One of the criteria that separates geniuses from ordinary folks is the sense of dissonance.
Ordinary people, being on the lower end of the spectrum, generally think in ways that are quite similar to their peers.
But geniuses are different. They are always contemplating, sorting through their thoughts, and coming up with conclusions that make sense to them based on their own standards.
And those conclusions, to the average person, often seem quite off the mark.
Isn’t that obvious? They essentially predict outcomes several moves ahead. So it’s only natural that others might struggle to comprehend their conclusions.
This is why most people faced with a genius often find themselves flustered.
In that sense, the Sword Saint definitively proved her genius.
Even I, who knew her to some extent, was momentarily stunned into silence when she first looked at me with that sympathetic gaze and then told me to hang in there while clenching her fists. That was when Ryuhyun snapped back to reality, clueless about what to do, and approached me.
“I’m so sorry. I… this rudeness…”
“Oh, no. It’s not rudeness at all. That’s just how it is. I heard the Sword Saint is a genius, and it seems the rumors are true.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for your kind words. Um… I’m Sayoon.”
“Ah, yes.”
Sayoon, who was also checking my reaction, suddenly regained her focus. Ryuhyun cautiously said to her,
“Please guide the innkeeper.”
“Y-Yes! Of course!”
“And don’t take them to the prohibited areas. Understand?”
“Yes. Understood.”
With a slight bow, Sayoon gently took my arm.
“Shall we go then?”
The embarrassment I felt from the first meeting with the Sword Saint quickly faded. After all, I was somewhat familiar with Sword Saint Na Yerin from playing Heavenly Bright Moon.
However, Sayoon seemed restless, worried that I viewed the Sword Saint unfavorably.
Well, that demeanor was quite amusing, but I couldn’t keep her in such a state perpetually.
“The Sword Saint is a good person.”
“Ah, yes. My Master is a bit… unique… right?”
Wide-eyed, Sayoon looked up at me. I met her gaze and smiled.
“Those with power usually seek to fulfill their own ambitions using that power. But the Sword Saint, despite being able to, doesn’t do that.”
I glanced around. The few buildings in Hongseong looked quite shabby. It seemed the disciples were trying to maintain them, but the clay walls were visibly cracked, and the pillars bore the marks of time.
“And all the disciples of Hongseong accept that. If she weren’t a good person, they wouldn’t follow her so readily.”
My eyes were on Sayoon. Her patched-up training outfit and her old, worn-out sword.
“That sword… isn’t that the one you used to fight Hwa Ho last time? It looks quite worn.”
“It’s still usable!”
Usable how?
But I couldn’t tease her any further as her face turned red with frustration.
Of course, I was planning to get her a nice sword later on.
In the next hidden realm, I would definitely find at least one sword.
And of course, that sword would later be destroyed to serve as material for the strongest great sword technique in Hongseong Divine Art.
But even with that, it would be exponentially better than her beat-up sword, so it should serve her well for the time being.
“Anyway, seeing such a humble figure really makes it clear that the Sword Saint is indeed an impressive person.”
“It seems solid.”
Sayoon’s expression brightened gradually. Perhaps the anxiety from earlier had lessened a lot, as she stepped a little lighter and led me forward.
“Are we heading to the training hall first?”
“I guess we have to?”
“But how do we investigate?”
I pulled a small pouch from the bag containing the items I had brought.
It was the White Jade Token received from the government office, along with reagents that react with magic.
“We’ll use this to investigate the magic and find out what kind it is.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
“The enmity the Empire has against the Magic Cult is beyond imagination. At one point, the Magic Cult even invaded the Imperial Palace, so if it were the Magic Cult, they’d be foaming at the mouth.”
At my words, Sayoon fell silent for a moment. As we continued walking, she lightly grabbed the sleeve of my robe.
“Then… can the Empire help Hongseong?”
Perhaps it was due to the earlier confrontation with the Magic Cult? It seemed she had developed a resentment towards them. Seeing the determination in her eyes made me chuckle.
But inside, I wasn’t feeling quite at ease.
In Heavenly Bright Moon’s prologue, the Empire did not assist Hongseong. After all, it was not the Magic Cult but the Iron Blood Clan that took action back then.
