The night was not only a time for rest but also a time for danger. Therefore, those living under the sun’s blessing wished to stay safe until the night passed by.
And, proving this point, the night threw challenges at those who dared to roam during its hours.
-Creeeeeak…!!
By throwing danger our way.
As we emerged from the hidden realm, we were greeted by none other than a gigantic dog with blue fur.
A pack of beast-dogs.
About a dozen of these creature-dogs seemed to be sniffing the air for the scent of humans, their long snouts sniffing and approaching us.
“…Please step back.”
The woman who had sweetly confessed to me inside the hidden realm, the one who had feared my words, was nowhere to be found.
What stood before me now was a martial artist wielding a sword.
Bathed in pure white moonlight, she was dressed in a black martial arts uniform, taking a step forward to face the enemy.
With long, pitch-black hair that exuded an eerie magic like the night, she shook it and smiled at the drooling pack of beast-dogs.
“Come at me.”
-RAWR!!
The first to charge was a massive beast that looked like the leader of the pack.
It let out a bizarre growl, showing its sharp teeth as if to demonstrate its prowess to the other dogs, and leaped toward her with a roar.
-Swish!!
“Oh…”
It was a single strike.
Of course, I knew that a creature-dog wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like Chaejin.
Still, what surprised me was her movement.
The beast-dog’s fangs had nearly touched her body. And Chaejin’s sword was still sheathed.
Yet, the beast-dog was cleaved apart in one blow.
One of the secret techniques of the Moonlight Sword, utilizing the principle of late arrival.
The Black Moon Slash.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, this technique was a powerful counter that Chaeran only mastered towards the latter half of Chapter 3.
And to my knowledge, Chaejin hadn’t yet realized this…
“Haha!”
Letting out a laugh, she roughly sneered at the dog that was turning to gray ash.
With her laughter, which sounded like a challenge, the pack of dogs, startled by the fall of their leader, charged at her in unison, as if enraged by her taunt.
-Swish!! Swish!!
Her sword struck precisely, cleaving the beast-dogs with a single strike.
Once for each dog.
With each gleam of the moonlit blade, more gray ash piled up.
And when all the beast-dogs were gone, she calmly slid her sword back into its sheath.
“Impressive. Did you gain some kind of enlightenment just now?”
“Hey, so what great revelation have you had this time?”
“…Hehe. Nope.”
The expression that was once full of fighting spirit suddenly changed.
Chaejin, rushing over with a face full of smiles like a dog begging for praise, proudly declared,
“…Ever since I got out of Simma, I’ve been researching non-stop. And… today is just my big reveal!”
Just like Hongryeon completed her meteoric dance, she too had grown in her own way.
I applauded her—after all, growth is worth celebrating.
“Eh, eh. This is nothing special.”
If she had already mastered the Black Moon Slash, that was pretty impressive!
I have no idea what her standards for satisfaction are.
But hey, if she’s happy with her progress, who am I to say otherwise?
“Huh? What’s that?”
At that moment, something was rolling on the ground where the dog spirits had just been.
Chaejin strode over, only to jump back in surprise.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um. Uh. It’s, um…”
The tough warrior who just moments ago had been taunting a dozen dog spirits was nowhere to be found.
Instead, we had a blushing woman, twisting and turning in embarrassment.
I looked down at what was on the ground.
“Oh.”
It was a black leash.
To be precise, it was proof that a dog spirit had gathered its magical power and emerged as an even stronger entity.
In Heavenly Bright Moon, it was treated as just one of the wearables.
The effect when worn was simply to increase movement speed a bit and make dog spirits avoid fights.
But in Heavenly Bright Moon, those dog spirits weren’t considered very strong, so it wasn’t deemed high-end gear.
Of course, the evaluation here would be different. After all, it could prevent damage from dog spirits, so it would be quite helpful in other villages besides Seomhwa Village.
“Hmm…”
I picked up the leash. As I fiddled with the shining black accessory, I turned my gaze to Chaejin.
“Hyuk!”
With a hiccup, she avoided eye contact. I knew why.
In her thoughts, when she confessed to me, she asked me to put a leash on her.
And she had handed me that chain.
“Um, Chaejin, this…”
“Hyk! Hyk! He, heeek!!”
Chaejin was in complete chaos!
The effect was astounding!
Just mentioning that moment without even bringing up the leash sent her clear eyes darting everywhere, and her body was twisting in sheer confusion.
Not to mention the business at hand, just calling her while grabbing her leash left those clear eyes of hers wandering aimlessly, and her body twisted nervously like a pretzel.
