Byeokrando (2)
Having decided to put our mission off and have some fun first, we set about sightseeing in Byeokrando. Every shop along the street displayed rows of goods we'd never laid eyes on before.
When we gawked at the wares with wonder in our eyes, the merchants called out to us from all directions.
"Young masters, take a look at this before you go! This sword only just crossed over from Dongyeong yesterday—why, today there's exactly one left!"
"Hmhm. Now that is a strangely shaped blade."
"Isn't it? A blade that sharp right out of the forge—it's surely a masterpiece among master swords!"
"Hmhm. Dongyeong, you say...."
Hanmuk, who was always interested in Dongyeong anyway, was turning the strange sword over in his hands, examining it this way and that.
He's going to buy it, isn't he.
That Hanmuk. He was trying desperately to look uninterested, but it showed all over his face. I could only pray the merchant didn't fleece him too badly.
"Come, come! Today we have mirrors from the Western Regions. Goods from the West don't come in often, so pick one up while you can."
At that, Seonwu sidled off toward the mirrors. I had my own interest in Western goods too, and I was just about to move that way when Rani yanked my hair.
"Aagh!"
"Jeonbyeong over there!"
"All right! All right, so let go of my hair!"
I went and bought the jeonbyeong exactly as Rani directed. Where did she get all that strength?
Once I'd bought it for her, Rani began happily munching away. Now and then crumbs rained down onto my head, but by now I couldn't have cared less. As long as she didn't tear my hair out, that was all I asked.
Having resigned myself to my fate, I looked toward the harbor and saw ships sailing out and coming in. In my past life I'd only ever known the land—I'd rarely even seen the sea, so this was my first time laying eyes on ships at all.
I did wonder what principle allowed such a huge hunk of wood to float on water, but it only gave me a headache, so I gave up on it.
Chomp, chomp.
"Good?"
"Mm-hm. Do you want some, Young Lord Soga?"
"Just one bite."
Rani held out a jeonbyeong to me with her little fern-frond fingers. I took it straight into my mouth.
Munch.
Not as good as the ones we had at the estate, but plenty tasty. When I smacked my lips slightly, Rani started shoving more jeonbyeong into my mouth.
So there we were, sharing the jeonbyeong, when Hanmuk appeared wearing the very sword he'd been eyeing earlier.
So he did buy it.
I didn't know how much he'd paid, but it surely hadn't been cheap. Seonwu had come back empty-handed, apparently having only window-shopped.
We kept wandering through Byeokrando, and before we knew it, the sky had begun to darken.
I'd planned to look around a bit and then deliver the mission badge to the Azure Tortoise Pavilion Lord—but it was already this late? I supposed I'd gotten carried away without realizing it. It had been so long since I'd been out like this.
"We'll pay our respects to the Azure Tortoise Pavilion Lord tomorrow. At this hour, the mission can wait."
"Then what shall we do? Shouldn't we find lodging or something?"
Lodging, huh.... If we'd traveled far from home it might be one thing, but this was Byeokrando, territory under the Wang Clan's direct authority. In other words, there was no need to hunt for an inn—we could just grab one of the patrolling guards and ask if there was anywhere to sleep.
Either way, I'd be seeing the Azure Tortoise Pavilion Lord tonight. With the Soga Lord himself in town, there was no way he'd just sit on his hands.
My mind made up, I decided to lead the kids on a full circuit of the fortress outskirts. We'd walked for about an hour when Rani smiled and spoke up.
"How long are we going to play hide-and-seek?"
"Huh?"
"It's getting hard for Rani to keep using her strength~."
"What are you talking ab—"
!!
I flung my aura perception out to its maximum. Sure enough, some twenty paces behind us, I felt a presence.
How long had they been following us?
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead. The fact that I hadn't noticed meant the pursuer's level was far from ordinary.
Pretending not to notice, I spoke to Rani casually.
"How long have we been playing hide-and-seek?"
"I don't know. Maybe since we were buying the jeonbyeong...."
So practically from the very start.
I made a small gesture of covering Rani's mouth. Clever girl—she immediately clapped both hands over her lips.
"Hanmuk. Seonwu."
"....."
When I called to them in a low voice, the two of them—sharp as ever—sensed the danger and didn't answer. They must have felt something ominous in my conversation with Rani.
"Listen up. Someone is following us right now."
"....."
"Rani and I will handle it, so you two go summon the guards from the Azure Tortoise Pavilion."
The moment I finished, Hanmuk and Seonwu gave small nods. Then Hanmuk said, just a touch too loudly:
"Ohh my! I need to relieve myself. I should've scouted out where the privies were in advance."
Oh ho. So that's how he's playing it. While I was quietly impressed, Seonwu chimed in to match him.
"I happen to know a spot. Shall we go together?"
"Ohh! Much obliged."
"Then, Young Lord Soga. We'll be off to attend to nature's call."
"Go on, hurry back."
"Yes, my lord. .....We're sorry."
"Get going."
Anyone watching would think I was the one about to die in their place.
Once Hanmuk and Seonwu slipped away, I carried Rani on my back and made a full circle of the area. The pursuer must have sensed something was off, because the distance between us shrank noticeably from before.
They were about to pounce. I set Rani down. She didn't object—her instincts clearly didn't like the feeling either.
"Who are you?"
I was the one who spoke first. But no answer came.
Certain that combat was imminent, I turned my body sideways, one hand resting on my scabbard. Only then did the silent figure speak.
