As I stepped out of Hongryeon’s room, I spotted Chaeran in the nearby hallway.
Was she nodding seriously because she had realized something during her match with Sayoon?
Well, I shouldn’t disturb her for no reason.
“…What’s the fuss?”
“I saw a person, so why are you just leaving?”
Chaeran, who had caught me like a ghost, was grinning from ear to ear.
“I thought you were concentrating.”
“Not really? Oh, I’m going to have tea with Sayoon, do you want to join?”
“Let’s go.”
I followed Chaeran, and when Sayoon, who was sitting alone and fiddling with her sword in the training area, saw us, she beamed.
“Innkeeper! Huh? Why are you here together?”
“I got caught on the way.”
“Anyone would think you dragged me along. Sayoon, do you want some tea?”
“Oh! Sure.”
Returning her sword to its sheath, Sayoon rushed over. With her in tow, Chaeran led us to her room.
Entering her room next to Hongryeon’s, I noticed it was quite spacious and tidy.
Especially the large bookshelf filled with well-thumbed books hinted at Chaeran’s considerable knowledge.
Sayoon didn’t seem surprised after seeing a few, but I was quite taken aback since it was my first time here.
For a girl’s room, it was rather austere.
“I wish we could’ve brought Hyunhwi along.”
“I heard she’s still recovering from the sparring with your father. It’s better to leave her alone.”
It would be a good opportunity for Hyunhwi. As Chaeran said, it’s best not to disturb her for no reason.
So we enjoyed a simple snack. Chaeran’s tea-making skills were quite impressive, and the snacks she brought were nice too.
Most of all, I loved seeing Sayoon munching happily.
“By the way, it seems like you two are pretty close now.”
“Uh-huh, right? At this point, can I say we’re, um, best friends?”
“Hehe, yes.”
“Then how about we drop the formalities?”
“Uh… Can I?”
“Of course!”
Since Sayoon was an orphan, it wouldn’t be a problem if we decided to speak informally regardless of age.
“Okay. Th-thank you.”
“Thank you? Pfft.”
What a heartwarming scene to witness. Oh my.
Something in my heart swelled with grandeur.
“By the way, how’s Hongryeon doing?”
“She’s not badly hurt. Just like Chaeran said. Since we’re next door, Sayoon, why don’t you check in on her later?”
“Hehe, okay.”
“I’m glad she’s not badly hurt. Tsk. By the way, I never expected my sister to get so strong.”
“Are you not confident?”
“Of course not!”
Confidence really is everything. She naturally smiled and began sharing stories.
Perhaps Chaeran also gathered information thanks to Moonjeong’s various networks?
There were quite a few fascinating tales.
One that stood out to me was about a collision that the demonic sect had with another faction.
“Which faction?”
“Well, it seems even the Murim Alliance’s intelligence department hasn’t accurately grasped that yet. But since they’re investigating it, the details will probably come out soon.”
“Well, even the Murim Alliance’s intelligence department couldn’t get a clear grasp on this. They’re investigating from the open side, so it should come out accurately, right?”
“Are there any characteristics?”
“Characteristics… One thing I know is that they lead evil monsters around. Ah, and the earth giants have also started moving.”
“Earth giants… Could it be the Iron Blood Clan?”
Surely the Iron Blood Clan has also manipulated monsters. And the Iron Blood sect, belonging to the five elements, had created followers using that power.
As Sayoon muttered softly, as if recalling something, Chaeran tilted her head.
“The Iron Blood Clan…? Ah, those who attacked Hongseong Clan?”
“Yep…”
Anger filled Sayoon’s eyes. Chaeran smiled at her and took a sip of tea.
“Well, if enemies fight each other, that would be a great story, but will it really be that way? Earth giants are something even shamans can easily control… And why are they fighting? There’s no reason for it, right?”
Chaeran was a bit negative, but I raised my hand at Sayoon’s words.
It’s not impossible.
In our scenario, if we safely navigate through Part 1, there will be two possibilities in Part 2.
The first is that the Iron Blood Clan no longer targets Hongseong Mountain.
This would be the best outcome, but the spirit of Hongseong Mountain is a delicious feast for them, so they’d still try to gather strength to aim for it somehow.
Therefore, in our scenario, we assumed the second possibility is the most likely.
That is, to run rampant in a place where energies from different areas are gathered.
The place with the most gathered energies in the Empire is Hongseong Mountain, but it’s not the only one.
Right now, Qinghao is also a place where energies are gathered.
Of course, this here is more difficult than Hongseong Mountain, and the energies they could acquire would be less, so they might not touch it.
However, there are still smaller places where energies gather, so perhaps they plan to gradually poke at those and build strength.
And naturally, there are also such places in the Demon Church’s territory, and among the battlefields in Part 2 of Heavenly Bright Moon, there was a region of the Demon Church as well.
Perhaps the Iron Blood Clan’s movements in that direction might be a sign that Part 2 is about to begin.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, Sayoon directly went there for revenge, but right now, there’s no reason for her to do so…
I’ll have to discuss this part with the Sword Saint.
From the Sword Saint’s perspective, she wouldn’t just let the Iron Blood Clan, who attacked Hongseong Clan, go free.
“Can you relay that information to me when more comes out?”
“That’s not difficult at all.”
Great. I got a way to obtain information from the righteous faction.
