Midnight Spar
"...How did you know about that..."
Handing over the sword was one thing. Hiding a single blade in the countryside was simple enough that even an eight-year-old Namgung Seha could have ordered anyone to do it. But how had she known what I was thinking?
"Ah."
The unknown intruder who had stormed into the house about a month ago. That was the exact day I obtained the sword.
"So that was your doing!"
I released the hand I had been holding so warmly. Namgung Seha fiddled with her fingers and looked at me with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
"My doing? Strictly speaking, you were the one who made the first mistake."
I made a mistake against you?
"I did?"
"You should have expected at least this much. Besides, that sword is a standard training blade from the practice field. The scabbard has 'Namgung' engraved inside it."
Ah. Is that so? I felt oddly embarrassed. Anyone who maintained swords would naturally check inside the scabbard at least once. My lack of awareness made me a poor sword handler as well.
"Even so, you were the one who sought me out first and did all sorts of things."
For a brief moment, silence hung between us. Then Namgung Seha spoke as if nothing had happened.
"...In any case, it is your fault."
Look at this person. She has a real talent for cornering others. As expected of the greatest sword of the righteous faction. She is truly skilled at incitement and fabrication. Perhaps realizing her own argument was a bit forced, she cleared her throat and pointed behind her.
"Ahem. Your mother is waiting, so it would be best if we moved together quickly."
Glancing back, I had to agree. While we had been talking, Mother and the two attendants looked quite awkward. Mother was in an ambiguous position to intervene, and the two attendants were likewise uncertain since they were serving their young lady.
"Then I shall visit you briefly at the hour of the Dog."
I did not particularly want to see her again today. I was tired, and after the journey here I had not been able to loosen my body properly, leaving me quite restless. I had planned to simply show my face and swing my sword mindlessly unless something special happened.
"We still have matters we must discuss in secret, do we not?"
Secret. That was something I could not deny. Left with no choice, I nodded, and she inclined her head slightly in satisfaction before drifting away. I watched her retreating back for a moment before turning my gaze to Mother and the two attendants waiting for me. All three wore slightly stunned expressions. Had it been that surprising?
The atmosphere was too awkward, so I made an exaggerated gesture and spoke up to lighten the mood.
"Ta-da. It is over now."
But no one moved. After a delay, Gang-uk spoke.
"...Should the young lady greet them first?"
...You were the kind of young lady who does not greet people?
. . .
It was a deep night. Bathed in bright moonlight, I sat in a cross-legged posture. As I felt the cool night air, someone approached from afar with steady footsteps.
"Did you enjoy your meal?"
"It was a feast. Do they serve even better food at the congratulatory banquet?"
I unfolded my legs and slowly rose. When I opened my eyes, Namgung Seha was leaning against a pillar, staring straight at me.
"Look forward to it. It will be a delicacy you have never tasted in any lifetime."
With those words, Namgung Seha placed her hands on her waist. Two swords. As I expected, she did not practice dual-wielding or two-sword styles. She unfastened one from her waist and tossed it to me. I caught it cleanly and drew it; the blade slid out smoothly. Looking at it like this, it certainly felt similar to my own sword.
"...I thought we were meeting to talk."
"We can do both. If you want to eat a lot later, you should move your body a little first. Let us talk while we rest."
Before I knew it, she had already drawn her sword and tossed the scabbard far away. She had not come on a whim; she had come with clear intent.
"In the middle of the night? With real swords?"
She pointed the tip of her sword at the sky. Sparring in the dark night was dangerous since swords had no eyes. Yet Namgung Seha spoke as if it were nothing.
"You are not the type to care whether it is day or night, are you?"
"And what does it matter if they are real swords? We cannot be satisfied with mere wooden swords, can we?"
That was true. I slowly gripped the sword again and spoke.
"I did not expect to keep that promise so soon."
— There is a certain pleasure in crossing blades directly. That part is a little regrettable.
— Then aim for the next life.
A fleeting memory of a past life brushed past. While I was lost in it, a sudden question occurred to me.
"But why the sudden sparring? We could have done this later."
Namgung Seha pondered for a moment before answering honestly.
"Honestly, if it is not now, I feel like I will never be able to beat you. I need to press you down at least once."
