WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈
Chapter 62: Chapter Seven - Murim Alliance, Founding (5)
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“The White Sword Unit?!”
In the Division Leader’s office, Mok Ri-won leapt to his feet with a shout, beaming from ear to ear.
His usual overreaction might have seemed unremarkable, but this time was different.
Dang Hwa-seo had brought news of a sparring match with the White Sword Unit, one of the Martial Alliance’s leading groups. The other members present found the news quite appealing as well.
“What a coincidence. We were just talking about Brother Mok and Great Hero Golden Sword.”
“That’s right. Great Hero Golden Sword gladly agreed to spar with us.”
Dang Hwa-seo smiled at Jegal San’s remark.
Mok Ri-won looked at Dang Hwa-seo with eyes full of admiration.
Of course, he could not help feeling grateful to her for arranging a spar with the Martial Alliance masters he had so badly wanted to face.
“I knew I could count on you, my lady! You’re incredible!”
His praise, delivered with clenched fists and shining eyes, was exactly the kind that made Dang Hwa-seo happy. She felt all her accumulated fatigue melt away.
Of course, it only felt that way.
“...Anyway, the spar will be held a week after the founding ceremony, so I gathered you all to tell you to prepare in advance. That’s all I had to say, so please return to your duties.”
Namgung Jin-cheon was the first to stand.
His face remained as expressionless as though it were no great matter, but he headed straight for the training yard.
Il-un and Hye-un rose next. After thanking Dang Hwa-seo, they went to offer their prayers, with Il-un practically dragging Hye-un along.
Only Jegal San and Mok Ri-won remained.
“Aren’t you two going?”
“Hm? We’re leaving too?”
“You should. I still have work to do.”
Dang Hwa-seo smiled, though there was little strength in it.
Mok Ri-won noticed.
‘My lady has been working terribly hard...’
Come to think of it, he had barely spent any time with Dang Hwa-seo since she became Division Leader. Whenever he visited, she was usually away or already working.
Perhaps she had been overdoing it. Her complexion was visibly more haggard than before.
Mok Ri-won felt sorry for her.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
“Um... Not at the moment.”
“Then, do you have any errands for me?”
“No, there are no outside matters to handle.”
Dang Hwa-seo tilted her head.
“Why do you ask?”
“N-No reason...!”
Mok Ri-won gave an awkward smile and rose. After offering her some encouragement, he left the office and called to Jegal San.
“Brother Jegal!”
“What is it?”
“My lady looks exhausted! But she won’t accept help! What should I do? I’m worried she might collapse!”
She doesn’t accept your help because you’re no help.
Jegal San could not say that aloud. Instead, he smiled and patted Mok Ri-won’s shoulder.
“If it becomes too difficult, she’ll ask for help. Sister has always had a strong sense of responsibility. She probably wants to show that she can manage on her own, so at least give her your support.”
“Is that so...?”
“Yes.”
Dang Hwa-seo was certainly pushing herself, but Jegal San was not deeply worried. This was Dang Hwa-seo, after all. He trusted that she would rest when necessary.
“Why not train hard, Brother Mok? Sister went to the trouble of arranging this opportunity. You should show her something impressive.”
“Mm, that’s true...”
Still, Mok Ri-won’s gaze would not leave the Division Leader’s office.
Even after Jegal San’s reassurance, he could not stop worrying.
Yet there was no way for him to help, so Mok Ri-won finally had no choice but to turn away.
* * *
A few days later, Mok Ri-won’s face was dark with concern.
Ever since realizing Dang Hwa-seo had been overworking herself, he had kept a close eye on her. What he saw had not been good.
‘She really doesn’t rest for even a moment.’
Dang Hwa-seo’s daily routine was terribly simple.
Work. Work. Work. Then sleep and wake up.
Mok Ri-won could say with certainty that he had never once seen her rest in between.
She had not always been like this. When she ran a pleasure house in Suyang County, Jiangxi Province, she had not driven herself so relentlessly.
Mok Ri-won thought Dang Hwa-seo was this busy because she had been carving up her personal time for the members.
‘...I may not be much help.’
Still, he wanted to encourage her. So he knocked on the door to the Division Leader’s office.
“My lady, are you inside?”
“Ah, come in.”
Mok Ri-won opened the door and cautiously poked his head inside. Dang Hwa-seo, her face drawn, let out a soft laugh.
“What is it? You haven’t caused trouble again, have you?”
“I-It’s not that!”
Startled, Mok Ri-won hurried into the office.
“I came because I was worried you were overworking yourself. Ah, would you like some of this? It’s tea I asked the cook to make. They say it’s good for fatigue.”
He held out a steaming cup of tea.
Dang Hwa-seo blinked, then accepted it.
“Thank you. You even brought this for me...”
“You’ve been working hard! I wanted to help you somehow, even if it’s only like this.”
Dang Hwa-seo turned the teacup between her hands.
‘Was it that obvious?’
Had she been receiving visitors with fatigue written all over her face? Even at this moment, Dang Hwa-seo was thinking about work. She had become completely absorbed in it.
Mok Ri-won sighed when she fell into thought again, then stepped closer.
“This won’t do. My lady, let me massage your shoulders for a moment!”
Thump.
Mok Ri-won moved behind Dang Hwa-seo and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her body instantly froze.
“W-What...!”
“I’ll give you a massage!”
Mok Ri-won spoke energetically, his voice brimming with confidence.
“Ever since I was young, my master praised me for being excellent at massages! Once you try it, all your fatigue will melt away, and you’ll feel full of energy!”
