"When the camellia flower withers, its petals do not fall one by one—the entire bloom drops all at once. Is that not remarkable?"
"It reminds me of a severed head falling, so it's a bit unsettling."
"…You must be the only one in the world, Blood Wolf, who looks at a camellia and thinks of that."
Seomun Hwa-rin let out a deep sigh. A weariness that did not suit her youthful appearance lingered in the air. Perhaps it was her long, flowing white hair that made the dissonance all the more striking.
I knew well that it was the result of Rejuvenation—a body made young again—but I could not help finding it strange every time I saw her.
Whether she noticed my gaze drifting toward her more often than the camellia, she shook her head at me.
"Even if you look at me with such an expression, today's sparring is over."
"With words like that, you make me sound like someone who does nothing but eat and ask for sparring. That hurts my feelings."
"Was it not so?"
"…I did spend the past few days asking the Iron Blood Faction Leader for nothing but sparring over meals, but this time it truly is not that. You simply looked to be in a good mood today, so I was just wondering why and looked at you."
"Hmph. It sounds like you are making excuses, but since I am in a good mood today as you say, I shall let it pass."
Seomun Hwa-rin said this and looked up at the camellia tree that had grown before her.
The fully grown camellia tree was so large that even I had to crane my neck for a long while to take it all in. Standing before it, Seomun Hwa-rin looked so small that I could not help but ask.
"Shall I carry you on my back?"
"…Blood Wolf. Do you realize that you are sometimes far too rude to this lady?"
"It seems I am rude not only to the Iron Blood Faction Leader, but to most people. That is precisely why I am stuck in this Iron Blood Faction. …However, what I said a moment ago was not meant to provoke you. I said it for your comfort."
"Your heart is kind, but no need. At least not yet. Look. Have the flower buds not just begun to form? They will bloom soon. When they do, let us call that child, the Ghost Sound Witch, and enjoy the sight together."
"You wish to view flowers in the winter?"
"Camellias are flowers that bloom in winter by nature. Blood Wolf, you have no interest in most things besides the sword, so it is only natural you would not know."
"Well… I only just learned that this tree is a camellia."
"I knew you would say that. Have I not told you time and again? No matter how great a martial artist you are, you must not live by the sword alone. There are those in this world whose tongues are sharper than any blade, and a single hand cannot possibly handle ten."
"No matter how sharp a tongue one possesses, if my sword is sharper still, that is the end of it. And if a single hand is greater than ten hands combined, what is there to worry about?"
At that, Seomun Hwa-rin, still facing the camellia tree, let out a clear, gentle laugh.
A laugh so pure and full of delight that it was hard to believe it came from a master of the Unorthodox Sects who had seen every kind of disgrace and misery.
"Heh heh. You speak well. Blood Wolf. Do you know that what you just said is the words of the one who would be the best under heaven?"
"Is this really such a big deal?"
"Of course it is. Cutting away every problem in the world with a single sword is something not even I could do, nor the narrow-minded Lord of the Black Alliance, nor the Murim Alliance Leader… not even the Imperial Court itself."
"Heh…"
These were names still far beyond my reach. But I hadn't known that even this would not be enough.
Seeing me standing there with my mouth hanging open, Seomun Hwa-rin continued in a bitter voice.
"There is no need to be so disappointed. To be honest, there are more things one can do than things one cannot. What matters is what you, Blood Wolf, truly desire."
"What is it that you desire?"
"Indeed. No matter how many things I am capable of doing, what meaning would any of it hold if the single thing I desire most remains impossible?"
"…"
I know what it is that Seomun Hwa-rin desires so desperately. I heard it at the drinking party she called for me the other day, when she said she was lonely.
But I cannot understand it.
What is wrong with having taken revenge on those who deserved it?
Even if someone who bore a grudge over those events came charging at me crying for vengeance, all I would need to do is cut them down.
In the end, the martial world—well, I cannot speak for the Orthodox Sects, but this damned Unorthodox martial world—everything comes down to kill or be killed.
