It’s been a while since Cheong-ho returned, but he hasn’t changed much.
While I was watching the decrepit figures of the losers from the Cheong-ho carriage arena wandering near the road where the carriages pass, I discreetly hid the Sword Saint’s intrigued gaze.
“Don’t look at stuff like that. More importantly, Chaejin, have you contacted Moonjeong?”
“Uh… I did say I was going,” Chaejin mumbled through the carriage window.
Honestly, there had been requests for Chaejin to return from Moonjeong since before.
And why wouldn’t there be? The great heir of Moonjeong, who had been shunned and kicked around, suddenly ascended to the realm of the superhuman!
You couldn’t ask for a better cause for celebration. Two superhumans!
It’s an opportunity for Moonjeong to solidify its standing in the martial world, so it’s only natural they’d want her to come back and verify the rumors herself.
“They’ll be thrilled back home, huh?”
“Well, yeah.”
Chaejin awkwardly nodded at Hongryeon’s words, looking a bit uncomfortable with all the attention coming from Moonjeong after hearing nothing but complaints about being inadequate until now.
“Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“Hey! Look over there!”
Sayoon raised her hand, and I turned to see what was up. Then I shut my mouth in shock.
[Welcome the Proud Daughter of Moonjeong, Chaejin!]
It was a gigantic banner. The grandeur of the lettering suggested it was entrusted to a proper scholar.
Not only that, but there were also strangely tacky decorations and a crowd of people.
As the carriage approached, the gathered crowd lifted the signs they were holding.
…What in the world is that?
Chae.
I stared at the sign in disbelief.
No way?!
The crowd simultaneously switched the signs they held up.
Truth.
They changed it again.
Peak.
And again.
Glory.
The band started playing. Accompanied by majestic music, their voices rang out.
“Ah~! Proud~. Daughter of~. Cheong-ho~! Your~! Glory~!”
“……”
The voices were nice, but what the heck were those lyrics?
Anyway, as soon as the song ended, the people who had been holding the signs erupted in cheers.
“Moonlight! Moonlight!”
“Born from Cheong-ho, raised by Moonjeong, the pride of this era! Here comes the warrior Chaejin!!”
“Wowwww~!”
I peeked through the carriage window at Chaejin. No, not just me, but the Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Sayoon too.
Receiving our gazes, Chaejin seemed to hide her completely flushed face by bowing her head low. Her ears were turning red, clearly embarrassed.
“…Why the heck is this happening…”
“Well, they’re just trying to give her a warm welcome, so don’t be too hard on them.”
“But…”
She tried to say something but lowered her head even more.
“I wonder who thought this up?”
Sayoon murmured with an awkward expression as I glanced toward the end of the road. There, I saw a girl grinning mischievously like a fox.
Inda.
Who else could feed Chaedin such a lovingly crafted rice cake at Moonjeong?
I pointed at the girl who was immensely enjoying herself.
“Your friend, I guess.”
“Hahaha… Chaeran does have a bit of a mischievous side…”
This is a bit beyond the norm.
As soon as Chaedin saw her, she jumped out of the carriage.
“What the heck?!”
“Kekek!”
Truly, a superhuman is a superhuman.
Her Sinbeop was already no ordinary skill, but now that she’s serious, it’s not even a joke.
It felt like just a gentle breeze, but in an instant, she was choking Chaeran.
“What’s going on?!”
“Huh? What? Hahaha. Why?”
Wow… shameless.
Freed from Chaedin’s hands, Chaeran was grinning ear to ear.
“I’m sincerely congratulating you! Ahaha. Embarrassed, are we? Embarrassed, huh?”
As Chaeran poked Chaedin’s side with her finger, Chaedin was huffing in irritation. Just as she was about to choke her again, the door of Moonjeong opened.
“Welcome.”
“Father! What’s going on?!”
“Ren insisted on hosting the welcoming ceremony no matter what, so I entrusted it to her.”
Even Doje seemed to have a headache. He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily.
“No, brother. Still, isn’t Jin a superhuman? Shouldn’t we do a little more for her?”
“I had quite a hard time getting the palace’s scholar to write the letters.”
Chaedin was even more flabbergasted to learn that Chaeran received assistance from other higher-ups in Moonjeong to pull this off. Without seeming to care, Doje brushed his face and looked over.
“Come in.”
“It’s been a while, Elder Doje.”
“Things are a bit formal between friends. And…”
He glanced over toward the carriage. His gaze was fixed on Hongryeon, who was stepping down with her usual half-drowsy expression.
Not just that.
Everyone who had just cheered for Chaedin suddenly fell silent.
The abrupt shift was astounding. But it was only for a moment.
Doje lightly raised his hand to quell the subtly rising tension.
“Why are you here?”
“Is it not okay to come? And you just walked in as you pleased?”
“Well, I can’t argue with that statement.”
It’s true that Doje also invaded Hongseong’s territory without hesitation.
The Sword Saint and Doje.
As the two rivals began to glare at each other, I slid in between them.
“Let’s cut it out. More importantly, Chaeran, is this all for the welcoming ceremony?”
“No! There’s more?!”
Proudly, Chaeran spoke, while Chaedin looked like she was about to cry.
Still, considering all the hard work, I guess we should let it slide.
The welcoming ceremony was splendid.
Entertaining at Moonjeong completely wiped Chaedin out.
In this regard, it’s clear that Chaeran is far from ordinary. Seeing her obliterate a superhuman like that is something else.
