Maintaining composure takes more heart power than you’d think.
Especially when Hongryeon and Chaejin gaze at me, their slight smiles send my heart into panic mode.
If I weren’t conscious of it, I’d just think, “Oh, they’re just smiling.” But because I am, it feels like a sign of affection, and it makes me all tingly inside.
“Innkeeper? What’s wrong?”
Suyoon’s voice eases my heart a bit. She looks up at me with a worried expression and asks, “You look tired…”
“Are you pushing yourself again?”
“Don’t do that, really. Oh, and I’ll make sure to prepare some health tonic for you, so eat that too.”
Is it because of the time I collapsed last time? Suyoon’s words made both of them react quickly. I tried to keep calm and smile as they closed in.
“Haha. It’s nothing to worry about. By the way…”
I gazed at the training hall.
Time had passed since Hongryeon and Chaejin returned from the mirrored realm, and finally, only the last training in Moonjeong remained.
Today is the day for duels.
It’s time to test what we’ve learned so far.
“Hyunhwi, how about you…”
“Oh. I’m fine.”
The match doesn’t add up.
If there were a disciple from Moonjeong, she’d join in, but since there isn’t, what can you do?
Hyunhwi shrugged, and the onlooking Doje spoke nonchalantly.
“Then let’s do a demonstration match. How about you spar with me?”
“It’s an honor, but can I really be your opponent…?”
“Haha. I’ll be using only my fists. Plus, I’ll hold back my energy as much as possible.”
“In that case, I would like to challenge you.”
“Well then, let’s get started.”
Doje casually clenched his fists, and Hyunhwi mirrored him.
A duel of masters.
Since I also know a bit about martial arts, I’d better pay close attention.
“Haah!!”
With a low shout, Hyunhwi lunged at Doje, who absorbed the hit.
“Wow…”
It’s hard not to be amazed. Is that what real martial arts looks like?
Both Hyunhwi and Doje showcase extraordinary moves. They say watching struggles of masters is a learning experience, and boy, are they right.
While I was engrossed in watching, the duel wrapped up. Hyunhwi, drenched in sweat, smiled with satisfaction after finishing her moves, and Doje nodded slightly.
“Your strength is impressive, but you’re relying too much on brute force. The Hongseong Divine Art utilizes strength but shouldn’t neglect fluidity.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After finishing the duel, Hyunhwi headed towards the corner for reflection. Doje, glancing at her, turned his attention back this way.
“Next.”
Suyoon and Chaeran stood up.
As they confidently made their way to the unarmed combat stage, I, seated, looked seriously at Suyoon.
“Suyoon, have your skills improved a lot?”
“Um. Yes. Quite a bit.”
I nodded at Hongryeon’s serious tone. Meanwhile, Chaerin, sitting next to me, flicked her tongue.
“But Ren isn’t a pushover either… I feel like she’s slowly reaching out to the ring.”
Hongryeon glanced at Chaerin, who similarly eyed her back.
The duel hadn’t even begun, yet the atmosphere was already charged!
The match hasn’t even started yet, and the atmosphere is already so tense.
…Can I even do well like this?
“Start.”
As Doje’s voice rang out, Sayoon and Chaeran exchanged bows.
And then, the swords and the blades were drawn.
The two gleaming weapons clashed, creating a strong sound in an instant.
“Oh ho…”
According to the Murim Alliance, both Sayoon and Chaeran were equal in rank as martial artists, but there had to be a difference in skill.
Nevertheless, Sayoon didn’t back down. No, she seemed to be pushing back even harder.
“Since Hongseong Divine Art is a strong martial art.”
Does that mean it’s hard to take on because it’s strong? Following Hongryeon’s explanation, Sayoon’s sword began to move. As if trying to end it quickly from the start, her sword started to unfold flamboyantly, and Chaeran’s blade moved as well.
Sharp, powerful, and destructive—the sword techniques of Hongseong Divine Art danced elegantly alongside Chaeran’s sword.
