110 — Chapter 110

The Blade King, Du Fu-lin. He was a member of the elite delegation representing China and had risen to the position of leader of the White Lotus Union at a relatively young age.

He gazed out the window at the beautiful garden.

From the flowers blooming on the neatly pruned trees, he could sense a vibrant life force and an abundance of mana.

Despite the biting wind blowing outside, the mansion’s grounds remained warm.

He knew Korea was a country with four distinct seasons, but it seemed as if Mount Cheonsan alone had managed to sidestep the winter chill.

This phenomenon wasn’t much different even when looking at the rest of the world.

Most nations had vanished, and in this current era, only a fraction of humanity survived, centered around cities where Magic Towers had been established.

Seoul was one of the few regions maintaining its warmth amidst the massive blizzard of the demon invasion.

This was especially true now, as they had not only dealt with the King of the Thirteen Palaces of the Void—which had caused immense damage to Asia—but had also revealed during the process that the leadership of the Black Shadow Society was actually composed of demons.

For the White Lotus Union, which had been pouring all its strength into disaster recovery, the news of their victory was more welcome than anything else.

That was why he had crossed the West Sea to formalize an alliance, but the scene before his eyes was somewhat flustering.

The Blade King was sitting alone in the mansion’s inner parlor for a private audience with Yoo Se-byeol.

“Our Commander Ha Yeri… I mean, the Commander of the Special Unit Division 2 Counterintelligence Unit, said that while official troop deployment is difficult, they are willing to cooperate in Gate raids requested by the White Lotus Union through the guild.”

“……”

“However, she said—I mean, they said—this is only if the Chinese side first secures the safety of the route from Beijing, where the White Lotus Union headquarters is located, to the three port cities. This is to normalize the economy through logistics and trade between our two countries via the West Sea.”

He watched the girl before him as she caught glimpses of the paper in her hand while speaking.

Her steady gaze held the pride of a martial artist who had reached a high realm and the leadership required to guide people.

However, she still seemed to lack the experience to project her voice effectively in a summit meant to overwhelm the opponent.

‘She really is green as can be.’

He wondered if the lush grass in the garden would feel like this if it ever bloomed.

No one grew garden grass just to see its spikes, but if a sprout managed to push through on its own, it might be worth a glance.

But the master of this house intended to trample it.

The Blade King could not understand Yoo Cheol-jin’s reasoning.

‘Was it the Tragedy of the Eighth Night? I heard he lost his mind after losing his wife, but I suppose the title of Blade King is a thing of the past now.’

Arranging this marriage meeting between his daughter and the Blade King during this summit was Yoo Cheol-jin’s unilateral decision.

Perhaps that was why the interior of the mansion was so quiet.

He had taken advantage of a gap where the aides and officials of The Old Gods’ Wound—at least one or two of whom should have been present—were all away on busy business.

‘Even my father, who used to say only the victor is justice, respected that man… to think he has become a person who would marry off his daughter to a stranger from a foreign land without her even knowing…’

The Blade King, remembering the man who once made the Awakened of the continent tremble, swallowed his tea with a bitter taste in his mouth.

By nature, this was certainly not a task he enjoyed.

Yet, at the same time, it was an unexpected opportunity.

“The Special Unit has already given a positive response regarding the cooperation between Beijing and Seoul, so there is no need to decide everything right here.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So you don’t need to be so tense. Let’s take a short break.”

“Should we? Then I’ll head to the basement for a moment…”

From the position of the Blade King leading the White Lotus Union, he had to calculate practical benefits thoroughly.

If he could somehow persuade Yoo Se-byeol to come to China, it would lay the foundation for subjugating the swarms of monsters filling the continent in the future.

Having made up his mind, he adjusted the volume of his translator and spoke.

“Lady Yoo Se-byeol, is there perhaps a man you have in mind?”

“Pardon?”

“Please consider this as the overstepping interest of a fellow martial artist who respects the Sword Immortal, and give me a light answer. In a world like this, the survival of a family is a grave matter.”

The Blade King was not a saint, but he wasn’t a villain either.

Therefore, regardless of Yoo Cheol-jin’s intentions, he planned to look for another way if Yoo Se-byeol already had a lover.

When he suddenly asked about a man of interest, he could feel her becoming quite flustered.

Her face flushed so red she couldn’t even pronounce her words properly.

