---

EP.76 Between Snowy Summer (2)

What could foul smell be?

It was a question Nangong Bi-ah had pondered since childhood.

Why could she smell things others couldn’t?

She understood that because of this, her life had descended into hell.

A life where she couldn’t eat comfortably, couldn’t talk, and sleeping itself felt like hell.

How could she escape this?

In the thick fog where nothing was clear, Nangong Bi-ah could only wander aimlessly.

The only fortunate thing was that amidst such foulness, there were moments she could overcome it.

When she swung her sword.

Only then did the world offer her a sense of liberation.

So, Nangong Bi-ah began her obsession, not quite an obsession, with the sword.

In the moments of sword dance, she could enter a delusion where she felt nothing at all.

Thus, she swung her sword every day.

Once the sword dance ended, the foulness returned, and the scent emanating from those who watched her performance became even stronger.

But if there was no foulness in the moment she danced, she hoped that if she eventually saw the tip of the sword she desired, it might all disappear.

Seeing those with greater sword mastery than herself, she asked to spar and spent all her time training her martial prowess.

As she grew, the foul smell emanating from her home became stronger.

Avoiding conversations with others led to her speaking less.

The aspirations, desires, envies, and jealousy from them were all felt together with the foulness.

Could the cause of the foulness lie there?

Nangong Bi-ah wasn’t sure.

It seemed there was something else.

Her expression faded day by day.

She couldn’t remember the last time she smiled.

Perhaps the day she lost her mother was the day she lost it all.

Even with her nose pinched shut, the sensations continued to weary her.

She would rather live in isolation in the mountains, but the clan wouldn’t allow it.

As the foulness of the masses surged, her younger brother became a burden to her.

The increasingly excessive expressions, the myriad emotions in their eyes.

Nangong Bi-ah felt overwhelmed by conversations she couldn’t understand.

Does tranquility await at the tip of the sword she sought?

Is there peace at the end of this enduring life?

Or is it simply foolish persistence?

In the days of contemplating at the edge of a cliff.

That’s when she met him.

It was the first time.

The first time she felt there was no foul odor in life.

Like the thick fog lifting, only tranquility existed beside him.

With sharp eyes and a grumpy manner, he radiated an apparent distance, begging for her to stay away.

But in that gap, Nangong Bi-ah found comfort.

She couldn’t smell any foulness.

There was no desire felt from others, and the vibe that surrounded him was enveloped in an inexplicable urgency and guilt.

At times she felt he looked at her as if he were reminded of someone else; she wanted to ask him one day.

Who exactly was he looking for?

What were the words he wanted to say that brought those eyes?

Since she could never ask, she still didn’t know the answers.

The words Tang Soyeol had once asked her often resurfaced in her mind.

Do you like him?

Back then, Nangong Bi-ah thought she didn’t.

What she had felt for him at that time was definitely not affection.

‘What about now?’

So, was it different now?

She asked herself, but the answer didn’t come back.

It felt harder than the matter of foulness.

While swinging her sword on the back mountain, her eyes met his.

What caught her eyes first was the injured back of his hand.

Startled by that, she approached, but—

At the same moment, a fishy scent hit her.

It was faint, but undeniably foul.

In that instant, Nangong Bi-ah felt the world crumbling down.

Repeating thoughts of “it can’t be” as she grasped him closer to sniff.

Praying it wouldn’t be true.

For Nangong Bi-ah, this had been the refuge she had finally found.

The ability to eat comfortably and sleep without nightmares.

She could walk among people.

Just now, she was gradually starting to understand things.

…This was something she must not lose.

Fortunately, it seemed to be an illusion.

The fishy scent that had lingered near him dissipated quickly.

As tranquility returned as if nothing ever happened, she unknowingly lost strength in her legs and sank down.

He approached and gently wiped away her flowing cold sweat.

She took his arm and brought it to her nose.

A gesture done unwittingly, driven by a panicked heart fearing loss.

‘I see now.’

Nangong Bi-ah understood what despair felt like.

The comfort she once had blindly sought revealed to her the fear of losing.

I see now.

I can’t let him go.

Thoughts of the seemingly meaningless title of fiancée might perhaps not be a blessing for her anymore echoed in her mind.

Imagining a life without him.

A life where she would have to exist once again in foulness.

Could she survive again in that place?

Nangong Bi-ah tightened her grip on his hand, not wanting to imagine such a thing.

