Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Young Lord Who Jumps the Wall
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“Unbelievable, this boy!”
That was the first thing Yeonhwa said after seeing inside the secluded training hall.
Anger surged within her at her son, who hadn't said a single word about these incredible treasures.
“To think he let me go asking for money with all this here!”
It was just how the situation had unfolded; Namgung Urin hadn't actually asked Yeonhwa for money.
Yeonhwa had simply helped on her own accord, given the Namgung family's circumstances.
Still!
If she had known about this, she wouldn't have had to stretch the truth to her father to ask for money.
Yeonhwa slowly scanned the inside of the secluded training hall.
“Just how much… is all of this worth?”
Coming from a merchant family, Yeonhwa was quick with calculations, but the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron lining the walls and the dozens of Night-Luminous Pearls illuminating the hall were in such quantities that it was hard to put an immediate price on them.
The market rates were always changing, after all.
“It seems the Namgung family had all the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron in the Central Plains.”
The history of the Namgung family was long, and for a hundred years, they had held the esteemed reputation of being the greatest family under heaven—a prestigious clan among the prestigious.
To them, this level of extravagance might not have even felt like extravagance.
Still, it was an immense amount.
In a way, Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron could be considered rarer than Night-Luminous Pearls.
Especially for the martial artists of the world.
Because of this, families like the Namgung family kept it hidden away, so it didn't circulate freely.
Naturally, its price had skyrocketed.
Of course, few families possessed such precious Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, and there was likely no clan that had as much as Yeonhwa was seeing now.
“Mother.”
“…”
Yeonhwa’s mind was racing.
She couldn't possibly release this much into the market all at once, so she was wracking her brain over when, how, and in what quantities to sell it.
These were treasures that had to be distributed in absolute secrecy.
“Mother.”
“Oh, huh? What is it?”
“You can’t sell all of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.”
Yeonhwa’s mind, which had been racing toward ecstasy at an incredible speed, fueled by the thrill of it all, suddenly slammed into the massive, unexpected wall that was her son.
“…Why?”
It wasn't that Namgung Urin had initially thought of selling the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron and Night-Luminous Pearls for money.
He wasn't the type to live so calculatingly.
It was all because of the God-Annihilating Arts, a technique within the Primordial Chaos Art that bordered on sorcery.
The God-Annihilating Arts was a sword art.
Though not to the extent of the Divine Shadow Arts, it was a sword technique that reeked of sorcery.
Any object touched by the sword energy of the God-Annihilating Arts turned to ash, as if burned by fire.
The ash then dissipated into the air and vanished.
In short, it was annihilated.
As if it had never existed in the world.
If this wasn't sorcery, what was?
Anyway.
This sword art, the God-Annihilating Arts, had created a problem.
Six months before leaving the secluded training hall, after practicing only the forms of the technique, he felt he had reached a certain level of mastery. Curious about what would happen if he unleashed its sword energy on the famously durable Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, he had performed the God-Annihilating Arts with a real sword.
And then…
What was this?
The steel sword couldn't withstand it and had disintegrated, leaving only the hilt behind.
The hilt was unharmed because it had been in contact with my hand.
If someone else were to perform the God-Annihilating Arts, they too would likely disintegrate and vanish.
I was protected because I had seen the Primordial Chaos and mastered the Primordial Chaos Art, which shielded my body.
Truly incredible, isn't it?
To borrow Shadow’s words, most famous swords would not be able to withstand the God-Annihilating Arts.
So, he had an idea.
He would use the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron lining the walls to forge a new sword.
And he would have good swords made for the warriors of the Namgung family as well.
I truly never thought I would start thinking about someone other than myself.
It was what my father and mother had always wished for.
They said that day would come eventually.
But I never believed them.
To think I would actually start considering others.
In any case, this was why he had brought it up with his uncle.
Namgung Urin spoke to his mother, who was intensely curious about why he said not to sell all the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.
“I need a good sword, and the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade should use good swords as well. A sword is as good as one's life, after all.”
“Oh, oh. R-right. But how much?”
“Hmm… For the future, you should leave one wall untouched. It doesn’t take a lot of Cold Iron to make a sword, but when the Namgung family rises again, our numbers will surely grow.”
Namgung Urin had some knowledge of swordsmithing.
He had even experienced swinging a smith's hammer and striking iron to forge a sword himself.
“R-right? Oh, okay.”
His mother licked her lips.
He saw another new side of his mother.
She was cute.
“Oh, my dear son. You’re thinking of others now. You’ve really grown up.”
“I just thought it was necessary.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
“If you could introduce me to a blacksmith, Mother, I would like to go and see them myself. Could you do that for me?”
“Of course. It’s my son asking. Now, you must be tired, so go and get some rest.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Namgung Urin then headed for his quarters.
“…What a shame.”
Yeonhwa’s face was caught somewhere between pride for her well-raised son and disappointment over the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron she couldn't sell.
Yeonhwa looked around the secluded training hall a little longer.
Then, something caught her eye.
“…What is that?”
In a spot where a Night-Luminous Pearl should have been embedded, there was none.
The spot where someone had forcibly removed it was clearly visible.
“A thief couldn't have gotten in…”
Especially not into the Namgung family estate.
“Then…”
Right.
Someone must have taken it and used it.
Over all those long years, surely there must have been at least one person who did.
