With a resolve of my own, I flung the door open with a flourish.
"Tang So-wol!"
"Hm? The son-in-law is here. Have a seat."
"…Yes."
And I sat down obediently.
Good heavens. I hadn't expected Tang Jincheon to be in Tang So-wol's room.
Of course, given the purpose, it wasn't all that strange. It was just that I'd have to set aside the plan I'd hastily devised to win Tang So-wol over, and the wind had been knocked out of my sails a little.
I glanced at Tang Jincheon, the biggest obstacle(?) to my plan.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to have caught on to my purpose, and was sipping his tea with the same moderately friendly, moderately dignified expression as always.
"Hm. It's been a while since my daughter poured me tea, so it tastes even better."
"Oh, Father. I never expected you to insist on meeting in my room rather than your office just to have a cup of tea."
Tang So-wol giggled in a low voice. She reached for the teapot and filled another cup to the brim.
Then she held it out toward me.
"Young hero Cheon, please take it."
"Mmm. Thank you…"
Her head is turned toward me, but strangely, her gaze doesn't meet mine. She's probably focusing on the space beside my head, or somewhere in the air, rather than on me.
In other words, since Tang Jincheon is present, she'll pretend nothing happened, but she hasn't forgiven me yet.
…I feel like my heart is about to break.
No, it won't be too late to talk about it again after Tang Jincheon leaves.
I took the teacup as naturally as I could, without letting anything show, and took a sip.
"It's certainly good."
"Thank you. The tea ceremony is part of a bride's training. I'm glad it pleases you, young hero Cheon."
"…"
Since the formal betrothal ceremony, I'd heard that Tang So-wol had been receiving bride training little by little, in addition to her martial arts.
Normally, this was something one learned from one's mother, but Tang So-wol's mother had lost her life at the hands of the Poison Demon when she was young.
So instead, she was learning from the other elder women of the Tang Clan and through various books.
Up to this point, there was nothing strange. The problem was yesterday's affair.
As I cautiously gauged Tang So-wol's mood, I met a strangely cold gaze.
She hadn't sent me a Voice Transmission, yet I could almost hear Tang So-wol's voice.
'Here I am, going through all this for the young hero Cheon, and yet the young hero Cheon is off thinking about other women.'
A single trickle of cold sweat ran down my back. Fundamentally, she was generous toward me and reacted positively to whatever I did, but…
When she got like this, she was truly, thoroughly sulking.
I'd barely managed to let out a sigh inwardly when Tang Jincheon, who hadn't noticed the subtle tension flowing between me and Tang So-wol, continued in a somewhat more serious tone.
"Since we've already dragged things out long enough this morning, let's get straight to the point. Son-in-law. And So-wol, you should listen as well—the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance will soon be holding a meeting for reconciliation."
"Yes. I suppose I'll need to participate in that process as well."
"Correct. This was essentially made possible thanks to you, so you can't very well sit it out. However, that doesn't mean I can just send you off alone."
"You mean to say…"
"Since this is an important occasion, the Tang Clan intends to show its own sincerity as well."
According to what followed, not only my betrothed Tang So-wol, but also Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin—the leading figures in the Green Forest subjugation—would be attending, along with Tang Jincheon himself, the head of the Tang Clan.
It was only natural, since this gathering wasn't merely to celebrate the Green Forest subjugation, but also to discuss matters going forward.
I heard the other participants would be sending similar representatives, not just the Tang Clan.
From the Murim Alliance, the Alliance Leader and the head of the Jegal Clan, who served as his strategist.
From the Black Alliance, the Lord of the Black Alliance and his wife, Chief Steward Sama Yuryeon.
From the Namgung Clan, the clan head Namgung Dowi would be moving in person.
As for the meeting place, it was decided they would gather at the Shaolin Temple, renowned throughout the martial world as the most impartial of venues.
"I see. Understood. This is a far larger and more important gathering than I expected."
"So it has come to be. …I know I'm asking this a bit late, but—son-in-law, was this something you intended?"
"Intended?"
"Ah, let me be clear first—I'm not interrogating you or saying you did something wrong. But with things having come this far, I need to understand properly if I'm to do anything about it."
"…"
"Son-in-law. You are already a man of the Tang Clan."