Of course, the Iron Blood Clan would become a threatening force to the Empire in the future, but by today’s standards, they were far less dangerous compared to the Magic Cult.
Thus, the Empire didn’t send troops even when news of an attack on Hongseong arrived.
Later, Sayoon would connect with the Imperial family and, during that process, learn about the complete destruction of Hongseong and regret it immensely.
“Ah, they will help.”
At least for me, that future should never happen.
The trials and suffering Sayoon would have to go through to get to that point were truly a human drama that could only be watched through tears.
I smiled down at the girl looking up at me.
So she could feel at ease.
So she wouldn’t be afraid.
“Absolutely.”
With my answer, a smile appeared on Sayoon’s lips.
The first place we arrived at was where the half-destroyed training hall was located. It was a cave on a hillside that looked like it could collapse at any moment. Completely demolished inside, we couldn’t go in, so we only examined it from the outside; even after some time had passed, traces of magic still lingered, prickling our noses.
“Would this be enough?”
I took the White Jade Token to the area where the magic was left. According to the local leader’s explanation, if you leave the White Jade Token and mix and spray the reagents, it would gather magic on the token after a day.
Simultaneously, I scanned the surrounding area. There might be traces of magical techniques I could recognize.
While I was walking around the training hall, I discovered something unusual.
“Oh?”
“What is it?”
“No, this.”
It was a large rock located on the hillside where the training hall was. The problem was the holes in that rock. It looked like they were drilled with precision machinery, and there were seven perfectly round holes as if a bug had eaten through fruit, with not even a crack nearby.
“Could it be Hongseong Divine Art?”
“No, it can’t be.”
But there was no magic remaining on this rock. So what could it be? I tapped the rock and pondered, then snapped my fingers.
Seven Birds and Seven Insects—Yugyeongseon.
He was one of the protective sorcerers of the Magic Cult who carried seven birds and seven insects.
Though he was from the Magic Cult, instead of using magic, he acquired information quickly by utilizing birds and insects.
Of course, beyond his skills in insect manipulation and things like Bone Sorrow or Dark Abyss Blood Techniques, he wasn’t an easy opponent by any means.
It wasn’t an easy opponent.
So, Yookyungseon came to ambush the Sword Saint?
Then the target becomes clearer.
Yookyungseon is a follower of the dark art’s five families, the Black Abyss Five. So, if he’s here, it means he’s acting on the orders of the Black Abyss Five.
Why would Ogi, the head of the Black Abyss Five clan and a contender for the next sect leader, attack the Sword Saint?
…Too many reasons, isn’t it?
Killing the Sword Saint would plunge the righteous sect into chaos.
Killing the Sword Saint would show the power of the Black Abyss Five within the dark arts.
Killing the Sword Saint and using her body to create a Gangshi.
And so on and so forth.
To judge it based on just these reasons feels a bit weak…
But they all share one common point.
They all looked down on Hongseong way too much.
Would they attack a Doje or another strong fighter so recklessly?
The answer is ‘no’.
At the very least, they would have thought it through thoroughly and attacked with many strong experts.
They probably would have put the fate of the Black Abyss Five on the line and brought out everyone to attack.
I glanced around.
Old and shabby buildings and items were scattered everywhere.
These factors might be one of the reasons why Hongseong seemed weak.
If this continues, even without the Iron Blood Clan, Hongseong might self-destruct.
“Tsk.”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Shall we go check somewhere else?”
I headed with Sayoon towards the ruined warehouse. It had a foul odor lingering from being crushed by evil spirits.
When I stepped back after putting the Bai Ouk in, Sayoon looked up at me with worry.
“Your expression doesn’t look good. Is it because of the remnants of the evil spirits… Um, Innkeeper. Could you follow me for a moment?”
Where is she trying to take me?
I was puzzled, but she just smiled brightly.
Following her lead, we arrived at a field behind Hongseong.
It seemed to be a patch of herbs.
Perhaps that’s why a fresh scent began to tickle my nose.
“This is the herb field my sisters are tending to. We’ve only just managed to grow them to a commercially viable level this year.”
