Changes (4)

After finishing training, I headed to the women’s quarters ahead of Miss Cheon and knocked on the door.

“Miss Cheong-yeon, are you inside?”

In truth, I already knew she was.

I could sense her presence with my senses.

But pretending not to, I simply knocked and waited outside for a bit.

She would be aware that I was standing out here, so I intended to wait until she felt like talking.

After a short while, her voice came from within.

“What is it?”

Her voice was dry, betraying no emotion I could guess at.

Still, I decided to take the mere fact that she answered as meaningful.

The fact that she replied at all might mean she had at least a slight will to talk, no?

I hesitated briefly, wondering what to say, then decided to just be honest.

“I just wanted to talk with you a little.”

After a short pause, her voice came again.

“I am sorry, but I do not wish to do that right now.”

Her tone held no highs or lows, but it was a clear refusal that left no room to press.

If this had been the old me, I probably would have panicked and retreated at this point.

‘But not anymore.’

I did not give up and knocked on her heart once more.

I chose to interpret that small delay before her answer as hesitation on her part.

“It doesn’t have to be right now. Anytime is fine. When you feel like talking, please tell me. I’ll be waiting.”

I said that and waited for a bit.

But still, no answer came.

It seemed I would have to wait a fair bit longer.

Letting out a small sigh, I turned to leave.

And then her voice came.

“After dinner… let’s talk then.”

For some reason, her voice sounded less cold than before.

Unlike usual, I could sense some emotion lingering in it.

Smiling faintly, I replied,

“All right. After dinner, let’s meet at the training ground.”

As I walked away, I thought,

‘Now that I’ve actually done it, it’s not as hard as I imagined.’

Perhaps approaching someone had always been something like this.

I had simply been far too afraid of it all this time.

If I had mustered just a bit more courage in my past life, could I have avoided losing them?

My father… and maybe even my brothers?

I suddenly found myself looking forward to my conversation with Miss Cheong-yeon after dinner.

And to the moment I would see Miss Na again.

I felt like I would be able to speak to her more confidently now.

A little later, as I was on my way to dinner with Bi Sayoung and Bae Jonggwan, I heard some of the other squad members nearby talking.

“What? Three Iron Fiends appeared in the Fifteenth Unit?”

“Yeah. Our vice-captain said he heard it from the commander.”

We were startled and pricked up our ears.

“Whoa! Seriously? So what happened? The Fifteenth probably hasn’t been supplied with Hwagolsan yet, right?”

“Right. So I heard that some of their squad members sacrificed themselves to lure the things away from the Fifteenth’s headquarters to somewhere else. They say they don’t know where the fiends went now. The main headquarters of the Flying Dragon Corps has apparently dispatched a subjugation force with Hwagolsan, but who knows how it’ll go.”

“Damn… that’s a relief, but still worrying. Three of those monsters showing up? I hope nothing happens.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Three Iron Fiends, huh…

It was about that time, admittedly.

In my previous life, after they first showed up in our unit, they began to appear in other units in quick succession not long after.

Back then, the first Iron Fiend had dealt such a heavy blow to our Thirteenth that we couldn’t even report properly, and the other Flying Dragon units suffered massive casualties in turn.

This time, at least, we’d reported quickly, so it was fortunate that the main headquarters was able to respond at all.

And that the decision had been made for the other Flying Dragon units to avoid engagement and retreat until Hwagolsan reached them.

Come to think of it, all of this could be said to be thanks to my return.

I couldn’t help feeling a little pleased.

Then Bi Sayoung suddenly asked,

“If it’s around the Fifteenth’s area, up that way—isn’t that near Heungin?”

Bae Jonggwan answered,

“No, it should be Heungui, I think. The area that borders Guangxi.”

My steps came to an abrupt halt.

At the same time, Bi Sayoung frowned and asked,

“Heungui? Didn’t someone say they were from there before? I feel like I’ve heard that…”

With my face stiffening, I muttered,

“Miss Na.”

“Huh?”

“Na Manor, Miss Na’s family manor, is in Heungui, Guizhou Province.”

At my words, Bi Sayoung’s face hardened as well.

“…No way.”

It was very likely that “no way.”

If the Iron Fiends that passed the Fifteenth Unit crossed the front line and moved north, they would be practically right on top of Na Manor in Heungui.

I quickly spoke to the two of them.

“Sayoung, Jonggwan. Listen carefully. I’m leaving for Na Manor right now.”

Bi Sayoung spoke up urgently.

“What are you planning to do? You don’t even have any Hwagolsan.”

At present, almost all of the Thirteenth Unit’s Hwagolsan had been taken by the captains to protect the unit during the search, leaving only a small amount to defend the main camp.

So of course, I had none I could use.

“I’m going anyway. If things really are playing out the way we think, then Miss Na is better off with me at her side than without.”

“Then I’m going too!”

“Yeah, I’ll…”

My friends tried to follow me as if it were only natural, but I quickly shook my head.

