Chapter: 278
Thud… thud…
Raindrops are flowing outside the window.
Just a few days ago, the sky was undoubtedly bright.
Now it is filled with dark clouds, obscuring the sun.
The air, which should have been cold and crisp, feels somewhat damp.
This means it doesn’t quite suit winter.
Thud—thud—
I quietly gazed at the rain falling outside the window.
It wasn’t a heavy downpour, more like a shower.
But if it has been raining for several days, can it really be called a shower?
Thinking of that made me chuckle slightly.
“What kind of rain falls in winter?”
Even as I spoke, I could see my breath rising from my mouth.
Rain in this weather?
What on earth is going on?
Knock knock.
After watching the rain for a while, I reached out and closed the window.
I was already feeling gloomy, so I couldn’t just keep staring at the damn weather.
Once I closed the window and stretched my stiff body,
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief.
“Ha…”
The reason my body felt so tired…
It can’t possibly be from the training I’ve been doing over the past few days.
Given the limited space for practice, I hadn’t been that diligent.
Recently, I had even focused more on mental training to reach the state of enlightenment.
Yet here I am, feeling this worn out. The cause is none other than…
The pair of siblings staying at the same inn with me.
‘…Tsk.’
Thinking of the brother among them instantly gave me a headache.
“I’d rather be beaten up, you idiot.”
Just recalling him makes my head throb.
Back when I met the traitor Biju and his sister, Bijin, at the inn,
He had bluntly greeted me and said,
– “I’ve heard a lot from the master.”
‘…Damn it.’
This was Bijin implicitly stating that she was the disciple of the ‘fallen one.’
The problem is…
The master isn’t just anyone but the ‘fallen one’ himself.
‘I can’t reveal my identity, so I suppose that’s the approach she’s taking.’
Immediately, I found myself saying, “So you’re claiming to be my disciple?”
It’s not something that could come out so straightforwardly.
Instead, she attempted to phrase it delicately.
Whatever it may be,
It wasn’t a great delight from my perspective.
Regardless, facing the ‘fallen one’ is an awkward situation for sure.
The only question remains:
‘What does he want from me?’
I get a sense that the ‘fallen one’ wants something from me.
This wasn’t something I understood well either.
I had barely exchanged proper words with him in the first place.
In my past life, he nearly killed me, so it’s strange that I know him so intimately.
“Hmm…”
For now, he only seems to be observing me.
The bright side is he isn’t showing much movement.
And then…
‘Because she’s my little sister.’
Next to the fallen one, there’s an individual who claims to be his younger sister.
I think her name was Vivi.
It seems Rain belongs to the youngest bloodline.
As for the ‘fallen one,’ he has undergone a process of rejuvenation.
If Vivi isn’t born from the same situation,
Then there’s no chance they would actually be siblings.
However…
Surely, she must be a granddaughter or great-granddaughter.
Yet this woman named Vivi seemed to have unwavering faith that the fallen one was her brother.
If that’s not an act,
Then it means the fallen one is putting on an act.
‘Could it be that this is why he can call himself a child of the Rain Clan?’
In the first place, the ‘fallen one’ Biju also belongs to the Rain Clan.
It wouldn’t be strange for him to belong within.
For this to be feasible, it means the current head of the family must also be aware of the situation.
It implies they know about the fallen one’s state.
Hiding his weakened form,
This would provide the optimal setting for protection during strength recovery.
‘No matter how you slice it, it’s still troublesome.’
What on earth is a grown man doing in a play area filled with kids?
Isn’t he embarrassed? If it were me, I’d feel so ashamed I’d bite my tongue and die…
“…”
Lost in thought, I unconsciously rubbed my forehead.
Because I realized I wasn’t in a position to judge others.
“Damn it.”
What does he expect from me?
Or what’s his plan regarding me?
Whatever it is,
When the fallen one intends to do something to me, there’s only one thing I’ll say.
‘…I’ll have to sell out the elders.’
I’ll sell and forget the rest.
It should be fine, considering the trouble he’s caused me from the beginning.
If need be, I can run away.
Surely he won’t come after me, will he?
And if he does…
I’ll find a way through it.
“Phew.”
Exhaling heavily, I glanced to the side.
As I slightly moved my hand, fluttering strands of hair caught my fingertips. The pure white hair felt like silk.
It was well past lunchtime by now.
This sleepyhead still seems to be swimming in dreamland.
“Can we move now?”
My voice, though not quiet,
Namgung Bi-ah remained completely still, lost in sleep.
In any case, this is my room.
Namgung Bi-ah’s room is next door.
When I woke up, this was what I found next to me.
I watched Namgung Bi-ah with bemused eyes,
and finally, I gave her head a rough pat before getting up.
I know from experience that no amount of yelling will rouse her.
