Chapter 203
Chapter 203
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Disciple
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For starters, I hurriedly warmed up some of yesterday's leftovers and fed them into her mouth.
She had to eat using only her mouth and jaw while tied up, so she might choke if she wasn't careful, but she was so hungry that she devoured the food eagerly.
"...I get that you're hungry, but slow down a bit. Preparing another serving isn't that big a deal."
"Munch munch... S-sorry, it's just so delicious..."
"Finish what's in your mouth before you talk. You'll choke."
"...Munch munch."
Watching her stuff her mouth full and chew away, I couldn't tell if she was a person or a hamster.
Just yesterday, she'd had a pretty fierce look about her.
'Same face, but the personality makes all the difference.'
Maybe it was because there was a fourteen-year-old kid's mind inside now, but she actually looked kind of cute.
Her looks were those of a stunning beauty to begin with.
"Wow, this is amazing. Who cooked it?"
"The black-haired woman you saw earlier."
"Y-your sister must be an incredible cook. I've never had anything this tasty in my life."
"Dang Ayoung is pretty good at cooking, yeah..."
...Hold on, what did she say?
"...My sister?"
"Oh, really? I thought you were siblings since you live together."
"...She's my girlfriend."
"What?!"
She reacted with utter shock, as if the idea had never crossed her mind.
"Whoa, whoa whoa..."
"What's with that reaction?"
She stayed like that for a good minute before snapping out of it and putting on a serious expression as she spoke.
"I-it's fine! Love isn't a crime! Age is just a number! As long as there's love between you two... a little age gap is nothing..."
"...What are you even saying?"
Dang Ayoung and I were the same age. What age gap...?
...Oh.
"...How old do I look to you?"
"A-around my age, right?"
"...Fourteen?"
"N-no?"
"...I'm in my twenties."
"Whaaat?!"
This time, her reaction was even more intense.
Was the idea of me being an adult more shocking than a fourteen-year-old dating one?
'This feels kinda offensive.'
I'd taken off my hat and cloak since we were indoors with people we knew, and that led to this misunderstanding.
I knew I didn't exactly look like a full-grown man, but fourteen was pushing it.
That meant I looked like some elementary or middle schooler.
"There's nothing wrong with me medically; I just grew up like this, so don't worry about it. I'm living just fine without any issues."
"N-no, that's not it...! S-sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I-I've never really had friends my age, so I'm bad at guessing ages!"
"...Huh?"
"I was taken in by my master when I was young, but she was such a high-ranking figure that there were no other disciples to interact with, so I hardly ever met kids my age...! Sorry!"
...What can I say.
She didn't seem to have had an easy life either.
Then again, she'd died pretty young, around twenty-one.
The martial world was full of people risking their lives, but that was still too young to die.
"From what you've said about her, your master sounds pretty strict."
"Sh-she's a little strict, but... she's a good person. She saved me when I was left alone on the battlefield, thinking I was done for, and took care of me when I had nowhere else to go."
"Battlefield?"
"Yes. That... Blood Cult incident about five years ago—do you know about it?"
"...Blood Cult?"
"Oh... right, I mentioned the Blood Cult earlier. How the heck did I end up joining a terrifying group like that..."
...Considering her state, she was probably talking about the Blood Cult war from over twenty years ago.
That meant, from her perspective, twenty years had flown by in an instant.
She'd lost her memories, but even beyond that, the time between her death and revival, plus her time as a bloodsucker, had all vanished.
Her world must have flipped upside down overnight.
"And back then, I thought she was just strong, but turns out she's way more amazing! You know Mount Hua Sect, right? I'm a disciple there!"
"...Mount Hua Sect?"
"Y-you don't know it? One of the Nine Great Sects..."
"No way I'd not know. Mount Hua's just a short trip from here."
"Huh?"
"Step outside, and you can see Mount Hua in the distance."
"What?!"
"I even know people from Mount Hua Sect."
"Whaaat?!"
Her reactions were so lively; it was fun just watching her freak out.
She'd be a blast to chat with face-to-face.