“No. Sayoung, you go find the captain right away. Ask him to bring Hwagolsan back as fast as he can.”

We had no exact idea where the captains currently were.

Which meant the fastest among us—Bi Sayoung—had to be the one to go.

“I’m counting on you, Sayoung. How quickly you can find the captain might decide whether Miss Na and I live or die. And Jonggwan, you tell the others and Lord Pung-yang about this. After that, if you can, try to help look for the captains from another direction.”

If we were moving at full speed, Bae Jonggwan obviously couldn’t keep up with me or Bi Sayoung.

So this was the most reasonable arrangement.

Bi Sayoung and Bae Jonggwan both seemed to understand and nodded heavily.

“Got it. Be careful, man.”

“Jin, I’m counting on you to look after Miss Na.”

“I will. Trust me.”

Then I launched myself forward.

Considering when this news had reached us, there was no telling when the Iron Fiends had passed the Fifteenth.

We could not afford even a moment of delay.

Inside the quarters, Hae Cheong-yeon was looking at the bronze mirror.

Reflected there was herself, her bangs hanging down to her nose and covering her eyes.

It was a look she was long accustomed to, but for some reason, today it felt suffocating.

After a moment’s hesitation, she brushed her bangs up.

Her eyes and face, previously hidden, were revealed.

A face the whole world praised as beautiful—yet one she herself had always found nothing but bothersome.

Staring at her own face, Hae Cheong-yeon murmured,

“Just for today… I should try like this.”

Just for today, she wanted to talk to him with this face.

She already knew he wasn’t someone who could be swayed by her appearance.

But still—who knew?

Maybe she could add a small variable.

She had just decided that and was about to tie her hair back with her face revealed when Cheon Jueun burst into the quarters from outside.

“Cheong-yeon Unnie! It’s terrible!”

Without much change in her expression, Hae Cheong-yeon simply looked at Cheon Jueun and waited for her to continue.

Cheon Jueun immediately spilled everything out.

“They lost track of three Iron Fiends from the Fifteenth Unit, and if those things cross the front line and head north, the first place they reach will be Na Manor, where Big Sister Seoyu’s family is! So Young Master Seonu left for Na Manor right away, and Young Master Bi went to find the captains! Shouldn’t we be doing something too?!”

Hae Cheong-yeon’s expression, which had been blank, hardened the moment Na Seoyu’s name came up.

But when Cheon Jueun finished, the first words that slipped out of Hae Cheong-yeon’s mouth were about something else entirely.

“Young Master Seonu… left?”

The bangs she had brushed up over her head slid down again, softly covering her eyes.

Na Seoyu had left two days earlier in the afternoon, forcing herself to sleep outdoors along the way, and by the afternoon of the next day, she reached Na Manor in Heungui, Guizhou Province.

She had been too worried about her father to rest for even a moment.

But upon arriving at her family home in that frantic state, Na Seoyu was told that she could not see her father.

Shocked, she shouted,

“What? I can’t see Father?!”

The arrogant woman sitting in the seat of honor opposite her replied,

“The physician says he needs absolute rest. That is why no one but the physician and I may enter your father’s room. I understand that you are worried about him, but what if he sees you and loses his composure, and his condition worsens?”

The cold, haughty woman speaking was none other than Na Seoyu’s stepmother, Lady Min.

The very woman who, three years ago, had sent Na Seoyu—not her own son—to the front line, claiming it was for Na Manor’s sake.

Na Seoyu could not accept being told she could not see her ailing father.

So she pleaded,

“Then at least when Father is asleep, just for a moment is fine. Please, I beg you, let me see him!”

Lady Min suddenly snapped.

“How dare you raise your voice in front of me?! Will you worry your already-ill father even more with such disgraceful behavior?! Are you trying to drag Na Manor’s honor through the mud and earn curses for your dead mother?!”

Those words had always been like a magic spell that allowed Lady Min to break Na Seoyu’s will and control her however she pleased.

Because she loved her father more than anyone and never wanted to worry him, Na Seoyu had silently endured all of her stepmother’s unfair treatment whenever those words were spoken.

And now was no different.

In front of Lady Min, who offered no reasonable explanation at all, Na Seoyu could only bow her head.

“…No. I am sorry, Mother.”

Even though Na Seoyu had now become a first-rate, top-class expert, she still could not bring herself to stand up to Lady Min.

It was a kind of learned helplessness.

With her head lowered, Na Seoyu squeezed her eyes shut.

Having been tormented by Lady Min for so many years, she knew all too well what was likely to happen next.

Whenever Na Seoyu did not obey her will, Lady Min would always threaten her using her father as leverage, then proceed to hurl verbal abuse at her for half an hour.

The wounds and fear carved into Na Seoyu’s heart since childhood were still there, unchanged.

So she fully expected the same pattern now.

She tensed and closed her eyes tightly.

But to her surprise, Lady Min did nothing of the sort.

Instead, she spoke in a shockingly gentle voice.

“Hmm. Since you’re reflecting on your behavior, I’ll let it go this time.”

