---

**

“…….?”

I pointed at myself, just in case. Suddenly, Narin reached out her hand.

A rough sound tore through the air. Along with it, a complex energy I had never seen before lunged at me to tear me apart.

—KWA-AAAAANG!!!

A strong shock rushed into the hand she extended. I realized that Narin’s ‘Mugyeong Geumgang Gong’ possessed a completely different level of destructive power than before.

It was both terrifying and destructive. A simple move of her hand crushed mine as it struck down violently, trying to bite into it instead.

There was no internal power.

But that body, that destructive force was unbelievably powerful.

Strangely solid hands. No, was it the whole body that was solid? To push her away, even an average weapon wouldn’t suffice.

Even without internal energy, her level had already surpassed many masters by a wide margin.

The development set apart from Gwangyang. It was clear that she had crossed the threshold that Gwangyang could not.

Ultimate excellence.

She had stepped into that realm, honing her body without being able to possess internal energy, refining it to its limits.

It was akin to pioneering a path nearly no one else dared to walk. With no one to guide her, that path must have been exceptionally difficult and complex.

Yet, the fact that she succeeded…

It meant she had worked bizarrely hard, to the point of nearly dying.

—KAAANG!

Good. That was a fine move. It wasn’t merely raw strength in her technique.

The immediate attack made up for the initial lack. What seemed like a visible weakness was bait, and had I targeted it, my neck would have surely been broken instantly.

An obvious improvement compared to before. It was both flexible and sharp, making it immensely powerful.

Moreover…

She still wore the protective gloves I had given her.

Despite her satisfactory growth, she hadn’t forgotten her roots. That delighted me, and I retaliated forcefully.

“Ugh?!”

Narin, who had rolled on the ground, immediately got back into stance. I slightly lowered my hat and asked.

“Is that it?”

“Y-you bastard…!”

“Wh-what are you doing, sis?!”

I sent a glance to Gwangyang.

At first, she hadn’t accepted me as a disciple…

But as time passed, these had truly become my real pupils.

I wanted to savor a bit more of the remarkable growth.

“Come at me for real.”

I relaxed my hands.

“Or you’ll die.”

“…Kuh!”

She lunged again. Like a beast.

I received it without hesitation.

After a long time, it was my turn to guide. It wouldn’t be too bad to put in a bit of effort.

Unlike before…

What I could see had definitely increased.

…

Fake.

It was a fake.

What was before my eyes was undoubtedly a fake.

My master was dead. Narin knew this best.

My master was someone who kept his promises. He had upheld the words he had spoken.

He said he would return. Quickly. Yet he didn’t come back. There arose a situation where he couldn’t return.

And…

The Master of the Sado Clan even publicly declared it.

She confirmed my master’s corpse and took her own life.

The Master of the Sado Clan wouldn’t lie. She had no ties with us.

So, my master is dead. He’s dead. But then why…

What was this?

“…Kuh!”

Mugyeong Geumgang Gong was a martial art I learned without internal energy.

To be precise…

It was martial art my master had personally brought to me.

Few knew it. Naturally, everyone who faced me for the first time was taken aback.

Using bare hands without internal energy to tear rocks, piercing through steel, displaying monstrous strength.

It was common for one to hear exclamations of shock after a few exchanges. I was even ridiculed, called a beastly girl.

But the opponent didn’t seem surprised. On the contrary…

With a familiarity, they countered all my moves.

“Yikes!”

The more we mixed hands, the more it became evident. I was attacking, yet my fist was producing rough sounds…

It was being blocked. Drawn inward.

It felt as if I was being pulled.

I moved my hands. The strike aimed to shatter rocks was planted right in front of my opponent.

But it was blocked. The lightly snatched hand seemed to pull me inwards.

Positions changed in an instant. A familiar voice rang directly in my ear.

“I told you, there’s no need to cling too much to your brother.”

“…….?!”

I immediately twisted my body and swung my leg upward. Flexibility was my strong suit. Few could evade the angle of a strike coming from an unexpected direction.

But the narrowly dodged kick merely struck the empty air. My leg was caught, and I was thrown down to the ground.

“Ugh?!”

“Is that it?”

“…Y-you bastard…!”

No.

It can’t be.

There’s no way.

My master wouldn’t be two years late. So it must be a fake.

Don’t get your hopes up. It’s scarier when you’re disappointed.

Move. Hit the fake.

I jumped up again…!

“Don’t say that face and talk to me!!!”

I reached out.

I moved my feet, straining to banish that invading nostalgia.

Move. More move.

Just one hit on that damned face…!

“Kuh?!”

One hit…!

“Ugh?!”

One hit…!

“Ugh?!”

I’ve got to land it…!

—PAAAH!!!

My upper body was pushed back, sliding across the ground. I lost count of how many times we had exchanged strikes. My body hurt. My bones were ringing.