“I don’t think I should fight her.”
“I don’t think we should fight.”
“Hahaha…”
Hongryeon quietly said to Chaeran, and I laughed.
It was definitely the most exhausting to fight Chaeran in Heavenly Bright Moon.
She had a skill that read people’s hearts and attacked their weak points.
While Chaejin, battered in spirit, leaned on me, I spoke to Chaeran.
“Must have been tough getting ready?”
“Not at all!”
She really looks refreshed.
“Anyway… thanks for bringing my sister. I actually sent a letter several times. I mean, I bet Uncle and the others wanted to know if the rumors about her were true. And… Yoona! Come here!”
Chaeran brightly smiled as she hugged Sayoon’s arm. I was glad the two of them got along so well.
While watching them, I spoke to Chaeran as we reached our room.
“I’d like to have a drink with Doje later. Is that alright?”
“Well… if it’s my father, it should be fine. Once my sister’s skill check is done, there won’t be any plans left for him.”
“I see.”
“Father has even adjusted his schedule. He was quite looking forward to the Innkeeper’s visit. He prepared only the finest drinks.”
“Really?”
“By the way, do you know how much trouble it was to prepare drinks at the level of the Seomhwa Village inn? How did you manage it there?”
“I have a brewery I know separately. Plus, Yohwan brews it herself sometimes.”
“That takes time for aging, though…?”
“There are methods for that, you know…”
“Are you going to keep talking like that?”
When Hongryeon chimed in, I lifted my head. Yeah, maybe it’s better to unpack and rest for now.
“Let’s talk more later.”
“Sure!”
She replied brightly as she led me to the building.
The Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Sayoon were in one room while I took the room next door.
And right next to that was Chaejin’s room.
“How does it feel to be home after such a long time?”
“…Not that great.”
I guess her mental attack hit her hard. I looked at Chaejin’s pale face and hugged her tightly.
“Ah.”
“Feeling a bit better now?”
“A, a bit harder…”
“This hard enough?”
“Huh…!!”
Chaejin, who had buried her face in my chest, nodded with a melted expression.
“Yup…”
“Then get some rest.”
“Yup…”
I sighed as I watched Chaejin stagger into her room. Is everything going to be alright?
After a bit of rest and dinner, we headed to Moonjeong’s training ground.
There were quite a few people there.
They must be curious.
How capable is Chaejin now?
Did she really reach the level of a superhuman as the rumors say?
Facing their anticipation, Chaejin took a deep breath.
And drew her sword.
At the same time, the night unfolded. The full moon rose.
As the light of the full moon obliterated a massive rock, a profound silence took over.
The reality of the rumors shocked them.
“Wow, wow!!!”
Then, the cheers erupted. Everyone was genuinely happy.
Everyone was genuinely happy.
“Looks like you’ve become a transcendental being.”
The Doje only grunted in response. He lightly swung the black moon sword he received back from Chaejin, and she countered the released energy with her own.
“Did you learn the basics from a child?”
“Yes.”
“Great. Then you can learn the rest from me. Training starts tomorrow. Over and out.”
It was a brief demonstration for such a large crowd, but everyone seemed satisfied. As the people left, the Doje flicked a glance at the Sword Saint.
“You gave my daughter good advice, huh? In that case, I’ll give some to your disciple as well.”
“I won’t stop you. Chaeran, learn properly. We’re going to take down Moonjeong later, so bring everything back.”
“Yes!”
Watching the conversation between the Sword Saint and Hongryeon, the Doje grimaced. But that was where it ended.
“See you tomorrow morning… my friend. Let’s have a drink.”
“Alright! Shall we have a drink separately too?”
As Chaeran took the Sword Saint, Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Sayoon outside, the Doje smiled.
“Being next to that friend makes me feel like my daughter is finding her own path.”
“It’s thanks to Chaejin’s efforts.”
“Hehe, well, it’s not just because she’s my daughter; she’s truly exceptional. That’s why I couldn’t let her go.”
He knew that many officials from Moonjeong had advised that Chaejin should be removed from her position as the Grand Disciple.
And he also knew that the Doje had dismissed it with a single remark.
Arriving at the place where they had previously shared drinks, the Doje couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and joy.
Just as Chaeran mentioned, there was a rather exquisite-looking bottle of alcohol and a drinking vessel.
“Alright! Let’s celebrate our reunion with a toast!”
Grabbing the large drink, they clinked glasses. They sipped one round after another while chatting. The conversation didn’t revolve solely around Chaejin and Hongryeon but also included world affairs, discussions about the Iron Blood Clan, and the state of the world.
“Ah, by the way, I heard you got an official position? Congratulations!”
“Thank you.”
“You’ll be getting a lot of contacts. It was like that back in my day too.”
“Actually, I have something to discuss regarding that.”
I straightened my posture.
“Please give me your daughter.”
“Hmm…”
The Doje stared at me intently before breaking into a smile.
“Well, considering Jin has been hanging around there, I suspected something was up. Is Jin happy with that?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s great. Actually, it’s quite welcome.”
The Doje replied cheerfully, and I added another comment.
“By the way, I’m going to be in a polyamorous relationship.”
“…What?”
“Hongryeon. And Na Yerin.”
“…Huh?”
The Doje, more taken aback than before, spoke with a perplexed expression.
“About Hongryeon, I get that, but Na Yerin… that kid?”
He looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“Your tastes are really something…”
What? What’s wrong with the Sword Saint?
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