Chapter 46
“Aigoo, this is no ordinary matter. Seriously, what a tiring guy.”
Having finished his conversation with Jegaldam, Unyeong grumbled as she made her way toward the small training arena. It was Namgung Hwi who had insisted on meeting there.
‘Well, it’s not like I don’t understand why.’
For a martial artist, the most gratifying moments are when they can feel the results of their training.
Now that he had a lead on the Left-Handed Sword Technique, his growth would only accelerate. Unyeong could understand his desire to train even a moment longer.
As she stepped into the arena, she saw Namgung Hwi wielding a sword in his left hand.
Whoosh.
A clean, precise downward slash with reduced speed.
His descending arm rose once more.
Whoosh.
Another flawless downward slash.
But something must have felt off, as Namgung Hwi lowered his sword and stared intently at the tip, concentrating.
Whoosh.
This time, again, a perfect slash.
Though sweat dripped down his face, Namgung Hwi was utterly focused on his sword.
Even when he faltered, he refocused and tried again. And again.
‘That’s what matters most. The will to swing again even when it doesn’t feel right.’
Unyeong watched his training with growing excitement.
Her palms tingled.
It was the urge of the Sword Demon, itching to pick up a blade.
‘No. Not yet. Just a little longer.’
Unyeong held back. She wasn’t ready to lift the sword yet. She needed a bit more time to prepare her body first.
The waiting was painful, but she knew how sweet the reward would be in the end.
She refocused on Namgung Hwi’s training.
‘He really is gifted. His left hand is already so used to the sword. It hasn’t even been that long. These geniuses, honestly.’
She clicked her tongue and clapped her hands.
“That’s impressive, Young Master.”
Namgung Hwi, too focused to notice someone entering, lowered his sword and turned. Upon spotting Unyeong, he smiled brightly and rushed over.
“You’re here, Lady Unyeong. Ah, I’m sorry. I must smell of sweat.”
He greeted her warmly, then stepped back.
“It’s fine. It’s only natural for someone training to sweat.”
“Even so…”
A flush of embarrassment crept onto Namgung Hwi’s cheeks.
“Here, use this.”
Unyeong pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him. It was something her nanny had insisted she carry around.
“Thank you, Lady.”
He carefully accepted it and wiped his sweat.
“I’ll return this to you later.”
“When? You’re leaving tomorrow.”
At her teasing, his eyes wavered slightly.
“Haha. It’s fine. You can keep it.”
“No. I’ll make sure to return it.”
“Suit yourself. Shall we sit over there and talk?”
She gestured to a bench in the corner of the arena, and Namgung Hwi nodded.
“I wanted to properly thank you, Lady.”
“There’s no need. I enjoyed myself too.”
“I truly hope that someday, we’ll be able to cross swords together.”
“That… might take a while. I’ve only just begun my training.”
“Hahaha. That’s true.”
He laughed awkwardly but genuinely.
‘Ah… Who would’ve thought he could laugh so freely like this? Honestly… what a change.’
It spoke volumes about the wounds Heaven’s Palace had left on him.
Unyeong gave a bittersweet smile.
“Here, take this.”
She handed him an envelope.
“W-what is this?”
Caught off guard, Namgung Hwi stuttered slightly as he accepted it.
“I told you before—we have many ancient texts in our library, right?”
Namgung Hwi just blinked. Unyeong chuckled and continued.
“There’s a book with the insights of a one-armed swordsman, so I copied it. He used to be a right-handed swordsman, but after losing an arm, he became left-handed.”
It was a lie. She hadn’t gotten it from the Seol household but had transcribed it from an old book in Hwangsan’s private study. But that place was practically her home, too.
“A… such a valuable thing, for me…”
“It’s nothing. I just hope it helps.”
“Th… thank you. You’ve done so much for me.”
His eyes began to redden with emotion.
“Uh… huh?”
Unyeong was a bit taken aback. The Namgung Hwi she knew—later to become the Sword King—felt like an entirely different person from this boy.
“I hope the day comes when I can repay this kindness.”
“I’m sure it will.”
