Chapter 6: The Sword Demon’s Apology
“There was a man called the Sword Demon 300 years ago. He was the best martial artist of his time and a mass murderer. People still talk about his evil deeds today.”
At Namgung Baek’s words, Hoyeon pouted.
‘…That’s not fair. What did I do wrong?’
He only killed the people who came to kill him.
I mean, it’s not like he could die.
As Hoyeon grumbled inside, Namgung Baek kept talking.
“At that time, our family was part of the Murim Alliance. And the leader of that alliance was…”
“W-Wait! Does that mean our family isn’t part of the Murim Alliance anymore?”
“Hmm? We’re part of the Baekga Alliance now.”
“Oh… right. I forgot.”
Hoyeon accepted the new information and hardened his expression.
Looks like a lot happened in 300 years.
“Anyway, 300 years ago, the leader of the Murim Alliance was the head of our family and one of the Three Masters of the World—our great ancestor, the Sky Sword Lord Namgung Cheongang.”
Namgung Baek said proudly, smiling.
Hoyeon nodded, since he already knew that much.
“The Alliance leader gathered all righteous sects and formed a union to capture the evil Sword Demon.”
‘He was such a petty old man. Saying sorry right before dying doesn’t fix everything, you know?’
As Hoyeon made a complicated face thinking about Sword Lord, Namgung Baek continued.
“But there was a problem when the alliance army was being formed. Many families and sects didn’t want to send their elite warriors.”
Hoyeon snorted.
‘I get it.’
The Murim Alliance wasn’t one group—it was a union of many sects.
Naturally, there was internal fighting and power struggles.
In such a system, the best way to gain influence was through strength.
“They were afraid of losing their elites to the Sword Demon and weakening their power.”
Namgung Baek shook his head, clearly unhappy.
“If that situation continued, it would have been impossible to catch the Sword Demon. So, our ancestor had to lead by example.”
“Then…”
“He sent out all our best troops: Changgung Unit, Cheonpung Unit, Biyeon Unit, and Cheolgeom Unit.”
“…”
Hoyeon stayed quiet.
Come to think of it, there were a lot of blue-clad soldiers in that plain…
“When we went first, the other sects had no choice but to follow and send their elites too. But they still held back some strength.”
“…”
“As you know, the result was mutual destruction. Because of that battle, our family lost much of its strength. Many martial arts were lost, including the Cheonroe Emperor Divine Art.”
Hoyeon couldn’t meet Namgung Baek’s eyes.
‘Tsk… I’m sorry, okay? But it was self-defense. Who told them to attack me first?’
Feeling both guilty and unfairly blamed, Hoyeon mumbled to himself.
But Namgung Baek wasn’t done.
“The Sword Demon’s evil didn’t stop there.”
“What? Didn’t he die?”
“He was truly a cursed man. Even after death, he caused great damage to our family.”
“…?”
Hoyeon tilted his head, confused. Namgung Baek sighed.
“About 100 years ago, a strange rumor spread.”
“A rumor?”
“That our family had the Sword Demon’s secret manual.”
“What?”
A secret manual?
But that’s not true.
It’s not like ‘Will Power Movement’ is something you can learn from a book…
“It was a complete lie. The Sword Lord killed the Sword Demon, so it made no sense for our family to have his manual.”
“…”
“But the idea of the Sword Demon’s secret art was enough to drive many people crazy.”
“…”
“Our family was attacked constantly. Even righteous sects started doubting us.”
“…”
“Our martial arts hall, the Changgyeong Hall, was even burned down. That’s how much pain the Sword Demon caused us.”
‘What the—how is that my fault? They all went wild by themselves and now they’re blaming me?’
Hoyeon felt so wronged.
Okay, sure, maybe he was a bit too aggressive 300 years ago.
But how could a fake rumor 100 years ago be his fault too?
“Sigh… Our family was once praised as the greatest in the world. And it all fell because of one man.”
Looking at Namgung Baek’s sad face, Hoyeon couldn’t help but apologize.
“S-Sorry.”
“Huh? Why are you saying sorry?”
“Uh… I don’t know. I just felt like I should…”
“Haha, you must want to cheer your old man up. You sweet child.”
Rustle, rustle.
Namgung Baek patted Hoyeon’s head, and Hoyeon lowered his head even more.
“If you said Changgang’s sword technique looks different, then you’re probably right. After the Sword Demon disaster, our martial legacy was never the same.”
“…”
“But now, it’s different! My youngest child has awakened Sword Heart Resonance! Wahaha!”
Namgung Baek laughed loudly, his eyes full of love.
‘Tsk… I guess it was partly my fault.’
Hoyeon had a personality that couldn’t leave debts unpaid.
If he received something good, he had to return the favor.
He received the Cheonroe Sword. If he wanted to benefit from the family, he should help the family too.
