Chapter 3
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: To Take Up the Sword (2)
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Though Neung Ryeoun had not expected Cheon Muryang to go this far, he had no choice but to draw his sword.
“You must keep your promise.”
“I will.”
Since it had come to this, there was nothing to be done.
He had said he wouldn't make an issue of this if he won, so all Neung Ryeoun had to do was win.
“……”
The two men continued their standoff.
Rain still poured down on the empty training grounds.
*Swoosh!*
The drizzle had now become a downpour.
Soaked by the sheets of rain, Cheon Muryang stood without a single tremor.
“Ugh…!”
He was supposed to be the pathetic, good-for-nothing Great Young Lord.
Yet, Neung Ryeoun couldn't bring himself to make a rash move.
‘What is this inexplicable presence?!’
His instincts were screaming at him.
*Do not underestimate him.*
It was an instinct that only surfaced when facing a powerful opponent.
“What? Are you afraid?”
“Y-You bastard!”
“If you won't come, then I will.”
“……!”
Heavenly Light moved.
It was a simple swing, nothing more than a horizontal slash from left to right.
‘As I thought!’
It was nothing he couldn't block.
Neung Ryeoun ignored his instincts.
What a clumsy strike.
*Swoosh!*
Although Neung Ryeoun’s sword moved second, it was far faster than Cheon Muryang’s, so he wasn’t too late.
*Clang!*
The two swords met in mid-air.
Neung Ryeoun believed he would have the upper hand in strength.
“……!”
*Thud.*
However, that was a delusion.
The repulsive force sent him staggering back, and he lost his grip on his sword.
A fatal mistake.
*Whoosh!*
*Clink!*
The vibrating Heavenly Light came to rest against Neung Ryeoun’s neck.
*Drip!*
A scratch appeared on his skin.
Blood trickled from it.
Neung Ryeoun couldn't move a muscle.
‘I could have been killed in a single blow.’
Neung Ryeoun shuddered as he looked into Cheon Muryang’s chillingly calm eyes.
‘When did he become so strong?’
He couldn't believe it.
How could that good-for-nothing Great Young Lord have become this powerful?
As Neung Ryeoun stood there in a daze, Cheon Muryang’s cold voice reached him.
“Is this how they teach you in the Cheon Family?”
“……!”
“I’m quite certain I called this a life-and-death duel. And yet, you swung your sword so carelessly?”
“Ugh!”
“Pathetic. You are not worthy of wielding this sword.”
Cheon Muryang withdrew his blade.
Then, he picked up Neung Ryeoun’s sword from the ground.
“Think about why you must wield a sword. Once you find that reason, come find me again.”
“……!”
“We will duel once more for this sword then.”
Why was it?
Despite Cheon Muryang’s scolding, Neung Ryeoun couldn't utter a single word in response.
“I… I…!”
Cheon Muryang looked down at the speechless Neung Ryeoun with cold eyes before turning away.
“Woryeong.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps his excitement had faded.
Cheon Muryang left the training grounds.
*Glimpse.*
Just before he left, Cheon Muryang’s gaze flickered somewhere.
However, no one noticed it.
*Thump, thump.*
Watching his departing back, Neung Ryeoun tried to call out to him.
“W-Wait!”
*Halt.*
Cheon Muryang’s steps paused.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“……!”
Neung Ryeoun couldn’t say anything.
It was because of Cheon Muryang’s eyes, which were as deep and still as an abyss.
‘If this had been a real fight…’
He would have been cut down.
He would already be a dead man.
“If not, I’m leaving.”
*Tsk.*
What could he possibly say?
Neung Ryeoun couldn't stop Cheon Muryang from leaving.
And so, Cheon Muryang departed.
Left alone, Neung Ryeoun asked himself.
‘Why did I take up the sword?’
A question arose.
It was a fundamental question about why he wielded a sword.
To find the answer, Neung Ryeoun questioned himself again and again.
*Swoooosh!*
The downpour continued relentlessly.
