“Well, back then, I thought I should show my strength at least once.”
Fumbling, the Sword Saint began to speak. It was a rambling story, nothing special.
“They keep trying to involve the Hongseong in the O월당, provoking and tormenting Yeri to throw her into a fight with the Sa파.”
Of course, if a force like the Demon Cult came in, they’d cooperate with something like ‘I’ll kill that guy and then kill you!’
But generally speaking, the Murim Alliance and Sa흑련 were considered hostile.
Given that, it wouldn’t be surprising to involve strong martial artists from the Murim Alliance or any sect in a battle with Sa흑련.
The real problem was that O월당 kept throwing Hongryeon into dangerous places, specifically where Sa파, who were in conflict with O월당, were located.
Not all righteous sects get along. There are plenty of cases where they clash based on their own benefits or ideologies.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, Hongseong is the sect that faces destruction in the prologue. So it’s hard to confirm the animosity between sects, but as things progress, it’s clear that Hongseong was ignored in the Swordsman’s Assembly.
Therefore, it seems that the O월당, established by the disciples of the Swordsman’s Assembly, thought similarly.
“The Swordsman’s Assembly was a Taoist sect, right?”
“Yes. It seems they weren’t too pleased that I earned the title of Sword Saint there.”
The Swordsman’s Assembly emphasizes infusing the soul into the sword, as the name suggests—essentially, it’s a strong sword faction.
But in Hongseong, a place that doesn’t solely focus on swords, earning the title of Sword Saint must have been quite annoying for them.
Especially since the incident in Hongseong greatly diminished the sect’s power, it likely irked them even more.
“So, they aimed to provoke Yeri and challenge me to take the title of Sword Saint for themselves…”
“And that’s why you stepped in?”
“Uh-huh. Exactly.”
Under normal circumstances, such provocations could be dismissed or they could request mediation by meaning that Hongseong would withdraw from the Murim Alliance.
But the Sword Saint didn’t hold back and charged into the Murim Alliance, utterly wrecking O월당.
“And then the head of the Swordsman’s Assembly came looking for me…”
“What happened?”
“I won.”
The Sword Saint replied nonchalantly, and I was in awe.
The head of the Swordsman’s Assembly had trained in swordsmanship for decades, as far as I knew.
To beat someone like that… truly impressive.
As I expressed my admiration, the Sword Saint looked at me for a brief moment and showed a hint of pride.
“It wasn’t that difficult to win.”
“It wasn’t that hard to win.”
“Impressive.”
Though compliments can make even whales dance, it seems they can also make the Sword Saint dance as well. She shivered slightly with joy before opening her mouth.
“Hehe. You don’t have to praise me so much.”
“Is that so?”
“…….”
As I stopped the compliments, the Sword Saint stared at me intently.
She pretended not to care, but it seemed she really enjoyed the praise.
“Well, it’s true. For someone like you, Na Yerin, that must have been nothing at all. Truly remarkable.”
“Hehe.”
Finally satisfied, she nodded.
“Anyway, I won back then, and the Sword Union decided not to pick any more fights with Hongseong.”
I nodded, and the slightly puffed-up Sword Saint sighed softly.
“Of course, a lot got destroyed in the process, so we did have a bit of trouble gathering the repair costs…”
“…Ah.”
“…Ugh. But they said the Murim Alliance would cover that…”
“Is that so? Well done.”
The Sword Saint widened her eyes and looked at me.
“Really? But I heard you don’t like fighting…”
“Still, you have to fight when it’s time to fight.”
Especially when it comes to dealing with those trying to use Hongseong.
“Why didn’t you just finish off the Sword Union entirely?”
“I wanted to, but there was a lot of resistance… and it seemed like the Sword Union wouldn’t provoke us anymore.”
If the Sword Saint made that judgment, it must be true.
In fact, in Heavenly Bright Moon, the Sword Union generally displayed a friendly attitude unless Sayoon showed up.
Of course, they were openly wary of her.
It seemed they were afraid of the Hongseong Divine Art.
“Back then, I secured victory and got my hands on the Twilight Sword, the treasure of the Sword Union.”
“Oh… Where is it now?”
“It’s in the Hongseong warehouse. Oh, would you like to see it?”
In Heavenly Bright Moon, the Twilight Sword was used during events related to the Sword Union. If you brought it, you could obtain a potion along with the results of the Sword Union’s duel.
But that was when Hongseong was still around… I wondered if it was even possible now.
After a moment of thought, I shook my head.
Well, it’s not urgent at the moment, so I’ll think about it later.
“Anyway, well done. And what about…?”
“I- I mean…”
The Sword Saint hesitated and began to tell me about what she had done. She had rarely taken matters into her own hands.
But every action she took was a result of having a good reason to fight, and it was well worth pulling her sword.
“Well done.”
