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EP.60 Falling Plum Dragon (3)

Unpleasant.

The sound of the falling rain, the indifferent moonlight, even the breeze brushing through my hair.

Everything feels unwelcome.

In the midst of my thoughts, a woman asks,

“…Are you crying?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s clearly just rainwater!”

The man replied roughly, but the woman’s hand touched his cheek.

Normally, he would have pushed it away, but this time he held back.

“…I’m not crying.”

“You’re aiming too high.”

He had endured far too much to be shedding tears.

There was nothing left to cry about now.

“…What a pity.”

There was no emotion in the woman’s voice.

Even as she approached death, it remained unchanged.

Perhaps after witnessing countless deaths, she had grown numb to it.

One of her arms was torn apart, and a large hole marred her chest.

She should have died instantly from such wounds, yet she clung to life, for she was a martial artist at an exalted realm.

Even that was running out.

“Why did you do that?”

He asked the woman, unable to comprehend.

In her final moment, a storm of sword paths directed towards him.

Though she had every chance to survive, she chose to take his place.

He could not understand.

He didn’t want to understand.

It was supposed to be him lying here on the ground.

That had been his resolve since the war began.

She had interfered with that.

And he was furious.

Yes, he was angry. That’s the way he saw it.

The woman gently stroked his cheek.

The steady sound of the rain sickened him.

“Don’t cry.”

He tried to swat her hand away at her words.

But her grip on his wrist was too tight, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“…Don’t cry.”

She continued to repeat the same words to him. What could she possibly see while her eyes were already closed?

Was it pity?

Meaningless camaraderie?

He couldn’t understand anything.

“…I said I’m not crying.”

“Don’t… cry.”

The woman’s blue and white hair became drenched by the rain, gradually losing its luster.

The moonlight that usually shone so brightly chose this moment to hide away.

“…Is the moon still up there…?”

She asked.

He looked up at the sky at her words.

The skies were overcast with dark clouds, and only rain fell relentlessly.

The woman loved the moon.

She often sat alone on a rock, gazing at it.

Strangely, he remembered every detail of that sight.

“…Yes, it’s still up there.”

With the rain falling between the clouds, there was no way the moon could be seen.

Both the woman and he knew this.

It was merely a futile performance.

“…Are you beside me?”

Her question.

He let out a dry laugh at her words.

“You’re touching my cheek like that and you still ask?”

At his words, the corners of her lips seemed to twitch slightly.

Could it be that she smiled? He thought he must have seen it wrong.

“…Both are here. How fortunate.”

What was fortunate, he wondered.

He couldn’t ask again.

Because the moment she spoke that, her breath stopped.

Only then did he slowly lower her hand.

There was no way to gently bury her or to take her body away.

She would not wish for that either, nor was their situation even capable of it.

“I found you…”

He slowly got up at the voice that came from behind.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds of martial artists stood before him.

They wore garments of pale blue with the character for ‘Alliance’ written on the lower part.

Among the countless martial artists, the one leading the front had stunning features and pointed his sword towards him.

“Fortunately, you haven’t escaped far.”

His resolve to uphold justice and negotiations was evident on his face.

He had to suppress the chill creeping up his spine at that sight.

“…You’re Yuseong.”

He quietly spoke the name of Yuseong, known as the next generation’s hope for the Righteous Faction.

At the mention of him, Yuseong’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The woman beside him shouted,

“How dare you! Do not speak of the Great Lord with your filthy mouth!”

The shout drew no response. The downpour felt exceptionally heavy.

“…I keep forgetting.”

He swept his hand over his weary face.

Yes, he kept forgetting.

Why he was standing here.

What his role was, he kept forgetting.

“…The Heavenly Demon will soon perish. Surrender willingly!”

Yuseong’s words drew a hollow laugh from him.

He had tried to hold it in, but he simply couldn’t.

“What? Hand it over to whom?”

“To the Three Eminent Beings, currently against the Heavenly Demon…”

“Oh, the Three Eminent Beings? So you’ve dispatched a wild dog like me just to catch someone like me while they handle the old men?”

A chuckle escaped involuntarily, trying to hide his growing smile.

Yuseong’s face contorted further.

At that sight, the man barely managed to stop his laughter.

“Yeah, I should…do it quickly, or else I’ll really lose my cool.”

As he took a step forward, flames burst forth from his feet, scattering throughout the forest in an instant.

Among the martial artists getting into battle formation, the man was only focused on Yuseong.

He met Yuseong’s gaze, who was returning with an expressionless face, and said,

“You disgusting brat.”

Yuseong’s lips appeared to tremble slightly at his words, but the flames soon obscured his expression.

