The Weight of Fear
The traces left by Father's blade as it swept past.
Honestly, seeing them filled me with dread.
Can I… truly reach the end of this fight?
An opponent who even the Sword Sovereign struggled against.
Who on earth could it be?
I wasn't the only one plagued by such thoughts.
Eldest Brother, Ju Seung-hyeok.
His expression was also filled with unease.
An opponent capable of forcing the Sword Sovereign, one of the Ten Sovereigns of the Martial World, into a hard-fought battle.
It seemed the Demonic Cult had come fully prepared.
"Steel your resolve."
"……."
At my words, Brother turned to look at me.
That faintly trembling gaze was the same as the one he'd worn in my past life when he had broken.
This couldn't happen.
Absolutely not.
If he crumbled, the family would crumble with him.
"Are you afraid of cutting them down? They are nothing more than puppets under the Soul-Destroying Illusion Art."
"They are innocent commoners. They only came to this island to earn money, to survive."
Only then did I notice the bloodstains on Brother's sword.
How many had he cut down?
He had likely wrestled with the same dilemma as Muyoung.
I glanced sideways at Muyoung.
As expected, his expression was quite the sight.
He seemed to realize that Brother was now grappling with the very same concern he himself had faced.
"If you hadn't cut them down, you would have died. They don't tire, and they would have charged at you blindly, intent only on killing you."
"I know… I know, but… ha, this is difficult."
Guilt.
Yes. If someone lacked even this emotion, they would be a cold-blooded monster, not a human being.
It was a natural struggle.
Even though these puppets were merely victims being used by Sa-an Gwi-gun.
But no matter what excuses one piled on, there was only one answer.
"If we don't kill them, we die. Sometimes, you must make decisive choices."
"……."
At those words, Brother gave a bitter smile.
"You sound more like the elder brother than I do. Haha."
"I'm only saying what needs to be said."
"We could have avoided this. We should have just returned to the family…"
"Do you think the Family Head didn't know that? But he chose to bear this burden himself. In the end, if none of us kill them, they would have died at someone else's hands anyway."
The result was the same.
These puppets had to die.
We couldn't hand over the gold mines that were the Ju Family's lifeline because of them, nor could we sacrifice our warriors for their sake.
"If you and the Family Head hadn't stepped in, our warriors would have been the ones cutting them down."
"……."
Brother's frown showed no sign of easing.
Haa, this was frustrating.
If it were up to me, I'd smack him once to knock some sense into him.
But what could I do?
If I wanted an easier life, I had no choice but to keep him in the position of Young Family Head.
"If it's that difficult, think of Seol-ah."
"Seol-ah?"
The moment his daughter's name left my lips, life finally returned to Brother's eyes.
They say that for any father, a daughter is like a second life.
In my past life, I'd seen countless people sacrifice themselves or stop at nothing for their children.
"If Seol-ah were here, facing death, would you still hesitate?"
"That is…"
Brother firmly shook his head.
"The Family Head drew his sword alone for the sake of the family. What about you, Brother?"
"……Ah."
Only then did the trembling in Brother's eyes cease.
It seemed his thoughts had settled.
"You're right. I was being endlessly selfish. I only thought of myself."
"That's how it always begins."
At last, a sigh of relief escaped me.
Gradually, Brother's breathing steadied, and vitality returned to his gaze.
As expected, a daughter's name was remarkably effective on a father.
"Thank you, Woo-jin."
With those words, Brother immediately began circulating his qi to clear his mind.
There was nothing better for that purpose.
Afterward, Muyoung and I left the gold mine.
Finding the Family Head would be quick, as Fifth Uncle and the Yellow Dragon Unit were already moving.
I followed the path leading out of the mine.
One thought still gnawed at the back of my mind.
Sa-an Gwi-gun's objective.
The fact that these puppets existed meant remnants of the Soul-Destroying Illusion Art were at work.
In other words, Sa-an Gwi-gun had been on this island.
So what was his goal?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.
How long had I been walking like that?
Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
I felt as though I'd forgotten something crucial.
"He met this young master. He also met Lady I-hwa."
Sa-an Gwi-gun had entered the family estate directly.
How?
By disguising himself as a member of a merchant caravan.