Only after meeting Tang Jincheon's gaze—soft, yet firm—did he finally speak.
Careful not to trip any seals. But since so much information had already been revealed, he would say as much as he could.
"First, as I reported before, I cannot tell you the full details, but I have known of the Heavenly Demon's existence for a long time and believed he had to be stopped by any means."
"Hmm. Come to think of it, you were oddly well-versed in matters concerning the Demonic Cult. You knew So-wol would be attacked when she first entered the martial world, and you knew someone was behind it."
Even though I knew about the attack on Tang So-wol itself, I hadn't known that the Demonic Cult had ordered it, but I nodded anyway.
Thinking about the seal, this side of the story would be easier to explain.
Since things had come this far, I decided to step a little deeper on my end.
"Yes. That's also why, when interrogating the Demonic Cultist captured that way, I knew how to bypass the seals and Godok placed on them."
"Hmm. So that's how it was. It wasn't just a grudge against the Demonic Cult, but something closer to a grudge against the Heavenly Demon himself."
Back then, Tang Jincheon had found it odd how skillfully I interrogated the Demonic Cultist, but he considered my circumstances and kept quiet about it.
There were other things I didn't mention, but I began to explain as much as I could within my limits, pointing out one by one the discomforts Tang Jincheon and Tang So-wol must have felt.
Like how I'd immediately deduced the identity of the Mapokdan upon seeing the Assassin Valley killers go berserk.
The fabricated conflict between the Paeng and Eon Clans, and how I'd quickly noticed the danger to both families' successors.
How I'd been able to prevent the Spirit Blood Pill and Blood Essence Pill from spreading across the Central Plains.
And all the other various incidents I'd encountered in the martial world.
Some I'd known from the start were schemes of the Demonic Cult, while others I only realized were the Cult's doing in the middle of resolving them.
Either way, these were events I could handle before they grew out of control thanks to my memories from before the regression.
What I'd previously been unable to explain in detail due to the seal, having simply asked them to let it slide for my sake, I now tied to the Heavenly Demon and explained in somewhat greater detail.
Fortunately, with the Heavenly Demon's existence now known, the scope of the seal had loosened accordingly, making this possible.
At first Tang Jincheon nodded along to my story, but soon his expression shifted to one of utter bewilderment.
In the end, however, he opened his mouth with a hardened expression.
"Son-in-law. I ask just in case, but is it that you previously wanted to speak but couldn't?"
"…"
This too seemed to hint at the existence of the seal, and my mouth closed on its own.
But Tang Jincheon was an experienced martial arts master and the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, a man with access to all manner of information.
He seemed to have finally guessed my situation, and let out a deep sigh.
"…Hah. I see. So that's how it was."
"…"
"Don't worry. I won't make things difficult for you over this."
"Um… Father? What exactly are you talking about?"
Tang So-wol, who still hadn't fully grasped the situation, asked in a puzzled voice. Tang Jincheon scratched his head and replied.
"What else? I'm saying that all this time, my son-in-law was bound by a seal that prevented him from speaking of his circumstances even if he wanted to."
"…What?!"
Startled by the word "seal," Tang So-wol turned to look at me.
The strange coldness from moments ago was gone, replaced by a gaze full of concern.
As if to reassure her, Tang Jincheon continued.
"There's no need to worry too much. From what I can see, it doesn't seem to be the kind that threatens your life. …However, it's clear that this is no ordinary seal."
"Not an ordinary seal? What do you mean…"
"The basic principle of a seal is to suppress the spirit and restrict the will. But a martial artist in the Harmony Realm can freely wield their Intent and easily shake off such seals. It seems to have loosened a bit… but my son-in-law is still bound by it."
"Ah."
Tang So-wol opened her mouth blankly, as if she finally understood.
As a fellow Harmony Realm martial artist, Tang Jincheon seemed to know exactly what it meant that the seal was still active on me.
If there was any misconception, it was his judgment that the seal had loosened when I ascended to the Harmony Realm.
Strictly speaking, the seal had never loosened even once.
It simply meant that what I could and couldn't say shifted fluidly depending on what information the other party possessed.
Thanks to that, I was now able to speak of quite a few things, even if only in a roundabout manner.
Though the reasoning differed slightly, Tang Jincheon arrived at a similar conclusion regardless, and he stroked his chin with a look of embarrassment.
