“...Sister?”

Cheon Hyein appeared out of nowhere.

Seeing her, Cheon Eujin swallowed a groan.

“Hello?”

Cheon Hyein lifted a hand to him. The slight smile and the little wave would look beautiful to anyone watching.

Unfortunately, to Cheon Eujin, even that was fear.

“Shall we talk?”

“......”

Thump—...! His heart pounded violently.

The cold sweat trickling down his back had already soaked his whole body.

“Hff... huff....”

His breathing turned rough, and a dizzy haze began to roll in as if he might faint.

He might throw up. Barely holding down the nausea crawling up his throat, Cheon Eujin looked at his sister.

“Blue.”

A sign and proof that Blue Moon Heart Art had permeated the body completely.

It didn’t just spread through the body; it seeped into the pupils and made them blue.

Cheon Hyein bore Moon Eyes, and Cheon Eujin did not dare stare straight into those Moon Eyes.

She was like the sea.

Just looking felt like he’d fall in and never escape.

Feeling that, Cheon Eujin bit his lip.

“...What brings you here?”

He forced the words out, holding down his emotions. He surprised himself for managing that much.

In the past, he wouldn’t have been able to meet her eyes, let alone speak without stammering. Now was different.

‘...Have I gotten better?’

His breath and his head were still a mess, but better than before.

Had he grown? Had he finally improved, even a little? Just as that thought flickered—

“Hm?”

“...!”

Her little tilt of the head made his gut twist all over again.

Without meaning to, Cheon Eujin averted his eyes.

Seeing that, Cheon Hyein’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“What kind of question is that. Isn’t it normal for a sister to come see her brother?”

She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, but hearing it, Cheon Eujin only bit his lip on the inside.

‘Don’t make me laugh.’

Sister and brother? It wasn’t even funny.

She had never once thought of him as a brother.

Truly shameless.

Whether she knew his heart or not, Cheon Hyein walked up and stopped in front of him.

“Little brother.”

“...Yes.”

“So I hear something interesting happened in Anhui?”

“......”

He swallowed hard at her words.

“I heard someone targeted you.”

Gooseflesh rippled over him.

‘How can a human...!’

How could anyone be that brazen and vile.

He had to grit his teeth looking at her.

He had heard it was Cheon Hyein who had lured his bodyguard, Pungyeon.

Yet she spoke without the slightest change of expression.

Cheon Eujin was terrified of that very thing.

“You look frightened.”

“......”

“Was it that scary? I told you, didn’t I.”

She approached him slowly.

“Little brother.” 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Her blue eyes swept over him.

“Trust no one.”

Her smile cinched tight around his heart.

“I clearly warned you.”

“......”

“Why didn’t you listen to your sister... I truly wonder.”

Crrrk— He clenched his curled fist even tighter.

“...How can you be that shameless?”

“Hm?”

At his words, she tipped her head, puzzled.

As if she didn’t know what he meant.

“The reason I didn’t bother reporting about you wasn’t simply because I was afraid of you.”

“......”

Her brows drew tight at that. He hesitated a beat, but didn’t stop.

“...Because I will beat you without doing anything like that. That’s why I didn’t bother writing it in any report.”

“Hm.”

Eyes narrowing, she smiled.

“So what you’re saying is... I’m the one who pushed that useless bodyguard?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

His face twisted. Bitter resentment soaked his expression.

“Despicable.”

“......”

Hearing that, she smiled again.

“Little brother. You can think that if you like, but do you have proof?”

“Are you just testing me?”

“Take it however you like. There won’t be anything left anyway.”

“......”

It was true. As she said, there was no proof that she had ordered Pungyeon.

He was dead, and as far as he knew, Cheon Hyein was not someone who would leave things like that behind.

There was no proof. Realizing it, he ground his teeth again.

“You haven’t changed.”

She looked at him and smiled blandly.

“Still incompetent. No different than back then.”

“...!”

At the mention of “back then,” his expression snapped.

“It’s been years and you still haven’t gotten out of that pla—”

“Shut up...!”

He shouted.

“At the very least... at the very least, if you’re human... you don’t bring that up.”

“......”

His voice, thrown up like that, cracked to tatters. It was the peculiar sound of those who have never once in their lives yelled.

