Murmur.
Amid the tense reactions to my greeting, murmurs began to mix in.
I had merely said hello, so why was everyone acting like this?
Everyone seemed to be breaking into a cold sweat, or the tension already present had grown even more intense.
Damn it.
“Haa….”
Flinch.
Even at my sigh, I could see them reacting.
Seeing that made me feel as though I might let out a sigh I had not even intended to breathe.
‘I haven’t even done anything yet, and it already feels like things are getting twisted.’
I was fairly accustomed to wounds of this sort. Perhaps because it had been a long time since I had received one, but it certainly did not feel pleasant.
‘I was going to treat them decently, if possible.’
Because of what I had done in my previous life, I had considered trying things a little differently this time.
But looking at them now, that seemed impossible.
“People are rather cold for those being greeted so kindly.”
I gave my head a slight dip, then took a step forward.
At the same time, I extended a hand.
With a touch of energy, a chair that had been sitting some distance away came flying toward me, wrapped in invisible force.
Thump-!
I used telekinesis to place the chair in front of me, then dropped into it.
“Good to meet you all. It must have been hard work coming here so early in the morning.”
There was still no answer.
But the atmosphere was better than before.
I surveyed the gathered men with eyes that had sunk low and continued speaking.
“My name is Guyangcheon, and from now on, I’ll be putting you through your paces.”
At my words, I could feel their reactions splitting apart.
On one side, the applicants I had personally selected merely nodded.
And beside them.
Several of the ten men selected and sent by the Alliance displayed discomfort on their faces.
‘Let’s see.’
I looked over each of them one by one, examining their expressions.
My first priority was to see whether there were any familiar faces. The second was to commit them to memory.
‘Their eyes are awfully fresh.’
Perhaps because they had been pulled from their respective units, their dissatisfaction was visible no matter how much they tried to hide it.
Since the new Sword Unit had just been established, they could have been Alliance warriors without an affiliation.
‘As if.’
In my eyes, there was no chance of that.
Every one of them had undoubtedly been sent by their respective units to spy on us.
The difference from what the Twin Rituals Illusory Sword had attempted was that he had secretly slipped his people in among the applicants. This, on the other hand, was being done openly.
From my perspective, this was better.
Secret operations were troublesome to deal with when caught. Open ones were much more comfortable.
“You’ve all heard the details, I imagine…. Ah, if anyone dislikes some young brat suddenly speaking informally, raise your hand. I won’t change the way I speak, but I’ll hear your opinion.”
Naturally, no one raised a hand.
From the moment they entered the Sword Unit—from the moment they joined the Alliance—rank was simply a given.
“Then I’ll assume there are no complaints and continue.”
I pulled a letter from inside my robes.
It was the letter I had received along with the uniform—a sheet containing brief information about the members.
“You’ve probably already heard this from your superiors, but we are not a Sword Unit whose purpose is hunting monsters. You understand that this unit was created solely in preparation for battle against the Unorthodox Faction, correct?”
Their eyes sharpened.
It seemed they had been listening properly.
“I assume you understand that as well….”
Rustle.
Even as I spoke, I read through the letter page by page.
I ignored those whose details I had already memorized and focused only on the men sent by the Alliance.
‘Hmm.’
Three faces were familiar.
Five belonged to men whose names and appearances I had never heard of before.
Two were people whose names alone I knew.
And among them—
‘Four need to be removed.’
I organized the information briefly in my head.
Then I burned the letter in my hand.
Whoosh-!!
When I suddenly set the letter ablaze, startled reactions appeared before me.
I stored those reactions away in my mind as I prepared my next move.
“My introduction hardly seems necessary. And since this doesn’t look like the time for pointless pleasantries, shall we get to the main point now that everyone’s gathered?”
I smiled as I brushed the ashes that had once been the letter from my hand.
I did not release any pressure.
“As you all know, this unit was only incorporated moments ago. That means none of you have an individual rank or position yet, correct?”
Other than me, everyone’s current title was simply that of a Sword Unit member. They had no rank at present.
The same applied to the men sent by the Alliance.
Whatever positions they had held in their former units had been struck from the record upon joining the Seongryongdae.
That was probably the reason for their dissatisfied expressions.
This had also been one of the matters I had agreed upon with Strategist Muk.
“Shall we decide that first?”
I would be assigning their positions myself.
Ordinarily, that was something the unit commander was expected to decide, but this went further and was more explicit.
I intended to ignore even the grades assigned by the Alliance and decide everything however I pleased.
Just as I was about to say so—
Swoosh.
One of them suddenly raised his hand.
He was one of the men sent by the Alliance. When I looked at him, he continued speaking as though he had been waiting for the opportunity.
“I have a question. What you just said—”
“Shut your mouth.”
“…!”
The man flinched and stopped at the interruption.
