---

**

“…Huh!”

I could hear the voice of the Soul Stealing Sword. I kicked the stunned Twenty-Nine aside.

As she was kicked away, she immediately stepped back. Realizing what my split-second decision implied, I lowered my voice.

“…Are you trying to take all the blame on yourself?”

“Stay away from me. This has nothing to do with you.”

I felt her gaze on me. Yet, I had no intention of sheathing my sword.

I drew in Smaak. The Soul Stealing Sword smirked as if finding this all amusing.

“Young brother. Have you thought about what kind of repercussions your actions will bring? It seems like you didn’t coordinate this in advance.”

“I only drew my sword because I had to.”

“But what’s the point of drawing a sword if it’s just going to break?”

“Even if it breaks, there’s meaning in having drawn it.”

Smaak, caught by the scruff of his neck, struggled.

“You crazy bastard?! Are you wanting to die or something?!”

“Maybe I do.”

“What?”

“I said, maybe I do want to die, Smaak.”

I know I can’t win.

I know better than anyone that I can’t win.

But that’s precisely why I laughed.

“Nevertheless, I had to draw it.”

I aimed my sword at the beast I couldn’t possibly defeat.

“Because I’m a bodyguard.”

“You… crazy bastard.”

Smaak pushed my hand away. Realizing that the situation had spiraled out of control, he straightened himself up.

“I’m going to die.”

“I will do my best to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

“…Ugh.”

Smaak grabbed a piece of paper that had fallen.

“…Can you hold on?”

His squeezed voice held an element of remorse. But I didn’t want to accept that.

No need for apologies. There’s no reason to apologize.

It’s merely what I chose for myself.

“I’ll hold on.”

“…Heh heh.”

The Soul Stealing Sword bared its teeth.

“Excellent spirit. Unknown Blood Demon warrior, I don’t know how you got involved with the Sma Clan, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a trained sword like this. I can tell just from your momentum. I like that type of sword. But you can’t win against me.”

“…….”

“There are very few warriors like you. So, even if you manage to restrain me, do you think you can bind my apprentice as well? That’s impossible. You have one sword, and you can’t overcome those numbers. It’s only natural that the head of the Sma Family hasn’t mastered martial arts; he can’t handle the sword of one who has learned.”

The Soul Stealing Sword whispered.

“It’s a meaningless fight. If you don’t sheath your sword, you will die. Even if you don’t die, the one I need to protect will die. Yet you still don’t intend to sheath your sword?”

“—Why do you presume there’s only one sword?”

I turned to the side. Twenty-Nine had drawn her sword.

A blood-red glow flashed under the moonlight.

The Soul Stealing Sword’s eyebrows twitched.

“If you have ears, you must’ve heard what I just said.”

“I heard you. Of course, I did. Damn it. I know how disgustingly strong you are. I know how heavy that name of the Soul Stealing Sword is.”

Twenty-Nine’s hand trembled. The tip of her sword was shaking too.

“…Are you Twenty-Nine?”

She swiftly turned her head.

“Are you kicking me out? After I worked so hard for you?”

“To ensure you don’t get dragged into this…”

“Thirty, you really are impossible. You’re ridiculously unreasonable. You must be insane. But…”

She grit her teeth.

“I must also be insane. Honestly… I wanted you to say that. I had every reason to draw my sword as well. I just couldn’t because I was scared.”

“…….”

“Now that someone pushed me, I’ve straightened my back. My perspective has changed, and I see what I need to do. Two is better than one. I’m sick of being fooled and having everything taken from me. Even if it’s not my story, it’s still infuriating.”

“…This crazy woman?”

“Shut up. Smaak. Before you put your sword away. I’ve been thinking about it for a while; your way of speaking is utterly insufferable. So, just shut up and follow me. Don’t whisper in my ear.”

Twenty-Nine growled.

“I’ll pull you out of here.”

“—Hahaha!!!”

The Soul Stealing Sword burst into laughter.

“There are two treasures in this mud! How delightful that sight is! But it can’t be helped. I’m here on the orders of the Nachal Sect. Whether I like it or not, I’ll have to cut you down, Sma Family Head. Run from among these bodyguards of the Blood Demon.”

—Swoosh.

The Soul Stealing Sword drew its sword. It was a heavy and long blade.

A sword stained with the killing intent of the countless lives it had taken.

“What is happening?”

The Soul Stealing Sword laughed so widely that its mouth seemed to split.

“—Everything has already begun. Come in, unknown Blood Demon warrior.”

“Twenty-Nine. Please take care of Smaak.”

“…What about you?”

I walked forward, dragging my sword.

In a circle.

With my eyes on the enemy.

“As I said, I will bind the Soul Stealing Sword, No Ha-jin.”

“…….”

I could hear Twenty-Nine’s mouth moving behind me.

“…Don’t die.”

The voice of Smaak being dragged away vanished right on cue.

“Hold on! You bastard! If you can’t hold on, I’ll kill you!”

Those words were completely contrary to the usual curses he carried.

I didn’t respond to those words. I focused solely on my prey.

From now on, it’s just a razor-thin line.

With that minuscule difference, my whole body was bound to break. Before me stood a beast that blatantly flaunted its teeth, a being I could never hope to climb over.

The Soul Stealing Sword opened its mouth.

“Extreme Pain Dragon.”

“…Yes, Master.”

“Chase. Just a moment behind.”

“…Why just a moment…”

“There stands a warrior who is unafraid of death. Shouldn’t we pay our respects?”

That was a grateful praise. I answered it by removing my mask.

The Soul Stealing Sword sighed.

