Rattle, rattle.

It was dawn, and the sound of the waterwheel spread quietly through the air. The night had passed, and it was just before the sun finally rose.

Right when the faint air began to pick up moisture—

SWIIISH—!!!

A flash cut through the dawn.

CRACK—!!

“Ghk!”

I staggered as I blocked with the wooden sword.

It was definitely a wooden sword, but the damned thing was absurdly heavy. And despite the blunt tip, it was absurdly sharp too.

I reeled. Unable to bear the weight, my upper body was shoved back.

At that instant—

“Strength.”

SMACK—!

“Ugh!”

With that one short word, a strike slammed into my thigh.

Even with Moon Eyes open, I had failed to track the path.

No—I had tracked it.

I just hadn’t been able to follow it.

That was how fast and precise the other man’s sword was.

Right.

Precise. That was what made it even stranger.

The path count is definitely low.

The Moon Immortal Sword’s Path. The number of possibilities it showed me was absurdly small. At most one, maybe two. Incomparably fewer than what I saw against other opponents, and yet—

It doesn’t matter how few there are.

There was no point in that if I still couldn’t stop the strike coming at me. Hell, if I couldn’t even properly see it, what difference did it make?

SMACK—!!

“Ghk!”

Pain rang through the crown of my head.

“Keep your thoughts short.”

SMACK!

This time it was my forearm.

“Keep useless strength to a minimum.”

THUD!

Next was my knee.

Ah, damn it. I could’ve dodged that.

I tried to move somehow, but maybe because my knee had been hit, I sank down in a slow slide. The strength had gone out of it.

THUMP.

One knee hit the ground.

I hurriedly tried to get back up, but—

Tap.

The wooden sword was already touching the tip of my chin.

“...Well.”

“......”

I lost.

Completely helplessly, without doing a single thing.

It pissed me off, but it did not hurt my pride. My opponent was someone far too exalted for someone like me to even dare look up at.

“I lost, sir.”

The Sword Emperor.

At my words, he drew back the wooden sword.

“Pathetic.”

And then he casually threw out that plainspoken abuse. Hearing it, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“Your mind is already elsewhere. Do you think movements like that have any meaning?”

“...My apologies.”

“Tch.”

The Sword Emperor clicked his tongue shortly and turned his back.

He seemed thoroughly displeased.

Fair enough.

I really can’t focus.

Training with the Sword Emperor had started again.

But I couldn’t focus at all.

The matter of the Dark Sovereign, and everything else, was still snagged in my mind.

“That’s enough. Be different next time.”

Leaving those words behind, the Sword Emperor vanished.

He’d only just returned and said he would oversee my training, and now I’d performed like absolute garbage, so he seemed properly annoyed.

At this rate, he’s going to say he won’t train me anymore.

Honestly, even if that happened, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Still, if this counted as a fortuitous encounter, then it was a bit of a waste.

No matter how little the Sword Emperor liked me—

it’d be a waste to just throw this away.

Right then—

[Well now.]

Yoo Cheongil, who had been watching, spoke to me in a voice that sounded oddly amused.

“What?”

[You think that man dislikes you?]

“Doesn’t he?”

He clicks his tongue like that and openly acts annoyed. Am I supposed to think he likes me?

[From where I’m standing, it looks like he does.]

“...What?”

That made no sense.

The Sword Emperor liked me?

There was absolutely no way it looked like that.

When my face twisted into a deep frown, Yoo Cheongil let out a snort and continued.

[That one has a temper and stubbornness that scrape the heavens. He has exacting standards, and he doesn’t trust people easily. He’s the type who lives on the taste of his own greatness.]

“Like you, old man?”

[Yes, like m— what did you just say, brat?]

“So?”

Yoo Cheongil narrowed his eyes into slits at me, but when I ignored the look, he wrinkled his nose and kept going.

[...A man that full of himself doesn’t give chances easily.]

“Chances?”

[That’s right. He usually doesn’t even bother trying to teach anyone, because he figures it would be meaningless no matter what he did. And if someone doesn’t understand, he won’t explain it twice.]

“...Ah.”

[But look at you.]

Yoo Cheongil looked at me and then jerked his chin toward the direction the Sword Emperor had disappeared in.

“What about me?”

