Chaejin, who was watching Hongryeon return to the Hongseong Clan, couldn’t help but smirk. Facing her, Ryuhyun tilted her head in curiosity.
“Is something good happening?”
“Umm. No.”
Despite saying that, Chaejin’s voice was bright. Ryuhyun, who was staring at her, shrugged. If she looks happy, then it must be good.
“Then, Innkeeper. I…”
“Oh. You can stay here. If you want, you can come inside.”
“I understand. And since Moonlight Sword is stronger than I am, I’d like to leave the job of guarding you to her. Is that alright?”
How could that request be denied? Chaejin nodded enthusiastically.
“Hehe. Shall we do that? Oh, and if you want, I can also spar with you.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Since Chaejin held a slightly higher standing in the martial world and was older, Ryuhyun didn’t feel offended by Chaejin’s condescension.
She gripped her big sword with a flourish, while Chaejin leisurely drew her sword.
Yu Wol, who was watching them point their weapons at each other, calmly said, “Then I will go run the morning business. Let’s eat… after the spar.”
“Yes!”
With a bright shout, Chaejin swung her sword. Through her duel with the Doje yesterday, and the exchange of techniques, she had gained insights.
“Hup!!”
With a low shout, at the tip of her sword, it felt like a thread was hanging. As her hands that handled the sword with ease began to move faster, Ryuhyun grit her teeth.
The blue thread.
It was stretching.
Qi web.
A technique meant to create a surface that can be expressed as a line.
As the densely woven blue surface shot towards her, Ryuhyun bit down harder and swung her big sword.
-Kadook!!
Typically, a Qi web is assessed as weak against a concentrated attack.
But Chaejin’s Qi web was different. It was sticky and tough.
Could this be why? Not only did it block the sword energy from Hongseong Divine Art’s signature technique, the Burst Slash, but it enveloped it entirely and obliterated it within.
“Tsk.”
Ryuhyun clicked her tongue briefly and shot out another sword energy. Only after blocking three of Chaejin’s sword energies did the Qi web disappear. But by then, Chaejin had already adopted a stance for her next move.
-Clunk.
With a sheathing motion, her sword was returned to its scabbard. At the same time, darkness unfolded before Ryuhyun’s eyes.
A pitch-black night.
And rising there was a faint crescent moon.
The light pouring down from the moon aimed straight at Ryuhyun.
“Hah!!”
If she didn’t block it, she would be on the receiving end of it. Ryuhyun exhaled a shout and swung her big sword.
But there was no way to slice through the beam of light.
-Swish.
Only after her clothes were sliced did the darkness dissipate.
Ryuhyun alternated her gaze between the flowing fabric and Chaejin.
-Clunk.
Seeing the blade that was drawn return to its scabbard, Ryuhyun wore a wry smile.
“Have you had some kind of enlightenment? What was that just now?”
“The Moonlight Sword Technique, Vision Sword, Moonlight Slash. But I haven’t perfected it yet.”
When the Moonlight Slash is perfected, it should create a full moon, not a crescent. She shrugged her shoulders.
“When the full moon is created, you can use strong energy.”
At that moment, a voice came from above. Ryuhyun looked up and spotted a middle-aged man leaning against the window.
“Nice to meet you, Doje.”
The Doje casually responded to her greeting, leaping down. He glanced at Chaejin and shook his head.
“You know that the Moonlight Slash you’re using is just a mimic, right?”
“I know.”
“If you can’t use the Moonlight Technique perfectly, you won’t be able to summon the full moon.”
He calmly said that and gave Chaejin a light pat on the shoulder.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask anytime.”
“Got it.”
She said that, but it would be a while before Chaejin approached the Doje. She couldn’t look ahead when she hadn’t even organized what she’d just gained.
“Still, it’s faster than I expected.”
“That’s because the goal is clear.”
Chaejin smiled.
Yeah. Unlike the past, the goal she had now was very clear.
She glanced inside the inn. As always, a man with an unfazed face was welcoming guests, catching her eye.
“Alright. Then, Ryuhyun. Let’s have a duel.”
“Thank you!!”
While the Doje was dueling with Ryuhyun, Chaejin went inside. There were no guests sitting in her familiar spot now.
Perhaps because she had already gotten to know some of the guests?
Some of them greeted her with casual nods as she entered and sat down.
Receiving their greetings, Chaejin smiled brightly.
She had barely stayed in this inn for a year.
But she felt more accustomed to this place than the decades she spent in 청호.
A place where she belongs.
A place where she should be.
Chaejin quietly sat in her chair and gazed at him in silence.
How long had she been staring?
Yu Wol, who was serving the guests, approached her.
“Shall we eat now? But what about the others?”
“They’re in the middle of a duel.”
“Hmm. Then it feels a bit wrong to interrupt.”
“Right? Hehe. It feels like we haven’t eaten together in ages.”
“True, there have been more people lately. What will you have?”
“The usual.”
“I’ll bring it right away.”
It was an order she had become accustomed to. A heaping serving of Seomhwa Wrap filled with meat, and vegetable soup with a bit more salt for a savory taste.
