The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

Namgung Il and Ak Simin were sitting together on a pavilion.

'This persistent brat...'

In the end, Namgung Il had been caught by Ak Simin.

He had been running away for about an hour before he was finally caught.

Although he could have run away further if he had put his mind to it, he had just given up and been caught because it seemed that Ak Simin would follow him all day long if he did.

'I thought he was no ordinary person... but he was more than I thought.'

Although he couldn't say he had done his best, Namgung Il had by no means been running away leisurely.

But for him to have followed him for over an hour.

Although there had been times when he had moved with all his might to get away from Ak Simin in the middle, Ak Simin had eventually appeared in front of him.

'Does that mean he didn't become the class president of the third year for nothing?'

Come to think of it, hadn't Ak Simin noticed when he had secretly cut in line?

He had a vague thought that he would like to properly check Ak Simin's skills later.

"So that's why there was such a commotion in the dining hall from the morning?"

Namgung Il had told Ak Simin the circumstances of what had happened in the dining hall.

After hearing all the stories, when Ak Simin asked, Namgung Il answered with a look of utmost resentment, as if he had been waiting.

"That's right. So rather than it being my fault, it's all the fault of that bug brat named Ak Si-ung!"

"I see."

"...?"

"You can go now."

When Ak Simin said that, Namgung Il was momentarily stunned.

Don't tell me it's already over with this?

As the conversation ended several times faster than the time he had been running away, Namgung Il was even more flustered.

"Is it... over?"

"It's over."

"You're not going to scold me?"

"I just wanted to hear the circumstances from you from the beginning."

If it was like this, why had he been running away for that long time?

If he had known it would end so simply from the beginning, he would not have run away like that.

"I moved hard for an hour because of you from the morning. I'll be able to sleep well during class today."

"..."

Namgung Il looked at Ak Simin, who was saying that calmly, without a word.

Just then, a hungry sound was heard from Namgung Il's stomach.

"I couldn't even eat breakfast because of you, senior. How are you going to take responsibility?"

"You're the one who ran away. But why should I take responsibility?"

"Didn't I run away because you said something about a lecture, senior? If I had known it would end so simply from the beginning, I wouldn't have run away in the first place."

"There's a limit to being shameless."

When Namgung Il argued like that, Ak Simin put his hand in his clothes with a sigh.

Soon, something the size of a fist that came out of his clothes.

Ak Simin held out what was neatly wrapped in a lotus leaf to Namgung Il.

"Take it."

"What is this?"

"You told me to take responsibility. This should be enough to last you until lunch."

Does that mean what's in Ak Simin's hand now is something to eat?

When he opened the lotus leaf, Namgung Il could find a rice ball inside.

"A rice ball? Why are you carrying this in your clothes, senior?"

"I usually only eat one rice ball in the morning. I brought it from the dining hall to eat later."

"Then this is your breakfast, senior, is it okay for me to eat it?"

"So with a heart of gratitude to this senior, the rice ball..."

Gulp—

Seeing the rice ball that had disappeared into Namgung Il's stomach, Ak Simin swallowed his words in the middle.

"Hah—as expected, this doesn't even tickle my liver."

"..."

"You have one more hidden in your clothes, right? Give me that too."

A quick-witted brat.

Ak Simin took out another rice ball that was in his clothes with a sigh and held it out to Namgung Il.

Slurp—

And so, that rice ball also disappeared into Namgung Il's stomach in an instant.

"It's still not enough, but with this, I should be able to last until lunch somehow."

"...Instead, I'll have to hold on to this hungry stomach until lunch somehow."

"Good luck, senior."

"..."

Thank you, you junior brat.

Ak Simin said to Namgung Il with a sigh.

"Since you ate two of my rice balls, forgive that brat."

"Forgive who?"

"The brat who picked a fight with you. He's not that bad of a brat at heart."

The brat who picked a fight with him?

Namgung Il belatedly realized that the person Ak Simin was talking about now was the man who had been hitting on Namgung Yeon.

"Ah, that... was his name Ak Si-ung?"

"That's right."

"Why is that brat with you, senior..."

Just then, Namgung Il suddenly realized something.

Ak Simin. Ak Si-ung.

Looking at them side by side like this, the names felt quite similar.

"Perhaps... what is your relationship with that brat, senior?"

"He's my younger brother."

"..."

As expected.

It was a fact that could be known with a little thought, but why had he not noticed until now?

It seemed he hadn't noticed until now because the two's appearances were quite different, to say they were brothers.

'Then have I been badmouthing his younger brother in front of his older brother until now?'

While explaining the circumstances to Ak Simin, Namgung Il had attached insults about Ak Si-ung almost like a refrain.

Like a bug brat, like a lanky brat.

Although it seemed Ak Simin hadn't cared much on the outside, thinking that he had openly badmouthed his younger brother, Namgung Il's conscience was pricked for a moment.

"I'm sorry, senior, I had no idea he was your younger brother."

"Don't worry about it. It's true that that brat was blinded by a woman and made a mistake to you. You can insult him enough."

"..."

"If that brat makes such a mistake again later, it can't be helped, but I hope you'll let what happened today slide."

"...I understand."

He could do that much.

Because he had just gotten a rice ball from Ak Simin.

Of course, when Ak Si-ung made a mistake to him or Namgung Yeon again... he would have to think about that then.

"Thank you."

