“Yeah. That place wasn’t anything special either.”
The man in the golden Long robe clicked his tongue, finished climbing the stairs with a long sigh, and then sighed deeply. The young lady beside him seemed at a loss.
“You were eagerly waiting to enter the Martial Alliance. But, how could you be like this…”
The young lady also seemed to sigh, then looked ahead. In the process, she discovered Ak Mujin’s group standing on the pavilion railing. She seemed to carefully examine the towering man, then her eyes widened.
“Ryeon… Ryeon-ah!”
At those words, the man who was still looking around shuddered and turned sharply. His eyes met Jin Geum-ryeon’s.
It was So Seung-ji.
“You… you…!”
He recognized Jin Geum-ryeon at once and began to point at him. To be reunited with So Seung-ji in a place like this. The young lady beside him seemed to be the young lady named Yeong-ji, whom he had briefly encountered once before.
“How… how dare you come here with that face…! How…!”
So Seung-ji shouted at him in a very angry tone. At that, the attention of the few people in Samchwijeong was focused on them. Cheong-aeng placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and took a step forward, but Jin Geum-ryeon stopped her by raising his left hand. Cheong-aeng carefully returned to her place.
The people who had been admiring the scenery felt threatened as the martial artists with swords gathered, as if they were about to fight at any moment, and began to cautiously leave the pavilion.
Jin Geum-ryeon politely bowed to So Seung-ji, then looked at Ak Mujin as if asking for permission. What could Ak Mujin do in this situation? He simply nodded as if telling him to go and talk.
“I caused Brother So trouble back then.”
“Do you know what you did back then…!”
Behind So Seung-ji, who was trembling as if unable to contain his anger, stood Yeong-ji, looking at them with a very worried expression.
“Brother, calm down first.”
“Let go!”
Yeong-ji tried to pull So Seung-ji’s sleeve, but So Seung-ji irritably shook her off and glared at Jin Geum-ryeon. However, he couldn’t easily approach, and it seemed that fear was definitely mixed with anger in the reason he was trembling.
Ak Mujin quietly observed the situation. So Seung-ji had a calculating personality and always walked a tightrope, but he never betrayed Jin Geum-ryeon in the end. But now, it seemed like he was at odds with Jin Geum-ryeon, so he wanted to know specifically what had happened at the Martial Alliance three years ago.
“All my efforts were ruined because of you…. The Martial Alliance won’t accept me!”
A voice filled with resentment burst out towards Jin Geum-ryeon. As Jin Geum-ryeon slowly walked towards So Seung-ji, he unconsciously tried to step back. But there were stairs behind him, so he only moved one step.
“I caused Brother So trouble. I don’t know how to apologize.”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s tone didn’t seem to have any particular regret towards So Seung-ji. But conversely, So Seung-ji frowned deeply and looked down at the floor. Yeong-ji didn’t give up and put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. His heaving shoulders gradually subsided, and he seemed to be finding stability.
“……I didn’t know you would stir up the Martial Alliance like that and leave. What happened? Your master clearly has roots in the Orthodox Sect, didn’t he? But how could you… even act as a lackey for the Unorthodox Faction…!”
A wounded emotion was evident on So Seung-ji’s face as he said that. As Jin Geum-ryeon stood silently looking at him, So Seung-ji barely looked up at him.
“Don’t you have any intention of returning and admitting your sins…?”
At that question, Jin Geum-ryeon lowered his eyes and smiled.
“Brother So. That man is my parents’ enemy.”
So Seung-ji’s face was filled with shock at that statement. Yeong-ji, who was standing beside him, was also filled with surprise, but she hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet because she wasn’t sure who ‘that man’ was. She looked back and forth between Jin Geum-ryeon and So Seung-ji.
“‘That man’? Who are you talking about? Surely…, not that person?”
“That’s right. The Martial Alliance Lord, Namgung Mun.”
Yeong-ji covered her mouth with both hands. Ak Mujin, who was standing behind them watching all of this, swallowed a small sigh. He thought that So Seung-ji probably wanted to enter the Martial Alliance, but he might have been ostracized within it because of his friendship with Jin Geum-ryeon.
“Ha…….”
So Seung-ji, who had messed up his hair, now put his hands on his hips and bit his lip. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he looked at Jin Geum-ryeon again.
“…What’s the reason for saying that? Don’t tell me…. You’re not thinking of going to take revenge, are you?”
So Seung-ji’s shoulders began to tremble again. Jin Geum-ryeon looked down at him and simply smiled, saying nothing. So Seung-ji, who inferred the answer from that silence, turned red in the face.
