A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel – Chapter 23

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
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“Is there anyone who escaped?”

“No, Sect Leader!”

The voice of an unknown man answered the Sect Leader’s question. I blankly squatted on the ground and watched the scene.

The martial artists of the Haenam Sword Sect were busily moving and cleaning up the hillside.

More precisely, they were piling up the corpses in the open space. They would obviously burn them. It’s not like they were Blood Cult members who could do anything with the corpses.

“The Black Shark Squad…”

I pondered the group name they had shouted.

What a ridiculous name they came up with.

It was clear that they were raised from birth to destroy the Haenam Sword Sect. Considering the original work, they were probably sold as slaves or kidnapped from a young age and raised.

That made sense since the demon cult in the original work didn’t hesitate to use any means for revenge. Unless there was a transmigrator like me on the demon cult’s side, the rest of the events wouldn’t be much different from the original.

I stopped my thoughts and got up from my seat, stretching my waist.

Then I kicked a rolling head with my foot and threw it into the pile of corpses.

I don’t know about respecting the dead, but I wanted to go inside and rest quickly. My muscles were screaming after the hours-long battle.

As I was standing there blankly, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

[A knight must express courtesy towards the dead, even if they are enemies. Understood?]

A remark made by my commander while grabbing my head.

Tsk.

Why am I thinking of that now?

I couldn’t completely ignore the words of my mentor and superior who was like the sky to me.

I turned my head back, which I had raised at some point, and approached the mountain of corpses.

Then I knelt on one knee and bowed my head.

It was a posture I had taken quite often after becoming a knight.

“May you rest in peace in the afterlife.”

It’s absurd for the killer to say that, but what sin did the underlings commit?

They were just kidnapped and raised as hunting dogs.

They’re just acting as they were raised.

My tribute was a little longer than before because I was once in a similar position. No, it was for much longer than those underlings.

I finished the long tribute and got up from my seat. I felt a presence behind me.

It was Hye-ryeong, who had cut down three Black Shark Squad martial artists.

“Uncle, what are you doing?”

“I was just paying tribute.”

“To the demon cult martial artists?”

When I looked at Hye-ryeong, she had an expression as if she had misheard something.

Yeah, that would be against the common sense here.

“When you die, regardless of your affiliation, you are all dragged before King Yama.”

“Still, I don’t feel like doing as you did for the demon cultists.”

“I understand.”

I didn’t want to give well wishes for the Middle Eastern bastards either.

It’s natural not to look kindly upon those who came to kill you. I turned around and approached the Sect Leader, who was directing the disciples of the Haenam Sword Sect.

When I approached, the Sect Leader spoke with a delighted expression.

“Are you done with your business?”

“Yes, I am. So I will also lend a hand.”

The Sect Leader waved his hands at my words.

“There’s no need for that, Sir William. Didn’t you fight on the front lines despite being a third party? We can’t make a hero like you who helped us do this work too.”

“You’re giving me too much credit.”

“Giving you credit? You deserve to be called a wandering hero. When this incident reaches the Central Plains, the aficionados will give you a suitable title.

Although it was only an empty title, it will be of some help if you go to the Central Plains.

The presence or absence of a title makes a big difference in the Central Plains.”

A title…

I’m a bit curious about what it will be.

I hope it’s not a strange title.

“Title… I want one too.”

“Hye-ryeong. Don’t you already have the title ‘Jewel of Haenam’?”

“Is that a title? It’s nonsense.”

Hye-ryeong’s lips protruded.

She seemed dissatisfied with the title ‘Jewel of Haenam’. Well, it’s not really a praise of her skills but a title given because she’s pretty, so how could she like it?

After all, martial artists want to prove themselves through martial arts.

“I’ve never even left Haenam Island, but I only got weird titles…”

“Hoho, Hye-ryeong. The day will come when you get a title that suits you when you embark on your martial arts journey.”

As if admonishing his daughter, the Sect Leader stroked Hye-ryeong’s head and consoled her. Hye-ryeong silently accepted the gesture, then suddenly raised her head and asked in a higher voice than usual.

“Martial arts journey?”

“There is a gathering of children your age in four months. You can’t stay in Haenam forever, so you need to broaden your horizons, don’t you?”

Was it the Yongbong Assembly?

Is he telling her to attend that?

It seemed the Haenam Sword Sect, being one of the Nine Great Sects, needed someone to send. But he wouldn’t be sending only Hye-ryeong.

It’s too big of a deal to send her alone. There are also other concerns.

“Keep that in mind.”

“Okay!”

Hye-ryeong nodded vigorously. Is she that happy about the journey?

