3.
‘This is truly useful.’
Although unlike the lightness art he had wanted, it was a skill specialized only for charging forward, but with this alone, it seemed he could increase the might of his Samjae Swordsmanship several times over.
“Let’s go!”
At Ganho’s shout, Wicheonsaeng ignored the young man and began to run.
“I said you can’t go!”
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The blades of the young man and Gu Jangwon clashed.
“I do not wish to take your lives. If you do not wish to end up like the transport unit···”
“So that was it. As expected, it was your doing.”
The young man had mentioned the transport unit to break Gu Jangwon’s will, but instead it ignited Gu Jangwon’s fighting spirit.
* * *
“I see them. Right?”
At Wicheonsaeng’s words, Ganho answered by pulling an arrow from the quiver at his thigh and nocking it on his bow. Ganho was the finest archer Wicheonsaeng knew.
—Thwip!
The arrow flying through the wind precisely aimed for the backs of those fleeing. But the woman running while supporting an injured man drew her sword and knocked the arrow aside.
‘She deflected an arrow with her back turned? And while running, at that?’
Wicheonsaeng looked at Ganho with a surprised face. Then Ganho also shrugged with an expression of exasperation.
‘Perhaps the Squad Leader was wrong.’
The Squad Leader seemed to think the young man he was facing was the strongest among them, but the martial prowess of the woman who had knocked aside the arrow seemed no less than the young man’s.
“To shoot an arrow at someone’s back! Have you no sense of propriety whatsoever!”
At the woman’s words, Wicheonsaeng sneered. It was nonsense not worth answering. Not that he had stopped in his tracks for such words in the first place, and Ganho shot a second arrow.
“How can you be so lacking in martial virtue!”
This time too, the arrow was deflected by the sword the woman swung.
“This is enough to hurt one’s pride.”
“I don’t think they’re an opponent to worry about pride with.”
“True enough.”
At Wicheonsaeng’s words, Ganho quickly agreed. She was an opponent who swung her sword to knock aside arrows. There was no leisure to care about things like pride.
‘This is not an opponent we can subdue unharmed.’
Wicheonsaeng gauged the woman’s skill and sent a hand signal toward Ganho. Ganho was momentarily flustered but nodded upon seeing Wicheonsaeng’s gaze.
“I’m going.”
Wicheonsaeng suddenly sprinted to the side. When the positions of the woman, Ganho, and Wicheonsaeng formed a triangle, Wicheonsaeng changed direction and charged at the woman.
“Can you not even gauge the difference in strength!”
The woman revealed anger but could not charge to meet him. She was mindful of Ganho, who was aiming his bow.
If she moved, the injured person might be attacked. Her expression and actions both revealed that.
‘She definitely lacks real combat experience compared to her martial arts. Perhaps this is worth trying.’
This was precisely why Wicheonsaeng had deliberately widened the distance to form a triangle before charging again.
‘Will this work?’
When Wicheonsaeng reached a suitable distance, he steadied his breath and unfolded the Gungsin Tanyeong he had acquired moments ago.
“Gungsin Tanyeong?”
She had thought him an ordinary foot soldier. In fact, when they had raided the transport unit, there had been no one capable of using martial arts.
A small fluster and the burden of having to protect someone made her already lacking real combat experience stand out even more.
‘This is possible!’
In an instant, several exchanges occurred, and Wicheonsaeng realized there was no killing intent in the woman’s sword. The woman’s sword was astonishingly precise and supple. With only slight movements of her wrist, an unpredictable, dizzying array of sword paths blossomed.
Wicheonsaeng was nearly dazzled by the brilliant swordplay he was seeing for the first time in his life, but he barely managed to continue the exchange. That was solely because the woman could not concentrate fully on Wicheonsaeng.
‘It’s not just Ganho’s arrow she’s wary of. Right! There was one more person, wasn’t there?’
Besides the injured person and the youth supporting him, there should have been one more. Wicheonsaeng swung his spear against the woman’s sword while not letting his guard down.
And just then, the man hiding in the bushes waiting for an opportunity moved to throw a stone. Wicheonsaeng did not miss that small movement.
—Rustle!