“Young man. Truly, there are still things to regret in being cut down. Do you have any final words?”

“…None.”

There was not a single lie in my words.

“Wouldn’t it be ridiculous for someone who is already trying their best to avoid death to give up?”

“…Heh heh. That’s not incorrect.”

The Soul Stealing Sword brandished its blade.

“Teach me your name.”

“…Thirty.”

“Isn’t that a bit lacking?”

Crimson sword energy spilled from the tip of the sword I gripped tightly.

“That will suffice.”

“Then.”

The Soul Stealing Sword struck the ground.

I moved my sword as well.

. . .

Twenty-Nine ran with Smaak in her arms.

We first need to get out of here. As long as Smaak is alive, there may come a day when the truth hidden behind lies is uncovered.

“We need to get out of this village!”

“…Even if we do get out, it’s still the same.”

“Then what do you plan to do?! Thirty is holding them off! Are you planning to waste that?!”

“Shut up! I’m thinking!”

Such a horrible personality. Incredibly filthy!

But even so, I must protect that time Thirty has carved out with his life. Twenty-Nine raced toward the back gate of the Sma Clan.

“…No.”

Smaak, who had been thinking hard, lifted his head.

“Change directions.”

“Huh?”

“We can’t leave the Sma Clan. We’ll be caught anyway. If that’s the case… let’s gamble.”

“What do you mean?!”

“We need to escalate the stakes. We need to grow the situation. That’s when they will come. Blood Demons. Nachal Sect. Cheonakmun. And the Sma Clan…”

Muttering, Smaak raised his hand.

“I need to go higher. I need to go even higher. To do that, I need the complete story. We’re going to the Hidden Pavilion! Change direction!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! We could just leave! There’s something there, right?! Just say it!”

“My head is far more useful than your foolish brain!”

Twenty-Nine halted. It wasn’t because of Smaak’s insults.

She sensed the presence of someone who was following them late.

“…Then let’s go.”

“What?”

“I said let’s go, Smaak.”

It’s coming.

It’s approaching.

I can feel it—a small predator. A terrifying beast with teeth that are certainly not small.

Twenty-Nine gripped her drawn sword tightly, steadying her breath amidst the faint red shadows.

“Go to the Hidden Pavilion. Whatever it is, try something. If escape is impossible, then let’s gamble as you said.”

“…You.”

Smaak turned his head. After a few steps, he glanced back again.

“The Sma Clan does not forget a favor.”

“A favor or whatever, you can only talk about that if you’re alive. Go already.”

Smaak disappeared. Twenty-Nine remained alone, awaiting whoever was pursuing them.

“My beloved sister…”

The voice my sister had always whispered to me. The family that had always sacrificed for itself was still trapped in Gilu.

I must not die. I know better than anyone this fact.

…But.

Is it right to remain silent after having seen it?

The reason I tried to capture Smaak was singular.

I was confused. I was scared. There were reasons I must not die, and there was also the simple desire to avoid death.

Yet Thirty accomplished that difficult task without hesitation. I thought of that figure, but having never walked that path before, I reached out thoughtlessly.

…Actually, you see. Thirty.

There was something I couldn’t tell you that day.

“Baekmae. It’s all right. You don’t have to return anything.”

My sister always said it was fine not to return anything.

But I wanted to repay that one-sided love. I wanted to return everything my sister had bestowed upon me.

I wanted to be worthy enough. To show my sister how magnificently I grew, the child she cared for.

But I knew best that I hadn’t achieved that.

On the day my sister went mad, despite kicking the wall and screaming, I couldn’t bear to charge into Red Phoenix Tower.

I had made excuses for running to the Blood Demon because my sister had been taken hostage. Now I was continuously fleeing under the pretext of training martial arts.

Having held onto the vague thought that I could somehow succeed if I became part of the Blood Sea Organization, I walked toward that ambiguous goal.

I’m cowardly. The runaway who values my own life above all else. The reason I act strong with men is that I know I’m a coward.

I know that I cannot be honest with myself, so I’ve been sharpening the blade.

“Lady So.”

But you know what, Thirty?

Still… maybe once…

Maybe once the bud will not remain closed.

Even if that bud had been tightly closed, couldn’t it bloom at least once?

I wanted to become the daughter of a noble who would be no less than my sister, a woman warrior who took up the sword for the weak, as my sister had always spoken.

Even if I’m scared and terrified.

Even if I know I’ll die.

Even if my sword trembles madly and cannot extend.

Even if I’m a coward.

Even if I’m a runaway…

“Please clear the way. If that’s the case, I won’t take your life. Which direction did Smaak go?”

The most precious flower at Red Phoenix Tower.

—Could my sister, Geummaehwa, bloom just once?

“…I refuse.”

A master.

A martial artist of a level I cannot defeat.

My voice trembles.

Yet I still hold on.

I raise my remaining hand and remove my mask.

In the moonlight, my white hair swayed.

I tremble in fear as my sword shakes. Unknowingly flowing tears wet the ground.

My footing trembles as a sense of foreboding grips me—perhaps I cannot turn back.

But even so, Twenty-Nine raised her sword.

“I won’t let you go. I won’t tell you either.”

The child who had always been discriminated against for her uniquely colored hair at Red Phoenix Tower.

The child who had barely regained her smile after being taken from Geummaehwa’s hand.

The child who had lost something precious and was fleeing into the endless darkness…

“If you want to pass through here…”

The cowardly one draws her sword.

To bloom the flower that had always remained closed.

“Step over… my corpse!”

— In a bid to finally be worthy.

 

---