First, we headed toward the Black Alliance.
"I'm bored. I wish some bandits would show up."
"Wasn't it none other than young hero Cheon who smashed the Green Forest?"
Tang So-wol shook her head as if she found it absurd. Watching the trajectory of her deep green hair swaying with the motion, I couldn't help but smile.
"But what am I supposed to do when I'm really this bored?"
"If it's that bad, you should have just not turned away those who wanted to accompany you."
"Are you talking about Seol Ri-hyang and senior Seomun Hwa-rin?"
"No. They said the two of them had things to talk about. They pushed me off, saying I should use this chance to spend some quality time alone with young hero Cheon… How am I supposed to enjoy a sparring trip—no, a sparring trip—in a cozy way?"
"A sparring trip, you say. I have no idea what you're talking about. It's a sparring trip, a sparring trip."
"Since when does any sparring match involve feeding poison to the loser? And if young hero Cheon loses, it won't end with just taking poison."
"In the Unorthodox Sects, anything that doesn't kill you counts as a sparring match. And since I'm not going to lose, don't worry."
"But isn't young hero Cheon a Martial Artist of the Orthodox Sects?"
"…"
He looked up at the sky for a moment. The weather was really nice.
"Did you know that young hero Cheon has a habit of staring blankly at something else whenever he runs out of things to say?"
"…Anyway, the road ahead is boring, so won't you tell me something interesting?"
"You're quick to change the subject. But something interesting, you say… Did you know? Recently I went out, and people recognized my face and swarmed me."
"What? They rushed at you even knowing you have a betrothed right there. They're not proper people."
"They were merchants."
"Merchants with good eyes, then. If you take a liking to them, getting their goods supplied to the Tang Clan would be simple enough."
"Ah, come on. The final decision is up to the Chief Steward and my father. I just recommend places that look decent."
Tang So-wol shrugged with a smile, but soon returned to her usual expression and continued.
"Anyway, with all those merchants swarming in, I was thinking things like, 'The Tang Clan is really becoming the number one clan in the world now,' 'I've become this famous,' 'But having so many people around is a bit annoying…'"
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. The moment he saw the face of the person traveling with me, he turned pale and ran off."
"Oh dear. He must be absolutely terrifying to look at."
"Isn't it amusing, though? The way they come rushing over for a profit, then back away the moment they realize they might get a sword to the face if they're not careful."
"…"
"At times like this, I wonder whether my fame isn't really my own but stems from the prestige of the clan. Or perhaps the companion who scares merchants senseless just by meeting their eyes is the impressive one… What do you think, young hero Cheon?"
"…Well, I don't think it's a very amusing story."
And rightly so—what Tang So-wol was describing was from not long after we had set out from the Tang Clan.
"Oh, come now. Do hear me out. The truly amusing part is how you chased off everyone who came, refused to ride in the Tang Clan's carriage or travel with the merchant caravan, insisted on walking on your own two feet, and then, bored, hoped some bandits you'd already dismantled would show up—don't you think that's entertaining to watch from the side…?"
"…"
Tang So-wol giggled with genuine delight as she watched me, who had been barely able to say a word this whole time.
I let out a deep sigh at the sight of her.
"Hoo. I told you, it was all necessary."
"Necessary, you say… Or was it that you didn't want our time alone to be interrupted?"
Tang So-wol tapped her chest with her index finger and smiled playfully.
My gaze unconsciously fixed on her finger pressing into her flesh, but I forced myself not to show it and shook my head.
"This matter must not be too widely known, nor too secret. It's best if rumors spread naturally, so I deliberately let my Aura leak to drive people away. If we all moved around in a crowd, we'd stand out wherever we went."
"That may be so, but wouldn't it be enough to leave the rumors to the Beggars' Sect or Haomun? After all, this matter began with the Murim Alliance's request and the Black Alliance's tacit approval."
"The Beggars' Sect is trustworthy. After all, the Murim Alliance Leader himself comes from the Beggars' Sect. He'd do at least that much to ensure the success of a task he was asked to carry out. …But I'm not so sure about Haomun."
"Eh? Isn't Haomun also under the Black Alliance? Of course, it was only nominally so—they never had a particularly close cooperative relationship—but I recall the Lord of the Black Alliance once declared he would fully subjugate Haomun."
"That's right. By now, they're probably putting on a show of submission. But that's no reason to trust Haomun."
"Ah… Then is there no reason to trust them at all?"
"You've hit the nail on the head. Haomun is a place that should never be trusted in the first place. I'd wager that Haomun is a den of vipers even more suffocating than the Black Alliance."
Even before the regression, Haomun had been a source of trouble right up to the very end.
In particular, after the death of the Lord of the Black Alliance, they raised a ruckus declaring their independence from the Black Alliance, trying to break away from the Righteous-Unorthodox Alliance.
Of course, in the end, they were torn apart by the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cultists, and most of them were brutally slaughtered.
In fact, in a way, it was only natural. As can be seen from Seol Ri-hyang's past, Haomun is fundamentally a group that exists for survival.
Pride, ambition, competitiveness—these are all emotions that any martial artist, even one from the Unorthodox Sects, cannot help but possess. Yet in Haomun, they are treated as sins.
Their only purpose is survival, and they have no sense of justice or morality.
In a sense, one could say they are the most black-hearted of the black.
"Haomun cannot be tamed. The best approach is to maintain a proper distance, like a good business partner… but the Lord of the Black Alliance despises people who cannot be controlled in that manner. So abandon any thought that just because the Black Alliance is helping us, we can also receive Haomun's assistance."
"Hmm. I've been thinking about this from time to time—young hero Cheon, you seem to know the Unorthodox Sects quite well."
"Well, I'm from Zhejiang Province, so…"
"Even so, I'd say you know far too much."