“Ah, well, that is… since I was young, I’ve done nothing but train, so that sort of thing is… I-I’m in the Special Unit now, but my grandfather always rejected the marriage proposals that came in every now and then…”

So there really wasn’t anyone?

If that were the case, the absent Sword Immortal wouldn’t be able to protect her.

Just as he was about to steel his resolve with a small sigh.

Yoo Se-byeol spoke in a voice as tiny as a crawling ant.

“H-however, there is someone I’m interested in…!”

“I see.”

“Yes… i-in the same unit…”

This was for the better.

If that man was reputable enough to protect her from Yoo Cheol-jin, then he wouldn’t have to involve himself any deeper with this family.

‘Even if it puts the White Lotus Union in a precarious position.’

With a much lighter heart, the Blade King listened to her talk about the man she held fluttering feelings for.

The two had met in a Gate and were fated to be assigned to the same unit.

Although his background was humble, the man was growing at a rapid pace and seemed to be well-recognized within the Special Unit.

“We aren’t quite in a r-relationship like that yet, but I think my grandfather likes him too.”

“Is that so?”

Realizing there was nothing more he could do here, his heart felt relieved yet heavy.

If The Old Gods’ Wound and the White Lotus Union could not form a marriage alliance, whom could they rely on?

“Then, I suppose there is no discord or dissatisfaction between the two of you.”

“Discord or dissatisfaction?”

The small lingering regret in his mind leaked out during the conversation.

But at those words he had uttered without thinking, the girl’s aura suddenly shifted.

“Actually, there are problems—quite a lot of them.”

“Pardon?”

“The biggest issue is that Hayan goes around wagging his tail at everyone. Without even realizing it, he toys with people’s feelings over and over and over again, giving them just enough hope to attract all sorts of pests.”

“La-Lady Yoo Se-byeol?”

The shy woman who had been timidly baring her heart just a moment ago was gone.

Her pupils, visible through her bangs, were out of focus.

“Do you know what happened recently? He was hospitalized with food poisoning. So, I took time out of my busy schedule to visit him. Even though everyone was busy raiding the Thirteen Palaces of the Void and there was no one left on the surface to prevent disasters.”

“O-oh!”

“But he wouldn’t even see me, claiming he was in pain. I specifically heard from Ha-neul that he was healthy enough to steal and eat Ha-neul’s fruit!”

“M-maybe he had some sort of circumstance he couldn’t talk about…?”

“Hayan has circumstances he can’t tell me about…? Why?”

It was terrifying.

It felt as though a blade was resting against his throat.

The warm sunlight streaming through the window had somehow turned into a chilling, razor-sharp wind.

Yoo Se-byeol’s mental state was deteriorating rapidly; it seemed the Blade King no longer even registered in her mind.

“Now that I think about it, Hayan was strange back then. He barely spoke, and when he talked to the other unit members in the same ward, he’d accidentally let out a ‘Kkiiieeek!’ sound. Most of all, he wasn’t wearing ‘that’ around his neck. He wore it again today, though…”

“Lady Se-byeol?”

“That means he took it off. Somewhere. He might have taken other things off, too. Was there a reason to strip? In front of whom? He shouldn’t do that. Even if it hasn’t happened yet, it must never happen in the future. No, yeah, that won’t do. Actually, this is for the better. Since he’s here right now. The construction isn’t finished yet, but Hayan will understand. From today on, Hayan’s room is my basement. From today on, Hayan’s room is…”

“La-Lady Se-byeol! Calm down!”

Whoosh!

The Blade King flared his mana and placed his hand on the sword at his waist.

It was a martial artist’s intuition—if he left her like this any longer, something beyond his imagination would occur.

The hand gripping his sword trembled slightly beneath the table.

Only then did Yoo Se-byeol snap back to her senses and quickly bowed her head.

“Ah, I’m so sorry! What on earth am I saying to someone I’ve met for the first time today…”

“Haha, i-it’s quite alright. Come to think of it, we decided to take a break! I-I’ll go out for a moment to get some fresh air. The garden truly is beautiful!”

Hiding his agitation as best as he could, he fled the room.

Only after stepping outside the mansion did the pressure crushing his lungs dissipate.

Just what had Yoo Cheol-jin raised?

The Blade King was more than a little shocked by the fact that he, who had fought against Archdukes, had felt such genuine fear.

“My head hurts. What should I do now… Hm?”