Sayoon beamed as she touched the herbs. The leaves were green and full of vitality.
They sure have taken care of them well.
But was this here all along?
I only briefly saw the related details in the prologue, and I didn’t know about this herb field from what I heard from other characters in the main story.
“We can’t just rely on Senior Sister. We know very well how difficult it has been for her.”
“Hmm…”
“So we’re trying our best too. This field is one of our efforts.”
She looked so proud that I could see it from the side. It seems that being able to help Hongryeon and assist Hongseong makes her happy.
I inspected the herbs. They were quite well-cared for. Was there a talented disciple in herb cultivation?
The quality was surprisingly decent.
“This is… a rejuvenating herb.”
“Yes. After drying it, it’s good for health when brewed with Ojin-gun. And this one is Chojigeun, and this one…”
They really cared for them meticulously.
However, while these herbs are used for tonics, they aren’t particularly precious.
Most of them are easily obtainable herbs.
A few might be a bit rare, but still, they aren’t elixir-level herbs.
Generally, they are herbs for tonics or regular medicines.
“Do you know where these will be sold?”
“Do you know?”
“As far as I know, I think it’s still undecided… But it seems like Ryuhyun is considering that iron-willed herbalist in the village for now.”
“Really?”
I wandered through the herb field, calculating the types and quality of the herbs available.
The profits from running that herb field should roughly be around a little over one ryeong monthly… or?
Wait a minute.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration burst in my mind, and I began to think based on that.
Combining the knowledge I had and the information I gathered since coming here.
Mixing various elements together.
Calculating.
Calculating again.
And once more calculating.
I kept pondering, weighing risks against the effort needed, mapping out the routes I would take and the people I would meet. Considering everything else and deriving a result from it all.
And the answer that emerged certainly had some potential.
If I play my cards right, this could work out!
Perhaps, I might find another way to help Hongseong here.
“Is there anything else to show besides this?”
“Uh… Ah. There is.”
After a moment’s thought, Sayoon’s eyes sparkled. Then she led me somewhere else.
After a fair bit of walking, we arrived at a mountainside filled with the fragrance of Chunyeonmaehwa.
“The Chunyeonmaehwa here smells much better than the ones from other places. Whenever my senior sisters and I have a tough time, we come here to catch our breath.”
I saw a larger and denser Chunyeonmaehwa tree than the others. Influenced by Mount Yeongsan, it blooms for a thousand days. These trees bear no fruit; they only have wonderful fragrance.
“I’m thinking of drying these petals to make aroma pouches.”
Aroma pouches.
That’s a good idea.
I scanned the Chunyeonmaehwa trees and stood up from my spot.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
“Huh? You can rest a bit longer, you know.”
“I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
“Okay…”
As I descended with Sayoon through the Chunyeonmaehwa forest, I sorted my thoughts, and when we returned to Hongseong, I spoke to Sayoon.
“Hongseong doesn’t accept outside help, especially not in terms of money.”
“Yes. It’s a long-standing tradition and rule. It’s only natural that those who have mastered martial arts should use their power to protect those who have not, but how could they expect compensation for that…”
“I see…”
I recalled what I knew about the principles of Hongseong.
They must honor justice.
One must not gain from rescuing those who lack martial arts.
Thinking of other rules, it struck me as truly an idealistic orthodoxy.
Perfect for starving to death, really.
But suggesting to change this would be pointless, so to prepare for the Iron Blood Clan and the ruin of the sect, I need to work within those constraints.
Of course, there were plenty of methods.
“That’s right. Sayoon, do you know why rules exist?”
“Um, to prevent chaos and enforce justice…”
Hahaha. This girl. Hahaha.
So naive.
The reason rules exist is to allow for the use of things outside those rules.
If you can’t gain from those without, then just gain from those who have!
I envisioned the honorable, idealistic, and beautiful disciples of Hongseong using the herbs cultivated with care on Mount Yeongsan and the Chunyeonmaehwa for their aroma pouches.
These.
Let’s turn them into ‘special products’, make them ‘limited edition’, and charge ‘premiums’, then sell them off to the rich folks at high prices!
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