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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: cyno
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Jin Ga-young
“Oh! So you’re Byeorak Daehyeop! Then… if I may ask, what is your byulho (martial title)?”
“I don’t have one.”
“A-Ah… I see.”
A man who had just demonstrated such overwhelming martial prowess… yet claimed to have no title?
It was hard to believe.
But Phantom Demon didn’t dare question him further.
The sheer internal energy he had felt when receiving just a fraction of Byeorak’s attack—
It was something he had only experienced when standing before the Lord of Green Forest himself.
No…
It was even greater than that.
“What am I thinking?”
There was only one man in the Five Grandmasters with such overwhelming power—
The Sword Star.
No one else could possibly reach that level.
It was absurd to even consider.
Chastising himself for the foolish thought, Phantom Demon quickly turned his mind to the real issue—how to get out of this situation alive.
The job had been simple.
They had been hired by Jincheon Sword, the true power behind the Taewon Jin family, to disgrace Sword Flower.
The plan was to let her be captured by a band of lowly mountain bandits—
Forcing her family to pay a humiliating ransom of three thousand gold taels.
It would ruin her reputation, turning her into a laughingstock, and sink her standing within the Jin Clan.
But now, there was a problem.
A new variable.
That man—
The one with the short hair, the faint beard, and the deep shadows under his eyes.
A man who, at a glance, looked like nothing more than a vagrant.
“He’s a monster. We can’t fight him. We can’t even think about fighting him.”
The plan needed to change.
No—
The plan needed to be abandoned entirely.
They had to escape.
If—and only if—that monster allowed them to leave.
Gulp.
A dry swallow crawled down his throat.
First, he had to speak.
He had to beg.
“Let me be direct—I sincerely apologize.”
“Is that so?”
“Please… spare us. We will do anything.”
There was no point in trying to manipulate him.
No tricks.
No feigned bravado.
A warrior who had reached such heights would see through it instantly.
“That’s not my decision to make,” Byeorak said, gesturing toward Jin Ga-young.
The moment the conversation shifted to her, she took control with practiced ease.
Years of dealing with her treacherous uncle had prepared her well for moments like this.
“Our family has no intention of going to war with Green Forest,” she said coolly. “But if you force a fight, we won’t back down.”
“…Understood. What do you want?”
“Someone provided you with information, didn’t they? Tell me who it was. The one who told you our numbers and the fact that I, Jin Ga-young, would be passing through this road.”
“Uhm…”
The golden rule of their business—
Never betray the client.
Without that rule, they wouldn’t survive in this line of work.
It was the same reason assassin guilds existed without fear—
Because every single one of them was trained to bite down on poison the moment they were captured.
If it became known in the martial world that Green Forest had given up a client’s identity…
They would never receive another contract again.
But—
Glance.
Was that really more important right now?
When standing before a man who could dismember him with a single flick of his finger?
“Why so hesitant?” Jin Ga-young tilted her head. “If you don’t want to talk… I suppose that’s fine too.”
“A-Ah! No! I was just pausing for a moment! I’ll tell you right away!”
Phantom Demon frantically waved his hands, desperately answering,
“The client was Jincheon Sword, the uncle of Lady Jin! He provided us with your movements and ordered us to humiliate you!”
“…I figured as much.”
“Then… does that mean we’re free to go?”
A cautious question.
Jin Ga-young forced a smile and replied,
“Yes. Send my regards to the Lord of Green Forest.”
Taewon Jin Clan couldn’t afford to go to war with Green Forest.
If she wanted to, she could—especially with him standing behind her—but she refused to burden him any further.
He had already spent a lifetime suffering.
At the very least, while he was by her side, she wanted to give him some peace.
So, she held back.
Even though she wanted nothing more than to cut these bastards down where they stood.
Because his peace was more important than her own anger.
“Hmm… that is… uh…”
“The Lord of Green Forest doesn’t know about this, does he?”
“Ahem. Please understand… we haven’t been making as much money lately…”
“It’s fine. Just leave. And don’t pull something like this again.”
“Haha, truly, Lady Jin, your generosity humbles me. I, Yang Mo, am in awe.”
On the surface, their words were polite and lighthearted—
But beneath that, they walked on thin ice.
“Then, we’ll be taking our leave. Farewell.”
At Jin Ga-young’s nod, Phantom Demon finally felt secure enough to turn away.
Taking Blood Imprint Demon with him, he began his retreat.
“Wow… Brother, did you see that? That was some quick thinking.”