…But.

Something felt off.

The more I reached out, the better my movements seemed to become. As I contemplated how to pierce through my opponent’s defense, Mugyeong Geumgang Gong became simpler and swifter.

This was strange. Really strange. Given the level difference from the start…

Why weren’t they trying to kill me?

Could it be… could it be…

“…….”

I raised my hand to wipe the blood dripping from my burst lip. I steadied my breathing and closed my fist again.

Protective gloves. There were the protective gloves. The belongings left by my master.

…My master was.

He was kind.

Always. To me.

Though he picked me up when everyone said it was impossible, he never uttered a word of complaint. He taught me passionately, despite receiving nothing in return.

The emptiness left by that person became more pronounced after they were gone. Only then did I realize that what I thought was a vague longing was not mere admiration.

It was precious. Truly.

More than any connection I had encountered.

…And so.

Because of that.

I would not be toyed with by a fake again. After the former society was established, how many fakes claimed to be the Martial Alliance Inspector and asked for a position?

Among them were those who precisely copied his face. Approaching with pretenses, whispering for me to yield.

No one can insult my master. No one can take his place.

So…

So…

I need to move again…

“…….”

My body felt strange. My heart was dizzy.

It wasn’t just pain. This was really weird.

Why was I smelling something familiar? Why was there a strange vibe coming from someone who should be a fake?

This was strange.

Truly strange.

This didn’t make sense.

…But.

But still.

It kept feeling strangely… what if…

What if this was real…

“…Master…”

Narin bit her lip. Her hand, which had been lowered, unknowingly relaxed into a fist.

She tried not to cry. Nothing looked worse than crying in front of a fake.

But her heart moved of its own accord. She blinked, but the tears that had already filled her eyes rolled down her cheeks.

She hated that. It felt like her true feelings were exposed, and she truly hated it.

She tried to ask as if nothing happened, but her voice trembled.

“Is it… really… you…?”

What she uttered scattered like a breeze. It was closer to a mumble than a question.

At that, the opponent also halted their movements. The imposing presence that had seemed like a mountain relaxed, returning to the figure of a man.

The man in front of her lifted up his hat. On the face that was endlessly similar to the real one, scars showed.

Red eyes. Black hair. Smooth yet sharp lines. Beautiful features.

That person smiled.

“You’ve improved a lot, Narin.”

“…R-really… really…”

“The progress of your Mugyeong Geumgang Gong is beyond words.”

—Tap.

The hand that rested atop her head quietly patted her.

“Now, I suppose I can’t even call you a fake bandit anymore.”

Bandit.

A past Gwangyang knew, one I had never told anyone about.

“…Huh… Huhuk…”

In the end, Narin reached out and hugged him.

The dam of her emotions burst late, but what could she do?

Just…

Today, she would be a crybaby.

…

“Masterrrrr…”

Narin clung tightly to me. Su-ryeon displayed an uncomfortable expression, but she stepped back understanding the situation.

“Narin, you’re too close…”

“Why… why did you come back now… why…”

Is it even possible for a person’s body to produce this much snot and tears? I kept wiping the countless streams flowing down her face.

Gwangyang sidled up.

“Sis, but why so suddenly…”

“Shut it.”

“W-what?!”

“Masterrrrr…”

Narin rubbed her face against my chest. Fortunately, she was filtering out the mess by herself; otherwise, I’d have to keep cleaning my clothes as well.

The now heavyset Narin resembled a child, and in the end, I had to carry her. The combat crew of the Former Society, known as “Blood Red Toad,” appeared unfamiliar with such situations, and they naturally kept an eye on me.

“Um… could it be that you’re really the Blood Lord… no, the Martial Alliance Inspector…”

“I wouldn’t say I’m deserving of that title, but… for now, that’s what they refer to me as.”

“R-really… it seems real?”

“You think I’m fake?”

“B-but I saw it. Have you ever seen the Captain like that?”

“Could it be you really have skills rivaling the true master…”

“Even if it’s really him…”

The blood-red toad murmured, glancing this way.

Narin glared.

“Are you guys not leaving?”

“Yikes.”

They seemed to have a no-nonsense attitude even on normal days. I hoisted Narin up. Hanging from me like a cat, she looked up at me.

“Masterrrrrr…”

Tears streamed down her face again, and the snot followed suit. How long would I have to keep wiping this away?

“Narin.”

“Yes?”

“Stop crying. I’m not going anywhere now.”

“Wahhh…”

As I caught Narin, we soon arrived at Huashan. At the boundary, naturally, the Daoists of Huashan were there to greet us.

“Blood Lord, esteemed master.”

The honorifics added, they bowed their heads in deep respect.

“Master Zhang said he wished to see you as soon as possible.”

That was why I was here, so I nodded naturally.

“Let’s go.”

 

---