Well, it’s not strange for a caged bird to yearn for the world outside the cage.

I smiled at Hye-ryeong, who was genuinely happy.

—

Half a month had passed since the bloody battle with the demon cult.

Haenam Island was quickly returning to its original state. The main reasons were that the bastards didn’t cause a commotion in the village while sneaking in and they were annihilated in an instant.

…Actually, it was also because the Haenam Sword Sect actively lent a hand.

Martial artists have good physiques in the first place and they also train, so they can handle manual labor well.

Well, I only watched a few times and didn’t participate in the work.

When I tried to lend a hand and help, they were horrified.

They said, “Sir William, you don’t have to help us!”

Apparently, it was very burdensome for the sect’s benefactor to help with the work. Thanks to that, I had to kill time by training.

“Sir William. You worked hard today as well.”

“Alright, you should also go wash up and rest.”

I waved my hand at the dust-covered Mu-guang and gave him the order to leave. Mu-guang politely bowed to me and left the training ground.

I lay down in the corner of the training ground and looked up at the sky.

“Whether here or there, the sky is so damn clear…”

Is it because industrialization hasn’t occurred yet?

While having pointless thoughts, I recalled the contents of the original work.

According to the original work, this was the period when the Haenam Sword Sect would have been annihilated, leaving only ashes.

Two days after Hye-ryeong’s birthday, the Haenam Sword Sect was extremely peaceful.

…Now that the original work has been twisted like this, it won’t be of much help.

The point of contact between the protagonist and the Trophy Heroine that he would scoop up had disappeared, so even I couldn’t guess what kind of future Hye-ryeong would walk.

She could make a name for herself in the war against the demon cult like in the original work. Or she could remain as a fairly ordinary martial artist and lead a relatively peaceful life.

Since made Hye-ryeong’s future blank, now it was Hye-ryeong’s turn to paint again on the blank canvas.

Honestly, if i took it to this extent, haven’t I repaid the favor? At the very least, Hye-ryeong bringing me from the beach turned out to be a divine move on her part.

We stopped both the Japanese pirates and the demon cult.

As a result, we succeeded in preventing the tragedy of the original work.

It was easier than I thought.

…Is it because the West is too much of a hell now?

I had to engage in similar battles like today as often as eating meals.

Now that I think about it, it was a miracle that they kept me alive as a prisoner. How many of their necks did I cut on the front lines?

In the end, they sold me as a slave, though.

“…What’s the point of worrying about the past?”

I won’t even have time to care about the past when I think about future matters.

Since laid hands on the demon cult, the option of not getting involved in the main story of this damn novel has practically disappeared.

My appearance is very distinctive here, so it’s not like they won’t be able to find me even if I hide. It was better to actively participate in the matter and endure until the protagonist fully grows up.

If I secure a position in places like the Wulin Alliance, I could quietly reap benefits and be safe from the demon cult’s attacks. No matter how much the demon cult tries, they wouldn’t go out of their way to kill me in the middle of the Wulin Alliance.

So, my next destination was set.

The Yongbong Assembly.

…Come to think of it, I think there was a heroine at the Yongbong Assembly too.

Whenever she appeared, they always attached the modifier ‘beautiful’. I’m looking forward to it.

“Uncle?”

“Did you finish your work well?”

“Of course! I took good care of the kids today too!”

Hye-ryeong said with a bright smile. A pure smile without any impurities. I looked up at her and smiled.

If the events had followed the original work, the expression Hye-ryeong would have on her face would not have been a bright smile, but the despair-filled sorrowful expression of someone who had lost everything.

“…I’m glad I helped.”

“What?”

“It’s just me talking to myself, so don’t mind it.”

“Since Uncle wants to hide it, I won’t ask either!”

“Thanks.”

It would have been troublesome if she had pestered me.

As if that thought was visible on my face, Hye-ryeong added with a mischievous smile.

“There’s plenty of time to find out! Someday, Uncle will tell me, right?”

What?

I looked at Hye-ryeong.

She, who resembled a penguin, reached out her hand to me and said.

“So, let’s go to the Central Plains together! I’ve become really curious about you, Uncle! I want to keep observing you by your side!”

“I don’t know if this will be a burden to you.”

I shrugged my shoulders and took her hand.

Hye-ryeong’s hand was really small and soft.

“Did you get permission?”

“Hehe, if Uncle asks, the sect leader will readily give permission, right?”

“Since you brought it up, let’s go talk to him about it right away.”

“Yes!”

I dusted off my clothes and walked with Hye-ryeong towards the hall where the Sect Leader was staying.

It was a day when the sea breeze was gently blowing.

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