Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Benefactor
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Seo I-ryeong’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Namgung Urin.
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that I need you to help me, miss.”
“And what is *that* supposed to mean?”
“It means that I wish to have that life-and-death duel.”
Seo I-ryeong’s eyes grew even wider than before. She stomped her feet in frustration.
“Are you insane! I told you. You’ll die either way!”
“And I told you. I’ve been called a madman more than a few times myself.”
“Young Master!”
“Miss.”
*Whoosh.*
Seo I-ryeong turned her back, feeling she could no longer continue a conversation with the utterly unreasonable Namgung Urin.
Honestly, Namgung Urin had never dreamed she would refuse so strongly. He scratched the back of his head in frustration.
“Miss I-ryeong…”
“No! Absolutely not.”
The more someone says no, the more one wants to do it. And for Namgung Urin, that feeling was even stronger.
“It’s a good thing for you, miss. It causes you no harm.”
“No! The truth is, it’s a problem even if you beat that Young Lord of the Baekri Family. Do you think the Baekri Family will just stand by and watch our guild?”
“But didn’t you say you already refused them?”
“The situation is completely different now. How much humiliation would the Young Lord of the Baekri Family suffer if he lost that duel? Are the Baekri Family the type of people to stand idly by after being humiliated?”
They probably were not.
“Isn’t that something you anticipated when you were looking for me?”
“…Of course, you’re right.”
*Seriously, why does a handsome man have to be so smart too!*
There should be a limit to how perfect someone is.
“You’ll die, Young Master!”
It made no sense, but the thought of Namgung Urin dying already made her sad.
“You saw it just a moment ago.”
“Saw what? What did I see?”
“Wasn’t my movement technique incredibly fast and amazing?”
“…We-well, yes. So, what about it!?”
“I can just make a run for it after winning the duel, so you don’t have to worry about me dying.”
For a moment, Seo I-ryeong thought that might actually work.
It was just a thought.
“Still, no!”
The thought that she would never see Namgung Urin’s face again if he spent his life on the run was a strong one.
But she didn’t even know why she was refusing so vehemently right now.
If Namgung Urin didn’t fight the duel, she would have to marry the Young Lord of the Baekri Family, and then… she wouldn’t be able to see him anyway.
Just then, Namgung Urin suddenly drew his sword.
*Shing!*
Seo I-ryeong looked at Namgung Urin with startled eyes.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“If you continue to refuse, I’ll have to take you hostage and fight that duel anyway.”
“A-are you that desperate?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps, you have a grudge… Then again, it’s probably harder to find someone who *doesn’t* have a grudge against the Baekri Family.”
Seo I-ryeong let out a long sigh.
“Fine. But you have to win, okay?”
“Of that, I am confident.”
Seo I-ryeong smiled brightly, as if it were her own affair. Then, she suddenly stepped closer to Namgung Urin.
“Oh my. You seem to have a lot of wounds. Are you alright?”
His clothes were torn in various places. They clearly looked like sword cuts. There were bloodstains, too.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
So, to check how serious the injuries were, Seo I-ryeong began to part the torn sections of his clothes to examine the wounds.
“…You really are fine.”
Just in case, she parted another torn area.
“…This is strange. They’re clearly sword cuts.”
It was true.
He had clearly been cut by a sword and had bled. That was why his clothes were stained with blood.
But Namgung Urin’s wounds had already healed.
No.
They were perfectly restored, as if they had never been cut at all. The wounds had healed on their own due to the Primordial Chaos.
Perfectly.
That was why Namgung Urin had been feeling so down.
Ever since he was young, he had been very different from others. That was why he couldn’t get along with people. Moreover, his face was devoid of expression.
It was always the same face.
At some point, people started pointing fingers at him, calling him a ‘monster.’
The more they did, the more of a monster Namgung Urin became.
But things were different now. Gradually, something called expression began to appear on his face, and there were times when something called emotion began to represent him.
As he started to recognize that he was no different from any other person, not a monster, he had even raised a toast to joy…
But as the sword wounds healed by themselves, Namgung Urin was once again consumed by the thought that perhaps he really was a monster.
Seo I-ryeong sensed that something was a little off about Namgung Urin and spoke.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
He wanted to say, ‘No.’
He wanted to ask, ‘What do you think of me? Do I seem human? I don’t look like a monster, do I?’
But…
I still…
I didn’t have that kind of courage.
I didn’t have the courage to face my true self.
Namgung Urin could only stare intently at the vast, sprawling lake.
***
There had been great chaos at the Hoyeon Merchant Guild when Seo I-ryeong disappeared, but it all came to an end upon her return.
As soon as she returned, Seo I-ryeong went with Namgung Urin to see her father, the Guild Head of the Hoyeon Merchant Guild.
She brought the news that the Guild Head, Seo Ju-on, had been desperately waiting for.
Perhaps her father, Seo Ju-on, would welcome the existence of Seol U even more than she did. After all, the person most vehemently opposed to this marriage was her father.
It was because he didn’t want to send the daughter he had raised with such care to a man she didn’t love. Furthermore, it was painfully obvious what the Baekri Family wanted from his daughter, which made him even more opposed.
“Damn them all.”
They were bastards not even worthy of being chewed up and spit out, but they were a colossal clan he couldn’t touch.
On top of that, they were vicious, so he had to be even more careful.
