"How did you come to be here?"
At my question, Father answered with his usual line.
"I was passing by."
As if. Father had been accurately tracking the movements of the Demon Lords, and he must have come after hearing the news that the four Demon Lords and I had gathered in one place.
What state of mind had he come in? From what point had he seen and heard?
Though I had grown much closer to Father, I wasn't yet close enough to ask such sensitive questions so brazenly.
"For the first time, I shared a table with four Demon Lords."
"How was it?"
"If you hadn't come, Father, without a doubt I would have sought you out the moment I left the tavern. I would have gone to ask how I should deal with and handle the Demon Lords from now on. Ah, I suppose it shouldn't become a habit—seeking answers from you whenever I feel frustrated."
To my complaint, half sincere and half flattery, he would normally have just snorted and taken a drink, but today, for some reason, he spoke a word. And it was something that struck my heart.
"You can worry about that in ten years or so."
"Will you indulge me until then?"
It was at that moment that Father snorted.
"Didn't know it would be this hard?"
"I didn't."
"You were making such a fuss about whipping things into shape, so I thought you knew it all."
"If I had known, I wouldn't have said such things. The way I look from the outside is different, the way I am treated is different, and when entangled with others, it's different again."
I deliberately played up my misery. Because Father was the type to enjoy it more the harder I struggled.
"That's right. I've become terribly weak."
"At least you've improved greatly compared to before."
Because even when I hunted with Father right after the regression, I had been different from now.
As we spoke, a modest drinking spread was laid out.
Father had the strongest liquor from the tavern brought out with a simple vegetable stir-fry. Jo Chunbae must have stir-fried those vegetables with every ounce of skill he possessed.
"Let's have a drink."
I drank with Father.
"Kuh, that's strong."
"You drank with Chwima without batting an eye, and now you fear this swill?"
"He seemed like a nice person, though?"
"With eyes for people like that, it's a marvel you're still alive."
What kind of person did Chwima appear to be in Father's eyes?
"What kind of person is Chwima?"
"He is someone who toys with others while laughing and enjoying himself. So it's best not to carelessly open his liquor bottle."
"They say you should never ignore your elders' words. Hyeolcheon Doma also warned me to be careful of Chwima, calling him a sinister one."
"Not knowing he himself is the sinister one."
I burst out laughing at Father's words. I made a note to tease Hyeolcheon Doma about this later when I saw him.
Pouring Father a drink, I asked,
"Have you ever drunk alone with Chwima?"
"I have."
"How did he act toward you?"
"He doesn't talk much to me."
"That talkative Chwima?"
That was unexpected. I would have thought he would talk even more in front of Father, acting familiar.
"Could it be because he thinks he can't toy with you no matter what?"
"Who knows. How could I know what goes on inside that man's head?"
"That only makes me more curious."
"Poisonous things are naturally the most splendid, after all."
In other words, don't be swayed by Chwima.
"Don't try to dig into a person's heart. Judge only by what is revealed. That leads to fewer mistakes."
"Yes. I will take it to heart."
I emptied my drink with Father. Refilling the cups, I asked him,
"What do you talk about when you drink with Brother?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm simply curious. Aren't you teaching him all my weaknesses?"
"It's a weakness anyone can see. Is there any need to bother teaching it?"
"What is my weakness?"
"That cheap sentimentality perfectly suited for getting yourself killed."
I smiled brightly.
"I consider that my strength, and I live by it. Since we're at it, let's go pleasantly and have fun. The road ahead is long and treacherous. Threatening, oppressing, killing—let's not do that, and just have fun instead."
"Do you think 'fun' suits our work? You'll die seeking enjoyment."
Father, I should be allowed to seek some. Not for a single moment has Hwamugi left my mind. I cannot fall asleep even lying down. The image of dying at Hwamugi's hand springs to mind, and I leap up and run to the training grounds.
"You too should live a little more enjoyably and cheerfully now, Father."
"If the Cheonma's authority and terror disappear, they will come to destroy us under the banner of some trifling agreement."
I suddenly thought that perhaps Father, too, in his own way, had been unable to sleep at night. I shouldn't let myself be fooled by those floral pajamas.
"I will strive to grow stronger."
"You should have already grown stronger. Only then does today's meeting with the Demon Lords hold meaning."
"Then in that spirit, please grant me a bout."
Since my last spar with Father, I had achieved new accomplishments in martial arts. A bout with Father now would provide tremendous stimulation and influence upon my martial studies.