If you don't want to die, you must always stand on the side that kills. Is that not truly the natural order of things?
Had she noticed the doubt I swallowed within myself? Seomun Hwa-rin spun around and looked back at me.
As she turned, her long white hair fanned out through the air before settling, and my gaze followed it without my consent.
Seomun Hwa-rin shrugged her shoulders, stepped up from the courtyard, and stood before me.
Not quite as tall as the camellia tree from earlier, but the difference in height was still considerable.
The old master in the form of a young girl looked up at me with her usual faded smile.
"Well then, let's head inside. Today's sparring is done, so it's time for your studies, isn't it?"
"…Do I really have to?"
"How many times must I say it? I thought we had already settled this. In exchange for me overseeing your martial arts, you agreed to study everything else."
"I know. I'm not saying I won't do it. I meant that I'll do it all tomorrow, so could you give me a little leeway today?"
"Hm? Why all of a sudden today… Ah."
Realization dawned on Seomun Hwa-rin, and her face flushed red. For this one moment, she looked her apparent age.
"Oh, oh, today is when you're meeting that Ghost Sound Witch girl…"
"Yes, well. That's how it turned out."
I nodded, recalling the white snow pear I had received this morning, and a complicated expression rose over Seomun Hwa-rin's flushed face.
Shame, relief, envy, curiosity, and a hint of resignation—all of it.
Too many emotions passed through her in an instant, and what finally settled in place was a feigned calm.
"Ahem. If that's the reason, then there's nothing to be done. Since I was the one who brought it up, today's match will be postponed until tomorrow."
"Thank you."
"But it cannot be postponed again tomorrow. Isn't the day after tomorrow the day you, Blood Wolf, set out on your mission?"
"I will keep my promise, so do not worry."
"Then that is enough."
Seomun Hwa-rin nodded and turned to leave alone. I watched her retreating figure for a moment, then asked.
"Come to think of it, what was the reason the Iron Blood Faction Leader was in such a good mood today?"
"Ah, that is nothing much."
Seomun Hwa-rin pointed casually toward the camellia tree in the courtyard that she had been gazing at just moments before.
"Snow has been threatening to fall lately, and it just so happened that buds formed. I thought that if luck was on our side, we might see flowers blooming in the snow."
"Ah, so that was what you meant when you said you wanted to see it with Seol Ri-hyang."
"Indeed. Now that you know, finish your mission and return before it is too late."
"It seems the task will take me a fair distance, but… I will do my best."
I bowed my head and headed toward Seol Ri-hyang's room, while Seomun Hwa-rin went to her own.
…But that promise was never kept.
By the time I returned from a somewhat lengthy mission, everything was already too late.
The halls of the Iron Blood Faction, painted white by snow that had piled up over several days, were now burning in a surging blaze.
Seol Ri-hyang, who had promised to watch the flowers bloom together with me, had closed her eyes in my arms.
In the end, I carefully laid down Seol Ri-hyang, who had been unable to finish her final words.
Seol Ri-hyang, leaning against the wall with a face as peaceful as if she were asleep. As if carving that face into my memory, I stared at her for a long while before slowly rising to my feet.
I looked up at the still-burning halls and drew my sword.
Shrrng.
As Seol Ri-hyang had said, I was nothing but a man who knew how to wield a sword well and nothing else.
So I would help Seomun Hwa-rin, who was surely fighting the Black Heaven Sword Emperor in there… and avenge Seol Ri-hyang in her stead.
"…"
I tempered the emotions that were boiling over—so violently that even I was startled—into killing intent, and headed inside.
The snow that had piled white was melting in the flames, mixing with the blood flowing from the corpses to form filthy muck.
How long did I keep running, kicking off that sodden ground? In the distance, I spotted a martial artist of the Black Heaven Sword Gate blocking my path.
He was in the way, so I cut him down.
