As the morning sun began to rise, I heard some movement from the next room.
Is that Chaejin? She always gets up at this time, probably trying to practice her breathing exercises.
It seems like Hongryeon and Sayoon are also awake, as the sounds of movement increased a bit. Listening to this, I briefly closed my eyes.
Then, when I opened them, I sensed some commotion beyond the opened door.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Walking into the next room, Hongryeon greeted me with a smile. It didn’t seem like I had slept long, but looking around the room, I noticed Sayoon and Chaejin were missing.
“Where did they go?”
“They went downstairs for a bit. Apparently, General Chun wanted to send something to the inn and store…”
“Why didn’t you call them?”
“I thought they were still sleeping.”
As I sat down, Hongryeon picked up a teapot.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Thank you.”
As I enjoyed the tea Hongryeon brewed, Chaejin and Sayoon returned just in time. When they started sipping on the tea, Gi Noya knocked on the door and shouted.
“Yu Seonsaeng! When do you plan to leave today?!”
“Um?”
Why is Gi Noya asking that? I opened the door and tilted my head, looking at him all ready to go.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, I was told to escort you and drop you off.”
“You really don’t have to do that…”
“Haha! It’s only natural for someone of your stature to have an escort. Plus, we have to transport some items too, so don’t worry about it.”
“I see. Chaejin, have you completed the confirmation of the items?”
“Yes, here you go.”
Chaejin handed me some documents, and after looking through them, I nodded. It was a complete list of items we needed to procure from Yang-ui-sung for the increasing number of guests.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Sayoon helped a lot.”
“I see. Thank you, Sayoon.”
“Hehe~.”
Sayoon smiled brightly, as if her expression from yesterday was a lie. I ruffled her hair gently and put on my outer garment.
“Are the Murim Alliance’s warriors and soldiers ready?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then let them know to get ready. And…”
“What?”
I looked at Sayoon for a moment. While she tilted her head in confusion at my gaze, I pointed to the sword at her waist.
“You’re not just planning to keep practicing swordplay, are you?”
“Um, right.”
“Then, for the future, I should prepare a large sword… Since you saved me yesterday, I’d like to gift you something.”
“Since you saved me yesterday, I want to give you a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yeah.”
I could destroy that sword later and get ready to make a large sword, but for now, it might be better to prepare a separate large sword if I’m going to focus on training with a sword.
It seems like the sword shop in Seomhwa Village is gradually getting better, probably because they have many customers these days.
As the shop is expanding, they will also be able to create more items, so maybe it’s a good idea to prepare one this time.
“Uh, that sounds good…”
“It’s better to have a good large sword for training. Come on, let’s go.”
Since I have to prepare the soldiers and the Murim Alliance warriors to leave anyway, I thought it would be nice to take a stroll around the market in Yangweseong.
So, I wandered around the Yangweseong market with Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Sayoon, and we were able to buy a material called Eunyuchul.
“Why are you buying so much of this?”
“This is essential for making a decent weapon.”
Of course, even the best stuff would just be slightly better than shop weapons, but it should be enough for the time being.
“I want to get weapons for Hongryeon and Chaejin too, but… hmm.”
Both Hongryeon and Chaejin are now strong challengers aiming for superhuman levels. I don’t want to give them mediocre weapons. I’ll make sure to get them cavalry weapons later through the secret realm.
“Are you short on money?”
“It’s not that, but even though a craftsman doesn’t care much about equipment, it’s still better to have good ones, right? They will need practical gear, so let’s get that later. Oh, by the way, Chaejin has the Black Moon Blade…”
“I need it!”
Seeing Chaejin look panicked as she hurriedly spoke made me burst out laughing.
When we returned from the market, everything was ready for departure. Cheonilhwa seemed to have come down to see us off, so I approached him.
“You really didn’t have to come out.”
“If the teacher is leaving, how could I just watch? Please be careful, very careful.”
“Thank you.”
“Gi Noya, please take good care.”
“Leave it to me.”
With a sly smile, Gi Noya hopped onto the cart. When Chaejin, Hongryeon, and Sayoon got on the wagon, I was about to follow, and Cheonilhwa gently grabbed my arm.
“Perhaps, as a result of this incident, the government might give Yu Seonsaeng an official position. They’ve been refusing until now, but… it might be difficult to refuse any longer.”
That makes sense.
And I’m not planning to avoid it anymore.
“Of course, it doesn’t mean you’ll have to take office right away, but for now, you can think of it as a military advisory position close to honorary status, so don’t worry too much.”
“Don’t worry too much, Tenni.”
