Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Pledge of Allegiance
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“Incredible!”
“……”
*What is?*
“Even without internal energy, to completely neutralize the Matriarch’s Shattering Wave Palm… it’s unbelievable!”
“……”
*I didn’t completely neutralize it, though.*
“This is truly an unprecedented event.”
“Ugh! To think we’re the only ones who witnessed this magnificent sight.”
“I know. We should spread the word and put those other guys in their place.”
The banquet had resumed.
The hall was filled with praise for Neung Un-bi. The retainers of Snow Mountain Manor surrounded him, their eyes sparkling as they showered him with compliments.
Listening from the side, Wang Cheon’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
And Neung Un-bi shot his guard a dry look.
*What did* he *do to be so proud?*
Of course, he had to admit he’d been impressive, just as they all said. The fact that he’d remained standing until the very end was astounding, even in hindsight.
The Gliding Snow Steps, which made one slide across the ground as if it were ice, and the Shattering Wave Palm, said to be powerful enough to crush a tidal wave.
Each was a famed technique of the Snow Mountain Manor.
Moreover, the one executing them was So Seol-ok-su, Seon Hwa-yeon.
At her level, even without imbuing the techniques with internal energy, she could shatter boulders and crumple steel plates with her bare hands.
Most impressive were the countless palm afterimages she had displayed in the final three moves.
He had blocked them. No, he had *almost* blocked them.
Up until the eighth one, anyway…
“Here, please accept a drink from me, Third Young Master.”
*Pour.*
Neung Un-bi stared at the cup that had been filled to the brim.
His own reflection stared back from the convex surface of the wine: a handsome face covered in livid bruises, cheeks swollen red, and pieces of silk cloth stuffed into both nostrils.
He had blocked it mercilessly, alright.
With his entire body.
The sounds—*thud! whack! crack!*—had been so rhythmic that he’d nearly started dancing to the beat of his own thrashing.
“Third Young Master, my hand was a bit too heavy.”
“…A bit?”
Seon Hwa-yeon apologized, looking genuinely sorry, but Neung Un-bi pouted with his swollen lips, clearly sulking.
“You call this ‘a bit’? You can look at this face and still say that?”
“No, well… a bit more than a bit…”
“Why? Why not just beat me to death and bury me on some snowy mountain?”
“……”
“And you should know when to stop! What is this? Huh!?”
“Ah, well… you were holding up so well, I got a little excited and…”
“Excited? Excited?! Hmph!?”
“……”
“So you hit me more just because I was enduring it?”
“Well… I am sorry.”
“And! You said it would be just one technique! Why’d you cheat and suddenly use another one?”
“That’s because you wouldn’t go down…”
“What?”
“…I got too excited.”
“Damn it! Is that any reason to break a promise? I thought it was over and let my guard down, and then you clobbered me! Look at this! This!”
Neung Un-bi turned to show her the large bump on the back of his head, his voice laced with irritation.
That single move from the Shattering Wave Palm had created countless afterimages.
He hadn’t been able to block them all, earning him some glorious (?) wounds, but he had ultimately endured. He’d even managed a timid counterattack at the end, which was no small feat of progress.
Wasn’t his opponent So Seol-ok-su, a woman walking the path of absolute mastery?
Just enduring her attacks was astonishing; managing to counterattack filled him with a sense of pride.
He was sure he had shown her enough. He could already imagine the secluded training ground and the secret elixir of Snow Mountain Manor in his grasp.
But just as he was starting to feel relieved, that fiery old hag had suddenly launched a second move.
He was hit, sent flying, and landed on the back of his head… he didn’t remember anything after that.
When he opened his eyes again, he was indoors, and a physician from Snow Mountain Manor was explaining that he’d had a concussion.
A concussion? Damn it! That’s incredibly dangerous!
In mild cases, it might just mean a brief loss of consciousness, but if you were unlucky, it could be fatal.
“Ugh, seriously. First my master, and now her. It’s like no one in the Demonic Cult knows the meaning of moderation.”
“……”
Facing a flustered Seon Hwa-yeon, Neung Un-bi quickly drained the wine cup in his hand.
“Another!”
“Yes, sir!”
Feeling as if the drink hadn’t even touched the sides, he held out his hand, and Wang Cheon swiftly refilled his cup.
