Chapter 17
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Chapter 17: Going Out
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“Master, I am fully prepared.”
Jeong-ah, having finished her preparations for the outing, wore a bright smile. She was wearing the same single set of outdoor clothes she had worn when she first arrived at Won-gak Pavilion, and she had merely put a little more effort into her makeup than usual. Yet, because she was so naturally stunning, that slight change was enough to be dazzling.
“Is that the best you can do?”
However, Yeon So-hyeon did not seem pleased.
“……Does it not meet your expectations?”
Honestly, dressing up to this extent was practically taboo in the Reception Hall, where they welcomed guests.
“It is far from sufficient for a maid attending the Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan.”
……Said the man himself, who was wearing nothing but a plain, rustic white cotton robe.
“Gatekeeper!”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s call, the middle-aged man who served as the ‘Head of the Guards for the Won-gak Pavilion main gate,’ the ‘Won-gak Pavilion liaison,’ and an ‘unidentified Master’ approached, grumbling.
“Even if you are the Young Master, what is this about a gatekeeper? My name is……”
“Quiet, gatekeeper. Stop the nonsense and go to any steward in the Inner Court and fetch some women’s outdoor clothing. The highest quality available.”
The Inner Court was the department responsible for serving the direct bloodline, centered around the Clan Leader.
“……What did you just say?”
The sound of grinding teeth could be heard from the gatekeeper’s mouth. Yeon So-hyeon chuckled.
“If you don’t dash off right now, you won’t be a gatekeeper anymore; you’ll be the dung-carrier for Won-gak Pavilion.”
The gatekeeper felt his vision turn red instantly. He had dedicated his entire life to the Luoyang Sword Clan. Although he was semi-retired now, he was still performing the duties assigned to him within the main family of the Luoyang Sword Clan. In the past, he had fought countless real battles outside where the reach of the Luoyang Sword Clan did not extend, and the number of death-defying situations he had overcome was just as vast. How many enemies of the Sword Clan had he cut down until now?
Yet, this man called the Young Master—the shame of the Sword Clan and an object of contempt—was mocking him.
‘He spends his days idling away, hiding here under the pretext of his father’s orders……!’
“Haven’t you left yet?”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s casual glance, he gritted his teeth, unleashed his Body-Lightening Technique, and headed outside the Won-gak Pavilion.
“Ah……!”
The technique was so swift that his form vanished in an instant, leaving Jeong-ah to gasp in subconscious admiration. It was a peerless technique, so fast that her ‘vision’ momentarily lost track of his position. How many people in this vast Central Kingdom could display such a technique?
‘Damn it…….’
That technique was the gatekeeper’s own way of showing off his power. But even so, he felt no relief. Instead, he felt a profound sense of discomfort at the cold sweat running down his forehead.
‘What on earth was that look in his eyes……?’
In truth, his use of the Body-Lightening Technique was nothing more than an act of improvisation. The moment he saw the Young Master’s gaze as he turned, he had reflexively leaped away. Having survived countless brushes with death, he had instinctively reacted to a threat to his life. He had managed to escape the spot by using his Body-Lightening Technique, but that gaze still felt as if it were following him.
‘That was the look of a madman. A truly insane bastard. How can someone who does nothing but read books all day…….’
The forest path was coming to an end. The main gate of Won-gak Pavilion came into view.
‘Yes, let’s just endure it a little longer. I’ve already submitted a formal request for a change of assignment, so I just need to endure.’
However, the things he had to endure did not end there.
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* * *
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A short while later, at Won-gak Pavilion.
“……They won’t give it to us.”
“What?”
“They said they won’t give it. They said they won’t cooperate.”
The Inner Court, responsible for serving the direct bloodline, had refused the Young Master’s order. The Young Master’s look of disbelief was somewhat amusing, but it was he who had been rejected to his face.
“The reason?”
The gatekeeper shrugged.
“As for the reason, Young Master, I believe you know better than anyone.”
He had made up a few excuses, but they were all nonsense; it simply meant they did not want to cooperate with the Won-gak Pavilion where The Swordless One resided.
