Chapter 123: You're A Lecher!
[Protagonist's POV]
Something felt off—like her words carried a reluctant "let's call it even since it was our firsts" vibe.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. Well… yeah."
"???"
"Let's just move on. So back then, you both swapped your firsts… but you told the Sword Sovereign to pretend it never happened—said it'd be bad for both of you, right?"
"Ugh…"
Even now, it stung—what a scumbag move. Sure, it wasn't intentional, but saying that to someone who'd sacrificed for his life? The Sword Sovereign's kindness let it slide—anyone else, and a slap would've been deserved, no excuses. He'd braced for it too. Though if she'd hit him, he'd probably be dead.
"…But after saying that, you went and hooked up with Dang Ayeong… and if the Sword Sovereign finds out, you'll get branded a lecher and lose your head—that's it, right?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Why so shy? You are a lecher. Just own it—say, 'I'm a jerk who forgot the grace of saving my life and slept with another woman.'"
"If I admit it, I'm dead!"
"Then who told you to sleep with Dang Ayeong?"
"Argh…"
He felt awful for Dang Ayeong, but that night was his life's worst mistake. Should've stayed off the booze—or whatever—no matter what.
"But you can't undo what's done…"
"Classic scumbag logic."
"It's true, though…"
His brief spark of hope crashed back to rock bottom.
"Help me out… you said you'd counsel me…"
"I said I'd counsel—not fix it for you."
"Come on, after all we've been through?"
"What's 'all we've been through' supposed to mean?"
Her aloof attitude lit a fire in him. He'd held back, not wanting to look childish—especially since they both looked young anyway—but screw it.
"You took my lips too, didn't you?! Brutally! Holding me tight and ravaging me with your tongue!"
"Pfft!"
He dragged up that old incident they'd both silently agreed to bury. Yeosocheon clearly hadn't expected it to come up here—
"T-That wasn't me! It was the Heavenly Earth Spirits!"
"Whoever did it, it was your body! And why would the Spirits do that?! Borrowing someone's body to steal a barely-grown boy's lips—that's the Heavenly Earth Spirits?!"
"Barely-grown?! You think I don't know your body and mind are past twenty?!"
"That's not the point!"
"If we don't set this straight, the world could end in a whole different way!"
No clue why that mattered, but fine—
"Anyway, don't act like we're strangers now! The Sword Sovereign doesn't know about that kiss, right? One wrong move, and we're both toast! Unlike with Dang Ayeong, I'm the victim here!"
"Ugh…"
Exactly—even if it was just lips, this world's conservative streak meant it wasn't something to shrug off. Sure, a guy whining about a woman stealing his lips wouldn't get much sympathy—but this wasn't just anyone—it was the Sword Sovereign.
"Even if you're old war buddies, she wouldn't let it slide!"
"Grr…"
He wouldn't dodge the fallout either, but he had a card to make Yeosocheon sweat too. She wasn't the only one who could corner someone.
"B-But I apologized! Last time, you said I didn't need to take responsibility! And now you pull this?!"
"T-That's…"
Her counterattack caught him off guard—
"I admitted my fault and offered to take responsibility! You turned it down—now you flip like this?! What are you, a gold-digger?!"
"L-Look, it's weird to jump to marriage over one kiss! By that logic, I could grab any girl on the street, kiss her, say I'll take responsibility, and it's all good?!"
"…That might actually work."
"What?"
"N-Nothing."
If outsiders saw them bickering, they'd probably find it cute—both short, youthful-looking—strangers might think it's just kids squabbling. Too bad the conversation was anything but kid-friendly.
"Anyway—since you said you'd help, help me properly! As long as we both keep quiet, the Sword Sovereign won't know about back then."
"…Why do I feel like your mistress all of a sudden?"
"The Sword Sovereign and I aren't exactly lovers, so…"
Saying it out loud, he realized how insane this mess was—slept with the Sword Sovereign, but they're nothing—half-engaged to Dang Ayeong—and some physical tangle with Yeosocheon, however minor.
