“Why?”

Cheon Hyein asked it calmly.

Why? Was this the kind of thing to ask calmly?

“...No, what do you mean, why?”

“There’s nothing strange about it.”

“Anyone would think it’s strange, and you’re saying there’s nothing strange about it?”

I almost laughed from sheer disbelief.

Obviously, I couldn’t laugh.

“...Moon Immortal Sword... You’re saying it’s something you need to kill the Sect Leader?”

That was exactly what Cheon Hyein had said.

Something she needed in order to kill her father, Moon Immortal Sword.

At that, Cheon Hyein let out a faint laugh.

“Why? Everyone has at least one dramatic family problem, don’t they?”

“Can you really dismiss this as a family problem?”

“It is a family problem. I suppose you were born into a normal family, Young Master Bang, so you just can’t understand.”

“...”

Hm.

...My family isn’t exactly normal either, though.

If we were talking about a broken family, mine was pretty damn broken. Three children, and all three had different mothers. If that wasn’t a mess, what was?

But still—

That side’s pretty violent too.

The moment she said, perfectly openly, that she intended to kill her own father, it was obvious that her family situation was a complete disaster too.

Not that I had ever thought they looked normal to begin with.

Even so.

I had never wanted to kill my father.

At most, I’d thought it’d be nice if he’d stop causing trouble and maybe break something.

“Everyone has their circumstances. Even aside from that.”

Cheon Hyein’s blue eyes fixed on me.

“The Azure Moon Sect is a place where everyone dreams of the Sect Leader’s death. Why should I be any different?”

The process of becoming Sect Leader by defeating the strongest martial artist.

That was why everyone in the Azure Moon Sect sought to defeat Moon Immortal Sword, yes, but—

“...I don’t know. That feels very different.”

What Cheon Hyein was saying didn’t hit me the same way.

Because the nature of the desire itself was different.

“What’s different?”

“Strictly speaking, it isn’t that they want Moon Immortal Sword dead. It’s that they want to defeat him. What you want isn’t that, Lady Cheon.”

Wishing for someone’s death.

Wanting victory.

Those were fundamentally different.

Her eyes had been wishing for death.

“That may be true.”

She didn’t deny it.

“But does that matter?”

“...”

If anything, she sounded brazen.

“What matters right now is whether you accept the deal.”

“The condition where you keep quiet about the fact that I know about this vault?”

“Yes. Though that alone won’t be enough.”

With an expressionless face, Cheon Hyein took something out.

“I’ll give you one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

“That would make the deal balanced, wouldn’t it?”

“...”

What else did she have to offer? I narrowed my eyes.

“I don’t think it’ll be something you’d dislike.”

“And what is it?”

“If you agree, I’ll tell you. What will you do?”

“...Ah. So the deal only happens if I accept?”

“Yes.”

“And if I refuse, you’ll slash your own throat again like before?”

“That is one of the plans.”

“Wow, this...”

I let out a small laugh and said it.

“You’re even more of a crazy bitch than I thought.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Cheon Hyein smiled when she heard that.

A sword.

Along with the promise that she’d keep her mouth shut if I found it for her—

And she says she has one more thing to offer...

She claimed she had something else to give me.

How much was that really worth?

If I say no...

She had the kind of face that looked like she really would threaten me with her own life.

It was absurd.

She says she’ll die right in front of me.

What a thoroughly shitty situation.

I could stop her if I had to. The important part was that she was desperate enough to use that as leverage.

Something inside me cooled a little. Was I disappointed in Cheon Hyein?

Maybe.

No.

There hadn’t been anything there to be disappointed in from the beginning.

What mattered here in the end was only this.

Do I agree, or don’t I?

I thought about it.

Could I trust Cheon Hyein, who was connected to Baekyeon?

No.

Trust wasn’t the issue.

Cheon Hyein and I weren’t in a relationship where trust meant anything.

There was only one thing I needed to look at.

Would this help me, or not?

Even if it doesn’t...

Did I really have to kill Cheon Hyein just to keep her quiet?

That’s a bit much.

If I were going to do that, I wouldn’t have saved her just now.

To begin with, Cheon Hyein had probably already suspected me.

This was just the moment that suspicion became certainty.

...

The short bout of deliberation came to an end.

“Fine. We’ll do that.”

“...!”

Cheon Hyein’s eyes widened at my answer.

“But I can’t promise anything. I don’t know whether the sword is there or not. If it is, I’ll hand it over... but if that happens, I’ll add a separate condition.”

“A condition?”

“I’ll tell you that part if we find it. Will you agree?”

“...You’ll set the condition after it’s found? Hm.”

Cheon Hyein thought for a moment, then held out her hand.

“Fine.”

“...”

I took her pale hand.

The agreement was made.

The moment we finished, she spoke.

“What I’m giving you is information.”

“...Information?”

So that was what she meant to offer. I narrowed my eyes.

“If it turns out you already knew it, then that would be unfortunate, so let me ask first.”

“All right.”

“Did you know the Sword Saint kept another vault?”

“...What?”

My brows drew together at that.

Another vault?

“You didn’t know?”

“...That’s news to me.”

That really was news to me.

I had never heard anything about it.

“That’s good.”

Cheon Hyein nodded.

There really was another vault?

Then why didn’t he tell me?

It wasn’t strange that Yucheon Gil hadn’t told me something. The man had always been full of secrets.

But still—

If it was about the vault, you’d think he would have mentioned it.

As I stood there in confusion—

“What I’m about to tell you is where that vault is.”

“...Where it is, huh. Where?”

