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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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Crash—
Okhwa handed me a basin of water.
Since I had collapsed the moment I returned to my quarters yesterday, she must have prepared it in advance.
“When did you even prepare this? And this bed… where did it come from?”
Turning my head, I saw Jin Ga-young soundly asleep in another bed.
Originally, the Taiyuan Jin family’s annex had only one bed—so the one I was using now must have been newly brought in.
“It was my bed. I moved it while you were sleeping. From now on, Cheolbin, you’ll use it.”
When I gave her a puzzled look, she answered as if to clear my confusion.
Though I had expected as much, her reply only deepened my bewilderment.
“Then where will you sleep…?”
“I’ll manage. If it doesn’t suit you, tell me. I’ll bring a better one.”
“No… that’s not necessary, but…”
I didn’t understand why Okhwa was acting like this, but for now, it seemed best to go along with her rhythm.
After last night’s repentance, she wouldn’t do anything to harm me.
I still didn’t fully grasp the situation.
I washed my face with the water in the basin she handed me.
Splash—
Then, perhaps because I had just woken up, a dryness clung to my throat.
Last night, I had roared with all my might, even channeling my inner energy.
As I stretched my legs out of bed to stand, parched—
“You must be thirsty. Wait a moment. I’ll fetch you water.”
“Huh? Okhwa, what did you just—”
Before I could question her, she dashed out and returned with a cup of water.
I stared awkwardly as she held it out to me.
“Cheolbin, don’t feel burdened. I’m only atoning.”
She pushed the cup closer, urging me to drink.
Since I was thirsty, I reluctantly accepted it.
Gulp, gulp—
All the while, Okhwa fidgeted, watching my reaction.
…Is this really the same Iron Maiden Okhwa I know? I couldn’t help but doubt.
“If—if you’ve finished, hand it back. If you’re thirsty again, tell me. I’ll bring more.”
“…The one you should atone to isn’t me, but the world. What great sin have you committed against me to act like this?”
“Don’t say that. This is both atonement and repayment. A way to return the grace you’ve shown me.”
“So, what, you’re going to be my attendant now? The sect leader of Kunlun?”
“If necessary, I’ll formally serve you. And don’t call me Kunlun’s sect leader anymore. As of last night, I’m no longer a Taoist. I’m unworthy of being one.”
“Don’t tell me your words yesterday—‘I’ll change my clothes and return’—meant this?”
“Y-yes! If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll stop immediately! But… please, please allow it! I have a duty to serve you! Grant me this mercy with your magnanimity!”
Thud—!
Okhwa suddenly dropped to her knees.
The impact and noise filled the room.
I’d faced a similar situation yesterday with Yu So-eun.
Should I refuse this time too?
“I don’t need your service.”
“Any troublesome, tedious, trivial, or bothersome task—leave it all to me. I’ll handle everything for you.”
“There’s nothing you can do that I can’t.”
“Then why does an emperor have attendants? Why delegate trivial matters when he could do them himself? It’s because those beneath him take care of what’s beneath his station.”
“I’m not a high-ranking figure. And I’m certainly no emperor.”
“To me, you are an emperor. The only one. The emperor I must serve and devote myself to.”
“……”
When someone pleads with such sincerity, is it right to refuse?
My mind says no, but I can’t be certain.
The world isn’t ruled by logic alone.
“What have I even done for you to act like this?”
“You opened my blinded eyes. That alone is a grace I can never repay.”
“……”
The sect leader of Kunlun, volunteering to be my attendant?
Not the most dignified sight, but…
“…Don’t overdo it.”
“Does that mean…?”
“I’ll allow it. But keep it reasonable. You’re not a servant.”
“Thank you! Truly, thank you! To grant someone like me a chance to repay your kindness—you really are magnanimous, Cheolbin!”
“I—I told you not to call me Cheolbin.”
“Ah…! Then… Byeok-ak? Is that right? Anyway, Byeok-ak! Thank you! I’ll serve you for life and atone!”
“Sigh… I don’t know if this is the right decision.”
It’s not like I’m the one suffering humiliation here, yet she’s this overjoyed just because I allowed it.
Is this really the same proud, aloof Okhwa I knew? Or is someone wearing a human-skin mask pretending to be her?
Plop—
“What are you doing now? Get up.”