*

I brought Nangong Bi-ah down to the lodging as her condition seemed strange.

Why was she sweating so profusely?

They say a summer cold doesn’t even trouble dogs; could it be that she caught fatigue?

‘A martial artist catching fatigue….’

From the standpoint of someone with a bet, that would be pretty hard to come by.

Especially for a martial artist of Nangong Bi-ah’s caliber.

Thinking there might be more serious issues than just fatigue, I suggested she see a physician, but she shook her head and went to wash up by herself.

“Young Master! Young Master!”

By dinner time, Wi Seol-Ah had stubbornly stuck by my side.

Earlier, she had seen the injured back of my hand and was about to break into tears, which took quite a bit to calm her down.

I wondered if Wi Seol-Ah had gotten caught up in cooking lately; she kept bringing something she made.

The meals were provided by Hwasan after all.

Of course, since it was a sect, the meals wouldn’t be extravagant, but as long as it filled the belly, it didn’t matter.

‘…I feel like I haven’t had dumplings in days.’

It seemed like it had been a few days since I’d had any.

When I go to Hyun, I’ll have to eat some.

‘Not that I’ll be going anytime soon.’

Given Hwasan’s position, making a trip down and back was no small feat.

I picked up a food item from Wi Seol-Ah that I couldn’t name.

Her eager eyes were quite a burden.

Looking at her, I spat out unceremoniously.

“It’s salty.”

“…R-really?”

The way her eyes widened at a single word made me chuckle.

Knowing it was a dish she had put effort into, I ruffled her hair and revealed it was just a joke.

“I was lying, it’s fine.”

“Ugh… You’re so mean for joking around like that…!”

“Your reaction is just too funny.”

By now, I felt no problem ruffling her hair.

Was it because the hesitation had lessened?

With her head resting against my hand, Wi Seol-Ah looked up at me with round puppy-like eyes.

Feeling something strange, I held her cheeks with both hands and stretched them out.

“Guh-buh-buh!”

“…Oh my, it really stretches!”

What kind of texture is this? It reminded me of when Gu Huibi had played with her cheeks back at the clan, and I could relate.

So this was the feeling.

“Guh-buh….”

“Ah, sorry.”

Did I pull too hard? Wi Seol-Ah gently rubbed her cheeks and shot me a slight glare.

Seeing that, I asked her.

“By the way, where is Noya?”

I didn’t think she would have returned to Hwasan alone.

I figured Jian had come along as well, but I didn’t see Jian around.

Wi Seol-Ah touched her slightly flushed cheeks as she answered.

“Grandfather said he had something to do and went away!”

“…Something to do.”

I didn’t think Jian would have any business in Seomseo, leaving Wi Seol-Ah behind.

While I wasn’t overly worried about Jian, I was simply curious.

What could lead him to go all the way to Seomseo, and it so happened here was Shin Yi.

That Shin Yi’s grandson was Jiegal Hyeok.

“…Why are there so many things?”

The disappearance of Wusan disciples, the health of the Sword Demoness.

Any one of those would be a problem, but multiple issues were coming together.

It felt like there was something intertwined among them.

“Young Master.”

“Yeah?”

“Your face looks uglier again….”

“…What did you say?”

It had been a while since I heard such an ugly comment.

Having been told I looked like a praying mantis before, it wasn’t particularly shocking.

“Don’t go saying that carelessly elsewhere.”

“Why not…?”

“…Because really ugly kids get hurt by that.”

“But making that face makes you look ugly…”

“…True.”

When Wi Seol-Ah said that, it pierced my heart like a dagger. This is why pretty people are like this.

She was probably just saying that because she’d frowned due to the complicated situation, but I thought I should take the time to correct her speech next time.

[…Seems like she meant it seriously.]

‘Be quiet, please.’

As if my heart wasn’t already aching, now you’re adding fuel to the fire….

After throwing a few more weeds into my mouth, I hastily finished dinner.

Since Nangong Bi-ah seemed unwell, I told Wi Seol-Ah to go check on her.

I thought about taking a short walk while looking around.

—Hah!

—Watch your legs!

—Your arms are slacking!

Echoing from outside were the ki sounds of the Three Great Disciples, seemingly deep into their final training.

It must have been for the upcoming Jehwa Contest.

Was it like a martial arts sparring among Hwasan’s disciples?

Probably after that, they would return to their clans.