“Phew, that’s better. What would I have done if I hadn’t studied the Daoist arts? At least that helps me control my anger.”
“Y-Yes, of course, Third Young Master.”
“See! Everything comes in handy. So if you nag me again, you’re dead!”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Wang Cheon meekly placated Neung Un-bi’s persistent complaints.
Seon Hwa-yeon’s eye twitched, but what could she do?
It was her fault for getting overexcited and using excessive force.
For now, he held all the cards.
“She shouldn’t have used a second technique…”
“That temper of hers is really something.”
“Tell me about it. Hasn’t she been like that since she was three? She’ll probably be the same at eighty.”
“The former lord must have had a hard time living with her.”
Even the retainers beside him joined in, badmouthing her loud enough for everyone to hear as they sided with Neung Un-bi.
*These bastards… when did they get so chummy with the Third Young Master?*
*Did you see me when I was three? Did you?*
She felt a strong urge to rip the heads off these men, who were all younger than her, but she barely managed to rein in her temper and regulate her breathing.
Right now, Neung Un-bi was what mattered.
Having seen him in action, she found him more than worthy of a passing grade; he was someone she could entrust with the future of Snow Mountain Manor.
His talent, his achievements.
Even his personality, which she had once considered a flaw, met every one of her standards.
Hadn’t he already ganged up with her retainers to badmouth her without a moment’s hesitation?
It was time to make the decision she had been putting off for so long.
If he had proven inadequate, she would have cast him out, but he had proven himself to her. She could delay no longer.
Of course, he might be behind the other disciples in building his power base.
But from now on, he just had to run faster. The Snow Mountain Manor would use its full power to help him close that gap.
“Third Young Master.”
“What is it?”
At Seon Hwa-yeon’s call, Neung Un-bi looked up at her with a sullen expression, then paused.
*Why the serious face again?*
*What is she about to say?*
Unable to shake his suspicion, Neung Un-bi narrowed his eyes as Seon Hwa-yeon straightened her clothes and stood before him.
*Rustle, shift.*
It wasn’t just Seon Hwa-yeon. The retainers of Snow Mountain Manor, who had been relentlessly badmouthing their matriarch with him just moments ago, all rose to their feet and formed a line behind her.
Simultaneously, the atmosphere in the hall shifted as if by magic.
The boisterous mood vanished, replaced by a heavy silence that emanated from the sheer presence of the Snow Mountain Manor’s warriors, filling the banquet hall.
The maids and workers had already retreated to the walls, their heads bowed respectfully.
“Prepare!”
Seon Hwa-yeon’s voice, now devoid of its earlier expression and filled with dignity, rang out, and one of her retainers gestured behind him.
*Prepare? Prepare for what?*
*Don’t tell me…*
*Was the one-on-one fight not enough? Are you going to gang up on me now?*
“Hey, what’s with everyone all of a sudden?”
The moment Neung Un-bi asked in a startled voice, all the doors and windows of the great hall flew open.
*Bwooo—!*
A signalman, who must have been waiting outside, blew powerfully into a horn as large as his forearm.
*Thud, thud-thud-thud.*
The sound reverberated, shaking the entire Snow Mountain Manor, as warriors appeared from all directions, filling the courtyard in front of the hall.
Flustered by the unexpected turn of events, Neung Un-bi glanced at Wang Cheon, who was standing behind him. His guard simply smiled and nodded.
*He seems to know what’s going on…*
*What in the world are they plotting?*
At that moment, Seon Hwa-yeon dropped to her knees with a thud.
“M-Matriarch!? What is this?”
Neung Un-bi asked in alarm, but her response was not in words, but in action.
The retainers knelt just as Seon Hwa-yeon had, and the warriors assembled in the training yard all dropped to their knees in perfect unison, as if breathing as one, bowing their heads toward Neung Un-bi.
“Third Young Master!”
“…?!”
“As the Matriarch, entrusted with the family’s authority by the Lord, I hereby proclaim that we shall serve you as our future master.”
“…Huh?”
Neung Un-bi’s eyes widened in bewilderment at the dignified yet profoundly respectful declaration.
*Serve me as what? Master? Proclaim?*
“From this day forward, the Snow Mountain Manor will exist as your sword and shield, so long as it does not conflict with the orders of the Cult Leader, the supreme one of all demons. We will follow you in all your endeavors and aid you with all our hearts until the day you become the Cult Leader.”