“Thank you!”
“If it’s just some military advisory role, I shouldn’t have to leave Seomhwa Village for the army unless a war breaks out. I nodded with a smile, and Cheonilhwa returned my grin.”
“Then be careful.”
“Yes. See you again next time.”
As I got into the carriage, Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Sayoon looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Innkeeper, does that mean you’re becoming an official? Like a general or something?”
I thought for a moment and shook my head.
“Even so, I can’t be at the level of a general.”
On the way back, nothing particularly eventful happened. With this many people moving around, would anything serious occur?
Plus, the bandits that had been lurking around were all wiped out, so rumors alone would keep anyone from recklessly settling down.
When we arrived at Seomhwa Village without any significant issues, I addressed the warriors of the Murim Alliance.
“You’ve worked hard. This isn’t much, but use it as you need.”
When I pulled out the tokens, the warriors of the Murim Alliance looked flustered and declined. But what would they do with the money anyway? They’d probably just buy drinks or food.
Money is meant to circulate. Some might hold onto it, but many will likely spend it in Seomhwa Village, which ultimately helps stimulate the local economy.
“Thank you!”
“If you’re going to drink, I’d appreciate it if you did so at the inn. I’ll take good care of you.”
“Haha, of course, that’s what you would say.”
The warriors of the Murim Alliance left, grinning, and I turned to my soldiers. After giving them some bonuses, I glanced at Ryuhyun, who was at the inn, and spoke to Hongryeon.
“You’ve worked hard. How about you go home and rest today?”
“I’m fine with it…”
“I’m not fine. Now, among the things we brought back, there are some items needed for Hongseong, so please take them with you.”
I told them to separate some of the items being moved to the inn’s storage. Watching the things being loaded onto a separate cart in front of the inn, Hongryeon nodded slightly with regret.
“Ryuhyun, I’ll leave the rear to you.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“Sayoon, let’s go.”
Hongryeon and Sayoon also returned to Hongseong, leaving me with only my tasks.
A few days passed since returning from Yangwisung, but there were no major issues.
Though I received some threatening letters asking for collaboration or people from the Murim wanting to meet me, none of this was a big problem.
As I was spending my time like this, I heard someone call me.
“Innkeeper.”
While I was busy working, Jeomsoi called out to me.
“We have guests who want to use the sponsorship.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Shall I go out?”
Just then, it happened to be the day Hongryeon arrived, and she stood up from her reading in the office.
Meanwhile, Chaejin was already heading toward the door.
“Hey!”
I didn’t stop them from leaving.
I had openly requested that they keep strange men away from the Wonju Jeokga, so it wasn’t like I could greet them myself.
And with Chaejin, the great master of Moonjeong, and Hongryeon, the great master representing Hongseong, it would be perfectly normal for them to welcome the guests on my behalf.
Plus, I had already given Yohwan a heads-up, so there shouldn’t be any big issues.
I peeked out the window and saw two large, extravagant carriages below.
From each carriage, ladies in white dresses, looking like attendants, disembarked, and from the larger, fancier one, a woman dressed in expensive red with most of her face covered by a thick veil stepped down.
Is that the precious lady of Wonju Jeokga?
Seeing that all the guards were also women, it looked like they were completely trying to block any interaction with men.
“Hmm…”
Usually, when someone comes in all covered up like that, it tends to mean trouble.
You know, the kind of trouble where creeps make lewd comments about how pretty someone must be hiding behind a veil.
But this is my inn, and there are no such scumbags here.
They’ve all been dealt with already.
While I was reminiscing about the past, Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Yohwan began to greet the guests. As I saw them leading the guests toward the back of the inn, I finally went downstairs.
“Oh dear. Innkeeper.”
While I was directing the busy servants, someone spoke to me.
It was Jang Yang, the one I had seen before.
Unlike those who had just entered, he didn’t seem inclined to stay; he was gathering his luggage.
“Thank you. Please ensure that only women are present to greet the guests.”
“You mentioned it in advance, so there’s no reason to go against that. And the attendants there are all women as well.”
“Thank you. Oh, and the schedule has changed a bit, so I might have to stay here longer than planned. Therefore…”
He rummaged through his belongings and handed me a note.
“And once again, I must ask…”
“I’ll definitely make sure to prohibit any men from approaching.”
“Of course, as the famous innkeeper, you wouldn’t harm another family’s precious one, right? Hahaha.”
“That goes without saying. I will certainly ensure that.”
As I nodded in response to the gazes from Hongryeon and Chaejin, who were intently watching us and listening to our conversation, I felt a sense of reassurance.
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