Do You Know the Saber? (6)

"Hehe, guest. Do wake up. No matter how comfortable my embrace may be, if you sleep any longer you'll be late."

"…Fuck. Whose fault is it I couldn't sleep…"

"My, what exactly did I do?"

"…"

Dokgo Ryeong ignored Eun Yakbyeok's reply and rose from the bed. Eun Yakbyeok immediately reached out to tidy the front of her robes.

"A woman really shouldn't go around with her chest on full display like that."

"…Annoying."

"Hehe. Even this completely defenseless look of yours is the sort of thing that stirs a man's heart. Truly born to—"

"Fuck, I get it! I'll keep it properly closed!!"

"What a good girl, Young Lady Dokgo~."

When Eun Yakbyeok stroked her head, Dokgo Ryeong roughly shook her free and swatted the hand away.

"Aish, seriously."

"Shall we go wash up, then? We have to greet the eldest young master of the Paeng Clan."

"I'll go alone, damn it! Why do you women always love sticking together so much?!"

"Who knows. Perhaps because Young Lady Dokgo is simply too adorable?"

"Fuck…"

"Even the vulgar words that come out of your mouth are cute. Perhaps some dirty talk as well…"

Dokgo Ryeong swung a hand; Eun Yakbyeok stopped mid-sentence.

"All right, I'll stop. Hehe."

"…Anyway, I'm washing alone, so don't follow me."

"Even so, call me when it's time to put on your clothes. There are still many things our guest is clumsy with."

"Fine."

Watching Dokgo Ryeong leave, Eun Yakbyeok stretched long and luxuriously.

"Haa~. Last night was far too wonderful."

She had often wished the night would last longer, yet never as desperately ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as she had last night. How delightful it had been to toy with Dokgo Ryeong nestled in her arms, and how utterly adorable every reaction.

"I almost feel like raising a cat."

Greeting the pleasant morning, Eun Yakbyeok opened a book of documents—papers she had neglected while bantering with Dokgo Ryeong the night before.

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"Haa…"

"Do you miss Young Master Wi that much, guest?"

"No, fuck. Why does the conversation always veer there?"

"Sighing with the face of a maiden in love…"

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

This time Dokgo Ryeong swung her blade in earnest, yet stopped short right in front of Eun Yakbyeok.

"Once I get my strength back I'll thrash your ass—no, anyway, I'll give you a proper beating."

"Hehe, I'll look forward to it. Or how about you beat me with a big club instead?"

"That works too. On the way back I'll carve one out of a tree."

"…You really are pure, guest."

"Huh?"

"It's nothing at all, hehe."

Seeing that Dokgo Ryeong had completely failed to grasp the lewd joke, Eun Yakbyeok simply let it pass.

They left the inner chambers. Outside, the sect disciples bowed their heads to Eun Yakbyeok.

"Have you risen, Sect Leader?"

"Yes. How far off is the eldest young master of the Paeng Clan?"

"He is expected within one shichen—two hours. Shall we prepare breakfast?"

"What would you like, Young Lady Dokgo? It might be better to eat beforehand."

"Then let's do that."

Hearing Dokgo Ryeong's answer, the disciple bowed and withdrew. Once he was gone, Dokgo Ryeong asked Eun Yakbyeok,

"But you don't tell the disciples every time you come, do you?"

"That's right. This time I revealed myself because of the Blade Immortal and the Fist Venerable, but ordinarily I visit in someone else's form. Sometimes I become Gwanyeong, sometimes Eunho."

"…That's fucked up."

"Why? Are you thinking of joining us?"

"Are you crazy? If I joined I'd have to live bowing my head to that bitch Eun Gwanyeong."

"My, if you merely enter you would immediately become a candidate for junior sect leader. Becoming the actual sect leader would be difficult, of course."

"…So junior sect leader candidates are just handed out to anyone?"

"Did Gwanyeong seem lacking to you?"

"That's not it… Hey. Now that I think about it, what are the criteria for your junior sect leaders?"

Eun Yakbyeok's eyes narrowed as she regarded the woman asking the question. Anyone else would have been suspected of prying into Hao Sect internals with an obvious ploy, yet because the one asking was Dokgo Ryeong, even that suspicion never arose.

Curious, so she asks; when asked, she answers honestly—yet in front of a man she becomes so clumsy…. Far too dangerous, our Young Lady Dokgo.

Without even realizing she had begun thinking of Dokgo Ryeong as "our" Young Lady Dokgo, Eun Yakbyeok smiled and answered.

"Mm… Of course the basic criterion is martial arts. One must be strong, manage subordinates well, and possess an eye for information."

"Can Eun Gwanyeong even do all that?"

"My, I taught our Gwanyeong thoroughly, you know?"

"…Really?"

"Yes. And the most important thing of all… is a companion."

