The Dark Shadow
The reunion was sudden. It had been a year, and looking at So-yul, I wondered if she had hit her second puberty with full force; she was vastly different from my memories. The scrawny, wretched child who never had enough to eat was gone, replaced by a beauty with a strangely decadent air standing before me. Perhaps she had suffered greatly at the Gyomaguan; the dark circles under her eyes were enough to tell that story. For a moment, I didn't even recognize her, treating her with a hesitant, uncertain attitude.
"So-yul?"
So-yul nodded and immediately lunged at me, burying herself in my arms. I held her tight without a word. Sensing another presence in the courtyard, the twins hurried out as well.
"Vice-captain?"
"So-yul unni?"
A year had passed, and now, everyone was gathered in one place.
Just as I had with the twins, I told So-yul everything that had happened, including the fact that I had begun practicing martial arts. The morning after the four of us finally caught up, I realized the power of the spiritual elixir I had consumed.
To put it simply: the days of being as weak as a grain of rice, where I would collapse like a water rocket the moment I tried to do anything, were over. I finally understood why martial artists were so desperate for such elixirs. If I were to express it like a proper "martial artist" now, I had gained 15 years of internal energy—about a quarter of a gapja. Considering the Ash Body Pill contained roughly two gapja of true qi, it was a bit of a shame, but I was satisfied. For this fragile body that hadn't even been practicing for a week to contain 15 years of energy was an incredible feat.
I was on the verge of getting drunk on my own success.
'Heh... hehehe... My body is overflowing with power.'
It felt as if the same sense of omnipotence I had felt during my enlightenment was dominating my entire body. However, I barely managed to resist getting swept away by this feeling, recalling the embarrassing display I had made in the past. Just then, So-yul, who had been holding a broom, helped me snap out of it.
"Captain! I finished sweeping outside. Come out and look. How is it? I did well, right? Please, praise me!"
I was dragged out to the courtyard by So-yul. The ground was spotless.
"Oh. You did well. You're doing much better than Shin So-so or even me, the maid?"
"Heh... hehehe... Is there anything else I can do? If you give me any task, I'll do it all! You must have had such a hard time until now, so don't worry about anything and just rest."
I gave an awkward smile, feeling burdened by So-yul's display of affection. The reason So-yul had ended up doing my chores as a maid was simple: whenever I tried to do them myself, she would roll her eyes back and have a fit.
— No! You can't!! We are the subordinates; we should be doing these things. I can't let the Captain do such menial labor!
— No, So-yul. This is my job, and you must be tired from your closed-door training. Just rest comfortably...
— You guys! The Captain is doing chores, and you're just lying there comfortably? What are you doing?!
— No, really, it's fine...
— Captain, don't tell me... you're trying to abandon us, are you? Were you testing our loyalty... Ah! I shouldn't say things like that, I'm sorry! Please, just forgive me this once!
I had to stop So-yul, who dared to scold the twins for relaxing while the Captain worked, and I had to stop her from kneeling down and spinning wild delusions every time I said I was fine. Eventually, I had to let go of the chores for the first time in a while. As for the twins, who had caught stray fire for simply existing, they were probably swinging laundry bats with So-so right about now.
'Hmm... I don't think she was like this before.'
Even back in the village, So-yul had always shown a fair amount of dependency on me. But this was... a bit different from the twins. It felt less like she saw me as a guardian and more like she saw me as the leader of a cult.
I looked at So-yul.
'Her eyes look a little bit fried...'
Still, I decided to be understanding. How hard must the last year have been for her to end up like this? Even the twins, who were hidden, had faced so much jealousy and envy. For So-yul, who possessed a straight-laced personality and held a Gold Badge, it must have been even worse. My absence must have hit her harder than anyone else. She'd get better soon.
I stroked the head of So-yul, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes, asking if there was anything else to do.
"Our Vice-captain works too well. There's nothing left to do. Good work."
"Heh... hehehe..."
I was about to take the beaming So-yul back inside when the front gate opened. The twins returned with sulky expressions from their sudden chores, and Shin So-so returned with a strangely triumphant look on her face.
Countless sects, organizations, families, and masters flock to the Gyomaguan graduation ceremony. It is the easiest place to scout young, talented individuals who haven't yet found a proper affiliation. In other words, depending on the status of the guests who visit, the starting positions of the cadets can change.
In that sense, the information So-so brought was high-level intel. It was no wonder she looked so triumphant.
"Everyone, do you know what news I brought?! The Sword Demon is coming tomorrow! The Sword Demon of the Ten Demonic Monarchs!"
