The Lord of the Black Alliance, who had arrived with Sama Yuryeon in tow, curled his lips into a grin.
"I've heard the story, Cheong-eum Ice Witch. I hear you completely wrecked our kids."
"Ah… well, you see…"
Seol Ri-hyang fumbled, at a loss for how to respond to the Alliance Lord's joke. Well, that made sense. For someone unfamiliar with him, it was hard to tell whether he was joking or not.
The weight of his position as Lord of the Black Alliance, combined with the rough atmosphere unique to the Unorthodox Sects, often led to misunderstandings… but surprisingly, this was his way of showing goodwill.
I stepped forward, patting Seol Ri-hyang's back lightly to reassure her, and at the same moment, Sama Yuryeon placed a gentle hand on the Alliance Lord's arm.
"My lord, really. I understand you're pleased to see a talented junior, but speaking like that will only invite misunderstandings."
"Hah! Did it seem that way? I was only joking. I've brought good news, but seeing you so tense before this Alliance Lord made me want to tease you a bit."
As Sama Yuryeon's hand touched him, the Lord of the Black Alliance unconsciously reined in the rough aura he carried around and gave a cheerful laugh.
I'd never worried about their marriage, but… it seemed they were getting along far better than I'd imagined.
Perhaps it was the Lord of the Black Alliance's hearty laughter that eased the tension. Seol Ri-hyang let out a relieved sigh and asked.
"Um. What's the good news?"
"What else could it be? Didn't I mention it before? The banquet, I mean the banquet."
"It's already prepared?"
That was faster than I expected. When I asked in turn, the Lord of the Black Alliance shrugged his shoulders and spoke.
"It's only natural—I simply put off the finer details until I knew when you'd arrive. The small preparations have been done for quite a while now."
"Then we should start getting ready as well."
"The preparations are for us to handle. You're guests—there's no need for you to do anything. Though, as I mentioned before, we will have to put on a bit of a friendly show."
"If that's all, then don't worry."
Handing over the prepared gifts once more in a public setting, and sharing a few drinks together—that should be more than enough.
As I nodded, the Lord of the Black Alliance rolled his neck as if loosening it up before continuing.
"Now, we should relay this news to the two from the Namgung Clan as well… They should still be at the training ground, right?"
"Yes. I just finished a sparring bout with them, so they should be there."
"So the Blood Flower Sword Demon really does spar with the Sword King every day. I'd heard rumors, but it seems they were true."
"The Sword King is quite an unusual person."
"Hoo. Yes. He certainly is unusual. There are few who reach the Harmony Realm and keep their wits about them, but even among them, he stands out."
The Lord of the Black Alliance's voice began with a sigh and ended with a click of his tongue.
The moment I heard it, I could guess what was coming. In the end, he hadn't been able to find anyone to spar with Namgung Jong, so he was heading to the training ground himself.
After a moment's hesitation, I opened my mouth.
"If I might…"
"It's private."
"It's a shame, but there's nothing to be done."
In truth, this was only to be expected.
A Harmony Realm martial artist. And not just any—this was a sparring bout between the Lord of the Black Alliance and the head of the Namgung Clan.
Even if it wasn't a life-and-death duel, showing a clear victor and loser would invite criticism from either side.
"Then I'll just cheer you on."
"Hm? You're cheering for me, not the Sword King?"
"It's just that I've never once taken a bout from the Sword King, so I'm a little sore about it."
As I shrugged and said this, the Lord of the Black Alliance chuckled and slapped the twin blades strapped to his back.
"I never intended to slack off, but I suppose I'll have to swing with a bit more effort. Much obliged!"
With those words, the Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon walked away, arms swinging.
He'd called it a private sparring bout, but the reason he was bringing Sama Yuryeon along was probably to help her improve her martial level.
…Well, her utterly hopeless talent wasn't something a few high-level sparring bouts would fix.
I shook my head inwardly for a moment. Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been quietly watching them, spoke in a low voice.
"Those two… they seem happy in their own way."
"Ah? Well, I suppose it's only natural when a well-matched man and woman come together."
"But the age gap between them is considerable, is it not?"
"Well, it wouldn't be a small gap, that's for sure."
It was a matter from long ago, so I couldn't recall their exact ages, but…
I did remember that Sama Yuryeon was a bit older than Tang So-wol, and that the Lord of the Black Alliance was relatively young for a Harmony Realm martial artist.
"I'd say there's a difference of about thirty years."
"Hm? That's not as much as the gap between you and me."
"…"
"Why, why are you looking at me with such eyes?"
"It's nothing."
I had to hold back from saying that I'd been wondering whether I should treat Seomun Hwa-rin according to her actual age.
"Ahem. Anyway, the age gap is considerable, and both of them—how should I put it—aren't exactly people who've lived normal lives."
"That's true."
The Lord of the Black Alliance, who unified the Unorthodox Sects that were constantly at each other's throats, and Sama Yuryeon, who lived only for survival and revenge in an abnormal family.
Needless to say, neither of their lives had ever been smooth.
I know well what it means to survive in the Unorthodox Sects. And Seomun Hwa-rin would know it just as well.
When I glanced back, Seomun Hwa-rin was standing there, blankly staring at the direction the two had gone.
"…Even so, in the end, they can find happiness."
Her voice carried a faint trace of envy.
***
The day of the banquet.
It was an event whose very purpose was to be seen, and true to that purpose, the key figures of the Black Alliance began to gather one by one.
And as people started to assemble, all sorts of talk naturally began to circulate as well.
Most of it was grumbling about the Lord of the Black Alliance, who had gone and held two celebration banquets for his marriage, telling people to come and go as they pleased…
But some among them noticed our presence and chose to hold their tongues.
