"Have you lost your mind?"
"…Hey, that's a bit much, isn't it?"
The Lord of the Black Alliance, who had only been trying to show concern, looked crestfallen.
But I could swear that everyone else was thinking the same thing, even if they hadn't said it out loud.
"Think about it. If martial artists of our caliber were to spar—and especially if it's to quell the rumors circulating right now—a half-hearted sparring match wouldn't be possible."
"That's true. It would have to be either a complete farce, or a bout close to a life-and-death duel for it to mean anything."
"I'd rather not cut down the Alliance Lord, personally."
"So you think you've already won? How insufferable."
The Lord of the Black Alliance let out a hollow laugh, but his eyes were dead serious.
"Still, it's necessary. For the future of this Alliance Lord and the Black Alliance. And for dealing with that Heavenly Demon bastard as well."
"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."
"What's there to follow? Whoever wins, it leads to profit. That's all."
"…I still don't quite follow. No matter how I think about it, it seems like nothing but loss for both sides."
"It's simple. What do you think happens if this Alliance Lord wins?"
"It's not something I've ever considered, but if that were to happen, I'd just be a bit embarrassed and that would be the end of it. We're both Harmony Realm martial artists, but my standing is far lower, isn't it?"
"No. You will become the successor of the Black Alliance."
"What is that… Well then, what happens if I win?"
"You would become the new Lord of the Black Alliance."
"???"
For a moment, I couldn't understand what I had just heard, and I blinked.
I understood that he wanted to make me the successor of the Black Alliance. Both before the regression and now, it seemed I had a way of catching the Alliance Lord's eye.
However, the words that he would hand over the position of Alliance Lord if I won were simply beyond my comprehension.
And that was only natural—he was the Alliance Lord. The Twin-Blade Spear King, Sangwan Geuk himself.
As far as I knew, he was the most unorthodox martial artist of them all. A man who took whatever he wanted and could only be satisfied once he did whatever he pleased.
Honor, power, wealth, martial might… a bundle of greed that refused to let a single one slip through his fingers.
It was precisely because of that temperament that he had been able to build the Black Alliance into what it was today.
Had he lacked even one of those traits, he would have either ended up living comfortably on his own without ever founding the Black Alliance, or taken on the nature of the Orthodox Sects rather than the Unorthodox, or found himself plagued by the endless betrayals that kept cropping up.
It was possible only because Sangwan Geuk was, quite literally, that kind of man—and for that very reason, the Alliance stood as an achievement containing everything he was.
Naturally, he cherished the Black Alliance and the seat of its Lord as if they were one and the same as his own body.
And yet, he said he would hand both over to me for a single sparring match. No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't make sense of it.
"Truly, it seems the old man has lost his mind after all."
"Surely, you must be the only madman in the world who would dare speak such words before this Alliance Lord."
"Or is this a trap?"
"If you truly doubt me, go ahead and search the ledgers. If I had planned to pull off a big heist and pin it on you, there would be traces left behind."
"Good heavens…"
If he was this confident, it had to be one of two things.
Either he truly had no ulterior motives, or he had hidden them so thoroughly that I would never find them no matter what I did.
Well, considering the Lord of the Black Alliance's temperament, the former was far more likely.
"Just why are you doing this? Whether I take the seat of the Black Alliance Lord now or later, it's of no use to me—it would only be a burden."
"That's right. You know it well. If you had even a little more ambition in this regard, you would have either accepted this Alliance Lord's offer long ago, or split the Tang Clan's power with the Poison King."
The Lord of the Black Alliance lifted the corners of his mouth into a sly grin.
"So this is something I'm doing for myself, not for you."
"What do you mean by—"
"You look like you're thinking, 'What nonsense is this?'"
"I hadn't said that far yet."
"I understand. Just as this Alliance Lord can grasp what kind of man you are, you too must have a rough sense of what kind of man I am. But I am sincere."
"That's right. Your Excellency is sincere."
Sama Yuryeon, responding to the Alliance Lord's words, began her explanation slowly.
"The full-scale war between the Demonic Cult and the Central Plains is already an unavoidable fact. And it's also true that neither the Murim Alliance nor the Black Alliance can stand against the Demonic Cult alone… or more precisely, against the Heavenly Demon."
