“Formation! Form up!”
The commotion outside broke my concentration. I could hear the Jeokgwi Daebyeol members bustling around, and soon…
“Forward—move!”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
With that same sound, they disappeared. Seeing the considerable number of soldiers leaving, it seemed Kang Chumo-ru was heading to the Dark Dragon Sect to meet the Lord of the Dark Dragon Sect.
“Haaaahh…”
I closed the Secret Manual inscribed with [Enlightened Cloud Thunder Technique], stretching my arms lazily. Since obtaining the Enlightened Cloud Thunder Technique on Sanghae Mountain, I had been reading the manual whenever I found some free time, but I had yet to train in the Enlightened Cloud Thunder Technique.
While I played the role of I-seol’s Subordinate, I couldn’t learn any new martial arts. A wandering martial artist learning secret martial arts? That’s just suspicious.
Once this was over, I needed to properly learn the new martial arts, so I was pre-studying in a sense.
With that meaning, I was staring at the manual intently, but there was little progress.
Martial arts were fundamentally developed to be practiced with the body.
Understanding martial arts just by reading would only be possible for a rare few geniuses.
Speaking of geniuses, I thought of Sara. I wonder if she’s doing well. If she managed to shake off the pain of our separation, she should be absorbing the Dark Dragon Sect’s martial arts at a terrifying pace by now.
Imagining a gigantic ice palm dominating all around and scattering cold air made me shake my head.
Being stuck inside was killing me with boredom. Well… since Kang Chumo-ru had gone to meet Dokgo Yeongcheon, my confinement would soon end, but still, boredom was boredom.
While I was pondering that, it happened.
“What the hell…! Cough!”
“Ugh!”
I heard the sound of two Jeokgwi Daebyeol members who were closely guarding me collapse. Surprised, I turned around to see…
I-seol quietly laying down the Jeokgwi Daebyeol members.
“Wha—Is that you, I-seol?”
I was genuinely taken aback, my mouth hanging open. No matter how many Jeokgwi Daebyeol members Kang Chumo-ru led to the Dark Dragon Sect, the number of them here in this Sanghwa Building was by no means small.
“How in the world did you…?”
“I received cooperation from Geum Myeong-wol, Miss.”
I was taken aback by I-seol’s answer. Geum Myeong-wol cooperated…? No, this was beyond just Geum Myeong-wol’s help. The only person who knew Geum Myeong-wol was a princess was Kang Chumo-ru, so Geum Myeong-wol alone couldn’t nullify the Jeokgwi Daebyeol’s surveillance.
Kang Chumo-ru, hearing Geum Myeong-wol’s words, must have intentionally relaxed the security network to allow I-seol to invade.
But if this was what they were planning, they should have at least let me know!
I was flustered by the unexpected situation, and I-seol was looking at me with eyes that seemed to be burdened.
“What are you planning to do about this…?”
As I uttered those words reflexively, I-seol stepped forward and stood right in front of me.
“Why? Why did you scheme like this? Did you think if you sacrificed yourself, I would laugh and live happily? Was the I-seol you knew that kind of person? Is that why you did this?”
With a faint scent of musk tickling my nose due to the proximity, I-seol poured out her resentment towards me.
“I know I’m an incompetent lord. You’ve always been perfect and noble and capable, but I couldn’t repay you for that. However… I’m still your lord. Even if I’m not trustworthy, how could you act so unilaterally?”
I-seol clutched my collar, pouring her emotions out as if she was resentful.
“Do you know why I decided to become a sect leader? It’s partly to repay the hard work of the newcomers, but I also wanted to proclaim to you that I would give you a Secret Manual, Spiritual Medicine, and the position of Family Head. I wanted to be a grand person you could proudly call your lord.”
“…I-seol.”
“I’ll take the blame.”
I-seol stated with a determined look as if she had already made her resolve.
