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EP.25 Demon Sword Queen (2)

After wrapping up talk about Wi Seol-Ah to a reasonable extent, it was getting late, so we quickly prepared some snacks and finished our meal.

It was a spectacle to see how food kept flowing into Wi Seol-Ah’s mouth, considering she hadn’t eaten in days. When I asked if she usually ate like this, the attendants readily confirmed that it was indeed how she always ate.

Thinking back, she had been munching on potatoes on the first day, so she must already have had a hearty appetite.

It felt like her usual portion had grown by several servings, so I’d need to buy a large variety of snacks on the way.

Moonlight shimmered on the valley water.

We’d set up camp by the valley, and perhaps due to that, the spring breeze felt colder than usual.

As midnight approached, the guards began to prepare for their night watch.

They had to hang magical talismans around the tent and keep an eye on the surroundings in case of unforeseen circumstances—quite a laborious task indeed.

As I sat looking at the moon, Muyeon approached.

“Young Master, we should head inside soon; the weather is getting chillier.”

“No matter how cold it gets, I’m warmer than the guards.”

Thanks to the influence of my mental technique, it still felt cool to me, but not cold. I sat blankly in front of the campfire.

Wi Seol-Ah came bouncing out of the tent carrying a bowl filled with dumplings.

Where did those dumplings come from…?

They were steaming hot as if they had just been steamed. How on earth had they managed to steam them here?

“The older sisters told me to share these with the older brothers!”

It turned out that these were prepared as late-night snacks for the guards.

As Wi Seol-Ah handed them out, I noticed the guards nodding with goofy smiles on their faces.

Wi Seol-Ah’s looks were a formidable weapon. In my previous life, even during a sparring match, some guy lost his focus and ended up losing because of her appearance. I wondered if it was any different now.

Finally, after distributing dumplings to everyone, Wi Seol-Ah slyly sat down next to me.

“I brought you the biggest one, Young Master.”

With a bright smile, Wi Seol-Ah handed me two dumplings.

I accepted the dumplings and said, “Aren’t you going to sleep? You have to wake up early tomorrow.”

Since we had a schedule, we needed to set off at dawn.

So, it would be best to sleep as soon as possible for some comfort.

“But you’re not sleeping either, Young Master.”

“…Well, that’s different for me.”

Since I had some bets to consider, I was fine, but it might be tough for Wi Seol-Ah since she wasn’t a martial artist yet.

I took a bite of the dumpling. It was soft and juicy—truly, dumplings were magnificent.

The cold wind picked up strength gradually. Muyeon stood up and stretched. I had to head inside the carriage soon, so I gently nudged Wi Seol-Ah.

“Get in quickly; if you can’t wake up tomorrow, I’ll leave you behind.”

“Hey, that’s too much!”

“The dumplings were delicious.”

I stuffed the remaining dumpling into my mouth and entered the carriage, settling in to sleep.

“This is disgustingly far.”

Days had passed since we left the clan heading to Sichuan, now on the fourth day already.

All we had done was ride in the carriage by day and camp at night.

I briefly trained my mental technique during the journey, but there hadn’t been any remarkable growth.

Inner strength doesn’t just magically increase from a sudden epiphany; endurance was necessary.

“…Going there is one thing, but what about coming back?”

I would probably end up taking this same amount of time. How could I endure that?

Also, right now, the road was so rough that the carriage couldn’t pick up speed.

As a result, I was getting an unending view of the outside scenery.

“Young Master!”

“What is it?”

“Look over there! A squirrel!”

As I followed Wi Seol-Ah’s gaze toward the tree, I saw a squirrel nibbling on an acorn.

“Yeah, it’s a squirrel…”

“Isn’t it cute?”

All I seemed to do during the journey was have sporadic conversations with Wi Seol-Ah.

Thinking back, she mentioned rice cakes were tastier than potatoes, she had tried eating eagles, and they were tougher than she thought.

Also, she concluded that wild boar was not as tasty as regular pork… why were all these discussions about food?

While looking at Wi Seol-Ah, who was pointing at the squirrel, I felt a chill run down my spine, and I had to ask.

Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me.

“Have you ever eaten a squirrel?”

Wi Seol-Ah looked at me with a strange expression.

“Young Master… I could never eat a squirrel.”

Her look seemed to say, “Are you a fool?” which made me feel quite wronged.

She’d claimed to eat eagles but couldn’t eat a squirrel?

I felt a little annoyed as Wi Seol-Ah reached for a rice cake, so I snatched it and took a bite.

“Huh… huh?”

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes widened as she stared at me, mouth agape, slowly going into shock, her face transforming amusingly.

It was as if she had just heard the world was ending tomorrow.

Seeing her expression crumble brought me a bit of relief.

“How is this even possible…?”

“You need to stop eating rice cakes. Just look at your round face.”

“I don’t look round!”

“Ask someone else. Aren’t you?”

“Hongwa! Do I look round?!”

Hongwa, an attendant who had been laughing while listening to our conversation, froze when she heard Wi Seol-Ah’s question.

She slowly turned her head away, unable to answer and running off.

Seeing that, Wi Seol-Ah’s expression shifted from shock to resignation.

“I am… round…”

“Yes, you are round.”

Wi Seol-Ah, who had lost her will from my final blow, leaned her face against the wall and shut her mouth tight.

To be honest, Wi Seol-Ah’s face was not puffed up like a steamed bun.

It just had a bit more flesh compared to the first time I saw her.

‘But still, it is true that she gained weight, right?’

Thanks to Wi Seol-Ah’s reduced chatter, I was able to spend some quiet time.

Suddenly, looking at the scenery outside, I pondered what lay ahead.

‘Things better go well.’

Visiting Sichuan Tang Gate was an excuse, so I had to think of Geumcheon Clan and Gyecheon Sect.

How much time could I waste looking for Biwaegun?

If I had to estimate, maybe three days at most? Time felt terribly tight. The only information I had was the discovered area and its surroundings.

If I couldn’t find Biwaegun, I was half tempted to just dump it in the Beggar Clan.

If not, I had to at least find a way to ensure it didn’t fall into Gyecheon Sect’s or other demonic factions’ hands, especially those turning into demons.

What if I could actually find Biwaegun? I’d have to think of that when I got there.

‘Our food stock in the cart is running low.’

Due to the rough path being worse than expected and the rain that fell on the second day, we still had a ways to go until we reached our primary destination.

…It couldn’t really be because Wi Seol-Ah was eating like crazy, could it?

I leaned out of the carriage and asked Muyeon.

“Muyeon, how much longer do you think it’ll take for the road to clear up?”

“The driver said at this speed, we’ll need at least another hour.”

“Walking would be faster at this rate.”

I’d really prefer to ditch everything and just run, but worrying about my tired body or the gifts for the Tang Clan kept me grounded.

“Ha ha….”

As I awkwardly laughed, Muyeon suddenly appeared serious.

I wondered what was going on and asked him.

“What is it?”

“Stop.”

There was no answer.

His voice was tense. In an instant, our party came to a halt.

I sensed something strange in Muyeon’s demeanor and pulled out my weapon.

A peculiar presence brushed against my senses, making me unconsciously smirk.

It was none other than the presence of a demon beast.

“I should have noticed it was peaceful for a few days.”

“There aren’t many of them. Just sit back and relax; I’ll handle it swiftly.”

He meant not to come out and show off like before, but to stay hidden, and I agreed. I wasn’t about to grab my Demon Stone again; after all, I had no idea what might happen.

Luckily, it wasn’t the Demonic Gate.

You could say it was the leftover remnants after the Demonic Gate had been shut.

A fast-approaching presence was evident. Were they targeting us? That felt somewhat off.

Swish, swish.

An odd rustling sound emerged from the brush.

Muyeon and the guards had long since drawn their swords, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Before long, something charged through the brush.

—Grrrraaaar!

Before I could even identify it, Muyeon’s sword sliced through it.

Thud, thud!

It fell with a dull thud on the ground, the bear-shaped demon beast collapsing as if slain by Muyeon’s blade.

