The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion was dead.
Perhaps because until now, there had been those seriously injured, but not a single one killed. The Haomun disciples stirred restlessly.
From their perspective, I had not only kidnapped the pavilion's courtesan but taken a life as well—more than enough reason to cry for revenge.
Just as the me of the past had done before the blazing Iron Blood Faction.
I raised my sword once more, every nerve on edge. Now, this would not end until either they or I were dead…
"W-we should stop here, shouldn't we?"
The man standing at the very front—weasel-faced, with a shifty look—said that.
Wondering if this was some kind of trick, I kept staring at him, and he even quietly tucked away the Chain Sickle he had been holding.
"I only came out because the branch head said he'd hand over a chest of Gold Coins if I brought back a single person. He said that even with bad luck, I'd only lose an arm at worst, and there was no way I'd lose my head… but you, young hero, had already decided to draw blood just now, didn't you?"
"That's right."
It hadn't been so before, but now I intended to hesitate no longer.
The weasel-faced man took a step back and continued.
"The branch head who was going to pay me is dead, and the promise that I wouldn't die is broken too. What's the point of fighting further?"
"You're not going to do something like seek revenge?"
"We weren't close enough to risk our lives over it."
The man shook his head firmly. As I watched him with a curious expression, the others seemed to agree and lowered the weapons they were holding.
"Uh, um. May I leave now?"
"…Do as you please."
The moment my words fell, he turned and fled with a relieved expression. I narrowed my eyes briefly, wondering if there was really any need to chase him at full speed.
Seol Ri-hyang, who had been stamping her feet behind me, pointed in the direction the weasel was heading and shouted.
"Honghua Pavilion! The Mistress of Honghua Pavilion is dead, so isn't he trying to monopolize the reward that was stored there for you all?"
The Haomun men faltered for a moment at those words, but soon their eyes blazed and they began to run.
"After that bastard!"
"Don't let him monopolize it!"
"What about the ones whose arms were cut off!"
Of course, not everyone headed to Honghua Pavilion. Some turned down other paths as if they had no interest, while others remained behind to tend to the fallen.
Finally, the courtesans who had mastered the Erotic Arts bowed their heads toward him.
"We are grateful, young hero."
"So a courtesan of Honghua Pavilion offers thanks to the one who killed the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion."
"Most of the courtesans of Honghua Pavilion did not come here of their own will."
"Ohh."
So it wasn't just Seol Ri-hyang who had been sold into servitude as a courtesan for a similar reason.
The courtesan who had greeted me gave a bitter smile and continued.
"No matter how terrifying gambling is said to be, it's not easy for a person to lose their mind in an instant and sell off their own daughter. Unless someone is whispering in their ear, that is."
"That's…"
This was something I hadn't known even before the regression.
It wasn't that they had discovered Seol Ri-hyang's constitution after she was sold as a courtesan and decided to use her as a spiritual medicine. No—they had first discovered her constitution, and then, in order to turn her into a spiritual medicine, they had destroyed a perfectly fine household and forced her into becoming a courtesan.
Even so, I hadn't expected them to go this far, and neither had Seol Ri-hyang—we both stood frozen. The courtesan slowly turned her head and gazed up at the towering Honghua Pavilion.
"Today. The Honghua Pavilion will catch fire due to the blunders of the ruffians who swarm in while its mistress is absent. The Courtesan Register might well be consumed by those flames as well."
"…Is that so."
If that were to happen, there would be no need to bring Seol Ri-hyang out through a Removal from Register. After all, she would no longer be a courtesan by status.
And the same would hold true for them as well.
This time, the courtesans bowed their heads once more toward Seol Ri-hyang before taking their leave. Toward the workplace that would soon vanish.
In the span of a brief moment, all those Haomun members who had filled the area disappeared somewhere. Seol Ri-hyang, who had been staring blankly at that fact, quietly set down the stone she had been secretly clutching.
When had she even picked that up?
"Is it… over?"
"Seems so. Honestly, I thought I'd have to cut down a few more."
"Is this sort of thing common among martial artists? The moment the leader dies, everyone scatters as if there was never a fight at all."
"No. Usually it doesn't resolve that easily. There are surprisingly few people in this world who are purely evil, after all."
Family, friends, lovers, subordinates—there are always those who hold someone dear, and those whom that person holds dear in return.
And because such people declare vengeance, the martial world never runs out of incidents and accidents.
Wasn't that exactly the case with the Hundred-Kill Blade Master who attacked Tang So-wol the other day, and the martial artists he led?
Even if those men were villains who lost their lives at the hands of the Tang Clan, to their loved ones, they were not people who deserved to die.
"She probably wasn't the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, though. I suspect she controlled people thoroughly through money and fear."
"So it wasn't a bond worth dying for… was it? And she also said no one had ever entered the pavilion of their own free will."
Seol Ri-hyang muttered the words she had heard from the Haomun man moments ago. After a brief moment of thought, she looked down at the corpse of the Mistress of Honghua Pavilion, lying face-down, and nudged it with the tip of her foot. As if checking whether she was truly dead.
"Well, whatever. I don't care about the circumstances of the dead. What matters is that this bastard is dead and we're fine."
"Not sure about that. We don't look fine."
Only after confirming that the scattered Haomun men had completely vanished from sight did I sheathe my sword.
At the same time, fatigue came crashing down all at once. My body gave way on its own, teetering on the edge of collapse the moment my concentration slipped.
"Hey?!"
Seol Ri-hyang reflexively caught me as I staggered. She draped my arm over her shoulder in an awkward stance, supporting me, and asked urgently.
