Will You Be My Concubine?
Whoa. A miracle had found its way to me—one who had sprinted without rest from a lowly foot soldier all the way to the seat of Martial Alliance Leader.
She’s genuinely beautiful.
Radiant black hair. Skin like translucent jade. Eyes half-lidded in lazy elegance. A perfectly straight nose. Lips that begged to be called seductive. If beauty itself were to take human form, this was surely what it would look like.
“Still, today is a celebratory occasion, so I shall forgive this rudeness just once.”
The sight of her lifting her chin and staring down at me with that arrogant poise made my heart thunder violently.
“...”
But I was the leader of the Martial Alliance. I could not afford to lose dignity. I had to maintain it.
Yet—
“Hmm...”
The breath she exhaled brushed against my heart like a spark, sending heat rushing across my face. I quickly circulated my inner energy to hide it.
Then those seductive lips moved again.
“Will you become my concubine?”
The joy of hearing the very thought that had been spinning in my head become reality was beyond comparison.
“Yes!”
So I answered.
“Alliance Leader!!”
The elders roared in outrage, but I paid them no mind. If you’re that upset, you try being the Alliance Leader.
My reason had already been paralyzed by an emotion I was experiencing for the first time in my life.
“...Heh.”
Yet even in the face of my passionate reply, she merely let out a tiny laugh and walked right past me.
“A rather pleasing welcome, coming from such a rigid Martial Alliance Leader.”
The faint fragrance she left in her wake nearly sent me reeling again, but Jegal Hyeon discreetly caught my hand and kept me grounded.
Well done. It seems you’ve managed to seize the initiative.
What initiative? I clung to my hazy mind and looked at Jegal Hyeon. He wore an expression of open pride.
I had information about the young girl who cut down the previous Heavenly Demon in a single strike. It wasn’t confirmed, so I was still investigating… but it appears to be true.
“Hmm?”
In other words, she had slaughtered an absolute expert whose martial prowess rivaled Elder Hyun-geom’s in a single move.
Her martial arts are every bit as astonishing as her appearance.
I had been so captivated by her beauty that I hadn’t paid proper attention to her skill, but anyone who bore the title of Heavenly Demon would naturally possess matching strength.
“Alliance Leader.”
Do Hyeonmyeong, Supreme Elder of the Wudang Sect and a senior member of the Martial Alliance, approached cautiously. Soon his sound transmission reached me. Naturally—he was being discreet with the Heavenly Demon Sect right beside us.
I was startled at first, but even this Do Hyeonmyeong has much to learn from the Alliance Leader’s worldly wisdom.
What worldly wisdom? I was seriously considering becoming her concubine.
Everyone around me kept saying strange things, so I schooled my expression and moved on. After all, I wanted to stay close to her.
“Captain. My apologies.”
Jin Baekho muttered something, but I barely caught it. My mind was completely occupied by her.
With me at the head, the high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance entered the Heavenly Martial Castle. The staff who had been waiting in advance immediately announced the beginning of the conference.
“We shall now begin—the Righteous-Demonic Conference!”
The master of ceremonies was the Fire Lord of the Beggars’ Sect. He was so sociable that he maintained friendly ties with both the righteous and demonic factions.
“Before we proceed in earnest, we will hear an opening address from the very symbol of righteous murim! The Heavenly Guardian Sword Sovereign, Alliance Leader Jin Muhyeok!”
I’d just have to keep it short and sit down quickly. My seat was the highest one. And she would be sitting right beside me.
**
The Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Gang Soyeon, glared at the Martial Alliance Leader as he began his speech. She already knew he had risen from an orphan background. She understood that he wasn’t bound by justification or pride, but she hadn’t expected him to be this shameless.
They were not enemies, yet not true allies either—an ambiguous relationship. Still, their stations were equal. The Martial Alliance Leader and the Heavenly Demon had always stood on the same level.
But.
He said he would become my concubine?
Gang Soyeon snorted and clenched her fist. To her deliberately rude remark, he had responded in a completely unexpected manner. For the first time in a long while, she felt genuine embarrassment.