"Huh?"

The sudden remark left Dokgo Ryeong gaping.

"What's a companion supposed to be?"

"Mm… In my view, if the most important thing in the murim is martial arts, then the second is alliance. Someone who will never betray you, someone to whom you can entrust your life."

"…That makes a certain amount of sense."

"So I ordered each junior sect leader candidate to find one companion of their own. Their individual abilities are all roughly equal, after all."

"So depending on what kind of bastard they associate with, the next sect leader changes?"

"Yes, exactly. And come to think of it, this method was heavily influenced by you, guest."

"Huh? Me?"

Dokgo Ryeong looked up at her with widened eyes.

"What did I do?"

"My, how disappointing. I always considered you my companion."

"No… We just worked together because our temperaments matched…"

"That is precisely what a companion is."

"…"

"Another word for it would be friend. The guest of the past always seemed to have a line that made it hard to approach, so growing closer felt difficult—but the guest of late is different."

"Friend, my ass… I don't raise those."

"Of course not. Friends aren't raised; you simply live, and before you know it, they are already there."

"…"

Realizing further talk would only lose her the argument with Eun Yakbyeok, Dokgo Ryeong simply fell silent.

Friend, my ass…

She had never once thought that way. A companion? The very idea felt only burdensome. Yet seeing Eun Yakbyeok bare her heart so openly, Dokgo Ryeong felt she ought to say something; after a long struggle she finally spat out a single line.

"…Later."

"Yes?"

"…If you ever say you're in danger, I'll lend a hand. Just once."

"My."

Eun Yakbyeok stopped dead, eyes wide, covering her mouth.

"My my my."

"…Did you eat something wrong?"

"Good heavens… Young Lady Dokgo."

"Ah, what? Aish…! Hey!!"

When Eun Yakbyeok suddenly threw her arms around her, Dokgo Ryeong erupted.

"Ah, cut it out!! Let go! Kyaaaaak!!"

"How can you be so lovable! Truly, won't you become my disciple? How about an adopted daughter?! I've suddenly developed the heart of a mother!"

"Ah, cut the bullshit! Get the fuck off meee!!"

Just then a polite cough sounded from behind Eun Yakbyeok.

"Ahem! Ahem! Forgive me. I seem to have interrupted a pleasant moment between the two of you."

"My, Young Master Wi. Last night you spent well… or rather, it seems you did not."

"…Yes. I had something on my mind. Do I look a little haggard?"

"The shadows under your eyes are quite dark."

"…"

Wi Ilcheong looked at Dokgo Ryeong. She hastily grabbed the hem of Eun Yakbyeok's skirt and hid behind her, only her face peeking out. Eun Yakbyeok was seized by a fresh urge to hug her tightly again, yet she forced it down.

"Wh… What! Why!"

"…I apologize, Young Lady Dokgo."

"For what!"

"…It seems I was mistaken."

"My?"

"I… do not believe I love Young Lady Dokgo after all."

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Throughout the entire breakfast gathering, everyone remained quiet. The silence was broken by Paeng Yudeok.

"Kwahahat, did something happen to all of you last night? It's awfully quiet."

"Heh heh… Indeed it is."

"…"

When Eun Yakbyeok glared at him as though she meant to kill him, he asked,

"Why look at me with those eyes, Sound Venerable?"

"It's nothing. I'm simply a little irritated."

"So I've become the target of the Sound Venerable's temper. Then allow me to guess once."

"Guess what?"

"The reason the Sound Venerable is irritated. Hmm…"

Paeng Yudeok swept his gaze once around the table, then grinned.

"Everyone else is eating just fine, yet there are two who can't even touch their food."

"Please be quiet, Blade Immortal."

"Dokgo Jin's daughter and the Jade-Faced Young Master have quarreled."

Eun Yakbyeok flung her chopsticks; Paeng Yudeok caught them without concern.

"Kwahahat, why so irritated, Sound Venerable."

"It is polite to stay out of a young couple's love affairs, is it not?"

"In ordinary times, yes—but not now. This is an opportunity for me, is it not?"

Paeng Yudeok turned to Dokgo Ryeong.

"Listen here, daughter of Dokgo Jin."

"…What."

"How about meeting my son once before you decide?"

"…Get lost. Not interested."

"Kwahahat, well. Once you meet him your mind might change."

"Crazy bastard…"

"My… Even the venom has drained from your curses. You must be quite sad."

"Ah… No I'm not! I…!"

Dokgo Ryeong shot to her feet and pointed at Wi Ilcheong.

"You?"

"What the hell did I… do with that bastard…"

"Hmm…"

Paeng Yudeok looked back and forth between Dokgo Ryeong and Wi Ilcheong, then resumed picking up food as though nothing had happened and sent a sound transmission to Eun Yakbyeok.