I'm Home?
Swuuaak!
The Wiyeonggong technique surged to its maximum, and I began scaling Baekundae in a single breath. The gate leading to the Wang Clan estate was already coming into view, telling me I was nearly there.
Squeezing out every last ounce of strength I had — the strength of a suckling babe, even — I reached the gate in no time at all.
"Who goes there!"
Of course, one of the gatekeepers immediately barred my way. To be fair, if I saw someone hurtling toward me with a terrifying display of lightness technique, I'd get suspicious too.
"Haah... hah..."
The moment I panted for breath and lifted my face so he could see it clearly, the gatekeeper who recognized me recoiled in shock.
"The Young Lord?!"
"Hah... hnngh... That's right. It's me."
"He's finally come!"
Overjoyed, the man practically welled up with tears as he greeted me, but I had no leeway to spare for pleasantries.
So open the gate already.
With that unspoken plea, the gatekeeper scrambled to work the mechanism that operated the gate.
Please, let me not be too late. If those three have already left, I won't even know where to start searching. There's certainly more than one path leading to Dansewon.
Just as I was anxiously bouncing my leg at the thought, voices drifted over from beyond the gate.
"I'm going with her!"
"Didn't I tell you? He'll be here any moment—"
"I don't wanna! You keep saying the same thing over and over! The Young Lord oppa hasn't come, has he!"
Ran?
The sound of Ran and Yi Uigang bickering carried through from the other side of the gate.
"White Tiger Pavilion Master. Four years is more than enough waiting. We're leaving."
"No, Vermilion Bird Pavilion Master! Talk some sense into your own daughter!"
"...I already lost that battle."
Then came Seolha's resolute voice, followed by Wang Yeomsu, sounding as though he'd given up entirely.
From the sounds of it, they were preparing to depart at that very moment. It was a little unsettling that I couldn't hear Nari's voice, but it would have been strange for her to interject herself into their argument anyway.
Creeeak.
Just then, the gate began to grind open. At the sound, the commotion beyond it fell away into silence.
"What's this? There's no reason for the gate to open at this hour."
As Wang Yeomsu spoke in puzzlement, Yi Uigang, still restraining the panicking Ran, answered.
"The Azure Dragon Pavilion Master, perhaps? They say the Clan Master saddled him with another assignment."
"Poor Han Taesang. The man loves his idle days, and yet the work never stops piling up."
"Can't be helped. He'd fall to pieces the moment he stopped working himself."
The gate swung wider, revealing the scene behind it little by little.
Yi Uigang gripping both of Ran's arms. Seolha silently hoisting a travel bundle, with Wang Yeomsu watching her do it through eyes of pure resignation.
And last, wedged between them, Nari — fidgeting, darting anxious glances about.
What a fine mess this is.
Skreech. THUD!
The instant the gate stood fully open, everyone froze solid and stared at me.
This is a bit uncomfortable.
"Uh... I'm... home...?"
"......"
Awkward! The silence is making it worse!
It had been four years, so things were stiff enough to begin with, but nobody so much as acknowledged my greeting, leaving me thoroughly at a loss. Just once, it would have been nice to be welcomed.
Well. Be that as it may...
They've all grown so much.
Seolha and Ran alike had matured considerably compared to four years ago. They were both adults now, so it stood to reason.
Wang Yeomsu and Yi Uigang hadn't visibly changed at all — martial artists rarely showed their age, I supposed.
Nari's the strange one.
She had long since passed her coming-of-age, and yet she still carried a girlish air about her. She wasn't even a martial artist. How was that even possible?
How long did that frozen tableau last? Just as I was starting to think someone should react, Ran shook off Yi Uigang's arms and came running.
"Young Lord oppa!"
It had been so long since I'd heard anyone call me oppa that it made me genuinely happy. Granted, by the standards of my past life, Ran was older than I was — but that hardly mattered anymore.
Ahem.
Still. What was the word. I wished she'd show a little restraint.
I have nowhere to look.