I lowered my gaze and stared at him.
“I never gave you permission to ask questions, did I?”
I infused my voice with a trace of killing intent, and his throat bobbed.
He seemed to swallow dryly.
“…I-I’m sorry.”
“Name.”
“Pardon?”
“Can’t you understand what I’m saying? Before asking anything, introduce yourself. That’s basic common sense, isn’t it?”
“…I am Jeong Seoljin, a Third-Class warrior.”
A Third-Class warrior.
In terms of cultivation, he was at the First-Class to Peak level, a warrior of the rank primarily responsible for combat.
He was not quite at the level of a deputy commander, but he was strong enough to serve as a squad leader.
I nodded at his answer and said,
“Go ahead. What’s your question?”
“…Commander, I am a Third-Class warrior.”
“Yes, I heard you just now.”
“Then, are you saying that the rank system is to be disregarded, and that the unit will decide its hierarchy autonomously?”
The Alliance had assigned that man the rank of Third Class. It was a fairly high position, so his question was whether such a rank meant nothing within the Seongryongdae.
“No.”
I began by denying it, intending to correct his words.
“Then—”
“It’s a little ambiguous to call it autonomous.”
He seemed to have failed to understand the most important part.
“I’ll decide. You’ll simply accept it.”
Jeong Seoljin’s eyes widened at my words. Apparently, he had not expected me to say it so openly.
“Second Class, Third Class. Even Fourth Class, if you want to rate yourselves generously. I have no interest in any of it.”
The ranks assigned by the Alliance were meaningless.
“Once you’re here, whatever I decide is law.”
“…But…! The Seongryongdae is still a Sword Unit belonging to the Murim Alliance, is it not?”
“So? Are you saying that because you’re Third Class, you want to be treated like a Third-Class warrior?”
“…That was not the intention behind my words, but….”
“What a load of bullshit. Don’t pretend it wasn’t.”
“…!”
At the casually spat-out profanity, the atmosphere instantly sank.
“In the end, you’re whining that you deserve special treatment because of what you’ve done before. Why are you making it so complicated?”
“…”
“You understood the roundabout way of saying it well enough. Are you having trouble understanding what I’m saying?”
I furrowed my brow sharply.
“I have no intention of indulging that sort of thing, so don’t make a spectacle of yourself over your rank. Member Jeong Seoljin, was that really so difficult to understand?”
“…”
“You should answer. The commander asked you a question.”
“…N-No, I… am not.”
He said otherwise, but his expression was about to rot off his face.
Seeing it, I nearly let out a hollow laugh.
‘What a sight.’
Perhaps because I had not yet established discipline, they were already trying to climb over me on the basis of such ridiculous matters.
If I mishandled this, my old temper might surface.
I had to endure it.
Somehow, I had to hold back. But it was not easy.
‘Things really were more comfortable before.’
If someone refused to listen, I only had to make them listen.
If they tried to climb over me, I could tear their arms out so they would never try again. If their eyes displeased me, I could burn them out.
There was nothing simpler or more convenient than crushing someone with power.
‘They’re making the world needlessly difficult.’
Because I wanted to live a life different from the one before, everything had become so difficult.
In the past, I would have pulled out his tongue and made an example of him.
Not being able to do that was infuriating.
“Is there anyone else, like Member Jeong Seoljin, who dislikes my methods?”
I spoke while suppressing my irritation, and someone raised his hand again.
“Yes, you there.”
“Good morning. I am a Third-Class warrior—”
“Member Hyeon Uicheol, was it?”
“…Uh, yes. That’s correct.”
I had mentioned his name without him even introducing himself, and the man’s eyes shook.
“Speak.”
“If rank is not important, then how do you intend to decide the hierarchy…?”
If we were going to ignore what the Alliance had assigned them, what method would we use?
I already had an answer prepared.
“What is there to decide how to decide?”
I moved my stiff neck and pointed to one side with my hand.
It was a slightly empty space within the unit’s grounds.
“There’s a simple way.”
“…What do you mean?”
Whoosh—!!
“Hup!?”
When flames suddenly blossomed from my hand, the men watching them jumped in surprise.
I poured a generous amount of internal energy into the flames, compressing it within them.
Then I casually tossed the fire into the air, where it remained suspended.
“The flames will last roughly two hours. Once that time passes, they’ll die down.”
That was approximately how long it would take for the internal energy to dissipate.
“Decide before then.”
“What?”
“D-Decide what?”
Everyone was filled with confusion.
Seeing their reactions, I added an explanation.
In truth, there was hardly anything to explain.
“Decide among yourselves however you like. Fight it out and decide within the time limit. Have a friendly discussion. Hold a vote. Whatever you want. There is only one order you must carry out before I return.”
I turned my gaze from the flames to the assembled men.
