Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Drawn on a White Canvas
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I apologize, Sect Leader.”
Jang Yeo, the Iron Blood Brigade Leader, bowed her head to the Iron Blood Sect Leader.
“That was a very close call. Still, it’s a relief he wasn’t injured, so we’ll consider today’s incident forgotten. It wasn’t entirely the Brigade Leader’s fault, after all.”
She was implying that Namgung Urin, who had charged in as if to see it to the end, was also at fault.
“Nevertheless, the fault is largely mine. I was caught in my own prejudice and failed to prepare. That, too, is my mistake. It’s an age of overflowing vitality, when the desire to win can be excessive.”
“Indeed. Still, I wonder why you couldn’t dodge at that moment, Brigade Leader.”
“You may not believe me, but I couldn’t dodge.”
“…Was it that intense?”
It was not something the Sect Leader, who had lost sight of Namgung Urin’s movements herself, should say, but she had thought it would be different for the Brigade Leader who had faced him directly.
“Yes.”
“If you couldn’t dodge it, Brigade Leader… I can’t quite comprehend what level that implies.”
“His understanding of the sword, his ability to wield internal energy, his reflexes to escape the moment—none of it fell short of my own. He merely lacked internal energy and experience.”
“Brigade Leader. You aren’t just embellishing his reputation to cover your own mistake, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
“I see. You are not one to do such a thing. Then, based on everything you’ve said, does the ‘what if’ you mentioned before become a reality?”
That with a boy like Namgung Urin, the Iron Blood Sect could become the greatest sect in the world, just like the Namgung Family.
“No.”
“No?”
“He is more than that. Beyond that, even I cannot fathom.”
“To that extent?”
The Iron Blood Sect Leader wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“Yes. And… that boy’s internal power… was truly peculiar.”
“Peculiar?”
“I don’t know. I have no other word for it but peculiar. It’s true that the amount of his internal energy is significantly less than mine, but… how should I put it… it felt like I was being pushed back, or perhaps… *Huu*. I don’t know. In any case, I felt something fundamental, something untouchable.”
To say the amount of his internal energy was significantly less meant there was a limit to the power he could unleash at once.
“This is quite difficult to grasp.”
“I find it difficult as well.”
It was hard for the Iron Blood Sect Leader, whose martial prowess was not yet at the Brigade Leader’s level, to understand something that even the Brigade Leader herself did not know.
“In any case, it means that boy is truly remarkable, doesn't it?”
“That is correct. As I said before, we must secure him.”
“He has joined the Iron Blood Sect. Isn’t he already secured?”
The Brigade Leader shook her head.
“We can’t be sure. I simply don’t understand why a boy with such abilities would walk into our Iron Blood Sect of his own accord. If we could be certain of that, there would be no reason not to secure him.”
Just then, Guard Seo, who was standing by the Sect Leader’s side, spoke up.
“I find that strange as well.”
“What do you mean?”
The Sect Leader asked.
“Well… in that situation, he had no external injuries, and no internal ones either. I find that even stranger.”
In the final moment, the Primordial Chaos had protected Namgung Urin’s body. That was why he had been thrown back so far by its power.
“I mean, as the Brigade Leader says, he’s incredible, but a protective aura is impossible, isn’t it? At his age, to use a protective aura that only someone of your or the Brigade Leader’s level can manage.”
A long sigh escaped the Sect Leader.
“Nothing can be explained. Everything that has happened because of that boy is just unbelievable.”
“But, Sect Leader.”
“Is there more? I’m getting tired.”
“It’s not that. Why did you bring the boy to your personal quarters? We have the Hall of Recuperation.”
The Hall of Recuperation was the infirmary where the warriors of the Iron Blood Sect were treated when injured.
“Because my quarters were closer.”
“What’s the small difference in distance? Perhaps.”
“Perhaps what?”
“I was wondering if you’ve finally made up your mind this time.”
“What do you mean…”
“He’s even more handsome up close. You won’t find another man like him in all the Central Plains. What does age matter? He has immense martial power. You could live off his face for a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be enough. This is an opportunity sent to you from the heavens, Sect Leader.”
A dish that looks good, smells good, tastes good, is easy to digest, and is good for your health—isn’t that the very definition of perfection?
“Guard Seo. What do you think the Brigade Leader and I have been discussing all this time?”
She was asking why he was so behind the curve.
Just then, a voice came from outside the Sect Leader’s office.
“Sect Leader.”
“What is it?”
“The young man in your quarters has awakened.”
“Guard Seo, that’s enough. I will go see him.”
“I will accompany you.”
“A guard should, of course.”
“No. It’s not far. The two of you wait here.”
The Iron Blood Sect Leader left the office.
Once the Sect Leader was gone, Guard Seo’s mouth opened again.
“At this rate, I wonder if our Sect Leader will be the one captured, instead of her capturing him. Staring at that boy’s face, it was so hard to look away, I wondered if the legendary Soul-Sapping Arts had been revived.”
Four hundred years ago, a great incident occurred where the Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and the Demonic Cult alike nearly knelt before a single woman who had mastered the powerful Soul-Sapping Arts.
The Iron Blood Brigade Leader merely shrugged.
“Well. As long as the result is good, even if she is captured.”
* * *
Namgung Urin opened his eyes, which were like bottomless pits of jet-black darkness.
