Chapter 544

Ju Hwaran had left.

Beyond the window, I watched her walk away, slender yet dignified, with Song Ilseom following like a shadow.

“Young Lady Ju is impressive,” Hyuk Mujin said behind me.

I nodded quietly.

She was like that back then, too.

I remembered the day I first met her: the way she had refused to retreat even when surrounded by hundreds of enemies, and the look in her eyes.

Maybe she’s more of a martial artist than I ever realized.

“I feel sorry for her, too,” Hyuk Mujin said.

“Yeah. She has a lot on her shoulders. Her father still has trouble getting around, and…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Hm?”

I turned to find him looking at me with pity.

“If all she wanted was to earn merit, she had plenty of other options. Why come all the way here?”

Why, huh?

I thought it over, then sucked in a breath.

“Wait. Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Because she thought she could earn even more merit?”

“……That’s enough. This is too damn filthy to work with.”

I was debating whether to smack him when a voice came to his rescue.

“Ahh, what a relief.”

Jeok Cheongang emerged from the latrine after half an hour.

Apparently celebrating a smooth delivery, he was grinning from ear to ear as he reached for the liquor bottle first. Then he saw Hyuk Mujin’s expression and paused.

“Why do you look like you’ve been chewing shit?”

“Great Hero Jeok. The thing is…”

Hyuk Mujin launched into an explanation as though he had been waiting for someone to ask. Jeok Cheongang listened in silence, then widened his eyes.

“The Escort King’s granddaughter came here?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. Two people with unusual auras passed by while this old man was straining. She must have been one of them.”

Jeok Cheongang stroked his dark-red beard.

“I heard what happened while I was at death’s door. Now that things have come this far, it seems you share quite a lasting connection.”

“Then why do you think she came to Captain when she had other choices?”

The corner of Jeok Cheongang’s mouth twitched.

“Must this old man really say it aloud?”

“Right? I knew you’d understand, Great Hero Jeok.”

Hyuk Mujin’s face lit up like an LED bulb. Jeok Cheongang smiled knowingly and went on.

“Because she can earn a tremendous amount of merit.”

“……”

Oh. The bulb went out.

Hyuk Mujin’s face darkened like night had fallen. His voice dropped with it.

“Are you serious?”

Jeok Cheongang nodded confidently.

“She may have received considerable compensation from the Zhongnan Sect, but she’ll need fame and skill in Murim if she intends to protect and lead the Escort Bureau. The way I see it, the Escort King’s granddaughter understands how the world works.”

“Great Hero Jeok.”

“What?”

“Forgive me for asking, but have you ever had a sweetheart?”

Jeok Cheongang gave it some thought.

“Of course.”

“When?”

“I was about ten. More than a hundred years ago, I suppose.”

“……”

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing. It seems I was practicing wall-facing meditation.”

“……?”

“A real wall. A wall. The Wailing Wall.”

Hyuk Mujin muttered like a monk who had attained enlightenment. Jeok Cheongang looked away from him and turned to me.

“Anyway, what do you intend to do?”

“Hmm.”

“Your face says you’ve already made up your mind. That’s why I’m asking.”

I shrugged.

“You’re psychic. I haven’t even told you yet.”

“From what I’ve heard, it’s not a bad choice. You’re a monster beyond reason, but reaching the Peak realm at her age is an impressive feat. And if she’s been involved in the Escort Bureau since childhood, she’ll have no shortage of experience.”

“I was thinking the same thing. The escort named Song Ilseom would be a major asset on skill alone.”

Jeok Cheongang had been at death’s door when the two of them were here, so he had never met them himself. But he had heard everything that happened after he woke, and had no trouble following the discussion.

“The last of the Guangdong Chen Family’s bloodline. From what I sensed in the latrine, he’s reached a considerable realm.”

“……That’s a little gross, but I agree.”

Jeok Cheongang was a Supreme Peak master who had reached the Returned to Youth¹ realm. If he considered Song Ilseom’s skill considerable, then no one could dispute the man’s martial prowess.

Another genius the world never knew about.

Song Ilseom had lost his family young and been left alone in the world. He had wandered battlefields as a sword boy² for wandering martial artists until, at last, he drew a sword of his own.

He wasn’t a flower raised in a greenhouse. He was a weed that had weathered the worst the world could throw at him.

His other name, Soul-Chasing Guest, was the stuff of legend even among wandering martial artists.

He’s no Cheongpung or Mungyeong, but he’d be a valuable addition.

It was a shame, but I had no complaints. The lineup around me had been unusually spectacular until now.

Things were bound to change.

A Supreme Peak master could reverse a losing battle in an instant. With the flames of war spreading in every direction, deploying them where they were needed was only natural.

Mae Jonghak must have separated Cheongpung and me for the same reason.

There were fires burning in several places. We could not keep sending the same fire truck to one location.

If we wanted to win the war against Dark Heaven and prevent even more people from dying, this was the natural course.

