“What are you laughing at.”

The atmosphere flipped on its head at my words. The Plum Blossom Commander wiped the smile off his face.

“...What did you just say?”

“Did you go deaf too? I’m talking, so what the hell are you grinning at.”

“...You little—!”

Maybe he thought I was running my mouth. He ground his teeth.

Even watching that, I didn’t change my expression.

Was I scared? Normally, I would’ve been.

Right now, I wasn’t.

It was just funny.

“So what, you wanted me to show you manners?”

In the middle of all this, what did he think I was supposed to do for him?

“Sorry, but.”

I lowered my gaze slowly. I bent down to his level, since he was collapsed.

“I only show manners to people.”

“...What?”

“But you’re not a person.”

The kind of person I meant was someone who could restrain his emotions.

If you live like you’re being carried by your desires and you move like you’re getting swallowed by your feelings, how is that a person?

“That’s an animal. Isn’t it?”

“Ha...”

At my words, the Plum Blossom Commander let out a hollow sigh.

“Now I see it.”

KRRRK.

He yanked on the chains binding him and forced himself closer.

“I thought something felt... off.”

His gaze drilled into me, like he wanted to confirm something.

“You seemed weak for all the rumors. And on top of that, you were vague, too—so I thought maybe you were lacking something. But.”

The Plum Blossom Commander’s eyes narrowed.

“You weren’t lacking. You were twisted.”

I didn’t answer. Twisted?

It’d been a while since I’d heard that one.

You know...

That was what Chief Baek used to say to me in my last life.

Are you kind of messed up?

...What does it mean to tell someone he’s messed up?

Messed up. Broken somewhere. Stuff like that.

I’d heard it all my life.

“They said you were the Sword Saint’s successor. And yet the one who should never have inherited his will... did.”

“What are you even saying. You’re telling me the Sword Saint was normal?”

“Have you ever seen the Sword Saint.”

I have. A lot.

Up until yesterday, even.

“The Sword Saint is vast. A hero with a vessel so huge and wide, it feels like he could hold anyone.”

“...”

What the hell is he talking about?

“Are you sure you’re not mixing him up with someone else?”

He doesn’t sound like the old man I know.

“I never thought the one who inherited his will would turn out like this.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

I’m impressive as hell, actually. And if we’re comparing me to that old man, I’m way better in the ‘being a human being’ category.

“How dare someone who deceives people and stabs them in the back compare himself to him.”

“What, you spitting in your own face right now? If that’s what you’re doing, you’ve got a talent for it.”

“...”

The Plum Blossom Commander shut his mouth. Looks like even he knew he had nothing to say.

“I’ll ask out of courtesy. Why’d you do it?”

“Heh heh...”

The Plum Blossom Commander laughed under his breath.

“You don’t look curious.”

“Caught me.”

Yeah. I’m not that curious.

And it wouldn’t change anything even if I found out.

“Because it’s obviously going to be a stupid reason.”

Some pointless reason. Of course it would be.

“Don’t judge so casually.”

Maybe that stung him—his face hardened. Even that was funny.

“You’re really doing this, huh. What—does a traitor get some stylish epic backstory too?”

“You won’t understand.”

“I don’t want to understand.”

What am I going to do with understanding it?

“If I had to guess, it was jealousy.”

“...”

“You wanted to be Sect Master, didn’t you?”

“It isn’t that simple—”

“Simple or not doesn’t matter, old man. Don’t kid yourself.”

Looks like he still doesn’t get it, no matter how many years he’s lived.

“No matter what justification you slap on what you did, nothing changes. You’re trash. If there’s a ‘story’ behind it, does that make you clean?”

Like hell it would.

“If something’s already turned into muddy water, what changes just because you pour in a little clear water?”

How does he not know that?

No.

He knows.

He knows everything and pretends not to. Most of these people were like that.

“Just live as trash. That suits you perfectly.”

“...”

“Now I’m going to ask about HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE. How did you make contact?”

“You think I’ll answer?”

“No. You won’t. Doesn’t matter.”

“...Then I’ll ask you this.”

The Plum Blossom Commander looked at me.

“How did you know.”

“Know what? That you were a spy?”

“Yes. Did that ‘great double spy’ tell you too?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“I can’t understand it. A spy shouldn’t even be able to exist—so how was that possible?”

A spy couldn’t exist?

I forced myself to act calm.

“There’s always a way. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Nothing in this world is perfect.”

“That can’t be. The restriction they placed there wouldn’t break that easily.”

A restriction.

A restriction, huh.

Which meant—

The ones tied to HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE have a restriction on them. Even if they want to betray, they can’t.

That’s what he was saying.

“Just because you don’t know the method doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Why do you see the world so narrowly?”

“...You’re making a joke...”

“If you’re not going to tell me, fine.”

I straightened up. I never expected he’d tell me anyway.

And.

I already got what I came for.

I looked past the Plum Blossom Commander, with my eyes.

At his energy.

A wavering, wicked energy.

I stared right at it and moved my hand.

FSSSS

Something seeped into that wavering energy.

A move I’d planted.

Feeling it take hold, I spoke to him.

“Don’t you feel sorry for the disciples?”

“What?”

“The ones who followed you.”

Some of them fell with him, sure.

But others didn’t.

“Aren’t you sorry for them?”

“...”

The Plum Blossom Commander’s eyes trembled for a moment.

But only for a moment.

“For an ideal world, sacrifice is necessary.”

Hearing that, something inside me sank.

Good.

It was good that he was that kind of man.

