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Chapter : 20
Despite the chaos that had just erupted right in front of her, Yeonhwa did not waver in the slightest.
As if she were merely observing a spectacle, she watched the Hyeonmu Unit members closing in on her and Ji Won-hyeong, then grasped the hilt of her sword.
Stopping Ji Won-hyeong—who was about to step forward to shield her—as if to protect her, she instead stamped her foot against the ground.
Her body shot into the air. Leaping cleanly over the heads of the Hyeonmu Unit members, Yeonhwa thrust her sword straight out.
Left behind, Ji Won-hyeong knew that the members fighting among themselves was already a serious matter—and that if his lord joined in and increased the number of casualties, the situation would become truly disastrous…
What can I do? It’s my lord’s decision.
Rather than thinking of stopping her, he found himself wondering how to clean up the aftermath.
Should I just say it was all my doing?
If he killed all the Hyeonmu members who would become victims and witnesses, it might even be possible.
While such thoughts crossed his mind, Yeonhwa’s sword dropped sharply among the Hyeonmu members on the left.
“Gasp!”
“P-please spare me!”
Startled, some clutched their heads with both hands, while others flailed about trying to change direction abruptly.
But the blade that fell upon them did not cut.
With a dull rush of wind, the sword that struck had its sheath on.
Swinging the sheathed sword, Yeonhwa momentarily halted the movements of the members on the left and created a small gap among them.
She slipped through the opening and began to move at once.
Even a moment’s delay could cause bodies to tangle together and multiply the damage several times over, so she had to act quickly to carry out her plan.
As one member beside her was about to be pushed over by the person behind him, she extended the sheathed sword sideways to support him and gave a light push.
When the person behind stumbled forward into the newly created space, Yeonhwa reached out.
She grabbed whatever part of him she could seize, infused her inner energy, and tossed him effortlessly.
The body soared into the air, tracing a slanted arc as it flew far away.
“Gaaah!”
Judging by how long the scream lasted, he must have flown quite a distance.
And being far from this chaotic crowd meant safety.
Yeonhwa then seized another member—one she had just prevented from falling with her sword—and hurled him in the same direction.
Thud! Boom!
With two people gone, more space opened up—into which someone else naturally pushed forward, as the formation was still moving.
But Yeonhwa repeatedly plucked those in danger out like pulling radishes from the soil, sending them to safer places.
Of course, some slammed into walls or even flew clear over the Hyeonmu Hall’s boundary wall and landed on the roadside—but what could she do about that?
After rescuing five or six people on the left, Yeonhwa moved to the right.
As gaps appeared, more people found room to stop or dodge on their own, and the overall speed of the formation began to slow.
Members in the rear, who had been desperately pushing forward to avoid falling behind, finally noticed the chaos unfolding ahead.
When even those at the very back began to stop or retreat, the front courtyard of Hyeonmu Hall eventually grew quiet.
By then, Yeonhwa had positioned herself at the far right of the Hyeonmu Unit.
Sensing that the situation had ended, she stepped away from the group and returned to Ji Won-hyeong.
He had been facing off against several members at the front of the group that had rushed toward him, but the moment he saw Yeonhwa, he was too busy checking whether she had been hurt anywhere.
The Hyeonmu members standing opposite him were at a complete loss over what to do next.
So many incidents had erupted one after another that their minds were in disarray—yet in reality, hardly any time had passed.
And just look at them.
Their comrades who had been yanked out and flung in all directions were scattered everywhere, still unable to get up…
Even those who remained clustered together looked like a pitiful band of defeated soldiers.
“Take care of your comrades and return. Remain confined to your quarters and reflect. This is a clear act of insubordination, and I will not let it pass quietly.”
Yeonhwa’s warning was heavy.
Their actions had been deeply unpleasant—but they would at least serve as a good excuse for her to step down from the position of Hyeonmu Unit Leader.
Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she added:
“And don’t dwell on the fact that I saved you today. You already invent debts that don’t exist—if you start clinging to me claiming you must repay a favor, that would be far too troublesome for me.”