Unfortunately, So-so's information wasn't welcomed here. So-yul continued to stare at me with sparkling eyes, regardless of what was said, and the twins showed no particular reaction, likely having already decided on their own paths. I wasn't even a cadet to begin with, and I had already made up my mind to go with No-ya, so it meant little to me. Perhaps displeased by our lukewarm reactions, So-so stomped her feet and said:
"It's the Sword Demon! The Sword Demon! Why is everyone's reaction so lukewarm? If you catch his eye even a little, it's a chance to become a swordsman of the Geomnim (Sword Forest) immediately!"
"Hmm. More than that, I've been curious for a long time. Where do you always dig up that kind of information?"
"Ugh! Seo-ah! That's not what's important right now...!"
Ah. She's still using formal speech. So-so scanned her surroundings with a pout, but no one reacted. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh, muttered, "See if I tell you guys anything again," and flopped onto the floor.
The next one to speak was So-yul.
"Captain. Have you decided what you're going to do?"
"Hmm? Well. I'm not sure."
The twins looked at me, surprised. Baek-ran asked:
"Uh... then, are you leaving the Inner Hall, Unni?"
"Well. I don't know about before, but if I return to where I was after the graduation ceremony, I'll be taking the True Disciple exam immediately. So, I'll probably be leaving the Inner Hall."
Those "rescued" by the Cult had to work in their assigned places for several years, but for True Disciples, such restrictions disappeared. I figured I'd probably stop being a maid, too. But perhaps that answer was unexpected; the twins looked at each other and shook their heads. Seeing that, they must have been planning to apply to the Inner Hall to follow me.
So-yul was delighted by the news and said:
"Then, Captain! How about entering the Gyomaguan after graduation?! If I ask someone I know, you could enter without even taking the exam! Of course, if you're uncomfortable with that, you can take the test! Your talent is even better than mine, and I have a Gold Badge! There's no place like the Gyomaguan to hone your martial arts!"
I don't know why, but So-yul kept listing attractive reasons for me to enter the Gyomaguan, but I shook my head.
"It's fine, but I think I need to talk to No-ya first."
So-yul looked disappointed, but she nodded. 'It'll be fine, right? It'll be fine. Even if I follow the Captain, there's no justification to stop me anymore. The Captain came to find me like this, didn't she?! It was the condition to find the Captain and bring her back...'
Muttering incomprehensible things was just a bonus.
'Anyway. Since the graduation ceremony is tomorrow... that means there are about three days left.'
That was the time left until I met No-ya. It had only been a week, but if No-ya saw my achievement of creating a dantian and accumulating 15 years of internal energy, how would he react? Would he be shocked out of his mind? Whatever expression he wore on that stoic face, it seemed like it would be fun.
A dark room. Everyone was raising their voices, blaming one man.
"Jin Geuk has been captured. The trail to the Demonic Explosion Pill has been uncovered. How do you intend to take responsibility for this?"
"What was the reason for handing over the Demonic Explosion Pill so quickly! It was supposed to be used when killing the disciple of the Dark Cloud Scholar."
"I told you not to entrust such a heavy task to that fellow. In the end, my words were right."
The man being blamed had many things he wanted to say. 'Who knew that Jin Geuk would lose to a Silver Badge disciple and be such an idiot as to consume the Demonic Explosion Pill?' or 'Since the Dark Cloud Scholar was watching with wide-open eyes, we had to hand over the pill while we could, didn't we?'
But those attacking him surely knew these facts as well. Everyone in this room just needed a scapegoat. A scapegoat who would take all the responsibility and have his head hung when the plan went awry.
The man stood up abruptly.
"The plan will proceed without a hitch. Tomorrow. On the day of the graduation ceremony."
"..."
"I shall head to the Gyomaguan myself."
"Hmm..."
Silence filled the room, as if that hadn't been expected. An old man wearing flashy golden robes, who had been watching quietly, opened his mouth.
"Sect Leader. Is that possible?"
"Of course. I will bring back the head of the Dark Cloud Scholar."
"Good. I will trust only you, Sect Leader."
As the old man nodded, everyone in the room nodded without any free will of their own. At least in this place, no one could express dissent against the old man's decision.
"Next agenda. The Left Advisor's illness has deepened, so one year..."
The day of the great plan's execution was drawing near. The day the Left Advisor's death spread to the world, and a new Cult Leader and Divine Maiden were elected, the Cult would not belong to the Sun and Moon that looked over all people, but solely to the martial artists of the Demonic Path.
The old man in the golden robes closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. A dark shadow was casting itself over the Gyomaguan.