“Furthermore! Wang Cheon will henceforth relinquish his position as the young lord of Snow Mountain Manor and live as the Third Young Master’s Guard Captain. From now on, he will serve not the Cult Leader, but the Third Young Master as his lord.”
“Whaaat?”
“This matter has already been approved by the Cult Leader.”
“……”
Neung Un-bi’s mind went blank.
*Approved already? Does that mean the guy on loan is now my permanent subordinate?*
“Seon Hwa-yeon pays her respects to the Third Young Master!”
“…!”
Before he could stop her, Seon Hwa-yeon finished speaking and bowed deeply toward him.
“Please accept our respects!”
“……”
Not only Seon Hwa-yeon but everyone kneeling before him bowed in unison. The Snow Mountain Manor had just declared its support for Neung Un-bi, choosing him as their lord.
“……”
*These crazy bastards!*
*What do you think you’re doing!?*
*What’s this about? Future leader of the Demonic Cult?*
*You want me to be the boss of these demons? All I want is the secluded training ground and the secret elixir!*
But how could he say that?
Not in this atmosphere…
An atmosphere where it felt like they would all pounce on him if he uttered a single wrong word…
As Neung Un-bi glared irritably at the kneeling Seon Hwa-yeon, her retainers, and the warriors outside, his eyes fell upon the maids prostrated near the wall, trembling.
“Haa, tell everyone to get up.”
“……”
“We were having a nice drink, what’s all this commotion? Snow is blowing inside. You and the retainers can withstand it with your internal energy… but the maids are cold. And so are the people prostrating on the cold ground out there…”
“……”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Seon Hwa-yeon, her head still bowed, allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
*His concern is for the maids and the warriors outside, not the retainers?*
*If he continues to grow like this,* she thought, *he might become a very different kind of Cult Leader from the current one.*
However.
“Third Young Master, how can I give orders to my subordinates while in the presence of the one I am to serve as my lord? It is for you to sit in the seat of honor and command with dignity.”
“……”
Neung Un-bi let out a deep sigh at Seon Hwa-yeon’s words.
Was there any other way? She was being so stubborn.
He might as well agree to be their lord, or whatever they wanted.
Words were cheap, after all.
He planned to run away the moment he grew accustomed to the martial arts of the past, anyway.
Neung Un-bi sat down with a look of resignation and said.
“Rise.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
At Neung Un-bi’s gentle command, Seon Hwa-yeon and her retainers, who had seemed unmovable, rose to their feet.
The warriors outside also bowed to Neung Un-bi before retreating, and the doors of the banquet hall were shut tight.
“The attendants may also leave. The cleaning can be done tomorrow. Go eat, drink, and rest.”
Perhaps because Neung Un-bi’s words were too gentle?
The maids and workers who had been prostrated on the floor merely blinked, glancing around uncertainly.
“Ahem, the Third Young Master has given an order. Why do you hesitate? All of you, return to your quarters to eat, drink, and rest.”
“Yes? Yes!”
Only after Seon Hwa-yeon’s follow-up command did the attendants awkwardly withdraw from the hall.
Seeing this, Seon Hwa-yeon and her retainers smiled faintly.
It was likely due to their unfamiliarity.
They had probably never had a master who cared for their rest.
“Ahem, by the way, Matriarch.”
“Please, just call me Hwa-yeon.”
“No, but there’s such an age difference…”
“What does age matter in a relationship between lord and subject? In fact, it makes it more difficult for me to serve you. Please, just use my name.”
Seon Hwa-yeon spoke with the utmost formality.
*Still, speaking informally to an elder who’s clearly much older…*
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t learned the Three Bonds and Five Relationships.
“I’ll try to do so in time.”
“Understood. I will not press the matter further.”
“But you have to keep your promise, right?”
“Pardon?”
“The secluded training ground and the secret elixir.”
“Ah! Do not worry. Tomorrow morning, I will…”
“Now.”
“Pardon?”
“Give them to me now. The elixir and the training ground, right away!”
“But, must it be now… in the dead of night?”
Neung Un-bi nodded and smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
*Now! Right now!*
*It’s because I don’t trust you.*
*You broke your promise about using only one technique just a while ago.*
*A person’s mind can change in an instant, so who knows what will happen by tomorrow morning?*
*So, right now!*