The Seat of the Sect Master
“Haaah… huff….”
Seven in the morning — the hour when people were slowly rising to prepare for the day.
And we were all climbing a mountain together.
“The Sect Master's inauguration for our Lady! I can't wait!”
“It won't amount to much anyway. There's no special process or anything.”
“Haaaah! Hoo…!”
Just as promised, the sect master's inauguration really didn't require anything grand.
Receiving the Sword of the Blue Dragon — the very symbol of the sect — from the previous sect master was the whole ceremony.
And even that was meaningless right now, seeing as Seong Yong-ho was currently in custody.
“Whooo… hoo….”
After the guild war ended.
Using the fact that Seong Yong-ho had tried to attack Baek Seo-ha as leverage, we'd bound his movements and combed through the sect, securing a whole trove of evidence.
Proof that Seong Yong-ho had conspired with Manabu to hand the sect over to Japan.
On top of that, evidence of him smuggling in and using illegal elixirs surfaced alongside it, and the two of them were now behind bars.
He pulled similar stunts before my regression, too.
That man's entire existence was a fraud, from top to bottom.
His E-rank Irregular status, even the epithet 'Sword Demon' — all of it was riding on those elixirs.
The massacre of the Fujiwara family had also been a meticulously planned operation built on those same elixirs.
Call it a crack in the law — current forensic methods simply couldn't fully detect whether an elixir had been used.
Still, something's off.
Illegal elixirs were a dime a dozen in this industry.
Most of them carried permanent side effects, death, or consequences close enough to it. That's why elixirs officially banned from use were labeled 'illegal elixirs' in the first place.
Of course, the stronger the side effects, the better the performance — which was why plenty of hunters used them in secret.
Manabu's physical transformation.
Horns sprouting from his head and his pupils bleeding red — those were side effects the pre-regression Manabu had never shown.
I'll have to look into that later.
It wasn't an urgent matter.
Manabu's appearance had reverted since the finals anyway, and Ji Yeon-ha was already investigating the more concrete evidence.
“Hkk! Haaah….”
For now, the urgent stuff first….
“HAAAAH!”
“God, you're loud.”
The pointy-hatted mage had been panting like a bellows for a while now.
Ah Seo-ah trudged along behind us, drenched in sweat.
“How do you have such terrible stamina?”
“…I won't deny I'm out of shape, but.”
Ah Seo-ah pointed indignantly to the side.
There was Shin Yeon-hee, floating gently on a cushion of mana, ascending the mountain right alongside us.
“I'm the one carrying this woman right now?! Worrying about her drains my stamina twice as fast!”
“Ahaha….”
Shin Yeon-hee laughed awkwardly.
“What do you want me to do? My legs are still too weak for mountain climbing.”
The Bronze Bell's recovery effect extended only to making her legs move again.
Muscles that had slowly wasted away counted as injury or deficiency, and were not restored.
So she'd been working hard at rehabilitation lately, but a mountain climb was still beyond her.
“Shin Yeon-hee is one of the people you owe an apology to in the first place. Less talking, more careful carrying.”
“Ugh! F-fine….”
Baek Seo-ha's inauguration would be attended by every member of Shin Guild.
There were several reasons, but the biggest one, privately, was deterrence.
Baek Seo-ha may be the sect's master, but she's still a member of Shin Guild.
And Seong Gyu-ho was, officially, a founding member of Shin Guild as well.
With this, Shin became an unprecedented guild encompassing both elders of the Sword Sect.
Which naturally meant Shin Guild now had every right to take part in the sect's ceremonies.
“Hang in there. We're almost there.”
“You said that THIRTY MINUTES AGO!”
But this time it was really true.
The gates of the Cheongnyong Sword Sect had come into view in the distance.
“Oh.”
A familiar face stood waiting before the gates.
Seong Gyu-ho's eyes met mine.
I stepped forward first and offered a formal bow.
“Lee Tae-hyun, rightful successor of the Seven Forms of the Blue Dragon and a man of the sect, pays his respects to the master of the sect.”
