Chapter 49
Chapter 49
“I'm sorry, Master Seo. I don’t know why either. The moment I saw you, I suddenly felt overwhelmed and started crying.”
Upon hearing those words, Seo Mugyeom smiled.
Seo Mugyeom had already noticed that Ak Seol-ah’s emotions had been unstable lately. And he could also tell that she was trying hard to explain something she herself didn’t understand.
“Shall we take a walk?”
When Seo Mugyeom asked, Ak Seol-ah felt apologetic.
“You should be training, but I keep bothering you. I’m fine, so please continue your training. Can I just watch you?”
Seo Mugyeom looked at her, wondering if that was truly alright.
“I really am fine.”
When Ak Seol-ah said that, Seo Mugyeom nodded. But even then, he couldn’t resume training right away. After a moment, he looked at her as if he had a good idea.
“Young Mistress Ak, how about I teach you swordsmanship? You are the daughter of a martial family, so you must know at least a little martial arts, right?”
Ak Seol-ah looked surprised at him. What he said was true. However, both her father and older brother had never actively taught her martial arts. The training process was painful, and they had hoped she would live a different life instead of becoming a martial artist.
She herself hadn’t insisted on learning because she didn’t want to go through such pain. But recently, she’d felt some regret. Watching Ju Jirang, she had started to think it would be good if she, too, could learn martial arts and cultivate, protect herself, and help others.
She even felt envious whenever she saw the warriors of the Tenth Division listening to Ju Jirang attentively, trying to learn anything they could from her. Especially when Ju Jirang spoke to Seo Mugyeom as an equal—it made her envy burn even more.
While she merely stood under Seo Mugyeom’s protection, Ju Jirang stood on equal footing with him.
“Do you think I can do it?”
When Ak Seol-ah asked, Seo Mugyeom smiled.
“If it's you, I'm sure you’ll do well.”
“Then I’d like to learn.”
“Good. Let’s start right away.”
Seo Mugyeom thought the wooden sword he used would be too heavy and long for her.
“Let’s just use this for now. Next time, I’ll carve a new one and make it lighter for you.”
“Yes, Master.”
Ak Seol-ah looked motivated. Just the thought of doing something together with Seo Mugyeom made her happy—and even more so because it was something that could help her in the future.
Since Seo Mugyeom didn’t know how much she already knew, he started with the basic sword techniques.
Ak Seol-ah knew nothing, but Seo Mugyeom thought that might be for the best. If she were a completely blank slate, it would be much easier to draw something new upon it.
At first, Ak Seol-ah felt embarrassed by how little she knew, and her face turned red. But she soon realized there was no need to feel that way.
“From now on, try each of these movements two hundred times. I’ll be training beside you, and if I see anything wrong, I’ll correct it.”
“Is that all I need to do?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
As soon as Ak Seol-ah started, Seo Mugyeom’s flood of nagging began.
Her arm was dropping, her stance was off—things like that.
During the two hundred repetitions, it felt like she received about five hundred corrections. Sweat was dripping down her entire body, and she looked like she might collapse at any moment. But amidst all that, she felt a sense of accomplishment.
She thought no matter how hard it was for her, it couldn’t be harder than what everyone else here had already gone through. She gritted her teeth and endured, thinking that from now on, she would change her own destiny.
Seo Mugyeom had already liked Ak Seol-ah, but seeing her push herself with such determination made him admire her even more.
As they trained together, Seo Mugyeom began telling her about the Divine Martial Sect and the Guardian Ten Division. He wanted to prepare her in advance so she wouldn’t feel uneasy when they arrived at the Divine Martial Sect.
In the midst of their conversation, the topic of the physicians at the Medical Office came up, and from there, the story of Gwei.
He was explaining how large the Divine Martial Sect was, and how it was structured, in response to Ak Seol-ah’s questions.
He said the medical skills of the Divine Martial Sect were excellent, and though the other physicians were highly skilled, Elder Gwei was said to be able to save even those on the brink of death.
While telling that story, Seo Mugyeom recalled something he had forgotten.
The Blood Demon Seal that Gwei was crafting.
And the fact that he had volunteered for dangerous missions to become the bearer of that seal.
One memory after another surfaced. As he thought about it, an involuntary smile formed on his lips. Ak Seol-ah had no idea why Seo Mugyeom suddenly smiled at that moment.
The truth was, Seo Mugyeom was starting to think that he might no longer strive to become the Blood Demon Seal bearer.
He had originally wanted to become one because, without receiving that great technique, there was no future for him. But after he unknowingly obtained a miraculous encounter, he began to covet the physique of the Blood Demon Seal bearer. If he could add that body to his opportunity, he thought he might be able to avoid the destruction of the Divine Martial Sect.
If he couldn’t change that fate, he would end up losing all his comrades in the Tenth Division again. He didn’t want to go through that ever again.
That was why he had sprinted toward the goal of becoming the Blood Demon Seal bearer.
