Late Night Visit from the Sword Empress Marianne
‘It exists. That thing exists on Josephina’s body. That means Josephina might have a secret about her birth.’
Yesterday, Geum Taeyang had unexpectedly obtained the Fortuitous Encounters Monopolizer trait and witnessed the close relationship between Archmage Kesker and the Sword Empress. Through that connection, he realized Marianne’s story carried significant weight, so he had been investigating whether Josephina might share a similar background.
‘It’s precisely on the right side of her waist. She and the Sword Empress probably haven’t noticed it yet.’
That was why he had deliberately made her strip down to just her underwear. He needed to run his hands over her body to trigger the Fortuitous Encounters Monopolizer trait. His intention had worked perfectly.
‘If Josephina is given a secret birth, it’s obvious what it’ll be. Heh heh heh…!’
Josephina, an orphan, was bound to have a hidden lineage.
“Really? You trained like that?”
Marianne, who had some rare free time, had toured the territory. After she returned, Geum Taeyang, Marianne, and Josephina began dinner. Before the meal was even fully served, Josephina was excitedly chattering about everything she had experienced during today’s lesson with Geum Taeyang.
“Yes~! I could really feel the wind on my armpits and thighs! It felt completely different from before, Master!”
She blurted everything out without any filter, even describing how she had stood with her eyes closed in nothing but her underwear, feeling the breeze from the window.
‘Hey, what the hell are you saying? Have you no shame?’
Geum Taeyang was flustered. This was unexpected. Until now, whenever he touched other women so boldly, they would shrink back in embarrassment. But the twenty-year-old Josephina, still immature, didn’t even realize she was being sexually harassed and just kept talking.
“As a barbarian, I feel most natural when I’m not wearing clothes, so I committed that rudeness, Lady Marianne.”
But who was Geum Taeyang? He was the man who had gaslit even the priestess of Memphis and the great chieftain of the Ragnarok tribe. He shamelessly deployed his invincible barbarian shield.
“Rudeness? I entrusted my disciple to you because I trust the Great Khan. If you made that decision, I’m certain there was a good reason for it.”
“How embarrassing, hahaha!”
In truth, Geum Taeyang had been overly cautious. There had been no need. Marianne had come to trust him this deeply. The sword philosophy he had shared with her that morning had genuinely moved her heart. How could a master entrust her disciple without trust?
“That wasn’t all, Master! We danced too! The Great Khan danced with me to help me understand the concept of sword dance! After that, I really felt like I had become one with him!”
When parents seem to get along, the child can’t help but be delighted. Seeing her master Marianne and instructor Geum Taeyang express mutual trust, Josephina grew even happier and ended up mentioning the dance as well.
“Dance!?”
“Like this!”
Thud thud thud!
“Like this! Like this! This is the dance we did, Master!”
Swish! Swish swish! Swish swish swish!
“Oh…! Our Josephina? So the Great Khan really taught you how to dance!”
At her disciple’s words about dancing, Master Marianne’s curiosity was piqued. She truly loved Josephina. With genuine interest in her eyes, she asked, and Josephina, delighted by her master’s rare reaction, immediately stood up, moved behind her chair, and began dancing energetically.
Her movements weren’t perfectly refined, but they had a certain charm. Marianne smiled as if watching a beloved niece showing off.
‘How natural. My teachings must have been making Josephina tense all this time. To think our Josephina could create such butterfly-like lines with her body.’
It wasn’t simply a matter of looking good or bad. In front of Marianne, Josephina had always been stiff and nervous. Marianne hadn’t been able to pinpoint the cause, but now that she saw the contrast created by Geum Taeyang’s teaching, she understood clearly. Josephina had needed not only strict instruction but also gentle, creative guidance. Marianne had failed to provide that.
“It seems you’ve given Josephina creative yet essential teachings, Great Khan. I’m truly grateful. That was something I could never have conveyed myself.”
“Hahaha! I just rambled a bit. But because Lady Sword Empress’s foundational teachings were so excellent to begin with, Miss Josephina absorbed everything right away.”
Marianne had indirectly confessed her own shortcomings to Geum Taeyang while expressing her gratitude. When the other party responded that way, Geum Taeyang’s style was to humbly accept the praise. Even though he had already used the results that Marianne would achieve roughly a year later, he casually claimed that the solid foundation she had built was what allowed Josephina to learn so quickly.
“You’re departing tomorrow around 4 p.m., correct?”
After the warm conversation, Marianne changed the subject. Tomorrow, Geum Taeyang would finish his three-day, two-night schedule at the Nahoja household.
“That’s right. Lady Marianne, I expect we’ll receive word from Lady Camilla about thirty minutes before arrival. Then we’ll have to prepare to leave immediately. It’s not like we have much luggage anyway, hahaha!”
Geum Taeyang answered while cutting his steak. Two days ago, from the Mohican tribe’s perspective, a major international contract had been signed. As a result, Advisor Camilla, who handled the practical work, had been extremely busy. She had spent the past two days apart from Geum Taeyang handling those matters. Just before dinner, she had contacted him saying the work was nearly finished and that returning to the Mohican tribe on schedule should be possible.
“I see…”
Nod…! Nod…!
Unlike Geum Taeyang’s carefree reply, Marianne nodded thoughtfully. She seemed to have some concerns.
‘Heh heh heh…! Of course she would.’
Geum Taeyang had already noticed and anticipated Marianne’s reaction.
‘Given her upright personality, she probably feels she must repay the favor she received.’
