Chapter 306. A Hero May Be Lustful, But

Truthfully, there had been a few times when I thought being a bodyguard warrior was rather impressive.

Wouldn’t a bodyguard warrior protecting the beautiful daughter of an important family be even more impressive? For example, being assigned to guard the Murim Alliance Leader’s precious only daughter, born to him late in life……

If that were me……

One day, the Alliance Leader would grasp me by the shoulder.

“I trust only you.”

“Yes, Alliance Leader.”

A bodyguard warrior must answer simply and clearly.

A little weighty, and taciturn.

Then I would faithfully carry out my duty of protecting the Alliance Leader’s only daughter, born to him in his later years.

Why?

Because that only daughter would just so happen to be a peerless beauty under heaven, and there might be an old Demonic Cult Leader coveting her, or some wicked lecher boasting the greatest lightness skill in the world who might try to abduct her.

What comes next is a little obvious.

The bodyguard warrior who falls in love with the peerless beauty—that would be me.

And if, while pretending it was coincidence, I inevitably displayed my skills?

It would turn out that the ability I had hidden away was just slightly higher than the Alliance Leader’s.

With that concealed ability, I would save the Murim Alliance from a crisis of absolute peril, and even protect his cherished only daughter.

A man called the pinnacle of bodyguard warriors, the textbook of bodyguard warriors, the very standard of bodyguard warriors.

The Murim Alliance Leader would look at me with moved eyes and make this request.

“Would you become my son-in-law?”

I would answer with a troubled expression and a low, subdued tone.

“Alliance Leader, I strictly separate public and private matters.”

At this point, the Alliance Leader would say something startling.

“What I mean is……”

“Yes.”

“I want you to protect my daughter for the rest of her life.”

“Wow.”

* * *

When I suddenly burst out laughing while walking down the road, everyone looked at me. I couldn’t possibly tell them what had made me laugh, so I made a vague excuse.

“It just suddenly seemed funny. If something’s funny, you should laugh.”

Watching these people simply accept it even when I laughed all of a sudden like a madman made me feel a bit dumbfounded.

Now that I thought about it, the Alliance Leader was not even married yet, so such a fantasy could never happen in reality. Since I had been walking for days on end with four widowers whose circumstances were rather similar to mine, I had inevitably imagined something like this.

I had not gotten to guard the Alliance Leader’s only daughter.

Still, I did end up guarding the Murim Alliance Leader himself, so I supposed that was fortunate in its own way.

It was something I realized while guarding him, but in truth, there was absolutely no need for us to concern ourselves with the Alliance Leader’s protection.

Because the Alliance Leader himself was simply too strong.

It strongly felt as if Im Sobaek had just gotten bored and asked us to come along.

In any case, with the five of us together, we could lay waste to most sects or factions, mountain bandits, river pirates, the demonic path, the black path, unorthodox deviants, or even Daoists.

And there was something I had felt for a long time.

I had yet to see a man who could meet the Sword Demon’s eyes even briefly. Anyone who had learned even a little martial arts feared the Sword Demon greatly, while those who knew no martial arts were especially afraid of the Ghost Demon.

Whenever we entered an inn or restaurant, the workers were particularly respectful to the Ghost Demon.

Thanks to that, we were treated well wherever we went.

Even amid all that, Im Sobaek was not the type to put on airs for no reason, get irritated, or keep his mouth firmly shut, so surprisingly, he conversed quite well even with ordinary people. He was also a man who could very naturally weave questions into the conversation about whether they had any difficulties, or whether anyone was extorting money from them.

Looked at that way, Im Sobaek was fully carrying out the role of Alliance Leader even on the journey back.

Was that why?

Even people who did not know that the man before their eyes was the Murim Alliance Leader showed Im Sobaek ample courtesy. If so, dignity must not be something created by a high position, but something that shines on its own through one’s character, temperament, and the years spent honing oneself.

And so it was an extremely sleepy bodyguard mission, with nothing in particular to do.

Staying a day at an inn, then, when we got hungry, sitting around at some nameless restaurant to eat became our daily routine.

Strangely, as if we had all agreed on it, none of us did any personal training on the journey back.

There was no need to draw a sword.

No one sat cross-legged, saying they would circulate qi and regulate their breathing.

We did not bring up martial arts at all.

Since Im Sobaek tended to choose the topics of conversation, I came to understand that this had been his intention.

Im Sobaek simply seemed to want to walk with us for a long time.

Eat together.

Make pointless jokes.

And occasionally guzzle some alcohol.

It was not a difficult matter, so we did as Im Sobaek wished.