"You're the Soga Lord, I take it?"
"Yeah. That's me."
"Killing a child is a sorrowful thing, but it is an order, so I ask for your understanding."
Understand my killing you? Is this bastard insane? If I understood that, wouldn't I have to be some kind of bodhisattva?
Shing.
As I drew my sword, the man gave a soft snicker.
"Heh heh. Don't struggle. It will only prolong your pain."
Bullshit.
I quickly pushed Rani behind me and took my stance. If my instincts were right, that man had reached the realm of a first-rate master. In my past life I'd have lopped his head off in a blink, but my current level was second-rate at best, being generous.
Factoring in my physical capabilities too, the gap between us was nothing to sneeze at. I was gauging the distance to him when the assassin drew his blade.
Shing.
"If you must curse something, curse the heavens."
Swoosh!
With a sound of splitting air, a blade qi shot toward me. It was far smaller, but it was a genuinely refined sword energy—different from what Seolha wielded.
I'd expected this much from a first-rate master, so just as I had against Seolha, I used Dujeonseong'i—the Turning Twin Shields.
The subtlety of rotation flowed into my sword along with my internal energy. And with it, I spun my body, skimming along the assassin's blade qi.
Then, just as he had done, I released a blade qi of my own. Unlike his, mine was a fully formed sword energy that crashed down on the assassin.
"!!!"
Screech!
Rather than cutting the air, the blade qi tore through it, arriving right before the assassin's face.
"Guh!"
Letting out a low groan, the man swung his sword, packed to the brim with internal energy.
BOOM!
Something burst with a concussive pop, and the blade qi was neutralized. The assassin had clearly strained himself blocking mine—he staggered backward, leaving gouged trails in the ground.
"Tch."
I'd hoped to kill him right there through his carelessness. A faint pang of disappointment washed over me—and then the assassin's face went slack with disbelief.
"The Wang Clan possesses martial arts like...? And how is movement like that even possible at that age?"
Whatever he wanted to say was none of my concern. I charged straight at him.
Clang!
My sword met his, ringing out in a clear, bright note of steel. And in that same instant, gooseflesh broke out all over my body.
It was a sensation I hadn't felt in a long time. In my past life, I'd always felt the sound and vibration of blade striking blade. But since my rebirth, I hadn't felt it even once—so I suppose you could call it a kind of longing.
But before I could savor the feeling, sword strikes came flying at me from every direction.
Ching! Chang-chang-chang!
Grinning, I parried and riposted—and the assassin faltered slightly, his swordwork slowing for a beat.
Now!
Seizing the opening, I drove my sword into his side.
Shuk!
"Gaaah!"
As he writhed in pain, I pulled back a little. The fresh agony would have cooled his head. Pressing the attack now would be unwise.
Sure enough, the assassin began pouring out internal energy even as sweat streamed down his face.
His qi became sharp enough to cut flesh on its own. Every line of his body screamed that he wouldn't be caught off guard again. When I raised my own energy to shield myself, his eyebrows twitched—as if to say, can you endure this too?
Without either of us yielding the initiative, the assassin and I charged at the same moment. A real sword in my hand after so long—it fit my grip perfectly.
For offense, Seomgwang-bun'ungeon—the Flashlight Scattering Cloud Sword. For defense, a sword style steeped in the subtleties of Dujeonseong'i.
Mixing attack and defense in careful measure, I pressed the assassin. Unable to gain ground either way, he swung his blade with mounting impatience.
Under normal circumstances, my victory here would have been assured. But the gap in realm and physical ability proved hard to overcome, and slowly, I was the one being driven back.
Then the hairs on my head stood on end, and the assassin's martial arts began to become visible to me. Yeogam—Reverse Perception—had activated.
Bolstered by Reverse Perception, I advanced, dismantling his techniques as I came. Little by little, gashes began to open across the assassin's body.
"Damn it all! What kind of brat has martial arts like—!"
The instant Reverse Perception activated, I abandoned both Seomgwang-bun'ungeon and Dujeonseong'i. In their place, a wildly unpredictable sword style—born of Reverse Perception itself—took hold.
His every technique was being dismantled, nothing spared, until he'd nearly run out of arts to use against me. And that was when it happened.
Khorok! .....Keoheok!!
Something surged up from inside me, and I vomited blood.
What is this? That's never happened before.
As I stumbled back a step in shock, the assassin wiped his cold sweat and laughed.
"Khekhek. Moving beyond what your body can bear—of course you'd fall apart."
"Damn it...."
So I'd overtaxed myself.
One more year of growth, and I could have killed him. Swallowing down the blood along with my regret, I saw the assassin lunge at me.
"Die!"
This is bad. I had no strength to move.
Vomiting blood had released the muscles that had been wound to their absolute limit. Even trying to flex, my body wouldn't obey.
Just as I resolved to sacrifice an arm—
Clang!
"Young Lord! Are you okay?!"
Rani appeared in front of me and blocked the assassin's sword bare-handed.
To be precise, it was a hand layered with internal energy—but no matter how you sliced it, it was an astonishing thing to witness.
"You...!"
"What now?! You milk-smelling little—!"
What the hell is this bastard saying?
Forcing my body upright, I swung my sword with every ounce of strength I had left. The blade arced unerringly for the assassin's shoulder.
Being furious was one thing—but a man still deserved his interrogation.
"Kraaaaagh!"
"What comes out of your mouth isn't the only thing that talks, you bastard."
Now then—time for the fun part. Interrogation hour.