It was truly a battle of strength and grace.
“They call it the competent overwhelming.”
Watching Chaeran effortlessly deflect Sayoon’s strikes, Chaejin smiled. It seemed she appreciated how her younger sister was managing the situation favorably.
-Wham!!
In the moment Saeyoon closed the distance, her strike landed squarely in Chaeran’s abdomen. Chaeran staggered back, groaning as she shot up.
“Not bad, huh?”
“Thank you.”
“Alright then! I’ll join in!”
It seemed the hit hadn’t done too much damage. Chaeran quickly charged in, unfolding her blade techniques as she defended against them.
-Swish!
Chaeran’s blade twirled, sweeping past and skillfully tossing her blade in the air while naturally seizing Sayoon’s wrist.
And then…
-Bang!!
Chaeran’s technique was Tai Chi. Using a move I knew, she knocked Sayoon off balance, and as Sayoon struggled to regain her stance, Chaeran grabbed the blade still hanging in the air.
Before an additional attack could happen, Sayoon unleashed a Hongseong Divine Art technique to push her back and get back on her feet.
“Hehe, I got you back.”
“Hahaha. I thought watching the Innkeeper do Tai Chi would give me some understanding, but it’s quite different.”
“It’s mixed with my own style.”
Sayoon resumed her stance. Smiling at her, Chaeran aimed her blade, and their duel continued.
“Huff!!”
With a low shout, Sayoon’s strike landed against Chaeran’s chest. Seeing Chaeran fall to the ground, unable to block it with Tai Chi or any other defense, Doje raised a hand.
“Stop. The winner is Sayoo!”
“Huh? I can still go on!”
Chaeran, puzzled, got up. Doje shook his head at her.
“You need to think about time management.”
“Oh, right. I was having so much fun sparring that I didn’t think about it. Sayoon, do you want to go again later?”
“Whew… sure!”
Neither Sayoon nor Chaeran seemed overly fixated on the outcome of the match itself.
That’s understandable; they were evenly matched, and they could gain experience by exchanging techniques.
Based on the time so far, Sayoon had landed slightly more effective hits, so she had won, but if they continued, who knew how the results would turn out.
I had no idea how things would turn out.
Still, it was a satisfying spar.
What mattered to me was confirming Sayoon’s growth, and I could see she had grown incredibly beyond what I had imagined.
To think she’s on par with Chaeran…
I looked at Hongryeon.
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“Haha. You must have had a hard time.”
Memories of what I saw in her mind come rushing back.
Since she gave up her own things to share with her juniors, Sayoon must have been able to grow that much, right?
I smiled at her, and Hongryeon seemed puzzled for a moment before returning a sweet smile.
“…I also sparred a lot with Sayoon, you know.”
“Of course, I always feel grateful to you as well.”
I knew that Chaerin had been sparring with Sayoon whenever she had the chance.
Given Sayoon had little practical experience and no exchanges elsewhere, her sparring sessions with Chaerin must have been a great help.
“Uh, you don’t have to respond so seriously.”
“I’m always sincere in everything.”
“Hahaha!”
Chaerin laughed happily.
While the atmosphere calmed for a moment, Doje looked towards us.
“Come forth.”
The main event for today was about to begin.
The spar between Hongryeon and Chaerin was getting underway.
They quickly stepped into the sparring area, and Doje calmly remarked,
“I heard from Teacher Yu that you agreed not to inflict serious wounds on each other during the spar?”
Chaerin nodded. He glanced at me and sighed.
“It feels a bit odd to be afraid of an injury as a martial artist, but well, if that’s how it’s going to be, we can adjust our spar to that. Now… begin.”
As soon as the word left his mouth, Hongryeon and Chaerin charged at each other.
After an intense sparring session, the conclusion was once again a draw, just like last time.
