My hair was a mess from having just woken up, my eyes soaked in fatigue.

My body still creaked with the same old muscle aches, my right arm twinging every time I tried to get up because it still wasn’t fully healed.

Separate from that, though, maybe because I’d stepped up to pinnacle, my body felt strangely light inside. I barely managed to lift my upper body.

“Damn...”

And I let out a low murmur of awe. The words slipped out as I looked at the scene that had unfolded without me even realizing it.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, wondering if maybe I was still dreaming.

That’s how unrealistic the sight in front of me was.

“...What did you say?”

I spoke in a voice still clogged with sleep. The young man kneeling in front of me answered.

“...From here on...”

“From here on?”

“Young...”

“Young.”

“...Young Master... I will be serving...”

“You’ll be serving?”

“...I am Tang Clan’s Cheonil.”

KGGGGK—! Somewhere, I could hear teeth grinding.

My fist was clenched so hard the veins on my hand were bulging up.

My face had gone so red it was closer to rage than embarrassment.

Even so, like he couldn’t let it blow up, the young man—Tang Cheonil—forced himself to continue speaking to me.

“...I will... serve you... with utmost... devotion... Please... I ask for... your guidance...”

“...Ha.”

I let out a hollow laugh at his words.

[Hahahahahahahahaha---!!]

Meanwhile, where I ended with a hollow laugh, Yoo Cheongil was busy laughing himself insane. Judging by how he was clutching his belly and rolling around, he was finding this hilariously entertaining.

[Hahaha... Hahahahaha... Hahahahaha--!!!]

He was loud as hell on top of it. The noise grated on my ears, and I frowned as I looked at Tang Cheonil.

“Your attitude is pretty different from last time, huh?”

“......”

“Your body must be doing okay. Well, it’s not like I hit you that much.”

“Kkeu-duk...”

When I tossed in that bit of mockery, a rough sound leaked out of Tang Cheonil’s mouth. But that was all. He didn’t actually do anything more.

He was holding it in.

I could see him forcing himself to endure.

“Young Master Tang.”

“...Yes...”

“Are we speaking politely now? I seem to remember you talking down to me last time.”

“......”

“You should answer.”

“...No... Young Master, please... just speak comfortably...”

“Then I’ll do that.”

“......”

“Cheonil? Your expression doesn’t look so good. Why? Feeling like shit?”

BBRRRRR—!

The reaction I got the moment I dropped formal speech again was pretty entertaining.

Getting this kind of show first thing in the morning wasn’t bad at all. It honestly felt refreshing, you know? Seeing this bastard’s state like this made me happier than anything.

‘...Tsk.’

Even while I snickered outwardly, inside I was a tangled mess.

How could I not be.

‘...The Poison King, this bastard, is really something.’

Why had Tang Cheonil suddenly shown up first thing in the morning like this?

You could call it strange, but unfortunately I’d gone through this exact kind of thing countless times in my last life.

The moment I saw the situation, I understood exactly why it had turned out this way.

‘You sly old bastard.’

This was the Poison King’s intention. That arrogant, foul-tempered Poison Dragon suddenly lowering himself like this.

Him showing up at dawn to throw me into this ridiculous situation.

All of it.

‘So this is how he’s planning to use him?’

This was the Poison King’s way of trying to make sure he wrung Myriad-Flowers Rain out of me.

“Wow.”

The admiration slipped out by itself. I couldn’t help it. This wasn’t in any of the scenarios I’d worked out.

‘I just didn’t think of it. I mean, seriously.’

I never imagined he’d sell off his own son.

Who the hell would have predicted that. Well, maybe someone could have, but I couldn’t bring myself to imagine it.

I never thought his obsession with Myriad-Flowers Rain ran deep enough to use his own kid as a tool.

As I realized that, I quietly bit my lip where Tang Cheonil couldn’t see.

[Sometimes, I really feel it.]

Yoo Cheongil finally stopped laughing and spoke to me.

[You’re like some brat who’s lived through the harshest life in the world, but then you’ve got these weirdly innocent spots.]

Kkulkul.

[I don’t know if it’s that you underestimated the Poison King, or if you’re just taking the world too lightly.]

“......”

I didn’t argue. And if I had to answer that question—

‘I underestimated him.’

