Return
Light slipping through the crack in the window teased my eyes open. I squeezed them shut, desperate to sleep a little longer, but the light only grew more relentless.
Who the hell left the door open?
Curse under my breath, I finally forced my eyelids up — and a familiar head of jet-black hair greeted me.
...Nari?
I bolted upright in shock. My whole body ached, but it was bearable. My injuries had never been life-threatening to begin with. It was my dantian that was the problem.
"......."
Nari, uncharacteristically, said nothing — she only looked at me with worried eyes. Why she was here at all was another matter, but something far stranger was happening.
Nari wasn't nagging me. Any other time, she'd have thrown a fit. It had happened before, too — the time she fussed over me and I blew up at her.
Ah.
Don't tell me it's because I yelled at her for worrying too much back then.
I held her gaze steadily, and she couldn't quite meet my eyes. I'd thought that incident had ended with a proper apology, but apparently, for Nari, it was still an open wound.
Regret came flooding back, late as ever. Back then, I'd dismissed her worry as needless, never once stopping to consider her heart.
...Honestly? I'd been embarrassed. No one had ever worried about me like that in my whole life.
On the battlefield, a comrade fine just yesterday would be gone by morning. When bandits preyed on villagers, I handled it for a price — and even if I got hurt in the process, the pay was already in hand, so I'd simply ride out of town.
That was why, confronted with worry — an emotion I'd never once received in my past life — I hadn't known what to do with it and had lashed out at Nari. I simply hadn't known how to express gratitude.
Then I learned how, when I met Seolha. Receiving her worry in a way entirely different from before taught me a great deal.
Facing myself honestly now, I was so pathetic I couldn't lift my head. A grown man acting like a petulant child.
When my face darkened, Nari flinched. Seeing that, I wasted no time offering a sincere apology.
"I was sorry, back then. It won't happen again."
Nari tilted her head, then quickly caught my meaning and smiled.
"You may do as you please, Sogaju-nim. After all, I'm your personal maid."
When I pulled her into an embrace and stroked her hair, a pleased Nari launched into her worried scolding at last.
"You do realize how dangerous that was? If you'd gone straight to your mission like you were supposed to, none of this would have happened. And if Pavilion Master Gu hadn't happened to be there, they say even when reinforcements arrived, you wouldn't have gotten treatment in time."
"Uh? Uh, um...."
"From now on, you take an escort with you whenever you go anywhere. If anything had happened to you, Sogaju-nim, I would have...."
"Ahem."
A cough sounded from beside the door. I turned to find Moyong Hu standing there in an awkward posture.
"Sogaju-nim. How does your body fare?"
"What are you doing here?"
"The Gaju-nim assigned me as your escort. He said you'd find me useful when you return to the clan."
Using the Commander of the Royal Sword Brigade as a mere bodyguard. It wasn't that Moyong Hu got poor treatment only from me — he held a rank equal to Wang Yeomsu of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion. It seemed Wang Inho was thoroughly livid.
"Hoo. Pulling the White Tiger Pavilion Master away from his post earned me quite the scolding, I must say. Though Lady Nari, at least, could not be pried loose."
"The White Tiger Pavilion Master? Why him, of all people?"
"Because Ran is among your party, Sogaju-nim, is she not?"
Right. Ran.
"How is Ran? Is she hurt anywhere?"
"Pardon? Ah. Yes. Not a single scratch on her."
Thank goodness. As I let out a sigh of relief, Nari's eyes narrowed.
"You seem quite close to Lady Ran."
"We're close, sure, but—"
"And with everything that happened, I never got the chance to ask — you've gone and gotten engaged to Lady Seolha, haven't you?"
Uh-oh.
Recent experience had taught me a great deal about women, and this question was dangerously loaded. I shot Moyong Hu a pleading look for help, and he swiftly turned his head away.
Useless bastard.
"Just asking, that's all."
"Well, there's... there's a very deep and serious reason for it."
"Of course there is. Then would you care to share it? Why you did such a thing without saying a word to anyone."
Hearing the whole story from me, Nari heaved a long sigh. Then, as if resigning herself to the inevitable, she plopped down beside me and asked,
"You... you're not going to throw me away, are you?"
Anyone overhearing that would get the wrong idea.
"Of course not. You're mine to take care of too, Nari."
"Hoo. That's all I needed to hear."
"Really?"
"Yes. What choice do I have, anyway? Lady Seolha is fond of you. And for all she tries to hide it, you're fond of her too, Sogaju-nim."
"......"
When I went silent for a while, Moyong Hu — who had been carefully watching my mood the whole time — finally spoke up.
"Sogaju-nim? When might you be returning to the clan?"
"By when do I have to?"
