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“Good to see you again, dear brother.”

Dang Hwi.

The Young Lord of the Sachteng Family.

He smiled and revealed his identity. I expected some degree of a poisonous aura, but who would have thought it would belong to the Young Lord of the Sachteng Family?

I didn’t refuse his naturally inviting gesture.

“It seems our paths crossed by coincidence. To be honest, I thought I would never see you again.”

“Same here, Young Master Dang.”

“Just call me casually. I’m doing the same, aren’t I?”

I thought someone of the Young Lord of the Sachteng Family’s stature would be more authoritative…

But he was nothing like that at all.

Dang Hwi’s eyes sparkled. It was a little cute to see an adult man’s eyes shining like a child’s.

“Are the people behind you part of your group?”

“Yes, they are.”

“I-I’m Narin. It’s an honor to meet the Young Lord of the Sachteng Family…”

“And I’m Gwangyang! It’s an honor to meet you, Young Lord!”

Their somewhat stiff movements testified to their tension.

Dang Hwi chuckled.

“There’s no need to be so formal. I’m not in the position of a Young Lord right now.”

“Then what…?”

“I’ve come as a man. Before it gets too late, I wanted to take care of matters as someone who will become the head. By now, the elders in my family must be quite surprised.”

“Are you running away?”

“Sort of.”

A strangely overlapping period.

And then there were the armed warriors around him.

It didn’t seem like a simple runaway; the goal was probably serious.

“Are you chasing a prisoner who escaped from Cheongsung?”

“You’re quite perceptive, dear brother.”

“So you’re after the Divine Power Overlord. I thought he was in Sachteng.”

“I felt chills. You’re not part of the same faction, right?”

“I could show you my identification badge if you wish.”

“Haha. Just a joke. There’s no need for that…”

Dang Hwi subtly averted his eyes.

“Still, it would relieve some concern if you showed it.”

I chuckled. It wasn’t wrong, so he surely showed it.

Dang Hwi sighed in relief, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“I apologize for my suspicion, dear brother. I heard the person I’m after isn’t an easy target… If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize once again.”

“It’s fine. Why are you chasing the Divine Power Overlord?”

“…More than ten innocent people have died because of him in Sachteng. They were all good people who couldn’t even wield a sword.”

“…….”

“Maintaining order in Sachteng has long been the Sachteng Family’s responsibility. As the heir to that legacy, I believe it’s only right to take some responsibility. At the very least, I must kill that wicked person to honor the souls of the innocent victims. Of course… the head told me not to intervene.”

A runaway to take responsibility.

Dang Hwi laughed like a child.

“Carrying the great name of the Sachteng Family, as the Young Lord, should I not at least show some action?”

Within him lay a firm conviction. If this is what the next head of the Sachteng Family is like…

I find myself looking forward to the future of Sachteng.

“Impressive.”

“Haha. You flatter me. I’m embarrassed.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“The warriors of the Sachteng Family learn tracking skills as a basic. No matter how clever the opponent, they must leave traces behind.”

Dang Hwi spoke confidently.

“Although it’s embarrassing to say, my skills aren’t lacking. The ones I brought with me are like my limbs. Each and every one of them can be seen as the future of the Sachteng Family, so we will surely catch the Divine Power Overlord.”

“That said, this is a risky endeavor… There’s no need to go this far. Just sending people would be enough…”

Dang Hwi smiled bashfully.

“It seems only natural for the strong to protect the weak, doesn’t it? I just don’t want to forget the beginner’s mindset of wielding a sword. A sword without a purpose is no different from a weapon, so I strive every moment not to become like someone as wicked as the Divine Power Overlord.”

“…….”

“I wield a sword for what I wish to protect. Isn’t that the commonality for all warriors? Although I’m closer to a spear rather than a sword, haha.”

He’s a rare warrior.

So different from the corrupt warriors I saw in Kunlun. He’s a man worthy of respect.

Narin and Gwangyang seemed to share my thoughts, their eyes sparkling.

“Master Dang is an amazing person!”

“To be honest… I’m impressed. Master Dang deserves respect.”

“I’m embarrassed.”

He chuckled awkwardly and spent the night with us. After a quick morning ritual, he asked for permission and left first.

However, he returned shortly after, handing me a small pouch.

“Dear brother. This is an antidote. If a fight breaks out nearby and the toxins from my family fill the area, bite it and block your nose. Most poisons will be neutralized.”

“Why give this to me…?”

“Well, they say even a brush of clothing is fate, and we’ve met twice, haven’t we? And more than anything, if you happen to get poisoned while crossing the battlefield, you won’t be able to have a good night’s sleep with bad dreams.”

Dang Hwi smiled.

“Keep it with you. It’s a thank you for helping with my travel preparations back then.”

Dang Hwi, without giving me a chance to refuse, stuffed the antidote into my pocket and bowed slightly.

I, too, bowed back.

“…I’ll repay this favor next time we meet.”

“This gives me a solid reason to meet you again. Haha!”

Dang Hwi laughed, waving his hand. As the Young Lord’s figure disappeared, Gwangyang muttered in an excited voice.