I always thought Elder Lee resembled a bear, but standing next to this entity, he did bear a striking resemblance.

Nokjoo-ung (Green Bear Demon).

Like the horned dog, it was the lowest tier of demon that could emerge from a Demonic Gate.

“This creature….”

Muyeon frowned as he looked at it.

“There’s another wound besides what I’ve inflicted.”

“Eh?”

Upon checking, there indeed was another scar on the beast that Muyeon hadn’t caused.

Those jerking movements I felt then must have been escaping someone?

A demon beast on the run from a human?

What sort of outrageous talk was that?

Creatures driven purely by instinct to slaughter? Even now, the sensations of the demon beasts fading were palpable.

From the back, I sensed another presence swiftly dispatching them one by one.

It was fast. Gradually, it was moving closer to us.

Muyeon seemed momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events but promptly regained his composure to ready himself alongside the guards.

As the approaching presence drew nearer, it broke through the brush without hesitation.

—Grrrrraaaaar!

What emerged was yet another Nokjoo-ung, but—

Slash!

A sword energy followed, slicing through the Nokjoo-ung’s head.

Boom!

Blue blood gushed out of the fallen Nokjoo-ung.

Muyeon didn’t seem to mind the dead demon and was gazing solely toward what lay beyond the brush.

Finally, Muyeon called out, “Who are you? State your identity!”

As Muyeon shouted, someone quickly appeared from the brush.

It was a person holding a black sword. I wanted to see them clearly, but their face was completely concealed behind a veil made of flowing fabric.

The only discernible feature was that it was a woman.

As she approached, I couldn’t help but notice her clothing.

Having traveled for a while, her green martial robe was covered with leaves and dirt.

The woman slowly sheathed her sword and approached calmly, yet Muyeon kept his blade pointed toward her.

As she drew closer, she removed her veil, revealing her face.

One of the guards gasped upon seeing her.

She appeared to be in her youth, slightly older than me.

Her striking silver hair, pure white skin, a distinguished nose, and vivid lips indicated she was undoubtedly among the most beautiful women in the world.

As she gazed slowly at Muyeon, she spoke.

“I apologize. I’ve been traveling alone and couldn’t handle the situation properly.”

“Alone…? You handled these creatures by yourself?”

“I do have bad luck usually. Coincidentally, a Demonic Gate popped up right in front of me again. I captured some, but a few managed to escape.”

“Demon beasts…running away…?”

“Maybe it’s my family’s martial arts. This keeps happening.”

While Muyeon engaged in conversation, I too couldn’t help but be taken aback by her beauty.

It had nothing to do with her stunning appearance.

My eyes were drawn instead to the small white characters inscribed at the hem of her green robe.

Nangong (南宮).

“Shit….”

I couldn’t help but curse under my breath at that sight.

Especially in the Central Plains, it was rare for anyone to walk around with those characters on their robe.

Let alone someone with such an appearance—there was only one person it could be.

‘What the hell is that crazy woman doing here?’

Cold sweat trickled down my back, which I slowly wiped away.

I knew her very well.

In this life, we may have been strangers, but in my past life, it was different.

She was someone I never wanted to be entangled with more than anyone else.

‘Could it really be that I’m this unlucky?’

I struggled to calm my racing heart. This wasn’t a thrilling anticipation but sheer terror.

The woman spoke to Muyeon in a curt tone.

“My name is Nangong Bi-ah. Are you perhaps heading to Sichuan?”

Hearing her name made me squeeze my eyes shut instinctively. As expected, as always.

I couldn’t help but hold my breath again at her subsequent words.

“If so, could I accompany you? I will express my gratitude.”

“Absolutely not, dammit…! No way!”

I burst out of the carriage door yelling.

At that, our eyes met.

Her emotionless-looking eyes were remarkably similar to how they appeared in my past life. That alone sent shivers down my spine.

Demon Sword Queen, Nangong Bi-ah.

The woman who, driven mad by swords in my past life, became a demon and even annihilated her own clan was standing right here.

 

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