"Y-yes… that's right. I didn't hear anything. That was just a joke you made a moment ago. I'll never breathe a word of it to anyone…"
"…"
The Illusion Witch smiled awkwardly, the corners of her mouth trembling. Even in the midst of this, she made a show of sealing her own lips, a sight so pitiful it was almost unbearable.
This is a Harmony Realm martial artist?
"Haah."
"Hic!"
Just from my sigh, she hiccuped and kept glancing at me for my reaction, giving me a headache in more ways than one.
Was it something I said earlier? Tang So-wol, who had stepped back to give us space since the conversation seemed important, suddenly shot to her feet and blocked my path.
"Do you realize what you just said in front of your Betrothed?!"
"Huh? But doesn't the final say rest with the White Moon Sword Lord?"
"It rests with me…"
"Why?"
"???"
It was Tang So-wol's turn to be flustered by the Illusion Witch's genuinely puzzled reaction.
Blinking, she slowly looked back and forth between me and the Illusion Witch, then finally spoke in a voice that lacked all confidence.
"Of course, because I'll be the legal wife."
"Uh… compared to the others, I don't think you're in such a firm position…"
"What do you mean by that!"
"B-but think about it. Baekbal Nachal… ah, I was told not to call her that anymore. Anyway, the Seomun Clan Head is a descendant of a proper noble house whose family merely disappeared, and she herself is a Harmony Realm martial artist. What's more, her family martial arts are sword arts, not poison or hidden weapons."
"Ugh!"
"And the other one… was it Cheong-eum Bingmanyeo?"
"Cheong-eum Binghwa. Just because I caused a bit of a stir in the Black Alliance, a strange word got stuck to my alias."
"Ah, yes."
The Illusion Witch nodded immediately at my interjection and corrected herself.
"I've heard that Cheong-eum Binghwa is young in age and has already reached Transcendent Peak. On top of that, she's said to use a rare yin-cold type martial art."
"…Hyang-i is indeed like that."
"Hmm. That means she's younger than the young lady of Flying Butterfly Poison Peak, and of a similar realm."
"…!"
"As time flows and Natural Qi gradually diminishes, martial arts that draw out only specific energies would decline much faster. If things go well, don't you think she could secure a position in the North Sea Ice Palace?"
"How… how do you know even that?"
"It's just a simple deduction."
The Illusion Witch was still prostrating herself flat on the ground, yet somehow managing to sound smug. That in itself was a talent.
"To summarize: the young lady of Flying Butterfly Poison Peak has outstanding looks, cultivation, and background, but she's entirely replaceable. In some cases, she might even become a liability."
"A liability! What do you mean by that?!"
"Well… for someone of White Moon Sword Lord's caliber, wouldn't the Tang Clan background actually be a hindrance? Rather, the Seomun Clan Head who has only bloodline to offer, or someone from Cheong-eum Binghwa with no background at all—or even one whose background is so far away in Outer Murim that it carries no weight—would be far more convenient."
"C-convenient…"
"In that sense, I'm confident I can be a very convenient woman."
"Ugh!"
Tang So-wol, trembling with rage, spun around to face me, then grabbed my sleeve and clung to it.
"Young hero Cheon! I'm not being a bother, am I? Right? Tell me I'm not?"
"What's this all of a sudden?"
An involuntary chuckle slipped out. I'd known since she'd glimpsed my memories through the Flow that Tang So-wol grew anxious over things like this, but I hadn't expected a few words to set her off so completely.
Whether to credit the Illusion Witch's silver tongue or admit that Tang So-wol lost half her composure when it came to my affairs.
I shook my head slowly and gently pried her off my sleeve.
Watching her dark green eyes tremble made me want to tease her a little more… but I had a feeling that would end in real trouble, so I let it go.
Instead, I pulled her close, sat her right beside me, and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her still.
"Your premise is wrong."
"Premise…?"
"My goal isn't to defeat the Heavenly Demon."
"Huh?"
"It's to live well and eat well with you all."
"…Ah."
"Unifying the Murim? Being the best under heaven? I can't say I have no interest, but those can't be my main goals. At most, they're just steps along the way if needed."
"…"
Tang So-wol, whose trembling had subsided now that she had calmed down a bit, buried her face in my shoulder—this time, perhaps out of embarrassment.
Her intermittent twitching gave off the aura of someone who would kick the blanket straight off the moment one was brought over.
Still, I figured this was good enough, and turned my gaze to the Illusion Witch, who was now quietly pressing her head to the floor as if she had never been bragging at all.
As if sensing my gaze, she trembled—no, she was practically vibrating. I let out a long sigh toward her.
"Haa… I think you understand my true purpose now."
"Y-yes! I won't bother you with the same reason anymore!"
"Good. Let's do well."
When I first came to see the Illusion Witch, I'd imagined breaking through a grueling formation and cutting down all sorts of bizarre sorcery.
But what I was actually doing was reading the room and soothing Tang So-wol.
I stared blankly at the Illusion Witch's back for a moment, wondering how things had come to this.
Still, the conversation had to continue, so I opened my mouth.
"First, get up."
"Yes."
She listened well, at least, rising to her feet at once. Her already disheveled hair had been further mussed by her full-body prostration, making her sinister impression all the stronger.
I knew well myself, as someone often misunderstood, that judging by appearances was nothing but a simple prejudice… but when it came to the Illusion Witch, wasn't that prejudice perhaps correct?
Thinking that to myself, I spoke.
"I think you've more or less understood by now… but I'll say it once more, for good measure. The Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance are set to cooperate in preparation for a clash with the Demonic Cult. You will join in as well."
"Is there any question about it? Of course it should be so. …However, I have one request."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I am not adding strength to the Black Alliance—I have attached myself to you, White Moon Sword Lord. Please make that clear. …To the Lord of the Black Alliance."
