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The blood in my head runs cold.

No, it wasn’t just my head; it felt like the blood in my entire body had turned to ice.

“What do you mean by that…?”

Did I mishear? No, it didn’t seem like I did.

Lady Mi’s expression confirmed it.

“You say you didn’t send me a letter?”

“No. I did send a letter.”

Lady Mi denied my words, or rather, corrected them.

“True, I sent a letter to you, but… when did you receive it?”

“I received it two days ago.”

“Two days…?”

Lady Mi’s eyes widened even more.

“Did you really come here from Sichuan in just two days?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Right now, more importantly…!”

Squeeze.

Lady Mi suddenly grabbed my shoulder. The unexpected touch startled me.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes? Ah, yes.”

I was even more shocked by the change in her tone.

It seemed that Lady Mi realized her slip and coughed awkwardly, then整理 her voice and manner again.

“No matter how urgent it is, traveling such a long distance that quickly can harm your body.”

“…I’m fine.”

Actually, it wasn’t particularly difficult at all.

My energy had increased, and it was easy to manage it.

The explosive increase in power had solved the difficulties I was facing.

Anyway.

“Moreover, if you’ve been at the alliance, what kind of ordeal did you go through…? Are you really alright…?”

“Lady Mi.”

I interrupted her. There was something more important at hand.

“Please continue the conversation we were having earlier. I’m really fine.”

I didn’t know why I was so flustered, but I calmed myself down and continued.

“It’s true you sent me a letter, but what I actually received wasn’t the letter you sent.”

“…That’s right. The timing doesn’t match. Even if it arrived early, it should have arrived today.”

“…”

No matter how early, today was the earliest.

However, I received the letter the day before yesterday. Immediately after receiving it, I set off and arrived at this moment.

‘…What is going on?’

I frowned.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand it.

‘The handwriting was perfect. The situation matched up.’

I had been placed in a state where it was impossible for me to misunderstand. The circumstances and justification lined up perfectly, and even the handwriting was the same.

But it was fake?

As I trembled with doubt, Lady Mi reached out to me.

“Do you still have the letter you received?”

“Ah, yes.”

That’s right. I had it. I hurriedly took it from my chest and handed it to Lady Mi.

She unfurled the letter and scrutinized it, her eyebrows knitting together.

“…Indeed. It’s understandable to be misled.”

She acknowledged it herself. The handwriting, the seal, and even the paper she often used were all identical.

“How…?”

What happened? Both Lady Mi and I were unable to comprehend it.

‘Who could it be?’

What kind of bastard would do this to me?

And, what kind of bastard was capable of such a thing?

As I pondered over it, my neck began to tingle.

“…!”

It was the most ridiculous assumption I could think of, but at this point, it was the most likely possibility.

I hoped it wouldn’t be true, but the likelihood seemed slim.

So, first, I asked Lady Mi.

“…If you don’t mind me asking. When did you hear about my father’s…. the Clan Leader’s arrest?”

“Three days ago.”

“…Three days ago.”

It was difficult to determine the timing of the arrest. This was purely when Lady Mi found out the information.

Which meant,

‘The letter I received must have set off a day or two earlier than that.’

That would lead to the conclusion that

‘They sent the letter knowing my father would be imprisoned.’

‘What a crummy situation.’

If that were the case, it must have been a person within the alliance who pulled this stunt.

I felt irritation rising. My father’s situation was such, and it was a result of someone else’s scheming.

Suppressing my emotions forcefully, I spoke to Lady Mi.

“…Firstly, please explain what happened in a bit more detail.”

I needed to grasp the situation.

After listening to the explanation, I rubbed my temples.

The creased wrinkles were still there.

“Are you alright?”

Lady Mi asked with concern. I hastily withdrew my hand and managed my expression.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

In reality, I wasn’t fine at all, but I pretended to be. Otherwise, I felt like I might spew all kinds of curses in front of Lady Mi.

‘…So.’

Roughly summarizing what I heard.

‘My father invaded the main sect to kill Muk Yeon, and the Sword Sovereign and Shin Ryong Great Lord intervened, resulting in his imprisonment.’

That matched exactly with the information I received shortly before.

‘The reason for the actions was still unknown… The trial is tomorrow?’