While we were chatting and having a good time, when Sayoon and Chaeran went to see Hongryeon, I was about to head to my room when I ran into someone walking down the hallway.
“Ugh.”
It was Chaejin.
She looked at me blankly, startled, and quickly averted her gaze.
“Why the long face?”
“Uh. Um. It’s just…”
She hesitated, letting out a small sigh.
“I couldn’t win again…”
“Don’t worry too much about winning or losing. More importantly, is your injury okay?”
Remembering how she got knocked down by Hongryeon’s gentle attack, she scratched her cheek.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Want to see?”
Maybe because she was wearing comfortable clothes instead of her usual Moonjeong attire, it looked easy for her to roll up her sleeves.
Without hesitation, she showed me her extended arm, and I inspected it. It was bruised and a bit swollen, but it didn’t seem like it was broken.
“If you’re hurt, you should go to the healer. I mean, it doesn’t look serious, but you should at least apply some ointment…”
“While tidying up with my father earlier, I realized something. That’s why I was late. I’m heading there now.”
“I see. Then let’s go together.”
“Huh? I’m fine, really.”
“Are you really okay?”
“…No. I just said that for fun.”
Chaejin smiled pleasantly. As we walked together and reached the healer’s office, both the doctor and nurse were absent.
“No one’s here. Hmm… Should we come back later…”
“I have some ointment, so I can apply it and do a quick bandage job. Would you mind waiting? Or…”
“Please do it!”
At Chaejin’s words, I nodded. Luckily, the ointment was sitting on the table, and I picked up a damp cloth to press on her exposed arm.
“Ugh…”
As I wiped the bruised area, Chaejin let out a moan. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at her.
“Does it hurt?”
“Oh, no. I’m just a bit surprised.”
A silence followed. In that time, I finished applying the ointment to her arm and wrapped her injuries on her calf and the top of her foot.
As I fiddled with her tiny feet, Chaejin flinched but looked down at me, and after treating her wounds, I spoke up.
“It’s time for Cheongho to leave soon.”
“That’s a bummer. I wanted to stay a bit longer. Oh, I’m going sightseeing in Cheongho tomorrow. You’re coming, right?”
“Um. I guess I have to.”
I nodded, and Chaejin beamed brightly.
“Then look forward to it! I’ll make sure you never forget what happened here!”
Well, based on what happened this time, I doubt I could forget even if I wanted to…
The next day arrived.
Hongryeon didn’t seem completely recovered yet, but she could move without issues.
So, she was able to participate in the Cheongho sightseeing trip.
“If you’re in pain, you can rest, you know.”
“Hehe. Didn’t you realize something too? You should reflect on that!”
“Yeah. I stayed up all night going over it.”
Seeing the two of them smiling brightly made my stomach twist a bit.
“Indeed, can I really do this?”
At that moment, Sayoon, who was standing next to me, flashed a bright smile.
“Innkeeper, aren’t you excited?”
“I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
There’s a saying: if you can’t avoid something, enjoy it instead. Of course, I had no intention of running away, so I figured I might as well enjoy it properly.
I lightly nudged Hongryeon and Chaejin on the back.
“Come on now. Shouldn’t we be heading out soon?”
“Oh. Are we leaving now?”
“Sayoon, is there something you want to see? Ah, Hyunhwi, what about you?”
Sayoon and Hyunhwi glanced at each other and spoke in unison.
“Cheonghoye!”
I want to go check out the frozen Cheongho. As soon as they shouted, Chaeran chuckled.
“Of course we’re going there. What about you, Innkeeper? Do you have a place in mind?”
“I don’t mind anywhere.”
“Then let’s go! Follow me!!”
Chaeran walked confidently.
The Cheongho tour turned out to be quite enjoyable. The next day, after the tour ended, we began preparing to leave.
“I wish I could go too, but I’ve got some research to do.”
That must be about what I asked her to help with, right? When Chaeran and I made eye contact, she nodded slightly and grinned, while Doje looked at me and said,
“It’s a shame to see a good drinking buddy leave. I’ll come visit later.”
“I’ll be happy to welcome you. I’ll have some good drinks ready.”
Doje nodded lightly, and I settled onto the driver’s seat of the cart.
Alright, let’s head home.
*
After Hongryeon’s group left, there were even fewer people in Hongseongmun, and manpower was in short supply.
Of course, it wasn’t overly busy because it was winter.
Still, losing three people, especially the capable Hongryeon and Hyunhwi, was certainly not a minor blow.
For this reason, the Sword Saint decided to lessen her disciples’ burdens and chose tasks she could handle.
That was patrolling Seomhwa Village.
Every day, she would go out on patrol and return to look after her disciples.
And today, as she was coming back from patrol and entering the inn, the sound of hooves began to echo.
The Sword Saint perked up her ears and looked down the road.
“What are you doing?”
“…I’m coming.”
“Huh?”
Yohwan turned her gaze to where the Sword Saint was looking.
A small dot was approaching and gradually growing larger.
It was a cart.
When Yohwan saw the man driving the cart, she chuckled.
“Your eyesight is quite good.”
“Well, I am a Sword Saint after all.”
With the rattling sound of the cart wheels, a familiar face appeared.
As she stepped forward to greet him, the Sword Saint said, “Welcome back.”
Despite her unexpected greeting, Yu Wol responded with his usual indifferent expression.
“I’ve returned.”
At that response, the Sword Saint nodded in satisfaction and gave a faint smile.
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