The Incident Unfolds
And so, the incident unfolded.
Seo-ah continued to swing her sword, executing the Seven Demonic Swords over and over. At first, her posture was awkward and stiff, but under No-ya’s guidance, she began to grow accustomed to the movements with surprising speed. Once. Twice. Three times. Ten times. Twenty. Thirty.
As Seo-ah became absorbed in the Seven Demonic Swords, her movements growing increasingly fluid, No-ya, who had been watching from the side, gave a nod and picked up his own blade. He began to swing alongside her.
‘Has it really been this long?’
Suddenly, Seo-ah, lost in the rhythm of her practice, glanced up at the sky. The sun, which had been hanging high at midday, was now dipping toward the horizon.
‘Nothing special about it.’
Seo-ah didn't bother counting how many times she had swung the blade. She judged that it was better to focus on accelerating her mastery of the Seven Demonic Swords rather than obsessing over the tally. She had likely given up counting after the hundredth swing. However, one thing was certain: it seemed unlikely she would reach the thousand swings No-ya had demanded today.
‘He doesn’t actually expect me to swing it a thousand times, does he?’
He had intended for her to swing with the resolve to finish a thousand. With the resolve to stay up all night. To lose herself in the sword, understand the intent behind it, and temper her external strength as well. In reality, that was exactly No-ya’s intention.
‘But... I don’t think there’s anything left to gain from the Seven Demonic Swords.’
Seo-ah truly believed that. She had already swung the sword hundreds of times. While she had been swinging mindlessly, that didn't mean she had been swinging without thought. By the time she reached several dozen swings, she could execute every form without a single wasted movement. By the time she reached the hundreds, she could break down every form of the Seven Demonic Swords and apply them freely. In the world of martial arts, this was called "Great Success."
The reason Seo-ah was having such idle thoughts was precisely because she had already achieved Great Success in the sword style and felt there was nothing left to extract from it. It was a phenomenal speed. Even if it were a foundational sword style, reaching the level of Great Success—where one could freely break down and apply the forms—in just a single day was unheard of.
‘Now that I think about it, my hands and feet are going numb.’
As her mind cleared, Seo-ah realized her entire body was screaming in agony. Having achieved Great Success in the sword style, she looked toward No-ya, intending to ask him to teach her a new technique or to see if they could call it a day.
No-ya was still swinging his sword. Just like the day he first passed on the Ki, the first half of the Ash Dust Heart Art, to her. Just like when she was a mere maid, before she had learned any martial arts, swinging a wooden sword behind the mountain.
‘That’s the No-ya I know.’
It had been strange that he had spent all this time talking to her without holding a sword. The No-ya she knew was a Sword-Crazed Demon—someone who focused every nerve on his blade, never even turning his gaze away to look at her.
Seo-ah watched him intently, wondering if she could glean anything from the sword style he was currently practicing. Then, she suddenly realized that the sword style No-ya was using had changed.
‘That... doesn't look like No-ya’s usual sword.’
Seo-ah knew. No-ya, who hailed from the Supreme Sword Sect, used a heavy, oppressive style that crushed his opponents and shattered their forms. But this was different. No-ya’s sword was fast. He wasn't imbuing it with internal energy, so it was visible to her eyes, but it was a blindingly fast, pleasurable display of speed.
Seo-ah asked, "What sword style is that?"
"It is the Flying Flash Fourteen Demonic Swords of the Swift Sword Sect."
"That’s not the sword you usually swing, is it?"
"It is one of the styles of the Swift Sword Sect. All paths lead to the same destination. A swordsman of my caliber should be able to handle ten thousand swords."
No-ya continued to speak without taking his eyes off his blade, just as he had before. Seo-ah, as her body remembered, swung the Seven Demonic Swords while watching the swift sword style No-ya was demonstrating. No-ya’s sword was fast, yet it continued slowly. It was as if he were showing it to someone in minute detail.
Seo-ah watched his sword as if possessed, just as she had in the old days. The difference was that this time, she wasn't chattering; she was contemplating how she could use the Seven Demonic Swords to counter that very blade. Sensing her gaze, No-ya wore a faint smile.
……
Seo-ah watched his sword as if bewitched, and after a long while, she began to focus all her nerves on her own blade, just as No-ya had. As time passed, and the sun set until the waning moon hung in the center of the sky, Seo-ah let out a cry of triumph.
"Ah... I did it!"
She had finally succeeded in countering the Flying Flash Fourteen Demonic Swords with the Seven Demonic Swords. No-ya smiled with satisfaction and said to her, "Let’s stop here for today."
"But I haven't swung it a thousand times yet."
"So, do you really want to swing it a thousand times?"
"Hehe... not really. I was just throwing it out there. I can really rest, right? If I ask like that..."
Seo-ah scratched her head, genuinely worried that No-ya might tell her to swing more. While the process of training and countering the sword styles was fun... her body had been swinging the forms of the Seven Demonic Swords without rest, and as soon as she regained her senses, a terrible fatigue washed over her.
No-ya chuckled as if she were amusing, then turned toward his quarters. "Go, eat well, and get some rest. Don't forget to practice your Qi Circulation... because you have to wake up early tomorrow and swing that sword a thousand times..."
Seo-ah nodded without a word and headed straight for her quarters.
***
Thinking back on it now, it seemed No-ya had expected her to master the Seven Demonic Swords quickly. Seo-ah would watch the sword style of the Swift Sword Sect that No-ya was demonstrating, and as soon as she discovered a way to counter it, she would swing her sword immediately. Whenever she succeeded in countering his blade, No-ya, his eyes fixed on his own sword, would change his technique as if by magic. Then, he would explain the name and characteristics of the sword style to her again. In that way, she had carved the counters for nine sword styles of the Swift Sword Sect into her mind.
