Traces on a Finger
Swoosh!
Through the rainy day, flashes of light continuously drew sharp lines in the air.
A blue light swept in all directions like a surging torrent, its violent ripples slicing through the falling rain.
"Hup!"
The young man took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on his sword. The moment he assumed his stance, two strikes flashed out in rapid succession.
Slash! Slash!
The two martial artists in front of him were cut down, collapsing to the ground.
It was an incredibly swift sword. Under normal circumstances, it would have been astonishing, but the youth was already pivoting on his toes, moving in another direction.
"D-Damn it!"
A martial artist spewing curses had his head severed.
"Curse it! Fight back!"
The martial artist who tried to mount a defense drew his last breath shortly after.
Their numbers were not vast. At most, there were barely ten of them, but it was still a bit too many for just two people to handle.
No, to be precise...
...He's handling them all by himself.
Cheon Ui-jin swallowed hard as he watched Do-hyeong sweep through the battlefield.
Although Ui-jin had already dealt with a few himself, this was on an entirely different level.
So this is the Sowol Squadron...
The Sowol Squadron, renowned as the elite unit of Cheongwol Gate.
Do-hyeong, who was the youngest among them, displayed a fierce prowess that proved their reputation was no exaggeration.
"S-Spare me!"
"This is impossible—!"
Faced with Do-hyeong's overwhelming might, the enemies trembled and fled.
Even so, Do-hyeong refused to let them escape, and Cheon Ui-jin continuously swung his sword to assist.
After they had finally subjugated every last one of them.
"...Phew."
Cheon Ui-jin let out a weary sigh. In truth, he was exhausted.
How many of them had he survived against?
Ui-jin spoke as he moved another corpse. They were currently carrying the bodies of the deceased villagers to the center of the village, one by one. They couldn't just leave them scattered about.
"...Senior Brother, what on earth happened here?" Cheon Ui-jin asked as he organized the bodies.
To be thrown into a battle the moment they arrived out of nowhere.
It wasn't even that kind of mission. Their task was supposed to be a simple, safe delivery, yet they had ended up entangled in such a bizarre incident. He had never anticipated this before they set out.
On top of that...
"Their cultivation is far too high for them to be mere bandits."
To call this a simple raid was absurd; these attackers were clearly martial artists possessing internal energy. Although their realms weren't exceptionally high, they were still martial artists. And they were an organized group of them. Could this really be considered a simple matter?
Cheon Ui-jin was certain it wasn't.
Do-hyeong seemed to share the same sentiment, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
Even after such a fierce battle, Do-hyeong's breathing remained perfectly steady.
As Cheon Ui-jin watched him in silent admiration, Do-hyeong suddenly spoke.
"Where is Bang Seong-yeon?"
Ui-jin's eyes widened at the question.
Right. He had temporarily forgotten about him while dealing with the enemies.
That's right... Where did Young Master Bang go?
Bang Seong-yeon had been the first to notice the situation. Where could he have gone? How had he even sensed it and rushed here ahead of them?
Just as Cheon Ui-jin harbored these doubts, Do-hyeong spotted something and shifted his gaze.
"Over there."
Following Do-hyeong's line of sight, Ui-jin turned his head and saw Bang Seong-yeon walking toward them from a distance.
"Young Master Bang," Cheon Ui-jin called out in relief.
But then, his gaze drifted to Seong-yeon's back.
He was carrying something on his back. Upon closer inspection, it was a child.
The problem was that the child had already stopped breathing.
"I couldn't save him. I brought him here to bury him with his parents," Bang Seong-yeon said, his face stiff and expressionless as he approached.
Hearing this, Do-hyeong and Cheon Ui-jin flinched.
They instinctively moved to check if there might be any other survivors elsewhere, but...
"...You don't need to go," Bang Seong-yeon said, looking at the two of them.
"There are no survivors left."
His tone was incredibly dry and resolute, carrying a conviction that brooked no doubt. That certainty was so heavy and absolute that, for some reason, neither Do-hyeong nor Cheon Ui-jin could find the words to reply.