Unless she chooses to wake up herself, she won’t stir.
In such times, the best approach is to leave her be.
Leaving that Namgung Bi-ah behind,
I stepped out into the hallway.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
As soon as I left the room, the first person I encountered was Dang So-yeol.
Her hair was damp, as if she had just washed it.
Dang So-yeol seemed to notice my gaze and shyly smiled while fixing her hair.
“I just finished training…!”
She quickly added that as an excuse, which was unexpected.
“Did you say you trained in this rain?”
“Yes? Ah… yes. I have to work hard.”
Her slightly smiling expression somehow appeared a bit more mature.
‘That’s surprising.’
While it was natural for Dang So-yeol to train as a martial artist,
I didn’t expect her to be so diligent.
Moreover, her breathing and pulse still seemed a bit rough.
It appeared she had been training quite rigorously.
‘Now that I think about it, it seems like Dang So-yeol is nearing her limits.’
She’s at the very edge of first rank.
That’s where Dang So-yeol currently stands.
In reality, we have monsters like Geomryong and Namgung Bi-ah around who reach their peaks at a young age.
At Dang So-yeol’s level, she could definitely be considered a genius.
There are many individuals who achieve first rank by the time others reach adulthood.
Perhaps Dang So-yeol is aware that she’s approaching a breakthrough,
which is why she’s pushing herself so hard.
Seeing her like this, I felt a sense of pride for managing to pull Gujeolyeop up from the middle ranks.
‘I need to keep this up.’
It seemed I’ve found a reason to continue my steady work with Gujeolyeop in the future, which made me feel a bit good.
“Oh, right, Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know where Sister Bi-ah is?”
“…”
I had to suppress my surprise at Dang So-yeol’s mention.
“Why do you ask about her…?”
“Oh, I was wondering if we could train together… I just can’t seem to find her. I thought maybe you knew…”
“…”
If it’s Namgung Bi-ah, there’s no way I could easily say, “She’s sleeping in my bed right now.”
That statement would surely lead to misunderstandings.
Eventually, I found myself lying.
“I wonder if she’s asleep somewhere again?”
She is, indeed.
In my room.
“I see? At any rate, she’s so fond of sleeping…”
“…Yeah.”
“Oh, and Your Highness, Lady Bi’s son mentioned that she and Prince Bi wanted to have a meal together later. By any chance…?”
“Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be hungry then.”
“Huh? I haven’t mentioned the time yet…?”
“I’m just feeling a bit off.”
“Oh, I understand…”
I couldn’t help but feel mildly anxious seeing Dang So-yeol’s dejected expression at my rejection,
but it couldn’t be helped.
If I had lunch there, I genuinely feared I would throw up.
I had already received several similar invitations in the past few days.
I’ve been trying my best to avoid those situations recently.
Even though Dang So-yeol was making a pouting face,
my response wouldn’t change.
Maybe she knew that, so she didn’t push further.
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind…”
“Your pronunciation seems off?”
“No… And one last thing, Your Highness.”
“What is it this time?”
What could possibly be so pressing for her to bring it up?
“It’s nothing special… I heard Lady Gu has been practicing really hard.”
“Huh?”
The sudden mention of a name left me with a peculiar expression.
Why is Gu Yeon-seo’s name unexpectedly popping up here?
“My older sister?”
Did Dang So-yeol have a conversation with Gu Yeon-seo?
Why is she suddenly bringing her up?
I set aside my confusion,
and Dang So-yeol continued.
“Yes. She was already practicing when I showed up, and she continued until I finished.”
“Hmm…”
That was news I hadn’t really paid attention to, probably because I hadn’t been practicing myself.
Then again, I glanced at Dang So-yeol and slightly frowned,
curious about why she felt the need to mention this now.
It was indeed strange.
There was a hint of sympathy in Daar, so it caught my attention.
“I apologize for speaking out of turn.”
Immediately, Dang So-yeol lowered her head and spoke up.
That statement revealed her intention, which was what I had suspected.
If she felt the need to confess like that, it must mean something unusual was happening.
Since she had no one else to confide in,
she chose to speak to me, a blood relative.
Hearing that made me squint my eyes slightly, feeling uneasy.
So, I asked Dang So-yeol.
“…Forget the apology; where exactly is she?”
I figured I should go see for myself first.
If you go slightly behind the inn, there’s a wide-open field.
It has an artificial feel, likely created from clearing away all the trees that were there.
They don’t seem to have done anything special since,
leaving it in good shape for training.
Of course, it isn’t just us in such an open space.
Practicing foreign martial arts here would be quite challenging.
Moreover, it’s raining, so it’s definitely not a comfortable environment.
Through the pouring rain,
I took a step forward.
After walking for a little bit, I noticed a figure practicing in the distance.
