located. If she wanted to participate, she would have to leave Anhui.
Fortunately, Anhui and Henan were adjacent provinces, but because the Central Plains themselves were so vast, crossing even a single province was a long journey.
Moreover, for someone like her, who had never traveled far from the Namgung Clan on her own, it was a daunting thought.
'Come to think of it, I've never really gone anywhere by myself.'
Most martial artists who had reached the age of twenty had journeyed through the martial world with their sect brothers and sisters to gain experience.
She had heard that in special cases, some even traveled alone.
'What have I been doing all this time?'
She had lived every moment entangled in the affairs of her clan.
There was nothing she had ever done on her own.
She ate the elixirs the clan gave her, learned the martial arts the clan taught her, and participated in the sparring matches the clan held. That was all.
The closest thing she had to real combat was a duel with the eldest son of a prominent family in Anhui.
But even that couldn't be called a true fight.
At the time, they were both just past their fifteenth year, and both were first-rate masters, each possessing remarkable talent.
But in every other aspect, the odds were stacked in Namgung So-yeon's favor.
Due to the difference in the elixirs they had consumed, her internal energy was greater, and the martial arts she had learned were a cut above his.
Furthermore, his influential family was under the Namgung Clan's authority, so the atmosphere itself was inevitably intimidating from their perspective.
Naturally, So-yeon seized victory within a few exchanges, and the eldest son of that family tasted a bitter defeat.
In terms of pure talent, there hadn't been a significant gap between them, yet he had lost due to the difference in their clans' support and hierarchy.
Therefore, it couldn't be considered a real fight.
'What have I ever accomplished on my own?'
She tried to think of what she had achieved by herself, without the name Namgung, but nothing came to mind.
She couldn't help but realize that the clan's support, which she had taken for granted, was in fact an enormous privilege.
'What on earth have I ever done by myself...?'
[Do you know why you live under your family's control?]
As if sensing So-yeon's anguish, the Black Moon Sword asked in a remarkably serious tone.
Hearing his question, she answered with the first thought that came to her.
"Because I'm a member of the Namgung Clan?"
[No.]
He answered curtly.
The Black Moon Sword's violet-black eye gleamed in the darkness, catching the blue moonlight.
[It's because you live under the support of the Namgung Clan.]
"....."
Namgung So-yeon quietly met its gaze and listened.
[Without the support of the Namgung Clan's head, what can you do? Is there anything in this house that you have obtained entirely through your own abilities?]
His words felt like a blow to her head.
[The clothes you wear, the sword techniques you wield, the room you stay in, even the food you ate and drank today. Doesn't it all belong to the head of the Namgung Clan?]
"....."
[He is certainly your father. So you might take it for granted. But remember this. Nothing in this world is given without a price. In exchange for receiving your 'father's' support, you must fulfill your role as a 'daughter'.]
"But if it's family, that's only natural..."
[Let me tell you another wonderful truth. There is nothing 'natural' in this world either. So let me ask you this. While receiving all those 'natural' things, have you lived up to the 'natural duty' a child owes their parent?]
Hearing the Demon Sword's reply, So-yeon suddenly wondered.
Had she, in return for all she had received, truly fulfilled her duty as a 'good daughter' to her father?
[What you take for granted is something others can only dream of. So do not use the word 'natural' so carelessly.]
The Demon Sword spoke in a firm voice.
[If you wish to claim your freedom fully, you must cut off all the 'natural' things you have received until now. To enjoy freedom, you must bear the responsibility that comes with it.]
"B-But how can I suddenly do that...?"
[When and how you do it is of no interest to me. I have merely told you the way of the world and how to achieve what you desire. If you want to keep living like this, then do nothing.]
At that moment, the Demon Sword's eye flashed with a dangerous light.
[But you are well aware of the price of that action, are you not?]
"...."
So-yeon could say nothing, her expression bewildered.
A sense of helplessness about what to do next consumed her thoughts.
To obtain what she truly wanted, she had to give up what she had always taken for granted.
Of course, there might have been other ways to change Namgung Cheon's mind without acting on the Demon Sword's words.
She could have followed her father's wishes and tried to persuade him slowly, or shown her sincerity about the martial arts she wanted to learn and asked him to reduce her time spent on other studies.
The world is not so black and white.
She could have found another way.
But she didn't have much time, and more importantly, the Demon Sword did not want such a situation.
He wanted So-yeon to stand on her own two feet as soon as possible.
Even if it meant using a slightly extreme method.
The reason was surprisingly simple.
'It's more fun this way.'
This was the Demon Sword's true inner thought.
He was goading the daughter of a rich family into running away purely for his own amusement.
Truly, he was a demonic scumbag of the highest order.
Was it any wonder the Heavenly Demon Cult was called a congregation of villains?
