Master and Disciple
As soon as the door opened, So-yul, looking half-out of her mind, pulled me into a hug. I brushed off her frantic, incoherent rambling and looked at the rest of the group. Judging by their expressions, they had been deeply worried about me. Honestly, if So-yul hadn't been busy tackling me in a daze, I probably would have been trampled by all of them.
The twins gave So-yul, our vice-captain, a cold, dead-eyed stare before Baek-ak asked, "Captain. What's with your hair?"
"This?" I shrugged. "Who knows. It’s a side effect of the demonic arts. Too much stress, I guess." I hesitated for a moment, wondering how much to reveal, then added, "You'll understand soon enough."
"Oh? You're sure you're not hurt?"
"I'm perfectly fine."
"That's a relief! I knew you'd be safe, Captain!" Baek-ak said, hands on his hips, puffing out his chest. Baek-ran rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, waving a finger at him.
"Tsk, tsk. Shameless. The moment you regained your senses, you were the one running around screaming that we had to break down the door with our sobbing vice-captain here."
"Wh-what?! You were the one plastered against the wall, calculating if it was even possible to get through!"
"Is that the same thing? You were looking for a completely impossible solution, while I was at least looking for a sliver of a chance!"
"In the end, you couldn't do anything either! The ones who actually pulled it off were the shrimp over there and So-so! How are you any different from me?"
Baek-ak pointed toward Dan-ryang, who was cowering in the corner, and So-so, who was being stifled by the intensity of the twins and So-yul. Baek-ran frowned, but since she couldn't deny the truth of his words, she stayed silent. It was one of the few times Baek-ak had actually managed to shut her up.
It was a dangerous moment. They seemed genuinely bothered by the fact that they couldn't help me. Ignoring So-yul, who was still clinging to my waist and muttering, I patted Baek-ran, who looked a bit deflated.
"Don't worry about it too much. If there had been more people, it would have been even harder. You did well staying put."
Baek-ran didn't look entirely bright, but she nodded with a much better expression. My gaze shifted to So-so.
"But, putting aside the fact that Dan-ryang was the one who called No-ya... how did you, So-so...?"
At my natural question, So-so, who had been waiting for a chance to talk to me, let her expression sour for a split second before shifting into a triumphant grin.
"I was the one who told that 'No-ya' person that you were inside the Gyomaguan! ...Sir!"
"Ah. And then Dan-ryang met No-ya and brought him to me?"
Dan-ryang, who had been shrinking into the corner, nodded.
'So... what should I say to So-so?'
As the protector of the twins and So-yul, it was only natural for me to soothe, comfort, and praise them. But So-so... even if I praised her, she’d probably just be slightly happy and leave it at that. What should I do? Still, she was, in her own way, my savior, wasn't she?
As I pondered this, So-so seemed to catch on; she quickly leaned in and whispered in my ear.
I chuckled at her words. Come to think of it, So-so was a bit of a materialist. After all, hadn't her reason for heading to the Gyomaguan been to seduce a young master and climb the social ladder? Since I had... once been a 'young master' myself, I suppose her plan was a success.
I turned my gaze to the last person, Dan-ryang. We stared at each other awkwardly. Of all the people here, Dan-ryang was surely the most uncomfortable. The only people she knew were me and So-so, and we weren't exactly on the best of terms.
What should I say? Thank you for bringing No-ya? As I struggled with the thought, Dan-ryang spoke first.
"I... I have something to say to you two... about how I've treated you and bullied you until now... I... I... I!!!"
Her face turned increasingly red, and just as she was about to deliver the final, decisive words—
Clack!
The cold-faced attendant from before stepped back into the room.
"I apologize for interrupting your pleasant time, but Seo-ah. The Sword Saint requests your presence."
In the end, Dan-ryang's words remained unfinished. It seemed I would have to hear her apology another time.
After finally prying off So-yul, who had been adamant about not letting go of me, I followed the attendant. To me, No-ya was... well, if I was the mental pillar for the twins and So-yul, No-ya was my mental pillar. Having been sold off to a strange place, he was the only one I could pour out all my difficult stories to.