Neung Ryeoun stood motionless within it.
‘No, what was it I wanted to confirm?’
Neung Ryeoun disliked Cheon Muryang.
However, for the past month, Cheon Muryang had clearly not been the good-for-nothing he knew.
‘Did I always want him to remain a good-for-nothing?’
Perhaps he had.
Whenever he mocked Cheon Muryang, he felt as if he were someone important.
‘What on earth have I been doing?’
Neung Ryeoun remained still in the rain.
“……”
It was then.
A gaze that had been watching the departing Cheon Muryang and the remaining Neung Ryeoun shifted.
***
Woryeong immediately stepped in front of Cheon Muryang and bowed her head.
“I-I’m sorry, Young Lord. I shouldn't have stepped forward… Seeing him mock your efforts made me lose my temper… It was unlike me. I apologize.”
It was certainly unlike Woryeong.
In Cheon Muryang’s memory, she was a woman who always maintained her composure.
However, he didn't dislike it.
After all, Woryeong had stepped forward for his sake.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Pardon?”
“You stood up for me, didn't you?”
“Ah…”
“You remember what I said, right?”
Woryeong vividly recalled Cheon Muryang’s words.
*『I will tolerate insults directed at me. But I will not tolerate insults against those who stand by me.』*
*Flush.*
Woryeong’s face turned red.
“It’s just as I said.”
“……”
“I won't tolerate anyone insulting my people, no matter who they are.”
Woryeong lowered her head.
Perhaps because she was hidden by the rain.
Tears welled up in her eyes for no reason.
“Young Lord…”
Woryeong never thought that Cheon Muryang had changed.
‘You’ve returned.’
He had simply returned to being the Cheon Muryang she remembered from the past.
Her emotional moment was short-lived as a heavy presence emanated from somewhere nearby.
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”
Woryeong’s heart sank.
*Whip!*
Her head snapped around like lightning.
However, Cheon Muryang had already turned his entire body to face the owner of the voice.
“Yes, Uncle.”
Cheon Seonhak.
He was Cheon Muryang's uncle, the Grand Commander of the Heavenly Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix Sword Corps, and one of the three pillars supporting the Cheon Family.
He was also the warrior whom Nameless had once trusted and followed the most.
‘I never thought we would meet like this, Lord Commander.’
The reason the Cheon Family hadn't immediately collapsed after a good-for-nothing like Cheon Muryang became its head, and had somehow maintained its reputation, was largely due to Cheon Seonhak’s existence.
Thus, Cheon Muryang felt a sense of deep emotion.
Of course, Cheon Seonhak did not.
“Uncle…”
Cheon Muryang showed him due respect.
However, Cheon Seonhak did not accept it.
“I never thought you knew how to show such courtesy.”
A chill emanated from Cheon Seonhak.
It was only natural, as to him, Cheon Muryang was nothing but a good-for-nothing beyond redemption.
‘That's why Lord Cheon Muryang was particularly afraid of Lord Commander Cheon Seonhak.’
Even a good-for-nothing could only act out against those his status worked on.
It was useless against someone with power and status that rendered it meaningless.
‘Strong against the weak and weak against the strong, I suppose.’
Cheon Muryang cursed the original Cheon Muryang.
What could he do?
It was the truth.
“I have been ignorant until now and failed to visit you, Uncle.”
Cheon Seonhak not only led the Heavenly Dragon and Heavenly Phoenix Sword Corps but also occasionally instructed the trainees.
Thus, Cheon Seonhak sometimes appeared at the training grounds where Cheon Muryang ran every day.
“I heard you’ve been running in the training grounds every single day for the past month.”
During that month, the two had not acknowledged each other.
Cheon Seonhak’s appearance now was unexpected for Cheon Muryang.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“What has gotten into you?”
“I am merely fulfilling my duty as the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family.”
“How amusing. You, speaking of duty.”
A storm-like aura erupted from Cheon Seonhak.
He looked as if he might draw the sword at his waist at any moment.
