After the meeting ended. A concrete plan for dealing with the Heavenly Demon had been decided, and each person began making preparations within their own faction.
That was also why I had left the Murim Alliance, where I had stayed for a long time, and returned to the Tang Clan.
I looked at the familiar gate and nodded.
"Hmm. As expected, home is best."
"Oh my. I knew that the young hero Cheon had completely become one with the Tang Clan, but hearing it said out loud makes me feel even better."
"There's no trace of hasty repairs after the place was destroyed, and there are no glances full of anxiety wondering if I might draw my sword again."
"Ah…? The reason you're feeling at ease seems a bit strange…?"
While Tang So-wol tilted her head with an awkward smile.
Seomun Hwa-rin was looking around with a thoroughly serious expression.
"Seeing it like this, I can certainly tell the difference between the Murim Alliance and the Tang Clan. Between a place where many people come and go, and a place where only a set number of people come and go, there's a clear difference in openness. But now that the Tang Clan's scale has grown several times larger than before, it must be rather inconvenient…"
"Ah, Sister Seomun. As for that, the clan head said he would expand it once this matter is finished."
"Mm? You mean the Poison King said that?"
"Yes. After all, fixing up this large estate would require a lot of gold coins and manpower, right? So he said he'd invest all of that into the upcoming battle with the Demonic Cult, and do the estate renovations afterward."
"Indeed. If things go wrong, the entire Tang Clan could be wiped out, so this way is far more reasonable."
"And besides, Sister Tang has been so absorbed in training lately that she's been feeling quite lonely."
"Huh…?"
Tang So-wol blinked her eyes at the sudden mention of her name.
Seol Ri-hyang shook her head at her.
"She keeps asking me things like whether Sister Tang seems to be doing well these days, whether her martial art seems to be stuck, and when she might have some free time."
"Oh, my. I wonder why Father would say such things to Hyang-i."
"It must be because Sister Tang looks so busy."
"Now that things have settled down, I should make some time. Thank you for letting me know, Hyang."
Tang So-wol smiled gently and stroked Seol Ri-hyang's back.
Seol Ri-hyang said that Tang Jincheon hadn't spoken to me directly because Tang So-wol was too busy, but… it was probably closer to the truth that Seol Ri-hyang had blended into the Tang Clan that well. Better than I had, at that.
Seomun Hwa-rin was a Harmony Realm martial artist like Tang Jincheon, and despite her youthful appearance, she was actually quite old. It was only natural, in a way, that the people of the Tang Clan kept their distance from her.
I hadn't yet gone through with the wedding ceremony, but I was Tang So-wol's betrothed, and I had spent most of this life in the Tang Clan, but…
Hmm. How should I put it? There were aspects of my Orthodoxy that even the Tang Clan couldn't quite understand, I suppose.
At any rate, there was a slight disconnect in the mental imagery behind my martial arts and the way I treated my opponents.
Fortunately, time had resolved most of it, and there were no problems now.
But regardless, I was Tang So-wol's betrothed, and a martial artist stronger than the clan head, Tang Jincheon, wasn't I?
Even if the small misunderstandings between me and the Tang Clan's people had been cleared up, the fact that I was to become their superior remained unchanged.
Naturally, this was bound to create a certain distance.
After all, how many people in the world get along well with their boss at work?
If such a person existed, they would either be out of their mind… or someone with tremendous ambition.
Seol Ri-hyang, on the other hand, was different.
She had entered the Tang Clan at the same age as me and lived as a retainer, but unlike me—a regressor—she was truly young, wasn't she?
Naturally, she was bound to receive a bit more affection here and there.
Moreover, unlike me, who was nearly complete in martial arts and needed no help other than Spiritual Medicine.
Seol Ri-hyang started as a complete novice who didn't know even half a Technique, and although she didn't learn the Tang Clan's martial arts, she entered the world of martial arts with the help of the Tang Clan's instructors.