“T-Tae-hyun? What's gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Is it so strange for a man of the sect to bow to the sect's master?”
“Well, no, but….”
You haven't shown me a shred of courtesy in your life, you know.
That was the look Seong Gyu-ho gave me.
“You're the one performing the investiture of the Blue Dragon Sword today in the acting master's stead, aren't you? So today, courtesy is due.”
“H-how did you know that?”
I didn't even need to look.
“In any case, I'm in your hands today. Sect Master's inauguration.”
“…Yes!”
Seong Gyu-ho nodded.
An eternity of emotion lived in that single short reply.
The inauguration was about to begin.
“Please begin wrapping up your preparations!”
“Y-yeah. Got it….”
Baek Seo-ha fidgeted in front of the mirror.
There had been plenty of issues along the way, but this was still a sacred occasion — the birth of a new sect master who would lead the sect into the future.
From her attire to her grooming, not a single detail could be lacking.
Makeup, in particular, was entirely outside her skill set, so the female disciples of the sect had stepped in to help.
“Oh my, look at that skin. It's gorgeous.”
“This is what I look like without makeup…?”
The result of a dozen-odd women swarming over her was nothing short of dazzling.
Her natural beauty left untouched, with careful accents placed here and there — understated, yet striking from every angle.
“We've created a masterpiece for the ages!”
Her attire was less ornate than clean — a martial uniform that spoke of dignity rather than splendor.
“Is this good enough…?”
“We will now begin!”
Baek Seo-ha stepped outside as if swept along.
And there —
“……!”
Dozens of disciples and the sect's own hunters.
Guests gathered from across the nation, and a handful of journalists.
And.
Even the members of Shin Guild.
Hundreds of people stood, all of them watching her.
“Then, we will now commence the inauguration of the Sect Master of the Cheongnyong Sword Sect.”
The officiant guided the proceedings with quiet composure.
“As former Sect Master Seong Yong-ho is unable to attend due to regrettable circumstances, the bestowal of the Blue Dragon Sword shall be conducted by Acting Sect Master Seong Gyu-ho.”
At those words, Seong Gyu-ho rose and walked slowly toward Baek Seo-ha.
In his hand was a blue sword, its blade patterned like a dragon's scales.
The very symbol of the sect itself.
The Sword of the Blue Dragon.
A legendary blade said to have been passed down through every sect master in an unbroken line.
The moment she received it, Baek Seo-ha would become the sect's master.
“Seo-ha…!”
His eyes reddening, Seong Gyu-ho pressed his lips shut.
It seemed the emotion welling up in him wouldn't let the words come easily.
It was Baek Seo-ha who closed the distance first.
“Thank you.”
She knew.
That the one who had taken her in wasn't truly Seong Yong-ho, but Seong Gyu-ho.
And that he had always, genuinely cared for her.
To a girl whose memories of being abandoned by her parents had faded even from her own mind.
Seong Gyu-ho had been a truly fine father.
“You've… you've grown into such a remarkable person.”
“All thanks to you.”
She smiled faintly and accepted the Blue Dragon Sword.
“Baek Seo-ha has received the Sword of the Blue Dragon. Let it be proclaimed here and now: a new Sect Master has been born to the Cheongnyong Sword Sect!”
WHOOOAAA!
A roar of celebration and applause erupted like a tide.
The journalists were lost in firing their shutters, and every single disciple was smiling brilliantly.
“I lack… the finesse, the experience, and the eloquence.”
Baek Seo-ha declared, her voice firm.
“But I will give my everything, in devotion to this sect.”
The dragon that had left the nest had finally returned home.
After the long, endless string of ceremonial procedures finally concluded.
I could at last speak with Baek Seo-ha.
“God, this is exhausting.”
Especially the mob of people who'd come running from all over the country hoping to forge a single connection with Baek Seo-ha — after she turned them all away, they'd redirected their gazes at me.
Deflecting and ignoring every last one of them had shaved a good ten years off my life.
“Anyway, congratulations, Sect Master Baek Seo-ha?”