"…"
"Hehe. If you make such an awkward face, I'll be the one feeling more awkward. It makes me want to tease you even more."
"What a personality."
As I let out a hollow laugh, Tang So-wol quietly approached. She naturally linked her arm through mine and leaned her head against my shoulder.
The soft sensation of her arm wrapping around mine. And as I froze at the scent unique to Tang So-wol wafting from her hair—
She carefully rose onto her tiptoes and whispered into my ear.
"So even if you get bored, you'll have to make do with me. Understood?"
"…"
This time, I was at a loss for words for a slightly different reason, but after a moment's thought, I opened my mouth.
"Then don't fall behind, so the road won't be boring."
"Yesss. If that's what the young hero Cheon wishes."
Tang So-wol nodded with a gentle smile.
Before I knew it, the boredom had vanished.
***
"Kuhahap! How long has it been since we last saw each other at Shaolin Temple, and your Aura has already changed again, White Moon Sword Lord!"
"Oh, it's been a while, you two. The Lord was so looking forward to your visit… I was almost a little jealous, you know?"
As always, the Lord of the Black Alliance greeted us with a hearty laugh, while Sama Yuryeon shrugged as if there was nothing to be done about it.
The moment we arrived at the Black Alliance's main headquarters, I was met with familiar faces, and I smiled in return, offering a fist-and-palm salute.
"It's good to see you both after so long. By the way, did you come out to welcome me?"
"Oh dear. Was it that obvious? Actually, I've been pulling some of Haomun's methods and personnel to test them out recently, and they've been working quite well."
So they'd been tracking my location ever since I set foot in Zhejiang Province.
Instead of just saying that outright, she had to phrase it like that—without even making the conclusion explicit. That was just Sama Yuryeon's way of speaking.
Before the regression, I used to grumble that smart people had strange ways of speaking, wondering if they assumed everyone else knew what they knew.
Hearing it in this life, though, it felt a bit welcoming, as if I had returned to the Black Alliance of the past.
Perhaps it was because thoughts from before the regression had been surfacing often since the recent Grand Ritual.
The Lord of the Black Alliance, who had even accepted Tang So-wol's properly courteous greeting from beside me, spoke with a still-smiling face.
"By the way, I never expected you to actually take on this task."
"I was the one who first brought up this method, after all."
"Anyone can talk. It's just that few actually step forward."
"I'm the type to keep my word once I've spoken it."
"The same goes for this Alliance Lord. That's why seeing you here, White Moon Sword Lord, puts my mind at ease."
The Lord of the Black Alliance looked at me with satisfaction and nodded.
Whether before the regression or after it, I still couldn't figure out what exactly he found so appealing about me.
But it's hard to dislike someone who thinks well of you. Even more so when that person is someone you can trust.
I, too, had faith that no matter what I did within the Black Alliance, the Lord would find a way to smooth things over and steer them toward a mutually beneficial outcome.
"Let's head inside to talk first. There's only so much that can be said out here. …Say, do you enjoy drinking?"
"As long as I don't get completely drunk, I do enjoy it."
"If it takes until a Harmony Realm martial artist is completely drunk, then I suppose we're in for a night of heavy drinking today."
"I'd rather not hear an earful from my betrothed, so please go easy on me."
"Hahaha! That's just talk—I'm scared of my wife's nagging too, so don't you worry."
As the Lord of the Black Alliance and I traded light banter, Sama Yuryeon squeezed her eyes shut.
"My lord…! If anyone heard that, they'd think I keep you under lock and key."
"Oh my! See, it's already started. Let's head inside, then."
"My lord?!"
The two of them bickered with words but smiled all the while. Following them, I made my way to the Lord of the Black Alliance's office.
I'd thought the talk of drinking meant we were heading to the dining hall… but to my surprise, a drinking table was already set up in the office.
It felt a bit off, but in the Black Alliance, the Lord did whatever the Lord wanted to do.
Tang So-wol was rubbing her eyes in bewilderment, but this was nothing much, so it was easy enough to just let it slide.
How long had we been eating and drinking together, trading bits of news here and there?
Just as the bottle of liquor we'd brought was about to run dry, the Lord of the Black Alliance's endlessly cheerful mood turned slightly heavy.
I straightened my posture, and Tang So-wol did the same. Only then did the Lord flick a hand, using Void Grasp to bring a single document over from his desk.
He scanned it once, then handed it straight to me.
"Take a look. These are the ones the Alliance Lord and his wife have already sorted out."
"Hm."
There were three names written on the paper. I read them carefully from top to bottom—all familiar names. They were the ones who had either surrendered to the Heavenly Demon or turned traitor.
However, one name was missing.
"Does the One-Blade Asura, Im Cheon-gang, not fall under this category?"
"Hm? That One-Blade Asura fellow is usually insufferable, always grumbling and eyeing my seat whenever he gets the chance… but that's a common enough thing, isn't it? He does follow along when we push hard, so I thought he deserved a good stepping on rather than being dealt with entirely."
"I see."
So he was the type who got along fine normally, but changed his attitude when faced with death.
Having witnessed the Heavenly Demon's martial prowess, he would seek survival if he ever had to face him directly, just like before the regression.
In other words, until that point, he hadn't caused any major problems—only minor ones—so the Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon hadn't felt the need to cut him down.
But if he was the kind of person who would betray at the most critical moment, then it was better to deal with him now.
So how could he convince those two?
All sorts of tedious, pedantic arguments floated through his mind, but what actually came out of his mouth was a single simple sentence.
"I never liked him anyway. I'll just take care of him while I'm at it."
"…"
"…"
"…"
The three of them stared at him, mouths hanging open.
It seems they were dumbfounded by my perfect and perfectly justified reasoning.