I really had underestimated the Poison King. I let my guard down.

‘I absolutely could’ve thought of this.’

It was something I could have easily added to my list of possibilities. But I didn’t.

The result of waving it off with a “no way” was this.

‘Tsk.’

I forced myself to pull my head together and looked at the Poison Dragon.

As if the ground was lined with something precious, Tang Cheonil couldn’t lift his eyes from the floor.

“Okay. I’ll go through the motions and ask, at least. Why are you doing this?”

CRACK. I loosened my body a little and asked.

Honestly, I already knew his father’s intent, so there was no need to ask.

But for Tang Cheonil, the question was necessary.

He’d have come here with his explanation prepared.

“...Well... from now on, I’m going to be serving Young Master, the benefactor of Tang Clan.”

“Ahh. Our Cheonil is going to serve me? Even though I’ve already got an attendant, one of the great Tang bloodline personally came all this way, huh?”

“......”

He said nothing back to that.

From the look of it, even he didn’t really understand what was going on.

‘So he was basically pushed into this.’

Did the Poison King lean on him that hard?

‘But looking at him, Cheonil isn’t the type to move just because the Poison King throws a fit.’

I remembered what the Poison Dragon had pulled at that banquet the Poison King hosted.

The fact that he’d come at me in front of everyone like that meant he wasn’t the sort to move easily just because he was being crushed by his father.

‘If he’s coming out this submissive...’

Either something big got used as leverage, or some serious weakness had been grabbed.

‘...What could he have gotten nailed on?’

The only trouble Tang Cheonil had caused recently was his fight with me.

Could that really be used as such a huge weakness?

‘He’d get chewed out, sure.’

But is that really enough to make him bow his head this far? I wasn’t convinced.

‘Hmm.’

There was something there. That much I could tell.

“...So. Our Cheonil has decided he’s going to serve me, huh?”

“...That’s... correct...”

“Until when?”

“......”

He clammed up at my question.

“Until when are you going to serve me?”

“...About that...”

“Never mind. You don’t need to answer.”

I asked and then didn’t bother hearing the answer. That threw him for a second.

Why ask how long. The answer’s obvious anyway.

“Until you’ve learned everything you can about Myriad-Flowers Rain from me, right.”

“...!”

The way he flinched said enough.

That was the right answer.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and pushed myself all the way up.

“...All right then. Let’s go pay our respects to the Tang Clan Head first.”

There was nothing more to say to this guy. I’d had my fun teasing him; that was enough entertainment.

It was time to get to the real point.

“...Right now... you mean...?”

“Yeah.”

When I said we were going to see the Clan Head right this minute, Tang Cheonil looked even more flustered.

He clearly hadn’t expected me to march over there first thing in the morning.

I hadn’t sent any word ahead either. I was just going.

Normally, this would be something you simply don’t do.

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

But it didn’t matter.

Anyway—

‘The Poison King is already waiting ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) for me.’

That old bastard would be the one waiting for me the most.

*****

“You’ve come?”

The moment I stepped into the room, the Poison King greeted me. Even though I’d suddenly barged in, he didn’t show the slightest sign of surprise.

There were even two teacups already set out on the small table prepared there.

One was the Poison King’s cup.

The other was mine.

“Did you rest well last night?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t say it was that good.”

He shook his head at my light, formal greeting.

Then he showed me what he was holding in his hand. A dagger.

“My thoughts kept piling up and getting in the way.”

“...Ha ha...”

In other words, he’d stayed up all night training Myriad-Flowers Rain.

“I spent the whole night reading, trying to find the meaning in what Young Hero Bang left behind, moving as best I could. But sadly, I came away with nothing.”

“...To say you gained nothing, I’d say you still did pretty well right from the start, didn’t you?”

At that, the Poison King stared at me.

The look in his eyes said clearly, “You really call that ‘pretty well’?”

“Khmm...”

The moment I’d given him the secret book, he’d read it and immediately tried Myriad-Flowers Rain.

To the eye, it had gone pretty well. The dagger shot straight, filling the sky and raining down in a way that matched the name Myriad-Flowers Rain.

‘...The problem was what I shot right after that.’

Right after the Poison King’s Myriad-Flowers Rain, what my hand had used of its own accord had been the problem.