"You're admitting that more readily than I expected. I've heard that quite a few people on the Murim Alliance side are brushing it off, causing no small difficulty for the Alliance Leader."
"That would be because none of them have personally crossed hands with the Heavenly Demon."
That was true.
Even the Sword King, who had fought alongside two others in a combined assault and still failed to properly break through the Heavenly Demon's Protective Qi.
Unless one was someone like the Murim Alliance Leader, where all the intelligence of the Orthodox Sects converged, it wasn't easy to grasp the true danger of the Heavenly Demon.
And that was absurd, wasn't it? He hadn't merely matched three Harmony Realm martial artists—he had been overwhelming them.
In fact, the Illusion Witch had asserted that no one could become that strong through normal means, so it stood to reason that no martial artist of that caliber had emerged in a very long time.
Who would believe that a master had appeared whom no one had ever seen, let alone heard of?
Especially someone who had trained in martial arts their entire life and risen to a position respected by all martial artists.
"But once the full-scale war with the Demonic Cult begins, we'll come to know it whether we like it or not. That the Demonic Cultists are not merely pitiful souls, and that the Heavenly Demon is not someone to be faced with arrogance."
"Indeed. That's why I've been pushing the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance while enduring these baseless rumors… Wait. A ridiculous thought just crossed my mind—surely not?"
"As expected, you've caught on quickly, Lord Sangwan."
Sama Yuryeon nodded, as if adding certainty to my suspicion.
"If the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance is formed, the White Moon Sword Lord will naturally stand at its center. Being affiliated with the Tang Clan of the Orthodox Sects, while holding renown among the Unorthodox Sects and Lord Sangwan's recognition—that's why."
"Such reputation and recognition aren't necessary, though…"
"Whether you want it or not doesn't matter. What matters is that the world thinks so."
"That's true. If the Lord of the Black Alliance remains the Lord of the Black Alliance until then, he'll naturally have no choice but to step back a pace. No matter how strong the Unorthodox Sects become, surpassing the Orthodox Sects is a distant prospect. In the end, the second-in-command. At best, a co-second-in-command."
"But if you have a deep connection with the White Moon Sword Lord, the story changes."
So they intended to put me—someone with no particular interest in power since I could never be first—forward, and pull strings from behind the scenes.
Then, when the opportunity presented itself, step forward and swallow the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance whole.
Given the Lord of the Black Alliance's temperament, it was entirely plausible. Plausible, but…
As I tilted my head in thought, the Lord of the Black Alliance added in a calm voice.
"Of course, if I couldn't hold the position of Lord of the Black Alliance for a thousand years, I at least thought about passing it on to a brat I liked."
"I hardly think you're the type of person to be thinking about retirement already."
"I may be young among Harmony Realm martial artists, but I'm slowly approaching the age of knowing heaven's will."
"Hmm."
Before the regression, the Lord of the Black Alliance was the kind of man who, until the moment he died, always led the charge in everything, thinking that he himself was the Black Alliance.
Even knowing full well that he could do nothing against the Heavenly Demon.
And now, suddenly, he's thinking about what comes after… I have a rough idea of what's going on.
Me.
Unlike before my regression, I had grown far too strong, had revealed myself openly, and even carried a reputation of my own rather than the simple infamy of a vengeful ghost.
Of course, the fact that I had met Sama Yuryeon much earlier and held a Wedding Ceremony we had never reached before the regression was also one of the reasons.
She pretended otherwise, but watching that steadfastness I knew begin to waver stirred my heart in more ways than one.
I didn't want to see a Lord of the Black Alliance talking weak. So what was I to do?
The deliberation didn't last long. Wasn't I, too, a Martial Artist of the Unorthodox Sects, just like the Alliance Lord?
…No, I was now, by any measure, an exemplary Martial Artist of the Orthodox Sects with no room for dispute, but the Alliance Lord was, at any rate, the most Unorthodox of Unorthodox Martial Artists.
If so, the method to persuade him was set.
"Let's do it this way."
"Hm?"
"If the Alliance Lord wins, then as you said, I will become the Successor of the Black Alliance. If necessary… I'll even become your adopted son."
"Heh. Are you sure about that? Didn't you say the Tang Clan would object, so you'd decline?"
"As for the Tang Clan—if it's my father-in-law, I'll find a way to persuade him."