After the match, Chaerin changed out of her tattered clothes and was caught by Doje, swinging her sword in the corner of the training area. He was probably going to provide additional explanations about the techniques she displayed earlier.
So, I decided to check on Hongryeon.
After the spar, she didn’t have major injuries, but I was still worried.
Not just me but Sayoon and Hyunhwi were also concerned, but I said I’d check on her, so after grabbing some medicine from my room, I found myself standing in front of Hongryeon’s room.
When I knocked, a voice came from inside after a moment.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
It felt a bit awkward trying to come in after she always told me to just enter.
“Wait a moment!”
I could hear bustling sounds inside. What could someone who’s supposed to be recovering possibly be doing?
I waited, and after a bit, when I was told I could come in, I opened the door and laughed.
“Haha. What are you doing?”
“Um. A frail beauty?”
The cold winter air coming in through the slightly opened window rustled her red hair. She was wrapped in white clothing, with bandages here and there.
Despite all that, the still beautiful Hongryeon sparkled her black eyes at me.
“Did you come to visit me?”
“Yes. You should really go to the infirmary.”
“Hehe. I just need to rest a bit.”
“Oh, and here, take this. It’s good recovery medicine; if you eat it and take a little nap, you’ll be better in no time.”
“Here, take this good recovery potion, and after a little sleep, you’ll feel better in no time.”
“This is one of the recovery potions I brought. I packed it just in case something unusual happened, but I didn’t expect to use it like this.”
“I heard earlier that you didn’t need treatment, so Hongryeon didn’t prescribe anything.”
“But if you’re injured, you should take the medicine to heal faster.”
I opened the potion bottle, poured it into a bowl, and after mixing it well, I held it out. She stared at it, squinting her eyes.
“Hahaha… but what should I do? It’s hard to lift my hands.”
Is she asking me to feed her?
The fact that she acts like this only with me means Hongryeon feels comfortable around me.
Well then, let’s do it.
“Here.”
“Uh?!”
“Didn’t you ask me to feed you?”
“U-uh. R-really?”
“Am I pretending to feed you? Here. Ahem.”
I picked up the silver spoon from the potion bowl. Hongryeon, alternating her gaze between the spoon and me, looked flustered and then closed her eyes tightly, opening her mouth.
As I fed her a spoonful of medicine, she tilted her head.
“Why does this medicine taste a bit different?”
“That’s good. Finish that and take this too.”
“Yesss…”
After munching on the potion bit by bit, Hongryeon finally closed her mouth only after the medicine and the dessert were gone.
For a moment, there was silence.
“Actually, I could have won…”
“Well, it was also about trying to keep a promise with me. No need to obsess over winning or losing, right?”
Just then, a nurse from the clinic entered. After checking her condition and saying that since she took the medicine, a day or two of rest would be sufficient, she left. Hongryeon smiled awkwardly.
“This should just get better with some meditation. I feel like I’m just causing unnecessary worry.”
“But it’s still better to rest.”
I pointed to Hongryeon’s shoulder. The place where she got hit by Chaejin’s new technique was still red.
Indeed, she must have used a technique she hadn’t before. She probably overcame Simma through the mirror training and improved her skills.
Just like Hongryeon in front of me.
“She’s also probably overcome Simma, right?”
“Yeah.”
I noticed her voice trembled slightly.
Did she recall what she did in her mind’s world, the mirror training? She blushed a little, squirmed, then looked straight at my face before lowering her head.
“You don’t look well, so should you rest a bit?”
Unable to answer, she just nodded slightly, so I laid her down on the bed.
Once I covered her with a blanket, she peeked out just a bit, then flashed a sweet smile.
“Thank you for visiting me. No, I mean… I’m always grateful for everything.”
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
“Uhoho.”
“Then I’ll just…”
At that moment, Hongryeon grabbed the hem of my clothing and gazed at me with her dark eyes.
“Can you not go for a little while longer…?”
I can’t say no to that.
So I patiently waited until she fell asleep comfortably.
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