“Although the brutal word of treason has been thrown around, in the end, the Huang Nation has stepped back a bit. Right. If you blame the situation in Okgyo as treason, you’d have to behead hundreds of martial artists, which would be burdensome even for the Huang Nation. So, if you confess your crime, you’ll only have to do a few months in prison.”
“…That’s only because they aren’t the main instigators. As the one who started this whole situation, I’ll be sentenced to a heavier punishment.”
“That might be true.”
I-seol took another step closer. So close I felt like our bodies would collide. I stepped back, but I-seol kept advancing.
“But I also know you now. At this moment, I can guess you can devise a way to overcome this situation.”
“That’s an overestimation.”
I found myself cornered against the wall. I-seol pressed in, giving me a sad expression.
“Do you hate being with me? I long to be with you so desperately, so why do you reject me…?”
I let out a long sigh.
I had no choice but to sigh in the face of I-seol’s fervent feelings towards Yongji Maeng. I didn’t know what exactly drew her to that scheming bastard, but I couldn’t help but acknowledge that I-seol harbored feelings for him.
But Yongji Maeng was merely a fictional character.
He was nothing more than a mirage created by someone who studied at a non-existent Hyunhuimun while pretending to have a fake master named Geum Myeong-wol, flipping around the name Ho Cheon-an.
“Please, I beg you. Be with me. Yongji Maeng…”
With a soft thud, I-seol’s head dropped onto my heart. Her forehead touched my chest, and that ripple spread throughout my heart.
“I’m… not someone who can be with you, I-seol.”
What I was about to say was not in the plan. But I felt I had to. I thought it was the least respect I owed to someone who was conveying their heart while throwing away everything.
“I approached you to use you. No, saying I had the thought to use the chance I randomly met you is more accurate.”
“…Were you for the Sokryeong Sect’s affairs?”
“That’s correct.”
I-seol wrapped her arms around my back.
“Did you really think of me as a fool? I suspected as much.”
“…Is that so?”
“But what does that matter? I too called you to harm you to establish order among the newcomers…”
I tightened my grip on I-seol. Her upper body naturally leaned into mine, resting her head on my shoulder.
I felt the soft warmth of I-seol against me. The faint scent of musk wafting up also tickled my nose. I could see I-seol’s long, white neck resting against my shoulder.
“Be with me. Yongji Maeng. I will forget everything and love you.”
My answer was predetermined.
“I’m sorry, I-seol.”
I had something I must do.
I was going to defeat Jeong Cheol with my own hands.
I made that resolution, and I went to the capital to achieve that goal, and now I had infiltrated the Dark Dragon Sect like this.
“I have a goal I must achieve.”
I gently detached I-seol from me and looked into her eyes.
Since there was no way to express what was inside me in words, I could only hope that my feelings would convey as I looked at I-seol.
At this moment, I was not looking at I-seol as Yongji Maeng, but solely as Ho Cheon-an.
Tick, tick.
After looking into my eyes for a while, I-seol quietly shed tears.
“You’re really a heartless guy… truly heartless.”
I silently lowered my head. I-seol grabbed me by the collar. I was prepared to get punched at a moment of trembling fists.
I-seol harshly pulled me toward her. In an instant, her face came close.
And then.
Our lips met. A soft and sweet sensation passed through, with I-seol’s tears infiltrating between our lips.
Whether it was a long time or a short moment, I couldn’t tell. I-seol pulled away, gazing at me one last time without a word before turning around and disappearing.
“Haaa.”
I sighed, looking at the empty spot where I-seol had just been.
I wondered if I-seol had sorted her feelings for Yongji Maeng. I couldn’t tell whether she understood our separation or not.
I could only feel the sweetness left by her lips and the saltiness left by her tears.
And that aftertaste was bitter.
“Hoo…”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
I heard the sound of Jeokgwi Daebyeol members returning from outside. This meant Kang Chumo-ru had met with Dokgo Yeongcheon and was back, and it also declared the end of my final scheme.
