Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Mouth of Honey, Belly of Sword (3)
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Under a clear sky without a single cloud, the path we all walked while admiring the charm created by the waterfall cascading from the sheer cliff of the mountain ridge was nothing short of spectacular.
The attendants dispatched from the Heavenly Martial Academy chatted leisurely among themselves as they strolled along. And I stood at the very front with a rigidly tense expression.
"As expected, Great Hero never lets his guard down."
"With all the recent ominous rumors swirling around, it should be safe this time."
"......"
Unfortunately, the people behind me chattered on as they pleased, but I had no spare moment to rein them in. Because this was my first time riding a horse.
'Wh-whoa, it's scarier than I thought. In dramas or movies, it just looked like no big deal.'
From the moment I first learned martial arts until now—a life spanning nearly twenty-five years as a martial artist—I had never once ridden a horse, regrettably.
I hadn't even learned the basics from the old man. In our dire straits, barely scraping by on farming, how could we possibly keep a horse in those remote mountains?
If the old man had lived longer, I might have picked it up. But he passed suddenly just two years after teaching me martial arts. There was never any time for such lessons.
At first, I hadn't noticed anything odd. The moment I saw the horse sent from the academy, I naturally slipped my foot into the stirrup.
But as we rode along the path, the thought suddenly struck me. Was riding a horse really something you could do this effortlessly without any training? Somehow, that didn't seem right.
'Did I somehow inherit other skills from the old man besides martial arts?'
It happens sometimes. Masters passing down memories or missions to their disciples, separate from martial arts or internal energy. Was this the same thing?
But I couldn't dwell on it. I sensed footsteps approaching from behind. Sure enough, turning my head revealed a massive young man standing right there.
He looked more like a bear than a man. A hulking frame topped with hair as wild and coarse as a beast's fur. Yet his eyes burned with unmistakable life.
"Are you Great Hero Nameless?"
"That's me. And you are...?"
"My apologies. Name's Ma Kang."
"Right, Young Hero Ma Kang. Something on your mind?"
I'd already heard about Ma Kang from Namgung Yeon. A master whose name graced the ranks of the Hundred Great Experts, famed for swinging his greatsword like a tiger—earning him the moniker Black Tiger Greatsword.
He seemed to have something he wanted to say. Uncharacteristically hesitant for his size, he fidgeted awkwardly. Just as puzzlement dawned on me...
"Actually..."
"Ah, there you are! Ma Kang."
"Young Hero Go Gyeom?"
Go Gyeom approached with a bright, refreshing smile, draping an arm over Ma Kang's shoulder and butting in. Almost as if to disrupt our conversation. Nah, probably just my imagination.
"What brings you here, Young Hero Go Gyeom?"
"Well, this guy's such a huge fan of Great Hero that he keeps breaking formation to get close."
"Is that right?"
"......Sorry, Great Hero."
Ma Kang bowed his head in sincere apology before retreating to the rear with Go Gyeom. Had I really gotten that famous? Right then, Namgung Yeon rode up alongside me, leading her horse.
"Master, shall we find a spot to settle and have lunch now?"
"Sounds good."
"I'll pass the word."
Even rotten herring is still from a good line—blood of the Namgung family, perhaps. Namgung Yeon handled riding with expert ease. If anything, her horsemanship outshone mine.
Thanks to her, she took over relaying orders to the attendants and escort warriors in my stead at the front, letting me breathe a sigh of relief.
As the saying goes, even Diamond Mountain is best after a meal. No matter how breathtaking the scenery, an empty stomach renders it pointless. We found a suitable spot, settled in, and broke for lunch.
"Master, I've prepared a lunchbox. Care to share?"
"Me too! Me too!"
"Of course, Seolhwa. Eat up."
"......Junior Sister Seolhwa, eating's fine, but Master should go first?"
"S-sorry. I just got carried away......"
We sat peacefully, unpacked our lunchboxes, and ate. It was peace incarnate. Sadly, it didn't last.