Those who came to investigate the commotion, those who fled, those who tried to fight back, those who begged for their lives—I cut them all down.
Was it because this was a sect that had once suffered Clan Extermination? Or was there another reason?
The Black Heaven Sword Gate martial artists I encountered were all second-rate at best, mostly first-rate, so it wasn't a particularly difficult task.
I cut down everyone in my path, pushing deeper and deeper. At some point, the bodies strewn across the ground began to change.
It wasn't the Iron Blood Faction's people anymore—more and more Black Heaven Sword Gate martial artists were the ones lying dead.
That should have been good news, but instead, it made me uneasy.
And with good reason. A fierce battle had clearly taken place, yet the surroundings were far too quiet.
The Black Heaven Sword Emperor, who had supposedly come to avenge Seomun Hwa-rin, was said to be a martial artist who had reached the Harmony Realm. If the two of them were fighting, why was it this silent…
Grit.
I clenched my teeth, forcing my internal energy out as I kicked off the ground. The Black Heaven Sword Gate martial artists lying dead had grown so numerous that it was now hard to find a place to step.
However, this destruction came to an abrupt halt around a certain point.
A hall shattered as if a house-sized boulder had crashed down upon it. And amidst the wreckage, one courtyard remained perfectly intact.
Only that place stood as if nothing had happened, looking just as it always did.
Snow piled up thickly, untouched by the flames. A camellia tree in full bloom with red flowers. …And Seomun Hwa-rin, kneeling weakly beneath it, looking up.
"Ah."
For a moment, my breath caught in my throat.
Seomun Hwa-rin was still alive, but her condition was dire.
Five swords were embedded in her small body, one arm had vanished somewhere, and her legs were twisted in unnatural directions.
"Iron Blood Faction Leader!"
The heat I had been forcing down surged up all at once, scorching my head.
No. I couldn't lose Seomun Hwa-rin after Seol Ri-hyang. Driven by that single thought, I sprinted madly toward her.
The snow piled on the ground scattered beneath my footsteps.
As if snow were falling, Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been drawing shallow breaths, turned her head with difficulty, and our eyes met.
A faint joy flickered in her dimming gaze.
"You… came."
"…Yes. Please wait just a moment. I'll treat you right now."
"It's over. This is not something that can be healed."
"Don't say that. Surely there's something we can do."
I pulled the sword embedded in Seomun Hwa-rin's back and immediately sealed the acupoints to stop the bleeding. I repeated this as I removed the remaining swords, but it was only for a moment.
It was while pulling out the third sword that I discovered it.
The large hole in Seomun Hwa-rin's chest.
The place where her heart should have been was empty. Just as she had said. This was not something that could be healed.
The very fact that she was still alive now must have been thanks to the vast internal energy of a Harmony Realm martial artist. Even that was slowly reaching its limit.
As if comforting me, who had lost all words, Seomun Hwa-rin struggled to lift the corners of her mouth.
"Blood Wolf. What became of the Ghost Sound Witch?"
"…I saw her off to the end."
"That is some comfort. I will soon follow her, but being able to see your face one last time is not a bad feeling."
"I—I am sorry."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I was too late."
"And here I thought you were saying something serious…"
Seomun Hwa-rin shook her head with a helpless expression.
"Blood Wolf. You are not late. If anything, you arrived right on time."
"Is that so?"
"It is. Look. The flowers have bloomed beautifully, haven't they? Since we can see them together, you are not late."
As Seomun Hwa-rin said, the red camellia flowers blooming in full among the white snow were quite a beautiful sight.
While he was blankly staring up at the camellia tree, one camellia flower suddenly fell. As Seomun Hwa-rin had said, it wasn't just a single petal—the entire flower fell as one.
The camellia flower fell at Seomun Hwa-rin's feet. She quietly looked down at it, then spoke in a low voice.
"Blood Wolf."
"Yes."
"This one will die soon, but you will survive. Though it has come to this, the Black Heaven Sword Emperor is dead. All that remains are those who are at best your equal, or weaker."
