Chapter 6
“Uh... uh? So, you're a Bandit, you said? But why are you helping me... uh?”
Was the Shanxi Yu Clan's Young Master Yu Jinmyeong? Anyway, he seemed to be experiencing cognitive dissonance, stammering his words.
Hmm... what should I say? It's too much trouble to explain...
“Older Brother—!!”
“So-Somyung!”
Just then, Yoo Somyung rushed over and immediately embraced the fallen Yu Jinmyeong. At a glance, it looked like tears were welling up in her eyes.
“Older Brother—!! *Hic*... what's going on?”
“Somyung... I'm glad you're safe. Elder Wi started a rebellion while Father was away. More importantly... who is this person next to you?”
“Ah, that guy, no... that person is...”
Yoo Somyung's face flushed as she spoke, seemingly embarrassed by the situation of receiving my help.
“...He's the Leader of the Bandits operating on Hyeongak Mountain.”
“...What?”
“I... I'll explain later. The situation is urgent right now.”
“Young Lady, well said. The situation is quite urgent right now, anyway. Look over there.”
Though I had kicked him hard in the solar plexus, the old Demonic Cultist before me was getting back on his feet, seemingly unfazed.
No...
*Hmph... this damn...*
*Perhaps he was even angrier?*
Seeing his appearance, Yoo Somyung cried out in surprise.
“Elder Wi! How could you betray us—!!”
“That person is an Elder? But that person... is a Demonic Cultist?”
“...What? A Demonic Cultist?”
Yoo Somyung wore an expression of disbelief, but my senses clearly told me that fellow called Elder Wi was a Demonic Cultist.
And as if to further confirm my conviction, Yu Jinmyeong, who lay fallen at my feet, cried out desperately.
“That's right, Somyung... Elder Wi truly is a Demonic Cultist. Look at the Dark Red Aura on his sword.”
“...Truly.”
“And... Elder Wi is no match for you... The situation is urgent, so escape for now...”
“Older Brother...”
As if he had heard Yu Jinmyeong's desperate voice, the scoundrel called Elder Wi straightened his back with a hearty laugh.
“Puhahahahaha—!!”
Then he raised his sword and pointed it at Yoo Somyung.
“As expected, the Young Master is quick to assess the situation. However, do you truly think I would spare a bloodline member of the Shanxi Yu Clan? Somyung, I'll make you just like your Older Brother soon enough.”
“You traitor...”
Filled with rage, Yoo Somyung's hand trembled as she drew her sword. She looked as if she would charge at the Demonic Cultist, Elder Wi, at any moment.
“No, Young Lady, wait a moment.”
I let out a sigh and raised a hand to stop her. From my perspective, Yoo Somyung seemed to have a significant gap in skill compared to that old Demonic Cultist named Wi Yongmyeong, if she were to face him right now.
Yoo Somyung must have known that fact very well herself.
However...
“You said you'd pay quadruple the protection fee, Young Lady. I'll help you.”
“...No.”
“...What?”
Instead, Yoo Somyung pointed beyond the western wall and spoke.
“On the side I'm pointing to, there's a Medical Hall, and a Physician lives there. With all this noise, that person must surely be awake. Take Older Brother... take him to that Physician.”
“...”
At her words, I looked down at Yu Jinmyeong, who was collapsed at my feet.
Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and the Internal Energy within his body was chaotic and highly unstable.
He's suffered internal injuries.
If he remained in that state, he would either become unable to use Martial Arts or die.
I glanced at Yoo Somyung and asked.
“Are you sure about this? That old man in front of us looks pretty strong. Wouldn't it be better if I...”
“...You're a Bandit! What good would come of a Bandit interfering in a fight between Martial Artists—!”
*Oh?*
“I will repay your kindness someday, so please save Older Brother quickly. And if it comes to it...”
Yoo Somyung's next words weren't spoken aloud. Instead, they were conveyed through Sound Transmission.
*Take Older Brother and run.*
“...”
I couldn't answer easily.
The Righteous Faction is the Righteous Faction, after all? To think of family in this situation!
My subordinates would cut ties and run if something like this happened.
More than anything...
*...You're a Bandit! What good would come of a Bandit interfering in a fight between Martial Artists—!*
I was a little surprised by her words, which seemed to express concern for me, despite all the terrible things I had done to torment her.
No, perhaps I should say I was impressed.
I found myself admiring her noble spirit.
“All right, well... if that's what you say...”
She had expressed her will to such an extent that it wouldn't be right to ignore her.
Besides, the Shanxi Yu Clan's Young Master also looked like he was about to kick the bucket.
So, I hoisted him onto my shoulder and climbed over the wall.
“Then, I'm going ahead.”
“Somyung—!!!”
The Young Master cried out, as if anticipating her demise, but Yoo Somyung did not look back.
And so, I carried the Young Master and headed towards the Medical Hall.