I reflected on the bitterness lingering on my tongue. I noticed that the bitter taste was gradually fading and lifted my head.
With that, everything I could do as Yongji Maeng was done. Although unintentional, my connection with I-seol had reached its own conclusion.
“That’s it.”
The time to return as Ho Cheon-an was approaching.
*
“Let go of me! Do you know who this lady is? I’m the daughter of Black Cloak Dokgo Yeongcheon! I’m Dokgo Yoran!”
“There’s been some misunderstanding! My father accepted my scheme! I am the successor of the Dark Dragon Sect!”
“I remember your faces all too well! If you let me go right now, I can let this all slide…!”
Kang Chumo-ru looked coldly at the captured children of Dokgo Yeongcheon.
“Put muzzles on the prisoners and begin their transport!”
“Ugh!”
“Prepare the rest to retreat!”
“Ugh!”
Sak Eung watched the Jeokgwi Daebyeol members preparing to retreat in an orderly fashion. The Jeokgwi Daebyeol members gave him a glance as they held their position in front of the secondary building, but Sak Eung stood his ground unwaveringly.
The main building of Sanghwa was in an uproar. Sak Eung took a step forward without realizing it.
“…Yongji Maeng.”
It was because Ho Cheon-an had appeared, surrounded by a swarm of Jeokgwi Daebyeol members.
Ho Cheon-an’s eyes briefly met Sak Eung’s.
Sak Eung felt an array of emotions. The time spent with Yongji Maeng had been extremely short, but the impact he had was beyond words.
And all of that change was for I-seol, so Sak Eung wanted to express his gratitude to Yongji Maeng one last time.
Sak Eung bowed deeply and performed a long salute.
Yongji Maeng, seeing such a sight, moved away at the behest of Jeokgwi Daebyeol.
As he saw Yongji Maeng disappearing, Sak Eung couldn’t help but smile.
“What an insufferable brat.”
Expecting him to at least nod goodbye on his last path, he thought it was rather disappointing. With that in mind, Sak Eung entered Gilu’s secondary building.
The newcomers stared blankly at the floor with gloomy faces.
Watching that, Sak Eung offered a bitter smile. Since Dokgo Yeongcheon’s remaining children would be imprisoned, it was only natural for I-seol to ascend to the seat of sect leader. Naturally, the newcomers would then have the strength to accept the Dark Dragon Sect.
The newcomers had achieved everything they wanted. Yet their expressions were not bright. They seemed burdened by guilt at the fact that Yongji Maeng was taking all the responsibility.
Sak Eung thought it was a naive sentiment unbefitting of a battle-hardened martial artist, but… eventually, he shook his head.
‘Maybe it’s their first time.’
Even if they were battle-hardened martial artists, it might have been their first time experiencing someone sacrificing themselves for them.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s my first time too.’
Thus, perhaps Yongji Maeng was not merely a rogue. As this far-fetched thought crossed Sak Eung’s mind, he ascended to the second floor.
“Master, it’s Sak Eung.”
No response came. Sak Eung tried to open I-seol’s door, but he was immediately stopped by a broad hand. It was the hand of Chang-ung, who was guarding the door with a stern expression.
Chang-ung shook his head despite no one ordering him to guard I-seol’s door, but Sak Eung raised his hand and put it down.
“Ah… you.”
“Are you alright?”
Chang-ung reluctantly stepped aside, and Sak Eung opened the door to I-seol’s room and entered.
I-seol’s room was filled with the stench of alcohol, and numerous bottles rolled around on the floor. Despite his entrance, I-seol swallowed her drink without even glancing at him.
It was like the desperate struggle of someone believing that consuming alcohol would disinfect the wounds in their heart.
‘Yongji Maeng, you bastard.’
Seeing her like that, Sak Eung cursed Yongji Maeng again. What kind of hero was he? That bastard deserved to eat shit.
