Those Who Await the Spring
Before the main gate of Geomga Jeonjang.
Return the Third Young Master's forces to the front lines, and the Second Young Master's faction will no longer be free to focus everything on Yeon So-hyeon.
Simple logic.
A strategy so simple that anyone could have thought of it on logic alone.
And yet the reason no one discussed that strategy was equally simple.
"Oppa."
"How exactly do you intend to solve a problem that even the entire Luoyang strength of the Third Young Master's side still hasn't managed to put down?"
A popular uprising and the chaos it spawned were never the product of cool reason. The demands themselves might be logical, but the decision to risk one's life in revolt came from emotion boiling far hotter than any logic. That was why even the Third Young Master's forces—every bit as formidable as the Second's—were struggling so badly to restore order.
"You adorable little ones."
Instead of answering, Yeon So-hyeon simply stroked his younger sisters' heads.
It took courage for him to reach out like that.
"Oppa…"
How could he not know they had not truly asked because they wanted the method, but because they already hated having to part from him again so soon?
Even now their eyes kept darting anxiously between the carriage and Yeon So-hyeon himself.
"Worry about nothing."
The hand he had scrubbed so carefully earlier was cleaner than usual, yet his touch remained endlessly careful—as though he himself were something unclean that must not contaminate the children.
"Leave the affairs of adults to the adults."
He spoke the very words their mother had once said to him.
"…For now, just give this unworthy older brother the chance to act like an older brother."
…For now, just give this unworthy father the chance to act like a father.
He spoke the words his own father had once spoken for his sake, long ago.
Dropping to one knee so that he was level with them, he rested a hand on each of the girls' shoulders.
They felt the faint tremor in his fingers.
"So trust this older brother, and do exactly as I told you—simply pursue the things you yourselves want to do."
Just as Yeon So-hyeon had first found the courage to stroke their hair, the girls found a little courage of their own.
A flash of startled surprise crossed his face.
"……!"
Instead of words they simply threw their arms around him—exactly the way they had so often hugged their mother when they were small.
"…You mustn't get hurt."
Their voices were thick with unshed tears.
"…Next time, please spend more time with us."
Yeon So-hyeon's hands hovered awkwardly in the air for a moment, flustered by the embrace; then he returned it, wrapping both girls tightly.
"…I understand."
The mutual awkwardness they had felt only moments earlier now seemed like someone else's story.
The hug was natural, and warmer than anything.
"This older brother promises."
The embrace did not last long.
They knew perfectly well that his road was urgent.
Yet why did that moment still feel so painfully brief?
Moments of happiness are short.
That is why one must be grateful for them, and fight every single day to protect those brief, precious spans of time.
Protecting is hard, and the struggle is long.
Living life a second time, Yeon So-hyeon knew that truth down to his bones.
"Central Censorate Master."
"Yes. Command me."
When Yeon So-hyeon rose and called her name, Dokgo Ya-yeon—who had been waiting quietly with her back turned—faced him.
"This is less a command than a request."
His gaze settled on her.
"Be careful of the Chief Administrator of the Inner Court."
"…The Chief Administrator, my lord?"
"Yes."
He offered no further explanation, yet Dokgo Ya-yeon understood and withdrew. Had the Chief Administrator been a man whose movements could be predicted, Yeon So-hyeon would have given her a countermeasure rather than a warning.
"I have one request for the two of you as well."
He spoke to the twin sisters who had released the hug yet still could not bring themselves to let go of his hands.
"For the time being—at least until this affair is settled—do not trust raw information from the Information Department at face value."
Both girls looked up at him, bewildered.
"Why not?"
"……"
Carefully releasing their hands, he rested his palms on their shoulders and used close-range sound transmission.
[The directors of the Information Department are also of Yeon blood. Whether they will involve themselves in this matter is still unknown.]
It was information about the heads of the Intelligence Bureau that almost no one—even among the uppermost ranks of the Luoyang Sword Family—knew.