A fake who only pursues justice on the surface.
Gang Soyeon, too, had once survived as an orphan in the back alleys. She had also encountered righteous murim warriors who pretended to offer a helping hand only to satisfy their filthy desires.
Aside from that one person, the righteous faction are nothing but hypocrites.
The sole individual who had protected her and staked his life for her. She could no longer even remember his face, yet the bracelet he had given her still adorned her wrist.
If not for him, Gang Soyeon would not be standing here today. Her heart was filled only with that one true person—the one who carried genuine justice within his chest—unlike the fakes standing tall and preaching to the crowd.
“With the Blood Demon’s disappearance, the murim has split into two major powers. Our Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Sect. That is why this Righteous-Demonic Conference has been convened today—for the sake of peace.”
His words were lies. The conference had only come about because those in power wished to confirm their interests and minimize unnecessary losses.
As someone who had only recently become the Heavenly Demon, Gang Soyeon had no immediate reason to wage war against the Martial Alliance. She was already busy purging corruption within her own sect.
“I pray that today’s conference marks the beginning of lasting peace throughout the murim!”
When the Alliance Leader’s speech finally ended, it was Gang Soyeon’s turn. At the Righteous-Demonic Conference, the Alliance Leader and the Heavenly Demon were equals; it would be improper for only one to speak.
Thus, Gang Soyeon rose from her seat and walked to the prepared platform.
“This lady is the Heavenly Demon, Gang Soyeon.”
Unlike when Jin Muhyeok had spoken, fear flickered in the eyes of the crowd. Gang Soyeon paid it no mind. Such was the seat of the Heavenly Demon.
“I hope we may maintain a favorable relationship moving forward.”
With that, Gang Soyeon turned and descended from the platform. As she headed toward her assigned seat, her eyes briefly met Jin Muhyeok’s, but she coldly turned her head away.
Every last one of them saw her only as a woman and looked down on her.
He’d become my concubine?
How could a man who had reached the peak of the righteous murim at such a young age entertain such a thought? He was clearly underestimating her by viewing her as nothing more than a woman.
—Clench.
She had bitten her lip so hard that a grinding sound escaped her teeth.
Ever since birth, how much discrimination and contempt had she endured simply for being born female?
I miss him.
She wanted to see that boy again—the only one who had ever treated her as a person. But the boy was dead. He had fought a demonic expert to save her.
There was no chance a mere low-ranking warrior of the Martial Alliance could have survived against such a foe. So now she could only stroke the bracelet he had given her. It was a habit she fell into whenever her emotions grew turbulent.
“Cult Leader.”
Jin Muhyeok spoke to her. The leaders’ speeches had concluded, and the sparring matches between the rising stars of the younger generation were about to begin.
“If anything is uncomfortable, please let me know. Since we come from different regions, there may be areas where our customs don’t align.”
“...”
Gang Soyeon offered no reply. She simply stared straight ahead. If she opened her mouth now, only harsh words would spill out.
The Heavenly Demon Sect was not yet prepared for war.
Those damned elders.
Though Gang Soyeon had slain the previous Heavenly Demon in a single strike, the current elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect still held overwhelming authority. Considering their forces and personal martial prowess, she was not yet qualified to call herself the true ruler of the sect.
Therefore, she needed to avoid conflict with the Martial Alliance, return to the Heavenly Demon Sect as quickly as possible, and seize real power.
The question about becoming a concubine had been nothing more than a test. After all, they had told her the current Alliance Leader was a battle-crazed madman. If a fight was inevitable, sooner was better.
“Everyone possesses remarkably profound martial arts for their age. It offers a different appeal compared to the righteous faction.”
Jin Muhyeok’s words barely registered amid the storm in Gang Soyeon’s mind. In contrast, the sparring matches between the younger generation proceeded smoothly.
Since both sides had already decided who would fight whom, the overall win rate was balanced. It had all been prearranged to preserve each faction’s pride.
Gang Soyeon found the entire affair hypocritical, but there was nothing she could do about it.