Yeah—if you’re going to rot, that’s how you rot.

“Someday.”

I looked at him and said,

“A day will come when you regret it. For sure.”

It would come.

Probably the moment you see me again.

And that would probably be the day you die.

“Heh heh heh... regret?”

The Plum Blossom Commander laughed again, like he didn’t even know what that was.

“If I was going to do something like that, I would’ve just stayed in my seat, weak and pathetic.”

“Right. You should’ve just stayed weak and pathetic.”

Why’d he do something so pointless?

I couldn’t understand it.

“...You should be the one thinking clearly.”

“About what?”

“The world has already begun to change violently. Since you inherited the Sword Saint’s name, your end won’t be smooth either.”

“...”

“The Sword Saint. That name will become a curse. Heh heh heh... cough.”

The Plum Blossom Commander laughed, then coughed up blood.

I saw it and turned away.

The Sword Saint’s name would be a curse?

What a joke.

It was a meaningless line.

If something like that counted as a curse—

Then everything else is a disaster, huh.

It wouldn’t even qualify as a curse.

I’d lived inside a real curse.

I wasn’t going to tremble in fear just because of the Sword Saint’s name.

*****

I walked on. I wandered around the Mount Hua Sect grounds, shaking my head this way and that.

Where did he go?

There was someone I was looking for.

Yoo Cheongil.

I was trying to find that old man.

If I’d woken up, he should’ve shown up too, but Yoo Cheongil was nowhere.

I’ve got a lot to ask, and it has to be now of all times.

This old man is always gone when I need him.

I need to ask about the Heavenly Demon.

That spirit-dream.

What I saw there.

And—

What the hell happened.

I wanted to hear from him what happened while I was out.

But.

Seongheon’s gone, and Yoo Cheongil’s gone.

Where did these two old men disappear to as a pair?

I can’t understand it.

“Damn it.”

I scratched my head hard.

Did he go far?

If he went far, who knows when he’d come back.

There were times he didn’t show up for days.

It’d be a problem if it happened again.

Can’t be helped?

Looks like I’d have to wait until he appeared.

It’s not like he’d show up just because I wanted him to.

“...Hng.”

Should I give up on finding Yoo Cheongil for now?

Yeah. That’s probably better.

I nodded and turned my back.

Nothing was going to come out of searching like this.

So I just turned around.

“Come to think of it.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“...Mm.”

The Small Moon Unit Leader spoke beside me.

I flinched at that.

It wasn’t the title he’d hated using so much it made him want to die.

His tone had weight and respect in it.

“...Why are you doing this, seriously?”

I asked, because I couldn’t understand it. Yeo Hyeok wasn’t even here, but I still ended up speaking politely without thinking.

“Why are you raising your speech. Don’t.”

“...No.”

In this backwards situation, a sigh surged up in my chest.

I forced it down and said,

“Did you hit your head or something? Sir, what is wrong with you. You used to hate doing this.”

“...Hate it? I simply hadn’t noticed.”

“Noticed what?”

“How great you are, Teacher.”

“I’m going to lose it.”

What kind of dogshit is this?

I started it to mess with him, and now it turned into this, so it wasn’t easy.

It was even more uncomfortable.

“...Why are you acting like this. There has to be a reason. Just hate me instead.”

“I only realized—”

“Then what did you realize.”

I asked with irritation mixed in, because it was suffocating.

That moment—

SHING—!

“...!”

The Small Moon Unit Leader drew his sword.

I flinched. Did I push too far? Am I about to get cut?

That thought had barely crossed my mind when—

WHOOOOOSH—!!

Sword aura stormed around his blade.

The bluish light was striking—Blue Moon Sect sword aura.

As far as I knew, it was the sect’s distinctive sword aura, used only by the Blue Moon Sect.

Why was he suddenly showing me that?

I tensed, but then—

FSSSS—!

“Huh?”

My eyes widened when I saw the sword aura.

At the very tip of the blade—only there—the light was subtly different.

That... no way.

Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn?

The new sword aura Yoo Cheongil devised.

That was the light of Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn.

“...How did you—”

How was the Small Moon Unit Leader using that?

Yoo Cheongil said he couldn’t use it.

No.

He said he could, but it would take a very long time.

That was why he’d been forcing that weird training.

But—

That actually helped?

Seriously?

I couldn’t deny it.

That faint, different sword aura was absolutely Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn.

“...That...”

“This is all thanks to your teaching, Teacher. Thank you.”

“...”

The Small Moon Unit Leader offered me proper respect.

“From now on, without even a shred of doubt... I will follow your teaching.”

“...Uh, ah... uh...”

So it works.

This actually works?

I swallowed the dry breath I almost let out. I really didn’t think it would.

“...Train hard... No, train.”

“Yes.”

I tossed out something vague. He looked like he wanted me to give him something.

So that’s why he was doing all that weird shit to me...

So that’s what it was.

I felt like I finally understood.

Then—

“Ah. And.”

The Small Moon Unit Leader finished his respect and took something out, handing it to me.

“What’s this.”

It was a letter.

What is this now?

I narrowed my eyes at the letter he suddenly shoved at me.

“It’s a message the Sect Master sent.”

“...Huh?”

A message from the Moon Immortal Sword?

“She entrusted it to me before we left.”

“What do you mean?”

“She told me to give it to you once everything was over.”

“...?”

Once everything was over?

So this letter had been prepared in advance.

Slip.

I took it and unfolded it.

What was it that needed something like this?

I read the first line, still suspicious.

“...Huh?”

The instant I read it, I froze.