Setting up a branch in Seonghwa Castle, huh?
Well, it’s not exactly surprising for a massive sect like Moonjeong to establish a branch.
But the location? That’s the real issue.
Currently, there’s only one sect stationed in Seonghwa Castle: Hongseong.
Of course, if you count the Murim Alliance as a sect, that’s a different story, but it’s hard to see the Murim Alliance branch as a true sect. So if we’re talking purely about sects, then Hongseong is it.
But now another sect intends to set up a branch here?
That’s practically a call for open war!
“Did the Sword Saint approve this?”
“Well, yes, kind of.”
The Sword Saint looked at the Doje with a frown and sighed.
“This is also for the sake of Seonghwa Castle.”
For the sake of Seonghwa Castle, huh…
I nodded at the Sword Saint. It wasn’t a terrible idea.
Hongseong is indeed a powerful sect, but it has a small number of people. Including the Sword Saint, there are only twenty-one of us.
So, while the sect may have a strong presence, facing a large-scale attack could be a problem.
And now that Hongryeon has reached a superhuman level, there will be factions aiming to keep Hongseong in check.
“So, Moonjeong will come forward to stop them.”
“Many sects are drooling over Seonghwa Castle. I believe you know why.”
“I’m aware.”
But if Moonjeong sets up its roots, that changes everything.
Unlike the Sword Saint, the Doje didn’t seem to have much trouble with outside activities.
Also, being a member of the righteous faction means he’s pretty bold.
In the martial world, being bold means if you annoy the members of the unorthodox faction, they’ll kill you, and the righteous faction will only scold you a bit. So quite a few places fear Moonjeong.
So, if Moonjeong establishes a branch and starts growling, no sect would dare approach Seonghwa Castle.
I shared my thoughts with the Doje, who simply smiled wryly.
“You’re right. Honestly, Moonjeong is quite far from anything noble. And… I can’t just have my daughter bouncing around right after getting married.”
The Doje glanced back and forth between the Sword Saint and Hongryeon.
Now that it’s known that Chaejin has become a superhuman, many of Moonjeong’s officials would be hoping for her return.
And if I marry her, they’ll obviously want me to come along too.
But I can’t go, so in the end, Chaejin has to stay in Seonghwa Castle.
In other words, for the sake of keeping her in Seonghwa Castle, it’d be best to establish a branch of Moonjeong.
Who’s going to complain if the branch head stays and operates from the branch?
“Who would say anything if we’re active?”
“Well, if the Seomha Fortress weren’t in Hongseong’s territory, everyone would probably agree.”
“That makes sense.”
Moonjeong and Hongseong are like rival dogs and cats, always growling at each other.
So, if they’re saying they’ll establish a branch of Moonjeong in Hongseong’s territory, no one would dare to object.
“Honestly, it feels a bit off…”
“Well, you have to concede on this part.”
I looked at the Sword Saint and Hongryeon while giving them a nod.
“Thank you sincerely.”
“Ahem, I-I’m not doing it for her!”
“Right, it’s for you as well. I mean, if you two get married and merge the two forces around you, that’d be beneficial… and it might reduce the number of forces targeting you…”
The Sword Saint and Hongryeon’s opinion was that establishing a branch of Moonjeong to keep Chaejin and the Moonlight warriors around Seomha Fortress would lessen the chances of me getting kidnapped or attacked.
The Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Chaejin.
Three superhumans staying at Seomha Fortress.
On top of that are Hongseong’s disciples, Moonjeong’s Moonlight warriors, the Murim Alliance’s martial artists, and Seomha Fortress’s army.
With this much, even if the world’s top ten, or even twelve strongest showed up, we could fend them off comfortably.
“And then that thing.”
The Doje pointed at the blueprint in the Sword Saint’s hand.
“They might target that from the Demon Cult. It’d be better to have strong people there, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s definitely true.”
“And that’s why we came to an agreement.”
No matter how simple and bumbling he seemed, the Head Master was still the Head Master, I admired the Sword Saint.
It must’ve been quite unsettling for her to accept establishing a Moonjeong branch in Seomha Fortress.
If it were the old her, would she have accepted it?
I feel like she would have drawn her sword right away…
The Sword Saint met my eyes and smiled, her eyes curving like a crescent moon.
“I can clearly see what you’re thinking. Ha, is this love…? Ah, anyway. The old me wouldn’t have accepted this. This is entirely your merit, for not only helping me see the big picture but also allowing me to remain relaxed…”
“What have I done?”
I smiled at the Sword Saint, and she gently held my hand.
The atmosphere got warm.
“Master.”
“Sword Saint, are you really going to do this? Why are you suddenly ruining the good vibe?”
“…What are you doing in front of an elder?”
The warm atmosphere instantly vanished.
Of course, when the news spread that Moonjeong was going to establish a branch in Seomhwa Castle, the executives of Moonjeong began to argue back and forth.