Then I pointed alternately at the two groups with my finger.
“Choose one person from each group to serve as deputy commander. I’ll place whoever you choose in that position.”
“…!”
They were to decide it themselves before the time ran out.
That was the method I had chosen.
“C-Commander?”
“I’ll say it again: rank is meaningless. Whoever you choose—”
I exerted force in my eyes and looked toward a particular place.
I was looking not at the volunteers, but at the Alliance warriors who had been voicing their dissatisfaction since the beginning—especially those who were furious at having been dragged here from their positions.
“Whoever it turns out to be, I’ll place them in the position. So choose carefully.”
With that, I immediately turned my back on them.
They must have had plenty to say, but no questions followed.
Whether they were dumbfounded, unable to understand, or reacting for some other reason, I had no interest in it.
I had given them an order, but they might not obey.
I had not even properly introduced myself, and I had abruptly told them to choose a deputy commander on their own.
They must have wondered whether anything more absurd could exist.
But—
‘They’re all martial artists, anyway.’
They were men steeped in the desire for recognition and honor.
For that very reason, competition would make them easier to handle than anything else.
‘This is better than going to the trouble of establishing discipline myself.’
There was no faster way to put down someone trying to climb over me.
All I had to do was make them point at one another the blades meant for me.
They were setting up a political battlefield for me on their own. Failing to make use of it would be idiotic.
‘Now then. I’ve bought myself some time over there.’
I began walking lightly.
‘Shall I start over here as well?’
My destination was Mukyeon’s residence.
******************
It took roughly half a quarter of an hour to reach Mukyeon.
Fortunately, getting there was not difficult. I had sent word as soon as I arrived in the first place.
“…Commander of the Seongryongdae.”
Mukyeon narrowed his eyes as he looked at me.
“Good morning.”
“You must be busy at this hour. What brings you here on the very first day, leaving your members behind?”
“Ah, I left them to amuse themselves, so things should be fine for the time being.”
“…You left them to amuse themselves?”
Since I had spoken as though I had left a group of children in his care, Mukyeon slightly furrowed his brows.
“They’re spending some time getting to know one another. That’s roughly what I mean.”
“…”
His expression suggested he had a great many questions.
Seeing that, I gave a light cough and said to Mukyeon,
“Ah, right. How is the Commander of the Geumryongdae?”
“According to the physicians, judging by his condition, he should regain consciousness today or tomorrow.”
“That’s a shame.”
“…?”
“I’m joking. Isn’t it fortunate that he’ll be waking up?”
“…”
I had said it was a joke, but he clearly did not believe me at all.
How cruel. It was not as though I were insane. Surely I would not wish for him not to wake up.
‘He needs to wake up so I can torment him more.’
That was right. I could not let things end with merely a few beatings.
He had laid hands on me. I could not let him off so lightly.
“I’m serious. The Commander of the Geumryongdae is essential to proving my innocence.”
“…I see. I understand.”
His eyes said that he neither believed me nor understood me.
That old man was someone whose words and eyes told entirely different stories.
“Why have you sought me out despite being so busy, Commander of the Seongryongdae?”
Even after my sincere words, Mukyeon still did not appear to believe me. But that was not important at the moment, so I let it pass.
“Ah, it’s nothing in particular.”
I took a letter I had prepared in advance from inside my robes and handed it to Mukyeon.
“These are the members I mentioned last time—the ones I wanted to bring in personally. I’ve organized the list.”
“…”
One of the conditions I had negotiated with Mukyeon was that, upon establishing the Seongryongdae and taking the position of commander, I would be allowed to bring a certain number of people into the Sword Unit through my authority, regardless of screening or conscription.
At first, I had asked for eight people, but Mukyeon said that was too many and told me to reduce it to three.
After repeatedly negotiating over the matter, we had settled on five.
Today, I had come to select those five and hand the list to Mukyeon.
And also—
‘How will you react?’
I wanted to see how a man named Mukyeon would respond after looking at this.
Rustle.
Mukyeon slowly turned through the recommendations concerning the five people.
At some parts, he frowned. At others, his eyes flashed with incomprehension.
After turning past four pages, he reached the final one.
“…Huh?”
Mukyeon’s eyes widened like lanterns when he saw it.
Strength entered the old hand holding the letter.
“This….”
A faint tremor entered his voice as he called my name.
Beneath his astonished gaze, I could see the letter he held.
It contained a brief account of a woman’s life.
Among the explanations, which appeared unremarkable enough, there was only one reason Mukyeon had reacted so strongly.
“This woman is truly….”
The final line of the passage describing the daughter of the Piga Clan read:
“This woman is a blood descendant of the Eullyeong Sword Empress…?”)
It stated that the woman was the Eullyeong Sword Empress’s hidden illegitimate daughter.