It was not long after the arm I had injured during the last sparring match had healed.
"Young hero Cheon. Would you care to step out with me for a bit today?"
It was Tang So-wol, who had come straight to the training ground where I was and said that.
Seeing her face this early in the morning wasn't a bad feeling, but… still, it was too sudden a visit, and too sudden an invitation.
"You mean right now?"
"Surely not. I just woke up not long ago, so my hair is a mess, I've only roughly washed my face and look disheveled, and I'm wearing the usual comfortable martial robes. Of course, I meant that we should go out to eat together around lunchtime, laaaater."
"…?"
For a moment, I couldn't understand what Tang So-wol was saying, so I took a careful look at her.
Her black hair was neatly coiled up and fixed in place with a hairpin. It wasn't too flashy, nor too plain, but carried a subtle elegance.
Looking a bit more closely, her hair not only had a glossy sheen to it, but there wasn't a single tangle anywhere in it.
Disheveled, my foot. She had clearly applied fine oil and brushed it with care. She probably hadn't done it herself—a servant must have done it for her.
Next was her face. Her skin had always been flawless, but with a light layer of makeup on top, her natural beauty truly came alive.
At the very least, no one could ever call her slovenly. Of course, this too must have been prepared by her servant.
Lastly, there was her clothing… but a martial artist wears martial robes—what more could one need?
After finishing my assessment, I stared straight into Tang So-wol's dark eyes and opened my mouth.
"Aren't you doing well enough as it is? Don't be too harsh on your servant."
"What? What do you—wait a moment. Young hero Cheon, did you think I was talking about myself?"
"Was I wrong?"
In response to my question, she let out a scoff as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Hah, honestly. Honestly."
"Speak, then. Speak."
"Listen here, young hero Cheon. I was talking about you just now."
"Me?"
Tang So-wol strode toward me as I stared back blankly, and I had to look up slightly since my body hadn't fully grown yet.
…How humiliating.
While I grumbled inwardly and sheathed my sword again, Tang So-wol reached her hand toward my head.
Then, starting from the crown, she began to tidy my hair in every direction.
"What is this, a magpie's nest?"
"After morning training you'll be drenched in sweat anyway. I was planning to wash up properly and head to breakfast then."
"I know that. We've been eating together with wet hair every day lately."
Having roughly finished fixing my hair, Tang So-wol now began to gently rub the corners of my eyes with her thumb.
"If you're going to wash your face anyway, why not do it properly? How can you go around with crust in your eyes like that?"
"Isn't it just a light sword swing to wake myself up? I'll wash properly when I have to appear before others later."
"Haa…"
Tang So-wol let out a deep sigh and stepped back half a pace, then spread her arms wide as if showing herself off.
"Young hero Cheon. I'm here, aren't I? I dress up and come every morning just to see you."
"Hmm."
She had a point. Tang So-wol, who used to come only after finishing her own duties around evening, had recently been stopping by briefly in the mornings as well.
"We're betrothed, no matter what. We haven't held the engagement ceremony yet, but it'll be soon, and someday we'll marry and spend our whole lives looking at each other's faces, squabbling and making up."
"Well, that's true enough."
"But I don't really know what a betrothed is supposed to do. So I decided to try doing what I thought a betrothed would do. That's why I come by every morning."
"…"
I never imagined this was the reason. Though I hadn't been this clingy, I had spent quite a long time with Tang So-wol before the regression.
In that time, we'd seen each other at our worst, and since both our lives had been rough, people had grown a bit cold.
And now, though I didn't know where she was or what she was doing, I knew that a monster called the Heavenly Demon was burning the world.
It wasn't an immediate matter, but I couldn't help feeling restless.
But Tang So-wol's perspective would be completely different.
Just past the age of twenty. The incidents and accidents I'd weathered since my Murim Debut. A marriage proposal that came out of nowhere.
I couldn't claim to know her mind, but I was certain of one thing: she had far more hope and dreams for this world than I did.
Looking back, maybe I was no different from the Heavenly Demon or anyone else — in the end, I was just flailing around, desperate to live well and eat well with Tang So-wol.
I was in the middle of reflecting, wondering if I'd been too indifferent, when Tang So-wol, who had been radiating an air of hurt feelings just moments ago, broke into a playful grin.
"No, never mind. On second thought, it's better if the young hero keeps going just as he is. After all, I'm five years older than you, aren't I? Instead, if I keep stroking your hair and picking the sleep from your eyes like I do now, wouldn't that be just what a betrothed should do?"
"…Fine. I'll try to pay more attention from now on."
"Hehe. That's a wise choice. You said you wouldn't be meeting anyone else anyway, but I'm here every morning, aren't I? I don't go all out, but I do make sure I'm neat and presentable just to show myself to you."
With that, she stepped back half a pace and spread her arms wide. As she spun around in a full circle, showing off, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
Meanwhile, Tang So-wol, looking even more confident than before, continued with an expression somewhere between shamelessness and sheer audacity.
"Anyway, since things have turned out this way, young hero Cheon, you'll have to come out with me today."
"So it's no longer a question but a decision. But can you even leave?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that? Unlike you, young hero, I haven't gone around kidnapping and imprisoning people out of the blue."
"You went out of the house for the first time, went missing, and nearly died. I doubt the Poison King will give his permission that easily."
Apparently, they're still investigating whether there are other people involved or if someone was pulling the strings from behind.
Once the investigation is concluded, they plan to make an example of the culprits to ensure nothing like this ever happens again…
From what Tang So-wol had told me before the regression, there were minor collaborators but no significant backer behind it all, so there's a high chance this will be wrapped up as is.
