Dreams are always sweet, but in the end, they are utterly fleeting.
That’s why people often find healing in the world their dreams reveal, rather than lounging in the dream itself, before they move on to live in reality.
But what if a person can’t even find peace in their dreams? What on earth are they supposed to rely on?
From that day onward, Sword Saint Na Yerin’s dreams were always shrouded in darkness.
Before that day, her reality was so blissful that she surely never dreamed such things.
Her birthday.
The day everyone in the sect blessed her.
That night marked the beginning of an unforgettable nightmare for the Sword Saint.
Thus, the nightmare was always the same.
Before her, emerging from the darkness, stood Hongseong.
And blood.
Her seniors, her little sisters, her master.
All fell, bleeding, ending at the building where the Hongseong’s leader resided.
In front of that building, a woman was always seated.
A woman with hair as dark as pitch. Her flowing Hongseong robe stained with impressive red bloodstains.
In her disheveled hair, one could faintly glimpse eyes filled with blood.
And a hint of greeting.
Yet, the Sword Saint couldn’t bring herself to smile at her.
Though she had always smiled at her.
Though she had always respected and followed her.
Just seeing her master collapsed before that woman left the Sword Saint unable to muster even a frown.
The only words she uttered were:
“…Why?”
It was always like this. Even knowing it was a dream, the Sword Saint always asked.
And the answer…
Had never returned to Na Yerin.
“……”
Slowly opening her eyes, the Sword Saint surveyed her surroundings. She found herself in a small garden within Hongseong.
To call it a garden was almost embarrassing; it was more like a yard.
A garden ought to have some proper flowers, right?
However, what resided here were just weeds that had somehow sprouted and some wildflowers.
Still, the Sword Saint loved this place.
Because she always had.
With her usual vacant gaze, she scanned the area before lowering her head once more.
Though enough time had passed, that moment remained a deep scar etched into the Sword Saint’s heart.
And that scar…
Grew increasingly grotesque each time her birthday approached.
“Master!!”
As she contemplated while gazing at her hands, the Sword Saint lifted her head slightly.
Approaching her, seated in the garden’s chair, was none other than Sayoon.
The last disciple she had received from Hongseong.
With decent talent and excellent character.
If it were this child, continuing Hongseong’s legacy would be a breeze.
I can carry on the meaning of Hongseong.
The Sword Saint reached out her hand towards the girl with gray hair who was approaching her with a bright smile.
“Yes?”
As the girl approached in confusion, the Sword Saint extended her hand.
And she slowly began to stroke her hair. Feeling the soft gray locks intertwining between her fingers like yarn, the Sword Saint smiled, which surprised Sayoon.
“Ah. T-Thank you.”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Ah. It’s time for meals.”
“Has it really come to that…”
Recently, it’s been hard to feel the flow of time.
She knew why.
Because that day was approaching.
Because the scar was increasingly making itself visible.
The Sword Saint smiled bitterly and withdrew her hand from Sayoon’s hair, who was gazing at her intently.
“Master, are you not feeling well lately?”
“Yeah. It’s a bit tough. But you don’t need to worry. I am the leader of Hongseong, and your master.”
The Sword Saint had never hidden her situation from her disciples.
If it was tough, she’d say it was tough; if it was difficult, she’d admit it was difficult; and if she could, she’d say she could.
That’s how it should be.
Because she knew very well what had happened when she didn’t.
Seeing a strong contender among the top ten in the world say it was tough, Sayoon never once thought of her as weak.
After all, she was a master deserving of Sayoon’s respect.
“Let’s go.”
“Hm. What’s for dinner today?”
“It’s barley rice with Changgui herbs and Osunchae! Ah! And Ryuhyun made boiled eggs! Plus, Hyunhwi made dumplings with quail meat.”
“Wow! What a feast!”
“Yeah!”
“Let’s go quickly. Everyone must be waiting.”
The Sword Saint gently held her disciple’s hand and smiled. Just that made the scars in her heart slowly fade into the darkness.
But the Sword Saint knew.
Even if it was hidden, this scar would not heal on its own.
On a day when the heat was intensifying, I picked up my brush.
First and foremost, I must report that something really joyous happened recently.
I wanted to tell Mister about it.
I already mentioned that I was going to Changwun Hall, right? Hehe. There was something really heart-thumping that happened then.
It was that I also participated in a collaboration as a disciple of Hongseong.
I learned for the first time that Changwun Hall often gets attacked by demonic cultists or evil monsters.
As it happened, that incident occurred while we were there. Oh my. A demonic cultist even brought a Gangshi to attack Changwun Hall!
We almost faced a disaster, but we managed to fend off the Gangshi, and everyone remained unharmed. How fortunate!
If you hadn’t taught me the hidden techniques to enhance my skills, Mister, and if I hadn’t gotten my sword, I wouldn’t have been able to stop it.
“If my skills hadn’t improved and I still hadn’t gotten a sword, it would have been tough to stop that.
Of course, the help from Yu Wol, the innkeeper, was significant too.