“Truly domineering martial arts befitting the Heavenly Demon Sect’s reputation.”
Even though Jin Muhyeok kept speaking to her, Gang Soyeon deliberately ignored him. She was in no mood for conversation.
“Heh heh heh.”
When the Martial Alliance swordsman in blue robes was defeated, Jin Muhyeok’s genuine delight raised her suspicions, but—
—Clang!
“Ugh… I have been defeated.”
“The victor is Wi Yeon of the Heavenly Demon Sect’s Blood Dragon Imperial Guard!”
The rising-star matches continued without major incident. That had been the plan from the beginning.
Only the final match was different. Both sides had sent their strongest juniors.
“Representing the Martial Alliance—the leader of the Azure Sky Sword Group! The Sword Dragon, Namgung Hyeon!”
“I shall give my all in this spar!”
At the sight of the disciplined, handsome young man stepping forward with a precise fist salute, Gang Soyeon spoke.
“Was the previous blue-robed swordsman also from the Azure Sky Sword Group?”
“Heh heh heh. Correct. They’re a thoroughly hypocritical and ruthless bunch.”
“Hmm.”
It appeared the relationship between the Alliance Leader and the Namgung Clan was not amicable. Gang Soyeon tucked the valuable information away and focused on the sparring arena.
“Representing the Heavenly Demon Sect—the 1st Captain of the Blood Dragon Imperial Guard! The Demon Dragon, Hyeol Mujin!”
“This life exists for the Cult Leader!”
The standoff between the handsome youth in blue robes and the sharp-eyed man in black was like a painting. Moreover, they were the two greatest rising stars of the righteous and demonic paths respectively, which only heightened the spectacle.
“Who do you believe will win, Cult Leader?”
“Hmm…”
This particular match had piqued even Gang Soyeon’s interest, so she was willing to answer. Hyeol Mujin was one of the few within the Heavenly Demon Sect who followed her rather than the elders.
“The Sword Dragon appears slightly stronger.”
“…Unfortunately, it does seem that way.”
“Unfortunately?”
Gang Soyeon frowned, turning Jin Muhyeok’s words over in her mind. No matter how poor their personal relationship, they ultimately belonged to the same Martial Alliance. So why did he sound as if he were cheering for the Heavenly Demon Sect?
“That fellow only grows after taking a few solid beatings. He’s quite the masochist.”
“Oh?”
There were warriors of similar temperament within her own sect. It was a bizarre nature that mistook pain for pleasure, but it wasn’t the sort to be shunned.
“You seem to care for the Sword Dragon.”
“He is a comrade who once fought beside me on the battlefield.”
A strange emotion threaded through Jin Muhyeok’s words. Just as Gang Soyeon had lived a life akin to war before becoming the Heavenly Demon, Jin Muhyeok must have walked a similar path. For a mere orphan to reach the pinnacle of the pride-obsessed righteous murim carried exactly that meaning.
“But real combat is different.”
“Indeed. The Heavenly Demon Sect’s martial arts differ from anything I’ve faced before, so it’s difficult to predict the outcome lightly.”
At last, the strongest rising stars from both sides leveled their swords at each other.
“Haaap!”
At the same moment, Gang Soyeon’s senses caught a presence that should not have been there.
Sword Demon.
I will handle it and return.
It appeared to be a scheme by the elder council, who were displeased by the budding friendship between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Gang Soyeon glanced sideways at Jin Muhyeok. He likely knew as well—some of his guard unit had vanished.
If things go poorly, I may not leave this place alive.
This was the heart of the righteous murim. If the Martial Alliance chose to make an issue of this incident, she would have no means of response. Jin Muhyeok’s unexpectedly profound martial prowess only added to the danger.
Still… I have kept my promise.
Even if she died here, she had upheld her vow to that boy. Should they meet in the afterlife, she could stand before him with her chest held high.
Since that day, I have never once bowed my head.
Gang Soyeon briefly lifted her gaze to the sky, thinking of the third-rate warrior who had saved her life as a child.
Completely unaware that the boy she longed for had grown into a fine young man and was sitting right beside her.