A Hidden Emperor
Time passed.
Not a whole lot of it—exactly four days.
Since it was such a short window, I hadn't accomplished much. Mostly, I spent my time training or gathering various bits of information. Honestly, even that was enough to keep my hands full.
To make matters worse, the so-called training consisted almost entirely of basic physical conditioning. Yoo Chun-gil had told me that instead of wasting time swinging a sword, I should focus on building the strength to hold one properly first. So, from the crack of dawn, I had to endure all kinds of manual labor—climbing mountains, struggling to lift boulders, and the like.
I had tried to argue, asking why we had to use such a primitive method and if there wasn't something more efficient.
"A bastard who doesn't even know how to stand is already thinking of running? Wake up."
He had scolded me, which was a rare occurrence. Essentially, he told me to stop acting smart and just do what I was told.
It was so painfully true that I couldn't even talk back. And since the one saying it was the greatest master of all time, I had even less of an excuse. So, I shut my mouth and did exactly as instructed.
"Ugh... Haa... *Cough*..."
After running for what felt like an eternity, I finally managed to stop my legs. My stamina had hit rock bottom. I stood frozen, staring up at the sky. My breath was so ragged I felt like throwing up at any second, but looking at the view stretching out in the distance made me feel a bit better.
It was dawn.
I gazed at the light brightening the horizon, signaling the arrival of morning.
"Whew... Was it today?"
If I recalled correctly, yes. Today was the day. The day I would set off for Sichuan to repair Man-wol.
I returned to my quarters after finishing my personal training. This was the biggest change over the past few days. Instead of the guest quarters I had been using, I was now staying in the barracks of the Sowol Squadron.
*Creak.* When I opened the door and stepped inside, Do-hyeong was already there.
"You're awake."
"..."
Instead of answering, Do-hyeong simply nodded.
The Sowol Squadron's quarters had several rooms, and most of them were shared by two people. Naturally, Do-hyeong had been the youngest member before I joined. With my arrival, I ended up sharing a room with him.
After sharing a room with him for a few days, I had learned a few things about Do-hyeong.
First.
He is so damn quiet.
Do-hyeong barely spoke a single word a day. In fact, unless I initiated the conversation, there were days when he wouldn't speak at all.
It wasn't that he disliked me and was giving me the silent treatment.
That's just his personality.
He was just naturally taciturn.
Second.
...He is incredibly precise.
Setting aside his silence, the man himself was stiff and structured, like a perfectly measured angle. Even his blankets were folded with military precision. Do-hyeong never did anything halfway.
That personality of his seemed to carry over to his training as well...
He wakes up way earlier than I do.
I didn't know exactly when, but Do-hyeong was always awake before me. Whenever I rubbed my eyes open at dawn, his bed was already empty.
He would go out to train, and then train some more. Aside from eating and sleeping, it felt like he spent every waking moment training.
Or maybe not.
Does he even sleep?
He even went to bed later than I did. He was truly an extraordinary human being.
Even now, as I finished washing my face and was changing my clothes, Do-hyeong was already sitting in a perfectly upright posture, having finished his preparations long ago. There was only one reason he was doing that.
"...You could have just gone out and waited."
"No."
He was waiting for me to finish.
Normally, he would have left first. But today was different. We had to head to Sichuan immediately, and before that, we had to meet with the Moonmaster, Wolseongeom. Do-hyeong was waiting for me because, in the end, I was the center of this mission.
It was incredibly burdensome. Not just Do-hyeong waiting for me without a word of complaint.
But that thing's gaze as well.
The faint light of the Guardian Spirit was quietly watching me from behind Do-hyeong. I did my best to ignore its gaze as I finished changing.
"Let's go..."
At my words, Do-hyeong finally stood up.
The moment we stepped out of the quarters, gazes locked onto us from all directions. It was the martial artists of the Sowol Squadron waiting nearby. Though they were technically my seniors, it felt awkward to call them that just yet.
Since they're all busy avoiding me.