The moment I averted my eyes, Ran flung herself straight into me anyway.
"You're so laaate!"
WHAM!
Oof.
Startled by a sensation entirely unlike the one I remembered from four years ago, I scrambled to peel her off — and Ran cinched her arms tight around my waist instead.
"Kkhegh!"
Her strength had clearly grown along with the rest of her.
"Ran... you're crushing me. Could you... let go for a second...?"
"Will you carry me if I do?"
"I'll carry you, so just loosen those arms a— kegh!"
I felt like I was about to bring my last meal back up. As I focused on deep, measured breaths to prevent any unfortunate accidents, Ran, having heard my answer, finally released the pressure.
"Carry me, then!"
And how was I supposed to refuse a beaming face like that? I dutifully offered my back, and Ran climbed aboard.
"I missed you sooo much, Young Lord oppa~! Did you miss me too?"
For reasons beyond my comprehension, I felt an overwhelming conviction that I'd better answer carefully. And I had always been the type to adapt to my circumstances.
"Missed you tons. Have you been well?"
"Yep! But Daddy kept lying to me, and I was so sad....."
Ran's radiant expression crumpled into a tearful pout in the space of a breath, fat crocodile tears welling in her eyes. At least this part of her hadn't changed a bit.
"Any minute now, he said! Any minute, and you never came... not even after ten whole nights... I was sooo sad..."
Sob. Sniff!
...Yi Uigang must have had a rough time of it.
As if to prove the point, the man — despite looking exactly the same as ever — seemed somehow worn thin.
"Daddy's mean."
"Kkuhegh! My Ran has already turned against her own father?!"
Yi Uigang staggered as though struck by a mortal blow.
Already, he says. At Ran's age, she was old enough to have been married off with years to spare.
"You're rather late, aren't you?"
Seolha said it with a vaguely sulky face. I'd fussed over Ran first, and now she was pouting about it.
"Sorry. Things came up. Oh! Was everything all right at the estate?"
Better change the subject, I thought, and as soon as I did, Seolha averted her eyes.
"Well. Nothing happened."
Was I imagining the look of profound disbelief Wang Yeomsu wore behind her? It had the distinct flavor of something having happened, and happening thoroughly.
And I had a suspicion the chief culprits were the girl currently clinging to my back and the one in front of me, twirling her hair around her finger.
When I leveled a long, suspicious stare at her, Seolha hurriedly added, "But still! I couldn't help it... I missed you..."
Ahem. What a shamelessly adorable thing to say.
Still, it was nice having people who cared for me. Keeping Ran on my back, I gently placed a hand on Seolha's head, and a faint flush crept up her cheeks.
Mm. I could feel piercing stares from several directions, but surely that was none of my business.
The way Wang Yeomsu in front of me was looking at me as though I were a piece of garbage was equally none of my business. Probably.
"It seems you achieved something. The energy I can feel from your hand is unmistakably different."
"You can tell?"
"Of course. I've grown too, you know."
Four years was no small span of time, and it seemed Seolha had carved out her own achievements in the martial arts. Perhaps because of the Five Elements Qi she carried, I couldn't gauge her exact level — but if I had to guess, I'd say First-Class, roughly.
And other places too... ahem.
I was clearly going to need to practice managing where I looked. If this kept up, I might have to walk around with my eyes closed.
Just as I turned my gaze elsewhere, I found Nari somehow already standing right in front of me, looking at me with anxious eyes.
"I really, really missed you."
"!!"
Every time I ate the pressed rice cakes Seonhwa handed me, I thought I'd lose my mind from missing her. I should have thrown my tantrum back then and demanded to bring Nari along after all.
Well. What was done was done.
"...Eeek."
For some reason, Nari had frozen solid. I poked her cheek gently with a finger. Still no reaction.
"Hello? Nari? Can you hear me?"
Poke. Poke.
"......"
Hmm. What do I do with this?
The Nari I was seeing after so long seemed stranger than ever. She'd grown more and more eccentric with every passing year — had she finally gone completely off the rails?