Yongpung told me it would wrap up in a day or two, so there wasn’t much time left.

I hoped nothing would happen during that time.

‘The issue must be with the demonic energy I saw earlier.’

The henchmen of the Black Night Palace I had seen during the day.

For some reason, I felt something was off about the demonic energy; it looked much muddied to be called demonic energy.

To be exact, it appeared of poor quality, or it looked incomplete.

It was on a completely different level from the demonic energy scattered by the demons of the Demonic Sect.

So, I didn’t think there would be any connection to the Heavenly Demon.

[Are you thinking about them?]

“…Yes, it’s just a bit unsettling.”

[Are they well-known?]

“Not exactly famous, but they’re also not hidden.”

The Black Night Princess herself was a master representing the Demonic Faction.

Even when the previously famous Black Dragon Sword was killed by the Sword Sovereign, she held her ground dignifiedly.

‘Was I too indifferent?’

Did I simply think it was a place that would fade away in a few years, pushed out by the Martial Alliance?

Thinking that the Black Night Palace might hold information about the demonic energy that the Heavenly Demon had brought forth, it was a rather complicated feeling.

“They won’t let it go easily if they’ve missed someone.”

[It’s in Hwasan’s domain. They would know it has reached the ears of the current Sect Leader, so they won’t act lightly.]

To be honest, half of me took a bit of a risk with that thought, but I didn’t believe those guys would simply scurry away with their tails between their legs.

‘For now, the Maehwa Seon will handle what’s left.’

Among other things, there were too many things to think about ahead.

Even if I began gathering information on the Black Night Palace, it would be difficult in Seomseo.

Pushing aside my troubling thoughts, I walked back to the lodging when suddenly, someone came running from afar.

“Gu So-hyeob!”

It was Yeongpung, soaking wet with sweat.

What in the world is that mess…?

“Yeongpung, did you…?”

“Are you going for evening training?”

“Yeah…? No?”

“The evening air is nice today. Training will surely give you great energy!”

“…Ah, sure.”

Please tell me he hadn’t been doing this since morning.

[Among the younger generation, he’s the one I’m fond of, with that kind of talent and effort, he’ll undoubtedly be the best of Hwasan in the near future.]

As Shin Noya said with pride.

If Yeongpung’s future is any orderly path, it’ll turn out that way.

Unless some crazy guy comes along and wipes out Hwasan entirely.

“…Damn.”

“What did you say, Gu So-hyeob?”

“No, nothing.”

“Ah… I see. If you have a mind for it, why not train together for the evening?”

Seeing Yeongpung suggest again with that cheerful expression after having witnessed his struggle in the morning was quite astonishing.

After such a long day, I felt like collapsing as soon as I got there.

But seeing Yeongpung like this, I felt somewhat motivated.

“Let’s go.”

Yeah, I might as well just do a little training before I crash anyway.

…But just a few minutes in, I immediately regretted it.

This crazy Hwasan, I swear.

“…Ugh!”

What had started as a motive for evening training quickly turned into a desperate escape.

Setting aside the standard training, what kind of madman is making people climb cliffs with rocks on their backs?

Not to mention all sorts of bizarre training being forced upon us continuously.

With my muscles screaming in agony, I felt like I was dying, but Yeongpung appeared to enjoy it.

How did such a person ever end up blocked at a wall in the future?

Could there have been any reason for that?

[Couldn’t it be that you sparked his motivation and that’s why he’s like this?]

“No way, even if he’s a simple person, one spar shouldn’t change him this much.”

[That’s something you won’t know.]

Could that match I had with him have been that shocking?

If so, it would be a relief that I achieved what I intended, but if he truly changed that drastically in an instant, that would be a terrifying matter.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it any longer and announced I was leaving, prompting Yeongpung to express disappointment and insist he wanted to continue.

Without waiting for him to finish, I took off at a fast pace.

Having been embroiled in various situations since morning and rolling around until dinner during training meant my body was completely worn out.

I hurried back to the lodging to cool my hot body with cold water and changed into clean clothes.

I desperately wanted to sleep.

Having not had a decent night’s sleep the previous day, I felt like I would truly sleep deeply tonight.

Thinking that, I opened the door.

Creeeak—

“Youn…!”

Creeeak, thud.

“…?”

Without realizing it, I opened the door only to close it immediately.

I could’ve sworn Nangong Bi-ah and Wi Seol-Ah were inside.

Did I see wrong…?

 

---