Time flowed, and the day to leave for the frontlines arrived.
Since the waiting period wasn't very long to begin with,
It didn't even feel like I had rested.
Letters scattered and piled up all over the floor of the room.
Carefully picking them up one by one so I wouldn't step on them and tear them,
"...It seems there's still no useful information..."
Even as I gathered them, I skimmed through their contents once more,
But seeing as there was still nothing noteworthy,
'They're either keeping a low profile...'
Or even if they know, someone is gagging them from somewhere.
It was a part I couldn't easily figure out.
'In this kind of situation...'
Running around blindly without any proper information would be unreasonable.
If there was a setback in gathering information,
It would be better to conserve my strength and steadily collect information about the key figures who resisted the Blood Calamity in the future.
'As for the energy... the White Demonic Stone would probably be the fastest.'
This was an era where the White-grade Demonic Gates no longer opened,
And the White Demonic Stone I knew was perhaps the only demonic stone that still retained its energy.
'...That's why it's special.'
Normally, a demonic stone loses its energy a few days after the demonic beast dies.
It doesn't become purer over time like spiritual medicine,
Nor does its energy maintenance depend on how it's cared for.
However,
The White Demonic Stone the Heavenly Demon gave me in my past life was different.
A demonic stone that must have been around for at least several centuries still held vast energy,
And hadn't even lost its color.
'It could be because it's a White Demonic Stone.'
It's a White-grade demonic beast I had never even dared to see or imagine.
There are only records stating its very existence is a disaster.
Since I've never encountered one, I don't know how strong of an existence it is.
'If I were to fight it alone, could I win?'
Judging by the standards of my past life, I wasn't very confident.
Recalling the story of Sin Noya beating that thing alone,
For some reason, a little respect welled up.
Sin Noya had a fierce way of speaking unbecoming of a Daoist, and a nasty temper that picked faults at every little thing,
But regardless, he was a supreme martial artist who dominated an era.
'If I thought about things like this, he'd show up snorting in delight...'
I secretly missed Sin Noya's voice, which had grown quiet.
'...How long did he say he'd sleep again?'
Did he say a little over a year?
I remember it being roughly around that time according to the 'contract' with the Three Entrants.
It must be around the time I was getting pummeled at the frontlines.
[Grrr....]
Since his own story came up, a low growling sound could be heard.
'Be quiet. I don't want to hear beastly noises.'
I spat out, expressing my displeasure,
And it went dead quiet as if a ghost had appeared.
I shoved the roughly organized letters into the drawer,
And looked around to see if I had left anything behind.
Suddenly, I realized I had too many demonic artifacts on me.
'Do I have to carry all of these?'
Most of them were ornaments that didn't stand out much,
But considering that each and every item was a demonic artifact, it felt a bit burdensome.
'...Hmm.'
I thought about locking them in the safe and leaving,
But eventually decided to just take them with me.
Especially since the Ring of the Tyrant was quite useful.
"Young Master."
"Ah."
"Preparations are complete."
"I'll be right out."
At the news delivered by the servant outside the door, I hurriedly tried to leave.
As I took a step to leave the room, suddenly,
My eyes caught the stitch marks on the martial uniform I was wearing.
The long, stretched-out mark where it had torn somehow,
Was sewn with clumsy hands; the tied thread wasn't neat and stuck out jaggedly.
So, I considered changing into new clothes before leaving, but
"...."
The face of the person who did this for me came to mind, making me pause.
With hands beyond clumsy,
Wi Seol-ah's face, smiling as she pricked her fingers this way and that while sewing it.
-Young Master! Look! I'm done!
-...Didn't you really do a terrible job?
-Hmph... I tried my best...
As those thoughts crossed my mind,
I almost changed my clothes, but letting out a chuckle, I walked out of the room.
As I walked towards the carriage, Hong-hwa, who had spotted me, urgently approached and said,
"Young Master... Those clothes... Wouldn't it be better to change before we go?"
It seemed she had seen the state of my clothes from afar.
