The Sword Princess's Choice
Mun Tae-sik, leader of the Sword Demon Sect, roared, “What nonsense are you spouting now!”
The moment Namgung Suryeon took Baekri Hyeong’s hand and rose to her feet, Namgung Yeong grasped the true meaning of their exchange and flew into a rage. Declaring that she disliked her own clan and then suggesting she come along was no different from asking her to leave the Namgung Clan and join the Hubei Alliance.
Already shaken by his defeat in the duel, Namgung Yeong now suffered an even greater shock. Though he had not yet asked for her opinion, one look at Namgung Suryeon’s expression told him the answer was already decided. She wanted to follow the Hubei Alliance.
He had no intention of letting her go. Her talent was nothing short of heaven-sent. If the Hubei Alliance stole such a prodigy away, the Murim Alliance would lose a promising future pillar. Such a disaster must never be allowed to happen.
But then—
“Her own will is what matters. I merely made a suggestion, Alliance Leader. I did not force anything.”
“What?”
Baekri Hyeong replied in a cold tone. Because his words were undeniably correct, no one in the alliance dared to refute him. The martial world was not a place that suppressed individual freedom.
What truly mattered was Namgung Suryeon’s own desire.
“Then let us do this. We will grant whatever the young lady of the Namgung Clan wishes. Would that not be fair?”
“Sword Sovereign! Are you trying to steal my granddaughter with your silver tongue?”
“Did you ever truly treat her as your granddaughter, Alliance Leader?”
“..!”
“Judging by your face, it seems she is disappointed in her grandfather’s way of thinking. How pitiful.”
At Baekri Hyeok’s words, Namgung Suryeon flinched. He had read her state of mind from nothing more than her expression. Yet, separate from that, she felt a surge of satisfaction. Baekri Hyeong had opened the verbal offensive, and Baekri Hyeok had backed his son’s decision. He, too, must have recognized her talent from the martial prowess she had displayed.
Moreover, it was Baekri Hyeong who had taken an interest in her. He might not even know of the old grudges between the Namgung and Baekri Clans.
‘If that child leaves the Namgung Clan, then everything becomes meaningless anyway.’
Baekri Hyeok was not the sort of man who insisted on guilt by association. He believed that a person should bear the consequences of their own sins. In that sense, accepting Namgung Suryeon into the Hubei Alliance was an excellent choice. Even knowing how deeply the two clans despised each other, if word spread that a child of the Namgung Clan had abandoned her family to join the Baekri Clan, it would indirectly demonstrate which of the two houses stood higher.
“What do you think?”
“I…”
“Suryeon! Are you truly thinking of betraying your clan? You are the proud daughter of the Namgung Clan! And yet, for the sake of these…!”
“These? These what?”
A low rumble shook the air as Baekri Hyeok furrowed his brow at Namgung Yeong’s contemptuous words and released his aura. The words “these” and “these what” had revealed exactly how little Namgung Yeong thought of the Hubei Alliance. Jegal Jincheon and Jin Ryeong, who had been silently observing, now wore grim expressions. No matter how he tried to hide it, Namgung Yeong clearly looked down on the Hubei Alliance.
“I am disappointed, Alliance Leader. To think that the head of one organization would so openly belittle another.”
“...”
“If you believe there has been some misunderstanding, feel free to test me at any time. I will accept your challenge.”
Namgung Yeong clenched his fists at Baekri Hyeok’s provocation, yet he exercised extreme patience. Even as his nails dug into his palms and blood dripped to the floor, he could not move. He wanted nothing more than to strike down that madman, but it was no longer possible. The swordsmanship Baekri Hyeong had displayed was not something he had created himself. That meant its true master was Baekri Hyeok. A sword art that already transcended the level of a rising star—if unleashed by Baekri Hyeok, a member of the Five Sovereigns of Murim… well. Even Namgung Yeong had no confidence he could withstand it.
“Then, Alliance Leader, since you have no further objections, I will ask you directly, child of the Namgung Clan.”
“Y-yes!”
“What is it that you want?”
“I… I…”
Namgung Suryeon, singled out by Baekri Hyeok, stammered. Honestly, she had never imagined that a single remark from Baekri Hyeong would lead to this situation. She had already decided to follow him, but now everyone was staring at her with burning eyes. How was she supposed to speak?
‘What… what should I do?’
Namgung Suryeon’s gaze naturally drifted toward Baekri Hyeong. He was the one who had created this scene; surely he would have the answer. And she was right.
