Chapter 24 : Happy Yeonghwa
Screech—
With a clear sound, the silver-white blade revealed itself.
'As expected, it's still this color.'
Only after returning to his room did Namgung Il draw the Thunder Roar Sword for the first time.
Even in its current state, the Thunder Roar Sword boasted an appearance that could be called a masterpiece, but Namgung Il knew well that this was not the true form of the Thunder Roar Sword.
'He said the color of the blade changes according to the achievement of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor's Divine Art, right?'
He was quite surprised when he first saw Namgung Jeongung wielding the Thunder Roar Sword.
It wasn't a rainbow, but it was the first time he had seen a sword blade change colors so vividly.
Perhaps his sword blade would also change in that way as his achievement in the Heavenly Thunder Emperor's Divine Art increased.
'To be honest, the Thunder Roar Sword also made Namgung Jeongung's sword style look more splendid.'
The sword style itself, the Thirteen Lightning Sword Thunders, was a martial art with a lot of flair.
Doesn't the name itself exude that kind of scent?
It was a name that seemed to have gathered all the cool-sounding characters and put them together.
On top of that, with the Thunder Roar Sword, all the female students at the academy at that time couldn't take their eyes off Namgung Jeongung's sword style.
'Yes, a martial art should have some flair like this.'
Of course, he didn't think that the martial arts of the Beggars' Sect were inferior to the sword style of the Namgung Clan in terms of power.
But in terms of coolness, it was a bit...
The representative martial arts of the Beggars' Sect were the Dog Beating Staff Technique and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.
He thought the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms was a pretty cool name, but why on earth was the Dog Beating Staff Technique named that way?
A staff technique that beats like a dog. To be honest, it was by no means a name that sounded cool.
'Well, I don't think it's a badly named name.'
If you see the Dog Beating Staff Technique being performed in person, you will understand why the martial art was named the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
Perhaps it was destined to have that name from the moment the martial art itself was created.
Anyway... Namgung Il felt good that he had learned a martial art whose name he could proudly shout anywhere.
'From now on, I should focus on making these two my own.'
It would probably not be easy, just as it had been until now.
He had been able to make the Azure Sky Sword Style and the Great Expansion Sword Style his own easily, but this brat didn't seem so easy.
Therefore, Namgung Il was even more motivated.
'There's more sense of accomplishment when you achieve something difficult rather than something easy.'
It was the same when he learned the Dog Beating Staff Technique.
At first, he had been beaten like a dog by his master while making the Dog Beating Staff Technique his own.
The sense of accomplishment he felt when he was no longer beaten like a dog by his master later... only those who have experienced it would know.
'It's because of that taste that I can't quit martial arts.'
Feeling a thrill after a long time, Namgung Il sheathed the Thunder Roar Sword.
At that moment, a memory suddenly came to mind.
He had been so engrossed in the new sword style and the Thunder Roar Sword that he had forgotten for a moment, but he had been doing something before he went to the Emperor's Secret Archives.
'Ah, right. I have to finish making the spiritual liquor!'
To think that he had forgotten that important task.
Namgung Il hurriedly got up and went to a corner of the room.
Click—
As he opened the wooden box, a thousand-year-old wild ginseng was placed inside with a beautiful appearance.
As soon as he saw it, Namgung Il's lips twitched again.
Any martial artist would have no choice but to smile like this just by looking at a spiritual medicine.
'If I drink infused liquor with this pretty thing... Wow, my mouth is watering just imagining it.'
Namgung Il wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and looked around the room.
He was sure he had told Yeonghwa to move the jar of liquor here.
A moment later, Namgung Il belatedly realized that something was strange.
"...?"
Was he seeing things?
No matter how much he looked around the room, he couldn't find anything that looked like a jar, so Namgung Il rubbed his eyes and looked around the room again.
'...Why isn't it here?'
As expected, he wasn't seeing things.
In the first place, there was no reason why he wouldn't be able to find a jar in his room.
That meant that either Yeonghwa hadn't moved the jar here, or the jar had disappeared from his room for some other reason.
'First... I should go see Yeonghwa.'
The possibility of someone taking the jar that was in his room was low.
Thinking so, Namgung Il decided to call Yeonghwa first and hear the whole story.
"Yeonghwa!"
"..."
"Yeonghwa!"
Namgung Il called out Yeonghwa's name at the top of his lungs.
But all that came back was silence.
Since there was no reaction even after calling so much, Namgung Il couldn't help but think that something was strange.
'What is it?'
No matter how late it was at night, Yeonghwa's room was right next to his.
So there was no way his voice hadn't reached her.
Just then, Namgung Il suddenly remembered what had happened when he returned to the Blue Sky Pavilion.
'Come to think of it, Yeonghwa wasn't there when I came back.'
Usually, when he came back, Yeonghwa always showed her face.
But just now, thinking about it, weren't only the maids visible?
He hadn't paid much attention at the time, but thinking about it now, it seemed strange.
"..."
Since there was no reaction no matter how much he called her name, Namgung Il finally got up.
At that moment, a person opened the door and appeared.
He had thought that Yeonghwa had arrived late, but the person who opened the door and appeared was not Yeonghwa, but one of the maids of the Blue Sky Pavilion.
"Y-young Master. Did you call!"