And I needed to put together a team to fight those fires with me.

It was time to decide with a cool head.

I guess there’s no helping it.

No matter how I looked at it, this was the best choice. Or if not the best, at least the next best.

I sorted out my thoughts and called a name quietly.

“Hyuk Mujin.”

Hyuk Mujin could seem slow, but he was quick to read the room.

At the very least, he knew something was different whenever I called him by his full name.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Let me ask you straight.”

The choice wasn’t mine alone. Each of us had to make our own, and together those choices would become one decision.

But before I could go on, Hyuk Mujin answered.

“I’ll go with you.”

“What?”

“I said I’ll follow you, Captain. That’s what you were going to ask, isn’t it?”

“……Yeah.”

“Then you didn’t need to ask. The thread follows the needle. Of course, traitors like Gung don’t count. That’s the trouble with outsiders from other sects. They’ve always got some complication or other.”

He gave me a playful smile. I stared at him for a moment, then smiled back.

“You won’t regret it?”

“Regret?”

“Yeah. Regret.”

“Captain. You know what?”

His expression turned serious.

“Ever since I met you, my life has been one long regret.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“But I figured a few more regrets wouldn’t hurt.”

He shrugged and spoke more slowly, gazing into the empty air as though searching through the past.

“A few years ago, people called me the son of the Hyuk Family Textile Shop. Then one day they started calling me the Swift Wind Sword. Some even call me the Blazing Flame Divine Dragon’s right-hand man. I like that.”

“Mujin, you…”

“Hehe. Touched?”

“No, that’s not it. You’re not my right-hand man. You’re my little toe.”

“Wow, Captain. After everything I’ve been through, I’m still just a little toe?”

His indignant face drew a quiet laugh out of me. Maybe it was time for a promotion.

“Fine. Little finger.”

“……On your left hand?”

“Right.”

“Right hand…”

He considered it, then cautiously made a counteroffer.

“I’ll take the right hand. How about the thumb?”

“Try again in your next life.”

“I knew you’d say that. Index finger, then?”

“Not a chance.”

“Damn it. I’ll have to devote my entire life to becoming your right-hand man. Does that make any sense?”

“Yeah, it’ll take your whole life. So stay by my side until then. And don’t die.”

“……!”

Did I have to say that?

I hadn’t been out of the bath long, but my skin felt strangely itchy. I scratched at my chin for no reason and held out my hand.

“C-Captain.”

His eyes glistening, Hyuk Mujin firmly clasped it.

“Hyuk Mujin, your Captain’s right little finger. I will devote my loyalty to—”

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Who asked for your hand? Bring me what you received earlier.”

“……Oh.”

Hyuk Mujin clicked his tongue, looking as if he should have known better, and pulled the two bamboo slips I’d handed him earlier from his robe.

Two names were written in tiny letters on the cords binding them.

Dagger Hidden Flower Ju Hwaran.

Soul-Chasing Guest Song Ilseom.

But these were not the only bamboo slips I needed to receive.

I kept my hand out. Hyuk Mujin seemed to guess what I meant, and his expression soured.

“Captain. Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Whew. I don’t know if this is the right decision.”

With a sigh, he added two more bamboo slips to my hand.

I looked down at the names and epithets on their cords.

Black Dragon Saber Sama Pyo.

Tiger Giant Child Taishan.

I don’t know if this is the right decision.

Hyuk Mujin’s words lingered. The reason was simple: I wasn’t sure this was the best choice, either.

Then Jeok Cheongang spoke, and his words gave me the last bit of certainty I needed.

“What are you hesitating for? Just move forward.”

My tangled thoughts cleared.

After taking a small, deep breath, I whispered toward some place deep within my heart.

Ju Hwaran, Song Ilseom, Sama Pyo, Taishan…

And last, Hyuk Mujin.

I sent all five names through my mind at once, then entered the command.

Approve Two Dragons Pavilion membership.

A voice answered the words no one else could hear.

Ding.

System

• Membership approval procedure initiated.
• Confirmed: Dagger Hidden Flower Ju Hwaran, Soul-Chasing Guest Song Ilseom, Black Dragon Saber Sama Pyo, Tiger Giant Child Taishan, Swift Wind Sword Hyuk Mujin.
• Will you accept the five people above as members of the Two Dragons Pavilion?

I already knew my answer.

I gave a small nod of acceptance. With a cheerful chime, the translucent holographic window floating in the air changed as though a page had been turned.

Ding.

System

• One condition of Quest Become My Companion! has been completed.
• Secure at least five companions (Complete)
• You have selected the minimum number of members!
• One final procedure remains before you become an official Pavilion Master. Choose a new name for the Pavilion assigned to you!

A name, huh?

I hadn’t given any thought to what I’d call the newly formed organization.

But no matter how much I thought about it, nothing could possibly be better than the name that had just flashed through my mind.

Fire Dragon Pavilion.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Clear bell tones burst out like celebratory fireworks, and resounding System alerts rang in my ears.