'…I really can't argue if they call me a lecher.'
Strictly speaking, with Yeosocheon, he was the victim—but the end result? Lecher label fits, no defense. Quantity aside, the quality might outshine some actual lechers—two righteous heroes and the top late-generation Phoenix… If he died and went to hell, the lechers there might give him a thumbs-up. A brief, sad thought crossed his mind.
"…Fine, I'll help. If you really get beheaded by the Sword Sovereign, it'd suck for me too."
"…Would she actually behead me?"
"I'd say fifty-fifty. She's cut off her own sore spots before."
"She's done that?"
"…Yeah, she has."
Yeosocheon shot him a weird look—he couldn't read it.
"So what's the plan? Should we dig up dirt on the Sword Sovereign and blackmail her? Negotiation 101—grab their weakness."
'This is a saintess?'
"That's harsh for someone you're helping."
"You read minds too?!"
"No, it's all over your face."
He scratched his head at her jab, mulling her words—
'The Sword Sovereign's weakness…'
Pondering a more peaceful approach—
"A weakness doesn't have to be big—take what she did to your neck—"
"…My neck?"
She threw out something cryptic. When he asked, confused—
"…Oh. Never mind."
"?"
"Nothing—just a mix-up."
She waved it off like it was no big deal. He didn't get it—but for some reason, his neck tingled faintly.
"Let's skip that and reassess the Sword Sovereign. Hypothetical scenarios—how she'd react to different moves."
"No blackmail?"
"Uh… don't saintesses usually start with peaceful options?"
"Verbal blackmail without violence feels peaceful to me."
'Why's she the saintess?'
Wait—no, in this world, that might be peaceful. People here draw swords at the drop of a hat—by that standard…
'…Yeah, she's downright tame…'
Sighing internally, he nodded—monks and priests here honed martial arts—verbal threats were practically pacifist.
"Anyway… scenarios, right? I've got a good idea."
"What?"
"I'll play the Sword Sovereign. I know her well—it's not hard."
"Play her…?"
"Treat me like I'm her—act it out. I'll respond how she would."
It came out of nowhere—but thinking it over, it wasn't crazy. Not quite besties, but they'd fought back-to-back in war—she might know the Sword Sovereign better than he did. Same gender, similar age(?)—it tracked even more.
"Yeah… you two have a lot in common—could work."
"For some reason, my sword's itching to come out."
"Just your imagination."
"Hmm…"
'I only think it—how's she picking up on it?'
In a world of sharp martial instincts, maybe women's intuition was real here too—
…Wait. Hold up.
"…Hey, I just thought of something to argue with her."
"What?"
"How about the age gap?"
"If you want a ten-out-of-ten shot at beheading, I won't stop you."
"Eek…"
He'd thought it was a decent excuse—guess not.
"You really don't get women. Even if she's older, a woman wants to keep her heart young—and her body is young."
"But seriously, I'm curious—how old are they—"
"You wanna die right here? You don't seem to value your life."
"…"
He was genuinely curious—but not worth his neck, so he buried it deep in his mind. With anyone else, maybe—but Yeosocheon? Age was off-limits. Still, the kind Sword Sovereign wouldn't kill him over an age comment… probably. Better save it as a last resort—
"Where do we start?"
"How about a straight confession? Kneel and beg for mercy."
"Do I need to grovel…?"
"Wait—gimme a sec to prep. Ahem. Hrm."
Yeosocheon cleared her throat—
"Does this fit?"
Her voice sounded eerily like the Sword Sovereign's.
"Whoa—how'd you do that?"
"A trick with inner energy—adjusting my vocal cords. Mimicking voices is easy."
"…Even the speech pattern?"
"Should I drop it?"
"No, keep it—helps immersion."
"Got it."
It was Yeosocheon's face, but the Sword Sovereign's voice and tone—it was so bizarre, he had to stifle a laugh. That petite, youthful figure with her voice and mannerisms—
"Pfft…"
"Don't laugh."