The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

In the novel I had read, the Golden Blood Sand Sect wasn’t covered extensively.

From the beginning, the main content of the novel was Moyong Do’s revenge, and in that process, the Demon Cult, Murim Alliance, and other hidden forces appeared.

Moyong Do crushed them one by one, transforming into an avatar of vengeance.

But nowhere was it easy to find that the Golden Blood Sand Sect had shown interest in Moyong Do.

In other words, this meant that the content I knew was changing little by little because I was alive.

It would be good if I could remember all the original content of the novel, but only the main outline came to mind, so it wasn’t easy to recall which parts I should focus on.

Jeok Biwol, who suddenly appeared and showed interest in Moyong Do. That name felt grating and at the same time displeasing.

However, unaware of my feelings, Hyuk Dojin who didn’t help felt just disappointing.

I knew he was worried about me. But this was related to Moyong Do, whom I had cherished and followed so much, not anything else. To draw such a firm line while knowing that.

I felt he was quite cold-hearted.

“The Alliance Leader will come out.”

The man called Chief Ji stepped back.

Yesterday, Murim Alliance Leader Namgoong Baek adjusted the schedule and formally invited me.

I also responded to that invitation, thinking it would be good to see his face once before the martial arts competition started.

I knew that the Murim Alliance Leader was someone who had tried to kill me. Although he hadn’t given a particularly good impression, killing and being killed was common in the martial arts world.

It was also common to have conversations as if not minding while harboring such resentment.

Putting aside past grudges for now, I tried to fulfill my duty.

The closed door opened and an old man wearing a blue robe appeared.

He alternately examined Dojin and me, then smiled gently. I got up from my seat and greeted him.

“I pay my respects to the Murim Alliance Leader.”

“Hoho, no need to be so formal. I saw the Young Cult Leader yesterday so I know him… Yes, you must be Moyong Sowol? The precious daughter cherished by the Moyong clan.”

Precious daughter, he says. Can he call someone a precious daughter when they sold that precious daughter?

“I’m very pleased that you two are participating in this martial arts competition. When I heard the Demon Cult was sending precious guests, I wondered who would come, but to send such a pair like mandarin ducks, I’m just grateful.”

Mandarin ducks, he says. In the past, I might have welcomed being called mandarin ducks, but because of yesterday’s incident, that expression felt very uncomfortable.

I rolled my eyes to glance at Hyuk Dojin. Hyuk Dojin met my eyes with an uneasy look, then smiled awkwardly.

Hmph. I snorted softly, then turned my head back to speak to Namgoong Baek.

“I’m also honored to have the opportunity to come to the Murim Alliance I’ve never been to before. Moreover, as a junior, I’m just grateful to see the Flash Sky Sword City.”

“That’s just an empty title. Having lived so long, people give me such an excessive title and dare to give me a place among the Three Emperors. Now that I’m old, I should step down from my position… Tsk tsk, but there’s no suitable successor yet, so I can’t lift my heavy bottom from this seat.”

From what I had heard, Namgoong Baek was over a hundred years old. He had been a great star in the martial arts world for nearly half a century and at the same time the center of the Murim Alliance.

“You’re still healthy, so you should continue.”

“I may look that way on the outside, but my body is old and sick all over, so now I only have to step down. By the way…”

His eyes slowly rolled to examine me, then his mouth opened.

“I heard that Miss’s body was not very well, how is your illness? Has it improved a bit?”

“Thanks to your concern, it’s improving day by day.”

“What concern? I’m just passing time sitting here doing nothing. Enough with such polite greetings…”

Namgoong Baek trailed off his voice and stared at me blankly. I also quietly gazed at Namgoong Baek in silence.

Didn’t they say you can’t know a person just by looking at their outside? To someone who didn’t know, it wouldn’t be strange to see Namgoong Baek as an ordinary old man.

But to my eyes, he felt like he contained a sea whose depth I couldn’t dare to know.

It was an endless depth that seemed like he could easily handle someone like me just with the gaze reaching me, whose end I couldn’t know.

It was a weight I couldn’t feel even with monsters like Man Do and Hyuk Dojin around. Namgoong Baek slowly smiled.

“By the way, I heard you were attacked during the meeting period. I heard the story. It was very dangerous, they say.”

“…”

I tightly closed my mouth which had been slightly open at Namgoong Baek’s words.

As expected, did he know? We even spread false information to hide it, but could we not avoid the ears of the Murim Alliance?

I stared blankly at Namgoong Baek speaking with a nonchalant face. I tried to figure out with what intention he was saying such words, but he wasn’t showing any emotion. I closed my eyes and nodded.

“In the past, a senior who held a grudge against my older brother had snuck in. He attacked, but fortunately we were able to deal with it safely.”

“Huh, a bloodbath between family. How unfortunate.”

I smiled brightly at his words, and Namgoong Baek also smiled slowly. He turned to look at Hyuk Dojin.

“But the Young Cult Leader is quiet today. You spoke a lot yesterday, but today your mood seems down and you’re not exerting yourself at all. Did something happen?”

The arrow that turned to Hyuk Dojin seemed to pierce his brow. He slowly looked at me at Namgoong Baek’s words.

Namgoong Baek alternately examined me and Hyuk Dojin, then opened his eyes round.

“You had a fight. Isn’t that right?”

“…No, that’s not it.”

“No indeed. I know it all. When I was young, I often fought with my wife too. With her small body and round eyes, she would rush at me as if to kill me. In all my life, I’ve fought countless people, but I only felt my life threatened twice. One of those was my wife.”

Namgoong Baek rested his chin on his hand and spoke slowly as if recalling those times.

