A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel

“Lord. It seems the Ghost-Faced Killer was murdered here.”

Upon hearing the subordinate’s words, Blood Wolf Leader Yi In-sang made his way to where the subordinate was squatting. He unsheathed his sword, using it to gently dig into the dirt showing signs of being disturbed.

“These brats must have done something here?”

“If we follow the trail, we might find the culprit behind this incident.”

“Hmm.”

Yi In-sang, scratching his chin, stared intently at the clue uncovered after hours of investigation.

‘There was only one head hung in the market. Somewhere, there should be a headless body buried…’

“Hey, take Song Chang and Seok Gyeong with you to follow the trail and find the body.”

“What should we do with the body?”

“Just leave it. Who’s going to welcome the corpses of such bastards?”

“Yes, sir.”

After the subordinate received his command and left with the troops, Yi In-sang leaned against a rock nearby, his pipe lit and in hand.

“Let’s just take our time and return later.”

The Blood Wolves, skilled in tracking, weren’t incapable of tracing their enemy now that they had obvious clues.

It’s just that he wasn’t sure if chasing after an adversary whose identity was still unclear was wise.

‘The signs of combat are few. It seems the Ghost-Faced Killer didn’t even last a full hour before his head was severed. The opponent must be at least a peak-level expert.’

Even after examining the body, it would become clearer, but the minimal signs—despite the life-and-death struggle—and the clusters of bloodstains suggested that the opponent was likely on a higher level than the Ghost-Faced Killer.

“If even that guy, Ghost-Faced Killer, couldn’t win, I definitely can’t.”

Once a ronin who joined the Saxyang faction merely for a livelihood, Yi In-sang knew his limits.

A team like the Blood Wolves, gathering ragtag individuals to carry out dirty work, clearly couldn’t match real experts.

‘Sufficient to pretend to track them while just pinpointing their location will do.’

He couldn’t send his men to their deaths, so he made the conscious decision to “lounge around.”

“…Damn world. Truly a precious one.”

His sigh, mingling with the smoke, faded into the darkness.

—

“Mister, we’ll arrive at Yuanjiang tomorrow, right?”

“That’s right. We should get there around noon.”

Although the exact timing was uncertain given it was a place I haven’t been to before, we just needed to cross over one more mountain, and we’d reach Yuanjiang.

“…So this is really the beginning.”

Sitting across the bonfire and watching the flames, Mok-kyeong quietly spoke. I silently looked at her. Mok-kyeong’s gaze was fixed on the fire with a complex expression.

“Don’t worry too much. Everything will work out fine. Trust me.”

“…It feels unreal how quickly this quest for vengeance has come.”

“Really?”

“I never imagined this revenge coming sooner than a few years. But thanks to Eun-gong, we’ve managed to exact our revenge much earlier.”

Her voice carried no doubt in my failure. I looked up and met Mok-kyeong’s gaze as she stared at me.

Thinking of her as a woman did cause some discomfort, but I had no intention of pulling away from my connection with Mok-kyeong.

Feeling awkward just at that thought was simply disrespectful to her.

“Revenge…”

“Have you ever avenged anyone, Mister?”

At Hye-ryeong’s sudden question, I crossed my arms and looked up at the sky.

There were times I had avenged colleagues…

Later, I stopped bothering to seek revenge. Initially, I hated the people who killed my comrades, but then at some point, it no longer mattered.

They were dead or alive—it was as simple as that.

With so many dying every day on the battlefield, the concept of revenge seemed meaningless.

In the end, I was just a foreigner who looked European on the outside, so I had no ties to anyone.

Even when the Leader died, I never thought about avenging him.

I merely felt relieved to have survived.

“…I’ve done vengeance many times, and I’ve suffered from it.”

“…Mister, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

When I looked at Hye-ryeong, her face was full of apology as she looked at me.

“You’re allowed to be curious.”

“…Should I give you a hug?”

“No.”

If it were just the two of us, it might be different, but with Mok-kyeong looking on, the idea of burying my face in Hye-ryeong’s chest felt awkward. I also thought it might be hard to resist.

“Whenever you need it, just say the word. You can even sleep in an embrace if you like!”

“I’m fine.”

Recently, we’ve been physically close more often, and her behavior has grown bolder because of it. It made me feel strangely that things might escalate to sharing a room soon.