"……!"
"…We will keep that firmly in mind."
Yeon So-hyeon gave them a single nod of acknowledgment, then climbed into the carriage.
Just before the door closed he asked Yeon Ha-eung,
"Under what public pretext is the Second Young Master's side sending letters to gather the Yeon blood relatives?"
In truth they were simply herding together every corrupt kinsman who felt threatened by Yeon So-hyeon's movements, but there would be a face-saving excuse for the outside world.
"Well…"
Yeon Ha-eung answered with a bitter smile.
"They're calling it a demand for accountability—for the annihilation of the prestigious Yi and Jang families."
Yeon So-hyeon had never laid a finger on the Jang family. Clearly the Second Young Master's faction intended to pin their own crimes on him while they were at it.
"Truly amusing creatures."
With that cool laugh the carriage door shut, and the massive bulk of the Ironclad Fortress began to move.
"……"
"……"
Yeon Da-eun and Yeon Da-hye clasped each other's hands tightly as they watched the carriage recede.
Even after the Ironclad Fortress vanished into the distance down the street, their eyes refused to leave the empty road for a long while.
The spring night breeze was unusually warm.
The air already carried that peculiar scent that precedes spring rain.
Yet the girls still could not feel that spring had truly arrived.
Someday, when real spring comes…
Just as in the memories they still held, they would sit by the stream at Wongak Pavilion with their eldest brother, their older sisters, their younger siblings—laughing and chattering without a single care in the world.
They believed that day would come.
Special-grade closed training grounds of the Luoyang Sword Family.
"……"
While the moon hid behind the clouds, a middle-aged woman in full readiness quietly stepped out of the sealed training hall.
"Master."
At the voice from above, the Guard Pavilion Master's footsteps halted.
"…Interrupting your qi circulation midway? Do you actually intend to train properly?"
Her gaze lifted to the roof of the training pavilion.
"Was it not enough that you slipped out in secret, wasted the gains of your new cultivation method, and received punishment for it?"
A sharp rebuke.
Ordinarily Yeon Seo-rin would have fled the lecture at once.
"Where are you going at this hour?"
Tonight, however, she was different.
"…It concerns the business of the Guard Pavilion. That is none of your concern."
"Is that so?"
Perched on the railing of the upper floor, Second Young Mistress Yeon Seo-rin merely shrugged.
"Then it has nothing to do with me."
Even so she kept her eyes fixed on the Guard Pavilion Master and showed no intention of withdrawing—as though she had already seen straight through the half-hearted excuses.
Faced with that disciple, the Guard Pavilion Master sighed inwardly.
…I always feel it, but that monstrous intuition is the exact image of her father.
She turned and began walking again as she spoke.
"Spare me the nonsense and go back to circulating your energy."
"Master."
Yeon Seo-rin's words flew after her.
"If you go, you will regret it later."
Those words finally snared the Guard Pavilion Master's feet.
"…What does a girl in closed-door training know that she dares run her mouth like that?"
"There are things one can see precisely because one stands far away."
Enraged by a disciple who would not yield a single inch, the Guard Pavilion Master finally spun around.
"Yeon Seo-rin…!"
But the place was already empty of her disciple.
From beyond the railing, far away, only Yeon Seo-rin's voice drifted back.
"Aunt. Do you still not understand that So-hyeon brat?"
Those were her final words.
Still claiming I don't know that Yeon So-hyeon well enough…?
Yet the Guard Pavilion Master's fierce gaze lingered for a long time on the empty space, as though the vanished girl still stood there.
"Pavilion Master."
A sudden call snapped her back to herself. When she turned, she found fully prepared Yeon blood relatives waiting.
"…Let us go."
As she walked on in silence, the kinsmen around her muttered in low voices.
"Unlike the other branches, we have nothing to do with Geomga Jeonjang's secret ledgers or the Second Young Master's side…"
"Even so, we should at least go and see how things are progressing."
