White hair swayed above a stiffly rigid neck. Short arms and legs creaked awkwardly, and irregular breathing sometimes confused the order of inhale and exhale, pausing for a moment.
It was a sight that could hardly be called a Harmony Realm martial artist… no, before being a martial artist, it was closer to a wooden puppet that wasn't human at all.
As if half-dragging the completely broken Seomun Hwa-rin, I crossed the corridor.
Was it because the sun was already setting when I left the training ground? While we had been talking, the surroundings had grown considerably dark.
That said, it wasn't quite the dead of night—just a dim, hazy feeling. On top of that, following the Lord of the Black Alliance's orders, made wary after the Heavenly Demon's attack, lanterns were lit here and there.
Though it was clearly nighttime, the scene wasn't dark at all—it was bright.
The sky burned a deep blue. The ground blazed in vermilion. There was an indescribable beauty to the sight.
Even a wooden doll like Seomun Hwa-rin couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration at the sight before her. The tension drained from her shoulders as a gasp of wonder escaped her lips.
"Heh. Though it's not for a good reason, I have to admit—this view is quite something."
"Indeed it is."
"Did you bring me here to show me this? Hmm. It certainly seems effective at lifting one's spirits."
Her voice had grown more natural, her expression more at ease.
Now that she had finally returned from being a wooden doll to a person, I felt a bit sorry to say it, but… I had been leading her down the wrong path.
"Though it turned out this way, the reason I brought Senior Seomun Hwa-rin outside wasn't for the night view."
"Hm?"
"There shouldn't be anyone around right now, so it'll be fine. We'll be there soon."
"Wh-what do you intend to do with this lady, taking me to a place with so few people?!"
Seomun Hwa-rin was hopping about in a fluster, but the moment she arrived at the entrance of their destination, she stiffened up again.
The place where the Heavenly Demon and the Sword Demon had invaded. A place where a gathering of some significance would have been held for both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects alike. …And to me, a building that was like another home.
The Iron Blood Faction.
It was a building on the outskirts of the Black Alliance, now known by a completely different name.
As we stepped inside, the first things to catch the eye were the traces that still bore the marks of that time in full.
Deeply carved sword scars, traces of something smashed and pierced through. And a massive footprint that I hadn't noticed when looking up close, but could only be seen from afar.
Was it the Heavenly Demon's overwhelming martial level, and the image of the Sword Demon, whose karmic sin of killing had returned to him as retribution?
Seomun Hwa-rin's mood, which had seemed half-broken yet secretly excited, sank heavily.
Seomun Hwa-rin examined the remaining traces with sunken eyes.
Why did that gaze look like a lost child's?
But even if the side effects of Rejuvenation had made her speech and manner childish, her fundamental nature wouldn't have regressed.
A person who might agonize but never doubt herself, who might regret but never stop moving forward.
That was the Seomun Hwa-rin I knew. There was a reason her Intent-infused fists shot out simply and stubbornly, without the complicated processes of other Harmony Realm martial artists.
Whether she dismissed the revenge that had consumed most of her life as excessive without hesitation, or set out to correct her past mistakes and reclaim her lost happiness.
Even in that final moment, as she bloomed a red flower upon the snowfield and met her death.
Seomun Hwa-rin had always been someone who knew clearly the direction she needed to go.
I tugged harder on the arm of Seomun Hwa-rin, who had paused for a moment.
"Eep?"
Having been lost in thought, she let out a strange sound as she was yanked toward me.
Her momentum was so strong that she ended up half-buried against my side.
"Mmph? Mmph mmph!"
"Don't say anything useless. It tickles."
"Mmph…"
"And stop thinking useless thoughts. Just follow me. We're almost there."
"…"
I tucked the now-quiet Seomun Hwa-rin under my arm and walked a little further.
Past the wide reception hall built for greeting guests, deeper into the compound. All the way to the building where the people who lived here would stay.
Naturally, much of it differed from what I remembered.
There was no peeling paint from years of neglect, and where the training ground should have stood, a shabby warehouse had been erected instead.
But the overall structure hadn't changed.
Following the paths I knew led, for the most part, to the spaces I remembered. If that were the case, then just beyond this corner…
There it was. Just as I had expected, a small garden.
"…We've arrived."
"May I raise my head now?"
