Creak.
The door to the room where we were sitting burst open, and a middle-aged man with a cold, stern expression stepped inside abruptly.
There were few people who could enter the room where Namgung Jong, the young head of the Namgung Clan, was staying so easily.
But more than that, there was another reason that confirmed the man's identity.
A sharp aura reminiscent of a finely forged sword. Though he was not particularly tall, he exuded an overwhelming pressure as if looking down from the heavens.
There was only one person in all the Central Plains who carried such an aura.
The Sword King.
The master of the Namgung Clan had finally returned.
Overwhelmed by his presence, I swallowed dryly, unable to speak.
"Father?"
"…It seems you've made some progress."
The Sword King suddenly wore a pleased smile. For a moment, I wondered if I'd heard him correctly.
No, surely he must have seen the ruined buildings and the chaotic atmosphere on his way here—yet the first thing out of his mouth was about Namgung Jong's progress.
Well, it was only natural that I'd made some small achievement, what with sparring with him and the others all day, Seomun Hwa-rin occasionally offering advice, and this time having gone through real combat properly.
But still, he was the clan head of the Namgung Clan and Namgung Jong's father. Shouldn't his first priority be asking what had happened, whether anyone was hurt?
I hadn't thought they were a family as overflowing with affection as the Tang Clan, but still, I never expected his gaze to land on Namgung Jong's achievements before anything else.
It wasn't that it was wrong, exactly, but… I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of dissonance.
So it was that I, Tang So-wol, and even Seol Ri-hyang all flinched, unsure of how to react—but only for a moment.
Namgung Jong himself, the one in question, showed not a trace of resentment, merely nodding with pure joy and pride.
"The help of my newly made friends was a great boon."
"Indeed. Every one of them is a remarkable rising talent."
Only then did the Sword King turn to look at us and nod. And seeing that, I understood.
This was just the kind of family this was.
My inner nod lasted only a moment. Seomun Hwa-rin let out a light laugh and spoke.
"It's been a while, Namgung Dowi. Surely you don't see me as one of the rising talents too?"
"You show up out of nowhere and spout such nonsense."
The Sword King let out a snort and shook his head. They seemed to know each other. At that, I nudged Seomun Hwa-rin's side and asked.
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin. Surely you and the Namgung clan head were acquainted?"
"Acquainted… is a bit much to say. Just once. And even then, he presented such absurd conditions that I simply chased him off."
"I've heard the gist of it, so this time there'll be no need to bother you."
"Ha! So you were at least aware that you were being a bother."
She let out the same snort and hid behind my back… no, that wasn't quite it. Judging by how she kept pressing her back against mine, it was closer to her shoving me forward.
Pretending I had no choice, I stepped forward a few paces and spoke.
"The Sword of the Seomun Clan, you say. Just what kind of connection did you have with them?"
"It's nothing much. A few months after I finished my revenge, gathered up the clan's martial arts, and went into seclusion, they suddenly came to me and demanded I hand over the Seomun Clan's martial arts—specifically, their sword method."
"Eh…?"
That made them no better than thugs, didn't it?
For a moment, disappointment flooded over me like a wave—I felt like I'd caught a glimpse of the back side of the Sword King, a martial artist every swordsman admired.
Seomun Hwa-rin seemed to notice that something about her wording had sounded off, and she added a correction.
"Hmm. I spoke too harshly. To be precise, they came to ask politely. Of course, I refused."
"If that's the case… but wait, you're saying their goal was the Seomun Clan's sword?"
"Correct. After all, I never learned the Fist and Leg Art. If they neither produce an heir nor take on a disciple, the Seomun Clan's Sword Art will quietly die out with them. They said it would be a shame to let that happen, and asked me to teach them the Seomun Clan's sword."
"Hoh. I'd heard the Seomun Clan was a family renowned for its sword arts, but was it enough for the Namgung Clan to come calling?"
At my question, it wasn't Seomun Hwa-rin who answered, but the Sword King.
"Not to that degree. The Seomun Clan's sword is certainly excellent, but it's nowhere near the Namgung Clan's. …But it's a sword I don't know."
"Pardon?"
"Not knowing the sword was the first reason I wanted to learn it. And while it may not match the Namgung Clan, the fact that the Seomun Clan's sword is outstanding is something no one can deny. It would be a pity for such a sword to vanish forever. So I went to them and asked."
