The Dragon's Shadow
Clearly, that bastard did something to me!
“In this way, we, along with the Four Heavenly Flowers, left the injured Mi-ryong behind and began the final battle against the Heavenly Demon. In the end, we combined our forces to barely defeat the great enemy of the Murim.”
“Oh…”
Namgung Cheongwang, the head of the Namgung family and the current leader of the Murim Alliance, asked his nephew and the next successor in his calm, cloud-like voice.
“Then, what happened to Mi-ryong, who claimed to have been injured before the battle against the Heavenly Demon? Although he is from the Unorthodox Faction, according to your story, he did make quite a contribution in this mission, didn't he?”
“Yes, my lord. Honestly, if it weren't for Mi-ryong throwing himself into the fight and dealing with the Demon Cult's executives, we might have had a truly difficult battle against the Heavenly Demon. Therefore, I also tried to bring him to the Murim Alliance after everything ended… Unfortunately, when we went to find him after defeating the Heavenly Demon, he had already disappeared somewhere.”
“Disappeared? He just left without saying a word?”
“Yes. This is just my personal speculation, but he probably left because he felt uncomfortable in this place. After all, the Murim world has never looked kindly on Mi-ryong.”
“Hmm… Indeed, from our perspective, it's hard to look kindly on someone from the Unorthodox Faction. But even so, it's unfortunate that a hero who made such contributions didn't receive the proper treatment.”
“Haha, well… But he was able to participate in the Heavenly Demon extermination, and he did make some efforts, right? That alone should have been enough glory for him.”
“The fact that they even allowed an Unorthodox woman to participate in the first place was a great honor. Treating him with anything less would be an injustice.”
“Indeed, even though he is from the Unorthodox Faction, he still fought bravely. But it is regrettable that such a hero did not receive the treatment he deserved.”
“Truly, the next generation of leaders who will carry the Murim forward is no different from the rest.”
“What a difficult time it was. It will be remembered as a historic achievement for the next generation of leaders.”
Namgung Tae-hyun, who had just finished recounting his and his companions' heroic deeds before the gathered Murim warriors, smiled inwardly.
It's going according to plan. This should be enough.
After the battle ended, Namgung Tae-hyun returned to Zhongdu only a month later.
With a heavy sense of unease and impatience, he declared to the people waiting for him with full confidence.
“With our and the Four Heavenly Flowers' contributions, the Heavenly Demon has fallen, and the Murim has escaped a great crisis.”
Of course, the one who had actually defeated the Heavenly Demon was Yang Soyu, but before coming here, he had coordinated with his companions and placed restrictions on his words.
Namgung Tae-hyun had reduced Yang Soyu's achievements to simply defeating the Demon Cult's executives and getting injured in the process.
In other words, it was merely the kind of contribution the Murim Alliance had wanted—a mere helper.
Honestly, I wanted to completely frame that bastard as a traitor and drive him away so the truth wouldn't come out… but that would be too dangerous.
The Heavenly Demon, whom even the Murim's strongest experts could not defeat.
Even without directly testing him, one could roughly guess how strong Yang Soyu was after defeating the Heavenly Demon.
And if Namgung Tae-hyun slandered Yang Soyu here or belittled his achievements and offended him, there was a possibility that a monster of equal power to the Heavenly Demon might move to eliminate him.
I don't need to take the risk of plucking a tiger's whiskers. Since that guy has already declared his separation from the Murim Alliance, as long as he doesn't harm me, he won't try to touch us.
Of course, the fact that he stole the credit for defeating the Heavenly Demon was also an issue, but since the guy had essentially declared his desertion and given up, there was no need to worry too much about that.
Thinking that he had sufficiently appeased the monster named Yang Soyu by showing at least minimal courtesy,
Namgung Tae-hyun began to enjoy the situation where he was receiving praise from everyone.
The magnificent sight of the central market in Gangnam.
Currently, the news of the Heavenly Demon's death had spread, turning this place into a veritable festival of mourning.
Even though it was past sunset, lanterns were lit everywhere, making the streets as bright as daytime.
People crowded the streets, and the noisy laughter from inside the teahouses was deafening.
Yet,
“Ha…”
Even as she watched this lively scene, the woman sitting alone in the highest private room of the family mansion could only let out a deep sigh.
“What is the matter, young miss? You don't look well.”
“…It's fine, it's nothing.”
“The young master is worried. If there's any discomfort, please tell me.”
“Could it be that the injury from fighting the Heavenly Demon is still lingering? If so, call the doctor again…”
At that moment, a teacup that no one had touched shattered cleanly into two pieces.
Given that only one person in this room could have done such a thing so cleanly,
There was no need to think about what it meant.
“I already told you… It's nothing.”
“S-sorry, young miss…”
“My apologies.”
With a cold voice, Jang Seon-hwa spoke.
Then she turned her head away from the maids who had stiffened in fear at the sight of her.
And in a quiet voice, she said,
“You may go. Everyone else too. I want to be alone.”
“A… yes… I understand.”
After dismissing all the servants who had been attending to her, Jang Seon-hwa was left alone in the room.
She slowly moved her hand and began gently caressing her cheek.
Why is this?… Why is it that the feeling from that moment doesn't fade?
Even after a considerable amount of time, the strange sensation remained.
It was the feeling of the man's hand that had struck her cheek hard with anger, leaving behind a pain that was intense and unforgettable.
Jang Seon-hwa, who had endured countless injuries as a warrior until now.
Her body, hidden beneath her clothes, still bore many scars that could never be fully healed.
These wounds had always made her feel uncomfortable as a woman.
Yet,
At this moment, not a single scar remained on Jang Seon-hwa's cheek, and the pain from that day was not an internal injury.
The invisible wound left by Yang Soyu on her was giving her a feeling as if something was throbbing intensely.
It was not simple pain.
But something different from that…
An unfamiliar yet strange sensation.
Of course, the doctors I've seen so far said there's nothing wrong with my body… But why is this strange feeling… Could it be that Yang Soyu really did something to me at the end?
There were many diseases in this world that even doctors could not easily diagnose.
Especially if it was related to gambling, the types were extremely varied, and among them, there were very few that could only be removed by the user themselves.
And in that sense, perhaps this 'illness' that was making Jang Seon-hwa uncomfortable was also acting in the same way.
Honestly, even while moving together, that man always felt a bit off. But I never thought I'd be subjected to something like this by him. Heh… Was it really the answer to not getting too close to Unorthodox warriors?
At that moment,
When Yang Soyu defeated the Heavenly Demon,
She regretted her impulsive action of pulling him into her arms, which had been driven by some unknown emotion she had been holding deep in her heart, rather than the result calculated in her usual mental calculations.
Jang Seon-hwa felt that she could no longer stay like this in her current state of frustration.
I have no choice but to find him. No matter where that man is or what he's doing… I have to find him somehow and make him cure this illness.
After making her decision, Jang Seon-hwa stood up from her seat and hurriedly left the room.
Since it would take many efforts to find one person in the vast land of the Central Plains, no matter where they were or what form they were in,
She immediately began to act, judging that she had no time to waste even a single moment.
However, at that moment, Jang Seon-hwa did not know.
On the lips of the one proceeding with such matters,
There was a faint smile that even she herself did not know about.