"This again…"
Since the One-Blade Asura had already made the same request, it wasn't particularly surprising. But there was one thing I didn't understand.
"You didn't even lose to me in battle. And this isn't a public place, so there's no one who witnessed what happened today either."
"Th-That… the Lord of the Black Alliance has too much ambition. If I were to add my strength carelessly, it's obvious I'd be dragged into increasingly dangerous affairs!"
"Well, I can't deny that."
I shrugged my shoulders and continued.
"But I intend to take the lead in even more dangerous matters, no?"
"That's because it's necessary. You don't covet unnecessary things."
The Illusion Witch, having said that much, stared quietly into my eyes.
"If everything you've said so far is true, the Central Plains will soon fall into great chaos. No matter how much I try to hide away, avoiding it would be a distant hope."
"You know it well. In the end, there's no choice but to stand and fight."
Before the regression, there were more than a few who fled and hid to escape the Heavenly Demon.
But all of them met bad ends. The ones who fared relatively well were those who left for the Outer Murim…
Judging by the Illusion Witch's words, after destroying the Central Plains, she planned to massacre the Outer Murim as well—so in the end, it was only a matter of time.
"If it's a danger I can't avoid, then I'd rather face it in the safest place possible."
"You're saying I'm that safest place?"
"…You seem quite different from the rumors. At least, you're not a monster without blood or tears, nor someone mad with ambition."
"I do tend to attract a lot of misunderstandings."
"That's because you only do things that deserve misunderstanding—ah, nothing, never mind."
The Illusion Witch, who had unknowingly muttered something, hurriedly slapped her own mouth.
"Ah, anyway, if I could become one of the White Moon Sword Lord's people, I thought that would be the safest path—that's the conclusion I came to."
"I see."
To be honest, if the Illusion Witch were to work for me instead of the Black Alliance, it would be a considerable gain.
That was because, of all the people I had met so far, no one possessed knowledge as adept in sorcery and all manner of secret arts as the Illusion Witch.
The military strategist of the Murim Alliance, the Sect Leader of the Zhongnan Sect, the current and former abbots of the Shaolin Temple.
Each of them held great positions, and they knew much about long-forgotten secrets, but…
From a short conversation with the Illusion Witch, I was able to obtain more information than I had in the past several years.
If I could get her to research regression, it would surely be of great help.
If regression repeated infinitely regardless of my will, and if even the Heavenly Demon could not break this cycle…
I, too, would not be able to escape the endless regression. If so, shouldn't I find my own way?
Well, it wasn't as if the Heavenly Demon had never cooperated with the Illusion Witch across countless regressions.
But unless she shared that information, I had no choice but to move on my own.
I didn't yet have any thoughts of breaking the regression like the Heavenly Demon… but I couldn't just sit idle either.
Of course, even setting aside matters related to regression, the Illusion Witch was a useful asset.
She was one of the few people who could counter the sorcery of the Demonic Cult and the Potala Palace.
"Good. From now on, you'll work for me, not the Black Alliance. I'll have a word with the Lord of the Black Alliance."
"Thank you."
"But before that, there are a few things I need to find out."
"Wh-what is it? Ah. Uhm. Well, I've never actually been married before, but…"
"…That's not what I meant."
I let out a long sigh.
"I need to know what you, the Illusion Witch, can do, and how much you can do. From our conversation just now, I can tell you have deep knowledge, but the Harmony Realm isn't just for show. Most importantly—"
I paused, then raised my index finger and traced a line along one corner of the ceiling.
The flow of incomplete energy visible through my Qi Sense. It was as if someone had been drawing something, then hastily erased it, and I was connecting the remnants.
At the sight, a glimmer of interest flickered in the Illusion Witch's eyes.
"So you can see it after all?"
"Ah, yes. If you ever learn anything about these eyes, I'd appreciate it if you'd explain it to me."
"Understood. You want me to prove my abilities first, then. If you'll excuse me for a moment."
The moment the Illusion Witch said this and rose from her seat with cautious movements—
Suddenly, the surroundings were plunged into darkness, and everything except me vanished.
No, to be precise, even my sense of self-awareness grew hazy. Only the Intent I had built up as a Harmony Realm Martial Artist remained perceptible.
It was the sensation of having been dropped into a void in the blink of an eye.
There had been no warning whatsoever, and even my keen Qi Sense had detected nothing out of the ordinary.
It was almost enough to make me believe I had always been in a place like this. But.
"Truly, the Sorcery side is impressive."
The Celestial Eye saw all of it. The flow of Qi that had been coiling around the hut, connecting at the Illusion Witch's gesture, twisting my perception — every step of it was visible.
Even the sight of the Illusion Witch bringing her staff down at my head in the gap where my perception had been thrown off.
Even if I hadn't seen any of it, it wouldn't have mattered.
Because the moment the Illusion Witch thrust her staff at me, my body moved on its own, reacting to the faint hostility that rose instinctively.
And the instant I moved, I could sense it. This, I can cut.
"The martial art side is a bit disappointing, though."
There was no need to draw my sword. The moment I formed the sword finger, a translucent blade shape surged up naturally above my fingers.
I swung it.
CRASH!
"Kyaaah!"
The Illusion Witch's scream rang out along with the sound of something shattering.
When I blinked, I was back in the thatched hut, not the void.
Well, the thatched hut that had been utterly wrecked, save for the spot where I and my companions sat.
A small sniffle came from the Illusion Witch, who had been flung through the wall and now lay sprawled in an undignified pose, her head buried in the ground and her rear end pointed toward the sky.
"Sniffle… I was only following orders, so why…"
And with it came a sigh of relief.
"Good thing it didn't bite…"
A little.
I felt just a tiny bit sorry.