What cut through it all was the Doje’s explanation.
“Apparently, he’s marrying Yu Wol?”
“Then we should go for it.”
“But it’s a bigamy situation.”
“What kind of thief is that?!”
“He’s supposed to be with the Sword Saint and Hongryeon.”
“…Impressive.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the ambiguous response.
In any case, it was decided; they approved of establishing a branch in Moonjeong, and the members of the Moonlight Sword would go with us when we returned.
“And I’ve decided to go too.”
“Chaeran, why are you coming?”
“Do you really think my sister will manage the branch properly?”
At those words, I looked at Chaejin. She was innocently scratching the back of her head.
“Since we’re establishing a branch anyway, it should be to completely take over Seomhwa Castle… Ufufufu…”
“Ryeon, is that really you?!”
“Don’t worry, Yun Ah. The Hongseong Clan will still embrace you.”
Her ambition was truly impressive.
“Do you think I’ll just sit back and do nothing?”
I wouldn’t tolerate unnecessary chaos.
“Oh my? Brother-in-law, are you planning to abandon my sister?”
“I don’t think Chaejin would want that.”
When I looked over, Chaejin nodded, and Chaeran clicked her tongue in disappointment.
But it seemed they had no intention of canceling the trip itself.
“Actually, this was mentioned in a family meeting. There are those who believe that your rapid growth is due to my brother-in-law’s strength. And… there are quite a few people in the martial world who think so too.”
So, does that mean they’re planning to keep Chaeran by their side to see if she can also grow into a superhuman?
“But when do you plan to leave?”
“When do you think Moonjeong will be ready?”
“First, I should say hopeful… I’ll be taking everyone who follows me, so it’ll take a few days to prepare.”
“Oh, the ones who came last time?”
“Yes.”
They were talking about the all-female members of the Moonlight Sword. By the time we go back, the inn would be pretty much finished, so preparing a place for them to stay shouldn’t be difficult.
“I see.”
“But why? Do you have something to do? You can go do that and leave separately. I’ll head to Seomhwa Castle later.”
As we chatted, we soon arrived at the room. I thought for a moment before speaking.
“I’ve come to Cheongho, and with enough people, I’d like to visit the Dragon Shrine.”
“…Where are you going?”
“The Dragon Shrine. Don’t you know? I think I mentioned it earlier… There’s a book called the Dragon Blood Heaven’s Tale that talks about legends of Cheongho. Have you seen it?”
“Rishio? I think I mentioned it earlier today… there’s a legend about the Blue Tiger in a book called ‘The Dragon Blood and Sky’. Have you seen it?”
“No.”
“It tells the story of a dragon that lived in the Blue Tiger’s land. To let the dragon rest, its servant built a shrine, which has become a hidden realm, granting peace to the dragon.”
“…Oh. So, are you saying there’s a real dragon?”
“Well, if there are evil monsters like Sahyung, there must be dragons too, right?”
“That makes sense?!”
“Anyway, I’m thinking of going there and coming back. According to the ‘Dragon Blood and Sky’, there’s a Dragon Form artifact in the dragon’s shrine that can harness a bit of the dragon’s power. Of course, that’s a precious treasure. I plan to give it to Chaejin. There’s also a precious sword called the Dragon Blossom Sword that would suit Hongryeon well…”
“Whoa.”
“Oh…”
Chaejin and Hongryeon’s faces turned bright red. They seemed really happy. I took a glance at them, then shifted my gaze to Chaeran.
“So, going to the dragon’s shrine is for Hongryeon unnie and Chaejin unnie, huh?”
Of course, aside from the Dragon Blossom Sword and Dragon Form artifact, there are plenty of other things to gather.
But the most important ones are those two, so I could just say that.
“I see… Can I go too?”
Chaeran’s eyes sparkled. I knew she loved hidden realms and ruins, so her suggestion wasn’t weird at all.
“You can.”
“But isn’t it a dangerous place? It might be better if you just tell us how to get there and don’t go yourself…”
That wouldn’t work.
It’s not like I could just let them handle the dragon’s shrine on their own without analyzing all the info from numerous materials and related events.
“I think it’s best if Sword Saint, Hongryeon, Chaejin, and Sayoon, along with you, and lastly, I go.”
“Me too?!”
Sayoon looked so surprised, her eyes like a rabbit’s. I nodded at her widened eyes.
Of course, we have to go together.
One of the blessings there is a buff that boosts martial arts power and improves energy.
Even though we’re going to fetch weapons for Hongryeon and Chaejin, I couldn’t let Sayoon miss out on that opportunity.
“I see…”
I patted the delighted Sayoon on the head, but turned away when my temple started to throb.
The Sword Saint, who had been quietly staring at me, cleared her throat.
“Ahem!!”
She couldn’t quite bring herself to say she wanted something too and kept glancing this way while clearing her throat.
Isn’t that just adorable?
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