But now, he no longer wanted to.
He wanted to treasure himself a bit more.
Even if he didn’t gain the body of the Blood Demon Seal bearer, he no longer felt like he was worthless. He felt that even in his current state, he might be able to prepare for that day.
He also began to fear that if he risked his life to become the Blood Demon Seal bearer, he might actually die. Just because he wanted it didn’t mean he could perfectly walk that fine line.
If he hadn’t met Ak Seol-ah, he might have done everything he could for the Divine Martial Sect and faced death without regret. But now, he didn’t want that anymore.
Now, he had desires. He wanted to be happy, to build a family, to raise a child who resembled him.
He had never even dared to dream of such things in his past life—but now, he wanted them.
“I’d like to meet him too.”
Ak Seol-ah said. As she listened to Seo Mugyeom speak, her vague fear of the Divine Martial Sect was gradually disappearing.
On their return to the Divine Martial Sect, they were not attacked again.
Because of that, Pyo Inhaeng became even more certain that the previous attacks had been aimed at Ak Seol-ah.
After traveling diligently, they were finally a day away from reaching the Divine Martial Sect.
Seo Mugyeom was summoned by Pyo Inhaeng and went to see him.
Everyone was preparing for camp and had set up tents, and Seo Mugyeom entered the tent of the Division Leader.
“Come in.”
Pyo Inhaeng poured him tea from the teapot.
Seo Mugyeom assumed the Division Leader wanted to discuss matters following their arrival at the Divine Martial Sect.
He found it odd that Ju Jirang and Ho Jo-yeong weren’t called as well, but he figured it must be because Pyo Inhaeng had something specific to say.
“What do you think about the ones targeting the Ak Clan?”
“Are you asking about the group Jang Doosan belonged to?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know. There’s not a single clue, so I don’t even know where to start.”
Pyo Inhaeng nodded as if he expected that answer.
“Why do you think the attacks stopped after Jang Doosan died?”
“Perhaps because they believed Young Mistress Ak was dead?”
“Yes. I thought the same. Then why do you think they believed she had died? Who would’ve told them that?”
Seo Mugyeom stared blankly at Pyo Inhaeng.
“Do you think the Ak Clan is involved? Are you saying it was an inside job, Division Leader?”
“I know nothing. I’m just asking for your thoughts.”
“Only the Ak Clan knew about Young Mistress Ak’s death, so that’s possible. What surprises me is that the Ak Clan is a bloodline-based clan.”
“That’s not always the case. While it’s true their structure is based on bloodline, they’ve likely brought in masters from outside to bolster their strength. Many martial families operate that way. There are rare cases, like the Sichuan Tang Clan, that stubbornly maintain their insularity—but those are the exceptions.”
Even so, it was a shocking notion.
Seeing that Seo Mugyeom was taken aback, Pyo Inhaeng continued speaking.
“That’s just what I think. It’s not a certainty.”
“Yes, Division Leader.”
“From now on, I believe it’s best to consider all possibilities. That means… it’s best to trust no one. Trust no one but yourself. And doubt everyone you meet. Even if it sounds ridiculous, make the assumption once and think it through.”
“…Pardon?”
That sounded like an extreme leap.
Seo Mugyeom smiled and asked.
“Then should I doubt you too, Division Leader?”
“Yes. You should. Because I’m not you. And the only person you can completely trust is yourself.”
The smile slowly faded from Seo Mugyeom’s face. He realized how serious the Division Leader was.
“You want to protect Young Mistress Ak, don’t you? If you truly intend to protect someone, being simply strong isn’t enough. You’ve already had plenty of real combat experience, haven’t you? You should know how hard it is to fight while protecting someone.”
Seo Mugyeom nodded.
“Now, start doubting. Doubt me. Why is it that I wouldn’t be the one who sent Jang Doosan to kill Young Mistress Ak?”
Seo Mugyeom felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Until now, he had believed that the Division Leader was the one person he could always trust. To be told to suspect someone he had depended on so completely—it felt like being cast into the pitch-black night all alone.
“Division Leader…”
Seo Mugyeom searched for an answer, then suddenly laughed.
This made Pyo Inhaeng look at him curiously.
“What is it?”
“You don’t use the same martial arts as Jang Doosan. Nothing Jang Doosan did resembled your techniques.”
“Even if the martial arts are different, they could have shared the same purpose. Isn’t that enough to band together?”
“You didn’t have the time. You wouldn’t have had time to meet Jang Doosan and give him orders. And when you fought him, you didn’t hold back. You fought with everything you had to avoid dying.”
Pyo Inhaeng nodded.
“Good. Though I don’t think that’s enough reason, continue doubting and searching for answers like that. Don’t trust Ho Jo-yeong or Ju Jirang either. But then again, I’m not too worried. You were the one who suspected Un Jongak when no one else did.”
As he said that, Pyo Inhaeng looked at Seo Mugyeom with a strange sense of curiosity.
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