At the same time as the rustling of the bushes, a stone flew! But Wicheonsaeng, who had already anticipated it, performed the Seoninjiro to widen the distance from the woman, lowered his stance to dodge the stone, and simultaneously charged at the man.
“Hiiik!”
Could it be he hadn’t thought Wicheonsaeng would so easily dodge the stone and charge at him? The man’s face was dyed with shock.
“N-no!”
The woman cried out urgently, but just then an arrow shot by Ganho caught her foot.
—Thwack!
In the end, Wicheonsaeng’s spear penetrated the man’s abdomen. Perhaps due to the added acceleration, the strike possessed such force that the spear shaft seemed about to break.
“Kkugh···”
Wicheonsaeng paid no heed to the man who had died in a single blow and with an impassive expression took the sword the man had been wearing. It was not a sword an ordinary peasant would possess. A military sword bearing the mark of the Imperial Army.
It was surely the sword the commander of the transport unit they had raided had used.
“This is quite useful.”
Wicheonsaeng swung the sword vertically and horizontally with a satisfied expression, then once again stood before the woman.
“H-how can you kill someone so indifferently?”
“Didn’t you all kill as well?”
“We didn’t! There are injured people, but everyone was tied up in the warehouse!”
“Is that so?”
Wicheonsaeng answered as if surprised. But that was all. Rather, he found it curious why they hadn’t killed them. It wasn’t as if their crime of seizing military grain would be forgiven just because they were alive···
“We only needed a little medicine and food.”
Tears streamed down the woman’s cheeks.
‘She’s crying.’
‘So she is.’
Wicheonsaeng and Ganho had already experienced too many deaths. The act of mourning with tears felt terribly unfamiliar to them.
“At first we begged. Please, just share a little··· This all happened because the greedy official here requisitioned all the grain. Did you even properly look at the villagers? They were all on the verge of starving to death!”
It was a desperate cry, but in Wicheonsaeng’s mind as he watched, there was only the thought of how he could exploit this opening.
“I won’t forgive you!”
Before Wicheonsaeng, who had been waiting for an opening, could act, the woman swung her sword. Like before, it was a soft arc, but the momentum was quite different.
However, the higher the martial art, the more it is affected by composure. The sharpened momentum was fierce, but conversely, its precision fell.
‘This is the chance!’
Wicheonsaeng intuitively felt that now was the moment to settle this. Each time the swords crossed, an ear-piercing metallic clamor rang out. Perhaps because she was swayed by emotion, even her sword paths became muddled?
Wicheonsaeng, who was clearly a level below, began to catch up to her sword. While the change of weapon from spear to sword also played a part, it was largely because Wicheonsaeng’s eyes began to penetrate her sword paths.
“Hup!”
As he transmitted explosive force throughout his body through his breathing, he simultaneously sent the prearranged signal to Ganho with his empty hand.
—Swish!
Ganho fired two arrows at the same time. One aimed at the woman, and the other aimed at the injured person.
“C-cowardly!”
The woman cried out in shock and hurriedly swung her sword. Ganho couldn’t close his gaping mouth at the skill of deflecting two arrows simultaneously. But that was all.
‘She’s caught!’
Using the explosive force gained through his breathing, Wicheonsaeng instantly closed the distance and brought down his Taesan Apjeong as if to split her in two.
—Clang!
But even this was blocked. Even so, Wicheonsaeng did not panic. It had been a feint from the start. With a skillful wrist movement, Wicheonsaeng rode down the woman’s sword, and his second attack finally tore open the woman’s abdomen.
“H-how can you··· the Nakhwa Sword···”
The woman collapsed with an expression of disbelief. The wound was not shallow. But even so, Wicheonsaeng deliberately raised his sword. He had to finish her for certain. That was how dangerous of an existence the woman was.
He knew well that his victory was ultimately the result of various strokes of luck, including Ganho.
“G-Great Hero! Please, spare her life at least. Is the victor not already decided!”
The youth who had been beside the injured person ran over and knelt before Wicheonsaeng, pleading.
“He’s right. The victor is decided, so there’s no need to kill her.”
Even Ganho chimed in supporting the youth.
“This woman is much stronger than us. She’s dangerous.”