I tried talking to her a few more times, got nothing, and ultimately gave up. I'd sit her down for a proper heart-to-heart later, once she started moving again.
"Ahem. Young Lord. My congratulations on your safe return."
White Tiger Pavilion Master Yi Uigang spoke while casting sidelong glances at Ran on my back. If I'd had a daughter of my own, my dignity would be lying in ruins on the ground right about now.
The thought pricked at my conscience, just a little. I shook my head and paid the man his due.
"I merely left to train. There's nothing heroic about coming back in one piece. If anything, the credit goes to you Pavilion Masters — you filled the gap while I, the Young Lord, was absent, and worked yourselves to the bone for it."
"Wha—? Ah. My deepest thanks!"
After a moment of blatant bewilderment, Yi Uigang hurriedly dropped to one knee. He clearly hadn't expected me to speak that way.
It was only natural. I was no longer a child in any sense, and I had no reason to keep playing the part. Well... there had been the odd childish moment or two along the way, but I'd resolved to bury those in the far reaches of memory.
"It appears you attained some great realization. The energy radiating from you proclaims it has reached its very peak."
"I did create a sword art of my own, but it's nothing special."
"Ho-ho."
A faintly impressed Yi Uigang studied me with eyes full of martial pride. It was a wordless pressure — I want to see it for myself.
"If you'd care to issue a formal sparring challenge, I see no reason to withhold it."
"Hahahaha!"
At my words, Yi Uigang threw back his head and laughed heartily, as if to say he just might take me up on that.
"Heh heh. Now I look forward to it. My daughter chose her object of admiration well."
Hearing her father's words, Ran wriggled with delight — and I had to tighten my arms to keep her from jostling loose.
"Young Loorrddd!!"
Ah. I've heard that voice plenty of times before. And the situation looks about the same, too.
Turning toward the shout, I spotted Moyong Hu channeling his inner power into a burst of lightness technique, hurtling my way. His destination, naturally, was me.
"Haah... Young Lord... how could you go on ahead like that... haah... hah..."
Behind him, Ansong arrived, wheezing pitifully. Perfect timing, as it happened.
"Ansong."
"Koff! Koff! Hnngh... Yes, my lord?"
My so-called bodyguard, winded by a mere sprint. I had genuine doubts about whether he could protect me in a crisis. And conveniently, that very crisis was unfolding right now — so his doubts would be resolved momentarily.
"Enemy. Deal with him."
"Hnnnngh... an enemy, you say? Where—"
"Young Lord! You've returned to us safely! I, Moyong Hu, am so moved that tears cloud my very eyes!"
For a man weeping with gratitude, his trajectory seems remarkably well-aimed.
Narrowing his eyes, Ansong spotted Moyong Hu closing in with his lightness technique — and squared his stance.
He'd been on the receiving end of this once before, and the experience had taught him to handle himself. As expected. One well-trained Ansong is worth ten Moyong Hus.
Watching the scene unfold with that satisfying thought, I saw Moyong Hu arrive within arm's reach and fling both arms wide. No doubt he intended to wrap me in those burly arms yet again. But fortunately for me, I had Ansong.
Go! Ansong!
"HAAAP! Forgive me, Commander of the Royal Sword Brigade!"
THWACK!
Ansong's iron fist buried itself in Moyong Hu's stomach with a bone-rattling thud. Dealt with?
"Mm? Ansong? You wretch! What manner of pathetic punch is that supposed to be, guarding the Young Lord?!"
Impossible. I had no idea my Ansong was this pathetic.
"A punch, you ask? THIS is how it's done!"
CRACK!
With a strangled, unnatural sound, Ansong folded in half at the waist. Felled in a single blow.
As I stood there dumbstruck, Moyong Hu drew steadily closer. Sensing the danger, Ran slid down from my back in a flash, and Seolha — along with Nari, who had finally rebooted — snapped out of it and scrambled out of the way.
"Kids...?"
What about me?