Looking now, among the scattered corpses of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, there was one dressed in particularly splendid attire.
With his head blown apart, his face could not be confirmed, but judging by the attire, that corpse was likely that of the Black Heaven Sword Emperor.
"So flee. You must preserve your life, must you not?"
"You know full well that I value my life more than anyone, yet you speak such words."
"Yes. That was so."
Seomun Hwa-rin nodded with a slightly weakened voice. Fortunately, her gaze remained fixed on the camellia flower that had fallen upon the snow.
Thanks to that, I was able to keep my lie from being discovered.
I have no intention of running. Though the Black Heaven Sword Emperor was said to be dead, quite a few martial artists of the Black Heaven Sword Gate still remained in this place.
I would not leave this spot until I had cut down every last one of their necks.
"Just in case, I'll say this now—do not think of revenge. The Black Heaven Sword Emperor ultimately died by my hand, so you, Blood Wolf, have no one left to take revenge upon."
"It wasn't my life you were after, so why would I trouble myself by carrying someone else's grudge?"
A lie. I had already taken up Seol Ri-hyang's revenge, and I would also make them pay for Seomun Hwa-rin's blood.
First, the Black Heaven Sword Gate here—and if that wasn't enough, then everything connected to them.
Unlike Seomun Hwa-rin in her youth, I would not let a single one slip away by mistake.
"…Then this is my final request. Do not remember me as I am now."
Seomun Hwa-rin lifted the fallen camellia flower from the ground with both hands and continued.
"It is called the flower of youth. Its meaning is…"
"A time that shines like a flower. The most beautiful period of one's life, is it not?"
"…Correct. You remember well."
How could I forget? I knew that Seomun Hwa-rin had taken on the appearance of her youth through Rejuvenation because she longed for the days when she lived without knowing revenge.
"Blood Wolf. No, Cheon Hwi. Do not remember my death. Instead, I wish for you to remember only the joyful memories we shared together."
"I shall. For all time, the Iron Blood Faction Leader… my Master will be remembered by me as a single camellia flower."
"Master, is it. A little regrettable, but not bad. Yes. Not bad at all…"
Seomun Hwa-rin turned her head to look at me, muttering those words. Her voice trailed off, growing fainter and fainter. And then.
Thud.
Her head drooped, collapsing as lifelessly as a falling petal. The camellia flower slipped from her hand and tumbled across the snow.
Perhaps because the Acupoint Sealing had been released, blood began to pool around Seomun Hwa-rin.
A vivid red stain blooming on the white snow. I carved that sight—so like a camellia flower—into my chest.
I carved the image of the hall where we had lived together going up in flames. I carved the lingering fragrance Seol Ri-hyang had left behind. I carved the flower painted in Seomun Hwa-rin's blood. I carved all of these losses.
And so, I carved my own hell.
Seomun Hwa-rin had told me not to… but I did not want to forget, and I could not forget. If that was the case, then even if it became a scar, I would etch this image deep so that I would never forget it for the rest of my life.
The smell of burning and the metallic tang of blood filled my nostrils, and my vision warped, stained red.
The killing intent surging beyond my control was a precursor to Qi Deviation… but I didn't care.
What mattered was that the scum of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, having confirmed Seomun Hwa-rin's death, were beginning to swarm toward me.
I staggered to my feet and leveled my sword.
"Come."
And so, having fallen into Qi Deviation and gone half-mad, by the time I finally achieved my revenge—
I had reached the Transcendent Peak, and people began to call me by the alias Sword Demon.
***
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt a burning heat and the smell of something scorching at the tip of my nose.
"…Have you lost your mind? Starting a fire in a cave this small, with the entrance blocked off by brush—what were you thinking? Put it out right now."
"Hmph. Fine."
Seomun Hwa-rin, my clumsy kidnapper, sulkily put out the campfire.
I nearly died the moment I came to.