“Yeah, you really handled that well. But what now? If it gets out that we abandoned the mission, we’re screwed.”
“As long as we get rid of Jincheon Sword, no one will know. We just have to kill him before he spreads the news.”
“Ohh, good thinking. You’re really on fire today.”
“Thank Sword Flower for this. Damn it… she actually let us live?”
“You think so? Honestly, if it were me, I’d have killed us for sure. She’s too damn lenient.”
“And let’s be real—it’s not like we’re as bad as that piece of trash, the Sword Star. Kehaha!”
“True! I mean, have we ever kidnapped and raped little kids? Have we ever practiced demonic arts? Kuhaha!”
A slip of the tongue.
A mistake.
A mistake they couldn’t take back.
“Stop.”
Jin Ga-young’s voice sliced through the air, cold and razor-sharp.
It was the kind of voice that made one’s blood run cold.
A chill crept down their spines as they slowly turned—
And met her eyes.
Eyes filled with pure, unfiltered killing intent.
“You just crossed the line.”
—
“And let’s be real—it’s not like we’re as bad as that piece of trash, the Sword Star. Kehaha!”
“True! Have we ever kidnapped and raped little kids? Have we ever practiced demonic arts? Kuhaha!”
Just two sentences.
Thoughtless words.
To them, it was nothing.
But—
Grit—
Rage boiled to the surface, searing her mind.
She didn’t want to lose her composure.
Not in front of him.
But these fools—who knew nothing—had just insulted him.
She wanted to rip them apart.
The first thing Jin Ga-young did was check Byeorak’s expression.
Would he be angry? Would he be hurt?
No.
He was trembling.
His head was lowered, shadowed.
His hands and eyes shook as he desperately tried to suppress it.
To hold himself together.
Anyone could see it—
He was scared.
The man who was once the greatest in the world.
The man who was once the most noble in the world.
Now, he was shrinking back, lost in panic, all because of a few careless words spoken behind his back.
Just how much suffering had he endured to end up like this?
“Damn it. If I had known… I would have found him sooner.”
She had wanted to grow stronger before seeking him out—
To earn the right to stand beside him.
But because of her selfish pride, she had let him suffer alone for far too long.
She was furious.
At herself, for hesitating.
At the world, for dragging him down from the heavens.
And at those bastards—the ones who owed their very existence to him, yet dared to mock him.
Ahjussi.
Yes?
Please, get rid of them.
All of them?
Yes. They disgust me.
The moment her command was given, Byeorak swung his arm in a wide arc—
A massive blade of energy expanded outward, slicing through the air.
Shuaaa—!
The energy swept past Ga-young, the carriage, the trees—
And struck only the bandits.
Kwa-rurung—!
Thunder crackled in the distance.
Swshh!
Heads rolled.
The heads of the countless bandits who had surrounded them.
Among them were two—
The infamous Phantom Demon and Blood Imprint Demon, warriors feared for their cruelty.
Even peak-level martial artists, slain in an instant, without a single scream.
The sheer strength of his sword technique—
It had grown even stronger since she had last seen him.
She should have been in awe of that.
But she wasn’t.
She was only focused on him.
“Are you alright?”
He was no longer trembling.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry about the bodies. The Lord of Green Forest doesn’t even know about this, so no one will trace their deaths back to us.”
“The Taewon Jin Clan, you mean.”
“Yes. You belong to us now. Anything you do from now on—our clan will take responsibility for it.”
So…
“Live however you want.”
That was what she wanted to say.
“Do whatever you want. Take whatever peace, rest, or even indifference you need.”
“Even if what you want… is me.”
But she left the words unspoken.
He wanted to leave his past behind—
And she wouldn’t be the one to drag him back to it.
“I’m sorry…”
Even so, she had already failed to keep that promise.
She had asked for his help.
She had once again stained his hands with blood.
Burdened him with yet another weight.
Even if her intentions were good—
If she had been just a little stronger, she wouldn’t have needed to rely on him.
“I’ll catch up to you, as fast as I can!”
“…Thank you.”
“I should be thanking you for agreeing to my selfish request.”
“Was that a request, not an order?”
“I don’t order you around. I can’t order you around. And I never will.”
It was a vow—
Not to him, but to herself.
—
“What is this?”
“It’s porridge. I just made it, so eat it while it’s hot.”
Sitting across from him in the carriage, Jin Ga-young handed him a bowl.
The dish was packed with finely chopped ingredients—mushrooms, meat, ginger, chives.
It was less of a simple porridge and more of a nutritious meal.