Only then did Dang Hwa-seo understand his intention and relax a little. Still, his large hands rested over her shoulders, and her heart could not help pounding.
“Mm... Then may I trouble you for a little while?”
She had mountains of work left, but he was speaking so eagerly that it seemed rude to refuse.
Mok Ri-won nodded with his usual lovely smile.
“Then I’ll begin!”
Squeeze.
Mok Ri-won pressed down with his hands. It was not excessive. He gently kneaded her shoulders, and just as he had boasted, his massage was surprisingly skillful.
“How is it? Isn’t it nice?”
“Yes... You certainly have a talent for this.”
Dang Hwa-seo was surprised. He did not appear to be circulating any inner energy, yet her tense muscles gradually loosened, draining the strength from her body. She sank deeply into the back of her chair.
“My goodness, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this comfortable before.”
“My master said the same! He said that if I hadn’t become a martial artist, I might have become a masseur at the imperial palace.”
“I can’t bring myself to deny it.”
“Ask me anytime! For my lady, I could do it a hundred times!”
Dang Hwa-seo let out a quiet laugh at that, but her drowsiness kept her from replying further. Her eyelids were gradually falling.
As the fatigue and tension built up over the past days melted away, her body naturally prepared itself to recover.
‘There’s still work I haven’t finished...’
She should not fall asleep like this, but she was so drowsy.
Mok Ri-won’s hands pressing her shoulders, his soft voice tickling her ears, and the silence of the office, where she could feel nothing else, all drew her deeper into sleep.
“My lady, I may not know much, but there is one thing I know for certain.”
“Yes...”
“Comrades entrust their backs to one another. And we are comrades, aren’t we?”
“...”
“So don’t overwork yourself alone. When I see you struggling, it feels as if my chest is being squeezed tight. It hurts too much.”
“...”
Mok Ri-won smiled at Dang Hwa-seo, whose eyes were now half-closed as she gave automatic replies.
Only after seeing her rest so peacefully did he begin to feel at ease.
“...I’ll carry you to your room.”
Mok Ri-won carefully lifted Dang Hwa-seo into his arms and began walking down the corridor.
Half-asleep, Dang Hwa-seo leaned against him. She did not even know where he was taking her. The chest she rested against was simply so comfortable that she curled up further.
It did not take long for Dang Hwa-seo to fall asleep.
‘She’s asleep.’
Mok Ri-won chuckled at the sight of Dang Hwa-seo curled up in his arms like a pill bug. Soon, he arrived at her quarters.
Beyond the door was a room with bedding laid out on either side.
He could tell at a glance which belonged to Dang Hwa-seo. It was the neatly arranged bedding with a book beside the pillow.
Mok Ri-won gave a quiet laugh at the sight of a bed so characteristically hers, then laid Dang Hwa-seo down and covered her with a blanket.
“I’ll see you at dinner.”
With that, he quietly left the room.
Only Dang Hwa-seo’s gentle breathing remained.
* * *
Dang Hwa-seo slowly opened her eyes only when the sun was nearly set.
After blinking about three times, she jolted upright.
‘Oh no!’
Panic filled her heart.
She had fallen asleep while mountains of work remained, and her heart dropped.
Dang Hwa-seo immediately rushed from her room to the Division Leader’s office. She did not even think to fix her disheveled hair.
Bang!
Dang Hwa-seo flinched as she opened the door.
“...Sword Dragon?”
Namgung Jin-cheon was seated at the desk in the Division Leader’s office.
He was not alone. Jegal San sat in a corner, flipping through documents, while Il-un welcomed her with a smile.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
“What is all this...?”
“We were handling the work. Benefactor Dang, how could you overwork yourself alone when there is so much to do?”
Il-un stood with an apologetic look on his face.
“I’m sorry we did not notice sooner. We’ve finished everything that needed to be done today, so please go rest some more. Next time, be sure to ask for help. I am the Deputy Division Leader, after all.”
Dang Hwa-seo still looked dazed. She could not quite grasp the meaning of what she was hearing.
That was when Mok Ri-won returned.
“Ah, my lady! Have you eaten?”
“Young Hero Mok...”
“I felt bad waking you, so I asked the others for help! We didn’t finish everything, but we took care of what we could, so don’t worry!”
Dang Hwa-seo finally understood as he gave her a thumbs-up.
“Ah...”
Her surprise began to settle. Her breathing finally returned to normal, and an inexplicable swell of emotion rose in her chest.
Only then did Dang Hwa-seo realize she had not even considered asking for help.
‘...I didn’t trust them enough.’
Wanting to do well, she had not trusted her comrades. Wanting to be perfect, she had only driven herself harder.
They were such good people, yet her burden had blinded her, and she had seen them only as troublemakers.
“My lady, how about we eat first? I asked the cook to make fish-fragrant pork strips, a dish you like!”
With her heart feeling strangely ticklish, Dang Hwa-seo firmly bit her lip before finally nodding.
“...Yes.”
Mok Ri-won beamed and reached out to smooth her hair.
“Your hair is all tangled!”
“Ah!”
Dang Hwa-seo’s face flushed. She hurriedly raised a hand to fix it, but Mok Ri-won spoke first.
“I’ll do it!”
Mok Ri-won gently smoothed her hair. Il-un and Jegal San watched with pleased smiles.
For some reason, Dang Hwa-seo felt embarrassed. Her shoulders drew in slightly.
“Thank you...”
Why was her heart pounding so wildly? Even as she felt embarrassed, Dang Hwa-seo burst out laughing at herself for feeling so fluttery.
It was two days before the founding ceremony.
Footnotes:
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