Information about the Sword Saint was almost impossible to find in Heavenly Bright Moon. It was understandable, as most storylines avoided mentioning the Sword Saint ever since Hongseong Mountain had gone berserk and Hongseong Clan faced destruction.
Sometimes, whenever a major crisis hit, people would lament, “If only the Sword Saint were here…” or “If only Hongseong Clan was intact…” It seemed there were always those wishing for their power.
Both the Doje and Moonjeong were reacting this way, and even Namgoong Cheon was no exception. This suggested that the Sword Saint had caused quite a stir during their adventures in the past.
I even thought about asking Hao-mun to look into it, but since they would be accompanying me from now on, it felt inappropriate to do some background checks…
If I dug too deeply, I might just end up crying.
I walked through Seomhwa City alongside the Sword Saint.
Was it because of the words she said to me earlier? She kept stealing glances at me, as if trying to read my mood.
“Shall we have some tea?”
There was a tea house that hadn’t existed in Seomhwa Village.
My inn served tea too, but not as authentically as a real tea house, so visiting here wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Welcome!”
A middle-aged man dressed neatly greeted us but then flinched in surprise. It was me and the Sword Saint after all. With such important figures from Seomhwa City present, it was no wonder he was tense.
“Don’t worry too much. We’re just here for tea.”
“Ah, no! The Sword Saint and Shinsan Seonja have come… Please, come inside.”
Did he think that if he messed up running a tea house, it could spell disaster?
The owner hurriedly guided us inside. He led us to a spot on the second floor where the sunlight streamed in warmly and asked politely:
“What would you like to have?”
“I’m not well-versed in tea, so I’ll leave it up to you.”
“Do you have Baekho-chim?”
Baekho-chim was a special tea that appeared in Heavenly Bright Moon. It was quite a rare tea sold for a hefty price per pouch.
On top of that, it was difficult to brew correctly unless you were in a major city, so the setting had established that not just anyone could brew it right… there was even an event where I couldn’t forget its taste when I went to the North and asked for it back.
“Yes, we have it.”
A look of relief washed over the middle-aged man’s face. Was he confident in his skills?
I smiled at him and ordered two cups of tea and snacks.
And how long did we wait?
Eventually, a teapot filled with Baekho-chim and cups were placed on the table.
Next to it was a small hourglass. Pointing at it, the owner said seriously:
“Please drink your tea when this hourglass runs out. The snacks are Seonggun-gwa and Ohyang-gyeonggwa. Seonggun-gwa is made by soaking fruits in sugar to enhance sweetness, then baking it with honey and other ingredients. Ohyang-gyeonggwa has five fragrances in each piece. The first one is…”
As he described, the Sword Saint’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the Ohyang-gyeonggwa. Why were her expressions so animated over just one snack?
“What on earth is with those faces?”
“Well then, I hope you have a pleasant time.”
As he politely took his leave, the Sword Saint delicately sliced some five-spice nuts with a small bamboo knife. The moment she popped it in her mouth, her expression visibly brightened.
“This is delicious!”
And she offered me a piece of the cut snack.
“…Ah.”
Realizing what she had done, the Sword Saint flinched in surprise. Wasn’t this a bit like feeding me?
But even while feeling embarrassed, she seemed unwilling to retract her offer, and she was trembling slightly while presenting it. I accepted it and took a bite.
“Wow…”
“It’s tasty.”
“Y-Yeah. And about that…”
The Sword Saint, looking noticeably pleased and flustered, glanced at the slice of royal cake in front of her. She gently closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
She wanted me to feed her. I cut a piece of the royal cake and put it in her mouth.
“Mmm~!”
She seemed to be enjoying it. Seeing her radiant smile made me want to try the royal cake as well. The refreshing sweetness and the way it melted in my mouth immediately were heavenly.
This is really good.
“It’s really delicious. I’ve never had anything like this even when I was at the imperial palace…”
“Well, I’ve been diligently researching this kind of snacks, you know.”
Such events were unimaginable in Heavenly Bright Moon. This was only natural. Since the surge of energy from Hongseong Mountain, the Empire had plunged into chaos.
Bandits and evil monsters appeared everywhere, and people were fleeing for their lives, making food scarce.
Who would even think about researching snacks when everyday survival is such a struggle?
“Hehe…”
Nibbling on the five-spice nuts and royal cake, the Sword Saint smiled happily. After taking a sip of the white tiger tea, she let out a small sigh.
“It’s delicious…”
“That’s great to hear. I hope you visit often.”
“That would be nice. I really want you to come along with me. Hehe… Mmm.”
Taking another sip of her tea and sighing again, the Sword Saint straightened up and looked at me.
When I raised an eyebrow at her pure gaze, the Sword Saint gently lowered her head.
“Thank you.”
“…What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Just thought I’d say it once. Especially since you revealed that you’re ‘Mister.'”
“Oh.”
“I know what happens to the world when the energy from Hongseong Mountain surges. No, as the head of Hongseong Sect, it’s something I must know.”
“I see.”
“What could prevent it was the letter you sent.”
“Haha…”
The letter I sent to Hongseong Sect.