The flames raged and quickly consumed the entire forest, incinerating an area nearly ten li wide in less than a single meal’s time.

Subsequently, the reported incident to the Martial Alliance noted that the Demon had escaped, with Yuseong being the only survivor left.

“Martial Arts Sparring.”

At Nangong Bi-ah’s comment, I swallowed hard.

Sometimes, the memories that pop up against my will only bring forth the most unpleasant recollections.

Why is it? Why did such a memory surface out of nowhere? Of all times, right now.

Unable to face Nangong Bi-ah’s firm gaze, I turned my head slightly.

I feared becoming overly sensitive to the reminiscence.

“…Can’t you see I’ve just finished sparring?”

I had just wrapped up a spar with Yeongpung.

Bi-ah must have seen it too, right?

What was she thinking, coming right away to challenge me to a spar?

Nangong Bi-ah’s lips puckered slightly at my question.

What a bizarre expression to make…

Such a rare occurrence.

In my past life, I could never have imagined her making such a face.

Every time it happened, I felt more and more that she was different from the Demon Sword Queen, yet deep inside, a strange feeling writhed.

[You’re always mumbling to yourself. I can’t focus with you making all this noise—just sit still.]

‘You don’t say that unless you mean it.’

[Hmph.]

She wanted to spar, but since her successor faced me, she must be feeling indignant about it now?

Could she really be that petty…

[…You rotten brat.]

‘…So it seems I hit the nail on the head.’

Is this just a trait of someone from Hwasan?

Even after so much time has passed, holding onto such feelings.

[That’s a different matter altogether. This child is something the current Sect Leader must take responsibility for.]

‘So what is bothering her then?’

[…Seeing you pull out the Plum Blossom style and getting beaten up, it makes me feel a bit irked. In my time, that wouldn’t have happened…!]

‘…What does that even mean?’

She rambled on, spouting nonsense, and I decided to ignore it.

I looked at Nangong Bi-ah and said,

“Are you really still sulking about that?”

Is she throwing a tantrum because she refused to spar with me and instead fought with Yeongpung?

Whether it’s because she sensed my thoughts or if I’d hit the nail on the head, Bi-ah’s eyes briefly flickered.

“…I’m not sulking.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“You seem sulky.”

“It’s… not true.”

“Really not?”

Then why does she keep avoiding my gaze? Was she originally so expressive with her emotions?

Was it because Nangong Bi-ah was still young, or was she always like this?

I couldn’t quite tell.

I suddenly had a question for Bi-ah, who kept looking away.

“Nangong Young Lady.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you like the moon?”

Nangong Bi-ah cocked her head at my unexpected question.

It was such an abrupt thing to ask that I could hardly blame her for being puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, her eyes rolled around before she answered.

“Not really…?”

I couldn’t help but laugh softly at her response.

“You didn’t like the moon?”

I thought she had mentioned liking it before.

Or didn’t she ever actually say it?

“…?”

Seeing Bi-ah look puzzled, I said,

“How about we save the spar for another day?”

“…!”

Bi-ah’s eyes widened in surprise.

Is it really that shocking of a thing to say?

“…Are you really going to do that?”

“If you stop talking like that, I might.”

“Really?”

“No—just do as you please.”

I’ve half-given up on this by now.

It truly feels like a habit she’ll never break.

To be honest, I might have already exhausted myself too much, and my body would quickly tire.

While I had tried to hold back, such a demanding martial arts style caused my body to feel overloaded soon enough.

I guess I’ll be lying down in discomfort later.

[I hope you get a cramp or something.]

‘Are you going to keep talking like a brat, old man? Talking about a cramp as if you’re not a ghost…’

[Age…!? You little brat…!]

He’d been so noisy that I felt a headache creeping in again.

As I rubbed my throbbing head, Nangong Bi-ah approached slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Just a headache…”

Suddenly, her hand touched my cheek.

Perhaps that’s why the recent thought intertwined.

“Fever…”

[Don’t cry.]

A foul feeling surged from within, and before I knew it, I swatted Nangong Bi-ah’s hand away.

“…?”

Nangong Bi-ah stared between her hand and me, alternately.

I acted a bit too rashly without even realizing it.

Clearing my throat, I quickly apologized to her.

“I’m sorry. You just startled me.”

[Looks like you can’t even handle that.]

Nangong Bi-ah nodded slightly.

That seemed to be her way of saying she was okay.

“Well then… see you later.”

After saying that, Nangong Bi-ah turned and walked away.

Did she seem to walk a little cheerfully? Or was it just my imagination?

