A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel

“The people from Sahyeolbang sure have quite the talent, even if they are despicable.”

“Judging by the number of people alone, they are more numerous than the Hainan Sword Sect…”

“The Hainan Sword Sect doesn’t have that many disciples, so there’s not much we can do about it…”

Due to its geographical location as an island, the sect has hardly any external influx of people, and many members die from constant battles against the pirates.

That place has an issue where it’s not easy to expand their influence even if they wanted to.

While they may have ample practical combat experience and be skilled in fighting…

“…I didn’t know they had grown this powerful.”

“It’s not a normal occurrence for a sect established in less than fifteen years to expand their influence so smoothly.”

Most orthodox sects value tradition and history, so they usually settle in their base and live like venerable elders. In contrast, the demonic sects do see more active expansion and contraction of power.

But still, there should be limits.

To become a major sect that can influence all of Yunnan within fifteen years?

If expanding power was that easy, by now we’d have all sorts of demonic sect alliances popping up like mushrooms, like ‘Satanic League’ or ‘Demonic Alliance’.

But does Sahyeolbang have the capability for that?

To establish power in the martial world, a sect needs many things: martial prowess, reputation, financial power, manpower—it’s not just one or two factors.

I can’t even guess how much the Demonic Sect has helped them behind the scenes.

This much influence shows that they’re probably planning to swallow up Yunnan by deliberately cultivating Sahyeolbang.

“…No matter how great their power may be, we will surely destroy them.”

“If we can take out Sahyeolbang’s main base, it should be enough to dismantle them.”

A group without a unifying center is bound to fall. The problem is, no one knows where the leader of Sahyeolbang is.

Most people speculate that they are in Yuan River, their main base, but since it happens in the original work one year from now, we can’t say for sure if they are there yet.

Even the members of Haomen say that the leader’s location is completely hidden and unknown.

“…Let’s first visit Huaning, then head to Moshan.”

“Huaning…?”

Mok-kyeong looked up at me. Judging by her wide eyes, it seems my words brought back some unpleasant memories.

“We’ll visit your uncle along the way.”

“…That’s right.”

Although what I said during our first meeting was a lie, according to the original plot, he will be buried somewhere in a small mountain in Huaning before we head to Moshan. We should make a stop there.

“…Thank you for your care, Eun-gong.”

“It’s my responsibility since they’re my subordinate.”

Mok-kyeong’s eyes watered. Perhaps my words moved her. Hye-ryeong, knowing Mok-kyeong has been struggling recently, patted her on the shoulder.

…Upon reflection, Hye-ryeong went through a similar past.

Hye-ryeong also lost her parents. At least she is the niece of the Hainan Sword Sect Sect Leader, so her situation is somewhat better…

It would be reasonable for her to empathize.

“Be strong.”

“…Thank you, Hye-ryeong.”

“It’s about a three-day journey from here to Huaning, so let’s move quickly. Time won’t wait for us.”

Due to my conspicuous appearance, it seems Sahyeolbang has begun to monitor me. If this continues, our room to maneuver will become more restricted, so we need to reach the Yunnan Dang family before then.

“Even if it’s tough from here on out, we need to move faster. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, Eun-gong.”

Without hesitation, we all sprang into action.

“Here…this is Huaning…”

“It looks like a regular village.”

Too small to call it a city, yet too big to call it a mere village.

Upon arriving in Huaning, I immediately looked around to locate the small mountain where Mok-kyeong’s uncle is buried. Wasn’t it the one that overlooks Huaning?

It must be that mountain.

The small mountain opposite our side, bordered by the town.

Mok-kyeong’s uncle is surely buried there.

“Let’s first secure an inn and head there immediately.”

We arranged accommodations at a suitable inn and immediately set off toward the mountain.

“There’s my uncle…”

Mok-kyeong was unusually frail in spirit, so Hye-ryeong and I tried our best to soothe her as we ascended the mountain.

Where exactly was the spot?

The only thing we were sure of was that it was somewhere deep in the mountain, so we had to wander for quite some time.

And, we encountered an unfamiliar old man.

An old man carrying a wicker basket.