So that was her true intention. I could sense it was a deliberate provocation, but neither my personality nor the situation allowed me to hold back, so I accepted.
Likewise, I set down the scabbard and replied.
"What can I do? You still cannot beat me even now."
She gripped her sword seriously and took her stance.
"I got permission from Father. I only have half an hour before I must return."
A breeze blew, and a leaf fell. The moment the leaf touched the tip of her sword, Namgung Seha's figure vanished.
"Do not test me. Let us finish this quickly."
— Taang!
Her sword descended like a flash of lightning. The moment the tip came down toward me, I tracked it with my eyes and blocked it precisely.
"Flash Lightning Thirteen Sword Forms? You think that will work?"
"I will handle it myself."
It will not. I drew a large semicircle with my sword to knock her back and took a step forward. Then, with a light swing aimed at eye level, I struck.
"Be careful."
The moment I gave the brief warning, the swung sword naturally bent and moved. It was messy and rough, without any set form. In the martial world, such swords were usually dismissed as crude. In reality, they were easy to dismantle and held no meaning since anyone could do it. But for me, all three families had always been exceptions.
"......!!"
— First form. Thunderous Heaven.
See? I told you it would not work. She immediately blocked with Thunderous Heaven, but Namgung Seha's young body could not fully withstand the recoil. I was pushed back as well, but she was sent much farther away.
"...How is it that nothing has slowed down at all?"
She approached immediately and asked. It was not particularly impressive. I answered calmly while clashing swords.
"Strength is purely a matter of power, but speed can be compensated for with technique to some extent."
At present, achieving both extreme strength and extreme speed was impossible, but extreme speed alone was manageable. And against an opponent of equal level, that was sufficient.
— Chaeng!
For a while, only the sound of clashing swords echoed through the air.
— Taang!
Namgung Seha's Flash Lightning Thirteen Sword Forms struck my blade with great force. Her body, unable to withstand the recoil, was pushed back. Watching her, she curved her lips into a smile and spoke.
"Was your sword the Shinsal Patcheongeom?"
Her sword descended once more. It was the Flash Lightning Thirteen Sword Forms again. I swung my sword quickly but could not block it completely. I forced my blade to bend and dodged, but my stance crumbled.
"That technique is threatening, but it places considerable strain on your current body."
She was right. In the end, speed was perfected through successive swings. And a perfect swing always required a certain level of physical ability. My body was not yet at its peak, and neither was my physical capability. On the other hand, my sword art was designed for a peak physique. By its nature, modification was impossible. When using the Shinsal Patcheongeom, technique could substitute for physical ability to some degree. But that did not mean perfection. Inevitable gaps would arise. The fierce recoil from those gaps struck my body directly.
"...Wow. You caught me."
Hiding it seemed pointless. She already looked convinced. The moment I answered, Namgung Seha approached again. This time it was Thunderous Heaven. The Changgung Muaegeombop was not created with a child in mind, so even if it was not as difficult for her as it was for me, her resolve to end this was clear.
"But—"
At a distance where our swords could easily reach each other, I made no move. Even as she felt the same sense of déjà vu, I stood still. I merely took one step forward.
"—you did not know about this, did you?"
Jintcheon Shinbo. I had trained endlessly for the past month to master it. Though I had not achieved complete mastery, I had reached a level sufficient to take a single step.
"Ugh."
Namgung Seha's figure, which had been floating in the air, stopped and then collapsed as her sword stance broke. Though she avoided injury from the unexpected situation—
— Chaeng.
"You dropped your sword."
I caught her falling sword with my opposite hand. At the same time, I crossed our blades and brought them to her neck. She lifted her head with a frustrated glare and replied in a thoroughly displeased voice.
"You did not have something like this in the past, did you?"
I did have it in the past. I simply had not mastered it. Feeling mischievous, I answered nonchalantly instead of explaining the details.
"I am a genius, after all. I cannot help but improve."
She gave me a doubtful look before standing up. I offered her a victor's smile and returned both swords.
"Ah. That was fun."
She walked over and sat on the edge of the veranda. Then, clasping her hands under her chin, she spoke.
"Now then, let us talk about those secrets."