“The nagging that was just tiresome then became so missed after my wife left. So don’t try to win unnecessarily, just yield. What’s left if you stand on your pride and win against such a lovely woman? A man should know how to bow his head before the most precious person. Isn’t that right, Miss?”

I snorted while glancing at Hyuk Dojin, then nodded.

“In my lacking eyes, my husband seems to have not yet accumulated enough virtue to become a gentleman. When he so coldly rejected my request yesterday, I keenly felt that I had misjudged him.”

“Tsk tsk, that won’t do. Even if he rejects, he should speak gently or at least make an effort to find a way.”

That’s right, I nodded.

Namgoong Baek quietly looked at Hyuk Dojin, then shook his head as if pitying him.

“Well, how could a man who has only learned martial arts and how to swing a sword all his life fathom a woman’s heart that’s like a thousand-mile road? And Miss, don’t blame him too much. Surely he didn’t reject because he disliked his lovely wife? It must have been out of concern.”

“…”

I closed my mouth tightly at Namgoong Baek’s words fairly taking sides with both me and Hyuk Dojin.

I glanced at Hyuk Dojin looking at me with awkward eyes, then nodded.

Namgoong Baek smiled brightly.

“Well then, let’s end the conversation here for now and move on to boring business talk… Ah! Come to think of it, there’s someone who wants to meet Miss Moyong. I had forgotten. Getting old makes me forgetful, you see.”

“Me… you mean?”

“Mm. I’ll discuss business matters with the Young Cult Leader here, so Miss Moyong can leave.”

“But…”

I was worried about leaving without knowing who I was meeting, and moreover leaving Hyuk Dojin and Namgoong Baek alone.

As I alternately looked at the two, Namgoong Baek smiled faintly.

“It’s alright. The Young Cult Leader wouldn’t want his wife to suffer through boring business talk either. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. It’s fine, wife. Go and rest, I’ll come find you.”

After hesitating for a moment at the two men’s words, I soon nodded.

The two deflected their words out of concern for me, but judging from the atmosphere, I could tell they were going to say things I shouldn’t easily hear. After quickly catching on, I got up from my seat.

“I understand. Then, thanking you for your consideration, I’ll withdraw first.”

“See you again next time.”

After greeting Namgoong Baek who was smiling brightly, I glanced at Hyuk Dojin and pouted my lips.

“…I’ll wait for you.”

* * *

I quietly walked along the corridor after leaving the room. I had only heard about the Murim Alliance in words, so seeing it in person for the first time and entering it for the first time, everything was fascinating.

Although it was a building with a long history embedded in it, there were no traces of wear or rust.

As I walked stepping on the red carpet embroidered with gold thread laid on the floor, suddenly Namgoong Baek’s words came to mind.

He said there was someone who wanted to meet me… Who could it be? Did I know anyone in the Murim Alliance?

As I was recalling the people I had met so far while quietly coming out of the Murim Alliance Leader’s hall, a man appeared right in front of me.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

A calm and neat voice. A face so beautiful that it wouldn’t be forgotten once seen.

It was an appearance that stood out so much that it was surprising I had forgotten meeting this man. That’s right. I had completely forgotten.

That Namgoong Baek’s disciple was Namgoong Seolbyeok.

He was standing neatly just like when I first met him. At a glance, it reminded me of when I first met Hyuk Dojin.

He was also neat and calm. However, Hyuk Dojin was tall with broad shoulders, and the line of his jaw was thick, giving a strong masculine impression.

But Namgoong Seolbyeok was the exact opposite in atmosphere, just like his name.

“Don’t you remember who I am?”

As I stared blankly, Namgoong Seolbyeok lowered the corners of his eyes as if feeling slightly hurt. I shook my head while brushing back the hair flowing down to the side.

“No. I was just lamenting my poor memory.”

“So you really didn’t remember me.”

He smiled and turned his body sideways to make way. I approached his side.

Namgoong Seolbyeok moved his legs first and headed towards a garden with a small pond. As we walked along the path, he continued speaking.

“It’s not that I didn’t remember, I just didn’t think at all that you would be in the Murim Alliance. That’s understandable, a lot of time has passed and we didn’t keep in touch separately.”

“Is that so?”

That’s right. I answered shortly, and he smiled while looking at the garden.

“Actually, I sent letters several times. Didn’t you instruct me to spread false information?”

“I did. Probably.”

“Probably?”

I glanced at him and replied grumpily.

“I expected you to properly spread false information, but it seems everyone knew anyway. The Golden Blood Sand Sect, the Murim Alliance Leader too.”

“My master is not someone who would be fooled by false information that I didn’t even try. But the Golden Blood Sand Sect is unexpected. For them to know that story… I’ll have to check if we have ears on our side.”

He stopped in his place and looked at me. I looked up at him who suddenly stopped.

Namgoong Seolbyeok quietly looked at me and spoke softly.

“You said you forgot about me, Miss Moyong.”

“I’m sorry about that. There were a lot of things happening…”

“No need to be sorry. Someone must have intercepted the letters in between, so you forgot about my existence too.”

At his words, a cool flower scent drifted in as if carried by the wind. He neatly arranged his hair flowing behind him and looked behind my back.

When I slightly turned my waist, Hyuk Dojin was standing there, having appeared at some point. He was looking at me and Namgoong Seolbyeok with a stiff face.

“But do you know?”

I turned my head at the voice coming from in front.

Namgoong Seolbyeok looked at me and smiled gently.

“The promise Miss Moyong made to me that day is already deeply embedded.”

“That…”

“After receiving that promise, I never forgot about you for a single moment.”

His smile spread gently, in contrast to Hyuk Dojin’s expression.