She was confident. Namgung Hwi was one of the few people she could entrust her back to.
“That would be wonderful, Lady.”
“Yes. It will happen.”
Though it wasn’t exactly pleasant to know they’d one day have to fight side by side again, right now, all they could do was smile.
Someday—on another promised day.
The next morning, before the sun rose,
All the household staff gathered in front of the main gate of the Seol family estate.
It was to see Jegaldam and Namgung Hwi off.
They had already exchanged lengthy farewells during last night’s banquet. And so, with a few short wishes for safe travels, the two departed from the Seol residence.
Taking with them the bundles Unyeong had packed herself.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
A group of dozens traveled on horseback.
“Whoa, whoa.”
At the front of the group, Jegaldam pulled on the reins and stopped his horse.
“Young Master?”
The others followed suit, pulling their horses to a stop and turning questioning eyes toward him. Even his escort, Yang Cheol-woo, called out—but Jegaldam didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look behind him.
“Brother? What’s wrong?”
Following his gaze, Namgung Hwi turned back to look at the Seol residence.
Nestled between a beautiful mountain backdrop and a vast lake, the grand estate came into view.
Morning mist wrapped around the estate.
When they had first arrived, he had thought it a merely beautiful home. But now, as they left, the distant Seol residence seemed… special.
“Did you forget something, Young Master?”
Yang Cheol-woo asked jokingly with a wide grin.
“No. It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Jegaldam shook his head and answered briefly before urging his horse forward.
Though the group began to move again, Namgung Hwi couldn’t take his eyes off the fading silhouette of the Seol estate.
It was still there, unchanged—but it felt like it might disappear at any moment.
He blinked and looked again. Thankfully, it was still there. Somehow, that gave him comfort.
“Hwi-ya, what are you doing?”
“Yes, Brother.”
Namgung Hwi cast one last glance at the Seol estate, then looked ahead again.
“It’s just…”
Riding alongside Jegaldam, he spoke up.
“Just?”
“It feels like I’ve returned from a strange place.”
“A strange place?”
“Don’t you think so? It was only a few days, but it feels like so much happened.”
“…I suppose it does.”
Jegaldam nodded.
They were still young—not yet of age to freely roam the martial world.
Namgung Hwi had only ever traveled between Hapbi and Wuhan. This was his first journey to Yangyang. Jegaldam hadn’t even been to Hapbi yet.
So, the few days they spent at the Seol estate were full of unfamiliar experiences.
“Did you feel the same, Brother?”
To Namgung Hwi, it had been a meaningful time—one where he discovered a new path.
In just a few days, he had become quite comfortable with left-handed swordsmanship. And if he could find the High Mountain, Long River, Firm Path that Unyeong had mentioned, how could he possibly repay such a debt?
“I don’t know. Maybe…”
Jegaldam trailed off, but the truth was—he, too, had felt a lot over the past few days.
He thought he knew a lot. But the world was vast, and there were countless things one couldn’t learn from books.
The moment he came face to face with that enormous bird—he could still feel the thrill in his fingertips.
And Unyeong’s perspective—how she approached chaos in a way different from his own—was refreshing.
“You don’t sound like yourself, Brother.”
Namgung Hwi chuckled, throwing a playful jab.
“What do you mean?”
“You never used to say things like ‘maybe.’ Though… you’ve said it a lot these past few days.”
“…I suppose I have.”
Jegaldam paused, as if only now realizing it.
“Haha. You’re right. I have.”
“Yes, you have.”
“Well, I guess everyone has days like that.”
“Is that so? I guess you’re right.”
They laughed together, then urged their horses to move faster. Soon, the Seol estate grew smaller behind them.
And that night, as they camped outdoors, the care Unyeong had put into packing their supplies began to shine.
“Huh? It says just to add this powder while it boils? ‘Tasty Powder’? The name is weird, though.”
“Wow… this tastes amazing. It really warms your insides.”
“This one’s supposed to help build muscle during training?”
“My thighs don’t even ache. This stuff is incredible.”
“She packed a bunch of mushrooms too. Tastes just like meat. No, even better.”
Their first night camping was peaceful.