Anyway, the point is this: from the Tang Clan's perspective, Tang So-wol's matter hasn't been fully settled yet.
And if she were to say she wanted to go out and wander around again in the middle of that, even I would say no.
After hearing my story, Tang So-wol tilted her head for a moment, then spoke with a look of sudden realization.
"Ah! Of course, I didn't mean going somewhere far away—I just meant taking a look around the market streets of Chengdu."
"Chengdu isn't exactly a small town, though."
Even before the Tang Clan settled there, Chengdu was the largest city in Sichuan Province. No matter how much they were one of the Five Great Families, the whole of Chengdu being their front yard was…
"Ah-ha? If that's the case, it's fine. There are Tang Clan people everywhere in Chengdu, so it's practically our front yard anyway. A guard will follow along, and Father has already given his permission."
"…Do the Five Great Families usually have that much influence?"
"Uh, well. Actually, when it comes to influence alone, the Tang Clan is a bit behind among the Five Great Families, you see? Because of the nature of their martial arts, they tend to be a bit reclusive."
"What."
"In the case of the Namgung Clan, which has the largest scale among the Five Great Families, they practically rule over Anhui Province like kings, you know? They say the bloodline actually descends from a feudal lord, though it's not from the current dynasty, so it's not entirely accurate."
"…"
In the past, I had only picked up a sword to make a living. I had no interest in honor, so there was no reason to clash with the Orthodox Sects' martial artists. It was for that reason that I only traveled between Zhejiang Province, Gangseo Province, and Guangdong Province, avoiding the territories of the Orthodox Sects.
Most of the Orthodox martial artists I met later were in ruin, having been defeated by the Demonic Cult. I'd heard from them that the Orthodox Sects had once been formidable, but I hadn't known it was to this extent. The Unorthodox Sects were so busy fighting among themselves that the very existence of a group like the Black Alliance was surprising, and yet.
"If that's the case, I understand. You said around lunchtime, but what time exactly should I expect you?"
"Hmm… I'll come find the young hero once I'm ready. Please make yourself comfortable until then."
"No. This time, I'll go to you."
"Pardon? But if the timing doesn't align because I'm busy preparing this and that, you might have to wait a long while."
"Then I'll wait. So far, it's only ever been Tang So-wol who came to find me. So this time, I'll go."
"Oh my…"
Tang So-wol smiled warmly and nodded.
"Alright! Then I'll wait for the young hero with a happy heart."
After sharing the promise, Tang So-wol walked away with a light step. It was only after she had left the training ground that I began swinging my sword again.
***
I went to find Tang So-wol at the appointed time, but was told she was still getting ready and that I should wait outside for a bit.
I'd been warned beforehand that I might have to wait if luck wasn't on my side, so I took it in stride and settled in to wait.
Idly glancing down at my attire, I found myself frowning slightly.
"Uncomfortable."
That expensive Sichuan silk… a green long robe made of Shu brocade.
The feel against the skin and the look of it were worth the price, but the long, trailing fabric kept wrapping around my body, making it hard to move.
When I asked my assigned servant if she could prepare some decent clothes since I was planning to take a quick trip to the market street with Tang So-wol, her eyes lit up and she brought out something like this.
And she didn't just bring one set. With the help of a fellow servant, she laid out over a dozen outfits and told me to pick whichever I liked.
Since all the clothes were made with green as the base color, to be honest, they all looked the same to me.
Still, I managed to pick one somehow, and then she pulled out several pairs of shoes to match the outfit.
Even after I'd settled on the shoes, there was no sign of it ending, so I tied my hair back tightly and escaped as if fleeing.
Good heavens. Did all children of noble houses endure this kind of thing from a young age? How on earth?
Since reaching the Peak Realm and joining the Black Alliance, I'd handled a fair amount of money, but… most of what I earned went toward acquiring new martial arts and spiritual medicines.
The martial arts and spiritual medicines that could be bought with money had their limits, and even so, it wasn't enough.
Even now, thinking about it, those bastards were truly despicable. The Black Alliance had a library, and occasionally they'd grant good martial arts as rewards.
But what was the point of sending me back saying there was no martial art that suited me?
It was true that the Iron Blood Faction I belonged to back then didn't receive the best treatment—it was a gathering place for troublemakers who were skilled but constantly caused incidents—and I could understand the Lord of the Black Alliance wanting to keep the Iron Blood Faction Leader, who was drifting on the fringes of unorthodox society, in check despite having reached the same Harmony Realm.
But to send me back empty-handed even after I had rendered meritorious service? Was that not too petty a move for the supreme ruler of the unorthodox world?
Now that I had regressed, it wasn't a particularly important matter, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got—how many times had I grumbled to myself?
Creak—
At last, the firmly shut door opened, and Tang So-wol appeared.
The details weren't much different from when I'd seen her in the morning. But her makeup had been brightened, and she wore a resplendent court dress with accessories to match.
All of it together changed her overall atmosphere considerably.
If the Tang So-wol I knew had been a martial artist, the one before me now was the daughter of a noble house.
Even though she was clearly the same person, Tang So-wol felt unfamiliar. As I stared at her blankly, our eyes met — she too was looking at me with her mouth hanging open.
"Ha!"
"Pfft!"
Neither of us started first; the laughter burst out at the same time. The awkward atmosphere dissolved in an instant.
We giggled at each other for a long while. Tang So-wol, wiping the tears welling up from laughing so hard, tilted her chin up with a deliberately haughty air.
"Well then, shall we go, young hero?"
"Who would dare defy your command?"
I nodded and stood beside Tang So-wol.
The guard following behind us frowned deeply, as if he had witnessed something disgraceful.
He must be a bachelor.