“The North Sea.”

“Hm?”

“I heard it’s in the land of white nights, where Bow Ghost is.”

Cheon Hyein said it flatly.

*****

By the time we came out of the vault, it was morning.

“Ugh...”

I dragged myself up from the bed and let out my exhaustion.

“...I should’ve just rested.”

In the middle of the night, I had entered the dream-vision again.

To grapple with Yucheon Gil all over again.

We couldn’t stay in the third room any longer, and Cheon Hyein had also said it was best to leave, so we came out through the passage.

See you next time.

Cheon Hyein had said goodbye in that flat tone of hers.

As if the conversation we had just had, and the situation we had just gone through, were nothing at all.

Tss.

From my side, it felt like a full-on storm had swept through.

Cheon Hyein...

I had thought of her as nothing more than one of the Seven Rising Stars.

Moon Immortal Sword’s daughter. A troublesome presence.

An intelligent, talented woman.

I was wrong.

I had to revise that assessment.

She’s a far more difficult and troublesome person than I thought. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Far more than I had expected.

There’s more depth to her.

The circumstances she carried, and the situation around her, ran much deeper.

I could tell that from Cheon Uijin too.

That Cheon family looked like a disaster beyond all reason.

“A sword to kill her father.”

I didn’t know why she believed Yucheon Gil would have something like that.

...Though he might.

The old man had shoved every kind of thing imaginable into that place. It wouldn’t be strange if he had it too.

“Hm.”

I nodded to myself and stepped outside.

It was already past noon, so it was about time I started moving.

The Azure Wolf Festival still wasn’t over.

As I walked, I thought about something else.

Another vault.

Namely, the news that Yucheon Gil had a vault in the North Sea.

Does that even make sense?

Why would it be there?

Is that actually true?

I didn’t know whether it was true or not, but since Cheon Hyein had handed it over as information, I had to think about it.

Hm...

I scratched my head.

The North Sea.

A land I didn’t know very well.

At most, I knew it was a place where it snowed like mad.

And—

...that it belonged to the outside martial world.

That it was a land separate from this one.

And also—

the place where the North Sea Ice Palace exists.

The rulers of the North Sea.

The place where the woman called Bow Ghost belonged.

Of all places, the North Sea.

And this was right after I had heard that Bow Ghost was on bad terms with the Azure Moon Sect.

The old man’s vault is in the North Sea...

That was hard to believe.

No—even if it really were true—

It’s not somewhere I can go.

How was I supposed to get somewhere that far away?

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue.

Honestly, I could’ve settled that part just by asking him directly.

He has to show up before I can ask him anything.

Yucheon Gil was gone, so I couldn’t ask him.

Where the hell had he disappeared to?

Enough time had passed by now that he ought to have shown up, but the old man still hadn’t appeared.

Just then—

“It’s the Moon Hero.”

“...It really is...”

I suddenly heard whispering.

When I turned my head, I saw disciples.

They flinched at my gaze and quickly looked away.

But I had already heard everything.

They were already paying attention before.

Maybe because of yesterday’s match, the eyes on me now carried more weight than before.

The muttered words came along with it.

“I knew he was strong, but I didn’t think it’d be to that extent.”

“So he really is the Sword Saint’s inheritor?”

“They called him the Savior of Henan, but I guess it wasn’t just a false rumor.”

“...”

I scratched my cheek.

It was strange how quickly people’s assessment could change like that.

I # Nоvеlight # was surprised too.

Whether it was thanks to rebirth, or whether I simply hadn’t noticed it before—

I was stronger than I had expected.

Though—

At transcendent peak, I wouldn’t be weak.

It was a realm I never would’ve even dreamed of before.

I used to think I’d have nothing left to wish for in life if I could become even a second-rate martial artist.

And now I’m already at transcendent peak.

A year.

A little more than that, and my level had risen this far.

As I felt that, something Yucheon Gil had once said suddenly came to mind.

The strongest under heaven.

He had said he would make me the strongest under heaven for the sake of his goal.

Following Yucheon Gil as though he had truly meant that, I had somehow ended up standing here.

Click.

I adjusted the sword at my waist.

My hand wrapped around the Divine Sword.

There was no special intention behind it. It was just one way of suppressing the heat that had risen inside me.

“Oh dear...”

“...!”

A voice came from behind me.

When I turned, I saw the narrow-eyed young man.

Silver Moon Sword had stepped back slightly, one hand half raised as if he had been about to sling an arm around my shoulder.

“Ahaha. I just wanted to act friendly. Guess you didn’t like it?”

“...”

When had he gotten that close?

I hadn’t noticed him approaching at all.

“Ahh... sorry, sorry. Some people don’t like it when you get too close.”

So he really had been about to come up and drape an arm over my shoulder.

“What do you want?”

My voice wasn’t pleasant when I asked why he’d come over.

Because the part that bothered me was the fact that I hadn’t sensed him.

“Nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that you looked good yesterday.”

“...”

“And that I’m looking forward to it. I hope you make it up there. The change in you too...”

Silver Moon Sword swept his narrow eyes over me.

“It has me looking forward to it. See you.”

He passed by me with a bright smile.

Watching Silver Moon Sword, I couldn’t help but look at him strangely.

More precisely—

...There it is again.

Not Silver Moon Sword himself, but the massive spiritual energy that followed him like a shadow.

Watching that gaze fixed on me, transformed into the shape of an eye, I tilted my head slightly.

At this point—

I should get rid of it.

It was irritating enough that I felt like I ought to crush that thing first.