Hearing that, I feigned ignorance and said,
"It's annoying, so let's just go."
"But the state of your uniform..."
"Are you going to let me have my way? I just want to go because it's annoying."
"...Understood."
I heard Hong-hwa let out a quiet sigh.
Honestly, I did feel a little sorry,
But since my mind was made up, I decided to just leave it.
"You're here?"
Going to the main gate of the Gu Family,
Just as the servant said, preparations were already complete.
Especially seeing the carriage of the Moyong Family, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.
"Looks like we're going on a trip."
"Since it's not a short journey,"
Moyong Hee-a shrugged slightly at my words, but
No matter how I looked at it, it felt excessive.
The number of people wasn't that large,
But there was way too much food and supplies prepared inside.
'And.'
I glanced at the figures around the carriage.
They were men who looked somewhat older,
And the energy they harbored looked far from ordinary.
'Escorts?'
It seemed they were escorts assigned to Moyong Hee-a by the Moyong Family.
Seeing that, I asked Moyong Hee-a,
"...Are you really going?"
"Pardon?"
"To the frontlines, I mean."
"Of course. It's part of our contract, isn't it?"
She's actually going.
'...Ugh.'
I really didn't expect her to go.
We did agree to exchange Yang energy,
But for her to come all the way to the frontlines to receive it was incredibly bewildering.
'...Is the Yang energy that urgent?'
If my Yang energy truly helps with Moyong Hee-a's Severed Meridians syndrome,
It's a matter directly tied to her life, so it would be urgent.
As I was rolling my thoughts around, Moyong Hee-a grinned and added,
"Ninth Young Master, don't worry."
"I wasn't worried."
"...I'm not so weak that you need to worry about me."
"You seemed pretty timid to me."
"Couldn't you even take a single hit back then?"
At my words, I could see the corners of Moyong Hee-a's eyes twitching.
Seeing that, I felt as if a decade—no, a centuries-old indigestion was completely washing away.
'After all that teasing about me being weak.'
Getting my revenge for the teasing I suffered in my past life in this way is a bit embarrassing for myself,
But whatever, no one's going to know anyway.
"...Still... I can hold my own."
"Hmm... If you say so."
I could see her desperately trying not to let her expression crumble.
If it were me, I would have made a sour face and said something.
That's a talent in its own right, I suppose.
While I was exchanging banter with Moyong Hee-a,
Squeeze.
Someone squeezed between me and Moyong Hee-a, pushing us apart.
Moyong Hee-a raised the corners of her eyes slightly at the intruder.
"...Geommu-hee...?"
It was Nangong Bi-a.
"It's... enough now."
Within her normally vacant voice, an indiscernible cold vibe could be felt.
I didn't deliberately pull it out, but a faint, tingling demonic energy subtly traced down my shoulders.
'...Like a cat with its hackles raised.'
To me, that was exactly the impression she gave,
But to Moyong Hee-a, she must have looked somewhat threatening, as she snorted, turned her back, and entered her carriage.
-I'll visit you next time.
That was all she left behind.
Nangong Bi-a, who was watching Moyong Hee-a's back,
Only then seemed to feel relieved, softly approaching me and stopping quietly by my side.
"What's with that satisfied expression?"
"...I... won..."
Puffing up as if she had won some great battle was secretly somewhat cute,
But unlike that, I had absolutely no idea why they were having such a battle of wills.
'Maybe it's because they both give off a cat-like vibe...'
It was roughly similar.
If I had to be specific, Moyong Hee-a gave off more of that feeling.
"That aside, are you..."
"...debt..."
"No... Never mind. It's nothing."
I was about to ask if she really was okay with following me,
But I clamped my mouth shut.
Because I remembered Nangong Bi-a had previously said she didn't want me to ask such questions.
Unlike the Moyong Family's carriage,
Nangong Bi-a hadn't made any particular preparations.
Whether Nangong Bi-a had given separate instructions,
There were no separate people from the Nangong Family at the Gu Family.