Startled, Na Seoyu’s eyes flew wide open and fixed on Lady Min.

It was stranger for her to do nothing.

With a snake-like smile, Lady Min asked,

“Now then, Seoyu, how old are you this year?”

“…I am twenty-five.”

“Goodness, is it already that much? That’s an age when you should have married already. I realize now that I’ve been far too neglectful of you.”

She fussed in an exaggerated way, pretending to be sorry.

Her behavior grew more suspicious by the second.

Uneasy, Na Seoyu nevertheless replied politely,

“Twenty-five is not so old for a martial artist, I think. And I am currently attached to the Flying Dragon Corps as well.”

But Lady Min snorted.

“Hmph! You aren’t going to stay in that Flying Dragon Corps forever, are you? Since you’re here now, we should take this opportunity to see about arranging your marriage.”

“…What?”

Na Seoyu stared at her, eyes wide.

Lady Min no longer cared whether Na Seoyu glared at her or not, and only continued speaking.

“Where would be best? Ah, yes! Ever since Black Manor fell, Wounding Manor has been rising like the morning sun. Wouldn’t a young talent from Wounding Manor be a fine match for you—and a great help to Na Manor’s standing as well?”

“Mother!”

“Think about it. If you marry early enough, and our Na Manor gains a powerful backer, what could be better?”

At last, Na Seoyu realized why Lady Min had written to summon her, when she wouldn’t even let her meet her father.

Her true purpose from the start had been a political marriage.

Na Seoyu’s face froze.

Lady Min, however, had no interest in what she thought and kept talking.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll send a marriage proposal to Wounding Manor right away…”

At that, Na Seoyu spoke firmly.

“I have no intention of marrying.”

Marrying.

And not just any marriage, but a marriage of convenience.

Even Na Seoyu—who had sacrificed everything since her teen years, never once refusing anything if it was “for Father,” even going to the front line in her younger brother’s place—could not accept this.

This wasn’t just using up her childhood; it was using up her entire life.

Lady Min’s face once again filled with rage.

“How dare you glare at me and raise your voice? Shall I tell your father of your vile behavior?! He’s already ill and—!”

But this time, Na Seoyu’s anger finally boiled over, and she did not back down.

She locked eyes with Lady Min and asked,

“You said Father is so ill that he cannot even see me, yet you would tell him this? Is he well enough to have this kind of conversation?”

Lady Min flinched.

If Na Seoyu, a top-class first-rate martial artist, truly let her aura loose, a mere woman who’d learned some self-defense like Lady Min could never withstand it.

Feeling the unusual pressure from Na Seoyu, Lady Min looked away and changed tack.

“When did I say I would actually do that? I didn’t mean it literally. It’s just an expression. An expression.”

Then she put on a smooth expression and began coaxing Na Seoyu again.

“And think about it carefully, one more time. If you get married, you’ll get to see your father, won’t you?”

“…What?”

“A marriage is a matter of great human duty. No matter how ill he is, your father can’t possibly not see his daughter on such an occasion. And hearing of your marriage might cheer him up and improve his condition, don’t you think?”

In short, she was saying Na Seoyu would only be allowed to see her father if she agreed to marriage.

It was outrageous.

But for Na Seoyu, this was nothing new. It was entirely in line with Lady Min’s usual behavior.

Gritting her teeth, Na Seoyu said,

“I will never agree to marry.”

Lady Min stared at her coldly for a long moment, then finally spoke.

“I see, I’d forgotten. You’ve always been a selfish child. To think you refuse to do even that much for the parents and clan who have raised you with their blood and sweat. If your father heard this, he would be utterly heartbroken. It is truly tragic beyond words. Get out of my sight. Why are you even here, when you won’t move a finger for your own family?”

Na Seoyu felt a heavy weight pressing on her heart, as if a stone had been dropped on it.

Selfish?

Not willing to move a finger for her clan?

She had yielded everything since childhood to her younger brother, Lady Min’s own son, and had even gone in his place to the front line.

To Na Seoyu, those words were suffocating.

Her chest so tight that she could barely speak, she managed to force out,

“…Mother.”

But Lady Min had no intention of listening.

“What, you won’t leave? You refuse to obey your mother now as well? Fine, then. If you won’t go, I will! I raise one daughter wrong and now she drives her own mother out of the room!”

With that, she sprang to her feet and stormed out.

Na Seoyu could do nothing.

Bang!

The door slammed as if it would break, and Lady Min’s voice could be heard from outside.

“A rude, shameless girl who dares talk back to her mother! I’m so ashamed I can’t bear to live!”

She shouted at the top of her lungs as if wanting the whole world to hear, her voice fading into the distance.

Closing her eyes in utter despair, Na Seoyu sat in silence.

That had been everything that happened on her first day back.

And it was also the last.

After that, Lady Min would not see her again, and the people of Na Manor—now all Lady Min’s loyal followers—gave Na Seoyu no help whatsoever.

All she could feel was crushing frustration.