“Do I deserve such fine food?”
“You worked hard today. I’ll be paying you a proper bonus later, but for now, just accept it. Please.”
“If my lord insists…”
As he accepted the bowl, warmth spread through his hands.
He wasn’t sure if it was the heat of the freshly made porridge—
Or something deeper.
All he knew was that it had been a very long time since he had felt warm.
“Hehe.”
Ga-young giggled as he took the bowl in his left hand and picked up the spoon with his right.
It was a smile of pure kindness.
A smile he hadn’t seen in years.
If Jin Ga-young ever found out he was Namgung Cheolbin—
How would she react?
Most likely, she would reject him.
Condemn him.
That would be the rational response.
And yet—
“Do you like me, my lord?”
A foolish question.
A small, impossible hope.
A 1% chance—
That even after knowing the truth, she wouldn’t push him away.
Even if he knew it was just an illusion, a false dream—
His heart still clung to it.
“Yes, I do.”
It had been so long since he had felt human warmth.
Like a starving dog sniffing out a bone—
Like a bear searching for honey—
He couldn’t help but seek out that warmth.
That’s not a bad thing, is it?
“Thank you.”
“Eat before it gets cold.”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t hungry.
At his level, hunger was a meaningless concept.
And yet—
Slurp.
It tasted… good.
Better than any lavish feast he had eaten before.
Better than anything he had tasted in years.
So good that his mind felt hazy, his vision blurring slightly.
“Mmm…”
Slurp, slurp.
A grown man, gulping down porridge like a starving child—how pathetic must he look?
He wanted to eat slowly, to maintain some dignity—
But it was just too good.
Slurp.
“Wow, you’re eating so fast. Do you want more?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hungry.”
“For someone who’s not hungry, you sure ate that quickly.”
“…I wasn’t hungry for food.”
He wanted to ask for more.
To hold onto this sweet moment a little longer.
But if he got too comfortable now…
If he let himself enjoy this warmth…
When the day came that he was cast aside, it would hurt even more.
No matter how well he hid his identity, eventually, the truth would come out.
And when it did…
He knew what would happen.
He had lived what would happen.
Again, and again.
He didn’t want to suffer that pain again.
“…Are you crying?”
“No.”
“Then why are you holding your forehead? Does it hurt?”
“…A little.”
He had only been pretending to hold his forehead—
In reality, he had discreetly wiped his tears using Three Harmonious Fingers, a secret technique of the Namgung Clan.
He couldn’t let her see.
“If you’re in pain, lie down here. You worked hard today.”
Jin Ga-young stretched out her legs and lightly tugged at his sleeve.
She had seemed so cold earlier when ordering the massacre of the bandits—
But she was still far too trusting.
Offering her lap as a pillow to a grown man without hesitation…
“…….”
“What’s wrong? Just lie down.”
“That’s… inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate? Do you have a wife?”
“…….”
“You don’t have a wife, do you? Then what does it matter? It’s not like I’m asking you to hold me—just lean on me.”
He did have a wife.
The woman he had loved more than anything.
The woman he still loved, would always love—
Yu So-eun.
The woman who had once given her life for him.
The woman who now despised him.
“I’ve never seen a monster like you.”
She didn’t love him anymore.
“Get out of my sight. I regret ever marrying into the Namgung Clan.”
He had been cast out from the clan.
In every sense, their marriage was over.
Would it be right for him to cling to her, when she didn’t want him anymore?
“…No.”
If he truly loved her, he had to let her go.
That was the only way to respect her feelings.
And hadn’t he already decided?
That he wouldn’t waste time on those who had abandoned him?
Yu So-eun was one of them.
If he wanted to build a new life—
He had to let go of his old one.
“I… don’t have a wife.”
“You’re shaking a little when you say that, you know?”
“…I don’t have a wife.”
“Then just lean on me. It doesn’t mean anything. Just think of it as a master rewarding her loyal servant.”
“…Thank you.”
He let himself sink down, resting his temple against her thigh.
A soft warmth pressed against his ear.
“Is it comfortable?”
“…Yes.”
It was.
Not in a physical sense—
But in a way he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
For the first time in centuries, he felt like he could lean on someone.
Not as a protector.
Not as a warrior, a savior, a hero.
But as a person.
A human being in need of warmth.
And if he had to choose anyone to give him that warmth—
He wanted it to be her.
Even if it was a foolish hope.
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[Your Text Here]
bro menemukan seseorang yang tepat
Fucking hell this is infuriating