Even the vice-captain of the Night Shadow Hall had taken a liking to Seol Ri-hyang and offered to be her instructor — that said everything.
Seol Ri-hyang wasn't a blood relative of the Tang Clan and her martial art was different, but aside from that, her path was nearly identical to that of the other Tang Clan warriors.
There was a time when our relationship stirred up all sorts of talk… but Tang So-wol put an end to all of it by personally showing everyone how close she was with Seol Ri-hyang.
And on top of that, hadn't she recently received a respectable title as well?
Without exaggeration, she could be called the most successful external warrior in the Tang Clan.
Most of all, unlike before the regression, this life's Seol Ri-hyang had none of that prickliness or twistedness. She could be a bit grumpy, but at her core, she was someone who treated those around her well.
And a bit of grumpiness from someone like Seol Ri-hyang was practically considered cute in the Tang Clan.
If Tang Jincheon ever had someone to complain to about wanting to see his daughter…
Seomun Hwa-rin, who was clearly older than me, yet didn't seem to act her age at all.
It wasn't me either, the root cause who practically monopolized Tang So-wol.
It would be Seol Ri-hyang, the one everyone in the Tang Clan adored and who, no matter what anyone said, actually listened to others.
"Perhaps she really does have a talent for the position of Palace Lord…"
"Why is that coming up all of a sudden?!"
Seol Ri-hyang jumped as if she'd been doused with water while walking down the street.
I shrugged my shoulders at her.
"Calm down. It's not like I actually mean to send you to the North Sea Ice Palace. It's just…"
"Just…?"
Seol Ri-hyang looked at me with a suspicious expression. I poked her cheek and continued.
"Just that, if I ever break away from the Tang Clan and establish my own estate, you'd be the best person to handle the staff, Seol Ri-hyang."
"Euh? But… what about Tang unni?"
"Tang So-wol seems better suited to leading the clan alongside me. But someone has to govern the inner workings."
"What about Seomun unni…?"
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin… well. Judging by your expression, you already know."
"Yeah. I said it without thinking, and… it's a bit awkward."
"W-What! Why are you looking at me like that! I… I can do it too!"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been receiving lukewarm stares from me and Seol Ri-hyang, protested vigorously, but no one was listening.
No, Tang So-wol even refuted her logically.
"But… we all saw it together. The organization where Hwa-rin unni served as the head."
"Ugh!"
The moment the Iron Blood Faction was brought up, Seomun Hwa-rin fell silent in an instant.
In truth, Seomun Hwa-rin's main duty in the Iron Blood Faction before the regression had been tending the garden.
She had also helped review the martial arts of me and Seol Ri-hyang, but that was a personal matter, not an official duty that benefited the Iron Blood Faction.
Of course, the Iron Blood Faction at that time had incurred the displeasure of the Lord of the Black Alliance, so there was no significant work to be had, and the occasional missions that came their way were only the difficult ones that everyone else had already failed.
Even taking that into account, Seomun Hwa-rin did only the bare minimum required of her and spent most of her time tending the plants in the garden.
She had basic work capability and an eye for the situation, but that was where it ended.
She might have been sufficient to govern a subordinate organization of the Black Alliance, but if asked whether she could run a prestigious clan, one would tilt one's head in doubt.
"Well. I know that the Hwa-rin unni of back then and the Hwa-rin of now are different. Her drive, the things she can do, and the people who can help her are all different. …But still, there are things that don't change, aren't there?"
"Eek! I, I can do well too!"
At the sight of Seomun Hwa-rin stomping her feet, I let out a sigh and quietly placed my hand on her small shoulder.
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin. Just because you are the clan head doesn't mean you must be skilled at paperwork and respected by every single member."
"My friend…"
"The duty of a clan head is ultimately one thing: to stand at the center of the clan and protect it. As long as you fulfill that single duty, however you choose to do it, that is enough. And it is something Senior Seomun Hwa-rin is more than capable of."
"And what might that be?"
"First, martial might."
