A Little Too Late
Thud-thud—
The grating sound of someone pounding on the door echoed through the room.
Tang Soyeong turned her resentful eyes toward the direction of the door.
Who would dare interrupt my sleep...?
Could it be the nagging servant, Ryuha? Or had someone else come to visit her in her sickbed?
“……”
She shook her head.
She had already told the few people she knew not to come.
Ryuha knew how touchy she was; there was no way he’d hammer on the door like that.
Which meant it was a third party...
“Haa...”
The visitor’s arrival and her waking up had nothing to do with each other, but she scowled all the same and pulled the blanket over her head.
She intended to drift back to dreamland just like this.
If she didn’t answer, they’d get tired and leave on their own.
That was what she thought.
Thud-thud—
Thud-thud—
Thud-thud—
At least, that was the case until the visitor kept pounding on the door for what felt like a full quarter bell.
About fifteen minutes.
She curled herself into a ball and clamped her hands over her ears.
“This is seriously annoying...”
It was Tang Soyeong who broke first.
The oblivious intruder showed no sign of leaving.
She lowered the blanket and turned toward the door, pouting.
There shouldn’t be anyone who’d come looking for me.
Not her master, not the head instructor—
And her social circle was hardly impressive, so there were almost no people who would come to see her.
Was there really anyone who’d cling this stubbornly to me...?
Then, suddenly, a possibility came to mind.
Could it be... Sojin?
Her heart began to race.
If she’d thought about it for even a little longer, she would have realized how ridiculous the guess was, but Tang Soyeong had only just woken up and didn’t get that far.
Whether it was because she was drunk on old memories or because she was hypnotizing herself, she didn’t know.
That’s it!
Filled with baseless confidence, Tang Soyeong climbed down from the bed and trotted toward the door.
The distance was barely more than a few paces, but...
Looks like he finally figured out his place.
In the meantime, pleasant delusions swirled through her head, brightening her face.
She lifted a hand and brushed her pale forehead.
“……”
It was the spot where the bump from that time had once swelled up after he’d flicked her there.
Judging by his match against Namgung Jin, and by the fact that his name was occasionally being mentioned among the disciples, he had definitely changed since before. But...
At best, he’s only at the early Expert stage, right?
That still wasn’t enough.
Compared to the way he used to flail around at second-rate level, yes, he’d improved by leaps and bounds, but...
Jeongdo Academy was a place where talented youths from the great families and sects of the Central Plains gathered.
Of course, there were promising scions from smaller sects and merchant families too, like Shin Juha, but...
Because admission itself required a strict screening process, it wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.
So fierce competition was only natural.
“Heh heh...”
One corner of her mouth curled up slightly.
After all, Jeongdo Academy was where the next generation of the martial world was trained.
There was a reason they’d introduced the squad-leader system, after all—to give the students real-world experience and let them periodically recruit others into their units.
Individual strength mattered, yes, but when all was said and done, it was no match for the strength of numbers.
Sojin no longer had the backing of his family, and he wasn’t even a squad leader anymore, which meant he had no subordinates at all.
Wouldn’t it be far from easy to travel to the Central Plains and back relying purely on his own strength?
Maybe once, by luck, he’d succeeded.
But after that? Not a chance.
In that case, of course he would have to find someone reliable.
“And that person is me.”
She nodded to herself with confidence.
It was pretty ridiculous, answering her own thoughts like that, but fortunately there was no one else in the room to hear it.
Still, if that’s all he’s managed, he’s done pretty well for himself.
She had expected that if she ever met the pathetic Sojin, he would beg her not to leave him again.
But contrary to her expectations...
I want to disband the Jintian Unit.
Even while his master tried to stop him, Sojin had spoken with calm confidence, just as he used to. It had made her heart flutter a little.
So she’d gone to see him, and...
Thud-thud—
The shocking scene flashed through her mind.
“……”
Just thinking about the rude attitude he’d shown back then still made her angry.
...I should probably reject him at least once. It’s not like I’m the one who needs him.
Thud-thud—
She rubbed her forehead and stopped before the door.
I wouldn’t rule out forgiving him if he got on his knees and begged, though.
Clack.
With that mutter, Tang Soyeong swung the door wide open, intending to seize the initiative.
However—
“Hmph... Sojin, what brings you here at this ho—huh?”
At the door stood...
“Tang Soyeong, so you were inside after all. Though you look healthier than I heard. If you file a false report, you’ll get in trouble later, you know. Is that really okay?”
It wasn’t the long-awaited Cheon Sojin, but an annoying little girl she disliked at first sight.
The girl, still not quite free of her childish features, had her arms folded and was staring up at Tang Soyeong with bright, confident eyes.
Why is she here?
Suppressing her disappointment, Tang Soyeong shot her an unsatisfied sidelong glance.
“Hmph! Shouldn’t you mind your own business? Since when did you start worrying about me? What are you doing here? You’re with the First Hall—are you even allowed to come all the way here?”
So she answered irritably.
The intruder brushed dust off the hem of her white clothes and smiled pleasantly.
“Don’t get so heated. I’m just here to talk today.”
“I have nothing to talk about with you. Goodbye.”
Just as Tang Soyeong was about to issue an order to leave and shut the door—
“You’ll regret it. You might not even be able to participate in the martial competition.”
At those words, she had no choice but to let go of the handle.
With her relationship with the squad leader already in the worst possible state, if she also lost her eligibility to compete in the martial tournament, she could already imagine the treatment she’d receive back home.
“Haa. I don’t have time, so just say what you came to say and leave.”
“You’re not going to talk inside? Offer me some tea, maybe?”
“Are you joking right now?”
The girl muttered in a tone of deep regret, then lowered her voice to continue.