Ak Simin answered with a light smile.

'But that brat, I'm sure he said he was from the Shandong Ak Clan.'

The Shandong Ak Clan. Of course, Namgung Il also knew the name of that clan.

Although it was not one of the Five Great Clans, the Shandong Ak Clan was a sufficiently famous clan.

It was a place that reigned as the hegemon of the Shandong region, and it was a clan that was especially famous for its spear style.

"..."

If the two were brothers, then it meant that Ak Simin was also from the Shandong Ak Clan.

Since he didn't carry a spear like Ak Si-ung, he had never thought that Ak Simin was from the Shandong Ak Clan, but thinking that he was from that origin, he could sufficiently understand his qinggong skills that had followed him to the end.

"Don't you use a spear, senior?"

When Namgung Il asked, Ak Simin nodded as if he understood something.

"It's strange, isn't it? The Shandong Ak Clan is a clan famous for its spear style."

"..."

"As you said, I don't use a spear."

Ak Simin said and showed the saber that he was carrying on his back.

A saber, not a spear.

Come to think of it, Namgung Il could now tell that one of the reasons why he hadn't thought of Ak Simin and Ak Si-ung as brothers was because of that.

"From my clan's point of view, I'm a brat like a mutant. Even though I'm from the Shandong Ak Clan, I have no talent for the spear style at all."

"..."

"On the other hand, my younger brother is very talented in the spear style. He can be said to be a very ideal existence that the clan wants."

Although Ak Simin was smiling and saying that, Namgung Il felt an indescribable bitterness in that tone.

To call himself a mutant of the clan. No matter who it was, not just Ak Simin, that would not be pleasant.

"Ah."

Just then, as if he had realized something, Ak Simin looked at Namgung Il and scratched his head.

"I must be too hungry. I've been talking about something not very interesting."

"..."

"I'm sorry. Just forget what I just said."

Ak Simin was not the type to talk about himself to others.

But to think that he was talking like this to a first-year student whom he had not known for long.

Although Ak Simin was a little surprised by that, he said to Namgung Il without showing it on the outside.

"What's wrong with not having a talent for the spear style?"

"...?"

"Since the Shandong Ak Clan is well-versed in the spear style, the descendants of that clan must unconditionally train in the spear style. I think this idea is wrong."

When Namgung Il suddenly said that, Ak Simin could not say anything with his two eyes wide open.

Namgung Il continued to say to such an Ak Simin.

"It's natural for each clan to have a martial art that it is well-versed in. But if one is only bound by that and cannot get out, that clan will have no further development in the future."

"..."

"If you think about it that way, isn't the existence of you, Senior Ak, something special to the Shandong Ak Clan?"

"I'm... special?"

"Yes, because of your existence, senior, the Shandong Ak Clan will be able to become a clan that is well-versed not only in the spear style but also in the saber style."

Ak Simin had never once thought like that until now.

He had always considered himself just a heretic of the clan. Although he was born as the eldest son of the Shandong Ak Clan, he had considered himself an existence that the clan did not need at all.

"To have no talent for the spear style even though he inherited the blood of the Shandong Ak Clan... something must be wrong."

"Still, doesn't the second young master have talent? He's the only hope of the Shandong Ak Clan."

"They say there's no younger brother like the older brother, but here, on the contrary, the second young master has taken all the talent of the first young master."

The people of the clan had always said that to him.

Because of his rebellious spirit against that, Ak Simin had abandoned the spear and had polished the saber even more diligently, and he had tried to be recognized by the clan with this someday.

But the more he abandoned the spear and trained in the saber, the more the voices of criticism were heard from the surroundings.

Ak Simin had come to the Flying Dragon Academy to escape those voices.

'To think I would hear those words from this brat.'

Until now, there had been only two people in the Flying Dragon Academy who had said that to him.

But to think that one of them was Namgung Il... a smirk escaped from Ak Simin's mouth.

"I've been thinking since a while ago, but I acknowledge your way with words."

"Pardon?"

"Your face is also quite handsome, you'll make many of the girls in the academy cry in the future."

When Ak Simin said that, Namgung Il's face became dumbfounded.

To think that the reaction he got after speaking so nicely was like that.

Just then, Ak Simin approached Namgung Il and said with a serious face.

"Thank you."

After saying that in a low voice, Ak Simin immediately pushed Namgung Il's back.

Ak Simin had now returned to his usual face.

"You, is it okay to be so relaxed? The first class must have already started."

"...?"

First class?

When Ak Simin said that, Namgung Il belatedly remembered about it.

"Cl-class! I'm late because of you, senior!"

"It's your fault for running away. And if you had left when I told you to go earlier, you wouldn't have been late."

"..."

He had no words to refute.

Just then, Ak Simin said to Namgung Il with a meaningful smile.

"As far as I know, the first class for the first-year students today is Practical Martial Arts Studies."

"...Practical Martial Arts Studies?"

"Yes."

As soon as he saw Ak Simin's expression, a bad premonition suddenly came to mind.

Namgung Il cautiously opened his mouth and asked Ak Simin.

"Perhaps... who is the teacher for that class?"

"Cha Yul-ryeong."

"...!"

"You'd better go quickly now."

To be late for the class that that brat was in charge of, of all things...

'Surely, I've been jinxed recently.'

His luck had been very bad from the first day.

(End of Chapter)