"Oh yeah, you wanted me to look into your master for you. I can't untie you, but I can probably handle that much. Give me her name or title."
"R-really?!"
"But keep in mind, it's probably been about twenty years since your time. If your master's elderly, she might have..."
"Uh..."
-Stare
Honestly, it didn't sit entirely right with me either.
I wasn't 100% sure, but it looked 99% like genuine amnesia.
And if she was telling the truth, this was like a fourteen-year-old girl suddenly dropped into a world twenty years in the future.
'Kinda similar situation, huh.'
She had amnesia; I had possession. But otherwise, we'd both been inexplicably thrown into a completely different world.
Her master had a point comparing us.
"...You don't have to know if you don't want to."
"N-no! My master's o-old, sure, but she wouldn't have passed away! She's achieved return to youth—she could handle twenty years no problem! I-I was just a little flustered..."
'Her master must've been no ordinary person.'
Return to youth wasn't something you just did casually, but apparently her master was that incredible.
A Mount Hua Sect figure who'd achieved return to youth? That narrowed the field a lot.
The first one who came to mind was the Sword Empress...
'Anyone else?'
Could two people who'd mastered that rare feat exist in the same era, same sect...?
Lost in that thought, she spoke up.
"I'm done eating! I'll feed her, so you go eat with Master..."
"Just find Sword Empress Shin Yu-wol of Mount Hua Sect!"
Dang Ayoung, who'd come to fetch me for the meal, froze upon hearing it.
"..."
"..."
"Wh-why are you like that...? Did something happen to Master...?"
...What did this woman just say?
That she's the Sword Empress's disciple?
"N-no way. I've never heard of the Sword Empress having a disciple. You're not impersonating one to make things easier for yourself, are you?"
While I was still processing, Dang Ayoung spoke first.
She'd been looking at her with some pity, but this was too much to swallow easily.
...I had my doubts too, just like Dang Ayoung.
"N-no! I know you won't believe me no matter what I say, but it's true! How dare I impersonate my master's disciple...!"
"If you're really her disciple, show some proof. Demonstrate a technique or something."
"How am I supposed to demonstrate martial arts while tied up...!"
"...Or maybe a secret that only close associates would know."
"...A secret only close people would know?"
She pondered Dang Ayoung's words with a thoughtful expression.
But if she said something we didn't know, it'd be meaningless.
We knew the Sword Empress, but we weren't closer to her than her own disciple.
We didn't know that much about her anyway, so if she gave a weird answer, we couldn't verify it...
"She has a mole on the inside of her thigh."
"...Huh?"
...What.
...Hold on.
"Th-that doesn't prove anything; who would know about..."
"...Right thigh or left?"
"The right one."
"..."
"...You?"
I carefully averted my gaze from Dang Ayoung, who was squinting at me.
"...Seems right."
"..."
"S-see! She knows! There's a mole on the inside of Master's thigh... right...?"
The Sword Empress's supposed disciple looked thrilled that her claim was confirmed, but also sensed something off.
"Ah, haha. Small world, huh. N-never dreamed I'd run into the Sword Empress's disciple like this. What are the odds?"
"..."
"You know Master well?!"
"Yeah. Pretty well. We meet up sometimes."
"Then she's safe!"
"Y-yeah... She is. She's away somewhere right now, so we can't meet, but... I'll introduce you when there's a chance."
"Th-thank you!"
I cut her off before her fourteen-year-old imagination could wander too far.
'...Does she even know about that stuff?'
The Sword Empress probably hadn't given her any sex ed at that age.
...Not important. Moving on.
Dang Ayoung's piercing glare from the side was getting uncomfortable.
We'd agreed on the harem thing, but I still had to watch my step.
"...Conversation's over. Go eat. I'll feed her."
"...Okay."
I quietly took a seat at the table under Dang Ayoung's unexpectedly commanding presence.
What on earth had happened between that disciple and me?
'When the Sword Empress gets back, things are gonna blow up again.'
Relieved she wasn't here now, I started my meal.
Today was the day we had to take Master out for custom clothes.