"Hah! Do you think I would hand over our clan's martial arts so easily just because it's not the path I myself walk?"
Seomun Hwa-rin snarled with a threat level comparable to a dog whose bone had been snatched away.
She had seemed willing to tell me everything, though, as long as I changed my name to Seomun Hwi…
I shook my head to chase away the rude thought that had crept up, then jabbed her side again. This time, a little harder.
"Hyaa?!"
"So what happened in the end? I can't imagine the Sword King gave up so easily."
"You are quite persistent today… But this too is nothing much. He said he would pay, bringing chests full of gold, or help rebuild the Seomun Clan, or some such — trying to coax me with that sort of thing. Annoyingly."
"Ah. That must have been annoying indeed."
At the time, Seomun Hwa-rin had just finished her revenge and was feeling weary of the martial world's affairs.
So even if someone suddenly came to her promising money or the reconstruction of her clan, she could hardly be anything but indifferent.
"In the end, I told him I'd hand over the martial arts I'd taken from our enemies in battle, and to get lost. And the next time we met was now. …I should have thrown that martial art to that sword-crazed fool back then, rather than giving it to you."
"Sword-crazed, you say. Still, he is the master of the house we stay in."
"Did you not see it earlier? He returned to find the household utterly wrecked, and the first thing he brought up was martial arts."
"Well, that's…"
Before I knew it, I was nodding along, and the Sword King let out a deep sigh.
"What's the point of asking when you already know everything? From what I can see, there was an attack, but they were driven back and thrown into the Prison. The matter is settled for now. And given that the Namgung Clan's martial artists suffered many wounded but few dead, it couldn't have been much of a threat."
"It's all thanks to this one and Hwi here."
"Regardless of whose contribution was greater, the point is we didn't reach a serious situation, isn't it?"
"…Look at this one with his foul mouth. Still, the boy was reasonably well-mannered."
Whether Seomun Hwa-rin let out a deep sigh or not, the Sword King continued with what he had to say.
"How many times do you think the Namgung Clan gets attacked in a month? There are madmen who swing their swords first just to raise their own reputations, fellows who scheme to see if there's anything to extort, and fools who strike first without even knowing it's the Namgung Clan. Even at this very moment, the merchant caravans and various businesses under my command are probably suffering small-scale attacks."
"It's… that bad?"
"To be called the number one clan under heaven. To stand at the pinnacle—that is what it means. You wouldn't understand, being a wanderer like yourself."
"Hmph!"
Seomun Hwa-rin's face scrunched up in a frown. Sword King Namgung Dowi's satisfied smirk lasted only a moment.
Then he let out a deep sigh.
"…Of course, it's rare for the main house to be attacked directly. And I've never seen damage of this scale before. I can't know exactly what happened while I was away, but it must have been no ordinary affair. Still, you defended well, didn't you? Praise comes first. Hearing the details comes second."
"Ah! So that's why you said your achievement had grown the moment you saw the young hero Geomryong!"
Tang So-wol clapped her hands lightly as if she finally understood. The Sword King, on the other hand, shook his head with a twitch of his brow, as if to ask what she was talking about.
"No. That was simply praise for seeing you take a step further. The commendation for this matter was what I was just about to give."
"…"
Tang So-wol was at a loss for words and simply pressed her lips shut. He certainly was an unusual man.
As if unconcerned by the stunned gazes around him, he calmly patted Namgung Jong on the shoulder and finished the praise he had been giving moments before.
Only then did the Sword King turn to face them and introduce himself.
"They call me Namgung Dowi. You lot… seem to be people of the Sichuan Tang Clan. My memory is a bit hazy—the young lady over there looks familiar, but I can't quite recall the other two."
As he glanced toward Tang So-wol, she bowed her head in return, and they exchanged formal greetings.
"It is an honor to meet the Sword King. I am Cheon Hwi, recently become a son-in-law of the Sichuan Tang Clan."
"I-I'm Seol Ri-hyang."
Namgung Dowi's eyes widened slightly.
"Ah, the one who received the alias Blood Flower Sword Demon from the Lord of the Black Alliance?"
"…Yes. I am that Blood Flower Sword Demon, Cheon Hwi."