[Come with us.]
[Huh…?]
[Don’t you want to stop living a life controlled by others? Throw everything away. Plenty of people will accept you.]
Namgung Suryeon felt the tension drain from her body as she looked at Baekri Hyeong’s blunt words. Even though his tone was curt, it carried an underlying concern for her. Thanks to that, she was able to make her decision.
“I, Namgung Suryeon, wish to leave the Namgung Clan and join the Hubei Alliance.”
“Suryeon!!”
“Lord Baekri Hyeok. Please grant me permission to join.”
“Namgung Suryeon of the Namgung Clan. I welcome your entry into the Hubei Alliance.”
With Namgung Suryeon’s admission proceeding exactly as planned, Baekri Hyeong allowed a faint smile to cross his lips where no one could see.
‘With this, one worry is eased.’
The moment he had witnessed her talent with his own eyes, Baekri Hyeong understood why she had been killed by the Demonic Cult in his previous life. The ability to read sword paths and sever them mid-strike—if a child with such talent continued to grow, she would become an extraordinary master. The Demonic Cult would have wanted to eliminate such a variable as quickly as possible. That was also why they had annihilated the Baekri Clan—to kill Baekri Hyeong, bearer of the Heavenly Martial Body, and Baekri Hyeok, the Sword Sovereign.
If, in the previous life, Baekri Hyeong had grown as he had in this one, and if Namgung Suryeon and Baekri Hyeok had not met their deaths, would the outcome of the war against the Demonic Cult have been different? In that sense, now that Namgung Suryeon had come to the Hubei Alliance, her safety would be guaranteed. Since she had nowhere else to go, he would tell her to live at the Baekri Clan residence.
‘The Baekri Clan now houses me, the Sword Sovereign, and the successor of the Ice Palace.’
Unless the Demonic Cult moved in full force, destroying the Baekri Clan would be nearly impossible. Information that the Black Path swordsman who killed the Demonic Cult’s Grand Commander had appeared might have reached them, but they would focus their search on the unorthodox factions. The orthodox Baekri Clan would remain safe. Time was not abundant, yet they still had some left.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Your home will be the Baekri Clan from now on. You have nowhere else to go, right? Stay with us for the time being.”
“...”
Namgung Suryeon’s face flushed crimson at Baekri Hyeong’s direct words. Think about it—a man telling her to come with him, then telling her to simply live in his house. What woman could remain composed in such a situation? Baekri Hyeong saw her expression and felt a mischievous urge, but he suppressed it. He could not display such a face in a formal setting.
“In any case, my granddaughter’s decision has been made. Alliance Leader, please do not try to overturn it.”
Baekri Hyeong took Namgung Suryeon’s hand firmly, as if there was nothing more to say, and descended from the dueling platform. No one could rebuke them. Namgung Suryeon had already made her choice, and the duel itself had been shocking enough in many ways.
Yet there was one person watching them with a sorrowful gaze.
“Young Master…”
It was Jegal Yujin, the youngest daughter of the Jegal Clan.
**********
“The Grand Commander of the Demonic Cult was defeated?”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“And even the information from Hwa Wol has been cut off… How interesting.”
The man in black robes curled his lips into a smile upon receiving his subordinate’s report. Eul Hwang-yeong, the Grand Commander, was known within the Heavenly Demon Cult to possess considerable skill. For such a man to have been killed by an unknown Black Path swordsman he had never seen before—the man in black could not help but smile.
“Are the spies still operating undetected?”
“Yes. Soon enough… the Joint Blossom Sect will fall into the Heavenly Demon Cult’s hands.”
“Excellent. Then it is time we began to move.”
“Where do you intend to go, Sect Leader?”
“I will not move personally.”
The man in black rose from his seat and approached a massive stone wall. After moving his fingers a few times, a map of the Central Plains began to etch itself into the stone. He studied the map carefully before speaking.
“The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is to be held next year?”
“Yes.”
“They say all the promising young talents will gather there?”
“That is correct.”
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering—the grandest event where the rising stars of the orthodox martial world competed against one another. What if the Murim Alliance were to lose all of its most promising youths during that event? The alliance would fracture.
“How delightful.”
The man in black robes, Mun Tae-sik, leader of the Sword Demon Sect, let out a sinister laugh as he envisioned the day when the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering would descend into chaos and blood would stain the Murim Alliance.