“I never thought there were still such warriors in the world. Just looking at Kunlun, it was all a mess, but the Sachteng Family seems to be on a whole different level. Lately, I thought the righteous sects were all talk and just busy grabbing their share behind the scenes… I was foolish.”

“Right? It’s amazing. Not all the upper waters are rotten.”

The Divine Power Overlord.

That name that kept creeping into my mind made me uneasy. However, as strong as he was, the ones I saw earlier were definitely no pushovers…

I took out the antidote I had been carrying. I held it up to the sunlight.

Returning good for good.

That’s a very good saying. I really liked the man named Dang Hwi.

Should the day come when we meet again, I’ll return his favor with something even more precious than this antidote.

Sachteng Family.

I engraved those four characters in my heart. The poison that intoxicated the Heavenly Demon must surely be connected to the Sachteng Family…

However, I couldn’t deny my personal fondness for the man named Dang Hwi.

I sincerely hoped everything he did would go well.

But two days later, in the forest where I arrived, I unexpectedly reunited with him in a grim manner.

Corpses scattered everywhere. Pieces of flesh fragmented and strewn about.

Narin threw up. Gwangyang turned his eyes away.

Amidst that horrific scene, I locked eyes with Dang Hwi, whose head was severed and impaled on a wooden skewer.

On his lifeless body lay remnants of dried white fluid. All his clothes had been stripped away, leaving him completely naked.

“…….”

I quietly gazed at him, swiping my face. I fiddled with the antidote in my pocket.

I surveyed the traces.

My hands were dirty. I had been playing with corpses. How long had it been?

Dang Hwi’s corpse was treated especially harshly compared to others. It was as if the body itself had been beaten up in mockery.

There were hardly any defense marks. That meant he had been beaten down without any chance of resistance.

To his adversary, Dang Hwi was nothing more than a toy. Yet, examining the traces reveals…

He fought until the very end.

Even with a vast difference in skill, Dang Hwi didn’t back down. He drew all his knives from his pocket to resist.

Until the very end…

He must have met his end as a true warrior.

But the price for that was just a single skewer piercing through his head, leaving only a profaned body.

Perhaps the reason his eyes couldn’t close even in death was because of that.

Having poured everything into the struggle, he was treated as a plaything…

How can I put that injustice into words?

“…….”

I heard a presence. I heard someone sitting down behind me.

“What is this…?!”

“Wahhh!”

“Who are you?! State your affiliation!”

“Ah, wait! That person is…!”

They were not warriors of the Sachteng Family.

Warriors of Cheongsung.

Among them was the warrior I had given the title of Invincible Overlord.

“W-are you a Martial Alliance Warrior?! What’s going on here?!”

“We haven’t been here long. It seems the Divine Power Overlord caused some trouble and then fled.”

“The Divine Power Overlord!”

“Indeed, we followed his trail all the way here, but… why are members of the Sachteng Family, who never leave the Sachteng territory, here?”

I calmly spoke to the puzzled warriors of Cheongsung.

“The one here is the Young Lord of the Sachteng Family.”

“…The Young Lord of the Sachteng Family?!”

The warriors’ expressions stiffened.

“This is big. Far bigger than we thought…”

“We must capture him! What in the world is going on…?”

“Why in the world is the Young Lord of the Sachteng Family even here?!”

I fiddled with the antidote caught between my fingers. Feeling the rattling between my fingertips, I stood up.

I pulled the head that was skewered onto the skewer. After closing his cloudy eyes, I positioned it over his corpse.

“Narin. Gwangyang.”

“…Yes, yes.”

“Yes. Master.”

“Go ahead to the next village first.”

Narin hesitantly asked.

“What about you, Master…?”

“I am not someone to only receive kindness. If I receive goodwill, I must return it. But now, the person I should repay is gone…”

I placed my hand on the sword.

“I suppose I must take over what the Young Lord was doing.”

“I-I want to go too!”

“M-Master! I will go with you!”

I turned around. Narin and Gwangyang flinched as our eyes met.

But they didn’t step back.

“We also have the antidote! Master! It’s like we received goodwill too!”

“This wasn’t someone who was meant to die! I want to do something… anything…!”

I didn’t particularly object.

Their eyes held sincerity.

I looked at the warriors of Cheongsung. The one who met my gaze flinched.

“What’s with that look…?!”

I asked.

“Do you still intend to chase the Divine Power Overlord?”

“Yes, of course!”

“I want to accompany you.”

I respectfully joined my hands.

“As a warrior, I believe I must return what I’ve received. Since he gave me something, I feel it’s time for me to give something in return. I won’t be a burden.”

“…What relationship do you have with the Young Lord?”

“Just two chance encounters. But he treated me like a friend. So shouldn’t I treat him as a friend too?”

The warriors’ expressions hardened. After wiping his face, he let out a sigh.

“If you fall behind, I’ll leave you behind. Is that understood?”

“That won’t happen.”

The Divine Power Overlord.

I don’t know exactly what kind of person you are. I don’t understand why you played with corpses.

But just as you have your reasons, I have my story.

There’s a line every warrior must uphold.

And you have crossed that line.

Once crossed…

I think I’ll balance it with blood.

 

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