[For someone with a decent head for tricks, you’re unbelievably bad at understanding what people tell you, and you keep doing idiotic things. And yet he keeps teaching you. That arrogant bastard.]

“......”

My chest hurt.

This time, it genuinely hurt a little.

[I don’t know why. But it looks like he’s taken a liking to you. Why, exactly? There are more than enough talented men all over the world, so why this sorry thing of all people—]

“It’s kind of hurtful when you genuinely can’t understand it like that. You’re clinging to me right now too, you know.”

[I only am because you’re my only option. If I had another way, I’d have switched already.]

“...This is why you shouldn’t take in evil ghosts.”

[What did you just call me, you little bastard?]

“I’m joking. Your hearing’s sharp. Shame you didn’t use those sharp ears for something else...”

[Then why do you act scared every single time if you’re not going to stop?]

Yoo Cheongil stared at me like I was ridiculous.

As I looked at him, I turned his words over in my head.

The Sword Emperor likes me?

Why?

I hated to admit it, but just like Yoo Cheongil said, I wasn’t exactly the kind of person who picked things up well.

More precisely, I understood them.

My body just couldn’t follow.

I had already passed the point where things could be solved with my head alone. From here on out, this was truly the realm of martial talent.

A world of people who were simply good without needing to be told.

The moment I stepped into the domain of geniuses.

The Sword Emperor telling me to swing the sword without thinking, or making my body respond first in specific situations—

trying to understand that was never going to work.

That was why this training felt so overwhelming.

So why would the Sword Emperor...

The great Sword Emperor, of all people, taking a liking to me.

That was the one thing here I truly could not understand.

“Why?”

So I asked outright.

But—

[How would I know?]

Even Yoo Cheongil looked like he had no idea.

Right.

As always, this old man was useless when it actually mattered.

I rose to my feet with a dull expression.

Throbbing muscle pain spread through my body.

Feeling it, I thought—

...A man who lives on the taste of his own greatness, huh...?

A man who lived on the taste of his own greatness.

And yet, for someone like that—

he teaches well.

Far better than my ability to understand deserved. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Almost like—

someone who’d spent a long time teaching disciples.

Like someone who had spent years guiding another person in detail.

As far as I know, the Sword Emperor had no disciples.

And then—

Tap, tap.

I grabbed my swollen forearm and moved it a few times.

The swelling started to subside, and the pain thinned out.

“...Hm.”

Yoo Cheongil’s eyes widened when he saw it.

[You... ?]

Seeing that, I smiled.

I was surprised too.

Apparently—

“...it seems I received a gift.”

It looked like Seongheon had left something for me after all.

The problem was—

I don’t know whether it’s a gift or him dumping his burden onto me.

Still, one thing was certain.

I had received something.

Something very important.

*****

As dawn receded and morning approached, Mount Hua was busy loading things.

The number of carriages was the same as when I first arrived.

Not many.

And there wasn’t much to load, either.

“Everything is ready.”

A disciple who had been helping with preparations told us.

Cheon Hyein nodded at that.

“Leader. We should be able to depart now.”

At those words, the Small Moon Unit Leader immediately turned his gaze toward me.

“Teacher.”

“...Ah, yes. I’ll just go say a few words and come back.”

Now he was openly calling me Teacher.

Before anything strange could start showing in the eyes of the people watching, I moved first and slipped away.

This is going to drive me insane.

There was a time when he’d said he found it embarrassing, so I’d tried to be considerate. But if he was going to act like this, then it was starting to burden me.

...Was Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn really that incredible?

All I had done was what Yoo Cheongil told me to do.

Apparently that had carried an enormous meaning.

Or maybe—

beating the Plum Blossom Commander mattered just as much.

It might not have been only Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn. Maybe he thought the victory itself had come from mastering it.

Whatever the reason, fine, good things were good things.

But for me, it had become deeply uncomfortable.

[And here I thought you enjoyed messing with him.]

That only works when the person on the receiving end gets irritated by it.

[...You lunatic. Is that really something a human being should say?]

Yoo Cheongil recoiled in disgust.

But humans had always been that kind of creature.

“Moon Hero.”

Yeo Hyeok greeted me.

“Disciple Yeo.”

“...Ah, I heard you’ll be leaving now.”