One with the highly suspicious name of the Formless Merchant Guild, no less.
Moreover, he had moved precisely when the Family Head was absent.
As if he had known the Family Head would leave.
He deliberately targeted that moment.
That meant he already knew the Family Head would soon vacate his position.
No matter how powerful one of the Twelve Demon Emperors might be, the Sword Sovereign was terrifying.
Unless they were at the level of the Four Great Evils, a mere Twelve Demon Emperor could never hope to match the Sword Sovereign, no matter how much they struggled.
In any case, it meant Sa-an Gwi-gun had known in advance that the Sword Sovereign would head to the Zhushan Archipelago.
So he deliberately tied him down.
The ones who had bound the Sword Sovereign's feet as he tried to leave were none other than these puppets.
And the White Shadow Killers and Black Snake Unit had also entered the island.
I slowly recalled the words of the village self-defense captain.
"Not a single person passed through."
He claimed he hadn't seen even the Sword Sovereign, nor anything suspicious.
Of course, the Family Head and Brother would have moved faster than anyone and wouldn't have stopped in the village to cause unnecessary alarm.
Then what about Sa-an Gwi-gun and the Black Snake Unit?
How had they entered the island?
While there were ports scattered about, they were mostly temporary docks for trade, so there weren't many places for ships to anchor.
There was no need to overcomplicate things.
What if they had been on the island from the very beginning?
The moment that thought occurred to me, every puzzle piece fell into place.
When they had set a trap at the Black Horn to lure us in.
When they had tried to destroy the evidence by smashing the carriage.
It made sense.
What if that carriage had belonged to a merchant guild the Ju Family knew well?
And what if that guild was one of those selling gold mined from this very gold mine?
Above all, it would have been easy for them to approach Lady I-hwa.
They could also have roughly grasped the Ju Family's movements.
If they posed as merchants, they could grow close to the Red Dragon Unit and glean information about the family.
It seemed my guess was correct.
This was the simplest explanation, and nothing else fit.
Then there was the matter of why they had created the puppets.
Simply to tie down the Sword Sovereign seemed insufficient.
The Sword Sovereign and Blood Sovereign wouldn't have hesitated to cut down mere puppets in the first place.
There had to be something more than just buying time.
"Young Master! Over there…!"
At that moment, Muyoung pointed somewhere and called out urgently.
Turning to look, I saw Fifth Uncle and the Yellow Dragon Unit returning from a distance.
And at their center was Father.
"Are you unharmed?"
At my question, the Sword Sovereign gave a silent nod.
Aside from looking somewhat tired, he seemed fine.
Soon, Fifth Uncle and Father began conversing with grave expressions.
Pretending not to notice, I strained my ears with all my might to catch their conversation.
"He's no ordinary opponent. We crossed swords for three days and nights without rest."
"If even you say that, Brother… ha, I wonder just what kind of monster he is."
"We've at least succeeded in driving him off. If we'd fought longer, we might have finished it for good, but that's a shame."
Father voiced his regret in silence.
"What exactly are these puppets? Can we really leave the island as it is?"
"It seems we'll have to station the Yellow Dragon Unit here separately. I don't have a good feeling about this."
There had always been conflicts with unorthodox factions trying to seize the gold mine.
But the scale of this incident was incomparable.
In the end, Father seemed to have decided to station the family's elite Yellow Dragon Unit here.
"Ju Woo-jin."
At that moment, Father suddenly called my name.
I quickly pretended not to have been listening and turned around.
"I know you heard everything. Come here."
"……."
Haa, as expected of the Sword Sovereign.
His senses were frighteningly sharp.
"I heard you cut down all the puppets."
"Yes."
"Why did you do that?"
"Because there was no way to turn them back…"
At those words, Father silently nodded.
As if he had already known.
After pondering for a long while, Father eventually drew his sword and placed it down in front of him.
"It's getting harder to pretend I don't know."
"……Yes?"
It was an abrupt statement.
"That demonic energy inside your body. How long were you planning to hide it?"
"That… how…"
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
I thought I'd stopped circulating my energy completely and concealed all traces…
"It is clearly demonic energy, yet the state of your inner power is extremely pure and refined, so I let it be. But somehow, it seems that won't work anymore."
