Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Volume 5 - Dragon-Phoenix Tournament (12)
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It was simply because he was worried about Dang Hwa-seo, who hadn't come home even at this late hour, that he had set out.
That had been Mok Ri-won's mindset right up until he went looking for her.
‘Today, I'm the one who's going to nag!’
Whenever she came home late, Dang Hwa-seo would nag him for hours on end. So on this day when she was finally late herself, Mok Ri-won had set out brimming with excitement, determined to pay back all the nagging he'd endured.
That was why Mok Ri-won felt flustered by the scene he finally witnessed.
He hid his presence.
—It's been a while. Young Miss.
Young Miss.
From that title alone, Mok Ri-won knew who they were.
‘Tang Clan.’
Sichuan Tang Clan.
Dang Hwa-seo's family home.
A reunion with family after a long time?
That thought didn't even cross his mind.
Why would it?
No matter how bumbling Mok Ri-won might be, he could tell she harbored resentment toward the Tang Clan.
Whenever the topic of the Tang Clan came up, hadn't she worn such a sad expression?
Talk of the Tang Clan had become an unspoken taboo between Dang Hwa-seo and Mok Ri-won.
But that didn't mean he could stifle his curiosity.
Mok Ri-won listened intently to their continuing conversation.
...His expression grew sterner with every word.
—Haven't you run away from home enough already?
There was mockery in the words of the one he presumed to be her younger brother.
—The Clan Leader is quite satisfied. He never imagined the Young Miss who ran away would snag such an oddity.
There was cold sarcasm directed at her.
And disgust.
—That's too much. Wasn't it you who implanted that tracker in the Young Miss? And yet you say such things...
—That's right, I implanted it. Even though you didn't want it.
Mok Ri-won couldn't understand.
They were family, supposed to protect and love each other, yet their words were so sharp.
Like pressing coldly honed daggers to each other's throats.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
But Mok Ri-won didn't step forward rashly.
He knew that judging others' affairs from a mere glimpse was not the act of a hero, but mere recklessness.
Mok Ri-won tried to hold back.
He knew it was a way to respect Dang Hwa-seo's hidden family matters, a way to respect the other party.
—If it weren't for this damned Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity, I would have forgiven the Clan Leader.
He could hear the full story later, once Dang Hwa-seo had composed herself.
—I truly can't understand it. How could the Clan Leader say such things to me?
He didn't want to embarrass her.
He tried to hold back.
He couldn't.
—Stealing my future, even the chance to have a child, and now suggesting I entangle myself with a man?
The moment he heard those words, Mok Ri-won felt his mind go blank.
His heart, always beating hotly, felt ice-cold in that instant.
Pity, sympathy, anger—such emotions might have arisen, but before them, there was already one lodged deep in Mok Ri-won.
Self-loathing.
It was a rebuke to himself for once looking at Dang Hwa-seo's Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity and blurting out something foolish like, "As expected of the Tang Clan."
Pity and anger came after.
Overwhelmed by emotions even he couldn't control, Mok Ri-won clutched his muddled head, then heard words that made him doubt his own ears.
—...What's wrong with that?
Mok Ri-won dared to hope.
—Young Miss, the Tang Clan has plenty of women. Women who can bear children.
That he was dreaming right now.
That the one speaking those words was some vile fragment in his own heart.
That the reality of such an ugly person existing was preferable as a lie.
But wishing changed nothing.
—There are women who can bear the Silent Sword's seed in her stead. Everyone in the Tang Clan will turn a blind eye. The Young Miss need only raise the child as her own, no?
Absurdly, the thought that flashed through Mok Ri-won's mind at that moment wasn't so different from what Dang Hwa-seo had once thought.
‘A dagger.’
It was a dagger forged from words.
One that existed solely to rip apart the other's heart—and thus should never exist.
*Snap.* Mok Ri-won felt something break in his mind.
"...I can't listen to any more of this."
Mok Ri-won released his hidden presence.
He stared into the alley where they stood.
Only then could Mok Ri-won finally see Dang Hwa-seo's expression.