“Hoo hoo hoo. Thank you for understanding.”
The Sword Saint, with a bright smile, rested her head on my shoulder. As I looked at her, I made sure to tie up any loose ends and stood up.
“It’s about time to get to work.”
“Hmm… I see. Let’s go.”
“Uh, you can just rest here. Or you can talk to Yohwan. She’s actually making a new dessert right now.”
With the weather being nice and my desire to try out a new snack, I offered my help. Upon hearing this, the Sword Saint’s eyes sparkled with excitement before she suddenly shook her head in surprise.
“Can, can I not just stay by your side?”
There’s no rule against it, but considering the Sword Saint loves sweet things, wouldn’t it be better for her to help Yohwan?
“How about this? I’ll ask Yohwan to call us when it’s ready. I need to taste it anyway. How about we enjoy it together?”
“That sounds great!”
The Sword Saint, clearly pleased, tightly grabbed my arm.
While I was busy working in the office, Jeomsoi called for me. When I went downstairs, Yohwan was waiting for me.
“Hmm. With the Sword Saint here, it’s much easier to taste everything.”
“Hoo hoo.”
The Sword Saint looked at me with a proud expression. What’s that about? Does she want a compliment?
“I’m always grateful and rely on you.”
“Th-thank you! I also appreciate and rely on you.”
“Let’s save the thanks for later and just eat, shall we?”
What Yohwan presented was a soufflé pancake, heavily topped with cream.
It doesn’t even exist in Heavenly Bright Moon, but I had asked Yohwan if she could try making it, and she managed to gather the ingredients successfully.
“We’re here~!”
At that moment, I heard a voice from the backyard. It was Hongryeon and Sayoon. Have they finished their patrol? As Hongryeon entered the inn and saw the Sword Saint and me, she paused for a moment before quietly approaching me.
“Oh? What’s this?”
Her ample bosom softly brushed against my arm. Whether she knew it or not, she smiled at me and I pointed at Yohwan.
“This is a new snack made by Yohwan. It was made to serve alongside a pricey dish, and since the Sword Saint has a great palate, I asked her to give it a try.”
“Wow… Is that so? But I think selling this might be a bit tough?”
“Hmm. It probably is.”
After all, it’s meant to be enjoyed while warm.
As I nodded, Hongryeon briefly closed her mouth and leaned a bit closer to me.
“Can you teach me how to make it?”
It’s not an exaggeration to say Hongryeon was practically glued to me as she whispered into my ear.
Hongryeon leaned closer and whispered in my ear.
And then…
“Ryeo, Ryeon?! Isn’t it uncomfortable being so close like this?!”
The Sword Saint said with a noticeably trembling voice. At her scream-like protest, Hongryeon smiled and gently pulled away.
“I can teach you how to make it. After all, Hongryeon, you already know quite a bit, don’t you?”
Hongryeon had often come to learn cooking from Yohwan. Unsurprisingly, she had also learned how to make snacks.
Although, she bought snacks more often than she made them herself.
“Hehe. The younger sisters will love this.”
Meanwhile, Yohwan came out carrying other cups. It seemed she made some for Hongryeon and Sayoon too.
“You made it quickly, huh?”
“I had enough ingredients prepped.”
As soon as she placed it on the table, I took a seat. Just as Hongryeon was trying to sit naturally beside me, the Sword Saint reached out to her.
“Come here, Ryeon.”
“Master, is it better for me to sit next to you?”
“Hmm. Of course. Yoon will sit next to the innkeeper.”
“Yes!”
Sayoon sat beside me, took a bite, and her eyes sparkled.
“Wow! Wow!”
“Is it good?”
“Yes! It’s amazing!!”
I was relieved that she liked it. I looked at the Sword Saint and Hongryeon, and they too seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.
“It’s sweet and smooth.”
“Is it royal cuisine?”
“No. I just made it as the innkeeper told me.”
Yohwan praised me while downplaying her own skills, but it wasn’t just my advice that went into making this.
With Yohwan’s skills, she could create something wonderful even with some recipe tweaks.
I shook my head, and Yohwan chuckled.
“Anyway, I think I can modify this further. If we use the Cheonilmaehwa, it might turn out even sweeter.”
“Oh! Then I’ll go and get the Cheonilmaehwa!”
Sayoon chimed in brightly, saying she could gather it while training, and Yohwan nodded.
“Then I’ll ask for your help. But aren’t you busy with training?”
“That much is fine! Plus, if this sells well, it’s good for the innkeeper, right?”
“Yeah. Sayoon. But don’t focus on that too much; do it whenever you can. I’ll help too.”
“Hmm. You truly are my disciple. I’ll help as well.”
With both Hongryeon and the Sword Saint giving their approval, Sayoon became even more motivated. Not having a reason to stop her, I simply nodded.
“Okay. Let’s give it a try.”
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