As Yeonhwa walked into Hyeonmu Hall, Ji Won-hyeong followed.
Before entering, he cast a brief glance back at the still-dazed Hyeonmu members.
“Back when the Hyeonmu Unit first formed, didn’t people call you the shame of the Four Divine Units, the trash of the academy—every insult under the sun? But after the Captain arrived, being mocked as the young lady’s bodyguards made you that angry?”
As if they were such precious beings.
At best, they were talented academy students without powerful backers—rebellious types full of dissatisfaction with the world, lacking the qualities to rise beyond their origins.
“Well, congratulations. You won’t have to hear ‘the young lady’s bodyguards’ ever again.”
Ji Won-hyeong shrugged.
Once he went inside as well, those left behind forced themselves to their feet and began cleaning up the courtyard.
Park Jeong-do never regained consciousness and was carried out of Hyeonmu Hall on someone’s back.
“Anyway, once you graduate from the academy, my lord, you’ll leave the Hyeonmu Unit and be promoted—whether to the Guardian Corps or another official position—and be formally recorded in the Alliance’s registry. Parting ways was inevitable, so I don’t understand why they made such a fuss.”
“They probably assumed that when I was promoted, they’d move along with me.”
But the Guardian Corps was not easy to meddle with—Ku Hee-ryang held considerable power there, backed by strong support from the Nine Sects. Even her elder brother Musung couldn’t interfere lightly.
Of course, if one truly set their mind to it, nothing was impossible—but if everything were bent to personal taste and even the Alliance’s foundational traditions and principles were ignored, what would distinguish this place from the Demonic Cult that roamed the world unchecked?
Those in Munryeong Pavilion, who believed in upholding justice and the Alliance’s honor, would never sit still if Mu-ryeong shook the organization’s discipline to its core.
Therefore—
“Even if not the Guardian Corps, they probably thought a new subordinate combat unit might be created under the Justice Guardians—or that an executive position under another affiliation might be arranged.”
After all, few people were as suitable as the current Hyeonmu members to serve as both shackles and watchers over Yeonhwa.
“Hearing it that way, I’m almost glad those idiots caused trouble. Now that they’ve been cut off here, they won’t even dream of following you wherever you go next.”
He did not bother adding that Munryeong Pavilion, if it had any sense, would never try to reassign such flawed people to his lord again.
There was no need to state the obvious and weigh on her mind.
With that, their conversation ended.
The atmosphere was not uncomfortable.
Yeonhwa resumed the work she had been doing before the Hyeonmu members arrived, while Ji Won-hyeong watched her quietly before turning his gaze out the side window of the inner hall.
The courtyard lay in view.
Though the Hyeonmu members had cleaned up, traces of the earlier chaos remained everywhere.
Standing still, Ji Won-hyeong suddenly asked:
“Is there anything I can help with for the engagement ceremony preparations? I wonder if you’ve gathered any auspicious red items.”
“Master Yu said he would handle everything related to the ceremony… as for red items…”
There was a custom of decorating oneself with the most splendid and expensive red possessions during engagement ceremonies to heighten the festive mood and invite good fortune.
No one had ever taught Yeonhwa about such ordinary aspects of life, so when Yu Geon-myeong mentioned it recently, she had merely blinked in confusion.
Only after he explained did she learn of the custom—but she didn’t particularly care.
She didn’t know much about it, and it didn’t seem especially important anyway.
Her indifferent thoughts were plainly visible on her face, making Ji Won-hyeong chuckle softly.
He moved his hand to retrieve something he had tucked into his robes.
A carefully silk-wrapped object touched his fingers.
While investigating granaries on her orders and checking the Alliance’s situation, he had happened upon a shop where he found a bracelet made of clear red crystal…
It wasn’t terribly expensive, but it sparkled enough to catch the eye—and seemed like it would fit perfectly around the slender, pale wrist of someone he knew.
He couldn’t take his eyes off it.