“No! Absolutely not! Don’t even think about killing the Martial Alliance Lord! What will become of me! I’m about to be… kicked out of my own family!”
“If you’re having a hard time, you can always come to the Sandow Union.”
“That’s not the problem!”
As he began to shout at the top of his lungs, the people below the pavilion also looked up once, making a commotion. But Jin Geum-ryeon still had a relaxed expression. Feeling the commotion outside, So Seung-ji realized his mistake and lowered his voice.
“I see…. So you dared to come back here to turn the Martial Alliance upside down again.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but depending on the situation, it’s hard for me to say for sure.”
“You are…… a demon.”
So Seung-ji muttered as if spitting out the words.
“A demon worse than a Demonic Cultist! You are…!”
Just as he seemed to be getting heated up, pointing at Jin Geum-ryeon, he discovered Ak Mujin standing behind Jin Geum-ryeon and narrowed his eyes. And for a while, he stood rooted to the spot, staring at that face, and after a while, So Seung-ji was so surprised that he lost his words and began to heave his chest.
“That’s the Demonic Cultist…….”
A hollow soliloquy echoed in the small pavilion. Yeong-ji was startled by the word Demonic Cultist and looked at Ak Mujin, and Ak Mujin also felt awkward and simply scratched the back of his neck. Only Cheong-aeng and Jin Geum-ryeon stood calmly, looking at them.
In the end, So Seung-ji grabbed Jin Geum-ryeon by the collar, suppressing his desire to shout, and whispered.
“Jin Geum-ryeon…! What on earth are you doing!”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“As expected, the Martial Alliance Lord’s eyes were not wrong. You are a mole for the Demonic Cult. You’re trying to hand over the Central Plains to those Demonic Cultists with this trick…! You… ruined my life. I won’t let you get away with this…!”
So Seung-ji’s suppressed voice was clearly heard in Jin Geum-ryeon’s ears.
“Brother, stop it!”
Yeong-ji, unable to watch any longer, began to dissuade him. So Seung-ji, who had been glaring at Jin Geum-ryeon with bloodshot eyes, had long lost strength in his whole body, unlike his momentum, and heaved and fell away from him. Jin Geum-ryeon straightened his crumpled clothes and faced So Seung-ji.
“You’re right, Brother So. I came to take revenge on the Martial Alliance.”
Yeong-ji’s shoulders, who had been supporting the staggering So Seung-ji, trembled. Her trembling eyes looked up at Jin Geum-ryeon.
“But one thing is wrong. If you’ve heard the rumors, you wouldn’t have believed the absurd words that I’m a mole for the Demonic Cult.”
Jin Geum-ryeon slowly passed him and took a step.
“If you try to stop me, I don’t mind. I’ll deal with you as much as you want.”
“……!”
“But I don’t know if Brother So, who is so concerned about his own safety, will dare to oppose me.”
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had grabbed the railing of the stairs, spoke to So Seung-ji and then winked at Ak Mujin and went down the stairs. Ak Mujin, who had been watching the situation, hesitated and then followed him down with Cheong-aeng.
“Ryeon-ah!”
Yeong-ji urgently called out to Jin Geum-ryeon, looking back and forth between So Seung-ji and him. So Seung-ji, after they left, was barely able to stand, and his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
*
“I’m sorry that it turned out like this when we came all the way here to see the sights.”
“…No. People who are meant to meet will meet.”
Ak Mujin was deeply aware of this. He didn’t try to force a meeting with Jin Geum-ryeon, but they always ended up meeting again in dramatic situations.
The fact that Jin Geum-ryeon met So Seung-ji today was also because they were destined to meet. He glanced at Jin Geum-ryeon once. It was a situation where he could be hurt by being treated like that by someone who had been a close friend. He was worried about his heart for no reason.
“It was my presence that added to the misunderstanding.”
“Well, in the Orthodox Sect, it’s common to think whatever they want even without any particular suspicion. Brother So is just the same.”
Hearing those words, Ak Mujin felt guilty again and his heart felt uncomfortable. It was none other than him, who created this original world, who had driven Jin Geum-ryeon to this point. Ak Mujin sighed softly and looked at Jin Geum-ryeon.
“Let’s rest here today and go to the Martial Alliance. It’s not a matter of life and death.”
“You’re right.”
Jin Geum-ryeon nodded as if agreeing, then stared at Ak Mujin intently.
“Before that, I should buy you a Veil Hat.”
And he said with a smile. Ak Mujin didn’t like it, but he agreed because there was no need to openly show his face.
It was then.