I headed back to the carriage.
Do-hyeong and Cheon Ui-jin had said they would search a bit more despite my words. It would have been strange to tell them not to, so I didn't bother stopping them.
"...Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh.
In the end, I couldn't save the boy. Because of that, my stomach felt incredibly heavy.
Was I suffering from guilt over failing to save a child? No, it wasn't that.
It was the fact that I had once again listened to a ghost and rushed in recklessly, just like in my past life. That was what was eating away at me.
And after I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore.
If I wanted to live differently from my past life, this was the one habit I absolutely had to break. Yet, like an idiot, I had failed.
I raised my hand to wipe my slightly damp forehead.
Right then...
Tremble!
My hand was shaking.
"..."
I frowned, staring at it. Why was this happening? I thought about it for a moment before the realization struck me.
Ah.
Right. I just killed someone for the first time.
That was why my body was reacting like this on its own. I had completely forgotten.
I haven't killed a single person in this lifetime until now.
It was a fact I had overlooked.
"..."
I clenched my fist. It was just a temporary tremor that would subside in a bit anyway.
Shaking my head, I kept walking.
I finally reached my destination. The carriage we had ridden in came into view ahead.
I managed to compose my expression as I approached.
But then...
...What is this?
I froze mid-step before I could get any closer to the carriage.
Why are there so many spiritual traces here?
Spiritual traces had appeared around the carriage. They definitely hadn't been there before. If they had, there was no way I wouldn't have remembered.
"Ah, young hero. You've returned," Choo-gong greeted me as I cautiously approached the carriage.
I was about to bow politely in return, when...
"...!"
I stopped mid-bow, my eyes locking onto something.
It was Choo-gong's finger.
...What on earth is that?
His finger was caked in thick spiritual traces.
What was that? How did that happen?
What could someone possibly do to get such a dense layer of spiritual traces on a single index finger?
Moreover...
It's not just one person's trace.
The clarity of the energy wasn't something that could come from just one or two souls. At least three, maybe four. A significant number of souls were clinging to it.
Since the Sword Emperor's hand had been clean before, it was only logical to assume this happened during the brief window we were away in the village.
Which meant...
...That old man killed someone.
That was the only logical conclusion.
And that wasn't all.
He killed them right around here.
The traces on the ground and on his finger made it clear. That was what made it even more chilling.
To kill that many people and leave absolutely no physical trace.
I could only see it because of my Ghost Eyes. Normally, no one would have ever suspected a thing. It meant his clean-up was that seamless and perfect.
It really was true.
That old man really is the Sword Emperor.
The conviction solidified in my mind. Even if he wasn't the Sword Emperor, he was undoubtedly an extraordinary old man.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness I was bowing my head.
If I had looked at him just now, my expression would have given me away completely.
I raised my head, forcing a natural expression onto my face.
"I apologize for suddenly telling you to stop the carriage. Something came up," I said.
"Oh, no, not at all. You gentlemen are doing important work, so of course I must listen... Ah, but..."
Choo-gong's eyes locked onto me.
"Did something happen, perhaps?"
"...No. I'm just a bit tired."
I offered a faint smile and approached the carriage. I could feel Choo-gong's gaze lingering on me, but I ignored it and stepped inside.
Click.
The moment the door shut, I closed my eyes.
It wasn't a lie. I was truly exhausted. So much so that, for a brief moment, I felt like I wanted to die.
After some time, Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong arrived at the carriage. Sensing their presence, I opened my eyes.
The expressions on their faces weren't great either. It was only natural, considering they had been thrust into a sudden battle, and the circumstances surrounding it were grim.
"We don't have a messenger pigeon to send a report immediately, so we will have to stop by the nearest county to contact the Alliance," Do-hyeong said.
It made sense. Since the village was in such a remote area, they had to travel some distance to relay the news.
"Should we stop by the county for a moment?" Cheon Ui-jin asked.
"If possible. Since this involves the Unorthodox Faction, after all."
As he said that, both Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong turned their gaze toward me.
"...What?" I asked.
Why were they looking at me? What did they want me to do?