The difference in level.

If what he’d used could be called a drizzle—

What I’d unleashed was a downpour.

That was when.

‘That was when the Poison King’s eyes changed.’

He’d gotten completely locked onto the Myriad-Flowers Rain I used.

And then that intense hunger that began to sprout in him afterward.

I’d seen it all.

There was no way I couldn’t see it; it had been that clear.

“...Huu.”

I let out a short sigh.

On my way here, I’d thought up a few things I could try. But seeing the Poison King in front of me, all of it felt meaningless.

Just from the few conversations we’d already had, it was enough.

You can’t use shallow tricks on this man.

“What is it you want me to do?”

So charging straight in was the right move.

“What is it you want from me that you stuck this Young Master to my side?”

“I expect Young Master Bang already knows my intent.”

You already know what I want.

At his words, I smacked my lips awkwardly.

“I’m honestly amazed you managed to talk him into this... I was sure he’d never end up acting like that.”

“He’s more obedient to his father than he looks.”

“...Ahh. Is that so?” 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A disbelieving laugh slipped out of me. That explanation was not exactly persuasive.

“So... what is the reason you’ve attached this Young Master to me? You should know very well that the relationship between him and me is nowhere near good.”

“‘Not good’” didn’t even begin to cover it.

On my end, I could let it slide, but for some reason, the Poison Dragon had been treating me like a mortal enemy.

‘It’s not just because of the old rivalry between Poison Sovereign and the Sword Saint.’

The hostility he showed me was even clearer than that.

I had no idea why.

“That is precisely why I did it.”

“...What do you mean?”

“There’s nothing quite so useful as an arrogant child learning to bow his head.”

“......”

For a second, I almost lost control of my expression at those calm words.

Not only did he casually call his own son arrogant.

He also flatly judged that having that son bow his head to me would be very good for my temperament.

‘...This old man is really something.’

His strength was one thing, but the way his mind worked made him a pain in the ass to deal with.

“So. Using that, what are you trying to get from me?”

“Myriad-Flowers Rain.”

The Poison King answered without hesitation.

Just like I hadn’t tried to hide it, he didn’t seem inclined to hide anything either.

“What I want is to get that from Young Master Bang.”

“...Get it? I already gave it to you.”

I’d stayed up all night making that secret book and delivered it to him. What more did he want?

I frowned and spoke, and he pulled the book out of his robes.

The very same one I’d written.

“You’re right. I don’t believe this book is wrong.”

“Then?”

“However. I believe that you have a far quicker method available to you than this.”

“...Like I said before. That was just a coincidence.”

“A coincidence...”

He didn’t look like he believed that.

His eyes were clearly asking: “You expect me to believe you pulled that off by coincidence?”

‘This is suffocating.’

It wasn’t good. Strictly speaking, I don’t think it was pure coincidence either. But it was damn close.

And also—

“...Even if you stick this Young Master to me, I can’t properly teach him. I don’t even know Myriad-Flowers Rain that well.”

“Is that so?”

“...Yes. I’m being sincere.”

“Even so, that’s fine.”

“...Excuse me?”

He spoke as if my words didn’t matter, taking a sip of tea.

“All I want is for Young Master Bang to give that boy as much as you can, for half a year.”

“...Ahh. In other words.”

What he was saying right now was—

“You don’t believe me at all when I say I don’t know how to use Myriad-Flowers Rain.”

He didn’t believe a word of it.

This bastard.

“I’m telling you I don’t know how to use it—”

“Exactly half a year.”

“...What?”

“If, for exactly half a year, you pass on everything you know to that boy, I will put a boulder in my own mouth.”

“...What do you mean by that? A boulder?”

“Secrets are supposed to be heavy things, are they not? No matter what they are.”

“...!”

As he spoke, the Poison King’s gaze dropped to my dantian.

I understood immediately what that look meant.

‘Goddamn.’

That was a warning.

Right now, he was openly stating that there was Tang Clan’s qi in my body.

And that for some reason, even though it was there, it hadn’t exploded and was circulating just fine.

‘So he did notice.’

The thing I’d been worried about turned out to be true. The Poison King had realized that Tang Clan’s qi was flowing through my body.