Still on her knees, Okhwa pressed her forehead to the floor.
I tried to stop her, but she was already bowing deeply to me.
“Byeok-ak.”
“Ugh… Seriously…”
The atmosphere was so solemn that I could tell this moment held great significance for her.
“I, Okhwa, swear on my name.”
“What kind of commotion is this first thing in the morning?”
“I will never forget you, the one who saved me.”
“……”
“I will serve you for the rest of my life, devoting myself to you as you once did for me.”
“Ugh…”
“Even after death, until my soul fades, I will serve. I…”
Perhaps because of her grave tone, I couldn’t even open my mouth.
I could have interrupted, but it felt wrong to disrupt her now.
She looked like someone performing a sacred rite.
“As your servant, I will live a new life.”
For the first time, I realized that even in this tiny room, an atmosphere could feel solemn, majestic, and profound.
“What about Kunlun?”
“I intend to step down.”
“Won’t you regret abandoning the Tao you’ve cultivated all your life? After living as a Taoist?”
“I never truly cultivated the Tao. I was just a foolish insect obsessed with avenging my parents. So I was never a Taoist.”
“Seeing you like this, I think your father and mother would be pleased.”
“I’ve repaid their enemies tenfold. If anything… I’ve piled up karma far beyond what was necessary.”
As she spoke, Okhwa stood and walked over to Jin Ga-young, still lying unconscious in the other bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Just expressing my gratitude.”
Bending down, Okhwa pulled Jin Ga-young’s face toward her and embraced her.
Then she whispered sincerely:
“I heard you were the only one who protected the Sword Saint.”
The mood was strangely similar to earlier, so again, I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt.
Not that Jin Ga-young could hear her anyway.
“Thank you. Without you… I might never have reunited with the Sword Saint, nor reflected on my past. Even if I had, it would’ve taken decades.”
Finishing her words, Okhwa laid Jin Ga-young back down.
Her jet-black hair spilled over the bed.
Turning back to me, Okhwa added:
“…My proposal to uphold justice… I’ll make it again once I’ve proven myself worthy.”
Come to think of it, before the Seven Flowers Tournament began, Okhwa had made that offer to Jin Ga-young.
Back then, Jin Ga-young had said she’d refuse—but how would she respond now?
Since Okhwa has changed, maybe she’d accept.
Something to look forward to.
“Sword Saint, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“It’s the final day of the Seven Flowers Tournament.”
“…Ah.”
When had time passed so quickly?
Before I knew it, the tournament—which had felt so long—was preparing to conclude.
—
### Jin Ga-young’s Perspective
With four of her five senses sealed, only her nose twitched as a peculiar scent drifted into Jin Ga-young’s nostrils.
Bad news for her, already distressed by the lingering mix of “Ahjussi’s” scent and the metallic tang of blood.
‘Ugh…! W-who came in…?!’
The scent didn’t fade, stubbornly lingering.
Though the human nose adapts quickly to smells, that didn’t apply to her—with only one sense left unsealed.
‘…Why does this smell so… fresh?’
A thought flashed through her mind—like a woman’s fragrance.
Of course, that was absurd.
Who would visit her quarters now? What kind of woman’s scent could this be?
The aroma tickling her nose didn’t seem masculine at all, but it couldn’t be.
It shouldn’t be.
‘No way… What’s Ahjussi’s relationship with me anyway? Would he really meet another woman while I’m like this…?’
Yet, as ominous delusions crept in, Jin Ga-young desperately tried to reassure herself—
‘…Wait, what is my relationship with Ahjussi?’
But that defense only unsettled her further.
When she thought about it, so far, Byeok-ak and she had no defined relationship.
And that “so far” was uncertain enough to make her unbearably anxious.
‘Eek…! I—I haven’t even conquered Ahjussi yet…! What cowardly woman is trying to take advantage of my absence…?! No, I can’t jump to conclusions. How can I decide based on scent alone…?’
As she trembled internally, the unfamiliar scent suddenly drew closer.
A strange breath tickled the bridge of her nose.
Cold yet fresh—unmistakably feminine.
‘T-this is!!’
Up close, she was certain.
This was undeniably a woman’s scent.
‘Eeeeeek!!’
Jin Ga-young’s silent scream echoed endlessly in her mind.
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