That must be it.
With that thought, Yeonhwa also left the secluded training hall.
She would never have imagined.
That the someone was her beloved son.
* * *
A day passed.
Namgung Urin’s mother, Yeonhwa, had left the family estate the day before and had not yet returned.
She was that busy.
To sell the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron and Night-Luminous Pearls, she needed trustworthy people.
And she also needed to tap into some slightly darker channels.
As days go, the sun rises, the sun sets, and night inevitably falls.
In the dark of night, five members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade were loitering around the quarters of the Namgung family’s Young Lord, Namgung Urin.
Namgung Jun, who had placed second in yesterday’s ranking match, asked.
“What are you going to say?”
Namgung Hyeon-u, who had been knocked unconscious yesterday and couldn't get up, replied.
“The truth.”
“‘How did you get so strong? I want to get stronger, so please accept me as your student?’”
All the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade were captivated by Young Lord Namgung Urin's strength.
They had never imagined that the Young Lord, five years their junior, could be so powerful.
Though they had been beaten senseless, they felt a sense of pride and a burgeoning respect.
He was the Young Lord they would serve in the future, after all.
Among them, these five were not just captivated but completely enthralled, so much so that they had come directly to his quarters.
They wanted to become stronger.
“Yeah.”
“…You’re not in your right mind either.”
“Like he’s going to accept us. What do you guys think?”
Namgung Jun asked the other three.
Namgung Seol, the only woman among the five, answered.
She had placed third in yesterday’s ranking match.
Her delicate swordplay was close to an art form.
“I think he’ll accept us.”
‘See?’ Namgung Hyeon-u looked at Namgung Seol with hopeful eyes.
“Why?”
“He’s handsome, isn’t he? No, that face is basically sorcery. Sorcery! Just by existing, women will fall under the Young Lord’s spell. It’s like falling into a swamp you can’t escape no matter how much you struggle. Ah, I want to fall into that inescapable swamp.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Fucking lookism!”
“She’s all about his looks!”
An exasperated Namgung Jun spoke.
“What does that have to do with him accepting us?”
“If he’s that handsome, wouldn't his heart be just as generous?”
“Generous, my ass. Did you not see what happened yesterday? And, speaking since the Young Lord isn't here, honestly, the rumors don't seem entirely false.”
“The rumor that he’s crazy?”
“Yeah.”
“Well… maybe a little… But calling him crazy is a bit much. He’s the Young Lord, after all. And the rumors seem a bit exaggerated.”
“No. I witnessed something myself.”
“What?”
The gazes of all four turned to Namgung Jun.
“I think I was about ten at the time? Probably around then. The Young Lord suddenly buried five chicks alive in the ground. The smile on his face then… Ugh. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”
“No way.”
“For real?”
“I’m telling you I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Whoa. Creepy.”
“Should we just… go back?”
Namgung Chi-hyeok, who was by far the largest of the five—no, of the entire Azure Sky Sword Brigade—was slightly terrified.
He had placed fourth in the ranking match.
Namgung U, who had placed fifth, shook his head.
“I still want to ask the Young Lord to accept me. If it means I can get stronger.”
“Me too. I want to fall for that face.”
“Me too. Minus the face part.”
“Me too. I hate losing.”
“Alright. Then I can’t be left out. But are we just going to stand here and wait?”
“That’s the plan. Most people train at this hour, right? Someone as strong as the Young Lord must train even harder than us, don’t you think?”
“I guess so?”
“Probably.”
“You guys clearly don’t get it. A face like that is a talent in itself. Where would such an outstanding talent go?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What I mean is, if his face is that outstanding, his talent must be just as outstanding. So he’s that strong without even trying hard. That's what I’m saying.”
“What about her?”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Namgung U.
“There are always exceptions in the world.”
“Crazy. The heavens don't give one person everything. Look at our family. Didn't we end up like this because the heavens got jealous? Because we were too great.”
“You’re both just making things up.”
And so, an hour passed.
“…”
“Could Seol be right?”
“What did I tell you? Let’s just go to his quarters and see him.”
“Let’s do it.”
“What if he’s sleeping?”
“…”
“If we wake him up, won't he go on a rampage? Like yesterday.”
They all flinched.
“Should we come back tomorrow…?”
Just as they were all lost in thought, Suyeon, a servant who worked in the Young Lord’s quarters, walked by.
“Suyeon!”
Suyeon turned her head.
“Yes?”
“Is the Young Lord sleeping in his quarters by any chance?”
“I don’t know.”
“…What do you mean you don’t know? Who would know if not you?”
“The Young Lord dislikes anyone entering his quarters, except during mealtimes.”
“…I see. So he is inside, then?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Thanks. What should we do? Go in? Or come back tomorrow?”
“Hmm…”
“Uh…”
They all pondered for a moment.
Having made up his mind, Namgung Hyeon-u spoke.
“Let’s show him our determination.”
“How?”
“We wait here until he comes out.”
“Here? Until tomorrow morning?”
“Yes. Then maybe the Young Lord will be moved and accept us.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’m in.”
And so, they decided to wait silently until Namgung Urin came out.
But.
Who would have known?
No one knew.
That the Young Lord of the Namgung family, at this very hour of the night…
Was climbing over the Namgung family walls…
Avoiding the eyes of the guards.