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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Dreams are always sweet, but ultimately, they are in vain.
Therefore, people don’t dwell in their dreams, but rather heal their hearts with the world that dreams show them, and then live in reality.
But if a person couldn’t find stability even in their dreams, what could they possibly rely on?
For Sword Saint Na Yerin, from that day on, her dreams were always of darkness.
Before that day, reality had been so happy that she surely hadn’t dreamed at all.
Her birthday.
The day that everyone in the clan had blessed her.
That night had been the beginning of an indelible nightmare for the Sword Saint.
That’s why the nightmare was always the same.
Before her, as she walked out of the darkness, was the Hong Seong Clan.
And blood.
Her senior sister, her junior sister, her martial aunt.
At the end of the place where everyone lay collapsed, bleeding, was the Seonggwan, the building where the Hong Seong Clan’s leader resided.
In front of it, a woman always sat.
A woman with jet-black hair. A woman with striking red bloodstains remaining on her flowing Hong Seong Clan uniform.
In her eyes, faintly visible through her disheveled hair, was weariness.
And joy.
But the Sword Saint couldn’t smile at her.
Even though she had always smiled at her.
Even though she had always respected and followed her.
Just seeing her master collapsed before her, the Sword Saint couldn’t even make a facial expression.
The only word she uttered was.
“…Why?”
It was always like that. Even though she knew it was a dream, the Sword Saint always asked.
And.
The answer.
Never once returned to Na Yerin.
“……”
Slowly opening her eyes, the Sword Saint looked around. She was in a small garden within the Hong Seong Clan.
It was actually more like a yard than a garden, embarrassing to call it a garden.
To be called a garden, shouldn’t there be proper plants?
But the only things here were weeds and wildflowers that had taken root from seeds that had flown in from somewhere.
Even so, the Sword Saint liked this place.
She had since she was a child.
She looked around with her usual dazed eyes, and then lowered her head again.
Although it had been a long time ago, the events of that time were still a deeply engraved scar in the Sword Saint’s heart.
And that scar.
That day.
Every time her birthday approached, the scar revealed its hideous appearance more and more.
“Master!!”
Lost in thought while looking at her own hands, the Sword Saint slightly raised her head.
The one who approached her, sitting on a chair in the garden, was none other than Sayun.
The last disciple she had accepted into the Hong Seong Clan.
Her talent was good, and her character was excellent.
This child would have no difficulty carrying on the will of Hong Seong.
The Sword Saint reached out her hand towards the girl with gray hair who was smiling brightly at her.
“Yes?”
The Sword Saint reached out her hand to the girl who approached her, puzzled.
And slowly stroked her hair. As she felt the gray hair, soft as yarn, entangled between her fingers, the Sword Saint smiled. Sayun was taken aback.
“Ah. Th-thank you.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Ah. It’s time for dinner.”
“Has it been that long already…”
Lately, it was difficult for her to grasp the passage of time.
She knew why.
That day was approaching.
The scar kept revealing itself.
The Sword Saint smiled bitterly, took her hand away from Sayun’s hair, and Sayun looked up at her intently before asking.
“Master. Have you not been feeling well lately?”
“Yes. I’m a little tired. But you don’t need to worry. I am the leader of the Hong Seong Clan, and your master.”
The Sword Saint had never once hidden her condition from her disciples.
When she was tired, she said she was tired. When she was struggling, she said she was struggling. When she could do something, she said she could.
She had to.
She knew all too well what had happened because she hadn’t done that.
Even seeing the strange sight of a warrior considered to be among the top ten in the world saying she was tired, Sayun had never once thought of her as weak.
After all, she was Sayun’s respected master, worthy of her admiration.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes. Let’s. What’s for dinner today?”
“Barley rice, changgwi namul, and osun chae! Ah! And Senior Sister Ryuhyeon boiled some eggs! And Senior Sister Hyeonhwi made dumplings with pheasant meat.”
“Oh my! What a feast!”
“Yes!”
“Let’s hurry. Everyone must be waiting.”
The Sword Saint smiled faintly as she took her disciple’s hand. Just that little action was enough to make the scar in her heart slowly sink back into the darkness.
But the Sword Saint knew.
Even though it might be hidden, this scar would never heal on its own.
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I took up my brush on a day when the heat was particularly intense.
The first thing I want to report is that something truly joyful happened the other day.
I really wanted to tell you about it, Uncle.
I already told you that I was going to Changungwan, right? Hehe. Something very moving happened then.
I had my first act of chivalry, just like a disciple of the Hong Seong Clan should.
I found out for the first time then that Changungwan is often attacked by demonic cultists and monsters.
It just so happened that it occurred when we were there. My goodness. Demonic cultists brought jiangshi with them and attacked Changungwan!
It was almost a disaster, but we managed to stop the jiangshi and everyone was safe. It was very fortunate.
If you hadn’t told me about the secret realm, allowing me to improve my skills and obtain a sword, it would have been difficult to stop them.
Of course, Innkeeper Yuwol’s help was also great.