The maid, who seemed to have run in a hurry, was saying so in a somewhat urgent voice.
Why did that maid appear instead of Yeonghwa?
Namgung Il, with that question in mind, said to the maid.
"Where's Yeonghwa?"
"Ah! Th-that's... She suddenly felt unwell and is resting in her room now!"
"She's unwell?"
"Yes! So if you have any errands, please tell me!"
"..."
Yeonghwa had been fine until just before he went to the clan head's residence.
But she had gotten sick in the meantime?
Although he thought it was strange, Namgung Il thought it could be possible and said to the maid.
"Then is Yeonghwa lying in her room now?"
"Pardon? Ah... yes."
"I see."
Namgung Il said and strode forward.
The maid was flustered at the sight.
As the maid blocked his path, Namgung Il had no choice but to stop.
"Wh-where are you going, Young Master!"
"I'm going to see Yeonghwa."
"Didn't I just say she's lying down because she's unwell? So if you have any errands, please tell me..."
"It's fine to just check on her, isn't it?"
Namgung Il said and stepped aside the maid and started walking again.
But the maid blocked his path again.
At this point, Namgung Il couldn't help but feel that something was suspicious about the maid's behavior.
"Why are you trying to go there!"
"Why, is there a reason I can't go?"
"The sickness might spread to you, Young Master! Yeonghwa-nim also said not to let the Young Master into her room because of that..."
"It's fine. My body is strong."
Namgung Il said and stepped aside again and started walking.
And the maid blocked his path again like a flash.
As if he had expected it, Namgung Il quickly moved his feet, avoided the maid, and passed through the door in one go.
"Uh...!"
As Namgung Il passed her and went through the door, the maid's face turned pale, and she chased after Namgung Il.
But it was impossible for a mere maid to keep up with Namgung Il's movements.
In the end, Namgung Il was able to arrive in front of Yeonghwa's room.
Creak—
As he opened the door, he could see Yeonghwa lying on the blanket inside.
Her face was flushed red, as if she were really sick, just as the maid had said.
But Namgung Il immediately realized that something was strange.
'Wait... what is this smell?'
It was a familiar and often smelled scent.
No... it can't be.
To find out for sure, Namgung Il approached the lying Yeonghwa.
"Young Master!"
The maid came into the room late.
But Namgung Il was already sitting next to Yeonghwa with a stiff expression.
Seeing that, the maid was so shocked that she began to tremble like an aspen tree.
"...Let me ask you one thing."
"...!"
"Why does Yeonghwa's body reek of liquor like this?"
It wasn't just a little.
The whole room reeked of liquor, like a stubborn stain.
And that flushed red face was also due to liquor, not a fever.
In other words, Yeonghwa was not sick now, but had passed out drunk.
"I-I'm sorry!"
In the end, the maid knelt down and begged Namgung Il for forgiveness.
For the dedicated maid of a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan, of all people, to be so drunk that she couldn't control herself.
She had hidden that fact until now because she thought that if it were discovered, not only Yeonghwa, but also the other maids, including herself, would be reprimanded.
"When I found her, she was already passed out in the kitchen like that!"
"What happened to the jar that was there?"
"...Pardon?"
"There must have been a jar of liquor in the kitchen. What happened to it?"
In fact, the most important thing for Namgung Il was that jar.
Smelling the liquor reeking from Yeonghwa's body now, it didn't seem like she had only had one or two drinks.
Although he had made the liquor with plenty to spare, Namgung Il was already feeling an unknown sense of foreboding.
"It was all empty!"
"...All of it?"
"Yes..."
"..."
At that moment, Namgung Il felt a throbbing in his head and put a hand to his forehead.
To think she had drunk all the liquor that was there.
Looking at the smell reeking in the room now, he had expected it to some extent... but hearing that it was all empty, a sigh naturally escaped his lips.
'I entrusted the fish to a cat.'
He should have known when she was licking the bowl like a dog.
No, this could also be said to be his fault.
He had forgotten for a moment the addictive nature of his liquor because he had made it after a long time.
'Hah... it can't be helped.'
It was all because he had made the liquor too delicious.
If he had to blame someone, he should blame his own skills.
He was the one who had offered the liquor to Yeonghwa first, so he couldn't just blame it all on Yeonghwa.
'It's actually a relief.'
If the liquor Yeonghwa had drunk was the infused liquor with the thousand-year-old wild ginseng, he wouldn't have been able to just let it go like this.
Because it would be impossible to make it again in the first place.
If he thought of it as having prevented such a disaster from happening in advance, he would be able to let it go with a good feeling.
And...
"Heheng—"
"..."
Seeing her smiling so happily, he didn't even feel like saying anything more.
And anyway, even if he didn't scold her, she would pay for her sins on her own.
If she had drunk all the liquor in the jar so foolishly, there would probably be a huge aftereffect when she woke up tomorrow morning.
"Yes, laugh a lot now."
Because you won't be able to laugh like that the next day.
She would probably have to lie down like a half-corpse all day because of a hangover she had never experienced before.
Headache, stomachache, thirst.
Those three would form a trio and constantly turn her stomach upside down.
No matter how good a medicine was, anything in excess was not good.
"Heheng— I'm sorry... It's so delicious, Young Master... hiccup—"
Still, at this moment, Yeonghwa was happy.