Could it be…

“…I didn’t expect anyone to come here.”

“Old sir, is there perhaps a grave here? We’ve come to find it.”

“A grave? What’s your relation to it?”

“The young man’s uncle.”

“Ah…”

The elderly herb gatherer looked at Mok-kyeong, who was lost in sorrow, with a pained expression, then pointed in the direction of the grave.

“Head that way. There should be a small grave.”

“Thank you, elder.”

“Hm. It’s been quite some time since anyone visited the grave, so I was a bit worried, but it’s good to see someone has come. Go ahead and pay your respects.”

The herb gatherer then descended the mountain.

“Let’s go, Mok-kyeong.”

“…Yes.”

We hastened our steps towards the direction the elder had indicated. After walking through dense bamboo groves, a small burial mound appeared before our eyes.

“Is this the grave…”

There is no gravestone.

There is only a small raised mound—and, in the place of a gravestone, an old sword thrust into the ground.

Mok-kyeong staggered towards the grave. We silently observed her from behind.

“Uncle…”

A voice thick with tears. Mok-kyeong knelt before the grave and reached out toward the old sword.

An old sword, long neglected, covered in rust. Slowly, she drew it from its sheath.

“…Uncle’s sword…it’s indeed his.”

A mournful cry filled the bamboo grove.

“Hye-ryeong, let’s step back for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Silently, we turned our backs.

“Thank you, Eun-gong…”

“Stop with the thanks. I’ve simply done what needed to be done.”

…Actually, it’s somewhat of a lie, and my conscience pricked a bit as I accepted Mok-kyeong’s thanks in this uneasy state.

Anyway, still holding the old sword in her arms, Mok-kyeong wiped away her tears.

Her eyes were unusually swollen, her grief evident. My lips felt glued shut.

“Let’s return for now.”

“After the revenge is complete…I wish to rebury my uncle in the family cemetery.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

The location is confirmed now, so all we need to do after taking care of Sahyeolbang is to move the grave. Quietly, we descended the mountain and entered the room we had booked earlier.

Of course, we stayed in separate rooms.

“…Hmm.”

Seeing Mok-kyeong in such sorrow made my heart uneasy.

The thought of having lied to someone like her fills me with a sense of guilt.

…But then again, I can’t tell her that this world is a fictional one, so I’ll just have to see this through to the end.

As I lay in bed trying to sort my thoughts…

“…Eun-gong, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

With my permission, Mok-kyeong carefully opened the door, approached me, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

For some reason, she felt different from usual.

Could it be because of her usually feminine appearance? The usual solemn air seemed somewhat scattered, creating a strange sense of discomfort.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“…Thanks to you, I have. Thank you, Eun-gong.”

“I only brought you here.”

“That’s not true. If not for you, I wouldn’t have found this place, or it would have taken a lot longer.”

…Mok-kyeong would have found this place eventually even without me.

At least that’s what happened in the original story.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to calm my complicated thoughts. The most tangled feelings are surely Mok-kyeong’s, yet here I am, complicating my own.

“…So, why did you come?”

“…I didn’t want to be alone.”

I turned my head to meet Mok-kyeong’s gaze. Her eyes brimmed with tears. There was not a speck of falsehood in them.

It’s different from her usual self, so it feels a bit…awkward.

Silently, I stared at Mok-kyeong as she sat there with her usual tied-up hair now left loose, looking down at me.

A reversal of our usual positions.

I watched as Mok-kyeong’s long hair cascaded like a waterfall onto the bed.

People here tend to grow their hair long regardless of gender, but Mok-kyeong’s was longer than most women’s.

“Must be difficult to maintain your hair.”

“It’s not that hard.”

“…I’d find it tedious even at this length.”

Through casual chatter, we passed the time. There was no need for difficult or complex conversations.

Such things…we’ll talk about after the sun rises tomorrow.

The plan is moving along step by step, after all.

How long had we exchanged such trivial banter when Mok-kyeong suddenly hesitated.

“…Eun-gong, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Is it a sensitive question?

After some time of silence, Mok-kyeong finally broke it and asked me a question.

“…If I were deceiving you, Eun-gong…what would you do?”

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