"If the deal looks good, accepting it wouldn't be a bad option either."
"This could also be the chance to push that Yeon So-hyeon out completely."
"Removing an unstable element early is always helpful for the road ahead."
Their eyes turned to the Guard Pavilion Master, who remained lost in thought.
"Pavilion Master. Is Seo-rin ready in her heart?"
"The day Seo-rin announces she will enter the contest for Young Family Head is not far off now."
"We've managed and raised her so thoroughly all this time precisely for that day, have we not?"
They were the ones who intended to make Heavenly Robe Without Seams Yeon Seo-rin the first female Family Head of the Luoyang Sword Family.
"Control of Seo-rin is my affair."
Recalling how unusually rebellious the girl had been today, the Guard Pavilion Master snapped sharply.
"I will handle my own business. You lot mind yours."
At her words the blood relatives coughed awkwardly and looked away.
"Well, that's true enough, but…"
Her thorny attitude was nothing new, so they soon stopped paying her any mind and returned to their own chatter.
Yeon So-hyeon. It's always that bastard who's the problem…
Ever since the day she had deserted without leave to meet Yeon So-hyeon, Yeon Seo-rin's attitude had subtly changed.
But it's fine.
The Guard Pavilion Master, who had watched the girl since childhood, could hardly have failed to notice.
Seo-rin's "leash" is still working properly.
An empty training ground.
Yeon Seo-rin's sword filled the air as though embroidering the empty space itself.
Spring had reached even the valley of the training compound; cherry-blossom petals were already swirling on the wind.
Yet it seemed she did not see the falling petals at all.
Thick clouds hid the moon, then finally began to scatter droplets of water.
Soon the rain fell in earnest.
But the sword of her father that she gripped never stopped.
That sword dance showed no sign of ending.
She looked for all the world like a solemn priestess performing a rite to call down a spring that had not yet arrived.
Inside the racing Ironclad Fortress.
"The secret assembly will still be held on schedule, but…"
Su-ran, a troubleshooter belonging to the Spring of Luoyang, let her words trail off.
"I have heard that the Third Young Master's encirclement has grown even tighter."
"…Yes. At this point it wouldn't be strange if something major erupted at any moment."
At Yeon So-hyeon's words she sighed.
"Many of our people are isolated inside the stadium construction grounds. Even those with outstanding martial skill dare not attempt to break out."
Clutching with both hands the teacup she had been too anxious even to sip, she continued.
"Because of that, we can't even properly learn what is happening inside the cordon."
Yeon So-hyeon set down his own tea and spoke.
"So very few will be able to attend the assembly."
"That's right."
He asked,
"What is the problem?"
"Well…"
Su-ran could not hide her discomfort.
"The number who look able to participate right now is so small…"
She bowed her head.
"…that we don't even meet the requirements to hold a vote on First Young Master's admission."
A vote.
It was a method typical of the Spring of Luoyang, which operated without a single leader.
Of course, under the present circumstances it was of little help.
"Is there no rule prepared for emergencies such as this?"
At his question she lowered her head, embarrassed.
"It's shameful to admit, but while regulations do exist… given the nature of the organization, they amount to only a few lines…"
Yeon So-hyeon merely nodded, unconcerned.
"I see."
If the organization had already been properly ordered and running with the precision of a clockwork, there would have been no reason for him to involve himself with the Spring of Luoyang in the first place.
"Do not worry about the shortage of numbers."
Su-ran, who had kept her head bowed low, slowly raised it to look at him.
"…You have some method?"
Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.
"Once the encirclement is broken, a proper vote will become possible, will it not?"
For a moment she failed to grasp his meaning and asked blankly,
"…Pardon?"
Meanwhile the carriage carrying Yeon So-hyeon raced on toward the site of the secret assembly.
Even the steadily worsening rain could not stop the Ironclad Fortress drawn by its two spirit beasts.