Of course, it didn't come without a price. Every morning, Seo-ah would wake up feeling terrible muscle pain and be unable to move. No-ya would come by and poke and prod her body—not quite to the point of sealing her acupoints, but enough to make her move—so she would be dragged out to train again.
‘Have I... gained a little muscle?’
Swinging the sword from morning until late at night seemed to have increased her strength. On the fifth day of training, Seo-ah suddenly asked No-ya, "No-ya, don't I look like I've gained some muscle?"
When she asked with sparkling eyes, No-ya looked at her with an expression of disbelief.
"You are the first person I've ever seen who doesn't gain muscle like you do."
"……."
"Perhaps it’s because you lack a martial constitution..."
As she looked dejected, No-ya chuckled again and said to her, "Let’s stop here for today. Tomorrow, don't come out of your quarters and just rest."
"Uh... what?"
Seo-ah was stunned by No-ya’s sudden declaration. It was only natural, as he was the one who had dragged her out every time she cried out that she wanted to rest, and now he was not only ending the training six hours earlier than usual but also telling her to rest tomorrow.
No-ya said, "Because you have learned everything you need to know. The sparring match is in two days... so you should rest well today and tomorrow. You need to relieve the fatigue in your body."
"Ah...!"
And so, Seo-ah left the training grounds.
***
Seo-ah left the training grounds with a hollow face, her body heavy with the fatigue accumulated over the past five days. Perhaps they knew she was using the training grounds here, but a crowd of people were waiting outside.
Most of them were mediocre young martial artists from various sects. As soon as Seo-ah emerged, they swarmed her.
"Young Lady! Please, spar with me!"
"Move aside! I was here first!"
"Those guys couldn't even get into the Gyomaguan! If you want to gain insight, you should spar with me..."
Seo-ah frowned. It had been since the third day. Subtle rumors had begun to circulate within the sword family, and the number of people asking her for a sparring match began to increase. The rumors went like this:
— If I defeat the Sword Saint’s disciple... wouldn't I gain fame easily?
At first, everyone had been horrified, asking how they could possibly spar with the disciple of the Sword Saint who had just begun learning martial arts. But as time passed, more people began to whisper those words, and those who were desperate for fame began to think:
‘Is this really the time for me to be picky?’
It certainly wasn't an honorable thing to do, but in the distant future, the fact that they had defeated the Sword Saint’s disciple would never be taken lightly. When that time came, no one would know the details of the situation. If so... wouldn't their mediocre position within their sect change, even if it was in the distant future?
With such thoughts, the young martial artists of the sects began to challenge Seo-ah to sparring matches. Naturally, Seo-ah did not indulge in their farce. The first reason was this: if she sparred with even one person, it was certain that many more would flock to her. Asking why she would spar with them but not with them.
The second reason was... she didn't want to associate with those who weren't seeking to discuss martial arts purely, but were instead outsiders from their sects who came with impure intentions. Seo-ah didn't even give a glance to those swarming her and pushed her way through the crowd. Just as she always did.
Then, small, whispering voices from behind began to pierce her ears.
— Hmph. I guess that’s what you get from a lowly maid background... no manners at all.
— Hey... hey! Are you crazy?! What are you doing right now...
— That girl probably can’t even hear our voices. She’s just acting high and mighty because she was lucky enough to catch the Sword Saint’s eye...
— And what if she does hear us? She was a lowly maid... is she going to run to the Sword Saint and tell him we insulted her? Then the Sword Saint will just roar at her, asking if she can’t even handle something like that on her own.
— Keke. She’s so lacking in skill that she can’t even confront us openly.
These were roughly the kinds of things they were saying. Although they were the voices of a very small minority, many people here likely didn't view Seo-ah favorably. That a lowly maid didn't know her place. The reason such evaluations followed Seo-ah, the disciple of the Sword Saint, was very simple.
Because she had shown absolutely nothing as the disciple of the Sword Saint. No background that couldn't be trifled with. No outstanding martial arts. No phenomenal talent to follow. They hadn't seen anything in Seo-ah that they could expect or follow. According to the principle of the strong, she hadn't shown anything worthy of respect.
Seo-ah didn't bother to pay attention to their gazes.
‘Everything will change in two days.’
Because everyone would realize her true worth in the sparring match. Above all... Seo-ah turned back and cast a slight glance toward the crowd. Then, those who had been bad-mouthing her from behind, despite not having made direct eye contact, shrank back and lowered their gazes.
She didn't want to waste her mental energy on such idiots. The important sparring match was right before her eyes.
***
Lunch on the sixth day. And so, the incident unfolded.
Just as she was closing her eyes and reviewing the training of the past five days, a maid with a face she had never seen before handed her a letter, saying that So-so had asked her to deliver it.
— I have something urgent to say. Please come here secretly.
Seo-ah received the letter with a puzzled expression.
‘Does So-so know how to write?’
Seo-ah was a rare case, having learned to read by secretly stealing glances at books while wandering near the academy. Most children in the Central Plains did not know how to read or write. However, Seo-ah soon set aside her doubts. In this vast Central Plains, wouldn't there be one or two children who had learned to read like her? She thought it was just So-so, and Seo-ah simply thought So-so had gotten into some kind of trouble, so she chuckled and moved her feet.
When she arrived at the place, there were the men who had challenged her to a sparring match the other day and had been rejected, only to spew insults at her. And there was So-so, caught by them, looking at Seo-ah with a terrified expression, pleading for help.