"Young Hero Mok..."
On Dang Hwa-seo's face were dismay, shame, and despair.
The moment he saw it, Mok Ri-won felt his throat close up.
"...Ah, Silent Sword?"
The next words made his chilled chest heat up again.
Somewhere deep inside, a clear warning bell rang out.
—Harbor no killing intent.
The admonition that had followed him every moment of his life.
The absolute precept he must never break.
Mok Ri-won was someone who had never once violated it, but in this moment, it felt impossibly difficult.
"Pleased to meet you! I've been dying to see you. I am Dang Un-gyeong..."
Something not human spat out human words.
And smiled.
Mok Ri-won forced down the churning in his gut and stared at him.
—Harbor no killing intent.
A crack formed in the precept.
His breath quickened sharply.
His fingertips trembled faintly, reaching instinctively for his sword.
And a strange thirst began to rise.
"...So, I'd like to invite the great hero to the Tang Clan. Would you permit it?"
A scene flashed through his mind.
He draws his sword and severs Dang Un-gyeong's neck.
Then, one by one, from the front, he beheads the men visible behind him, silencing everyone present.
Then this churning inside might ease a little.
The warning bell shaking his insides might fade.
No, there would be no more warning bells to ring.
—Harbor no killing intent.
It seemed to echo once more.
"...Great Hero Mok?"
Something not human called him a hero.
Nausea surged, sharpening the warning bell.
‘Harbor no killing intent.’
He repeated it inwardly.
With that, Mok Ri-won gave his answer.
"...How old are you this year?"
Fortunately, his voice came out calm.
Its even tone was so gentle it might explain why Dang Hwa-seo felt betrayed.
But it didn't take long to reveal that the calm was an eerily artificial tone.
"Ah, twenty. That makes me younger than you, Great Hero Mok. If you wish, you can call me bro—"
"I'm glad."
Mok Ri-won smiled.
His stiff, doll-like face lifted only at the corners of the mouth.
"I'm truly glad you didn't appear at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament."
No, that wouldn't suffice.
In this moment, Mok Ri-won felt deep disgust at himself for even exchanging words with him.
He felt guilt for letting that neck—worthy of being snapped right then—continue spewing words.
—Harbor no killing intent.
So Mok Ri-won focused even harder on the warning bell.
‘Smile.’
He smiled.
He forcibly twisted his facial muscles, pulling the corners of his mouth higher.
He tensed the muscles under his eyes to form a smile there too.
But it was a forced smile, and Dang Un-gyeong, watching it, felt only eeriness.
His impossibly beautiful features, twisted that way, evoked an inexplicable emotion.
"What..."
"If you had come to the tournament. If you had stood on the same martial stage as me."
Mok Ri-won's voice trembled faintly.
It was the result of simply suppressing the heat threatening to burst forth.
"If that were the case..."
But it was still difficult.
The bizarre heat grinding up his insides refused to stay contained no matter how he pressed, like crumpling a person into a tiny jewelry box.
Unknowingly, Mok Ri-won let the overflowing heat spill out.
"...I might have snapped your neck."
Mok Ri-won's pupils narrowed.
With them, killing intent he couldn't fully suppress leaked out.
Stumble—.
Dang Un-gyeong staggered back.
His breath caught in his throat, and the moment his eyes met Mok Ri-won's, his thoughts froze solid.
A thought flashed through Dang Un-gyeong's mind.
‘...Snake.’
His eyes resembled a snake's exactly.
Not some mountain crawler, but the black spirit beast coiled in the Tang Clan's forbidden grounds that he had seen once.
A creature so awe-inspiring it defied envy, overlaid with fear into reverence—its gaze had been just like that.
Dizziness settled in Dang Un-gyeong's gut.
Even as his body began to shake uncontrollably, he couldn't even think to stop it.
This was a kind of signal.
A plea from his terrified self: spare me.
"Little Sister, let's go."
Mok Ri-won seized Dang Hwa-seo's wrist and dragged her away from the spot.
Even then, he kept his face turned from her.
