The Heaven-Slaying Sword - Chapter 53

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 53: Chapter Six - Escort Journey, Fateful Encounter (3)

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The two men returned to the convoy.

One was Mok Ri-won, and the other was Gwak Chil.

Avoiding Mok Ri-won's gaze, Gwak Chil headed toward where his companions sat gathered.

"Hm? Brother Gwak, why's your face so pale?"

"It's nothing. I just haven't been able to take a proper shit."

"Oh dear, you're constipated."

Gwak Chil forced his hammering heart to calm down.

He did his best to ignore Mok Ri-won's gaze, which he could still feel on him.

'Someone remembers it.'

Someone remembered his novel.

That fact had Gwak Chil in a bind.

Strictly speaking, there should have been fewer people who did not remember his novel. Even so, he trembled in despair.

To him, Tales of Martial Heroes was a raw nerve.

It was the youthful folly that had driven his life into the abyss.

Gwak Chil wanted to turn away.

'Don't talk to me...!'

He wanted to avoid everyone who spoke to him about that novel, along with the past it brought rushing back.

* * *

Mok Ri-won watched Gwak Chil's retreating back with regret in his eyes.

Dang Hwa-seo tilted her head at the sight.

"Young Hero Mok, whatever is the matter?"

Mok Ri-won whipped his head around.

As though he had been waiting for someone to ask, he began speaking with an agitated expression.

"Just listen, Miss! While I was training, I met that escort guard over there!"

"Did he spy on your training?"

Dang Hwa-seo's eyes sharpened.

Startled, Mok Ri-won hurriedly shook his head.

"No! We happened to meet and exchanged greetings, but that escort guard's name was Gwak Chil! Doesn't it sound just like Gwak Chil-pyo, the author of Tales of Martial Heroes? So I happily started talking about Tales of Martial Heroes, but...!"

Mok Ri-won pleaded his case, but Dang Hwa-seo could not relate.

She could not understand connecting the names Gwak Chil and Gwak Chil-pyo through Tales of Martial Heroes. She could not understand making that the topic of conversation, nor being upset because the other person would not join in.

That left only one answer.

"I see."

Dang Hwa-seo gave him unconditional support.

It was a useful skill for keeping a conversation moving smoothly even when one had no interest in what the other person was saying.

Mok Ri-won continued speaking for quite some time, and Dang Hwa-seo continued replying, "I see."

It was less a conversation than a one-sided complaint, but it was not unpleasant for either of them.

Mok Ri-won was happy to have found someone to complain to, while Dang Hwa-seo could pass the time with Mok Ri-won's pleasant voice as background noise.

A third party saw things differently.

'What kind of conversation is this?'

Jegal San was considered an eccentric wherever he went, yet even he could not make sense of this scene.

Think about it.

Until they arrived in Anhui, whenever Mok Ri-won acted like that, Dang Hwa-seo had always cut his strange behavior short.

Yet now she was playing along, leaving Jegal San thoroughly confused.

He felt his common sense crumbling away.

His opinion of the woman known as the Poison Phoenix, Dang Hwa-seo, was sinking lower and lower.

Jegal San could not bear to listen any longer.

"...How about we go have a drink over there?"

Mok Ri-won turned toward Jegal San.

Jegal San continued when Mok Ri-won cocked his head.

"Don't you want to speak with that escort guard named Gwak Chil? It looks like they're drinking. I'll go with you, so why not have a drink and talk with him?"

"Oh...! That's a fine idea!"

"Right. While we're there, we can tell them we'll put up our own tent from now on. What do you say, Sister?"

Dang Hwa-seo blinked before giving her permission.

"Do whatever you want."

"Aren't you coming too, Miss?"

"What would I do there? I don't particularly enjoy noisy gatherings, so go on without me."

Dang Hwa-seo waved them away.

She had never liked loud revelry, and she intended to use the opportunity to meditate.

"All right! Then I'll be off!"

Mok Ri-won eagerly headed toward Gwak Chil.

* * *

"Would you mind if we joined you?"

Jegal San spoke with his usual weasel-like smile.

One arm was slung roguishly over Mok Ri-won's shoulder.

The escort guards were startled by their sudden appearance, but soon broke into bright smiles and cheers.

"Ah, of course. Just a moment! We'll make room for you."

"Hey, move over a little!"

For the escort guards, this was a welcome surprise.

After all, talented young martial artists with dragon bynames had come to share drinks with them.

Speaking with them alone would give the guards something to boast about. There was more to it than that, though.

Since they were drinking with masters, perhaps they might receive some advice on training.

"Thank you. I hope we aren't interrupting."

"I-interrupting? Not at all!"

Jegal San modestly smoothed over the atmosphere.

Two men wore expressions unlike the rest.

One was Mok Ri-won, whose eyes sparkled as he looked at Gwak Chil. The other was Gwak Chil, burdened by that gaze.