I heard there were a few servants or people managing Nangong Bi-a separately,
'But they don't seem to actually follow her around.'
She mostly slept around my quarters,
And our servants had gotten used to it, even managing Nangong Bi-a along with us.
Nangong Bi-a herself had a docile... vacant personality,
And didn't really pay attention to her surroundings,
So even if a servant made a mistake and caused a small problem, she'd probably just let it slide,
Making her quite an easy person to manage from the servants' perspective.
"Even so, didn't you really prepare too little?"
"...Hm?"
A few sets of martial uniforms.
A spare sword.
And the ornaments I gave her.
That was all Nangong Bi-a had packed.
"Food... won't they give it to you there?"
"They'll probably give it, but... usually you have to get it yourself."
"I... eat the dropped ones too."
"Please don't eat things like that..."
Is this kid really a bloodline of a prestigious family?
It's weird enough that words like 'prestigious family' or 'bloodline' are coming out of my mouth,
But Nangong Bi-a felt particularly severe in this regard.
A feeling that she had neither great interest nor attachment to the world.
'It's gotten better lately, though.'
She seems to take walks often.
Eats her meals well.
It gave off a strong feeling that she was different from the demonic cultist of my past life who lived obsessed with the sword and slaughter.
'That's enough.'
Yes, that's enough.
Hoping for anything else would be strange.
"From the middle onwards, the carriage won't be able to enter, so we'll have to send it back. Go get some sleep first."
Hearing my words, Nangong Bi-a gave a slight yawn and boarded the carriage.
Indeed, from the halfway point, the terrain was such that carriages couldn't enter, so we had to walk.
It would be better to conserve as much stamina as possible until then.
Because the terrain was an absolute mess.
"Young Master."
"Hmm? Ah, Mu-yeon..."
I was about to greet him and ask when he arrived, but I stopped mid-sentence when I saw Gu Jeol-yeop standing behind him.
'That guy...'
Gu Jeol-yeop was wearing a martial uniform quite different from his usual clothes.
It wasn't the uniform worn by the bloodline of the Gu Family,
But the uniform worn by the Sword Squad belonging to the Gu Family.
Seeing that, I asked Gu Jeol-yeop,
"Are you really going? Like that?"
"Yes."
A firm voice.
It was as if he had firmly made up his mind.
"...Alright."
Other words came to mind,
But I didn't bother saying them and just gave a curt nod.
If he had decided to find his own path and made his resolve,
I had no right to nag him about it.
At my words, Gu Jeol-yeop slightly bowed his head.
I didn't know what kind of choices and thoughts Gu Jeol-yeop would find after following me all the way to the frontlines,
But if I were to wish for just a little, it's that he makes a choice he feels is right for himself.
Only then would I not have to kill him.
"Mu-yeon."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Why are you going?"
"...Pardon?"
"You don't have to follow me."
Mu-yeon was strictly my escort,
But there was no need for him to go out of his way to follow me to the frontlines.
With his martial prowess reaching the peak at such a young age, the period he was active in the Gu Family could be acknowledged,
So if Mu-yeon wanted, he might even be able to join the First Sword Squad.
'Though I don't know if the Third or Fourth Sword Squad would just stay quiet.'
Anyway, there was no need for him to stubbornly stay in the escort squad and keep supporting me.
Did my words sound funny?
Mu-yeon rarely covered his mouth and smiled.
"Why are you laughing?"
Making a person feel bad.
"...Ah, it's nothing. I just didn't expect the Young Master to say such a thing..."
"What's so wrong with what I said?"
I said it out of concern, what's so funny?
"...I have no intention of leaving the Young Master's side."
"Are you crazy...?"
"Pardon?"
"If you've skimmed enough off the top, you should think about going to a better place. How much more are you going to take?"
It would be better to stop being an escort and slowly start climbing the hierarchy as a martial artist.
For someone with as much talent as Mu-yeon, that would be better.
However, Mu-yeon seemed to think differently and spoke up.
"Right now, there is more for me to learn by the Young Master's side."