"Hey! Snap out of it! Are you okay? Huh? If you're hurt anywhere, tell me now!"
"…Don't shout. My ears hurt. I'm not hurt anywhere except the shoulder you're holding, Seol Ri-hyang."
"Ah."
Seol Ri-hyang's eyes went wide as she moved to my other side and supported me again. Thanks to that, the pain eased a bit.
With a more relaxed mind, I reassured her.
"I'm just tired. Don't worry."
"Then that's a relief… What do we do now? Should we head to the inn where you're staying, Cheon Hwi?"
"That's right. But…"
"It's fine. I'll take you there."
"Is that possible? Surely I'm not the only one who's exhausted."
It wasn't as if she had fought directly or used her Lightness Skill, but it was true that she had been running nonstop ever since coming down from the rooftops.
For Seol Ri-hyang, who was frailer than the average commoner—having barely eaten, let alone trained her martial arts—this must have been a grueling march.
Yet she straightened her posture without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
"I'm not as tired as you. Besides, up until now, you've been carrying me on your back and running for your life, haven't you? This time, it's just my turn. We're almost there anyway."
She shrugged her shoulders as if showing off, then began walking along the road.
Drawn by her lead, my body, which had been as heavy as waterlogged cotton, gradually began to move forward.
The streets were packed tightly together. Amidst the stale smell of sweat, a familiar scent of her body drifted faintly. Whether she was straining herself or not, Seol Ri-hyang's pale skin had flushed red as blood rushed to her face.
Watching her like that, I somehow felt as if I had returned to the past. But I know. Had I not already realized this through Tang So-wol?
No matter how much I yearned for it, no matter how strong the sense of déjà vu, in the end, the present and the person from before the regression could only ever be different people.
The Seol Ri-hyang I knew no longer exists. She died smiling, clutching the first gift I had ever bought for her.
So this is nothing more than the lingering attachment of a dead person who was granted a life after death, for reasons unknown.
Not for some greater cause, but for self-satisfaction. It was an act committed solely for that purpose… and I feel no regret.
Even if I were to go back again, I would surely make the same choice.
How long did we walk in silence like that? In the middle of a night street where few signs of people could be felt. Amidst the whispers of those who had not yet fallen asleep, Seol Ri-hyang's voice melted in.
"Thank you."
Holding my body tightly with one arm, Seol Ri-hyang took step after step as she continued speaking.
"I thought I would never leave this street for the rest of my life."
"You would have gotten out on your own eventually."
"Maybe my body could have escaped. But my heart would have remained trapped in Yanzhou's red-light district, quietly closing my eyes. Ah! What a wretched life this has been… I would have gone out with such a lament."
"…"
"But not anymore. Cheon Hwi. Because you painted over my memories."
She didn't look back at me, only staring straight ahead with firm, unyielding steps.
"I saw the walls of Honghua Pavilion, which had loomed like towering iron bars, shatter to pieces. I saw the martial artists of Haomun, who had been so terrifying, crawling on the ground. And I remember the night view of Yanzhou seen from high above—the feel of the wind brushing against my cheeks still lingers."
Seol Ri-hyang steadied her breathing, then continued with a bit more force in her voice.
"And whatever the reason, I saw the back of someone willing to throw himself into danger for me."
The corners of Seol Ri-hyang's lips loosened, and a more relaxed expression settled on her face.
That face was astonishingly similar to the one she'd worn before the regression, when she'd carefully handed me the boat.
As if speaking for me, who had frozen without a word, Seol Ri-hyang continued in an even softer voice.
"So thank you. Thanks to you, Cheon Hwi, I was able to escape this wretched mire."
"…Is that so."
It was a single phrase that came out after a long deliberation. Even to a reaction that might seem indifferent at a glance, Seol Ri-hyang only smiled brightly.
"Cheon Hwi. You said you helped because of what you received from my father, but… from where I stand, you've more than repaid that debt, with plenty of change to spare."
"Surely you're not saying you intend to repay me in kind?"
"That's right. Just as you did for me, I'll do anything to repay the kindness I've received."
Only after saying that much did Seol Ri-hyang turn to look at me. She gazed steadily into my eyes and emphasized once more.
"Anything at all."
"…"
A tone that stirred improper thoughts.
I'd assumed the seductive aura that occasionally seeped out was a result of the Erotic Arts she'd been forced to learn… but perhaps I was mistaken.
Even now, before she had learned the Erotic Arts, it wasn't much different—perhaps it was simply something she was born with.
Gulp.
The moment I unconsciously swallowed my saliva, perhaps because a stray thought had crossed my mind, I failed to dodge the stone at my feet.
With my exhausted body, I couldn't resist the flow, and my body naturally tilted forward.
"Huh? W-Wait a moment!"
Seol Ri-hyang tried her best to hold on, but she too was utterly spent, and in the end, she couldn't keep her balance and collapsed.
Thud!
"Ow ow ow…"
"Mmm."
Seol Ri-hyang had fallen backward. And I had landed face-first on her chest.
A bit smaller than before the regression, but still, a soft sensation enveloped my entire face.
Realizing what had happened, Seol Ri-hyang stiffened like a person utterly tense, and I, for my part, couldn't get up on my own and was just squirming in her embrace.
And of all times, the voice I least wanted to hear right now came from behind me.
"Your betrothed hadn't returned by late night, so with a worried heart, I traced the poison of the Ssangduseokcheok and finally found you…"
Tang So-wol continued in a calmly settled tone.
"Young hero Cheon. What exactly is this situation, and who is that woman?"
Indeed.
How am I supposed to explain this?