"While it's not the kind of vicious seal that threatens one's life, it's still a seal that even a Harmony Realm martial artist's Intent cannot overcome. Honestly, I can't even begin to guess at its nature."
"Ah, what… what should we do…? I had no idea…!"
Tang So-wol's eyes welled up with tears, her expression heavy with guilt. She grabbed my hand and began to panic, not knowing what to do.
It was probably because she had realized that the things I had never been able to tell her—the things I had tried to gloss over however I could—were all due to the seal.
Perhaps she was thinking that yesterday's incident, too, had been caused by the seal, and that she had allowed herself to be disappointed without knowing it.
That was half right and half wrong.
The reason I couldn't tell Tang So-wol about the Tang So-wol from before the regression—the reason I couldn't tell her that then and now, she was the one in my heart—was clearly because of the seal.
But the reason I had stopped short, the memories of the past flooding back, was my own fault, completely unrelated to the seal.
Still, perhaps because the conversation had turned directly to the seal, I still couldn't bring myself to speak.
It seemed that anything directly related to the seal itself was something I couldn't say a word about, even if the other person was already aware of it.
And it made sense. If the seal's purpose was to hide the fact of the regression from others, then it was only natural to hide the seal itself—the very evidence of the regression—most thoroughly of all.
I kept my mouth firmly shut, quietly taking Tang So-wol's hand in mine. Then I gently patted the back of her hand.
"…"
Tang So-wol fell silent for a moment, though she wasn't under a seal like I was. Before long, a resolute expression settled on her face as she asked Tang Jincheon.
"Father. Then how can we break the seal on young hero Cheon?"
"I don't know. As I said a moment ago, the fact that it still holds on my current son-in-law shows it's no ordinary seal. A binding force surpassing that of a Harmony Realm martial artist… Yes. Perhaps the Heavenly Demon placed the seal on him personally. As you know, So-wol, while the Demonic Cult's martial arts may be lacking, their sorcery is second to none in the Central Plains."
"The Heavenly Demon…"
Tang So-wol's eyes flickered briefly, as if imagining something, then the Tang Clan's signature poison energy rose within them.
I couldn't be certain, but it seemed she was picturing what had happened between me and the Heavenly Demon, and harboring hostility because of it.
"If we defeat the Heavenly Demon, will Cheon hero's seal be lifted as well?"
"I don't know. Depending on the seal, many continue to persist even after the caster's death. However, regardless of that, we can't just sit idle. Since we're heading to Shaolin anyway, let's seek their help."
"Are you referring to the Shaolin Temple?"
"Yes. No matter how exceptional a seal may be, it is ultimately sorcery. And if it is a technique of the Demonic Cult, it should be vulnerable to the unique dharma-breaking abilities of the Shaolin Temple."
Hmm. I beg to differ.
This seal did not originate from the Heavenly Demon, but from a transcendent being—whether immortal or buddha, I cannot say.
Even the Heavenly Demon could not undo this seal, so no matter how renowned the Shaolin Temple may be, I doubt they will be able to resolve it either.
The seal was still active, so I could not speak up, and I kept my mouth shut.
Well then. Since things have come to this, let me think positively. At least I have revealed the existence of my seal, so I won't incur the worst misunderstandings.
Tang So-wol looked somber. Tang Jincheon gently patted his daughter's shoulder and continued speaking.
"Let's start with what we can do for now. If my son-in-law closes his mouth unnaturally, begin by avoiding that topic as much as possible."
"…Yes. That would be best."
Tang So-wol looked at me with affectionate eyes. It was a somewhat burdensome gaze, but far better than the businesslike look she'd given me just half a sijin ago.
***
After my seal was revealed in such an unexpected way.
Seol Ri-hyang, who had been waiting, looked me over for a moment before trotting over and whispering in my ear.
"Seeing how Tang unni is acting warm toward you again, it must have gone well!"
"Well. Looking at the results, I suppose so."
"But why did the clan head come out of Tang unni's room with you?"
"Hmm. Well, that is…"
"Surely the clan head wasn't secretly—with Tang unni—right in front of you…!"
"…"
It wasn't as if a seal had been activated, yet I found myself at a loss for words.
What on earth does Seol Ri-hyang think about in her everyday life?