Anyway, after we defeated the Gangshi, Senior Sister Hongryeon took care of that cultist. And the child we saved and his father called me ‘Heroine.’
The Hongseong spirit places great importance on ‘harmony.’
In a crisis, acting without regard for one’s own life and moving for the sake of righteousness, not personal gain, is what ‘harmony’ is all about.
I didn’t understand that until now, but on that day, I learned a little bit about what harmony is and what the spirit of Hongseong is for.
Hehe. I thought it was just a playtime, but it turned out to be a really good experience.
If I keep growing like this, will I someday be able to help others without any gain, just like Mister?
I hope that happens for sure.
The late summer heat is getting stronger.
Please take care of your health, and if you ever have a hard time, don’t hesitate to let me know.
I’ll come to help, so don’t worry!
Ahaha… Writing ‘Heroine’ makes me shy. I’m not quite at that level yet.
But you’ll forgive me, right?
P.S.
What I attached is the prayer token I received after offering prayers at Changun Temple, as I mentioned before.
If you have it, you’ll receive the blessings of the Eight Immortals and always have good luck, so please keep it close.
Also, the incense is my favorite scent that I bought from the Eight Immortals Village. I hope you like it too!
Oh, and recently my Master has been having a tough time… Is there any way to cheer them up? If it’s okay, I’d appreciate your wisdom.
From Sayoon, who always thinks of you.
I set the letter aside and checked the box. Inside was a prayer token engraved with the symbol of Changun Temple.
I looked at the token with the Eight Immortals’ design and then held up the incense.
Haha. I picked this scent myself.
I didn’t expect them to send it.
Anyway, I should be grateful for it.
-Knock, knock.
Just then, I heard a knock at the door. After putting Sayoon’s gifts in the safe, I said,
“Come in.”
“What are you doing?”
“I was just working on something for a bit.”
Chaejin, seeing the letters piled on my desk, tilted her head. They were the letters from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild and Hao-mun that Sayoon had delivered earlier.
“From the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild and Hao-mun? Do we need to go to Yangweseong again?”
“We do need to go, but it’s not just because of that. The letter from the Cheonghoe Merchant Guild is about new items, so there’s no need to look at it.”
I set the first letter aside and unfolded the one from Hao-mun. And then, I laughed.
“What is it? If it’s good news, can’t we both smile?”
“Um? Here we go…”
“Since we’re looking at it, let’s just look together.”
I unfolded the letter, and Chaejin read it next to me as if it were obvious.
The long, soft hair that flowed down tickled my nose with a pleasant scent.
“Hmm… It’s a regular update. I guess they exchange information like this with Hao-mun?”
“That’s right.”
As Chaejin said, this letter was sent from Hao-mun and contained regular updates on the current situation.
Since the last time the new Dark Lotus Lord took a heavy hit, their movements had decreased, but small to medium-sized factions continued to fight amongst themselves.
It stated that if things continued like this, a war might break out within a few months.
Of course, it wouldn’t be as big as initially expected.
“This sounds dangerous. Does that mean our Seomhwa Village is in the danger zone?”
“Probably. If the Jangmabang and Blood Moon Faction plan to attack the current Dark Lotus Lord, Wanghui, they’ll have to pass through Seomhwa Village. However, their strength has weakened significantly, and with Hongseong around, I think they won’t be able to come recklessly…”
“But we should prepare for any eventuality, right? Plus, there’s that Iron Blood Clan that attacked Hongseong last time. They might come along and attack too.”
“Indeed. By the way, Chaejin, I’m planning to invite the Sword Saint. Do you know what she likes? Given the current situation is risky, we need to actively connect with Hongseong to overcome this crisis, so I think it’d be good to invite her for a meal.”
“…Ah, come to think of it, the Sword Saint doesn’t come out of Hongseong much.”
“You know that?”
“It’s famous, isn’t it? The Sword Saint rarely comes out of Hongseong.”
She smiled gently.
“Let’s serve her some delicious food. I’ve heard she likes sweets, so we can give her some sweets at the end.”
“Isn’t that treating her like a child?”
“My father always called her a child too.”
Chaejin said with a laugh.
And the next day, I asked the same question to Hongryeon, who came to patrol.
“The master? She doesn’t have any particular preferences, and since she likes sweets, doesn’t it make sense to serve her some at the end?”
How is it that both have the same evaluation?
It seems there won’t be a problem with what to serve… I wonder if she’ll actually come if we invite her?
When I asked, Hongryeon put a hand to her lips and thought for a moment before nodding.
“If the Innkeeper invites her, she’ll probably come, but if you ask her to come alone, she won’t.”
“Is that so? Then…”
“Say that you’re inviting a couple of others too. Then the master will definitely come. Honestly, I’ve been feeling a bit down because she’s been gloomy lately.”
Hongryeon said this while giving me a lovely smile.
“Thank you always. I feel like I’m always in your debt.”
“What? It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
I might be at a loss too.
We’re just helping each other out.
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