Whenever I looked their way, they averted their eyes, and if I tried to approach them, they would make themselves scarce.
At this point, it was impossible not to notice.
I think I'm being ostracized.
It seemed I was thoroughly disliked. Not that I couldn't understand why.
...After acting the way I did.
When Yoo Chun-gil possessed my body and shattered the Mirror of Soul-Testing, his words and attitude back then were undoubtedly the problem. Even from my perspective, he had behaved like an arrogant prick. They probably saw me as some spoiled brat riding on the coattails of the Sword Saint's legacy.
As if to prove it, I could feel their subtle, displeased glares directed at me. However, since they knew I possessed the skill to back it up—having overcome the Mirror of Soul-Testing—they didn't actively try to pick a fight.
Hmm.
I scratched the back of my neck. It wasn't like I cared about their glares at this point, but...
They really are something else.
I couldn't quite comprehend the Sowol Squadron's attitude.
If I were in their shoes, I'd be sucking up to me to get on my good side.
You'd think they would try to align themselves with me rather than create friction, yet they chose to act like this.
Whatever.
Was it because they were martial artists? It was something I simply couldn't comprehend.
Just then.
*Slide.*
Do-hyeong, who was walking beside me, suddenly began patting my back. What is wrong with this guy? I looked at him, wondering why he was being so creepy. But Do-hyeong's eyes held a strange look of pity.
Only then did it click.
...He feels sorry for me.
Unless he was an idiot, he had to know that the other Sowol Squadron members were avoiding me. From his perspective, he was trying to comfort me.
Ha.
It was absurd, but Do-hyeong looking out for me wasn't a bad sign.
"...I'm... fine, Senior."
"..."
I forced a smile, looking as pitiful as possible while pretending to be brave. At that, Do-hyeong's hand patted my back even faster.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Yoo Chun-gil clicked his tongue in pity for Do-hyeong, but I ignored him as usual.
Ignoring the stares, we headed toward the Blue Moon Pavilion. When we arrived, several people had already gathered in front. Those who appeared to be third-generation disciples were busily moving about.
A carriage was parked in the courtyard. They were stacking food supplies onto the carriage's luggage rack. I knew immediately.
That's the carriage we're taking.
It was the carriage that would transport us all the way to Sichuan.
As I glanced at it, someone approached me.
"Young Master Bang."
"Ah."
It was Cheon Ui-jin.
"Cheon..."
I was about to greet him warmly but hesitated.
What's this?
There was something off about Cheon Ui-jin's expression. At a glance, he looked the same as usual, but I felt a strange sense of discordance.
He looks gloomy.
His face was somewhat dark, as if he were struggling with something internally.
"Have you been well, Senior Brother?"
At Ui-jin's greeting, Do-hyeong gave a small nod.
"It is an honor to travel to Sichuan with you, Senior Brother."
At the word "honor," Do-hyeong cleared his throat slightly. He seemed embarrassed. Watching this, I asked Ui-jin.
"Young Master Cheon. Are you feeling unwell by any chance?"
"...Pardon?"
Ui-jin flinched at my question.
"Ah, you just looked a bit down. I was just wondering."
"Ah..."
Ui-jin laughed awkwardly. Even his smile felt hollow.
"...I think I just slept poorly because I was nervous. Thank you for your concern. It's nothing."
"Hmm."
It definitely didn't seem like nothing. I knew he was lying, but I didn't want to pry.
"I see."
I nodded noncommittally. If he said so, there was no reason to press further.
"Well then, let's head inside."
Leading the two, I walked straight into the Blue Moon Pavilion where Wolseongeom was waiting.
"Greetings, Moonmaster."
Inside the room, the cold-faced man welcomed us as always. It was the head of the Blue Moon Sect, Wolseongeom. He stared at us with his characteristically sharp eyes.
"Are you prepared?"
"Yes."
Do-hyeong answered on our behalf. Wolseongeom nodded slightly at his response.
"This matter is of utmost importance to our sect."
His voice was incredibly grave as he spoke.