It was also not much different from what I learned from the alliance.

The problem was.

“The acting Clan Leader is Elder Lee?”

“Yes.”

With my father unable to carry out his duties, it turned out that Elder Lee had assumed the position of acting Clan Leader.

It wasn’t odd.

‘He was fit for the position of acting leader.’

The Head Officer couldn’t mobilize from the main house, and the acting Clan Leader had to attend the trial. But.

‘I was in Sichuan and not the Lesser Clan Leader.’

Thus, the person closest to acting was Elder Lee.

“…Then, where is Elder Lee right now?”

“Elder Lee should be just outside…”

Just as Lady Mi was about to speak.

-“Looks like that little one sure eats a lot.”

Elder Lee’s voice came from outside.

He seemed to have arrived.

I hastily stood up and went outside.

“Elder… Huh?”

“Ah?”

What appeared was, as always, the tremendously large Elder Lee and.

“Ah.”

Perched on Elder Lee’s shoulder was.

“Daddy.”

Tolly.

“…”

“Hello.”

He grinned at me, waving his hand. Clutching what appeared to be every kind of skewer imaginable.

He still looked just like he did in my childhood.

No, that’s not the point.

“…Why are you up there?”

“Huh? Big Grandpa told me to ride.”

Big Grandpa. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who that referred to.

“Yeah, I told you to ride.”

“That’s right. He told me to.”

“…”

He was even clutching Elder Lee’s hair with one hand.

Seeing that made me let out a sigh.

“Are you getting down or not?”

“Why would I?!”

“Why?”

I glared at him, and Tolly flinched.

Then he curled up and hid behind Elder Lee.

This little brat?

I tried to grab him down, but Lady Mi darted out before I could.

It was the first time I had seen her move that quickly in my life.

She approached Elder Lee and reached out to Tolly.

As if waiting for that moment, Tolly jumped into Lady Mi’s arms.

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Yes, Grandma.”

‘Grandma…’

How should I approach that strange choice of words? The fact that he looked comfortably nestled in her arms only added to the strangeness.

‘What a devil beast curling up in a human’s embrace.’

Let alone, he was even snuggling.

Anyone watching would be shocked to the core.

“Don’t say too much.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s correct to let a child be spoiled in their infancy.”

Lady Mi blurted out unexpectedly, wearing a somewhat sad expression.

“Having not known that left me with regrets… I hope it won’t be the same for you.”

“…No.”

What does that even mean? Anyone would think I was trying to teach Tolly a lesson.

Dumbfounded, I wanted to retort, but.

“Say, how did you end up here? You’re supposed to be in Sichuan.”

Elder Lee interrupted, cutting off my words.

“…Things turned strange, so I rushed over.”

“Ah.”

Elder Lee seemed to grasp what I was saying.

“You received the news.”

“Yes…”

“Hmm.”

Elder Lee, upon hearing my words, wore a strange expression. Then he patted my shoulder.

What now?

“Looks like I was mistaken.”

“What do you mean?”

“Seems you’ve matured much more than I thought.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

That made no sense. What does ‘matured’ even mean? I couldn’t comprehend, so I asked.

“Elder Lee thought as soon as he heard the news, you would invade the Martial Alliance and wreak havoc.”

Oh?

I flinched at Elder Lee’s remark.

“Seeing you hurry here means you’re finally starting to think a bit… Why do you look so…?”

“…No, that’s…”

Seeing my reaction, Elder Lee’s forehead wrinkled.

“…Yangcheon. Do you perhaps.”

“Wreaking havoc is stretching it.”

“You went, didn’t you?”

Elder Lee’s expression shifted to one of realization. He then asked me, full of trepidation.

“…You didn’t cause an accident, did you?”

“It wasn’t an accident… Just.”

I awkwardly averted my eyes and spoke.

“I just had a little scuffle with the Sword Sovereign and scorched the floor a bit.”

“-What else is that if not an accident?”

Elder Lee exhaled sharply, preparing to speak.

“What? You fought the Sword Sovereign?”

What got the bigger reaction was Lady Mi.

“Fought the Sword Sovereign? That old man actually fought you…!”

“…Elder Baihua. Calling him that makes it sound…”

“Are you hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Damn.”