Seeing her, Shin Noya asked,

[You put up such a strong front, but what’s on your mind?]

‘I’m not avoiding it.’

[The moment you said you’d do that, you seemed to feel awkward about it… even now.]

‘It just felt like she wanted it so badly that I just said it.’

[…Yes, if it happens, then just rein it in a little this time.]

‘What do you mean?’

[Whether it’s that beastly martial arts style or something else, if you’re going to use a bet, be cautious about it.]

Shin Noya’s words were hard to comprehend. He didn’t seem to be joking.

[Since you use bets like they’re nothing, I get all riled up trying to calm it down.]

‘…What?’

[What did you even eat that you’re harboring such strange things… Am I the only one suffering here?]

‘You’re already gone from the mortal realm; what are you talking about?’

At my reply, Shin Noya let out a strange howl.

Covering my ears won’t help resolve this, and it was becoming a chore.

While he might have said it in jest, the truth was that it was quite troublesome.

If using too many bets makes him restless…

His words put me in an uncomfortable position.

Just when I thought my body could finally move, something in me decided to stir up trouble again?

‘What the heck is going on…?’

I wondered if it came with the energy of that treasure.

Or had there always been something inside me? I couldn’t tell.

I suspected Shin Noya wasn’t lying, but in the end, I had no certainty either.

‘If I hurry to Hwasan, will I find any answers?’

It’s not like I’d suddenly gain clarity by going to Hwasan, but right now, I had no other options.

‘Should I look into this later too?’

Given that I had no way to accomplish anything in the mountains.

I decided to leave the matters with Yeongpung to the Hwasan Sect and returned to the campsite.

Upon arrival, I felt a strange sensation, and I pondered what was different before realizing that Wi Seol-Ah hadn’t run out to greet me.

“…What? Where did she really go?”

While it wasn’t expected for her to be waiting, I felt a bit uneasy not seeing her rush as usual.

I stopped a passing servant and inquired.

“Seol-Ah was with the old man Wi earlier.”

At that, I finally felt reassured.

If she was with the Sword Sovereign, then there was nothing to worry about.

…Am I to accompany Nangong Bi-ah starting tomorrow?

[That’s fortunate. She seems rather… impressive.]

What should I do? I was lost in thought when Shin Noya popped in with his comments.

‘…Shin Noya, you’re not actually a celestial being, are you?’

[You little brat… Are you really saying that to your ancestor?]

No, there’s no way this person could be the leader of Hwasan…

Let alone a Sword God, that’d be even more absurd.

That would be a terrible fate for those who live their lives in this world.

[…Are you aware that I can hear what you’re saying?]

‘Yes, I’m saying it intentionally. I’m just letting you know, so don’t worry.’

[Hahaha, what a rotten brat you are.]

After finishing my sparring, I found that the night had deepened much more than before.

If I let it go on any longer, tomorrow would be hell, so I needed to sleep quickly.

I felt like I may have overexerted myself, but Yeongpung was on my mind.

[Overdoing it…? You devoured the Plum Blossom right in front of me and you’re just saying overexerted…?]

…I thought it would be okay, he’d manage perfectly.

If I were crumbling under this, crossing the wall in the first place would have been impossible.

Having moved my body a bit, I felt like I was somewhat sweaty and wanted to wash it off before bed, but I also felt too lazy to go through with that, so I decided to just sleep.

[Thinking you could just sleep like this is truly a disgrace.]

As usual, I chose to ignore Shin Noya’s words.

Wi Seol-Ah was enjoying a conversation with the Sword Sovereign after a long time.

Though ‘conversation’ really meant the Sword Sovereign embellishing the tales of his past martial arts exploits like folklore.

Wi Seol-Ah found it entertaining nonetheless.

As she felt herself drowsing with half-closed eyes, she suddenly asked the Sword Sovereign,

“Grandfather.”

“Hmm?”

“What does engagement mean?”

“…Hmm?”

At Wi Seol-Ah’s question, the Sword Sovereign displayed a rather complex expression.

No matter how freely he raised her, he had never imparted such basic knowledge, which weighed on his conscience.

Even if he didn’t quite grasp why his granddaughter would ask something so random, it wouldn’t be strange for her curious personality that occasionally inquired if eagles or hawks were tastier.

He thought it might just be something like that again, so he began explaining to Wi Seol-Ah.

“Engagement means…”

“Okay…!”

As he continued explaining, Wi Seol-Ah’s expression gradually darkened.

Not noticing her change, the Sword Sovereign continued to explain gently.

And then, the next day.

Wi Seol-Ah did not speak to Nangong Bi-ah.

 

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