So to Cheon Hyein, he was pathetic.

“You’re still thrashing there, unable to crawl out—and you say you’ll beat me?”

It wasn’t even funny.

“As if.”

“...What do you know to talk like that?”

“How could I not.”

She sighed.

“The reason you insisted on heading to Anhui, the reason you got information and still told neither the Sect Master nor anyone else—that reason, right?”

“...!”

His mouth clamped shut at her words.

“This sister was curious what you got there.”

Ssss—

She reached out and straightened his clothes as she spoke.

“Amazingly enough, it was the elder’s Full Moon.”

“......”

She spoke as if she already knew everything. The more she talked, the more he cowered.

“Who could it be, I wonder...”

She pressed thought to her lips.

“Who’s the one who told only you and not Father or me?”

“......”

“Hm... This sister simply couldn’t understand.”

The moon was creeping into the sky.

Climbing higher, it cast its light over the two of them.

“You’re the least likely and the most wretched, and yet is there some fool who would hand you something that big?”

“...Krk....”

“Well, putting that aside.”

Even if such a person existed, she didn’t care.

As if, even if there was, she could handle it all the same.

“Little brother, did you say you want to beat me?”

He didn’t answer.

But she already knew his answer.

“So that’s the one you brought?”

“......”

That person.

There was only one man she would call that, now.

Bang Sungyeon.

At his name coming out of his sister’s mouth, his whole body went taut.

“To raise him to the Blue Moon Sect Master in my place?”

Right on the mark.

“I do hope that’s not it.”

He twisted his face and asked,

“...Why?”

“If that’s really it, I think I’ll be truly disappointed in you. Ah, not that there’s anything left to be disappointed about.”

“......”

“He’s an extraordinary man. If you brought him, that might be one of the few things you’ve done right. But listen.”

She leaned in close to his face.

“If what you managed to think of is just someone to win in your stead—could anything be more paltry and worthless?”

The words turned into a sharp blade and stabbed into him.

“Little brother. You are not that man. However much you want to be like him, you can’t.”

He knew.

That someone like him and Bang Sungyeon were entirely different beings.

“If you’re dreaming even a little, wake up fast. You’ll only make yourself miserable.”

“...I have never thought that. And I won’t listen just because you say so.”

“Really?”

Hearing his answer, she smiled bright.

“Then good.”

With that, she turned her back on him.

“Well then, thrash all you like. Try to reach me. Only then—”

Without turning her head, she continued.

“—Mother will be pleased in heaven.”

Finishing, she walked off and was gone.

“......”

Staring at the place where she’d vanished,

“Urk—!”

He suddenly dropped and began to retch.

“Gehk....”

His face had gone chalk white, his body trembling, telling the whole of his state.

“Kh....”

It hurt. Even so, his bloodshot eyes stayed fixed on where she had disappeared.

‘You are not that man. However much you want to be like him, you can’t.’

Her words kept circling his head.

“Damn it....”

Thud—!

He slammed the ground hard. His hand split from the impact and blood welled, but he didn’t care.

“Damn it... damn it....”

Shame washed in stronger than pain.

It was the feeling he had for himself, who had done nothing until she left.

“...What am I supposed to do....”

How was he supposed to climb out of this accursed feeling.

He gnawed at it endlessly, but—

Nothing came.

As he swallowed his shame and smothered his feelings—

“......”

Behind a nearby tree, leaning her back against it, Cheon Hyein shifted her gaze.

From her brother to empty air.

Watching the darkness, she spoke.

“Grand-uncle.”

—Yes.

A voice answered from there, and she had already known someone was present.

“I hear that child’s bodyguard sold me out....”

Speaking thus,

“Would you find out what exactly happened?”

Her face was astonishingly cold.

****

Morning came, and not long after.

I washed in a hurry and stepped out of my quarters.

The moment I came out, I looked back at the lodgings I’d been using.

‘Today’s the last, huh.’

The guest quarters Blue Moon Sect provided. Tonight was the last night I’d sleep here.

There was no helping it.

‘Once I’m in the Small Moon Unit, I have to move.’

Now that I truly belonged to the Blue Moon Sect, I couldn’t stay in guest quarters.

