Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Stone Manor's Youngest Daughter (3)
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“Is that... him actually getting somewhat useful?”
Seok Geum-yeong stared at Yang Hui-gun, who was rampaging like a madman and butchering the water bandits, before asking the question.
The seemingly affable Yang Hui-gun had dispatched the bandits—who had even given his own escorts a hard time—with such effortless ease that Seok Geum-yeong appeared deeply shocked.
“Yeah. He's got good skill and talent, but he's got this subtly soft side to him.”
“Really?”
“He's so kind-hearted that he hesitates, worrying if the enemy might get hurt. That kind of hesitation and trembling dulls the tip of his sword... I had to work hard to clear those stray thoughts from his mind.”
The Heavenly Demon said.
Of course, the most effective way to clear those stray thoughts had been beatings disguised as sparring matches.
Not meaningless beatings, but ones delivered in life-or-death duels, teaching him not to worry about the enemy's pain or life but to focus on his own first.
In the end, he had drilled into him that considering others in a life-or-death duel was a luxury, foolishness, and even rudeness.
And the results had been spectacular.
“Kuaaaack!”
“It's a Sword Ghost! A terrifying Sword Ghost has appeared!”
“Where the hell did such an outstanding young swordsman come from?!”
Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun.
The moment he unleashed his full power with resolve, the bandits' heads fell like autumn harvest crops, one after another. This eased the pressure on the Stone Manor escorts who had been struggling.
The escorts were all so astonished they couldn't close their mouths, and even Ha Jin—who needed to rush to save the rookie warrior—was left dumbfounded.
“What are you doing? Not going? They're going to kill that rookie warrior.”
Only after the Heavenly Demon's urging did Ha Jin snap out of it.
“Ah, yes!”
Caught up in the Heavenly Demon's presence, Ha Jin unwittingly replied in formal speech before asking Seok Geum-yeong's permission.
“Miss. May I go save Jeong Sam?”
“Yes! Of course.”
“Thank you! I'll be quick, so please wait just a moment.”
The instant Seok Geum-yeong gave her approval, Ha Jin dashed without hesitation toward the spot where Jeong Sam had been swept away.
She couldn't help but worry, but with Gunryong's group lending a hand, she trusted it would be fine.
“Miss! We'll guard you in place of Captain Ha Jin.”
“Young Master Gunryong, please step back.
As Ha Jin left Seok Geum-yeong's side, the other Stone Manor escorts approached to protect her.
They also asked Gunryong—who had generously lent his men—to step back so they wouldn't impose further, but...
“You think you can protect her?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke while suppressing a laugh, as if some thought had struck him.
As the Heavenly Demon exuded a suspicious aura, the Stone Manor escorts panicked greatly and fretted over Seok Geum-yeong's safety.
“We're grateful for the help, but we'll attend to the miss.”
“We're not doubting you, but please step away from the miss.”
They were still politely requesting for now, but it was anyone's guess when their tone might turn rough.
“No thanks?”
Seok Geum-yeong was flustered too at the sight of the Heavenly Demon stubbornly holding his ground right beside her.
“This isn't the time for jokes.”
“If you keep crossing the line, we'll have no choice but to...”
In the end, just as the Stone Manor escorts wondered if they should draw their weapons on the strangely atmospheric Heavenly Demon...
Swish!
Surprisingly, it was the Heavenly Demon, Gunryong, who drew his weapon first.
“What?! Miss!”
“The miss is in danger!”
As the Heavenly Demon right next to Seok Geum-yeong drew the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword—wrapped in cloth—the escorts cried out in alarm and rushed toward him.
The escorts, including Blood King Twin Fists Geum Ja-chu who had already suffered greatly at the Heavenly Demon's hands once before, hesitated to attack rashly and glanced toward Ha Jin instead.
'The only one who can handle that monster of a young warrior is Captain Ha Jin!'
But Ha Jin was locked in a desperate underwater battle with the water bandits to save the rookie and youngest escort, Jeong Sam, making intervention impossible.
'Is he taking advantage of Captain Ha Jin's absence to kidnap the miss?'
Their thoughts reached that point when...