“…It's weird hearing that come out of your mouth.”
“What's weird about it? You're the Sect Master, so I'm calling you Sect Master.”
“Then should I start calling you Guild Leader Lee Tae-hyun?”
“Let's agree to drop all the formalities, then.”
Pfft!
Baek Seo-ha burst out laughing.
“Yeah, it really doesn't suit you.”
Whether she meant the guild leader role didn't suit me, or the sect master role didn't suit her, she didn't bother to clarify.
“How are you planning to run the sect?”
“Gyu-ho ajusshi agreed to keep handling things overall. I'll only step in when the sect master's presence is actually needed — events, official occasions, that sort of thing.”
That really was the best arrangement.
Seong Gyu-ho had been running the sect all along, so even with the master replaced, the day-to-day operations wouldn't miss a beat.
“Speaking of which… it's about time you held up your end of our bargain.”
Before the guild war began.
The promise I'd made when I threw my support behind her as sect master.
I make Baek Seo-ha the sect master, and once she becomes one, she pays me a price to match.
The premise of that promise had been fulfilled.
All that remained was settling the account.
Baek Seo-ha gave a wry smile and spoke.
“First, I'm formally splitting the roles of master and acting sect master that Gyu-ho ajusshi has been juggling — and I'm appointing you to the acting sect master position.”
“Me, the acting sect master of the Sword Sect?”
“To be precise, you'd be the Vice Sect Master. You won't hold any other post alongside it.”
Baek Seo-ha continued her explanation.
“Handling sect duties, teaching, AND acting sect master all at once is burning Gyu-ho ajusshi out.”
Vice Sect Master.
The second-highest position in the sect, below only the master.
When the master's seat sat vacant, they became the de facto master and led the sect, standing always at the master's side as their shield and guardian.
Effectively, the second seat of power.
“Won't people talk? That you two are carving up the sect between yourselves?”
“Even if they do, there's nothing they can do about it. You inherited the Seven Forms of the Blue Dragon, and above all, you were the very first person to back me as the next sect master. The justification is more than enough.”
Whether she'd thought it through in advance or not, the words poured out without a single hitch.
“You shield me as Vice Sect Master, and I shield you as a guild member.”
It was the most ideal arrangement I could have imagined.
Being able to protect the sect directly — without owning it outright.
A position that granted just enough influence to matter.
“Not bad. Vice Sect Master of the Sword Sect.”
But this couldn't be all of it.
She'd handed over nothing less than the sect master's seat itself.
This isn't the end, is it?
When I looked at her with a knowing gaze, Baek Seo-ha lowered her head.
“Fine, fine, I get it.”
Then, abruptly, she held out the sword at her hip to me.
“Here.”
“…Huh?”
“This is the second payment.”
The sword she handed over was the Sword of the Blue Dragon.
The blade that stood as the very symbol of the sect master.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Because with that, my seat as sect master belongs to you.”
Baek Seo-ha wore a sly, dangerous smile.
“The second price is my seat itself.”
The Blue Dragon Sword carried a significance beyond anything I'd imagined.
It hadn't been plundered or stolen — ownership had been transferred, legitimately, by her own hand.
“With this, you can cast me aside whenever you wish. You can hand the sect master's seat to whomever you please.”
Effectively, everything tied to the seat of sect master, placed in my hands.
“Now go on — try shaking me loose.”
“Hah…! Are you really sure you can live without this sword?”
“Of course.”
She drew the blade at her waist and hugged it tightly to her chest.
It was the Zhanlong Sword — the one I'd given her.
“My hands are already full with one sword. I can't hold two.”
And so.
I became the most powerful Vice Sect Master in the entire history of the Sword Sect.
Almost certainly, there would never be another.
“Take care of me from here on out, Lee Tae-hyun… no.”
The noon sun washed over Baek Seo-ha.
Her eyes, clear as an unclouded sky, shimmered softly.
“Tae-hyun.”
It seemed the bond between her and me was not the kind of thing that could be severed easily.