Who was the most precious person to Marianne right now? Her beloved disciple, Josephina. Geum Taeyang had helped Josephina break out of her shell, so from Marianne’s perspective, he was an incredibly grateful benefactor. Geum Taeyang calculated that she would be desperate to do something for him in return.
And his calculation proved correct.
Knock knock knock!
“Great Khan, it’s me, Marianne. Marianne Nahoja.”
That night, Marianne came knocking on Geum Taeyang’s door in the middle of the night.
‘As expected. You had no choice but to come, Marianne.’
Lying on the bed, Geum Taeyang curled his lips upward.
“Oh my! Lady Sword Empress, what brings you here at this hour??”
Feigning surprise as if he had never expected this, he jumped out of bed and opened the door.
Roll roll roll roll…!
The moment the door opened, Marianne’s gaze dropped downward.
“Oh dear! I was so startled that I rushed out without even putting on underwear! I’m a barbarian, so I usually sleep completely naked!”
“Y-yes…”
Geum Taeyang, who had opened the door to greet Marianne, was completely naked.
‘Kuh…! Fuck, this feels amazing… Teabagging the Sword Empress herself. I like it…’
Of course, this was a deliberate act filled with Geum Taeyang’s lewd intentions. He hadn’t been able to have sex for two days. He needed to consume dopamine in some way like this to avoid going crazy.
“I came because I have something to say regarding the sparring match with you…”
Marianne, who had been properly teabagged, spoke carefully with a slight blush on her face.
“Sparring? Didn’t we decide to drop that because it was my presumptuous request?”
“T-that’s not what I meant to say…”
“Hahaha! I’m joking!”
Geum Taeyang, who already knew exactly what Marianne was about to say, delivered a second round of teabagging.
“I actually have a chronic condition—anemia.”
Marianne carefully brought up her illness.
“Anemia? You, Lady Sword Empress???”
“Yes…”
The continent’s greatest swordswoman having anemia—of course Geum Taeyang knew the reason, but he reacted with perfect feigned surprise befitting his current role.
‘It’s a side effect of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Pale complexion, anemia, cold hands and feet.’
The progression of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians had stopped, but Marianne’s severely blocked meridians remained. Anemia was one of the resulting symptoms.
“I was actually thinking positively about sparring with you, but after returning to Grace, there were no signs of improvement, so I hesitated.”
During their first meeting, when Geum Taeyang had suggested sparring, she had found it truly absurd. But after witnessing his tremendous performance in the Grace Kingdom, she had come to acknowledge him enough to consider it positively. However, Marianne’s physical condition had not been good in the delicate area lately. She could use her strength if she pushed herself, but there was no reason to do so.
‘It’s because of me. My body, which possesses the Heavenly Martial Physique, is affecting her.’
The culprit behind the anemia that had lasted roughly a week was Geum Taeyang. A man with the Heavenly Martial Physique naturally possessed abundant yang energy. Although it didn’t show outwardly thanks to Geum Taeyang’s superior physique, Marianne, who suffered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, was reacting sensitively to it. Geum Taeyang was observing this through Thousand-Li Insight.
‘Given more time, the Snow Flower Strong Qi from the Snow Flower Flying Sword will regulate it, but it hasn’t reached that point yet.’
The Snow Flower Strong Qi, the core mental technique of the Snow Flower Flying Sword, served as both a yin-yang harmony sensor and an antibody for Marianne. In other words, her current hypersensitivity was actually the process of forming antibodies.
“However, I cannot allow myself to not repay the person who gave my beloved disciple such joyful memories of training. My principles as Marianne would not permit it.”
Josephina trained swordsmanship with genuine dedication. She respected her master so deeply that she didn’t want to bring shame to such an excellent teacher. But if asked whether she truly seemed to enjoy it, the answer would be no. In the beginning, she had been genuinely happy. But once she hit a plateau and Marianne couldn’t find a solution to her teaching, Josephina had been struggling. Geum Taeyang had resolved that. Watching her disciple chatter excitedly while sharing Geum Taeyang’s teachings, Master Marianne felt a happiness that couldn’t be exchanged for anything else.
“As you requested, I will cross swords with you using my Snow Flower Flying Sword.”
Even if using the Snow Flower Flying Sword in her current unbalanced state caused problems, it didn’t matter. That was the heart of a master who loved her disciple. Wanting to repay Geum Taeyang for making her feel that resolve once more, she requested a formal nighttime sparring match.
“Thank you, Lady Sword Empress. This Geum Taeyang would call this the greatest achievement I’ve gained since entering the Grace Kingdom.”
Grin…!
Geum Taeyang curled his lips in satisfaction at the confirmation of the match against the Sword Empress.
‘Whoa… I’m already feeling the chill…’
Soon, Geum Taeyang and Marianne were in the underground training hall of the Nahoja household. Geum Taeyang looked at Marianne standing gracefully twenty meters away. Even just standing there, she radiated an immense presence.
“I have one request as well.”
Then Marianne spoke.
“Please reveal the reason you were able to defeat Chieftain Cassandra, who had taken root in the Life Water Zone. I’m certain you possess something beyond the norm.”
Now that the match was confirmed, Marianne wanted to satisfy her personal curiosity. She wanted to know the background behind how Geum Taeyang’s victory over Cassandra had been decided so abruptly.
“Very well. Since my opponent is Lady Sword Empress, I have no reason to refuse. I’ll have to use my full strength anyway!”
Flash—!
Geum Taeyang’s eyes gleamed with pale purple mana light.
—Fssssssssssst…!!!!
He immediately summoned Celendis onto his body.
—Wooooooong…!!!!
In front of him, a pale purple weapon inventory was summoned.