All my words were swallowed up, and Elder Lee eventually let out a curse. Yeah, I did hold my temper for too long.

“…Lady Mi, I’m completely fine. Look. There’s nothing hurt. It was merely a small dispute.”

“A dispute and yet you scorched the floor?”

“…”

I simply brushed off Elder Lee’s comment.

“Are you really alright?”

“Yes.”

I meant it. There was absolutely no effect from my fight with the Sword Sovereign.

After all…

‘Neither of us was trying to kill the other.’

We were merely indulging ourselves in combat.

If we had both been serious…

‘The alliance would have been in ruins long ago.’

Given our realms, it would have turned into total chaos.

The fact that the alliance was still intact indicated that both sides had been holding back.

I turned away from the still doubtful Lady Mi and glanced at Elder Lee.

“So, I heard the trial is tomorrow. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it’s tomorrow.”

“I also heard that Elder Lee will be attending as the acting Clan Leader. How should we plan for that?”

“Hm?”

Elder Lee tilted his head at my question.

Then, as if surprised, he spoke to me.

“What situation do we need to plan for?”

“…Huh?”

“What’s there to prepare for?”

“No, if you’re attending, you must have some strategies in mind.”

“Not really.”

“…”

My head began to spin.

“…What do you mean?”

“Why do we need to prepare?”

“What do you expect to happen that requires preparation…?”

“Gu Clan Leader said not to worry.” “…!”

Elder Lee’s answer left me speechless.

“The Gu Clan Leader said not to worry. He said everything is fine, so do nothing. Thus, I simply follow those instructions.”

“However…”

“If he went to the main sect, Yangcheon, you should have guessed what the Gu Clan Leader told you. Am I right?”

“…That’s correct.”

“What did he say?”

I recalled my father’s words from the alliance.

‘He said he was fine.’

I couldn’t remember the exact wording. It was either “don’t worry” or “I’m fine.”

What mattered more was the gist of what he meant.

“…He said he was fine. He asked me to take care of Lady Mi.”

Upon hearing that, Lady Mi flinched.

“Really?”

On the contrary, Elder Lee smiled.

“This time he spoke undeniably clearly.”

“The man.” It was the first time I’ve seen Elder Lee refer to my father in such a way.

“The Gu Clan Leader said he is fine. So, Yangcheon, you too should think that way and remain quiet. There must be a reason for everything.”

“…What if there is no reason?”

“Even so, it’s not your place to intervene.”

Elder Lee’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“I mean you don’t have a place to intervene in this matter.”

“…”

I bit my lip, unable to argue against this reasoning.

“So, you focus on what you need to do. Leave this issue to the Gu Clan Leader and me.”

What I needed to do.

I grimaced as that thought crossed my mind.

‘What I need to do, huh?’

I shifted my gaze to Lady Mi. Looking at her hand, I saw the letter I had given her.

What I needed to do now.

It was undoubtedly this matter.

It not only bore Lady Mi’s handwriting but also the seal of the alliance.

‘It seems I have to find that scoundrel who has a hand in this.’

As that thought flashed through my mind, my eyes sparkled.

Pondering alone wouldn’t bring any conclusions.

Then there was only one method.

‘I’ll enlist the smartest guy I know.’

I had to pay a visit to Jiegal Hyeok.

*

“The Star King has arrived in Hanam.”

The woman in a veil, a dancer, spoke to someone’s back.

At her words, the man adjusting his clothes turned his head slightly.

A smile danced on the man’s lips, and his eyes gleamed a blood-red.

“Faster than expected. Did he acquire something in Sichuan?”

The Blood Demon smiled.

Every time he grinned, the dancer’s shoulders quivered ever so slightly.

“Not bad. It’s rather good.”

Nodding, the Blood Demon tidied himself up.

He then drew a deep breath.

He looked as if he was feeling a mix of excitement.

“I’ll be gone for a bit.”

“That means…”

The Blood Demon addressed the dancer, saying,

“It’s time. So, we should first gather what we need to.”

With a smile, the Blood Demon said that.

And just as he finished speaking, he transformed into crimson smoke and vanished.

“…”

As she watched that, the dancer bowed her head cautiously, as if to show respect.

 

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