If he were a martial artist of the Orthodox Sects, he wouldn't bother reminding me of my alias. It was given to me by the Lord of the Black Alliance, and its meaning was ominous—nothing good would come from speaking it aloud.
However, I understood now. Namgung Dowi's deliberate question of whether I was truly that Blood Flower Sword Demon came not from fear, but from admiration for a martial artist acknowledged by the Lord of the Black Alliance.
"Is that so. You and the white-haired… ah, right. The Alliance Lord told me not to call you by your former alias. What should I call you instead?"
"Call me the head of the Seomun Clan."
"Hmm. You have no house, no family, yet you insist on claiming that title. I can't say I understand the reason, but if that's what you wish…"
"…Hey! I helped you fend off an ambush, and this is the thanks I get—being treated like a servant?!"
"That wasn't my intention. In any case, with the Blood Flower Sword Demon and the head of the Seomun Clan here, it's no wonder things ended so easily."
Namgung Dowi nodded. He took a seat beside Namgung Jong and, still with an expressionless face, continued in a tone that was noticeably more serious than before.
"Then won't you tell me in detail what happened?"
"To start with the culprits—it was the Hwangbo Clan. Father."
With Namgung Jong's words as the beginning, the information they had organized poured out.
What had happened at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering. Hwangbo Gwang, who had come all the way to the Namgung Clan. And our party, who had come to spar as promised earlier.
The martial artists who had lost their reason and crossed the walls of the Namgung Clan after spending a while immersed only in sparring and training.
With me and Seomun Hwa-rin adding supplementary explanations from our own perspectives from time to time, the account didn't take very long.
Because it was a matter I had been thinking about constantly and dealing with for the past few days.
Namgung Jong, having finished his account, caught his breath and continued.
"That's absurd. To think you truly believed you could raise your level in such a manner."
"The cleanup is mostly finished. All that remains is for your father to make his decision."
"Decision or not, didn't you say most of the Hwangbo Clan's forces are either dead or locked in prison?"
"That is correct."
"The main house of the Hwangbo Clan in Shandong Province must be empty as well."
"According to what we learned through interrogation, that is the case."
"Then there's no need to make a pointless trip to Shandong. As it happens, I must enter the palace in ten days to assist the Imperial Prince's training. I'll explain the situation to His Majesty then, and he'll handle it properly on his own. …Ah, but before that, I'll need to transcribe all of the Hwangbo Clan's martial arts manuals."
"Of course, that is already underway. Then I take it that those locked in the prison will follow the orders that come down from the Imperial Court."
"Well done. Now, as for the two of you…"
Namgung Dowi, who had been staring this way while lost in thought, finally spoke.
"If it were up to me, I'd tell you to name whatever you desire. But the situation isn't quite that favorable right now. There are many places that need gold coins and spiritual medicine."
Rebuilding the broken buildings and providing compensation to the injured martial artists would require a great deal of money.
And while there were few dead, there were quite a number of injured. Healing their internal injuries would require spiritual medicine.
"More than anything, I doubt gold coins or spiritual medicine mean much to the two of you right now."
He was right. The Tang Clan had plenty of money, and as for spiritual medicine, they had received a good amount from Clan Head Paeng and Clan Head Eon not long ago, so they were hardly lacking.
Of course, eating it would be good… but more than that, I would need something a little different.
"Well, I've been thinking… and I figured it would be best to give you what I'm best at."
"What is that?"
"The sword."
The Sword King looked straight into my eyes and continued.
"I can't teach you the Namgung Clan's martial arts… but showing you is fine."
"That's more than enough."
For me, who had clumsily grasped only the tail end of Intent, the chance to experience the Sword King's sword was more precious than anything else.
Although Seomun Hwa-rin often helped me with my training, there was a fundamental difference between a swordsman and a fist fighter.
As I answered with a satisfied smile, Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang, and Seomun Hwa-rin timidly raised their hands from behind.
"By any chance… have you found any rare poison, or discovered a Spirit Beast carrying a Poison Pill nearby?"
"I-I'd be fine with just a Spiritual Medicine…"
"I plan to rebuild the Seomun Clan someday, so I need money. A great deal of it."
At their cautious yet firm expressions of intent, Namgung Dowi averted his gaze.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut.
"W-well, would a reward be acceptable?"
It was autumn.