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Chapter : 001
Prologue
My older brother died.
My older brother, Namgung Seonyu, who was loved by everyone, died.
It was so like him—during a battle with the demonic sect, he threw his brilliant life away without hesitation to save innocent people caught in danger.
The people who had carried his coffin approached Yeonhwa, who was sobbing, calling him a fool.
They were comrades and close friends who had shared life and death with Seonyu on the battlefield. Kneeling before Yeonhwa, they met her eyes.
They said that even until Seonyu’s last moment, he worried about his young sister, who was socially awkward and effectively alone in the Namgung family without him.
So they swore an oath in front of him:
“We will become your older brothers in place of Seonyu.”
“R-really…?”
Yeonhwa, terrified at the emptiness left by Seonyu, could not refuse them.
She pressed her lips together and nodded. A man among them, with particularly light-colored hair and eyes, spoke:
“I am Yang Eui-jun, the young master of the So Clan of Jungcheong. There is nothing in the world I cannot obtain, Yeonhwa. Whatever you wish for, I will bring it to you.”
His soft, gentle tone was exactly like Seonyu’s, making Yeonhwa’s eyes widen.
Without realizing it, she stepped closer and grasped his sleeve. Smiling, Yang Eui-jun introduced the other two men beside him.
“This is Mo Yong-yunhwan, young master of the Mo Yong family. And that one with gray hair—rare in the Central Plains—is Tak Mu-seong, the head of Nanga Sect.”
Mo Yong-yunhwan was impeccably dressed with a composed face, while Tak Mu-seong had gray hair roughly tied and sharp eyes that gave him a fierce look.
Despite their contrasting appearances, either of them was more than enough to overwhelm Yeonhwa.
As she hesitated and tried to hide, Mo Yong-yunhwan frowned in displeasure.
“Is that really Seonyu’s younger sister? Not a single resemblance.”
He muttered to himself, clearly displeased, yet did not back down from his decision.
“I will protect you. Think of Mo Yong’s name as accompanying every step you take from now on.”
Unlike the declining Namgung clan, the Mo Yong family was prosperous enough to have ascended to the top of the Five Great Families.
Hearing this from the future head of such a family carried immense weight.
But that was not all.
Tak Mu-seong suddenly thrust a long object wrapped in white cloth onto Yeonhwa’s face.
Startled, she nearly fell backward, but Yang Eui-jun caught her.
“Careful. You almost hurt her,” he chided lightly.
Then he took the object from Tak Mu-seong and unwrapped the white cloth.
Yeonhwa gasped at what was revealed.
“Ah…!”
It was Seonyu’s sword.
Though old, it was cherished and full of memories. Yeonhwa pulled it close, clutching it tightly to her chest.
Grief pierced her heart.
She knew she should thank Tak Mu-seong, but her lips would not move.
Unlike Mo Yong-yunhwan, who was annoyed by her trembling, Tak Mu-seong seemed unconcerned and simply said:
“I heard you like swords. Even if you lack talent, your perseverance is considerable. I will teach you the sword.”
In an era of fierce conflict between righteous and demonic sects, Nanga Sect, unaffiliated with either side, was already proven strong merely by its name.
Thus, being taught by its head was itself a rare opportunity.
“…If I learn the sword, can I avenge my brother?”
In a voice faint as a bubble about to burst, Yeonhwa asked. Tak Mu-seong looked down at her and replied:
“If you become strong. Then you can take revenge.”
“Then… I will become strong.”
By any means necessary! Whatever it takes!
Yeonhwa swore to the grief she could never forget.
Tak Mu-seong looked at her small face a moment longer before turning away.
Tak Mu-seong, Mo Yong-yunhwan, and Yang Eui-jun placed Yeonhwa behind them and shifted the focus toward those gathered to witness Seonyu’s final moments.
“We declare that we will dedicate ourselves to realizing the dream of our late friend, who raised the banner of the righteous sect to stabilize the world, uphold benevolence with a heart of propriety, and create a just society.”
As the three spoke in unison, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
They were far too formidable to be dismissed as reckless young hotheads.
Yeonhwa looked up at the broad shoulders and solid backs of the three men before her, gripping her hands in anxiety.
For some reason, their backs, marking the boundary between her and the others, felt both like a safe protective fence and an inescapable wall.
From that day on, Yeonhwa Namgung, previously introduced as the daughter of the declining Namgung family, instantly became the most honored child in the righteous martial world.
Yeonhwa was twelve years old, and her three newly found older brothers had just turned twenty.
And yet, the calamity was already beginning.
Buzz, whoosh!
A woman with brown skin and distinct features swung a six-foot-long staff.
A man holding a sword recoiled in shock.
“Master Danju! Are you trying to smash someone’s head?!”
The staff barely grazed his nose, and he raised his head again to shout.
“Ha! You should at least appreciate being taught. Where do you get off shouting?”
The woman retrieved her staff, swung it over her left shoulder with a tilted stance, and smirked.
“C-could it be, Master Danju…?”
The man, sensing danger, tried to call Gu Hee-ryang, the Danju of the Guardian Corps and his superior, but panicked.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In moments, the staff struck like lightning several times, forcing the man to jump repeatedly like a grasshopper until he collapsed in exhaustion.
Thud!
Even as he sat on the ground, looking pitifully up at her, Gu Hee-ryang showed no mercy.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The tip of the staff cut through the air. The man shut his eyes tightly and raised his clasped hands above his head.
“I was wrong! I completely cancel my suggestion that Miss Namgung be exempted from the joint training!”
“Hmph.”
“I really regret it! No matter how precious she is in the Martial Alliance, I shouldn’t have suggested giving her special treatment…”
“Is that special treatment?”
“Huh?”
“Think about it.”
The Martial Alliance’s main force, the Guardian Corps, had the Sasin Unit, which divided the four best students of the Alliance’s training school.
The Hyunmu Unit, in particular, always stayed in the rear, ensuring stability, and had never gone on missions with the Guardian Corps.
But Gu Hee-ryang had ears. She knew exactly what had been going on.
“Stopping her from doing what everyone else does—when she never asked for it—isn’t special treatment. It’s harassment. The individual suffers, the group feels discrimination, and no one gains anything. A completely foolish act.”
“Then are all Martial Alliance members idiots?”
“Do you think so? They’ve all been driven mad by the Three Elders’ petty games.”
Not a dog on a leash.
What kind of older brother would treat his sister that way?
Gu Hee-ryang, leading the Martial Alliance, did not hide her disdain for the so-called Three Elders.
“Master Danju!”
“What? Anyway, whatever it is, I am not lowly enough to participate in such trivial acts.”
Master Danju immediately reduced everyone else to lowliness by comparison, leaving them helpless.
“Yes, yes, of course. How could the mighty Danju of the Guardian Corps, feared by the demonic sect, stoop to such petty deeds? I underestimated you!”
As the deputy, it was Kwak So’s duty to assist such a Danju.
Kwak So clasped her hands together, rubbing them side to side in flattery. Gu Hee-ryang responded with her staff.
Smack!
“Gah!”
This time, Kwak So, unable to dodge, grabbed her head and groaned.