Kwaaaang!
Gripping the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, the Heavenly Demon swung it—as if he'd been waiting—toward Seok Geum-yeong's rear.
That is, toward the wide-open river surface.
And then, something astonishing happened.
“Kuaaaack!”
“Aaaack!”
Incredibly, the water bandits—who had been lying in ambush underwater with their aquatic techniques—floated to the surface with their bodies disintegrating, reduced to fish food.
The Heavenly Demon's target from the start hadn't been threatening Seok Geum-yeong's safety or intimidating the escorts, but the bandits lurking beneath the boat.
The bandits had cunningly divided into two groups: the vanguard to create chaos with a deck battle, and the rearguard to capture or kidnap Seok Geum-yeong.
“Did you think I wouldn't notice you slinking toward Geum-yeong?”
The Heavenly Demon nonchalantly slaughtered all the ambushing bandits before pulling Seok Geum-yeong behind him.
“You okay?”
“Y-yes. Yes.”
“I told you. While we're traveling together, I'll protect you.”
At the Heavenly Demon's words—casual yet considerate—Seok Geum-yeong blushed without realizing it.
The flush came partly because the Heavenly Demon was so handsome, but also from guilt over briefly suspecting his intentions.
'He's no ordinary man after all.'
Seok Geum-yeong, the youngest daughter of the Stone Manor, said to have inherited her father's— the head of the contemporary Stone Manor—blood most purely.
It was said the greatest quality for becoming a great merchant wasn't capital, but the eye for people.
And through her eyes, the Heavenly Demon Gunryong's caliber and worth were immense. From this moment, Seok Geum-yeong came to trust him completely.
“How could this be!”
“S-sorry.”
“We misunderstood your intent to protect Miss Geum-yeong.”
Meanwhile, the warriors who had briefly misjudged the Heavenly Demon and tried to pull him away from Seok Geum-yeong flushed crimson in great embarrassment.
Ignoring them entirely, the Heavenly Demon pointedly instructed Seok Geum-yeong.
“Until we reach the Stone Manor, stay by my side with Sogang. Got it?”
“Yes, Gunryong-nim.”
To Seok Geum-yeong, the Heavenly Demon's back seemed vast and broad.
His build was smaller than Geum Ja-chu or Ha Jin, yet he felt even larger than them. Why was that?
Nor was that the only astonishing thing about the Heavenly Demon.
As the water bandits began seriously targeting Seok Geum-yeong, the Heavenly Demon finally unleashed his true power in full.
Roarrrrr!
The Heavenly Demon countered the aquatically specialized bandits with the blazing-hot attribute of the Yama King Sword Art.
Normally, fire-attribute attacks were weak against aquatic techniques, but not this time.
The Heavenly Demon's Yama King Sword Art was on another level.
For starters, the flames weren't ordinary red fire but, true to the technique's name, hellfire—black flames.
“Black flames spreading across the water!”
“This can't be happening!”
“The river surface is boiling!”
In the end, the Yama's Karmic Fire technique the Heavenly Demon unleashed made the black flames boil the river surface, shocking the bandits.
This was possible only due to the Heavenly Demon's inhuman inner energy. No matter how adept at aquatic arts, how could they endure a boiling river?
Sizzle!
With the horrific sound of skin melting, the bandits using aquatic techniques became like victims plunged into lava.
“...”
Seok Geum-yeong and the Stone Manor warriors, witnessing this insane ability up close, were beyond tongue-tied—they were utterly dumbfounded.
Even these peak masters of the Stone Manor had struggled against the bandits' aquatic arts, yet the Heavenly Demon melted them with fire attacks supposedly weak to water.
Was this even possible?
“He's a monster. That guy's a monster surpassing even Captain Ha Jin.”
Geum Ja-chu, who had been thoroughly thrashed by the Heavenly Demon before, shuddered and dared not approach.
“Gunryong-nim, you're truly amazing!”
Even Seok Geum-yeong, who knew little of martial arts, couldn't help but praise him in admiration.
“Amazing, huh. But in my eyes, you're pretty amazing too.”
“Me?”