“Did you forget the orders we received? We were told to recover the military grain and capture the ringleaders. If we kill them all, we’ll face an investigation instead, you know. Those above always want scapegoats.”
In truth, it was because taking them alive promised a greater reward.
“Perhaps so.”
Wicheonsaeng wore an expression of understanding and this time picked up the woman’s sword. He had no eye for swords, but even so, he could tell it was a superior item unlike any he had seen before.
—Ting!
When he flicked the blade with his finger, a clear metallic sound rang out.
“You’re planning to take that?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“It’s not that you can’t, but you’d better wrap it in cloth. It stands out too much.”
He would have to submit the commander’s sword as evidence anyway. This fight had made one thing certain. Samjae Swordsmanship was a sword art. Using it substituted with spear techniques had been inefficient.
“Meaning you’ll keep it a secret?”
“Of course. In exchange, I’ll take this.”
Ganho took out a money pouch from the woman’s bosom.
“Tch, a bill of exchange. It’ll be hard to convert to cash immediately.”
Ganho smacked his lips regretfully.
“If they had money, why did they insist on pillaging military grain?”
“Are there any places around here with food worth selling? Everyone’s been bled dry by officials and is starving all the same. Besides, it’s impossible to feed that many mouths with just this much.”
At Ganho’s words, Wicheonsaeng nodded in understanding. He was used to wracking his brain to seize the advantage, but having enlisted at a young age, he was ignorant of the ways of the world.
“Let’s go back. We took down such a monstrous martial artist together, so we can expect some reward.”
“The Squad Leader didn’t seem to think much of this woman. Won’t the others not know?”
“Right! Damn··· then we’re totally getting left out···”
At Wicheonsaeng’s words, Ganho’s mouth fell agape.
* * *
“Thanks to you, we barely managed to subdue him.”
Looking at the young man collapsed on the floor bound by binding ropes, Gu Jangwon wiped the sweat flowing down his chin.
Even after fighting in a wheel formation with the soldiers, they had two deaths and two injuries. And even then, suppression would have been impossible without Wonil’s talisman.
“Not at all. It is the result of Squad Leader Gu Jangwon’s hard work. This matter is entirely your merit. I will make sure to convey that clearly when I return.”
At Wonil’s words, Gu Jangwon and the soldiers’ expressions brightened considerably. They were usually only accustomed to having their merits stolen.
“Still, I am worried.”
Wonil looked toward where Wicheonsaeng had run off with a worried expression.
“Indeed. But seeing as this one tried to stay behind alone to let the others escape, he must surely have been the strongest.”
“Kehehehe···”
“You’re laughing?”
At the young man’s cold laughter from where he lay collapsed on the floor, everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“You sent merely two foot soldiers and expect them to return?”
“They’re not just foot soldiers. Even after seeing our Cheonsaeng’s talent, who immediately copied your lightness art just now, you still say that? That one is different.”
“Copy··· I don’t know what you mean. Yes, there was one who had learned some martial arts by watching from the sidelines. But so what! My Saje’s swordsmanship is not even comparable to mine.”
“What?”
“You have made a grave mistake. You attacked the daughter and disciples of the Cheonhwa Sword Gate’s sect leader. Can you handle that?”
“Cheonhwa Sword Gate?”
“It is not too late even now. If you promise to release us and not threaten the villagers··· I will also forget this matter.”
The audacity to instead threaten the government army protecting the rivers and mountains of the Divine Dragon Son of Heaven.
This was how martial artists, possessing the supernatural talent known as martial arts, viewed the world.
But to Gu Jangwon, that was not what was important right now.
“You’re saying there’s someone stronger than you among those who fled?”
“Of course! My Saje is younger than me, but the profoundness of her swordsmanship is incomparable. The subordinates you sent are probably already dead. Kahahaha!”
The young man suddenly burst into mad laughter. His laughter, which even felt manic, cast shadows over everyone’s faces with worry for Wicheonsaeng and Ganho. But then.
“I apologize for the delay.”
Just then, Wicheonsaeng revealed himself.
“But why is that one laughing? Has he gone mad?”
Wicheonsaeng asked as he put down the woman he had been carrying on his shoulder.
“S-Saje!”
The young man’s face turned pale.
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────
────────────────────────────────────
What, in one morning?