“Tell me, what is your scheme?”
“……I have already told you.”
Cheon Muryang’s entire body trembled.
His training was not yet sufficient to withstand Cheon Seonhak’s aura.
However, though his body shook, Cheon Muryang did not avert his eyes.
‘Lord Commander Cheon Seonhak is a true warrior. Empty flattery won't work on him.’
He was not a man to be swayed by mere words.
“……”
“I do not trust you.”
Cheon Seonhak’s distrust of Cheon Muryang was beyond imagination.
Therefore, Cheon Seonhak turned not to Cheon Muryang, but to his serving maid.
“What is your name?”
“It is Wo-Woryeong.”
“Alright. You tell me, then. What is the scheme of this good-for-nothing Great Young Lord you serve? And do not dare to speak falsehoods.”
*Fwoom!*
Cheon Seonhak did not draw his sword.
Yet, his presence alone felt sharp enough to cut a person down.
“I truly do not wish to draw my sword.”
It was a clear warning.
*Shudder.*
Woryeong’s slender body trembled.
Her lips instantly turned blue.
It was not an aura a mere serving maid could endure.
It was the presence of an absolute master, incomparable to Neung Ryeoun’s sword.
*Grit!*
At this, Cheon Muryang tried to force himself to step forward.
It was then.
“The… The Great Young Lord… has been smiling for the past month.”
“Smiling?”
“Yes. While running in the training grounds, the Great Young Lord was always smiling.”
“……”
*Glimpse.*
Cheon Seonhak’s gaze briefly shifted to Cheon Muryang.
‘*Tch.* Did I do that?’
It seemed he had been smiling without realizing it.
‘In truth, it was because it was so hard.’
It seemed he had put into practice his former family head's teaching to smile when things get tough, even after being reincarnated.
Woryeong continued.
“Also, he paid no mind to the jeers from those around him. The Young Lord of the past would surely have gotten angry or run… I’m sorry. He would have left the training grounds.”
Cheon Muryang simply shrugged once, as if to say it was alright.
*Flinch!*
Of course, Cheon Seonhak’s aura wrapped around Cheon Muryang even more tightly, as a warning not to act rashly.
“But the Young Lord never once got angry or r-… I’m sorry. He never ran away. Instead, he drew his sword for the first time for my sake.”
Cheon Seonhak’s presence remained.
However, for some reason, Woryeong felt as if it had lessened.
“I believe in the Young Lord.”
“Believe, you say…”
There was not a shred of falsehood in her words.
Knowing this, Cheon Seonhak said nothing.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke to Cheon Muryang.
“I hear you sought to enter the Heavenly Dragon Archives.”
“Yes. Though I was not permitted, as I lack the qualifications.”
“What martial arts do you know?”
“Only the Divine Art of Heavenly Yang.”
To have learned the Divine Art of Heavenly Yang meant he had only learned the basic arts associated with it.
In other words, he was on the same level as the trainees aspiring to become official warriors of the Cheon Family.
“Two months.”
“……?”
“I will give you two months.”
Two months.
Cheon Muryang vaguely grasped Cheon Seonhak’s intention.
“Within two months, defeat the top trainee.”
*Smirk.*
It was always like this.
Cheon Seonhak used to give Nameless tests in this manner.
And each time, Nameless had made Cheon Seonhak’s tests even more difficult.
“No.”
“……”
“One month is enough.”
“Did you say one month?”
“Yes.”
Cheon Seonhak nodded.
“Very well. So be it.”
With those words, the surrounding aura dissipated.
“I will be looking forward to it.”
Cheon Seonhak departed.
*Swoooosh!*
The downpour continued.
However, Cheon Muryang’s body was fired up.
“This won’t do. I need to run.”
“Young Lord!”
“It’s a bit much to go back to the training grounds, so I’ll just run around the family estate.”
“Do your best. I’ll have warm water ready for you.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Woryeong left first.
Then, to cool his heated body, Cheon Muryang ran freely through the downpour.