Anyway, after we defeated the jiangshi, First Senior Sister Hong-ryeon dealt with the demonic cultists. And the child and the child’s father, whom we saved, called me a heroine.
The spirit of Hong Seong greatly values chivalry.
It is called chivalry to act without regard for one’s own life in a crisis, and to act for righteousness rather than for personal gain.
I didn’t know about it until then, but that day I learned a little bit about what chivalry is and what the spirit of Hong Seong is for.
Haha. I thought I was just going to have fun, but it was a very good experience.
If I continue to grow like this, will I one day be able to help others without any personal gain, just like you, Uncle?
I really hope so.
The late summer heat is getting stronger.
Please take care of your health, and if you have any difficulties, please tell me anytime.
Heroine Sayun will come to help you!
Ahaha… It’s embarrassing to write ‘heroine’. I’m not quite there yet.
But you’ll forgive me, right?
P.S.
Enclosed is the prayer token I received from Changungwan, as I mentioned before.
They say that if you carry it, you will receive the protection of the Eight Immortals, and you will always have good luck, so please keep it with you.
Also, the incense is my favorite among the incense I bought in Palcheon Village. I hope you like it too, Uncle!
Ah, and lately, my master has been feeling very down… Is there any way to comfort her? If you don’t mind, I would like to borrow your wisdom.
From Sayun, who always thinks of you.
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I put the letter aside and checked the box. Inside was a prayer token with the mark of Changungwan.
I examined the token with the symbols of the Eight Immortals, put it aside, and picked up the incense.
Haha. We picked this one out together.
She had said it was her favorite scent at the incense shop back then.
I didn’t know she would send this to me.
Anyway, I’ll gratefully accept it.
-Knock knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. I put the things Sayun had sent into the safe and said.
“Come in.”
“What are you doing?”
“I was just doing some work.”
Chae-jin tilted her head when she saw the letters on the desk. They had been delivered along with Sayun’s package by the post office’s people.
“From the Cheonghwe Corporation and the Hao Clan? Do we have to go to Yangwi again?”
“We do have to go, but that’s not why. The one from the Cheonghwe Corporation is about new goods, so there’s no need to look at it.”
I put the first letter aside and unfolded the one from the Hao Clan. And I smiled.
“What is it? If it’s something good, shouldn’t we laugh together?”
“Hm? Here…”
“You were looking at it, so let’s look at it together. Just.”
I unfolded the letter, and Chae-jin read it beside me as if it were natural.
A good scent tickled my nose from her long, soft hair that flowed down.
“Hmm… a regular update. It seems you exchange information with the Hao Clan like this?”
“That’s right.”
As Chae-jin said, this letter was a regular update from the Hao Clan regarding the current situation.
After the new Black Heresy Alliance Lord had taken a big hit last time, their movements had decreased, but small and medium-sized sects were still fighting among themselves, devouring each other.
It said that if this continued, a war might break out within a few months.
Of course, it wouldn’t be as big as originally expected.
“This is dangerous. Does that mean our Seomhwa Village is also within their sphere of influence?”
“Probably. If the Jangma, Hyeoljin, and Guwol factions want to attack the current Black Heresy Alliance Lord, Wang Hwi, they will pass through Seomhwa Village. However, their forces have been greatly weakened, and the Hong Seong Clan is here, so I don’t think they will come recklessly…”
“We have to prepare for the worst, right? Besides, there are those Iron Blood Corps guys who attacked the Hong Seong Clan last time. Maybe they’ll mix in and attack together.”
“That’s right. But Miss Chae, I’m planning to invite the Sword Saint. Do you know what she likes? The current situation is dangerous, so we need to actively cooperate with the Hong Seong Clan to overcome this crisis. I’d like to invite her for a meal at least.”
“…Ah. Right, the Sword Saint rarely leaves the Hong Seong Clan.”
“You know about that too?”
“It’s well known, isn’t it? That the Sword Saint rarely goes outside the Hong Seong Clan.”
She smiled faintly.
“Serve her delicious food. She likes sweets, so you can give her some at the end, right?”
“Isn’t that treating her like a child?”
“My father always called the Sword Saint a child too.”
Chae-jin said with a smile.
And the next day.
I asked Hong-ryeon the same question when she came for patrol.
“My master? She doesn’t dislike anything… She likes sweets, so you can give her some at the end, right?”
How could their assessments be so identical?
There wouldn’t be any problems with what to serve… But would she even come if I invited her?
When I asked, Hong-ryeon put her hand on her lip, thought for a moment, and then nodded.
“If you invite her, Innkeeper, she will come, but if you ask her to come alone, she won’t.”
“Really? Then…”
“Invite a couple more people and send the invitation. Then my master will come too. Actually, I was also a bit worried because my master has been so down lately.”
Saying that, Hong-ryeon gave me a beautiful smile.
“Thank you always. I’m always indebted to you.”
“What are you talking about? It’s nothing.”
I’m indebted to her a lot too.
We help each other out.
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