With tangled hair, smeared makeup, and traces of alcohol clearly visible at the corners of her mouth, I-seol looked utterly disheveled.
Despite being in such disarray, I-seol was beautiful.
Most of I-seol’s subordinates had been captivated by her beauty and chose to follow her.
It’s not just about her ‘appearance’ now, but they were captivated by the person that is I-seol herself.
‘What about this lord doesn’t leave scars on the heart!’
Cursing Yongji Maeng internally, Sak Eung let out a light sigh. After all… he realized he had come to find I-seol to carry out the order left by that bastard.
Sak Eung opened his mouth.
*
Dokgo Yeongcheon recalled his children. Each of his children had their own shortcomings.
I-du lacked decisiveness, Yoran lacked patience, and Dae Mak lacked courage.
And the I-seol he saw lacked ambition.
With no desires, even with exceptional abilities, she found fights tiresome. In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, avoiding conflict meant she would inevitably be pushed further into a corner.
Dokgo Yeongcheon judged that of his four children, I-seol had the most outstanding qualities, yet he didn’t push her forward.
No matter how great her talent, if she couldn’t produce results, what use was that talent? Therefore, he had no concern when I-seol was pushed out of the sect.
However, when she suddenly produced results in the Sokryeong Sect matter…
That’s why Dokgo Yeongcheon called I-seol out.
To ascertain whether I-seol had truly changed.
“Hehe…”
As soon as Dokgo Yeongcheon saw I-seol, laughter bubbled up.
Desperation.
He saw that through I-seol’s eyes, a desperate fervor that had transformed into poison overflowed.
When had I-seol, who was weak in schemes, learned how to unfold such machinations, and what event caused her to change from avoiding conflict to fully embracing it?
It didn’t seem like she had created those plots surrounding the Sokryeong Sect, but from where did she acquire such cunning?
Such queries flashed through Dokgo Yeongcheon’s mind, yet those details hardly mattered.
Dokgo I-seol had pushed away the other competitors and delivered the results that Dokgo Yeongcheon wanted, transforming herself in the process.
Thus, it was time to recognize her.
“I shall grant you the position of sect leader.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Father.”
Dokgo Yeongcheon chuckled. He felt not a shred of gratitude but recognized that this I-seol had changed as he watched her humbly bow without reservation.
“Continue like this. If so, one day, this Dark Dragon Sect will be yours.”
I-seol silently lowered her head. The words Sak Eung had given her echoed in her mind.
[Become stronger. My lord.]
That statement caused I-seol to halt her drinking actions.
[Only the strong can seize what they desire. Are you distressed by losing Yongji Maeng? If so, this is no time to be drinking. You must practice martial arts through sweat and strengthen your influence.]
Only the strong can seize what they desire. Reflecting on those words, I-seol gazed at her reflection in the cup.
What was reflected in that cup was the image of a disgraceful loser. A woman who desperately yearned to be with Yongji Maeng had nevertheless been turned down.
Listening to Sak Eung’s words, I-seol contemplated.
Become strong.
To gain strength and resolve the tasks that Yongji Maeng must take on.
If she can do that… if only she could do that, she could possess Yongji Maeng.
To achieve that strength, I-seol accepted the position of Family Head.
Feeling the ache in her chest, I-seol vowed once more.
Standing as the Family Head, she would dismantle and absorb the forces of her siblings, becoming stronger. She wouldn’t hesitate to get her hands dirty, and she would smile while orchestrating schemes. Ultimately, she would devour the entire Dark Dragon Sect, and if that wasn’t enough, she would swallow up Yunnan as well.
“Yongji Maeng, I will become strong.”
And with that resolve, she swore she would definitely reclaim him.
It was on the day when Ho Cheon-an, using the alias Yongji Maeng, left the Huang Nation with the Jeokgwi Daebyeol, that I-seol officially ascended to the position of sect leader of the Dark Dragon Sect.