“Yes. Before that, though, I’d like to see the elder... no, the acting sect master.”

“He’s waiting for you.”

Yeo Hyeok guided me.

As we walked the short distance, we talked.

“I heard they’re choosing a new commander.”

“...Yes. Most likely one of the elders will take the position.”

“Then the sect master...”

“We’re hoping the First Elder will take it, if possible... but he’s refusing.”

“What? Why?”

He was refusing the position of sect master?

It was strange. That was the very seat the Plum Blossom Commander had thrown away his convictions to obtain.

At my reaction, Yeo Hyeok gave a bitter smile and answered.

“He said... there is too much buried in that seat now for him to seek it.”

“......”

Only after hearing that did the disorder in my thoughts clear.

...Burden.

The burdens buried in that seat.

It seemed Seong Yun could feel it too—that far too much had been piled onto that place now for him to take it lightly.

Not bad.

He seemed like decent material.

If that was the case—

he’ll get it in the end.

The current acting sect master.

It felt like he would end up taking the seat after all.

Because positions like that were, by nature, most often won by the ones who feared them the most.

“I hope Mount Hua remains unshaken.”

“...Thank you for saying that.”

It was only a verbal comfort.

It probably did little for Yeo Hyeok.

It’ll take Mount Hua a long time to stand back up.

Seongheon and the Plum Blossom Commander were dead.

So were the elders.

And the spies inside had shaken the sect badly.

It would take time to steady those roots and return things to the way they had been.

Still.

The important thing was that they had managed to catch it before everything burned away completely.

Though maybe it had all burned away.

As that thought crossed my mind—

...Had it?

Even if it had turned to ash, wouldn’t some seed still remain?

Looking at Yeo Hyeok, and at Yuyeon, that thought came to me.

That even if everything had burned down, maybe there was still a core that could rise again.

That kind of thought.

“Please, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

I opened the door, and Seong Yun welcomed me.

“You must be busy preparing to leave. What brings you here?”

“I thought I should at least say goodbye before I go.”

“Ah... I ought to have gone to you for that instead. My apologies.”

“It’s all right.”

I understood.

I could understand just by looking at the pile of letters in front of him, and the fatigue on his face.

I was leaving Shaanxi today and returning to Henan.

That was the reason for this meeting.

“I wanted to give you this.”

I pulled out a letter and handed it to him.

“This is...?”

“Information on the remaining spies.”

“...!”

Seong Yun’s eyes widened at my words.

“Whether you choose to trust me, and whether the information is accurate, that is entirely Mount Hua’s decision. Still, I hope it proves useful.”

“...Ha ha.”

He wrapped his old hands around mine.

“...Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

“If the Moon Hero should ever need strength... Mount Hua will always stand at your side.”

“...Even hearing you say that is enough for me.”

“It is not merely words.”

Slide.

Seong Yun opened a drawer and held something out to me.

“This is...?”

“It is called the Plum Blossom Seal.”

It was a wooden token.

It had the shape of gathered plum blossom petals, and in the center was set a pale pink jewel.

“It is an item placed in the hands of Mount Hua’s benefactors. If the bearer of the Plum Blossom Seal asks for something... it means Mount Hua must answer, no matter what it is.”

“...!”

My eyes widened when I heard that.

“You mean the sect master left something like ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) this for me?”

I asked if Seongheon had left yet another thing behind, but Seong Yun smiled and shook his head.

“No.”

“Then?”

“This is something I personally wished to give to the Moon Hero.”

“...You did?”

Something this significant?

Why?

“Mount Hua, as it stands, cannot place anything truly worthy into the benefactor’s hands. But in the future... and not so far from now, I believe the Moon Hero will become someone even greater. This is also my way of saying that, when that day comes, Mount Hua will strive to become a great strength to the Moon Hero.”

“......”

So that was what it meant.

Something like a vow he was making to himself.

“Are you truly sure you should be giving me something like this?”

“If not the Moon Hero, then there is no one else I could give it to. Please accept it.”

“......”

After only a brief hesitation, I closed my hand around the Plum Blossom Seal.

“...Thank you.”

The item in my grasp was cold.

And yet—

for some reason, it felt like the inside of my chest had grown warm.

Probably just my imagination.