"To be honest, the order was for you to return the moment you opened your eyes. Ordinarily I'd not concern myself, but Byeokrando at this moment stands on the brink of a battlefield."
"Then let's go right now. There's something I need to say to Father anyway."
"Yes. I shall make preparations to depart."
To think I'd be heading back after just one day away from the clan. Yesterday, I couldn't have imagined it.
Leaving Black Tortoise Pavilion Master Gu Hanseong busy cleaning up the aftermath, we hurried out of Byeokrando.
Not one intruder — seven had breached Byeokrando. There had to be a gap somewhere in the walls, and ferreting it out was going to give him a monstrous headache.
There might even be a traitor within, which meant that concern as well. With so much on his plate, I doubted I'd be seeing Gu Hanseong's face for a long while.
I was watching the scenery through the gap in the carriage window, thinking just that, when Hanmuk spoke up.
"My Lord. How does your body fare?"
"Me? I'm fine. How about you?"
Hanmuk was wrapped head to toe in bandages. Apparently, he and Seonwoo had been ambushed on their way to request reinforcements. They'd only survived because there was just one attacker.
The problem, Hanmuk explained, was that the one attacker had been a First-Class master — they'd nearly taken a tour of the afterlife. If Gu Hanseong hadn't happened to step out for a stroll, the children and I alike would have been on the road to the Yellow Springs.
I was just thinking I'd have to thank Gu Hanseong later when I realized something.
Where's Seonwoo?
The guy had such a faint presence by nature that I'd been slow to notice. According to Hanmuk, he'd lost so much blood that after a few days of rest, he'd be returning to his family home.
The kid had really been through hell too.
I should watch his swordplay sometime, when things settle down.
"Oppa.... does it hurt a lot?"
"Nah, I'm fine. I'm talking just fine right now, see?"
Ran had been sulking ever since we set out. She seemed to think she hadn't been any help — when in fact she'd helped more than anyone.
Even I hadn't sensed someone tailing me the one time I let my guard down. But Ran had picked it up on pure instinct alone.
I patted her head to tell her how impressive I found her, and she instantly perked up, smiling as if she'd never been down at all. Nari watched the scene with decidedly sour eyes.
"Nari. She's a kid. A kid."
"That's right~ Ran is a child~"
At that, Nari shot back an incredulous look.
"Lady Ran isn't that much younger than me, you know."
"What?"
What did she just say? This tiny kid was around Nari's age?
"A young lady graduating from the Elite Corps next year, calling a Sogaju-nim many years her junior 'oppa.'"
"Graduating next year... then that would make her age...."
Ran, oblivious as ever, just nuzzled her head against my chest. That actually kind of hurts, you know.
We whiled away the ride with idle chatter, and before long the clan came into view. As we entered, every warrior and servant had turned out in formation.
As my carriage rolled past, they bowed their heads in unison — no doubt celebrating their young lord's safe return.
I stretched a hand out the window and waved. It was only proper to acknowledge those who'd come to cheer me.
"Oooooh!"
"Those Choe bastards. How dare they attempt to assassinate the Sogaju-nim....!"
"Haha! Then what are we waiting for? The Sogaju-nim crushed his would-be assassins and stands hale before us!"
Watching them erupt in cheers at a single wave of my hand, I thought it was the right call.
"Take me straight to Daehyeongung. There's something I need to say to Father."
When I told Moyong Hu, who held the reins, he replied with a faintly troubled look.
"Even if you avoided the worst of it—"
"I know. I'll say what I have to say, then behave myself and rest. Promise."
"Hmmm."
In the end, Moyong Hu turned the carriage toward Daehyeongung. Upon arrival, I went straight in, opening the door to the Patriarch's chamber.
Creeeak.
"Father. I'm here."
"You've come, have you?"
I dropped into a chair and got straight to the point.
"Grant me leave for closed-door training. And instruct me in the clan's family martial arts."
"What was that?"
"I have to become stronger."
I looked Wang Inho dead in the eye. He met my gaze with eyes full of something unreadable.
He's changed.
The light, easy air he'd carried when he first entered the Elite Corps had been shed, if only in part. Not completely — but the boy he was now brought a smile to Wang Inho's face.
"Hahaha! And how long do you intend this to last? A year? Two?"
"Four years."
"Four years."
It was a rather long stretch for closed-door training. But no doubt he'd felt the pressing need to grow that much stronger. Having settled the matter in his mind, Wang Inho spoke.
"Very well. I shall instruct you in the family arts myself."
"Thank you, Father."
"But you had best come out of it strong. Strong enough to startle this old man."
"Leave it to me."
Because if I didn't reach that level, I had no intention of coming out at all.