Accordingly, I’d be relocating to where the Small Moon Unit gathered.

Not that I had much in the way of luggage, so the move itself was easy.

‘Still a waste....’

Even so, leaving such good quarters didn’t feel good.

It was even a place just for me. How beautiful and glorious is that.

“...Damn.”

I don’t want to go. I want to stay longer.

However much I wish and wish, there was no way.

[...Hmph, listen to you, clinging like crazy over a house.]

Watching me, Yoo Cheongil muttered from behind, sounding exasperated.

“You don’t understand, old man... the tragic dream of home ownership we poor youth carry.”

[It’s not even your house to begin with.]

“If I did well, maybe it could’ve become mine, you know?”

[...And how exactly would you do well.]

“Forget it. You wouldn’t understand my heart anyway.”

[I don’t particularly want to.]

I waved my hand about and walked.

I lost my quarters when I joined the Small Moon Unit, but at least I heard one bit of good news when I went to Small Moon Way last time.

‘Fortunately, even after joining the sect, training attendance is voluntary.’

Others were probably grinding away right now.

I wasn’t. That had worried me at first, but as it was later explained, the Small Moon Unit trusted people to handle themselves, so there was no group training.

Thanks to that, no one cared whether I ran around at noon or slept the day away.

[Nobody would’ve expected it... Who could’ve imagined a lunatic like you would join the Small Moon Unit.]

“I had no plans. I’m being forced to do this—this much leniency is the least they can give.”

[...Tsk.]

The old man clearly disliked that I’d tossed training aside.

It was unfair to me, though.

“I never said I wouldn’t train at all. I’ve got business, so I’m going.”

[...And I’m not stopping you, am I.]

“If only your mouth weren’t the only thing that stayed put. Keep your eyes put, too. That’s the real problem.”

[Tch.]

He clicked his tongue, displeased.

I ignored him and kept walking.

Like I told the old man, I had a destination today.

In a few days we’d have to head for Sichuan; there was one thing I needed to settle.

‘I’ve brought Cheon Eujin in. Now there’s one left.’

The one other than Cheon Eujin who would go to Sichuan with me.

We’d spoken roughly before, but I’d been too busy to finish it.

So I was on my way to wrap it up.

Just then—

[I still don’t get it.]

The old man spoke.

“What don’t you get?”

[Why him of all people? There [N O V E L I G H T] must be plenty of usable men.]

“Ahh.”

Why that guy, specifically.

He couldn’t understand.

Fair enough—this time the companions were chosen solely by my judgment.

Normally, the Sect Master, Moonlit Sword, should decide.

‘But it was a wager.’

The reward I won in the duel with Seom Seonggyeong.

I used it for this.

When I went to Sichuan, I’d take whoever I wanted.

Moonlit Sword allowed it. With one condition: I had to bring one member of the Small Moon Unit.

‘Even better.’

That worked for me.

From the start, besides Cheon Eujin, there was one person I wanted—and he happened to be in the Small Moon Unit.

“I don’t need anyone else. It has to be him.”

[...And why is that?]

“I don’t want to die, and I want only good things to happen when we get there.”

[What does that even—]

“Oh, there he is.”

He still looked unconvinced, but I ignored him and kept walking.

At last, I reached the one I wanted.

“Senior. Good morning.”

At my greeting, the man swinging a sword in the morning looked at me.

“......”

A young man with a blank face and brown hair.

Not as handsome as me or Cheon Eujin, but solidly masculine.

Well-trained muscles, tall frame.

And he wore the uniform that marked the Small Moon Unit.

Until I enlisted, he had been the youngest in the unit—Do Hyeong.

“I came to finish what we talked about yesterday. Do you have time?”

I smiled at him.

He was the one who would accompany me to Sichuan after Cheon Eujin.

Or rather, to be precise—

‘I’m bringing what’s attached to him.’

Behind the smile, my eyes slipped past him.

Something floated behind Do Hyeong, gazing at me with a soft glow.

It was a ghost, and yet calling it just a ghost felt off.

Calling it a malicious spirit would be absolutely wrong.

That thing should never be compared to a wraith.

Just having it attached would bring not only luck, but also money, fame, and even health—an overwhelming presence.

In other words—

It was what people called a guardian spirit.