"Master."
"I felt it too."
The murderous aura emanating from atop the cliff chased away any trace of appetite. My face turned ice-cold as my hand drifted to my sword. No idea what they were after, but...
"Uwaaak?!"
"Wh-what the hell?!"
"......?!"
Yet the real shock came from an utterly unforeseen problem: the uproar erupting behind us. Glancing back amid the sudden chaos, I witnessed what looked like a massacre unfolding out of nowhere.
And it wasn't some outsider launching an attack. The Hundred Great Experts, who had been escorting the attendants just moments ago, had abruptly drawn their weapons and turned on them.
The bizarre scene froze my mind. But in my place, Sua sprang into action. A sword strike swift as lightning parting the clouds.
Seruk!!
Yet that flash of a slash cleaved through none other than the attendants fleeing toward us from nearby. My mind blanked once more.
"Su, Junior Sister Sua!! Why attack ordinary attendants out of the blue?!"
"Look closely. Do they seem harmless?"
"......Huh?"
Only then, at Sua's words, did Namgung Yeon and I make out what the attendants clutched: daggers concealed in their sleeves. Ordinary attendants with daggers?
No way in hell.
In other words, infiltrators plotting this ambush lurked among the attendants. And that meant the situation, already a mess, was about to spiral into total pandemonium.
Naturally, the question arose—why hadn't she warned us sooner? But before I could voice it, instinct yanked my sword free.
Kwaaang!!
I barely parried a fist crashing down like a thunderbolt with my blade. No mercy, straight edge-on, yet the iron-hard knuckles didn't even scratch.
"You the famous Sword Demon? Hope it's a fun fight!!"
"You mad beast, how dare you...!!"
"Know what beasts do best? Drag the top dogs down!"
Kwajik! Kwaaaang!!
As I reset my stance to slay the beastly foe. Incredibly, the ground crumbled beneath us, pitching my body downward. I hurled myself to escape, but...
"Play with us a bit longer."
"And who the hell are you?"
Another interloper foiled my breakout. I plummeted.
I had no idea what just happened.
A crimson bolt of lightning struck right before my eyes. It carried such ferocious aura that touching it seemed fatal, so I blinked shut for a moment—only to open them and find Master gone.
"Master!!!"
Namgung Yeon's anguished cry echoed out as he wailed for his plummeting master amid the sudden ambush. But Sua seized his collar instead, glaring with savage fury.
"You got a death wish or what? Still haven't figured it out?"
"Huh? What're you suddenly—"
"I'm asking if you still haven't realized how deeply the Demonic Cult has burrowed into murim's core—enough to infiltrate even a short, light procession like this!!"
Sua wasn't a fool. A place like the Heavenly Martial Academy wouldn't send anyone without proper verification. And the Hundred Great Experts were masters vouched for by the Murim Alliance itself.
This situation was the perfect "trusted axe chops your own foot." Yet why hadn't Master refused the procession?
The answer was simple.
The battles Master had faced thus far...
had always been like this from the start.
She'd realized it back at the Moyong Clan: the Demonic Cult's roots plunged deep into both orthodox and unorthodox sects alike. Nothing that happened would be surprising.
"Master will be fine. Which means we need to focus on the fight right now."
"......No way."
"That's right, Junior Sister. Look ahead—they're starting to bare their fangs at us."
Thanks to Seolhwa—her near-snow-white hair at odds with eyes sunk in icy cold, glaring forward—Namgung Yeon managed to regain his scattered wits, if only for a moment.
The Hundred Great Experts.
Young masters recognized by the orthodox Murim Alliance as the most likely to reach peak realm. Those pillars of reliability had turned foe in an instant, arrayed before them.
'Tch. They were gunning for Master to vanish. No clue who, but... what a meticulous plan.'
Numerically and in quality, they were sorely outmatched. Even so, Sua gripped her sword without yielding an inch. And the other disciples followed suit.
Master had never taught them to give up.