“Not even twenty yet, and you're already shouldering so much, facing assassination threats every moment—yet you smile so well? That makes you amazing too.”
Others might not see it, but the Heavenly Demon did.
He saw the weight of worries and anguish borne by the reticent, modest Seok Geum-yeong, whose birthright overflowed with wealth.
Surge!
Meeting someone who understood her so well and called her amazing for the first time, Seok Geum-yeong's emotions welled up, tears brimming in her eyes.
The Heavenly Demon didn't wipe her tears but gripped her shoulders firmly.
“No crying. The world of this merchant caravan you're walking into is as ruthless and cold as the murim world. To become its pinnacle, don't cry even in sorrow or show joy even in happiness. Your men are watching, aren't they?”
“Yes, Gunryong-nim.”
This advice could only be conveyed so vividly by the Heavenly Demon, who had experienced supremacy over all.
Feeling his genuine care, Seok Geum-yeong not only accepted it without resistance but was convinced.
Meanwhile.
“Huff, huff.”
Invincible Golden Saber Ha Jin barely crawled ashore, clutching the wrist of rookie Jeong Sam.
His disheveled state and bloodstains everywhere suggested a fierce underwater battle.
“The miss...”
Was it because he hadn't been watching her?
Ha Jin frantically searched for Seok Geum-yeong in panic.
Fortunately, she was safe beside the Heavenly Demon, having gone from tears to laughter in a joyful moment.
“Fwew...”
Only after confirming her safety with his own eyes did Ha Jin exhale a long breath.
His complex gaze said much.
“We've repelled the water bandits for now.”
The Heavenly Demon spoke while watching Ghost Shadow Sword Yang Hui-gun return.
The bandits' forces hadn't been negligible, but thanks to the Heavenly Demon, Yang Hui-gun, and Ha Jin's exploits, they failed to achieve their goal.
“Thank you for protecting the miss. This favor... how can we repay it?”
Ha Jin bowed deeply to the Heavenly Demon in gratitude.
After whispering with Seok Geum-yeong and conferring with the other escorts, Ha Jin decided to repay the favor somewhat.
“We've beaten back the bandits, and tomorrow we'll reach the ferry and arrive at the Stone Manor. Not much of the journey left—if it's alright with you, could we hold a modest onboard banquet to entertain you properly?”
Feeling deeply indebted, Ha Jin had asked Seok Geum-yeong first and prepared an onboard feast for the Heavenly Demon's group.
“Onboard banquet?”
“Yes. Not quite a full boat party, but this large ship has some fine liquor and side dishes. We'll part from Gunryong-nim the day after tomorrow, so I'd like to treat you before then.”
Ha Jin ordered his men to bring out the liquor casks, and surprisingly, it was the famed liquor Thousand Day Fragrance, a jewel among name brands.
“This is Thousand Day Fragrance—renowned for its sweet, lingering aroma that lasts a thousand days. Please, have a cup.”
“Ooh, Thousand Day Fragrance!”
“That Thousand Day Fragrance said to be worth more than its weight in gold?”
Not just the liquor-loving Sogang, but even Yang Hui-gun—who cared little for drink—reacted.
The rare Thousand Day Fragrance, hard to glimpse even once in a lifetime, drew admiration befitting the Stone Manor.
“Day after tomorrow's the last day, so sure, let's enjoy the hospitality.”
With the Heavenly Demon's approval, the onboard banquet began.
Thus, Sogang and even Yang Hui-gun relaxed, passing cups of Thousand Day Fragrance back and forth—the Heavenly Demon too.
“Mm, indeed fine liquor.”
The Heavenly Demon didn't fancy alcohol much, but he enjoyed it with good sides.
A bright full moon had risen over the boat, and floating on this luxurious vessel while savoring the world's finest liquor—there was no greater luxury.
Seok Geum-yeong praised Ha Jin for planning the banquet as the Heavenly Demon's group was pleased, and the mood ripened further when...
“Listen well, both Sogang and Hui-gun. The Central Plains murim is full of two-faced hypocrites and people whose outsides don't match their insides. Never let your guard down.”
The Heavenly Demon smiled with meaningful intent.
What on earth was he about to say?