***
“Do you think I'll let you go—!!”
“Where do you think you're going—!!”
As Wi Yongmyeong shrieked and aimed for her older brother, Yoo Somyung immediately drew her sword and attacked him.
Seeing her charge, Wi Yongmyeong countered by bringing his blade down from above.
*Clang—!*
“Ugh—!”
Just like that, Yoo Somyung was slammed into the ground.
With just one exchange, she could clearly feel the vast difference in skill between herself and Wi Yongmyeong.
She managed to get back on her feet, but her body began to tremble slightly.
It was due to the fear that was now truly sinking in...
Wi Yongmyeong mocked her, befitting his *demonic* nature.
“Are you scared?”
“Shut up...”
“If you're scared, just close your eyes. Considering our past, I'll send you off without pain.”
“Shut up—!!”
Yoo Somyung held her sword straight and leaped. It was to use the Willow Flower Sword Art.
*As expected...
Seeing her move, Wi Yongmyeong prepared to defend his neck. The Willow Flower Sword Art's foundation was to strike at the neck, so he expected Yoo Somyung to do the same.
However...
*Swish—!*
“Kuaaaah—!”
Yoo Somyung's sword aimed not for Wi Yongmyeong's neck, as he expected, but for his torso.
This was a coincidence, as he had overlooked Yoo Somyung's habit.
Reluctant to kill, she preferred to subdue opponents by striking their torso rather than their neck, as per her original teachings.
*It worked.*
For some reason, the attack landed, and the momentum instantly shifted to Yoo Somyung's side.
And her innate talent never failed to seize such fleeting opportunities.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang—!*
“Ugh—!”
Though her attacks were repeatedly blocked, Yoo Somyung steadily pressed Wi Yongmyeong.
As she moved her sword, her speed also increased. She felt her skill growing in real-time as she fought Wi Yongmyeong.
And then...
*An opening...*
Slowly, it began to appear. It was his opening.
A battle she initially thought she couldn't win was gradually turning in her favor, a combination of coincidence and her own growth.
Eventually...
*Swish—!*
“Kuaaah—!”
The moment her sword grazed Wi Yongmyeong's wrist...
*Thud—.*
Perhaps due to the pain, the sword began to fall from his hand.
A chance.
In a duel between Swordsmen, the moment one drops one's sword, the fight is over.
The instant Wi Yongmyeong dropped his sword, the opening created was so vast that Yoo Somyung could momentarily deliberate.
Whether to cut this man's throat or not...
And then...
This man is a traitor.
She decided to cut his throat.
Wi Yongmyeong was a traitor to the Clan. And he had harmed her Older Brother. As a bloodline member of the Shanxi Yu Clan, she had to deliver judgment.
This is the end.
Yoo Somyung finally aimed her sword at Wi Yongmyeong's neck.
*Flash—.*
However...
“Heh heh...”
“How...”
Wi Yongmyeong's sword had clearly fallen to the ground. But he caught his sword with a hand brimming with Demonic Energy...
“Not to even realize I intentionally dropped my sword.”
“A-A swordsman intentionally drops his sword?”
“Ah, I haven't told you, have I? Somyung, the truth is, I am...”
His words were accompanied by a fistful of Demonic Energy...
“I am not a Swordsman. I am a *Pugilist*.”
...which he plunged into Yoo Somyung's solar plexus.
*Thwack—!!*
“Ugh—!”
Unlike Wi Yongmyeong's Demonic Fist, Yoo Somyung's young body was far too fragile.
She writhed on the ground, feeling a pain as if her insides were being torn apart.
“Haa... haa...”
*Is this what it feels like to have one's intestines pierced by a spear?*
Even though she was an outstanding Rising Star, she was still only eighteen. Yoo Somyung, a Precious Child, had never once been deployed in actual combat until now.
The unbearable pain and fear of death she was experiencing now were entirely new to her.
It hurts. I'm scared...
Even as her mind went blank with such thoughts, Wi Yongmyeong was approaching her.
His slow, deliberate steps made him seem not like a human, but a *Demonic Beast* in her eyes.
“Why didn't you accept it when I offered to send you off without pain? Seeing you like this breaks my heart.”
“D-Don't come...”
“Don't worry. I'll send your father and older brother to join you soon enough...”
With those words, Wi Yongmyeong raised his fist high. At this, Yoo Somyung shed tears and prayed for the impossible.
*Father, Mother, Older Brother...!*
Even in that moment, the fist was descending towards her small head.
*Please, save me...*
*Whoosh—.*
*...Save me.*
*Clang—!*
Wi Yongmyeong's Demonic Fist seemed utterly unstoppable. But...
“Why are you crying, Young Lady?”
With those somehow familiar, incomprehensible words, she opened her eyes to see...
“Protection fee is *a whole lot more*. Okay?”
...the now-familiar Bandit standing there.