"You could have raised it at any time, but… yes. Go ahead."
Seomun Hwa-rin slowly lifted her head from where it had been buried against my side. Perhaps it was my imagination, but she seemed to pout her lips with a hint of reluctance before glancing around.
"Where is this?"
"A small garden located in the inner quarters."
"…I had thought it would be dreary at this hour, but it looks far better than I expected."
Perhaps it was because lanterns were lit throughout the entire Black Alliance.
The pitch-black night blazed brightly, returning color to the garden.
This was a place where no one lived now, used only occasionally for events like this, so it was maintained minimally.
Instead, perhaps because the surrounding light created a dreamlike atmosphere, it was quite a sight worth seeing.
But what I wanted to show Seomun Hwa-rin was something else.
"Would you please look at the center?"
"The center, you say?"
Seomun Hwa-rin raised her head. A single large tree entered her field of vision.
The weather was still chilly, but the end of winter was already upon them.
Spring would soon arrive, and the green that had held its breath all winter would once again lift its head.
Yet, there was something that bloomed before all of that.
The camellia tree, said to flower at winter's end, was exactly that.
"…"
Seomun Hwa-rin stood with her mouth slightly agape, gazing up at the camellia tree in full, vivid red bloom.
After standing there for a long while, she finally spoke in a low voice.
"So you knew that this lady was fond of camellias?"
"No. It's just that I am fond of them, so I wished to show them to you."
"Is that so."
Seomun Hwa-rin mulled over my words for a moment, then reached out a small hand to stroke the camellia tree.
Even before the regression, it had grown large enough to be called a towering tree, and even now it was still big, merely a bit shorter than the image in my memory.
Her expression seemed deep in thought. Yet unlike a moment ago, it no longer carried that shadowed air.
It wasn't as if she had tended to it with the same devotion as in her previous life, checking every spare moment for when the flowers would bloom.
Perhaps it was simply a flower she had always loved, or perhaps she was swayed by the mood cast by the surrounding lanterns—either way, Seomun Hwa-rin only traced the bark with a distant, wistful touch.
How many times did her lips tremble as if she wanted to say something, but her thoughts wouldn't settle?
Instead of Seomun Hwa-rin, I spoke first.
"It's a bit of an old story, but do you remember what I said when I was kidnapped by you, Senior Seomun Hwa-rin?"
"I'm not sure I'd call it a kidnapping when you asked to be kidnapped yourself… but if you mean the words that led this lady to decide to entrust herself to the Tang Clan, then of course I remember. Didn't you say we should be happy together from now on?"
"…Hearing just that part out of context sounds a bit strange. But yes, I did say that."
Before the regression, I learned many things from Seomun Hwa-rin.
Martial arts, of course, but also how to read the overall currents of the martial world, scholarly studies, various forms of refinement, and even how to accept people with one's heart.
Back then, when I had nothing to my name and nothing learned, her teachings had seemed tedious—but now that I think about it, every single one had become bone and flesh to me.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Seomun Hwa-rin was the foundation upon which I reached the Harmony Realm as the son-in-law of the Tang Clan after experiencing regression.
Even if Seomun Hwa-rin does not remember, as long as her teachings live and breathe within me, I cannot dismiss them as if they never happened.
A teacher I can tell no one about. I owe her a part of my life.
"Why does Senior Seomun Hwa-rin like camellia flowers?"
"Well… is it not a pleasing sight to see them endure the harsh winter and bloom?"
"I feel the same. Though the cold has eased somewhat now, back when we were in the North Sea, these camellias must have bloomed amidst the white snow."
There were many camellia flowers hanging on the branches, but just as many had fallen to the ground.
Camellia flowers that had fallen whole, without splitting into individual petals. Seeing them tumbling across the ground while still retaining their red color, a scene from the past suddenly surfaced in my mind, and my voice trembled slightly.
"Seomun Senior Hwa-rin will meet the same fate."
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"Are you afraid that the karma of the past will come back to haunt you? Do you find yourself doubting whether what you are doing now is truly right, hesitating?"
"…How could it not weigh on me? To know that my past mistakes could return as a threat to you all."
"If Seomun Senior Hwa-rin continues to act as a Martial Artist, this kind of thing will repeat itself time and again. Regardless of whether it's the Orthodox Sects or the Unorthodox Sects."
