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Chapter 38
Only the next morning did the group finally regain their senses and gather in the restaurant on the ground floor of the inn. They had a light breakfast and discussed what to do next.
“What if we run into those gwi again on the way?”
“It was my first time seeing a gwi. That horrific appearance…”
“I don’t think I could face them again if they showed up.”
“If it hadn’t been for Young Hero Wol and the young lady…”
They had all been fighting gwi for the first time. Dowi, having at least experienced it once before, managed to respond with some composure, but the others could not. It was truly fortunate that there were no injured—thanks to Wol and Saryeol returning so quickly.
“Gwi aren’t something that can be created in large numbers all at once in the first place,”
Wol said.
“Is that so?”
one disciple asked. Saryeol briefly turned her head at his words.
“Then we should be fine from here on. What do you think?”
At that, Saryeol looked at him quietly for a moment before speaking.
“If you say so, then I suppose that’s how it is.”
At those words, Wol looked at her silently for a moment, then turned his head away as if pretending not to know. Saryeol kept her mouth shut, sipping the hot tea served after the meal. Wol swallowed hard, thinking that although he had deployed a qi barrier, she might still have sensed something.
“I hope the road ahead is smooth.”
“Wol’s words are right to some extent, so it should be fine.”
“Is that so, young lady?”
“Yes.”
Thus, everyone finished their meal, packed their belongings, mounted their horses, and once again set off toward Wuhan. And they were able to reach Wuhan safely. They did not know that the gwi that had existed in a forest no one knew about, in the places they had passed through, had disappeared at the hands of unknown individuals.
All except one.
“My goodness, young lady! There are really so many people!”
Sohwa said excitedly. Wuhan was crowded with people. Seeing the sight, an elder of the collateral line added,
“There’s a Friendly Tournament of the Later Generation Prodigies, so it can’t be helped.”
“Oh, is that something that’s open to outsiders as well?”
Sohwa asked innocently. At that, Dowi stepped forward and said,
“It’s essentially a way of advertising that the strength of the great families hasn’t weakened, so they have no choice but to open it.”
“I see.”
Sohwa nodded as if she understood. As Saryeol walked while avoiding people passing by, she felt their gazes upon her. No matter how one looked at it, they were members of the Namgung clan, so it was unavoidable that attention would gather.
“Isn’t that the Namgung clan’s Azure Sky Divine Dragon Sword (蒼穹神龍劍)!”
someone shouted upon seeing Namgung Dowi. At that, Dowi lowered his head slightly. In the past, he would have held his head high to elevate the prestige of Namgung, but now there were two people here who were superior to him. Being called such a grand sobriquet in that situation felt somehow shameful. Wol and Saryeol themselves, however, had no particular thoughts about it.
“But I heard there was some incident with the Zhuge clan this time.”
“Didn’t the young lord suddenly become the head of the family?”
“Nothing has been made clear, but…”
At those words, Dowi’s expression tightened slightly. It seemed he had heard something from the provincial lord after all. The one who had actually stabbed him—Saryeol—felt no particular emotion. He deserved to be stabbed, and so she stabbed him. Moreover, with the help of his useless father and grandfather, she had slipped away cleanly, so what was there to be caught for?
The group passed through the crowd and began heading toward the Zhuge clan’s academy. Perhaps because they were hosting the tournament, Zhuge clan warriors were stationed here and there. Their gazes, however, were not particularly friendly. Given what had happened to their head of the family, it couldn’t be helped.
Clop, clop.
Pushing through the people like that, they reached the Zhuge clan’s academy. The massive main gate of the academy came into view. The gatekeeper waiting in front recognized them and opened the gate.
“Guests from the Namgung clan have arrived!”
As the great gate opened and they stepped inside, everyone within turned their eyes toward them. Still unfriendly gazes. Saryeol and Wol advanced expressionlessly, but the other disciples were tense. With such an oppressive atmosphere around them, it was only natural. Even if it had been an accident, the head of a family had been crippled, after all.
“Welcome. Members of the Namgung clan.”
At that moment, someone came out to greet them. Neatly dressed, he seemed to be the steward who managed the Zhuge clan’s academy. If he was the steward of the Zhuge academy, he must have been of the direct line, yet his air was not particularly sharp. One could only feel the particular sensitivity of someone overseeing a large event.
“Please come this way. We will provide you with lodging.”
The Namgung clan members dismounted, entrusted their horses to the academy servants, and followed the steward. The Zhuge clan gave them an entire inner courtyard. Since they came from great families, each with its own renown, such treatment might have been only natural.
“If you need anything, please call for us.”
“We appreciate your consideration.”
“Not at all. Thanks to you, a troublesome matter has been resolved.”
“Yes?”
The steward said something cryptic and withdrew. Only the collateral-line elder stood there with a puzzled expression. Saryeol watched as Sohwa carried her luggage and chose a room to enter. If left alone, Sohwa would organize things herself.
‘A troublesome matter has been resolved…’
Naturally, it had to be related to the head of the family. It seemed that even within the Zhuge clan, there were circumstances outsiders could not easily know. Those outside the direct line might still be sharp-edged, but if the direct line was fine with it, then it didn’t really matter.
“All right, everyone, unpack and recover from the journey. You’ve all worked hard on the way here.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The disciples each responded and entered the rooms they chose. Some went straight to bed to recover from fatigue, others tended to their swords, and still others devoted themselves to training, nurturing their internal energy. Wol, Saryeol, and Dowi, however, went straight out of the inner courtyard and headed for the training grounds.
“Saryeol, you don’t need to rest more?”
“I’m fine.”
“I came out because I wanted to see the Zhuge academy disciples.”
“I feel the same.”
“I see. Then you…?”
“The same as Saryeol.”
“I see.”
Thus, the three, subtly awkward with one another, headed toward the open training grounds. There, external disciples with no blood ties to the Zhuge clan were training. It was impossible to tell who among them would participate in the friendly tournament. Perhaps because it was the Zhuge clan, the balance was good. There were no disciples who lagged behind. That was all.
“It doesn’t seem like the Namgung disciples will lose.”
“The Zhuge clan is famous for things other than martial arts.”
“……”
Saryeol spoke, followed by Dowi and then Wol. No—Wol simply kept his mouth shut, staring into the distance. It was impossible to tell what he was looking at, but Saryeol decided not to ask. He seemed to have many things he was hiding, and she had things she was hiding as well, so pretending not to know was the proper courtesy.
As they watched the Zhuge clan disciples train, a presence was felt from somewhere. It approached deliberately, making its presence known, suggesting intent. The three looked to their left. A young nobleman approached with his hands clasped behind his back. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be of the Zhuge clan’s direct line.
“Welcome. The Azure Sky Divine Dragon Sword (蒼穹神龍劍) of Namgung.”
“……It’s merely an embarrassing sobriquet. I am still lacking.”
“Who would call someone who has reached the pinnacle at that age lacking?”
“So the news has already spread.”
“Haha, well, we are Zhuge, after all.”
The man laughed casually, then introduced himself.
“I am Zhuge Gyeong-o.”
“I am Namgung Dowi.”
“I see. Then the young lady behind you is…?”
“……You mean Saryeol?”
“Ah, so your name is Namgung Saryeol.”
Zhuge Gyeong-o was a neat and handsome man, but he looked Saryeol over with a strangely unpleasant gaze.