He spouted nonsense about being different from other demons because he didn't engage in indiscriminate slaughter, but in reality, he was no different.
Finding amusement in the anguish and suffering of others was no different from any other demon.
His methods were just a bit more novel; in the end, he was still a villain from the Demonic Cult.
Unaware of this fact, Namgung So-yeon was lost in deep thought, as if she had gained some great enlightenment.
'...When I really think about it, the Black Moon Sword is right. I've been completely dependent on the Namgung Clan for all my food, clothing, and shelter. And yet I dared... I was so foolish.'
While it might vary depending on the circumstances, it was true that the process of growing from a child into an adult involved becoming independent from one's parents.
But this was a different matter entirely.
The Namgung was no ordinary neighborhood family.
It was a colossal martial clan that held dominion over an entire province.
Its power and prestige were even considered the greatest among the Five Great Clans, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them royalty.
What royal child would ever cast aside their privileges, declare independence, and leave the kingdom?
Surely, some might exist somewhere.
We usually call such people 'oddballs' or 'eccentrics'.
And Namgung So-yeon's disposition was not that of an ordinary woman.
After all, she stubbornly refused to do what her father told her and wanted only to practice martial arts.
"Then, what should I do now?"
[Do not ask me. I only show you the way; you must choose your own life.]
"....."
After pondering for a moment, So-yeon slowly lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.
As the Black Moon Sword had said, the time had come for her to make her own choice.
'Do I love martial arts enough to give up everything I have?'
After deep thought, she made her decision.
Even if the wager with the Demon Sword was the catalyst, she wanted to prove her abilities so she could dedicate herself to martial arts.
'To think I was about to leave even this important decision to someone else.'
It felt as if she had realized something crucial.
For a moment, she felt a sense of gratitude toward the Demon Sword, but she quickly dismissed it.
She remembered that he was a heinous arch-demon trying to take her life.
'That's right. That Demon Sword is just trying to push me into danger! There's no need to be grateful!'
She reminded herself of the terrible things the Demon Sword had done to her.
Only then did it seem possible to forget the gratitude she felt for the advice he had given and the new direction he had shown her.
So-yeon decided she needed to sleep soon before the night grew any later, and closed her eyes.
*****
"My lady? Are you alright?"
With hollow eyes, So-yeon greeted her tutor.
She was so tired that dark circles had formed under her eyes in a single day. The tutor, who had intended to press on with the lesson, couldn't help but be taken aback by her condition.
It was no wonder; she had spent most of the night with her eyes wide open.
She had resolved to have it out with her father today, but that very tension had driven sleep away.
"Ahem, my lady, today's lesson will not be difficult, so please do not worry."
She had planned to refuse the lesson and confront her father.
But when she tried to open her mouth, the words wouldn't come easily.
The thought that she might suddenly have to leave everything behind terrified her.
What she thought she could do last night had changed now that the sun was up.
She even felt a desire to just endure the boring lesson a little longer and stay comfortably at home.
Leaving home, treading an unknown path, is always a frightening prospect.
Resisting change and clinging to the familiar is human nature, so it couldn't be seen as Namgung So-yeon's failing.
As she hesitated, the lesson began.
With her mind in a jumble and her body exhausted, she couldn't absorb a single thing the tutor taught.
*I'll tell him after this lesson ends.*
*I'll tell him after I rest a little.*
*Should I tell him tomorrow instead of today?*
These thoughts swirled in her head.
Naturally, her attitude in class was a mess, and the tutor sighed deeply before speaking.
"My lady, would you like to take a short break? You look very tired."
"...Yes. I would like that."
She dragged her weary body out into the manor grounds.
She was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Realizing she had no one to lean on, she cautiously asked the Demon Sword.
"Um, you... what would you have done, Black Moon Sword?"
[Such a question is meaningless. You and I have lived different lives, so my advice would be of no help. It would only confuse you further. So think and decide for yourself.]
The Demon Sword, wanting to train So-yeon's mental fortitude, did not give her an easy answer.
Besides, offering words of comfort did not suit the role he was playing.
[Seeing you like this, it seems the bet is tilting in my favor.]
The Demon Sword threatened So-yeon with its violet-black eye, which held an ominous gleam.
However, despite his menacing appearance, it was, in truth, the Demon Sword's silent plea for her to do something, anything.
In the end, So-yeon received no real answer and could only express her complicated feelings with a sigh.
"Haaaah..."
It was then that someone suddenly clung to Namgung So-yeon's back.
*Cling.*
Startled, So-yeon was about to open her mouth with a flustered look when...
"Sister!"
"Gyeong!"
It was Namgung Gyeong, the youngest son of the Namgung Clan and the little brother who adored So-yeon.
Her gloomy expression brightened in an instant, and the Demon Sword, thinking it could gain some psychological information on So-yeon, made its eye gleam in the darkness.