Had it not been a warning to prepare for the attack from the Cheolhyeol Master, would Hongseong Sect have met the same fate as Heavenly Bright Moon?
Probably so.
At that time, nothing would have been as precious to her as her disciples.
“If you hadn’t lent a helping hand, there would be no Hongseong Sect… and no peace like this. And I would never have tasted something this delicious…”
“He must have not been able to do it…”
She glanced up at me with a gentle smile.
“You probably didn’t know that I could be this happy with you.”
“You’re flattering me too much.”
“Hmm. I could flatter you more. No, I will.”
It was so serious that I felt embarrassed. The Sword Saint beamed at me, while I just sipped my tea without saying much.
“Ummm~. It’s really delicious. The snacks sold at the inn are good, but these from Daru are nice too. Do you have any plans to collaborate with Daru?”
“I’m considering it since your skills are great.”
Maybe give out coupons to the folks staying at the inn or something.
Or I could supply the inn too.
I’ll have to bring this up later.
“But… why did the Thunderbolt Sword King come?”
“He said he would visit once before—regarding Namgoonghwa’s affairs and the matters with Namgoongseongyul.”
“I see. Be careful. He can be quite sly.”
I know that too.
“But why does everyone react like that about the Sword Saint from back in the day?”
“U-uh?!”
She looked at me blankly, flustered.
“Both the Doje and the Thunderbolt Sword King. Everyone reacts that way…”
“P-please don’t ask… back then, I was a bit… well, I was rather impatient…”
“Oh.”
“And I think people assume I killed many, but I didn’t kill that many. They just happened to die…?”
“…..”
What is this, a Batman-style no-kill policy?
“N-no, I’m joking. Hahaha…”
I smiled at her, worried she might start to dislike or fear me, and gently patted her head, trying to be as kind as possible.
“Na Yerin, no matter what you’ve done, there’s no way I could dislike you. Plus, I don’t think you used your power for no reason.”
“…Really? Then I’m relieved. Hehe.”
Finally, the Sword Saint seemed at ease and smiled brightly again.
After sipping tea at Daru, we strolled through the market. We checked out the new facilities, visited the pharmacy, and also looked at the treatment center.
There were facilities for children, and new workshops to create equipment had been added, too.
“To see Seomhwa Village develop like this… If my Master were alive, he would have been so happy…”
Thinking about it, her Master wanted Seomhwa Village to thrive. I gently patted the slightly gloomy Sword Saint. As she leaned against me, we walked back to the inn, arriving just as lunch service ended.
“Where did the Thunderbolt Sword King go?”
Yohwan, who had been resting, stood up.
“He went to the hot spring. He was going to sit here and wait, so I sent him off.”
“Good call.”
“By the way, have you eaten?”
“By the way, have you eaten?”
“I grabbed some snacks on the way, but I haven’t had a proper meal. She smiled at me and the Sword Saint before heading inside to bring out some of the dishes the Sword Saint likes.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Is this all you’ve got? Oh, and have you checked out that new place, Daru? Their snacks are pretty good. How about we partner up with them?”
“I was actually thinking the same. The tea and snacks were delightful.”
“I thought so. The owner of Daru is someone I know.”
“Oh? Really?”
“We used to work together in the royal palace.”
I thought she was a big deal, but it turned out well.
“Isn’t your relationship with them bad?”
“There’s no real reason to have a bad relationship with the chef and the teapot, right? Why? Want me to chat with them?”
“Could you do that?”
“Sure thing.”
Yohwan nonchalantly headed inside. The Sword Saint, watching her walk away, wore a grin.
“I think this is a sign of good fortune. Good people always gather around you.”
“Just lucky, that’s all.”
“Especially me, right?”
Seeing the Sword Saint puffing up with pride, I nodded, and she looked a bit bashful.
If that’s the case, maybe she should just keep quiet.
“Ahem. Anyway… what do you say we go meet the Thunderbolt Sword King soon?”
“I hear he’s enjoying the hot spring right now, so let’s meet him when he’s done.”
“Hmm. Well then…”
Taking a bite of a dumpling, she smiled brightly.
“Can you spare some time for me until then?”
“I can do that.”
The Sword Saint beamed.
The Thunderbolt Sword King hadn’t shown up by the time dinner was over. When I asked the staff, they said he was really enjoying the bath.
“Innkeeper, the Thunderbolt Sword King has come out of the hot spring.”
“Oh? Is he downstairs?”
“Yes.”
After dinner service slowed down a bit, I heard he had finally come out. Wow, he sure took his time in there, really milking it…
I headed downstairs with her.
The Sword King, with a shiny face and looking quite pleased, spoke as soon as he saw me.
“Wow~ That steam room is fantastic! You soak in a hot bath, then jump into cold water, back to the hot bath for a rest, take a nap, and then back to the steam room. The fire room? That was nice too. And when I got hungry, I could even order food from inside…”
“Haha…”
“I wish we had something like that in our family. Do they sell memberships?”
Old folks do love their saunas.
Seems like he really enjoyed it.
With this, I could make my inn a famous spot in Seonghwa!
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