“Damn it.”
To ruin it all himself at the last moment!
If he had just admitted that he was weaker than his opponent and endured three more of the Brigade Leader’s techniques, the 500-year-old ginseng would have fallen into his hands for free.
Namgung Urin had ruined everything.
He got up from the bed and looked out the window.
“It’s already night.”
That meant he had been lying here for at least four hours.
And then he saw it.
“This room…”
It was well-decorated. Very feminine.
A woman’s room.
“It smells nice, too.”
Namgung Urin opened the door and spoke to the warrior standing guard outside.
“I’d appreciate it if you could tell me where my quarters are.”
“Please wait in the room for a moment. A report has been made to the Sect Leader, so she will have instructions for you.”
“Understood.”
Namgung Urin went back into the room, sat in a meditative posture, and began to inspect the state of his body for any abnormalities.
His condition was markedly different from before his duel with the Iron Blood Brigade Leader.
The amount of Primordial Chaos filling his body had increased significantly.
Namgung Urin surmised that during the final technique, without his conscious will, the surrounding Primordial Chaos had momentarily gathered to protect him, and that immense amount was now stored in his body.
The corners of Namgung Urin’s lips curled up.
‘A fortunate encounter?’
Namgung Urin’s madness had, in effect, created a fortunate opportunity.
A moment later, the door opened.
“You’re awake.”
Han Seo-hui, the Leader of the Iron Blood Sect, had come to her own quarters.
“I apologize for the trouble. So, these are your quarters, Sect Leader.”
“Yes. The situation was urgent…”
“Thanks to you, I rested well.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And how is your body?”
“There’s nothing wrong. Thanks to you.”
“The physician said the same. That there was nothing wrong at all.”
For a moment, the conversation between them ceased.
A brief silence fell.
Being alone, a man and a woman in a well-decorated bedchamber filled with a pleasant fragrance, rather than a stiff office, created a peculiar atmosphere.
However, Namgung Urin remained completely indifferent.
It was the Sect Leader, Han Seo-hui, flustered by the strange mood, who broke the silence.
“Um… Please understand the Brigade Leader’s mistake.”
“Not at all. I was the one who went too far.”
“Thank you for thinking so. Still, as the Brigade Leader promised, I will grant you one thing you desire.”
“…Really?”
He had given up on it, believing he had lost.
Sect Leader Han Seo-hui smiled brightly.
“Yes.”
“What if the one I wanted was you, Sect Leader?”
“……”
The eyes of the Iron Woman, Han Seo-hui, trembled violently. She began to bite her lip.
Furthermore, the Sect Leader’s mind went completely blank. Her mind, burned clean, became like a pristine white canvas. And on that white canvas, Namgung Urin’s face was being drawn.
“…That is… I mean…”
Her extreme bewilderment was plain for Namgung Urin to see.
“That’s not what I meant. I was merely asking if something that grand was also possible.”
Namgung Urin had named the seemingly impossible maximum to gauge the extent of her promise.
He had inflated the request to make what he truly wanted seem small in comparison.
“…Ah, yes. I see.”
“I apologize if I flustered you. I was just…”
“No, it’s fine. It felt nice for a moment. I don’t often get the chance to hear such things from a young hero like yourself. So please don’t worry about it. And as I said, I can do anything for you. It’s a promise of the Iron Blood. So, please tell me.”
“I have nothing at the moment. I will tell you later when I think of something.”
If Namgung Urin stated his desire right now, there was too much room for misunderstanding. She would surely question how he knew that a 500-year-old ginseng had come to the Iron Blood Sect, and if that was the reason he had joined.
More importantly.
Even if the 500-year-old ginseng was in the Iron Blood Sect, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that it wasn't in the Sect Leader’s possession.
“I understand. Please tell me whenever you wish. By the way, are you not hungry?”
“I didn’t realize, but now that you mention it, I am.”
“I haven’t eaten either. Let’s eat together.”
“Thank you.”
And so, Han Seo-hui, the Leader of the Iron Blood Sect, and Namgung Urin had a meal together, alone in the Sect Leader’s quarters.
It was the first time for both the Sect Leader and Namgung Urin to dine with someone of the opposite sex. Especially a meal filled with such warm laughter.
Of course, it was mostly Sect Leader Han Seo-hui who did the talking and laughing.
“Are you always this quiet and reserved?”
“Yes. I’m quite clumsy in that regard.”
“That’s fine. If you were also a smooth talker, Young Hero, you would have become the greatest playboy in the world.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Oh my. You don’t deny it?”
“It’s the greatest in the world. Should I deny it?”
“…Then, what about being the world’s greatest scoundrel or villain?”
“It’s still the greatest in the world.”
The greatest in the world wasn’t enough.
He had to be so overwhelmingly powerful that no one could do anything to him.
Whether as a playboy, a scoundrel, or a villain.
Only then could he prevent what happened to the Namgung Family five years ago from ever happening again.
Sect Leader Seo-hui was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure.
‘…This young hero is different.’
“Hahaha. I suppose it is the greatest in the world. Young Hero, now that we’ve finished our meal, shall we take a short walk outside?”
“Let’s.”
Thus, Han Seo-hui, the Leader of the Iron Blood Sect, and Namgung Urin headed toward the Iron Blood Sect’s garden, brightly welcomed by the moonlight and the stars.