“Anyway, once we reach Yuanjiang, the Saxyang faction will actively try to capture us. We may not receive help from Haowen inside, so it’s best if we move quickly to either draw out the Saxyang Sect Leader or force him to come out.”

“Will the Saxyang Sect Leader appear?”

“It’s simple. You just need to provoke him into a duel where people can watch. If he doesn’t accept the martial prohibition, his authority will be compromised.”

By now, the mass killings of demon sect leaders we’ve caused are likely known throughout Yunnan Province.

The warriors and owners who’ve been suppressed by the Saxyang faction will be interested in their next move. The rise and fall of the Saxyang sect will depend on their actions.

“The Saxyang Sect Leader has already allied with the River Bandits and the Green Forest faction. To maintain equality in the alliance, they must capture the culprit this time.”

“However… it’s not certain whether or not the Sect Leader is in Yuanjiang, right?”

“It might be. But…we’ll just have to deal with the people coming after us appropriately while looking for the Sect Leader.”

Whether or not the Saxyang Sect Leader is in Yuanjiang matters little to us.

After confirming he’s not there, we’ll spread a rumor throughout Yunnan that ‘the Saxyang Sect Leader fled out of fear!’

To disprove such rumors, the Sect Leader would have to come out in public.

After that, what happens will be on Mok-kyeong.

It’s meaningless to worry about the Protagonist.

If he has a talent to rival the extraordinary in half a year, even if the Sect Leader is a supreme expert, breaking the boundaries and defeating him is inevitable.

“Mister.”

“It seems our location has been discovered.”

One, two, three, four, five perhaps.

I leisurely stretched as I got up. They weren’t too difficult opponents for me, but they might still be a challenge for Hye-ryeong and Mok-kyeong.

I pulled out a lion mask from my robe and wore it.

This mask does a good job hiding my identity.

“Wow, this is a big one!”

“Sorell, don’t act recklessly. It’s your bad habit.”

A man who appeared to have something hidden in his clothes spoke disapprovingly to “Sorell.”

“We’re five and they’re three. Why worry when we have the Number One Swordsman of Yunnan with us?”

The Number One Swordsman of Yunnan…

That’s a rather flashy nickname.

Two men around their twenties: one looked like a reckless swordsman, and the other a more serious martial artist.

Behind them stood a middle-aged swordsman, posing ostentatiously.

The other two…

“Oh, a man wearing a mask. This will be fun to see the real face behind it.”

…A woman?

I turned my gaze to the fourth figure, a woman dressed revealingly, with her shoulders and cleavage exposed.

…Even at a glance, I know what type she is.

“Hmph…”

“Mister, you’re not falling for such a woman, are you?”

“Kid… you’ll regret speaking so freely with that pierced mouth.”

“Ah, but you are a…middle-aged woman, aren’t you?”

…Why do we naturally end up engaging in this verbal combat?

“Is the last one coming?”

This time, it was an elder.

Is this an assembly by age group?

Four at peak level…

And one at advanced level.

It might seem dangerous under normal circumstances, but it didn’t trigger any real sense of crisis because, from the start, I could overwhelm them all on my own.

But I can’t handle all five alone.

If I eat everything, what will the kids beside me have to grow on?

“Thanks for delivering these sacrifices to us.”

“Sacrifices?”

“You guys.”

“What? You little…”

“Sorell, stop. He’s someone you can’t handle.”

“Excuse me? A big guy like that—I can…”

“You’d be cut down in one swipe.”

Are they joking in front of me? I sighed deeply, then turned my gaze to the menacing elder.

“Ho ho ho, these guys are interesting. They don’t even consider running.”

“There’s nothing worse than random amateurs shouting their mouths off.”

“Haven’t you seen such a disrespectful brat?”

“Hye-ryeong, you take care of that older woman. Mok-kyeong, handle the Yunnan’s Number One Swordsman. The rest, I’ll deal with.”

“Truly audacious.”

“Have you considered how audacious it is for you people to stand in front of me?”

I shrugged and intentionally unleashed some of the intimidating aura I had been concealing.

Even as corrupted peak-level experts, their expressions immediately changed upon seeing me.

“…I came here to make graves, but it seems we may end up being buried.”

As the Number One Swordsman said this, all five of the Sha Sect experts drew their weapons.

A sword, a saber, throwing stars, a fan, and fists.

“Since I’m impatient, I recommend you all attack at once.”

I didn’t draw my longsword but reached for my gladius instead.

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