When I stared back at them with a puzzled look, Do-hyeong asked, "Bang Seong-yeon. What do you plan to do?"
"Excuse me?" I replied, dumbfounded by his question.
"...Didn't you two just decide?"
They had just agreed to go to the county and report it. Since Do-hyeong, the person in charge, had said so, that was what we were doing. Why ask me?
When I spoke with that implication, Do-hyeong's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah."
Why was he surprised...?
It was as if he had only just realized that he was the one in charge.
"Senior Brother...?" Ui-jin prompted.
"Let's go," Do-hyeong finally commanded, his order arriving a beat too late.
"Then, shall we head to the nearest county first?" Choo-gong asked, having overheard our conversation.
"Yes, please take us to the place with a Martial Alliance branch," Cheon Ui-jin replied.
"Aigoo, understood. We shall set off immediately."
Upon hearing Ui-jin's response, Choo-gong prepared to get the carriage moving.
"...By the way, what on earth was that all about?" Cheon Ui-jin muttered in the quiet moment.
"It couldn't have been a simple bandit raid. I wonder where they came from and for what reason they did this."
Do-hyeong nodded in agreement.
Where, and for what reason.
That was what they were curious about.
Listening to them quietly, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
"Do either of you..."
I looked at them.
"...happen to know of a place called the Patheongung?"
Rumble!
With a sudden jolt, the carriage began to move. However, I felt a rougher sway than usual.
"The Patheongung... you say?"
Cheon Ui-jin looked at Do-hyeong, his expression asking if the senior knew anything about it.
"I don't know," Do-hyeong replied, shaking his head as if hearing it for the first time.
"Is that so?"
I nodded. It seemed they truly didn't know, and I hadn't expected them to anyway. If they knew, great; if not, so be it. That was all it was.
But they didn't seem like nobodies...
My gut was telling me that. As Do-hyeong said, it was definitely related to the Unorthodox Faction, but it felt too strange to be a mere act of random cruelty.
Furthermore...
What was that?
Without turning my head, I glanced at the Sword Emperor out of the corner of my eye.
His reaction just now. The moment I mentioned the Patheongung, I caught a strange vibe from him.
Does he know?
Did he know something? If so, it meant the Patheongung was a group famous or dangerous enough for the Sword Emperor to recognize.
...This isn't good.
Why would such a group wipe out a backwater village like this? It was highly bothersome.
Even if it's remote, there's a county nearby, and we'll be near Sichuan soon.
It was a rather awkward location to cause trouble. The fact that they committed such an act despite knowing this meant either...
They were confident they wouldn't get caught.
Or...
They had the power to not care even if they did.
It had to be one of the two.
But the fact that they were wiped out by Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong means they weren't all that strong.
Of course, Do-hyeong was a member of the Sowol Squadron, making him quite powerful, but still. If so, what did they hope to gain by targeting that small village despite these risks?
"..."
I pondered over it. Actually, I had a vague idea of the reason. I had already heard it directly from the source.
"Pa... Patheon... gung..."
"The... Poison Sovereign's... Secret Vault..."
"..."
Those were the two things the bastard had gasped out while begging me to kill him. The answer to who they were, and the answer to why they had done this.
...Ah, what a pain.
It was clearly trouble. I felt like I had heard something I shouldn't have. The Patheongung was one thing, but...
The Secret Vault of the Poison Sovereign.
What that guy had said weighed heavily on my mind. The fact that we were heading to the Dang Clan of all places only made it worse.
I really hope I don't get dragged into this.
I just wanted to quietly do what I needed to do and get out. I wished for it desperately, but...
"..."
A lingering sense of unease refused to leave me. For some reason, the old man's silence was also making me nervous.
Sigh.
I sighed inwardly and covered my eyes with my hand. I didn't want to think about any of it; I just needed to rest for a bit. But even as I closed my eyes, my hand was still trembling.
Meanwhile, the carriage continued to push through the rain without pause.
By the time the seasons began to change...
"We have arrived."
We finally reached Sichuan, the home of the Dang Clan.