Thankfully, it seemed the heavens were on his side, and he was delighted to hear that a man named Seol U had actually appeared.
He knew it was a terrible thing to do.
He knew, but what could he do?
It seemed that at times like this, people became selfish and cunning. Still, hearing that the young man named Seol U was coming with her, the Hoyeon Guild Head, Seo Ju-on, couldn’t hide a sliver of anticipation.
“Father. It’s me, I-ryeong.”
At the sound of the daughter he had raised so preciously, Guild Head Seo Ju-on shot up from his seat.
“Yes! Come in.”
Seo I-ryeong entered the Guild Head’s office with Namgung Urin.
“Father, I’m back.”
“You rascal! Do you want to see your father’s heart shrink to the size of a bean before you come to your senses?!”
“Hehe. I’m sorry. I just wanted to get some fresh air.”
“Alright. So, was it good?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
Guild Head Seo Ju-on gave his daughter a look, signaling her to introduce her guest.
“Ah. Father, this is Young Master Seol U.”
Namgung Urin offered a polite bow.
Guild Head Seo Ju-on returned the gesture.
“Welcome. I didn’t expect to receive such a distinguished guest. Please, have a seat.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Guild Head Seo Ju-on instructed an attendant waiting outside to bring tea, then sat down.
He studied Namgung Urin intently.
*‘Ho.’*
Seo Ju-on couldn’t help but be surprised. He had heard about his face and had a general idea, but he had never imagined he would get such a powerful impression.
It was as if he were looking at the incarnation of a dragon surveying the world.
As a merchant, he had met and dealt with countless people. One of the skills he had acquired was the ability to see, at least a little, of a person’s true nature.
Of course, he wasn’t always right, but it was very rare for him to be wrong.
So he was certain.
*‘This is no ordinary young man.’*
He saw something that surpassed the Sword Emperor of the Namgung Family of old. But in Namgung Urin’s deep eyes, he also felt a rough and profound darkness.
*‘That… gaze is…’*
He could never forget it.
A long time ago, he had encountered the Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon’s gaze back then had been just like that.
A darkness so deep it seemed to swallow darkness itself. And from within that deep darkness, a black light pierced through.
Good and evil.
White and black.
To possess both!
*‘Heh, heh.’*
In his decades as a merchant, he had never seen anyone like this.
Just then, Seo I-ryeong spoke.
“Father?”
“Ah, yes. Ahem.”
Dismissing his thoughts as useless, Guild Head Seo Ju-on shook his head and gestured with his eyes to his daughter, asking if she had spoken to him about the life-and-death duel.
“Father.”
“Ahem. Yes.”
“I was the one who refused the Young Master’s offer.”
Disappointment filled Guild Head Seo Ju-on’s eyes. His hips shifted in his seat with agitation.
But he understood. He decided he should console his daughter for her warm-heartedness.
“Yes. Your heart…”
“But, Father. Young Master Seol U here insisted that he must do it. Even when I said absolutely not, he said he’d do it even if it killed him. You don’t understand, do you, Father?”
The Guild Head blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening.
“…In that case…”
“Yes, Father. He says he will face the Young Lord of the Baekri Family in a life-and-death duel.”
Guild Head Seo Ju-on shot up from his seat and grabbed Namgung Urin’s hands.
“Young Master. No, benefactor. How can I ever thank you? I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this kindness.”
Namgung Urin also rose from his seat out of courtesy. Seo I-ryeong couldn’t remain seated either.
“It’s nothing. I am doing this because I want to, and because it is something I need. There is no reason for you to trouble your mind.”
“Haha. How could I think that way? This is a matter of life and death. Even if things go well and you survive, you could spend the rest of your life being chased by the Baekri Family.”
“You don’t have to do this. Your actions are making me uncomfortable. So please, stop. As Miss I-ryeong said, I was the one who desperately wanted to do this.”
“Father, that’s right. So please stop. You’re making the Young Master uncomfortable.”
“Haha, you child. Still, that’s not the way to behave.”
“Father.”
“Haha, my goodness.”
Guild Head Seo Ju-on reluctantly sat back down.
Just then, a maid entered the office gracefully with a tea set.
The Guild Head spoke.
“Serve the Young Master there first.”
“Yes.”
The maid calmly placed a cup at Namgung Urin’s seat and then slowly poured the brewed tea. She then served the Guild Head and Seo I-ryeong.
After she had finished pouring, the Guild Head spoke to her.
“So. Is the work manageable?”
“Yes, honored Guild Head. I am only grateful for your concern.”
“No need for that. We needed people, and you are doing the work. So, even if it’s hard, endure it.”
“Thank you, honored sir. I shall take my leave now.”
As the maid was about to withdraw, her eyes met Namgung Urin’s. The woman’s eyes began to tremble.
Namgung Urin didn’t know why, but he felt there was some story behind it.
And that it was related to him.
Then, tears began to stream endlessly from the maid’s trembling eyes.
The maid’s incomprehensible behavior flustered the Guild Head and Seo I-ryeong.
So the Guild Head spoke.
“What’s wrong? What…”
Suddenly, the weeping woman turned to Namgung Urin and performed a deep, respectful bow.
“…”
The bewilderment only grew.
Then, the woman who had bowed deeply remained prostrated on the floor and spoke through her sobs.
“You, the Jade-Faced Righteous Hero, are my and my brother’s benefactor. Thank you so much. Our savior.”