By chance, Mok Ri-won ended up seated directly beside him.

"We meet again!"

"G-good to see you..."

Gwak Chil answered Mok Ri-won with an awkward smile.

His gaze remained fixed on the ground, his heart aching.

Still, Mok Ri-won was not one to retreat.

"I regretted that we couldn't talk much earlier! If it isn't rude, could we continue our conversation?"

There was even a hint of desperation in his voice.

Gwak Chil squeezed his eyes shut, overcome with misery, before finally nodding.

"W-what could possibly be rude about that?"

"Ah, what a relief! The truth is, I like this book called Tales of Martial Heroes so much, but I've never had anyone suitable to discuss it with!"

It was praise.

Yet Gwak Chil felt even worse at those words.

When he spoke, his words carried some of that bitterness.

"...It's only a trashy novel. One that received criticism from the Martial World for including such strange ideas."

"Hm? What ideas?"

"..."

Gwak Chil's lips moved soundlessly.

Words he could not easily say swirled in his mouth before spilling out with faint irritation.

"...The final chapter. The story of the Demon Hero. Great Hero Ink Dragon may be too young to know this, but because of that story, Gwak Chil-pyo nearly became a public enemy of the Martial World."

Mok Ri-won's face went blank.

Seeing that expression, Gwak Chil thought, 'So he really didn't know,' and continued with a hollow laugh.

"Isn't that right? A Demonic practitioner practicing Chivalry, what a ridiculous notion. That must have been how the Martial World saw it too. The story did seem to defend Demonic practitioners in some ways, so people could suspect the author's beliefs..."

"That's not true!"

Mok Ri-won shouted.

His voice was loud enough that everyone present turned to look at him.

Mok Ri-won ignored their gazes and continued.

"It wasn't a story defending Demonic practitioners! It was a beautiful story that proclaimed Chivalry existed in everyone's heart!"

Gwak Chil's expression went blank.

Mok Ri-won continued, looking somewhat angry.

"The Demon Hero's story said that anyone could become a chivalrous hero! I know that! Of course I do! It was my favorite story too!"

From Mok Ri-won's perspective, he had come here excited to finally discuss the masterpiece that was Tales of Martial Heroes. Hearing someone criticize the novel so unexpectedly filled him with indignation.

"When I was young, that story moved me deeply. The Demon Hero's story was a masterpiece among masterpieces. It said that no matter what form the sword one wielded took, if the will within it was righteous, one could embody Chivalry!"

"Brother Mok, calm down..."

"How am I supposed to calm down now?!"

Mok Ri-won sprang to his feet.

He even snorted before continuing.

"Truly Great Person Gwak! Say it! No matter what the Martial World says, the Demon Hero chapter is a masterpiece among masterpieces!"

Mok Ri-won's fist clenched tightly.

Gwak Chil felt his mind go blank at those words.

For a moment, his chest tightened sharply, but he could not fully lose himself in emotion.

"...Brother Mok, aren't you making Truly Great Person Gwak uncomfortable? He was only saying that this was how people saw it. If you press him like that, he won't feel good about it."

"Ah...!"

Only then did Mok Ri-won remember what he had forgotten in his heated state.

"I-I'm sorry. I got too worked up... Now that I think about it, you're right."

Mok Ri-won's face reddened with embarrassment.

Gwak Chil shook his head in alarm.

"No, no. That's not it. I share thoughts similar to Great Hero Ink Dragon's!"

After blurting that out, Gwak Chil realized his mistake.

His eyes naturally shifted toward the people around him.

It was an instinctive action born from his long-held anxiety.

Then Gwak Chil was surprised.

'...No one cares.'

He had just said something a martial artist of the White Path should not say, yet not a single person gave him a hostile look.

All they showed was cheerful laughter at Mok Ri-won's awkward expression.

"Great Hero Ink Dragon, you really must like that story. You're exactly like my ten-year-old son."

"Th-that's..."

"Hey, it's a compliment. It means you're full of passion, enough to think about the essence of Chivalric righteousness like that. You've opened my eyes today. You've reminded me of something I hadn't thought about since I grew older: why I wanted to become a martial artist in the first place."

"That's right, I was the same. When I was young, Hundred Swords passed through our village. That departing figure looked so impressive that I wanted to become a martial artist too."

Gentle smiles appeared all around.

Everyone there sank into their memories and began sharing their stories.

Gwak Chil felt dazed.

'Why is no one...'

Why was no one cursing the Demon Hero's story?

Why was no one throwing stones?

Gwak Chil could not understand it.

How could he?

At the time, the Demon Hero's story had received so much criticism.

People had condemned it as a narrative defending Demonic practitioners. Some had even said Gwak Chil-pyo should be punished.

Gwak Chil thought back on the past twenty years.

He had struggled desperately to keep anyone from discovering that he was the book's author.