"Hmm, hmm. Well, that is a field I am confident in."
"And…"
"And?"
"…"
"…"
I quietly looked down at Seomun Hwa-rin. She, in turn, quietly looked up at me.
And so, time passed in silence, without a single word exchanged.
"…Why is there no 'and'?!"
"Well, if I had to add one, wouldn't it be 'adorable'?"
"Hmph… I'm grateful, but what use is a clan head being adorable?"
"No use at all. That's why I didn't say it."
"What."
Seomun Hwa-rin's lips moved wordlessly, as if she had been struck by a great shock. I gave her a small smirk and added one more remark.
"But that's enough for you, Senior Seomun Hwa-rin."
"It doesn't look nearly enough to me. Even if I somehow manage to rebuild the Seomun Clan, I suspect it will collapse again before long."
"To me, Senior Seomun Hwa-rin seems to have nothing but her fists and her adorableness… but whatever you lack, I can help you with."
Before the regression, when I had just joined the Iron Blood Faction, hadn't Seomun Hwa-rin taught me so much and helped me in countless ways?
Thanks to her, I had grown tremendously—both in martial strength and in other areas.
After the Iron Blood Faction's Clan Extermination, there were things I learned by watching the Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon work from over their shoulders.
And during the height of the war against the Demonic Cult, she had soothed the Unorthodox Sects' bastards who kept trying to flee, crying and gnashing their teeth, and had even led the charge against the Demonic Cult herself.
"With who I am now, I could certainly be of real help to Senior Seomun Hwa-rin. Just as she has been to me all this time."
"Young man…!"
"Rebuilding the Seomun Clan and raising it back to the ranks of a prestigious family—that path may be difficult and arduous… but it's not impossible. And as it happens, I have a good method in mind."
"A good method, you say. What are you talking about?"
"What one can't do oneself, one hands off to others… no, entrusts to them."
"Did you just say 'hand off'…?"
"We'll pull some of the people who worked under the Chief Steward of the Tang Clan, and bring in a few capable administrators from the Murim Alliance or the Black Alliance. By the time the Seomun Clan is rebuilt, the Hwanhwan Witch will be sitting around with nothing to do, so we can put her to work too. Well… if we gather help from here and there, things will work out somehow."
"…"
"Ah, how admirable. The Centipede Sect Leader is working so hard to feed his own sect members—just leave him be. Isn't he already busy enough as it is?"
"…"
"If I personally step forward and ask for help, everyone will gladly lend a hand. I'll make sure of it."
When I said that with full confidence, Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been quietly watching me, let out a long sigh.
"Hoo… I don't know who you learned that from, but I'm certain of one thing—I must never ask you for anything."
"What?"
She had clearly seen my memories from before the regression through the secret art, yet she was stubbornly pretending to be someone else.
Seomun Hwa-rin opened her mouth with a serious expression.
"For the peace of the martial world, you must not do anything."
"What have I done to deserve this…?"
"If I say don't, then don't."
That's too much.
***
I was in the middle of preparing to leave for Xinjiang Province when a letter arrived out of the blue from Haomun. The recipient wasn't me—it was Seol Ri-hyang.
"Cheon Hwi. I think I need to make a quick trip to Guangdong Province."
"At a time like this?"
"I'll be back soon. At the very least, I should be able to return before the Tang Clan finishes their preparations."
"What on earth was written in that letter to make you say that?"
"It says my father is alive."
"Huh?"
"And that he's sick with a disease that might kill him soon."
"Surely not…?"
"No, no. Whatever the circumstances, in the end, it was my father who sold me off to the brothel. I haven't forgotten that. But."
Seol Ri-hyang's eyes drooped slightly as she trailed off.
"There are a few things I want to ask you about Mother. …Well, I suppose there's also a small part of me that wants to see her face one last time before I die."
"…"
After entering the Tang Clan, Seol Ri-hyang had shed her poison energy and softened.
Yes. She had softened a great deal.