However, thinking back, I didn't actually know much about him. I didn't know his name, or what he used to do. I knew nothing. Because during our first meeting, he had told me:
I had only just realized today that No-ya's true identity was the Sword Saint. The ash-grey hair, the symbol of the Sword Family. The words of the attendant guiding me. This raised a question: How was I supposed to treat him now? For someone like me, who had assumed he was at most a chief of some Dharma Hall, this was truly a predicament.
Think about it. If the neighborhood old man you chatted with about trivial things on a park bench turned out to be the Prime Minister, wouldn't you be flustered? I wasn't sure if I could talk to him like before. Thinking that, I understood why he had gone to the trouble of hiding his identity even after we became close.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a door, guided by the attendant.
Knock, knock, knock.
The attendant knocked respectfully, listened, and then nodded.
"You may enter."
I opened the door, my heart a mix of anticipation and anxiety. I could hear my own heartbeat. As I stepped inside, I saw the familiar No-ya pacing back and forth, looking restless. Seeing that, my heart felt a bit more at ease. At least I wasn't the only one who had been agonizing over this.
What should I say first? There were so many things I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted to brag about. Why did you come to find me? Did you know? I was actually a genius. The martial arts you taught me... they're a bit strange. Can you see my hair?
I said, "I think I said something similar last time, but it's strange to see you without a sword in your hand, No-ya."
"I believe I said this last time as well, but am I not human? Of course, I don't let go of my sword when I'm resting at home."
"If you're someone like the Sword Saint, I assumed you'd even swing your sword while you slept."
"I don't swing it while I sleep, but I do while I eat and while I relieve myself. How about that? Do you believe me now?"
I shrugged at his joke. No-ya stared at me in silence. He, who had never taken his eyes off his sword, was now looking at me. I could easily understand what his gaze meant. His gaze was a piercing one. When he usually swung his sword, he was piercing the essence of the sword to supplement his own, and now, he was piercing me.
He was digging into everything—what I was thinking, how far I had mastered the martial arts, what kind of life I had lived. It felt like I was being laid bare. It was a strange sensation I wouldn't have felt before I learned martial arts. I realized once again that my life had changed in an unexpected place.
No-ya nodded and said, "You must have a lot you want to say. A lot you want to ask. I have a lot to tell you, too. And a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Yes. Since I taught you martial arts without asking for anything in return, may I ask for my request first?"
"You said teaching me martial arts was a birthday present."
"You cheeky brat. So, are you saying no?"
"How could I? Go ahead."
We exchanged a few light jokes. No-ya looked a bit conflicted, then spoke up.
"First... I said I would teach you martial arts if you mastered them. So, I have a request for you. Would you... become my disciple?"
"Why is that a favor? I'd be the disciple of the Sword Saint. Wait... could it be..."
'To learn the true demonic arts, there is a price you must pay, hehehe...' It wouldn't be a development like that, would it?
As I looked at him with suspicious eyes, No-ya flicked my forehead.
"You cheeky brat. What on earth are you thinking? I'm just worried that your heart might have changed while you were at the Gyomaguan."
I rubbed my forehead, groaning, "No way. Even when I went to the Gyomaguan and didn't know you were the Sword Saint, I only thought about learning martial arts from you."
"Hmm... is that really true?"
"Should I tell you the truth?" I said with a grin.
No-ya laughed happily, knowing I was just joking. "Enough. It's too late to tell the truth now. Well then, disciple, why don't you perform the kowtow ceremony for your master?"
"Ah. I said I thought about you, No-ya, but I haven't said I'd become your disciple yet."
"It's too late, you brat. After making me wait so anxiously, if you serve someone else as your master, I'll show you the true terror of the Saint."
"Oh, I can't have that. Should I do it now?"
No-ya and I talked as comfortably as we had a week ago. Neither of us looked like people who had been agonizing over how to treat each other just a moment ago. To me, No-ya was still No-ya, and to the Sword Saint, I was still one of his few conversation partners. All that remained was for that relationship to grow closer through the bond of master and disciple.
That day, I performed the kowtow ceremony for No-ya.