“……Absurd.”
Yeon So-hyeon held his forehead and stared into the void, while Jeong-ah just stood there, flustered and bowing her head.
“What will you do?”
It was a strangely provocative question from the gatekeeper, but Yeon So-hyeon was surprisingly calm, despite the absurdity of the situation.
“Nothing to be done.”
Jeong-ah, observing the atmosphere, thought this was her chance to intervene.
“Since time is being wasted, perhaps you should depart now……”
However, her voice trailed off and stopped as she saw what Yeon So-hyeon was pulling from his sleeve.
“It’s been so long, I’d forgotten.”
The gatekeeper, who had been staring blankly at what was in Yeon So-hyeon’s hand, wondering what it was, had his jaw drop open.
“Th-that is……?!”
Yeon So-hyeon walked over to a nearby pavilion and picked up a brush. Then, with a single stroke, he wrote a letter.
‘Bring the clothes.’
It was a letter of an absurd level, lacking any formality or courtesy. But the calligraphy was so magnificent that Jeong-ah and the gatekeeper, who were watching blankly, subconsciously gasped in admiration.
*Thud!*
Before the ink had even dried, Yeon So-hyeon pressed what he held in his hand onto the letter. A magnificent seal reading ‘The Sword Under Heaven’ appeared on the paper.
“Here. Take this.”
Yeon So-hyeon folded the letter roughly and handed it to the gatekeeper.
“……!”
The gatekeeper was startled and scrambled in front of Yeon So-hyeon. He then knelt on both knees and received the letter with both hands.
“Y-your command!”
His hands trembled as he took the letter.
“What are you doing? Get going.”
“Your command!”
Before Yeon So-hyeon had even finished speaking, his form vanished.
“M-Master. Is that really……?”
Yeon So-hyeon sat on the railing and held up what was in his hand.
“This?”
“Yes. That.”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled broadly.
“Yeah. That’s right. The Clan Leader’s Official Seal.”
Jeong-ah’s complexion, which rarely showed emotion, turned pale.
“The Golden Seal of the Sword Clan!”
It was a mystical object and a seal symbolizing the one and only absolute authority who held the power of absolute command within the Luoyang Sword Clan. It was shocking enough to see the real thing, but to think it was being used for a mere order to fetch a maid’s clothes.
“H-how do you have that, Master……?”
Yeon So-hyeon looked at Jeong-ah as if asking what she was talking about.
“Father is in ‘that state,’ so who else would have it besides me, the Young Master of the main family?”
It was a fair point.
“B-but to use such a precious item for an order to fetch my clothes……?!”
“Don’t worry.”
Yeon So-hyeon chuckled and put the Golden Seal of the Sword Clan back into his pocket and tucked it into his sleeve.
“I’ve used it for trivial things often since long ago.”
Actually, it’s only useful for trivial things anyway, Yeon So-hyeon added.
“If I don’t use this, there isn’t a single place that will cooperate properly.”
He laughed, “Ha ha.”
“Well, I use it when buying books, when buying paper and brushes, it’s just an item used for such things.”
Jeong-ah felt like she wanted to faint on the spot.
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* * *
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After that, everything went smoothly. The ‘Golden Seal of the Sword Clan,’ the heirloom of the Luoyang Sword Clan, was an object bestowed directly upon the Clan Leader of the Sword Clan by the Emperor in the past. There was no one in the Luoyang Sword Clan so dull as to interpret ‘Bring the clothes’ written on a document stamped with the Clan Leader’s seal as anything other than a literal command.
The first to appear at the forefront was the female steward of the Inner Court. Behind her, over a dozen maids from the Inner Court followed with disciplined movements. Behind them followed a line of strong servants carrying large chests on their backs.
The chests were lined up in the courtyard, and as their lids were opened, dozens of women’s outdoor clothes, shoes, and accessories were revealed. Without exception, they were all of the highest quality. And it took only a moment for Jeong-ah, who had been taken away by the Inner Court maids, to be transformed into someone like the Moon Goddess Chang’e.
“Hmm. This is sufficient.”