"Since it must be kept strictly confidential, you must be extremely careful with your words."
"We will keep that in mind."
Not only had we recovered the Sword Saint's cherished weapon, but we were also heading to the Dang Clan to have it repaired. This was a matter of absolute secrecy even within Cheongwol Gate. Moving with such a small, elite group was undoubtedly for that reason.
*Rustle.*
Wolseongeom placed a neatly folded letter and a wooden box wrapped in cloth onto the table.
"This is a letter bearing the seal of Cheongwol Gate. Deliver it directly to the Lord of the Dang Clan. You are strictly forbidden from reading it beforehand."
"Understood."
"And this."
Wolseongeom looked at me as he picked up the wooden box. I reached out to take it.
*Thud.*
Whoa, holy crap.
The moment I grabbed the wooden box, I almost dropped it. It was incredibly heavy, even though I caught it with both hands. Did this guy seriously lift this with one hand like it was nothing...?
"Deliver this along with the letter. Hand it over according to the Dang Clan's wishes."
"...Understood."
I struggled to hold the wooden box, trying my best not to show how heavy it was. I didn't need to be told what was inside.
Man-wol.
The old man's cherished weapon had to be inside. As I was securing the items...
"You may leave."
Huh?
My eyes widened slightly at Wolseongeom's words. What? Is that really it? I thought he would say more. I waited just in case, but Wolseongeom was no longer looking our way.
What...? Is it really over?
Was this really the end of his instructions? No warnings to be careful, nothing? Just this?
He isn't even worried?
Even if the traveling party had been decided by a bet, shouldn't he show some concern for a mission of such high secrecy? I was the one who requested this setup, but honestly, I hadn't expected him to actually agree to it. And on top of that...
...Are we really going with just the three of us?
I never imagined he would send just me, Cheon Ui-jin, and Do-hyeong.
I thought he would assign a few more people to us...?
My prediction was completely off. I had chosen the other two, but I assumed he would assign one or two more experienced guards to ensure the mission's safety.
To think he'd actually tell us to go just like this.
It was hard to read Wolseongeom's intentions.
...Hmm.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at him. Could it be...?
Is it because of what happened to the old man?
As I had told Yoo Chun-gil before, I suspected Wolseongeom was one of the people involved in the Sword Saint's death. I wasn't certain, but I considered him a highly likely suspect.
What is he playing at...?
Even so, he didn't seem like the type of person to pull something underhanded in this manner. If so, did he judge that the mission wouldn't be dangerous? Well, given the reputation of the Sowol Squadron, it was possible he saw it that way...
Still, this is a bit much.
I was beginning to think this was reckless when...
"Do you have further business?"
Wolseongeom spoke to me. Though phrased as a question, it was effectively an order to leave.
"...No. We will return safely."
"Go."
With that brief reply, Wolseongeom averted his gaze. Seeing that, I hid my discomfort and stepped out of the room. Even then, a lingering sense of suspicion hung over me.
When we stepped outside, the preparations were nearly complete. The food supplies had been loaded, and a large carriage pulled by two horses stood ready. It was quite spacious and comfortable for three people. Judging by its luxurious exterior, they had at least put some effort into it.
The problem was...
"Who's going to drive that?"
Who was going to drive the carriage? Since we couldn't possibly reach Sichuan in a day or two, someone would have to drive it for a very long time. Since there were three of us, I was wondering if we should just take turns driving when...
"Excuse me."
A petite old man standing in front of the carriage bowed toward us.
"My name is Chu-dong, and I will be serving as your carriage driver for this trip... It is an honor to escort such esteemed guests..."
Oh.
It looked like they had provided a driver for our journey. What a relief. At least we wouldn't have to struggle with that. I was about to greet the old man with that thought in mind when...
"Huh?"
Yoo Chun-gil, who had been observing the old man named Chu-dong, spoke up.
"Isn't that the Sword Emperor?"
I froze. My entire body stiffened at Yoo Chun-gil's words.
...Who did you say he was?