WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Order
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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈
Chapter 64: Chapter Seven - Murim Alliance, Founding (7)
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Mok Ri-won felt his heart race at the heat against his skin.
‘Master! I’ve made a name for myself!’
The first people who came to mind were his master, Mok Seon-o, and Ma Il-seok, who had been like family to him.
The emotion that welled up at the thought that he, too, had become known throughout the Martial World, just like the people he loved and respected, was beyond words.
And that was not all. The Dragon Phoenix Unit he now belonged to would fight on the front lines of the White Path Martial World. The many events he would face from now on would make him an even more heroic man. Only now did Mok Ri-won truly realize it.
He had left that mountain village in Jiangxi Province and truly stepped into the Martial World.
Mok Ri-won looked ahead. Golden Sword, whom he had met a few times while staying at the Martial Alliance, stood there.
What stood out most was the gold scabbard gleaming at his waist.
‘They said he had it made that way to remind himself of the weight of drawing his sword!’
Jegal San had told him that as well.
Golden Sword Kwon Pyo-wol was a man who believed that drawing one’s sword required as much caution as handling an enormous fortune.
Accordingly, he never drew his sword unless it was truly necessary.
‘How romantic!’
Mok Ri-won knew well how important it was for a swordsman to understand the weight of his blade. Admiration shone in his eyes.
[Division Leader, Poison Phoenix Dang Hwa-seo!]
At Kwon Pyo-wol’s call, Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward. Turning toward the crowd, she offered a cupped-fist salute.
“Woooooah!!!”
The cheers carried a clear sense of expectation. The burden on her shoulders was enough to weigh heavily on anyone, yet Dang Hwa-seo’s expression remained calm.
Mok Ri-won watched her as if spellbound.
‘As expected, Miss is beautiful!’
He wondered whether beauty was the right word for such proud dignity, but he could not help it. Nothing but beauty came to mind when he looked at Dang Hwa-seo.
Dang Hwa-seo stepped down, and the other members were introduced. Yet Mok Ri-won continued staring at her with sparkling eyes.
When Dang Hwa-seo finally noticed, she gave him an awkward smile and subtly signaled for him to compose himself. Unfortunately, Mok Ri-won was not the sort of person who could take a hint.
Dang Hwa-seo grew anxious. What if Mok Ri-won could not contain himself and made a fuss?
Fortunately, her anxiety did not last long.
It was Mok Ri-won’s turn.
[Ink Dragon Mok Ri-won!]
Mok Ri-won flinched and looked up.
Golden Sword Kwon Pyo-wol stood before him, while countless people watched him from either side and behind.
Unlike at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, his attention was not occupied by an upcoming match. Mok Ri-won swallowed dryly, then stepped forward.
“Woooooah!!!”
“Aaaahhh!!!”
As usual, when it was Mok Ri-won’s turn, the women’s piercing screams rang out as well. He could not spare them any attention.
‘R-right, first I go forward! Then I offer a cupped-fist salute!’
Flustered, Mok Ri-won reviewed what Dang Hwa-seo had taught him.
Unlike the other Dragons and Phoenixes, he had never learned such formalities. His awkwardness showed, but no one thought poorly of it.
If anything, the masters of the older generation found it quite pleasing.
The masters who had lived through the Bloody Affair valued purity in martial arts and Chivalry over empty formalities.
“Ho ho. Seeing how awkward he is on stage, it seems he has done nothing but practice the sword all his life.”
“Quite so. What use are formalities? Chivalric righteousness is completed through an upright heart and experience carved out over the years.”
“I worry for him. He must not become drunk on empty fame and lose that purity.”
There was concern, expectation, and satisfaction.
His innocent smile, so different from his aristocratic young man’s appearance. His unshakable bearing. The old sword at his waist, marked by the passage of time.
To those who had lived through those years, all of it was deeply pleasing.
[This concludes the introduction of the unit members! Next, the Division Leader will deliver a speech!]
Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward once more and took the stage. Then she continued in a strong voice.
It was another tedious ceremony, but no one present complained.
The future of the White Path Martial World.
The aspirations of those hailed as its future were like a blueprint for the next generation. Everyone simply listened closely.
The founding ceremony was drawing to a close.
* * *
After all the ceremonies came the banquet.
Having shed his spotless white uniform and returned to his usual clothes, Mok Ri-won stuck close to Dang Hwa-seo and began making a belated fuss.
“Miss! You were so impressive and beautiful! The moment I stepped onto the stage, my mind went completely blank. How did you avoid getting nervous? Your voice did not shake at all, and it was so powerful that I was startled! I really think it was right for you to become the Division Leader! You’re so wise...”
“S-stop! Please stop!”
Dang Hwa-seo’s face was already crimson. It was not just a figure of speech. It looked as though her head might burst if someone poked her cheek.
That was simply how it was. Dang Hwa-seo was not shameless enough to respond calmly to such pure admiration, completely free of ulterior motives.
“I only did what I had to! I prepared thoroughly, so it would have been stranger if I had made a mistake!”
“As expected! Miss is thorough in her preparations too...”
“Pleeease...!”
Dang Hwa-seo covered her face with both hands. The other members watched as though enjoying a fun spectacle.
They had seen this sort of comedy routine often enough that they should have grown used to it, but Dang Hwa-seo’s reactions were so delightful that it remained amusing every time.
Still, they could not leave them like that forever.
With a gentle smile, Il-un stepped between them. In such a relaxed atmosphere, Il-un could fulfill his role as Deputy Division Leader as well.