Among the crowd were familiar faces that would still be active ten years from now, mixed with those who would not. Amid the trivial chatter, one rumor that could not be ignored reached my ears.
A man with a grim countenance appeared before swordsmen who fancied themselves skilled with the blade. Emitting an aura closer to the sword itself than to a human being, he paid no heed to the stares around him and drew his sword without a word, leveling it at his target.
After cutting down everyone he had aimed at, he would appear before yet another swordsman.
Mimicking the martial art of the swordsman he had just slain, as if testing it.
People called him the Sword Demon.
"Sword Demon…?"
"What is it, young hero Cheon? Is that an alias you recognize?"
"If I know it, then I suppose I should say I do."
The talent for stealing techniques was rare, but if one sought it, one could find it anywhere.
I, too, was born with such a talent, and Gwiyeong Sin-tu, who has since passed from this world, was also gifted in this regard.
Moreover, among the tales of famous old masters that circulate through the martial world's rumors, there is no shortage of geniuses who can replicate an opponent's technique perfectly after a single glance.
It is merely a matter of how much talent one possesses and how long one manages to survive—a talent that shows up every so often, just when you think you've seen the last of it.
But there is only one who satisfies every condition: the talent for stealing techniques, a gloomy demeanor, and the monstrous habit of always killing the swordsman he faces, then unleashing the martial arts of his previous victims upon his next opponent.
The Sword Demon.
As his alias suggests, he is classified as a Demonic Cultist, and he truly does belong to the Demonic Cult… but his nature is somewhat different from the others.
The Demonic Cult was originally a refuge for the weak who had suffered injustice at the hands of martial artists.
But the Sword Demon had suffered no particular grievance. He was simply so captivated by the sword that he had become enslaved by it.
He had thrown himself into the Demonic Cult in order to face strong swordsmen regardless of their standing, and since he truly had no interest in the weak and had never harmed innocent commoners, the Demonic Cult had accepted him on those terms.
In that manner, he would indiscriminately stir up trouble all around, then quietly return to the Demonic Cult whenever the matter grew too large, repeating this cycle over and over.
At any rate, since his deeds were framed as killing martial artists, he was praised within the Demonic Cult and built his strength in a rather noisy fashion.
Before the regression, he had managed to climb all the way to Transcendent Peak, and whether he had set his sights on me as his next target, he had even crossed blades with me on several occasions.
In the end, before we could settle the outcome, I fell at the hands of the Heavenly Demon, though…
So he was active in Zhejiang Province during this period? Then he hadn't yet joined the Demonic Cult. No—given that he was already being called the Sword Demon, it was already too late.
After mulling over such thoughts one after another, I let out a long sigh.
"I suppose I can't be certain after all."
"Huh? What? Did you just have a moment of confusion? That can happen."
Tang So-wol tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
Right. Whether he was actually active in Zhejiang Province during this period, or whether he was already being called the Sword Demon by then—no matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't recall clearly.
Even if I were unlucky enough to run into him, it would be fine.
The Sword Demon had risen quickly to the Transcendent Peak, but until the moment I died before my regression, he had never managed to break through the wall of the Harmony Realm. At this point in time, he might even be weaker.
If I happened to cross paths with him, the current me could bring him down without any trouble.
No, I should rather consider it a stroke of luck.
Given the Sword Demon's temperament, even if he didn't throw himself into the Demonic Cult, it was obvious he would eventually stand in my way.
It bothered me that the rumors about the Sword Demon were bigger than I'd expected, but if I could take care of him while I still could, that would be for the best.
I settled my thoughts and smiled at Tang So-wol.
"Setting that aside, shouldn't we be heading to the banquet soon?"
"Yes. But please wait a little longer. Hyang-i and Unni Hwa-rin aren't ready yet."
"They just need to put on the clothes they've prepared. Why does it take so long?"
"Oh my. Women have complicated circumstances. For instance… they want to look pretty for young hero Cheon, but since they're not the main characters of this banquet, they need to stand out just the right amount."
"…Just hearing about it gives me a headache. But Tang So-wol, you just changed your clothes simply and came out, didn't you?"
"That's because I'm confident that no matter what I look like, I'll appear the most beautiful in young hero Cheon's eyes."
Tang So-wol suddenly leaned her face toward me as she said that.
The closer distance made her presence all the more vivid. I flinched without meaning to, yet found myself staring at her.
The corners of her mouth were filled with confidence, as if she already knew I would like her. Deep green eyes sparkled with mischief. And that unique scent of hers, too.
I stared blankly for a moment, then nodded.
"Indeed… no matter what you look like, you're pretty."
"Hehe. Right?"
Tang So-wol let out a proud snort. At the same time, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin appeared from a distance, clearly having put considerable effort into their appearances.
As we waited for the two, Tang So-wol, standing beside me, asked in a voice that sounded pleased.
"By the way, young hero Cheon. Do you know where the banquet is being held? If not, I was thinking of asking one of the nearby servants to guide us."
"I know where it is, so don't worry."
Surprisingly, the banquet location was a place all too familiar to me. It was the building originally meant to become the Iron Blood Faction.
Since Seomun Hwa-rin hadn't joined the Black Alliance, the matter of granting her a separate building had naturally disappeared as well.
Much had changed since then, but I never imagined I'd be able to return to the Iron Blood Faction once more, together with Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin.
I let out a soft chuckle at the sight of the two hurrying over with quick steps, then took the lead.
"Then let's set off."
It seemed I was destined to have no luck with this building.
"I'm going to lose my mind."
One wall of the banquet hall was sliced diagonally and collapsed.
Needless to say, it wasn't my doing.