As I approached, I felt the faint warmth radiating from the figure.
It was certainly belonging to Gu Yeon-seo.
As soon as I sensed it, I frowned and heightened my focus.
I was checking if there were others around.
Fortunately, there wasn’t any other presence I could detect.
Phew!
With a sigh of relief, the warmth brushed past my nose.
Gu Yeon-seo was clearly releasing heat as she moved.
Swish!
The blade sliced through the rain, leaving a swirl in the air.
Grip.
Gu Yeon-seo’s attire fluttered wildly.
Thud! The tips of her feet stomped on the wet ground with audible sound.
As if to continue moving, she swung her sword diagonally once more.
Seeing this, I halted in my tracks
and looked at Gu Yeon-seo from a distance.
‘Hmm.’
It was just a brief glance,
but I vaguely sensed why Dang So-yeol had mentioned Gu Yeon-seo to me.
Even to outsiders, Gu Yeon-seo seemed to be struggling.
‘She’s unsteady.’
The tip of her sword lacks steadiness,
and there’s no confidence in the arm gripping the sword.
The effort to raise heat isn’t catching its flow properly.
It appeared she couldn’t exert her full strength at all.
This was her heart.
Gu Yeon-seo was currently entrapped in her own heart.
How serious could it be for a second-rate martial artist to get stuck like this?
After all, given her current level,
if she fell into such a mire, there would be no recovery.
Gu Yeon-seo’s movements exuded anxiety.
That was likely the cause of her heart’s turmoil.
I frowned at this sight.
‘Since when?’
Just when did it come to this for Gu Yeon-seo?
If left alone, she could have become the renowned heroine known as the Flaming Sword in time.
Would she have found herself in a situation like this around this time in my past life?
No, surely not.
If that’s not the case, what might have led her to this?
‘Could it be because of me?’
Only one answer loomed.
If there’s a cause, it must be me.
Tsk.
It’s something I had ignored, using the excuse of being too busy.
In reality, with so many accidents occurring, I hadn’t paid enough attention.
There were also instances where I’d deliberately chosen to overlook them.
Dealing with emotional rifts was less convenient than avoidance.
Could it be my negligence was to blame?
Before I realized it, Gu Yeon-seo found herself in a quagmire,
struggling to escape from it.
‘How annoying.’
The trouble stemming from me.
No matter when it arrives, it’s always irritating.
Right now, however, Gu Yeon-seo’s woes
aren’t something I can resolve.
While rolling Gujeolyeop about and forcing it, I could snag her by the hair and pull her out.
Literally pushing her up like I do with Gujeolyeop.
This wasn’t merely a difference in talent.
It was more a matter of dispositions and the connection between us.
After forcibly pulling Gu Yeon-seo out like I would with Gujeolyeop,
if I were to toss her back into it,
she’d reach higher realms,
and perhaps even become stronger than before.
‘That’s not how it should work.’
If I yanked her free with my own hands,
even if Gu Yeon-seo momentarily escaped from her own heart,
she would carry the scars and remnants with her.
That kind of thing clearly wouldn’t fix itself—it would only grow worse.
Then what should I do?
Under the pouring rain,
Gu Yeon-seo continues to swing her sword.
I maintained a distance so as not to catch her attention while observing.
‘…’
Dang So-yeol seems to think I can resolve this for her.
But it is far from my involvement.
Especially for her.
One thing I was certain of—
I felt a responsibility towards her.
If it were any other person,
I would probably have clicked my tongue, cursed aloud, and ignored it entirely.
Yet for Gu Yeon-seo, I held a sense of guilt.
Remembering the time I slapped her after hearing her words in the Kowloon?
‘That was justifiable.’
I have no regrets about that incident.
After all, who stirred up trouble?
By my standards, it was just punishment.
Of course, I also wish I had shown a bit more restraint, but what’s done is done.
And still,
within my sight, she remained trapped.
– I hate you.
Cradling Gu Hee-bi’s cold body,
the image of Gu Yeon-seo wielding her weapon against me
lingered in my mind, refusing to vanish.
Tsk.
I turned to leave the field.
With Gu Yeon-seo’s ordeal heavy on my mind,
while I may not be able to resolve it,
fortunately,
the right individual to handle this predicament happened to be close by.
I picked up my pace a little.
Heading not to the inn where I was staying, but rather a place a bit farther away.
“Hmm…? Lady Gu?”
Upon entering the inn to find a presence,
Youngpung and a few others, who were dining, stared at me in surprise.
“Youngpung Dojo.”
“What brings you here…? Oh! Were you thinking of joining me for some training…?”
Youngpung replied excitedly, as if possessed by a spirit.
However, that wasn’t my intention.
“Where is Master of the Sword?”
At my question that interrupted his flow,
Youngpung’s face instantly showed disappointment.
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