"...."
This guy is definitely not normal either.
You're going to learn something from me when there's nothing to learn?
'Is he really crazy?'
I seriously thought about giving him a vacation.
As I tried to pull away from Mu-yeon with a look of disgust,
"I don't know about anything else, but you certainly seem to have good fortune with people."
"...When did you arrive?"
A massive hand gently wrapping around my shoulder, and a heavy voice.
"Tsk tsk... I was just passing by and stopped in."
It was Elder Yi, whose body had almost fully healed.
"Why do you always say you were just passing by every day?"
"Well, if this old man was lying down, I wouldn't have come to visit, would I?"
"That's true, but..."
"When this old fogey drags his aged body all the way here, you should at least say 'Thank you!'...! Instead, you're just nitpicking my words. Tsk tsk..."
"I feel a headache coming on as soon as I see you, Elder."
"Should I cure it for you? This old man is quite good at that too."
"That's not a cure, that's violence. Put your fist down."
He's telling me to punch him at the drop of a hat.
Where exactly is the old man in him...? He's still terrifying.
"You said you'll be gone for a year; if you're anxious, should this old man go with you?"
"No, I don't need the Elder or anyone else, so please, I just want to go alone."
"Tsk tsk, what big dreams you have."
How is wanting to go alone having big dreams?
"...Enough. I'll be going now too."
"Are you sulking?"
"I am not sulking."
Continuing the conversation only made my head feel more compressed.
Ah, my head hurts...
As I was pondering whether to clutch my head,
Elder Yi brought up something else.
"Yang-cheon."
"Yes..."
"Have you talked to Yeon-seo?"
"Pardon?"
Gu Yeon-seo, out of nowhere.
I didn't quite know what the Elder meant by that.
However,
"...Well, I did try to meet her."
I made an effort to go see Gu Yeon-seo separately.
Of course, I couldn't meet her.
"It seemed she had no intention of seeing my face."
"...Hmph."
I heard from Gu Ryeong-hwa that she meets with her,
But she seems to be avoiding meeting me.
'We'll meet eventually. Whatever.'
I wasn't in a rush either,
So I figured we'd meet later and decided to just wait and see for now.
For reference.
Right after Gal-hyeok left with Shin-ui,
Gu Ryeong-hwa looked somewhat drained.
They must have been quite close.
'Hyeok should have talked with his older brother before leaving.'
Unfortunately, they didn't get to talk properly.
It was truly a shame.
"...Hmm? I sense some killing intent from somewhere."
Elder Yi stroked his thick shoulder with his massive palm.
As if he got goosebumps.
"Come to think of it, Ryeong-hwa didn't come out."
"She's probably sleeping."
I could tell she'd come crying early in the morning, asking where I was going again,
So I put her to sleep with acupressure.
I figured it was better to at least let her sleep.
'It's a bit of a cheap trick, but...'
I'll just buy her a gift later to make up for it.
By the time I return in three years, Gu Ryeong-hwa might really not be here.
I also sent a letter saying the Sword Empress was on her way back.
She'll probably leave for Mt. Hua as soon as she arrives.
"I'll be going now too."
"Alright, come back without getting hurt."
"Elder, you should be careful too. Don't get hurt again... Ah, wait! I told you not to try and hit me!"
"...Hee-bi will be waiting a lot for your return. She has been very much looking forward to training with her younger brother."
"That's truly information I didn't want to hear."
"And this."
Seeing the letter Elder Yi casually took out, I immediately growled.
"...What? Why are you reacting like that?"
"What are you trying to give me this time? Please don't. That."
Recalling how every time the Elder gave me something, it brought about a chain of disasters like an exploding bomb,
I genuinely intended not to accept it this time.
"You're not going to accept it?"
"I don't know what else you've hidden inside, so how can I accept it trusting you, Elder?"
This time I absolutely won't accept it even if I die...
"Even if it's about Seol-ah?"
"...."
I had that thought, but I figured I could let it slide just this once.