When we started getting tired of buying meals for several days, we took out the bows that had somehow been stuck to our backs since who knew when and went hunting. Since we had already bought seasonings, salt, and alcohol, we sat around in a quiet clearing, butchered the game, lit a fire, grilled the meat, and drank. This, too, had a certain charm of its own.

More than anything, Im Sobaek enjoyed hunting far too much. We had intended to solve just one meal this way and then go into a restaurant to eat, but Im Sobaek, as if he had forgotten the Murim Alliance, took our bows and went hunting at every mealtime.

A thought occurred to me.

‘Do we really have to eat like this?’

The fortunate thing was that the Alliance Leader’s martial arts were outstanding, and his archery skills were close to those of a divine archer, so the hunts did not take very long.

Before we knew it, we were running around some nameless mountain, guarding a hunter.

Damn it……

He liked it so much that we couldn’t even tell him to stop.

But at some point, seeing how much the Alliance Leader enjoyed hunting and grilling meat outdoors made me feel a bit sad inside.

‘He’s enjoying this way too much, isn’t he?’

Now that I thought about it, this man must not have had much rest, vacation, or fun in his life up until now.

I belatedly realized that asking us to serve as his guards had also been intended to get a little distance from the Murim Alliance and briefly escape from his subordinates.

Im Sobaek was fairly good at cooking as well, so he personally butchered the wild boar, grilled the meat, sprinkled it with salt, and distributed it to us.

As we sat around a campfire tearing into meat, we looked no different from mountain bandits.

Im Sobaek wiped the grease around his mouth and said,

“……Wild boar is getting a little tiresome too.”

The Lust Demon replied,

“I’ve been a little tired of it since yesterday.”

Im Sobaek chuckled, then abruptly brought this up.

“When I was young, I don’t know why, but my maternal grandmother helped many people around her.”

“…….”

“There was someone in the neighborhood who was infirm, and she would often bring him food. We weren’t well-off, and even what I had to eat wasn’t exactly plentiful, but on days when she cooked a lot of rice, she would call over layabouts from here and there and feed them. Back then, I thought most grandmothers were like that. When I got a little older, I realized other adults weren’t. She was upright, positive, strong, and admirable. The people who ate at her table back then would later come by steadily, once a year or once every two years, to pay their respects to her. There was a merchant, an older fellow from the next village who worked construction, and someone I didn’t know it at the time, but who later became a man of the gangho.”

Im Sobaek took a sip of liquor and continued.

“Only after a long time had passed did I realize I had been influenced by my maternal grandmother. Like the Sect Leader, I had far too violent a temperament, fought often, and had a rough side, but I never crossed the line. It was because I had watched for so long as my grandmother helped the weak and the hungry. From the start, I couldn’t even imagine myself doing something wicked that crossed that line. You could say my grandmother had clearly drawn a line I could never step over.”

Im Sobaek pointed up at the sky with his finger.

“Because she must be watching me from somewhere.”

We only nodded slightly.

Im Sobaek went on.

“If there is anyone in the gangho who feels even the slightest gratitude toward me, then in truth, they should not be thanking me, but my maternal grandmother. Of course, the world wouldn’t know that. Fortunately, while holding the position of Alliance Leader, I too have been able to help people a little, just as my grandmother did. One day, when I was laid up with a terrible cold, that thought came to me. That my grandmother had truly been a strong person. Sometimes, a foul-tempered grandson raised under someone like that is lucky enough to change his heart and even become the Martial Alliance Leader. Isn’t that right, Mongrang?”

Startled when his name was called so suddenly, the Lecherous Demon answered.

“Ah, yes. Alliance Leader. That is correct.”

The Ghost Demon asked.

“Did you enter the Martial Alliance because of that gangho man who ate at her table back then?”

Im Sobaek nodded.

“In the end, that’s how it turned out. At first, I went to earn money because I heard the pay was so good. I had to add something to a household that had nothing……”

Before our eyes was a man who had gone to the Martial Alliance to earn money and ended up becoming its leader.

Even with only that brief mention, I had the feeling the path there must have been full of twists and turns.

After taking a sip of liquor, the Sword Demon offered his impression.

“……A curious story.”

Perhaps because the Sword Demon had been raised in the environment of the demonic path from birth, it seemed to sound like a curious story to Eldest Brother.

Im Sobaek slowly looked around at us and said.

“Still, since I am inviting you all to the Martial Alliance, I wanted to tell you whom the leader of that place has lived his life respecting. People may think I respect the previous Alliance Leader most, but that is not so. Above him is my maternal grandmother. Was the story boring?”

The Lecherous Demon answered.

“No.”

“Whom do you respect?”

The Lecherous Demon glanced around and answered.

“As for me, of course I respect my master and the Alliance Leader.”