"If that's the case, this Alliance Lord has no objection…"
"But."
"?"
The Lord of the Black Alliance faltered for a moment at the unexpected answer. I continued in a serious tone, facing him.
"If I win, the Lord of the Black Alliance must continue to serve as the Lord of the Black Alliance."
"What?"
"Of course, you'll need to listen to me a bit more closely while the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance holds, but I mean that you should still remain the Lord of the Black Alliance."
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better for you to become the Lord of the Black Alliance yourself?"
"No. The only Lord of the Black Alliance is the Twin Spear King, Sangwan Geuk. …At least until a proper Successor is brought in, rather than through a method like this."
"Have you never considered that it could be you? This Alliance Lord has looked over Zhejiang Province several times, and no one was as fitting a candidate as you."
"There is one person you have yet to see."
"You're saying there's an Unorthodox Sect martial artist this Alliance Lord doesn't know about?"
"It's about the child of the Alliance Lord and the Military Advisor."
"…I recall mentioning that the Alliance Lord I saw last time was infertile."
"Then we simply treat it. Fortunately, I too have researched this field for a long time."
"Ah."
For some reason, the Lord of the Black Alliance wore a wistful expression as he clicked his tongue.
"Surely you're not the same? To think it happened to you at an even younger age than this Alliance Lord."
"…No, it's not that."
"I see. That's what everyone says. This Alliance Lord also denied reality at first."
"It really isn't so."
No matter how much he denied it, the Lord of the Black Alliance only sent him a lukewarm gaze, as if he didn't believe a word of it.
Since entering Zhejiang Province, it felt like nothing but unjust troubles kept piling up.
"At any rate, since the cause is different, I'm not sure how much help it will be, but I've been conducting similar research and have achieved some results of my own. Above all, I've recently formed a connection with someone who might be of help in matters like this."
"Someone who might be of help… This Alliance Lord has already summoned every physician of any repute."
"Did you happen to summon a demonic physician among them?"
"…!"
Even the Lord of the Black Alliance apparently couldn't command a demonic physician to come and go as he pleased and treat patients at his whim—his eyes flew wide open.
"How did you happen to cross paths with a demonic physician?"
"She saved my life when I was on the brink of death."
"I see. A life-debt of that magnitude would warrant such a bond."
"Well, I did nearly kill her myself."
"…?"
I could feel a gaze as if I were some raving lunatic, but I ignored it.
There was something more important at hand.
"If I win, let's make it part of the terms that I get treated by the demonic physician."
"…Why would you go that far for this Alliance Lord? I did extend you various kindnesses first, but even so, this is a matter involving the position of Lord of the Black Alliance. Wouldn't it be more advantageous to just shut your eyes and accept it?"
"That's because it's irritating."
"Irri—what?"
"If I win, I get to do as I please, so how dare a loser raise his voice?"
"You madman…"
At my words—that I had taken the liberty of deciding what would happen even if I won—the Lord of the Black Alliance's eyes began to twitch.
But what could I do? This was just how the Unorthodox Sects were.
The Lord of the Black Alliance, of all people, surely knew this fact. Yet something seemed to be bothering him, and as he continued his silent deliberation, I spoke up in a subtle tone.
"What is there to hesitate about? Surely you're not… afraid?"
"!"
For a moment, the Lord of the Black Alliance's eyes flew wide open. Then, not long after, his mouth also opened wide.
"Hah, hahahaha! What did you say? You said this Alliance Lord was scared stiff? Have I ever seen such an insolent brat!"
Even as he spoke, the Lord of the Black Alliance's hearty laughter never once ceased. Now this was the Sangwan Geuk I knew.
"Fine! Let's see you truly fight me, then! Once I'm ready, this Alliance Lord will send word separately, so rest well in the meantime—don't you dare come up with any excuses!"
"Yes. Then I'll see you then."
I bowed my head and immediately turned around, leaving the office.
Behind me, the Lord of the Black Alliance's cheerful laughter still echoed.
And Tang So-wol, who had been watching all of this, smiled faintly and gently patted my back.
The Illusion Witch.
"Eek… the idea that you don't need it unless you've obtained it with your own hands… that's truly the way of the Overlord…! It seems you've chosen your line well!"
She was nodding with a look of conviction.
…I was getting tired of even bothering to react at this point.