While sitting on a bench and lamenting his situation, he caught a scent from afar.

Even in this place where all sorts of flowers were in full bloom, it was a scent that stood out uniquely.

Drawn by it instinctively, the Blade King soon discovered a woman wandering through the garden.

She was picking yellow hydrangeas that looked exactly like her and elegantly placing them in her mouth.

“…Ah.”

She was so beautiful he could hardly look at her directly.

In that instant, he approached her without even realizing it.

---

Is he gone?

I secretly watched as the two—precisely, one person and one tentacle—disappeared into the garden.

That rascal Digestion. How was ‘I’ll distract the Blade King, so you take Yoo Se-byeol and run away’ supposed to be a good idea?

It clearly watched too many dramas.

“But what kind of trick did it use to make the Blade King follow it?”

『Fear not?』

“I was certain he would draw his sword or immediately call the swordsmen at the front gate.”

Who wouldn’t be startled to see a human-sized tentacle munching on flowers in the middle of a garden?

Yet, the Blade King had followed it as if possessed.

『Fear?』

“That? Digestion is just Digestion.”

Mala-nim asked me how Digestion looked to me, but no matter how much I rubbed my eyes, it was just a single tentacle.

Anyway, this worked out.

As long as it didn’t eat the Blade King, I had a chance to be alone with Yoo Se-byeol.

I carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

She had been resting with her legs stretched out, but she jumped in surprise when someone entered without knocking.

She was even more shocked to see it was me.

“Ha-Hayan? I told you not to come out…!”

“This is no time for that, Deputy Commander. I have something urgent to tell you.”

I informed her that the purpose of this summit, aside from expanding exchange between the two nations, was to set her up on an arranged marriage meeting.

As if hearing it for the very first time, Yoo Se-byeol’s reaction went beyond embarrassment into outright disbelief.

“D-don’t talk nonsense! Why would I with the Blade King…!”

“It’s not a lie. The servants were preparing wreaths outside.”

“Who on earth… no, there’s only one person who would do such a thing.”

Her expression soured instantly.

She seemed deeply shocked, as if she had been betrayed by someone she trusted.

She tried to maintain her dignity as a Deputy Commander, but it looked as if something inside her was crumbling.

After a long while, she finally managed to compose herself, bit her lip, and apologized to me.

“I’m sorry, Hayan. I showed you a pathetic side of myself.”

“It’s not something you need to apologize to me for.”

“No, I haven’t been a good role model. Because of my discord with my father… no, my personal discord, I’ve caused trouble not just for the summit but for the Special Unit as well.”

So it really was Yoo Cheol-jin who had set this up without the bride-to-be’s knowledge?

I heard he was the Commander of Division 3, but he didn’t seem like a father who cherished Yoo Se-byeol.

I asked the dejected woman.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“If that’s the case, I have a good idea.”

“What is it?”

It wasn’t my idea, but Digestion’s opinion.

It said it would handle the Blade King, so I should just take Yoo Se-byeol and run away from this mansion.

As a Special Unit member working for the country and a subordinate working for a boss, it was an incredibly irresponsible choice—but there was one thing.

It felt like the right choice for Yoo Se-byeol.

“You’re going to take me out of here?”

“Of course. Let them handle the summit themselves; let’s just leave. I don’t want you marrying the Blade King either, Deputy Commander.”

“Are those words… for real?”

Naturally.

The seat next to the leader of the White Lotus Union needs to be mine.

Having set up a reliable insurance policy for when Korea eventually faced total annihilation, I pointed out the weak points in the security that I had identified while entering.

At that, as if having made up her mind, Yoo Se-byeol stood up with a flushed face.

“A-alright. You’re definitely taking responsibility for this, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go. But before that, just a second…!”

She tidied her clothes and checked her own scent.

Then, she let down her hair, which had been uncomfortably tied up, and took a step closer as if ready.

“I-I’m ready.”

“Understood. Then, excuse me.”

Her body was as light and soft as a feather.

It was hard to believe she had roamed the battlefield alone with a body like this.

But she wasn’t alone anymore.

Because I was with her.

I took hold of her slender shoulders, her thin waist, and her legs—whose smooth, firm curves held a cosmic wonder and resembled a plum vase shaped by a master craftsman when glistening with sweat.

Then, as always, I spoke while climbing onto Yoo Se-byeol’s back.

“Please start moving then.”

“Huh?”