He looked as though he had made a decision.
Ju Tae-sung's expression was utterly cold.
His eyes and face revealed nothing of his thoughts.
"Did you use the Heaven-Defying Divine Art?"
"Yes."
I had no choice but to answer honestly.
"I sensed that energy from hundreds of jang away. I knew immediately it was you."
"Yes? Is that true, Brother? Our Woo-jin learned the Heaven-Defying Divine Art? Wait, when?"
Ju Tae-hwi's expression brightened instantly.
The Heaven-Defying Divine Art was an advanced technique that could only be used upon reaching the peak of the Dragon Heaven True Qi.
In other words, it meant Woo-jin's Dragon Heaven True Qi had already reached the twelfth star, the extreme peak.
"When did you learn the Dragon Heaven True Qi?"
"I simply saw it when I was young."
"You saw it as a child and remembered it to learn it? Even your brothers couldn't do that."
Simply mastering a cultivation method didn't make one an expert.
However, it allowed for freer and more active control of one's energy, opening the path to becoming a true master.
Being able to imbue one's sword with energy or channel it into movement with greater precision meant one could execute techniques of a higher dimension, even at the same realm.
"This father has grown old."
Ah, somehow that sounded ominous.
"It's only natural to nurture the next generation and properly raise them while stepping back."
Yet the Sword Sovereign was still far too young to say such things.
He had only just passed sixty; calling himself old was a stretch.
However, that wasn't what he meant.
"You once asked me if it would be alright to harbor ambition."
"……I did."
"Do you have ambition?"
At those words, Ju Tae-hwi swallowed hard and stared intently at my mouth.
Father was clearly referring to the next Family Head of the Ju Family.
"It's still… difficult to decide."
At my answer, Ju Tae-hwi looked deeply disappointed.
"There is no time. It seems… something is amiss."
The position of Family Head came with far more responsibilities than one might think.
If he left the family estate, all administrative and mission-related work would grind to a halt.
Therefore, he intended to relinquish his position and focus entirely on eradicating the enemies.
"I know you've been devoted to your training. But that alone isn't enough."
At Ju Tae-sung's words, I unconsciously tensed my entire body.
"Learn the sword from me."
"……Yes?"
It was an unexpected offer.
"Why are you surprised? As my blood, you naturally have the right to learn my sword."
Well, that was true.
Especially if one were to receive direct sword instruction from the Sword Sovereign, there could be no greater honor.
At the very least, in the martial world, his understanding of the sword was unmatched.
"Do you dislike the idea?"
When I failed to answer immediately, Ju Tae-sung's expression twisted.
"It's not that…"
Damn it, how was I supposed to explain?
I had already mastered both the White Dragon Sword Scripture and the Jade Heaven Descending Dragon Qi.
"Hey, Woo-jin. What are you doing? The Family Head is offering to teach you personally."
Ju Tae-hwi was practically burning with impatience.
This wasn't even something worth hesitating over, yet Woo-jin was wavering.
This brat has no idea what it means for the Family Head to teach the sword.
Ju Tae-hwi thought to himself.
If the Sword Sovereign declared he would teach the sword, thousands—no, tens of thousands—of disciples would flock to him.
What greater opportunity could there be?
However, Woo-jin's gaze was directed at him.
"I want to learn from Fifth Uncle."
"……Ehh?"
For a moment, Ju Tae-hwi frowned and feigned shock.
Refusing the Sword Sovereign's sword was already a grave discourtesy, but to openly choose another master right in front of him?
"What? And your reason?"
"I'm not sure if I can even begin to comprehend the Family Head's sword."
Oh? At least his words were pretty.
Ju Tae-hwi's lips split into a wide grin.
The fact that this adorable nephew, whom he couldn't bear to see hurt even if placed in his eye, followed him so devotedly… how heartwarming it was.
Ah, so this is why everyone goes on about children.
He had never once regretted it, but for the first time, he felt a twinge of resentment toward himself for never marrying.
"What do you think?"
Ju Tae-sung asked, looking at Ju Tae-hwi.
"Well, if he wants to learn, of course I'll teach him properly."
Ju Tae-hwi answered without a moment's hesitation, as if it were obvious.
His lips were stretched all the way to his ears.