As Yeon So-hyeon nodded, the female steward of the Inner Court shouted briefly, “Withdraw!”
“If they had just cooperated willingly from the start, it would have been easier for everyone…….”
Yeon So-hyeon clicked his tongue at her, wondering what they were doing every time. However, she didn’t even pretend to hear So-hyeon’s words; she offered a bow and walked away. Where the personnel had receded like an ebbing tide, the chests they had brought and the items inside remained.
“What are you doing?”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s words, the face of the gatekeeper, who had been avoiding his gaze, crumpled.
“……What do you mean?”
Yeon So-hyeon rummaged through his sleeve without a word.
“A-alright, I understand, please stop!”
He shuddered and walked toward the chests. Grumbling such as, “It makes no sense to treat such a precious item so carelessly,” could be heard, but Yeon So-hyeon paid no mind.
“Do you like it?”
Jeong-ah was looking into the full-length mirror placed in the courtyard. She appeared to be maintaining her composure, but she could not hide her slightly flushed cheeks.
“……It feels like it does not suit someone of my station.”
Yeon So-hyeon shrugged.
“You came to Won-gak Pavilion, and I have begun to move.”
It was a light tone, but the meaning contained within was by no means light.
“There will be more occasions to wear such clothes in the future.”
Jeong-ah’s ebony-like hair swayed in the breeze. At that moment, she intuited it. This breeze was currently flowing leisurely to the west, but it would eventually return as a violent typhoon.
“……Yes, Master.”
A sense of resolve settled in Jeong-ah’s eyes.
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* * *
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“……Do you truly not need an escort?”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled at the Luoyang Sword Clan’s escort unit members standing in his way.
“I told you, it’s fine because I have this friend here.”
In the direction Yeon So-hyeon pointed, the ‘gatekeeper’ stood with a face like he had just bitten into dung. Since he already had a fierce expression and was now wearing a look of utter disgust, he looked like a vengeful demon. A liaison, an errand boy, and now an escort. He could not possibly be in a good mood.
“As things stand, we have no choice but to follow the Young Master’s orders, but without the permission of the Head of the Escorts……”
Yeon So-hyeon cut off the escort’s words.
“Yes, yes. Report it as you see fit.”
“But we……”
In the end, it was only after Yeon So-hyeon took out the Golden Seal of the Sword Clan and created another temporary order that they backed down.
“Who is that fellow wearing the guard’s uniform?”
"I don't know. He looks like a Master, though. He’ll be doing a bit of hard work in our place today."
They didn't even bother to hide their joy at being freed from the duty of "escorting the Swordless One through the marketplace."
Jeong-ah stepped forward to intervene at their behavior, but Yeon So-hyeon raised a hand to stop her.
"Leave it. We have a long way to go."
However, they were inevitably held up again at one of the back gates of the Luoyang Sword Clan. The guards had blocked their path, citing that the Young Master had not received permission from "above" to go out during the day.
Naturally, Jeong-ah’s fury exploded, and she reprimanded them with a fiery intensity. The guards, caught between the Young Master and the head of the guard unit, were the only ones to be pitied.
"Haha, we haven't even departed yet, and already there are so many interesting things happening."
The only one finding it amusing was, of course, Yeon So-hyeon.
And the gatekeeper was looking at such a Yeon So-hyeon with eyes full of exhaustion.
'What on earth is this Young Master made of inside?'
What was the Young Master who had relentlessly driven him into a corner yesterday, and what was the Young Master who occasionally revealed a gaze filled with madness?
And what was this—the very image of the Swordless One, appearing to have no pride at all—that he was showing today?
Yet, in the midst of all that, there was one thing he could be certain of.
'I must get transferred as soon as possible!'
And so, in the end, they set out.
One maid, who looked like the moon goddess Chang'e but held the lowest status among the group.
One Master of unknown identity, who merely looked like a guard of the Luoyang Sword Clan.
And one Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan, who looked like a handsome scholar assisting a young lady, but harbored an ancient demon monster within.
That bizarre party set foot into the city of Luoyang.
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