With that thought, Hoyeon nodded and said,
“Father, please gather all the family swords. Especially the old swords from 300 years ago.”
At that, Namgung Baek also nodded.
“Alright. But don’t overdo it. Your health comes first.”
“…Okay.”
“And keep your Sword Heart Resonance a secret. Others might get jealous or wary.”
“Got it…”
“Others,” he said.
Hoyeon looked at Namgung Baek’s worried face with a strange expression.
Does that mean you don’t see yourself as ‘others’?
Then what are you to me?
… I don’t know.
Scene Break
“Haa… Anyway, I got it.”
Back in his room, Hoyeon looked at the worn sword and simple scabbard.
The Cheonroe Sword.
The sword of the Sword Lord, the sword that cut the pulse of the Sword Demon.
And maybe… the sword that brought Hoyeon back to life.
Shing.
He drew the sword. A mysterious white blade shimmered in the light.
“…It really is a fine sword.”
Looking at it with the Sword Demon’s trained eyes, it wasn’t just a good sword—it was divine.
“It’s probably because it’s been charged with thunder energy for centuries. There’s not a single impurity.”
Admiring the blade under the light, Hoyeon sat cross-legged and laid the sword on his knees.
He focused.
His forehead began to heat up. The Sword Heart Resonance activated.
“Hey, Cheonroe energy. How do I use it?”
The sword stayed silent.
“What, ignoring me? You deaf or something?”
Still nothing.
“Okay, then! What were you thinking, handing down the Cheonroe Emperor Art to a kid? Are you crazy?”
Buzz…
As Hoyeon scolded it, the sword gave a small reaction.
Eyes lighting up, Hoyeon pressed on.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t expect me to not know how to use it, you killer sword.”
Zing!
“Haha, killer sword not good? How about irresponsible sword? You gave me the technique but no instructions!”
Hummm.
“Oh? Still don’t like it? Then lazy sword it is. You useless sword!”
Hum!
“Still mad? Okay: useless sword! Forgotten sword! Lawless sword! Abandoned sword! Trash sword!”
As he insulted the sword—
ZIIIIING!
The sword suddenly vibrated hard.
Then something new happened.
Ahem. Young man. Show some respect, will you?
Hoyeon felt energy leave his forehead and heard an old man’s voice in his mind.
‘…What the?’
Until now, he only sensed the sword’s will.
But now it actually spoke to him.
‘What is this, a haunted sword?’
As he stared at the Cheonroe Sword in shock, the voice spoke again.
Ahem! Ahem! Do you know how old I am? If you include the time I spent sealed in that meteor, I’m thousands of years old!
“Huh?”
And how old are you? Such rude behavior to someone way older! Didn’t you learn manners and respect? Tsk! Young people these days…
“…”
This wasn’t a teacher—it was a nagging grandpa sword.
Listening to the sword complain, Hoyeon thought of the perfect name.
“…What an old geezer sword.”
What? Geezer? An outdated old man? Fine! I’ll stop talking to you forever!
The sword tried to cut off communication in anger.
But Hoyeon quickly changed tone.
“No, elder. I meant ‘Gondae’ as in big and great, like the Earth.”
Hmm?
“The biggest mountain is called ‘Gondae’. A mighty fish can be ‘Gondae’. Even something peaceful and grand is ‘Gondae’ too.”
Ohh, that’s what you meant?
“Of course! Say, elder Gondae—do you know Namgung Cheongang?”
Oh, that kid? He was such a polite boy.
“My favorite ‘Gondae’ was that old man Namgung Cheongang.”
Hmm, he was a big-hearted child. Like me.
‘Easy to handle, this geezer sword.’
Hoyeon smiled.
‘So this is what Sword Heart Resonance can do…’
Impressed by this hidden power, Hoyeon asked,
“Elder Gondae, is this what Sword Heart Resonance normally does? You feel just like a real person.”
The sword proudly answered,
Ahem! I’m special. I lived for so long that I gained a spirit. Don’t compare me to little kiddie swords.
“Then why did such a special sword so easily teach me the Cheonroe Emperor Art?”
W-Well…
The sword awkwardly muttered.
I was just… happy to see someone after so long.
“Happy?”
Put yourself in my place! It’s been 300 years since I met someone I could talk to! Wouldn’t you be excited too?!
The sword yelled, and Hoyeon raised an eyebrow.
“So you got excited, shared the technique, and then BOOM, someone died?”
Ahem… I regret it now…
“Killed someone and just saying sorry is enough?”
Then what do you want? What’s done is done!
As the sword argued back, Hoyeon smiled sweetly.
“Compensate me.”
What?
“Teach me how to use the Cheonroe energy, and I’ll forgive you.”
At Hoyeon’s words, Cheonroe Sword fell silent for a moment, then soon let out a sigh and muttered,
— Haah, such a vicious evil spirit has taken root. The future of Namgung looks grim…
“Thank you for the compliment.”