Since Yu Wol always prepared her breakfast, she only said that, and he went inside without any further questions, returning with the Seomhwa Wrap and vegetable soup.
As Chaejin bit into the now-famous Seomhwa Wrap from Seomhwa Village, she smiled broadly.
It was a humble dish not fitting for her status.
But the taste was something she had gotten used to all too well.
So, it made me think about the future for no reason.
He would cook or do house chores, while I would guard the house.
We would do laundry together.
We would go grocery shopping together.
We would take walks together.
Thinking of those walks brought to mind the collar I got then.
I picture him holding the collar around my neck, walking calmly down a dark street.
Then we would come back, and I’d pat his head, leaning my head on his legs…
“Hehe.”
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Oh, um, nothing.”
My thoughts drifted to a more indecent place. Afraid he might catch on, Chaejin quickly shook her head, her neck turning red.
Yu Wol chuckled softly, wiping the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
“Uh.”
“You drooled a bit.”
“Ugh… th-thank you.”
Chaejin sneaked a glance at him. But he remained as calm as ever.
*
It was around the time before the evening market. By the time today’s annex construction was finished, I headed to the site. The building was almost complete, and internal work was underway.
With the annex construction manager, who was staying on site, and Chaejin, who came as my bodyguard, I took a look around inside and pointed out a few areas to the manager.
“I’d like the garden area to be a bit bigger.”
“The garden area? That’s fine, but why…?”
“Most of the people staying in the annex will be martial artists, right? They’ll need their own space for training.”
“In that case, it might be better to lay the ground with crushed stone. However, it will increase the cost.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
After all, the folks staying in the annex probably won’t be penny pinchers.
The manager nodded at my words. When I started mentioning other parts that needed attention, it was almost time for me to head off to another task.
“Chae Soja. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I didn’t expect her to stick so close after saying she’d be my bodyguard. Since she wouldn’t even think of leaving my side, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“I don’t mind the escort, but isn’t it a bit too close?”
“Don’t like it?”
As soon as we reached a place where no one was around, Chaejin lightly wrapped her arm around mine. With her face beaming in a light hug, how could I say I didn’t like it?
Upon returning, Chaejin followed me into my office. She smiled brightly as our eyes met.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. I guess it’s fine.”
She said she’s going to provide close protection, and who was I to argue?
Anyway, let’s get to work.
I reviewed books and paperwork, checking the information sent by Hano along with what Chaeran provided, trying to get a grasp of the current situation.
While I was deep in work, a lovely scent tickled my nose.
“Hum~.”
Before I knew it, she had brought a chair over and was reclining next to my desk, her small face resting on it as she looked at me. Her black hair slightly tumbled down, giving her a puppy-like appearance.
The small face looked just like a puppy.
I raised my hand and placed it above her head. Her soft hair spilled between my fingers.
“Uhuhuh…”
Feeling good, Chaejin playfully swayed her hair that brushed against my hand. When I lowered my hand to stroke her cheek, she even nibbled the tip of my finger with her lips.
Like a cute puppy showing off, she was playing with my hand, but when I tried to pull it away to get up, she looked disappointed and asked,
“Do you need anything?”
“Um. There should be some documents tied with a red string on the bookshelf. Please bring that to me.”
She scampered off to fetch the document and placed it beside me. I compared the sales records of the past with the current ones to calculate the new items to stock up on, and when I finished organizing what to request from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild, I looked up.
Chaejin was beaming, looking at me.
“Aren’t you bored?”
“Just watching you is interesting enough. Oh, should I brew you a cup of tea?”
“Um. I would graciously accept…”
– Knock, knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Jeomsoi was holding out a small box.
“What is this?”
“It’s a letter sent by the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild. They sent someone directly because it was urgent.”
Really? I immediately opened the box. Inside was a white token and a letter.
I recognized the white token. It was a Poison Detection Token, which alerts you if there’s any poison nearby, and it was quite a valuable treasure imbued with the power of detoxification.
These are typically used by high-ranking military personnel or officials, so sending this to me was quite a gesture.
I unfolded the letter right away.
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1ZkYxUDNwcllDWW9xTVVNeGk3Wnp0cFhpOXpoV1Nvclg0YWNIV0U3T3o0Ng
“What does it say?”
Chaejin, curious, moved closer, her expression stiffening.
Recently, some generals and officials from the military have been ambushed.
More than half of them are the ones advocating for forming an evil monster extermination organization centered around the military and central administration.
I investigated the backers, but so far, I’ve only been able to gather that they received certain requests without any additional information.
The reason Yu Seonsaeng’s reputation has grown is that they share ways to easily handle evil monsters.
So, please be careful.
Though it was short, the letter was packed with worry.
Cheonilhwa might not have been able to verify the culprits, but I had a good idea of who had commissioned them.
Of course, if the military put in more time, effort, and budget, identifying the backers wouldn’t be impossible.
Right now, if the number of evil monsters decreases, who would be the most troubled?
I closed the letter with a smile.
No matter who it is, the backing of those trying to attack me must be the Iron Blood Clan.
If I use that to track them down, I can weaken their strength.
Then bring it on!
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