What kind of dangerous mental attack is this?
…I should refrain from mentioning that incident from now on.
“…Can I take this?”
Nod. With a face that turned as red as her ears, Chaejin quietly bobbed her head.
“Let’s go.”
“Nyehet…”
Struggling to reply, she ultimately didn’t say a word until we returned.
By the time we arrived at the inn, it was just before the morning business was about to start.
I smiled at Chaejin, who seemed a bit more at ease now.
“Don’t be too tense; just act like you usually do.”
“…Y-yeah, I should, but I’m not as strong-minded as the innkeeper… But you, innkeeper…”
She hesitated, cautiously glancing at me, her lips slightly pouting.
“…You don’t seem the least bit flustered.”
“I was very flustered.”
If I had just realized that at this moment, I would’ve been quite flustered too. But having gone through all the turmoil during the night, I simply looked fine now.
“And if I get flustered too, wouldn’t that make things even more troublesome?”
That would be funny, I admit. But in the eyes of others, it may seem like a laugh, yet for us, it just makes our interactions tougher.
If our help can’t be physical, we might as well assist each other in this way.
“…That’s true.”
A little, Chaejin puffed her cheeks. I lightly patted her shoulder.
“You must be tired, so go in and rest a bit. I’ll prepare for the morning business.”
“But innkeeper, you must be tired too.”
“Still, I’m the owner of this inn. I can’t skip the business, can I? Have breakfast and get some sleep first.”
Chaejin pondered for a moment and then nodded.
“I should wash up first. Both of us are covered in dust.”
“Uh, yeah. See you later.”
After exchanging greetings, Chaejin went upstairs, and I headed to my office.
As I undressed to wash up, I felt something in my pocket.
I had grabbed one of the materials you can obtain from the white road while passing through the secret area earlier.
It was a white stone, about the size of an egg.
This white ore, reminiscent of the symbol for yang in the Taiji, was called Yangseok (陽石), and just having it would recover stamina and increase internal injury recovery speed.
Moreover, if processed into necklaces, rings, or earrings, additional effects could be gained.
In Amipa, there’s a monk who can turn materials like this into ornaments that help with mental stability, so I hoped that Sayoon could process this into a good accessory while she was gone this time.
I hope I can process this and turn it into a nice accessory.
After putting the warm stone that radiates a gentle heat into the vault, I headed straight to the bathroom.
Alright. Let’s wash up and get to work.
After finishing the morning business, I stepped into the backyard for a quick break. While I was smoking a stick, I heard a voice from above.
“Are you not tired?”
“I’m fine.”
It was Chaejin, peeking her head out. She hopped down into the backyard and reached out her hand to me.
“Can we train?”
“Of course.”
Skipping training would be a nightmare.
These things pile up and become helpful later on.
And besides, Chaejin really enjoys teaching me.
I set down my stick and got into position.
“Oh? Training today?”
At that moment, a lively voice came from the backyard. It was Chaeran.
Bouncing over, she sat on the long chair where I had been and stared intently at Chaejin.
“…Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
Chaejin must not have liked the giggly smile. She slightly frowned and said to me,
“Then, let’s get started.”
The training itself was no different from usual. As always, I rolled around and learned a new technique of the Golden Snake Method.
When we wrapped up the training, Chaejin cleared her throat softly and said,
“Let’s call it a day.”
Wow.
She finished early, giving me even enough time for a cup of tea.
“…I’ll do some extra training later.”
“Haha. Got it.”
While I nodded, Chaejin quickly shifted her gaze. Her gaze landed on Chaeran.
With a big smile, Chaejin asked with a tone full of reluctance,
“…Do you have something to say?”
“I don’t.”
Chaeran replied nonchalantly, turning her head. Seeing her, Chaejin sighed deeply, her lips twitching.
“Then since we finished a bit early… how about a cup of tea?”
“Sounds great!”
Chaeran was the one who answered my question.
“Oh, once the oil is up, I won’t even be able to enjoy tea made by the innkeeper like this~. What a shame.”
After the oil?
Does that mean Sayoon is leaving after the oil?
I need to pass this on quickly.
“Hey? Sister. Is that something I haven’t seen before?”
At that moment, Chaeran tilted her head, seeing the piece of sound hanging from Chaejin’s wand.
By the way, when did that get there?
Chaejin looked at the black jade bead connected by white thread with a dreamy gaze, gently holding it with a bashful smile.
“Yeah. It’s something precious.”
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