Father rose from his seat and stood in the space beside the table.
"Here?"
"Do you plan on never fighting inside a tavern your whole life?"
"That's not it. If we fight in this cramped space, everything will break."
Then Father said something unexpected.
"Who said to fight like low-level hoodlums, smashing everything in sight? The one who breaks a single thing loses."
It meant we were to fight without breaking anything here.
I looked around the space where we were. It was narrower than the first floor with a low ceiling. Tables and chairs filled the space.
Spar with Father here? Without breaking anything? Truly, it would be a more difficult spar than any I had ever fought.
I looked down at the first floor. After Father arrived, people had been sent out and the doors closed, so only Jo Chunbae remained in the tavern.
"Proprietor, go into the kitchen for a moment."
"Yes!"
"No matter what happens, do not be surprised!"
"I have been surprised so much today, I haven't any heart left to be surprised further."
Jo Chunbae scurried into the kitchen.
I stood facing Father, several paces apart.
"Didn't you say it was hard?"
"Yes."
"It's because you are weak."
When Father unleashed his aura, my breath caught. His aura—which even the Cheonma Hoshin-gong strained to endure—was as heavy as a great mountain, as suffocating as a swamp, and as sharp as a blade.
Father slowly drew the Cheonma Sword.
"A Cheonma must be someone who can kill when he wishes to kill. The sole reason my opponent remains alive before me is that I have permitted it."
*Chaeng!*
The Cheonma Sword and the Black Demon Sword clashed in the air. Their speed remained the same, but the force behind the blades was restrained.
*Chaeng!*
The blades clashed once more in the air. I understood. Father was speaking through the force loaded in his sword.
This force was the standard.
Like tuning an instrument, he was saying we should fight using only this exact amount of force.
This fight was not one where you lost because you were weaker than your opponent. It was a fight where you lost if you failed to control your power.
*Chaeng!*
The tuning lasted only three times.
*Chaeng-chaeng-chaeng-chaeng-chaeng-chaeng-chaeng!*
The Cheonma Sword and the Black Demon Sword clashed brilliantly.
They wielded their swords using only the promised force. Since each technique originally used a set amount of power, ignoring that power and fighting with only this current force demanded immense concentration and mental exertion.
In that moment, I placed no restrictions on my abilities.
Every fight since the regression until now had been restricted.
*I should only show this much skill.*
But now, I fought without such awareness. I was certain that it was permissible to reveal my full strength.
You told me not to trust people, but at least I trust you, Father.
I fought to my heart's content, I fought freely. It was a fight possible only because it was Father.
The more we fought, the faster my body adapted to the battle.
Then Father raised the level of the fight.
Now, it was no longer simply about not breaking things—it had become a fight where we must not even touch the objects surrounding us.
Avoiding Father's attacks while moving between tables and chairs without touching them? I exerted the highest level of concentration I was capable of.
Amidst it all, our clash was beautiful. The sword trails drawn between the tables and chairs were like the masterwork of a painter who had spent a lifetime wielding the brush, and the sound of blades clashing amid the liquor bottles was like the sorrowful lament of an old musician. Then, paper tore, and instrument strings snapped.
The battle grew fiercer and the restrictions stricter.
Reaching the final stage, we fought while even protecting the lanterns hanging on the walls, preventing the flames from being extinguished by the wind of our swords.
And at some point.
*Shwiiik!*
A streak of sword qi flew from Father.
It was sword qi released with restrained force. If internal energy had been properly loaded into it, this single move would have blown the tavern away.
Sword qi also flew from my Black Demon Sword. My sword qi, imbued with restrained internal energy like Father's, neutralized Father's sword qi in midair.
*Fwaang!*
Wind blew, threatening to extinguish the lantern flames, and I threw myself to block it. They flickered precariously but did not go out.
Sword qi flew in continuous succession.
If I missed even one, the sword qi would fly past and destroy the wall. Then would the one who fired the sword qi lose? No. In this case, it became a fight where the side that missed lost.
I fought Father, nearly lost in a trance.
There were many sounds.
The sound of footsteps, the sound of wind, the sound of swords cutting through wind, the sound of blade meeting blade, the sound of sword qi being released, the sound of sword qi dissipating, the sound of sleeves fluttering, the sound of lanterns trembling. Each sound was steeped in the essence of martial arts.
I would surely be able to replay this spar later. There was no need to deliberately memorize it. Every technique was perfect, and the situation was desperate. Because it was a sequence of moves I could never forget, this fight would remain a source of learning for me for a long time to come.