“It can’t be helped... I’ll get straight to the point. Young Master Namgung is targeting you, Tang Soyeong. ...From what I heard, he even made a request to the Martial Alliance inspector.”
Her heart dropped at the words.
“A request to the inspector...? Why?”
She hadn’t gathered a single scrap of that information, but since this girl was the younger sister of Sword Phoenix, she might have heard it from her older sister—or from some other source.
“Who knows? Maybe he’s pretending to be sick... pardon me, or maybe he just dislikes being unwell and wants to make trouble for you.”
“……”
“Or maybe he’s been accumulating so much resentment over everything you’ve done to him that he’s trying to trip you up however he can.”
“……”
“If not that... then maybe Tang Soyeong, you’re carrying something dangerous that you never should have brought into the academy.”
She looked at her with suspicious eyes.
“Dangerous item? That’s a ridiculous excuse. I’m one of the most notable figures in Sichuan...”
“A scion of a prestigious family. Especially one from the Sichuan Tang Clan, famous for poison.”
“So what? My family’s poison arts are a form of martial art.”
“I know that very well. But that’s not what I’m talking about, is it? I trust you understand what I mean.”
She finished speaking and smiled faintly.
“...Duanmu Eun, why are you telling me this?”
“If you get barred from the martial tournament because of something like this, you can at least defend yourself later, can’t you?”
“Hmph.”
“Tang Soyeong, I plan to bring you down with my own hands.”
“...How amusing.”
The two girls glared at each other, tension crackling between them.
“Come to think of it, how is Young Master Jin doing?”
Young Master Jin?
Was she talking about Cheon Sojin?
But why was she asking that?
Tang Soyeong stared at Duanmu Eun in silence, feeling strangely irritated.
Not knowing how I took that look, Duanmu Eun flailed her arms and rushed to explain.
“...I heard he was expelled from his family because of me. I thought it was just a friendly spar, but I didn’t know it was such an important match. If I’d known that, I wouldn’t have suppressed him with a single strike like that...”
“……”
“Is he training at his family home now?”
Judging by that, she hadn’t seen Sojin since then.
Different hall, so it’s not that strange.
Her oddly gentle tone somehow made it more annoying.
“Who knows? I don’t really know myself.”
For some reason, irritation boiled up inside her, and she answered sharply.
“That’s a shame. ...If you ever need help, let me know. I can teach you a bit of swordsmanship, at least.”
On the surface it sounded like mockery, but the fact that she meant no harm made it even worse.
“That’s a funny thing to say. Forget it.”
“Heh heh... I figured you’d say that. Then I hope you stay well.”
“You too.”
After the brief farewell, the youngest daughter of the Duanmu Family let her white sleeves flutter and disappeared down the stairs without a trace of lingering attachment.
“……”
After confirming that Duanmu Eun had left, Tang Soyeong hurried toward the third training hall.
She intended to retrieve the item she had hidden there.
As she was passing through the main gate—
Whack!
With a crisp crack, a burly man was sent flying into the air and
“Huh?”
He traced a perfect parabola before slamming headfirst into a heap of compost.
“W-what was that just now?”
“That was awesome...”
The academy students passing by all stared, dumbstruck, at the rare spectacle before them.
She was one of those students too.
Was that Southern Fist?
Just as she was left speechless by the shock—
Whack!!
“Kuaaaagh!!”
With a clear, ringing sound, another man was sent tumbling into the wall.
And now Eastern Fist too!? What in the world is going on?
Wei Shiyun? Bai Hualian? Gwon Jeong-gyeom?
Several disciples came to mind, but she shook her head.
If it had been one of them, the students wouldn’t be this shocked.
The Southern and Eastern Twin Fists might have trash personalities and no sense of dignity, but their skill was at least solid; for them to be dropped like third-rate nobodies...
Whispers of confusion spread around her.
“They took down the Southern and Eastern Twin Fists? Who on earth did that?”
“Is it that person?”
She could take down the two of them herself, sure, but could she flatten them so effortlessly, like children?
She wasn’t sure.
“S-sorry, excuse me. Let me through for just a second.”
Enchanted by that overwhelming strength, Tang Soyeong pushed through the crowd like a woman possessed, determined to see the face of the person responsible.
A new master had appeared at the academy.
No—perhaps someone who had been hiding his strength all along.
And then—
“The Cheon Sojin of the Jin Family? Are you sure?”
“I told you, I saw him in the Main Lecture Hall last time. I’m certain.”
At that unbelievable exchange, her eyes flew wide open.
Sojin?
And then she saw Sojin standing beside an old man, greeting him with perfect courtesy.
“Eh?”
Tang Soyeong froze in confusion.
*
*
*
If only I had a private training hall.
Practicing a secret move or ultimate technique required a quiet, spacious place, better than an ordinary training room.
“Please come in.”
I returned the martial instructor’s salute and stepped inside.
“Hah! Come on, friend, say something sensible!! You know full well we have no one to send!”
“That’s your problem, not mine. There’s nothing I can do about it. I only came to deliver the message.”
Inside the room, besides Master Raeji, there was one other man—an elderly fellow with a face lined by years.
“Still, could you at least consider our circumstances a little...”
“I already told you, that’s not my fault.”
The two masters sighed heavily, looking trapped and troubled.
“……”
Didn’t they say they were going to see the hall master?
I waited for a while, but their conversation only kept going in circles.
Can’t be helped.
If I was late, I didn’t know what kind of trouble I’d be in. I’d better go see the hall master first.
“Master, your disciple Sojin has arrived.”
“So... jin? Sojin!?”
Master Raeji, who had looked ready to die a moment ago, suddenly lit up and broke into a broad grin.
“……”
No, wait.
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