“All right, that’s enough. Let us go. We have something important ahead of us, do we not?”
A heavy tension spread among the members.
As Il-un had said, there was someone they would meet over the banquet meal.
“...Spear Star.”
Spear Star Sa Baek-un.
A hero of the Bloody Affair over twenty years ago, Sa Baek-un had succeeded Buddha Star Wonmyeong as Martial Alliance Leader and was one of the Four Stars.
The Dragon Phoenix Unit was about to meet him.
Dang Hwa-seo regained her composure.
“...The strategist said he is an easygoing person and will not scrutinize our behavior too closely. Still, that does not mean we may act rudely.”
As she spoke, Dang Hwa-seo’s gaze fixed squarely on Namgung Jin-cheon.
Namgung Jin-cheon simply looked down at her with his arms folded and an expressionless face.
“Why are you looking at me?”
Everyone except Namgung Jin-cheon knew the answer to that question.
Dang Hwa-seo suppressed her rising anxiety and looked away.
“...It is nothing.”
What use would there be in saying more?
With that thought, Dang Hwa-seo rose from her seat and looked toward Mok Ri-won.
He seemed lost in thought.
“Young Hero Mok?”
“Ah, no. Something just came to mind.”
Mok Ri-won smiled.
“All right, let’s go!”
* * *
Mok Ri-won was quite familiar with stories about Spear Star Sa Baek-un.
There was one reason for that. Ma Il-seok had talked his ears off about the Ten Great Masters of the White Path Martial World, known as the Four Stars and Six Kings.
“Spear Star is a rather unusual fellow. He talks of the hegemonic path and pursues fierce forms even in his martial arts, but his true nature is timid. In other words, he is a coward pretending to be strong. A ridiculous man. But if you ask whether he is a chivalrous hero... yes. He is certainly one. Whenever the moment comes when someone must step forward, he suppresses that cowardly nature of his and rushes ahead.”
The Sa Baek-un Mok Ri-won had heard about was a rather unusual man. He was also someone who stirred Mok Ri-won’s admiration and romantic ideals.
After all, how could someone who overcame his inner fear and stepped forward for justice fail to be admirable?
Even so, Mok Ri-won felt uneasy about meeting him.
There was no other reason.
Spear Star Sa Baek-un had been one of the four who argued that Mok Ri-won should be killed on the day the Bloody Affair ended.
“As I said, Spear Star is a coward. He is easily anxious even over small matters, and he insists that the seed of any possible danger must be cut down before it can sprout. You can understand his vote against you that day in that light.”
Mok Ri-won remembered the apologetic expression Ma Il-seok had worn as he said those words.
“Spear Star feared your inborn nature more than the possibility that you might become a chivalrous hero.”
“...Yes.”
“You may hate him. Still, I hope you can understand him. He is only a man who loves this White Path Martial World so deeply that he cannot tolerate even the smallest threat to it.”
Mok Ri-won understood.
Even he, who bore the Heavenly Slaughter Star fate, sometimes found it difficult to endure. How could he expect others to understand it?
Besides, Sa Baek-un was a man whom even Ma Il-seok did not hesitate to praise. Ma Il-seok usually decorated every story about someone else with insults, yet he had spoken favorably of Sa Baek-un from beginning to end.
By Mok Ri-won’s standards, that made him a proven good man.
‘...I must hide it.’
He was his master’s comrade. He was also an elder of the Martial World worthy of being called a chivalrous hero.
Even so, Mok Ri-won had to hide his identity from him.
That left a bitter taste in his heart.
“Young Hero Mok, are you all right?”
Dang Hwa-seo asked with concern. When Mok Ri-won looked up, he realized they had already reached the banquet hall.
“...Ah, I’m fine. I’m just nervous about meeting the Alliance Leader!”
Mok Ri-won smiled, pretending to be calm. Dang Hwa-seo nodded.
“Let us go, then.”
Mok Ri-won nodded back and stepped forward.
Amid the bustling banquet hall stood a table that was strangely quiet. Mok Ri-won approached it and took the seat second-farthest from the place of honor.
Sa Baek-un had not arrived yet.
“He had an engagement until just now, so he will be a little late. He will arrive shortly. Would you please wait a little?”
Strategist Jegal Mu-yeon, who had arrived ahead of them, spoke.
Dang Hwa-seo nodded, and dishes began appearing on the table one after another.
The atmosphere in the banquet hall changed just as a meat dish was placed on the table.
Whispers rose, and exclamations escaped from somewhere.
A man had entered through the wide-open doors.
“Alliance Leader!”
Someone’s cry set the mood ablaze.
The members and Mok Ri-won turned their eyes toward the entrance as well.
‘That is the Alliance Leader.’
The first thing that stood out was his build. He was the largest man Mok Ri-won had ever seen, so massive that a mace seemed better suited to him than a spear.
Then came his stern features, completely white hair, and elegant dark-blue robe.
Like Sword King Namgung Hyeok, he gave off no detectable presence whatsoever. Yet the bulging temple acupoints at the sides of his head revealed that he was a master capable of concealing his qi perfectly.
In other words, a master of the Transcendent Realm.
Spear Star Sa Baek-un.
He took the seat of honor at the table where the Dragon Phoenix Unit sat. An elderly woman with gently charming features sat beside him, but the Dragon Phoenix Unit had no attention to spare for her just then.
Sa Baek-un greeted them with a warm smile.
“Good to meet you. Seeing the future of our White Path Martial World fills me with great satisfaction.”
His tone held the warmth of someone speaking to his own children.
Footnotes:
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