And so the spar ended, and we sheathed our swords simultaneously. As the Cheonma Sword and the Black Demon Sword entered their scabbards at the same time, they produced a pleasant *clack*.
Looking around, not a single chair had toppled. There was not a scratch on the walls.
"It was a draw!"
"No. You lost."
Father came over and held up the chopstick holder on the table in front of me. The tips of the chopsticks inside had been cut away.
"Ah, this is a mark grazed by my sword qi. When in the world did you notice?"
I checked the chopstick holder on Father's table and let out a sigh.
"I lose!"
It was a loss, but not a crushing defeat. Father was truly surprised and impressed by my skill.
"When I heard the news that you and Geukak had killed Baekmanggi, I had a hunch. That you had achieved a great accomplishment."
But he couldn't have imagined it was to this extent.
Father must have been greatly spurred by me.
"What should I do now?"
I asked the way. Where my martial arts should advance. To the only person who could provide that answer.
"From now on, devote yourself solely to training in the Pungsinsabo."
That was Father's conclusion. And there was a reason for this conclusion.
"I stopped training in the Pungsinsabo."
"Why did you stop?"
To my startled self, Father spoke honestly.
"I hit a wall."
"If you have struck a limit, then I can never overcome it."
Father looked at me for a moment, then shook his head.
"Even if I cannot cross it, you can achieve the Great Completion."
"What do you mean?"
"It is a wall created by the Guhwamagong. In a state where one had already learned the Guhwamagong first, the Great Completion of the Pungsinsabo could not be achieved."
"Ah!"
I understood what he meant. There existed compatibility in martial arts as well. Just as there were arts that did not suit one from the start, there were cases where one could not achieve the Great Completion depending on the order in which one learned them.
"If you do not achieve the Great Completion before learning the Guhwamagong, you will never be able to achieve it after."
"I will definitely achieve the Great Completion before then."
When the Pungsinsabo achieved the Great Completion, it would combine with the Bicheon Sword Technique, which had attained twelvefold completion, and display yet another accomplishment. And when combined with the Guhwamagong later, it would show even greater effects.
After gazing at me for a moment, Father asked,
"Still hard?"
"Thanks to your teachings, I have gained confidence."
"Do you still intend to become a cheerful Cheonma?"
"I want to live smiling."
After staring at me for a moment, Father turned away without a word. And when he had gone all the way down to the first floor, he tossed out casually,
"Come play a round of baduk sometime, if you have the time."
Jo Chunbae, who had been hiding under the counter, bowed until his waist folded, then looked up at me.
"Nothing was broken, so don't worry."
"The demonic path I pursue is one that every tavern keeper in the world would love, is it not?"
Jo Chunbae let out a sigh of relief.
"What a long day it has been."
* * *
Jo Chunbae's day had ended, but mine had not.
I went to find Hyeolcheon Doma. He was sitting by the window reading a book. I had expected him to be swinging his saber in anger, but he was calmer than I'd expected.
"No martial arts training today?"
"Why have you come?"
"I came because I wanted to see you, Elder."
Before bringing up what happened at the tavern earlier, I handed him what I had brought first. Because I hadn't come to talk about that.
"What is this?"
"A tonic."
"A tonic?"
Hyeolcheon Doma was startled.
"You are thinner than when I first saw you. It is a medicine that stimulates appetite and nourishes the body. I pestered the physician to obtain it, so you can trust its efficacy."
Hyeolcheon Doma was bewildered. He was more flustered than when I had given him the blood-based poison liquor as a birthday gift.
"Give it to the Lord instead."
"You are the kind of person who would suspect I'd poisoned it and make me eat it all in front of you."
At my half-jest, half-truth, Hyeolcheon Doma burst into laughter.
Lowering my voice to a whisper, I said,
"Actually, this is something Father takes; I pestered the physician to get it. You know how Father is, taking enormous care of his health. So please don't worry and take it."
As I walked out, Hyeolcheon Doma asked from behind,
"Why do you treat me so well?"
I turned and said,
"Because you are good to me, so I am good to you. And because I think that if I treat you this well, you will be of more help than the other three Demon Lords. I'm very selfish and calculating, you see. Well then, sleep well. Make sure to take your medicine. I will check with Investigator Seo!"
To him, who was staring at me with deepening eyes, I gave a deep bow and turned away.
You have to do these things while you can. If you don't do it when it comes to mind, there might not be a next time.
Only then did my long day truly end. The drunkenness belatedly rose.