The karma she had accumulated through her acts of revenge would probably end with this. But as she continued to live as a Martial Artist, there would be frequent occasions where she would have to kill someone, and each time, regardless of righteousness, someone would harbor a grudge.
Tang So-wol, too, had been manipulated by the Demonic Cult from behind, but she had nearly died bearing the grudge of a clan for deeds she herself had not committed.
That is what it means to live as a Martial Artist. No matter how loudly one proclaims their righteousness, in the end, what one does is kill people.
As long as I do not let go of the sword in my hand, the blood splattered on my body will never dry.
Seomun Hwa-rin could not have been unaware of this. It was simply that the fact that I, Tang So-wol, and Seol Ri-hyang could have been placed in danger because of her own karma weighed on her mind.
That was precisely why an even clearer standard was needed.
Moreover, once a standard was set, one also needed the stubbornness to never compromise on it. And so…
"And so, I will stay by your side."
"Hm?"
A flustered Seomun Hwa-rin. I placed my hand over hers, which rested on the camellia tree.
"Are we not in similar circumstances? We can ponder together, bear it together, and at the end of it all, laugh together. That is all there is to it."
"You would walk with me…?"
"Yes."
Seomun Hwa-rin's generous teachings had guided me this far.
From now on, it would be different. I was not yet able to lead her… but at the very least, I could match her pace and walk forward together.
"They say a camellia flower does not scatter petal by petal, but falls whole, as a single bloom."
"Is that so."
"It may not be flashy, but it will not fear the moment of its fall."
"…"
I slowly pulled Seomun Hwa-rin's hand, which she had been holding her breath over, and clasped it firmly with both of mine.
I grinned at Seomun Hwa-rin, who was staring blankly at me.
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin is certainly the most skilled among us, and by that measure, also the oldest and most senior."
"Hic!"
I let her sudden weakening at the mention of age slide past me and continued.
"I'm no pushover either."
"Hm? You dare say such things?"
"Yes. Didn't you see last time? I'm not that weak anymore, and with the new year coming, I'm not that young either."
"The former I can accept, but the latter is a bit…"
"What I mean is, you don't need to fear that I'll cause harm to you or anyone else."
Seomun Hwa-rin was momentarily taken aback, but upon hearing the follow-up, she nodded.
"I understand. It seems my worries have been troubling you. Thank you. And now I'm fine, so don't worry."
"Are you certain?"
"Certain as can be. If you'd like, you can even confiscate my blanket for a day."
"What would I even do with your blanket, Senior Seomun…"
As I shook my head, Seomun Hwa-rin, having already regained her usual composure, began to giggle.
After laughing for a long while, Seomun Hwa-rin wiggled the hand that was carefully held in mine.
I was briefly torn between pulling my hand away and leaving it as her fingers naturally tickled my palm.
Seomun Hwa-rin nodded with a small voice.
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind. You and the other children are not so fragile that I must wrap you up in fear of you breaking. Look. Even now, your hand is truly dependable, is it not?"
"Your wording is a little creepy, but… yes. Anyway, that's enough."
"…I've been thinking this for a while now, but don't you think your attitude toward me these days is a bit too much?!"
Seomun Hwa-rin hopped up and down in protest. A single camellia flower fell before her.
Had she asked to be remembered as a single camellia flower in her final moments?
At last, it seemed I could keep that promise.
***
"Young hero Cheon, young hero Cheon. So how far did things go with Sister Hwa-rin?"
"We made it as far as the camellia tree in the garden over there."
"No, that's not what I'm asking…! Ahem. What I want to know is whether the two of you became a bit closer—whether there was any, you know, physical contact."
"We did hold hands."
"And then?"
"That's all—just holding hands?"
"…"
Seeing Tang So-wol staring at me with a sulky expression, I hastily added,
"Don't worry. We really only held hands."
"Tsk. Young hero Cheon, aren't you going to get punished for that?"
Tang So-wol eventually shook her head and let out a sigh.
…I had no idea what was going on.
I was inwardly grumbling about the absurdity of life, but only for a moment.
A servant who had come all the way to the door opened their mouth in a polite tone.
It was an invitation to dinner from the Lord of the Black Alliance.
In other words, it meant that the urgent matters were mostly settled, and now it was time to discuss what lay ahead.