“Why?”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

Im Sobaek seized upon the Lecherous Demon’s attempt to slide past it.

“There must be a reason for you to respect them. Why?”

“…….”

The Lecherous Demon, unusually flustered, could not open his mouth easily. But not only we, but Im Sobaek as well, waited until the Lecherous Demon spoke. Since his attitude made it clear he intended to hear an answer to the end, the Lecherous Demon had no choice but to speak.

“It’s just, well.”

“…….”

“Because he often nags me to become a better man.”

Im Sobaek echoed the Lecherous Demon’s last words.

“Because he does…… what?”

“It must be frustrating for him, but he often says such things to me patiently, so, well, that is why.”

“You mean the Sword Demon, yes? I have never nagged you.”

“That is true.”

Im Sobaek stared quietly at the Lecherous Demon.

“Have you ever thought about why your master waits so patiently for you to change?”

“I’m not sure.”

As he received everyone’s gaze at once, the Lecherous Demon continued to look flustered.

Surprisingly, Im Sobaek was a man who said what needed to be said.

“I heard that Okhwa Palace, which is no different from your maternal home, suffered near annihilation at the hands of the Demon Cult.”

“Yes.”

“It seems your master does not want to see you, a descendant of Okhwa Palace, die a stranger’s death while doing something pointless.”

The Sword Demon said nothing in particular.

Im Sobaek threw a question at the silent Sword Demon as well.

“What were you thinking when you showed such patience toward Mongrang of Baekeungji? I am curious too.”

Was it because he had been making such a fuss with a bow yesterday and today? This time, when the Alliance Leader’s bow took aim at the Sword Demon, even the Sword Demon seemed to have no room to dodge the arrow.

The Sword Demon raised his head with a blunt expression and looked at the Lecherous Demon.

“There is no particular reason, disciple.”

“Yes.”

“Achieve greatness. Your perception is outstanding, so you can reach great heights. Though you have been unable to set your mind because you like women more than martial arts. The day you achieve greatness will come. As for when that will be, I do not know either.”

The Sword Demon suddenly looked at me.

“Lately, at least, you have been dragged around by the Sect Leader and have had no chance to meet women.”

That was true.

The Lecherous Demon smiled slightly and spouted this as if it were a joke.

“……Should I meet women after I achieve greatness?”

“……!”

All of our heads snapped toward the Lecherous Demon at once. With a startled expression, the Lecherous Demon added.

“Ah, it was a joke. The mood was so serious. I tried making a joke.”

Im Sobaek spoke in a solemn tone, as though passing judgment.

“See that you do so.”

The Lecherous Demon asked back.

“Pardon?”

“It is a good mindset.”

“Pardon?”

“Is it not said that a man’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold? To make such a confident promise before the Alliance Leader and your master—what a meaningful day. Sect Leader and Yukhap, did you both hear it clearly?”

“Yes.”

The Ghost Demon nodded with a composed expression.

“I heard it well. I doubt I shall forget it. Fourth’s resolution is deeply impressive. To think he will meet a woman only after achieving greatness. Eldest Brother will finally feel some reward now.”

This was no mere wedge. But I struck the head of that wedge with a war hammer.

“Congratulations on your resolve. Of all the words you’ve spewed until now, those were the most useful.”

Alliance Leader Im Sobaek was no ordinary man either, and suddenly drew his sword and spoke as though carving up the Lecherous Demon.

“There is a saying that heroes are fond of beauty, but judging by what you have been doing, you seemed to have the disposition of indulging in lust first and then trying to become a hero. The order is wrong. Since no one sees you as a hero, for now you are merely a lecher whose martial arts are fairly impressive.”

I chimed in from the side to support the Alliance Leader’s words.

“A lecher. A lecher, that’s what.”

Im Sobaek said it as though he were still throwing punches at the battered lecher.

“You seem to think your skill is on par with the Sect Leader’s right now, but I haven’t seen it for myself, so I couldn’t say. However, the Sect Leader has quite a foul temperament, so he won’t be able to meet most young ladies. If the Sect Leader, having no other choice, focuses solely on training while you go around sniffing after women, can you guarantee that your skills will still be evenly matched three or four years from now?”

Huh……?

What kind of technique was this?

I rubbed my chin as I looked at Im Sobaek, then savored the subtle profundity of the move.

This man was no ordinary person.

While it occurred to me that the Six-Battle Great Sword had not been born for nothing, I also realized that not just anyone could become the Murim Alliance Leader.

Because I couldn’t think of any technique to counter it.

And so, I learned another move today.

To summarize:

A hero may be lustful, but if lust comes first, he is a lecher.

Source: Murim Alliance Leader Im Sobaek.