Right after the two departed.
Thud—.
Dang Un-gyeong collapsed to the ground, belatedly exhaling as he clutched messily at his neck.
Tears hung at the corners of his eyes.
His gulping breaths finally informed him of his survival.
‘I... I lived...’
Absurdly, once Mok Ri-won was gone, the only thought in Dang Un-gyeong's mind was relief at still being alive.
*
Dang Hwa-seo was dragged along by Mok Ri-won the whole way.
Where are we going now? Why won't you say anything? Why won't you look at me?
Despite the flood of questions rising in her, she couldn't voice a single one.
She simply hung her head and let him lead her.
It was shame.
Shame at having her secrets exposed like that, and shame at herself for being wounded by Dang Un-gyeong's words in that moment.
The alleys changed.
From a dark corner of Seohyeon to the main street, then back to the manor.
Only when they finally reached the lodgings in the manor did Dang Hwa-seo feel the grip on her wrist loosen, and she lifted her head.
Mok Ri-won still had his back to her.
For a brief moment, her heart plummeted, but fortunately, it didn't last.
"...Sorry for meddling."
Mok Ri-won turned his head.
There was the honest face of Mok Ri-won that Dang Hwa-seo had always known.
"You looked so uncomfortable, Little Sister, so I stuck my nose in. Did I do wrong?"
He looked cowed, like a child being scolded.
That sameness with his usual self only made Dang Hwa-seo feel uneasy instead.
It was only natural.
He must have heard everything exchanged between her and Dang Un-gyeong.
The circumstances of her upbringing, the current Clan Leader's view of her, even the secret she'd hidden so carefully.
Yet he asked nothing of it, and that inexplicable unease welled up.
Finally, the pent-up question burst forth.
"Why won't you ask anything?"
"Ask what?"
"Don't play coy...!"
"Little Sister."
Mok Ri-won beamed brightly.
"I didn't hear a thing. Truth be told, I was so focused on you there that I couldn't concentrate on what that ugly man was saying. Hmm, quite embarrassing."
Dang Hwa-seo's eyes widened slightly.
She fully understood what he was trying to say.
He was saying he would forget what had just happened.
Mok Ri-won gazed at the dazed Dang Hwa-seo for a long while, then slowly approached and clasped both her hands.
And continued.
"Little Sister, whenever there's something you want to hide, I'll turn into a complete fool."
His words sealed Dang Hwa-seo's lips tight.
Her fists clenched subtly as well.
Dang Hwa-seo felt her eyes grow hot.
"So don't worry. This Mok Ri-won has the greatest patience in all the Central Plains—he can wait as long as it takes until you want to share your secrets."
Dang Hwa-seo gritted her teeth harder.
A warmth so inviting she wanted to lean into it welled up, and she tried to shake it off.
But she couldn't.
The gap between his words and the situation they'd just endured was vast.
As if to fill the wreckage in her heart, his words and expressions were so. And the warmth enveloping her hands was indescribably gentle.
It felt like her eye sockets were burning away.
Clenching her teeth and holding her breath only made the heat inside her body intensify.
Her heart pounded wildly like a double-headed mallet.
"What the hell..."
She barely managed to get the words out, but they wouldn't continue.
Only after that struggle did Dang Hwa-seo let tears stream down as she let out a hollow laugh.
‘Ah.’
She realized something.
Dang Hwa-seo confronted the petty truth of her heart that she'd been unable to face due to its narrowness.
The feelings she'd turned away from, deeming herself unworthy of love or bearing its fruit.
‘Right, this is the kind of person you are.’
Obsessed with heroism to a foolish degree, sincere in all things to a foolish degree—it felt like gazing at a clear blue sky.
Being by his side washed away her gloom like a cool breeze.
Thus, she found solace.
Thus, she came to yearn.
Suddenly, Dang Hwa-seo felt her chest cleansed by just a few words.
And with that realization.
"I'd rather you didn't cry, Little Sister. So, I won't nag you today for coming home late!"
At some point, she had fallen for this foolish man.