Late at night, Bi Sa-in was pacing alone in the courtyard of the safehouse.
Tomorrow was finally the day the Alliance Leader would depart.
Although he had said he would stay behind.
‘Should I have said I would go?’
He had said he would not go, worried that his body, still not fully healed, would only be a burden.
But if, by any chance, something were to happen to the Alliance Leader, he would live the rest of his life regretting not being there.
Surprisingly, he was not worried about Geom Mugeuk.
Even if he had to flee, he would manage just fine.
He was the kind of person who, even if he fell into water, would persuade the fish to help him escape.
‘Will the Alliance Leader understand my heart later? Will he misunderstand and think I didn't come because I was scared?’
Soon, Bi Sa-in shook his head.
To be worried about himself in a situation like this.
Just then, someone walked out from behind him and said, “Your heart is troubled, so sleep doesn't come, does it?”
He turned to see it was Gwae-ak.
“Is it tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Bi Sa-in wanted to ask Gwae-ak to go help the Alliance Leader.
He even wanted to say, ‘It is an order from the Young Alliance Leader, so you must go.’
But he could not do that.
He could not tell Gwae-ak to go to a dangerous place where he might die, while he himself was not going.
If he had the heart to help, he would have brought it up himself, saying, ‘I will go and help.’
“Don't worry too much. You know what kind of person the Alliance Leader is, don't you?”
He knew, better than anyone.
That was why he was worried.
Because he was not a man who would ever back down.
Usually, he was a cold and practical person, but when it came to fighting, he was like fire.
He was the manliest man he knew.
And as always, there was someone else who would solve his worries.
“If you're worried, let's go together!”
Surprised, he turned to see Geom Mugeuk entering the area.
“Why are you here?”
“Why else? I came to take you with me.”
With that, he held something out.
In Geom Mugeuk's hand was a protective armor.
It was the very thing that had saved his life before, thanks to wearing two layers.
The blood-soaked armor was now clean.
“I came earlier and washed it at the stream. You're going to see your Master after a long time, you can't be reeking of blood, can you?”
It was washed perfectly clean and was completely dry.
“I was worried it would smell if it wasn't fully dry, so I put it on myself and used my Extreme Yang Energy to dry it.”
“What?”
“I made quite a scene alone in the middle of the night.”
He imagined Geom Mugeuk standing by the stream, washing that protective armor, and then putting it on to dry it with his Extreme Yang Energy.
Surprised, flustered, and moved.
A wave of various emotions washed over him, and Bi Sa-in stood there blankly for a moment.
Truly, this Young Cult Master was a person one could not predict in the slightest.
And the final emotion that adorned all these feelings was joy.
A bright smile spread across Bi Sa-in's rugged face.
“Yes, let's go.”
It was right to go.
Seeing how happy he felt, this was the right choice.
“That's right. It's an Unorthodox Alliance matter, of course you should go.”
Bi Sa-in nodded his head vigorously.
When the fog in his heart cleared, a man stood there.
A disciple who wanted to protect his Master, a man who was not afraid even of losing his life.
Yes, let's do it.
Let's give it a try.
Even if I die, I'll die there.
“Help me, friend.”
At the added word ‘friend,’ Geom Mugeuk beamed.
“Of course. Am I not your true friend? Never forget that I am the only friend who risked his life to help you when you were in trouble! And the friend who will later roam the beaches with you is also me. The young ladies, I'll charm them all for you!”
Bi Sa-in knew that Geom Mugeuk was, unexpectedly, not good with taking credit.
He felt burdened when receiving thanks and disliked boasting.
He thought that perhaps, behind the fog concealed by all that chatter, there stood a man even more taciturn and blunt than himself.
Bi Sa-in put on one set of the protective armor and offered the other to Geom Mugeuk.
“You wear this one.”
“I'm already wearing one. So this time too, wear two layers.”
The Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread that had been tied to the hilt of the Black Demon Sword was already wrapped around the vital parts of Geom Mugeuk's body.
Just then, Gwae-ak, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected, “There could be poison applied inside the protective armor.”
It was a joke, but a pointed one.
Advice meant to tell him not to trust Geom Mugeuk completely.
“With you here, Senior, at least there's no chance the Young Alliance Leader will be poisoned to death.”
Geom Mugeuk sincerely hoped the relationship between these two would develop well.
Bi Sa-in, it's up to you.
Bi Sa-in said to Gwae-ak, “Will you help me and go together tomorrow?”
Gwae-ak answered without hesitation. “If the Young Alliance Leader goes, then I must go too.”
He had not stepped forward for the Alliance Leader on his own, but he at least had the heart to move for Bi Sa-in.
Bi Sa-in realized something.
If he had previously forced him to go, he would not have gotten such a willing answer now.
Because he had held back then, he gained something now.
He must not forget.
When one's heart is rushed, we tend to forget the proper distance with others.
The person who had the greatest influence on this realization was so busy.
Geom Mugeuk bid them farewell.
“Then, I'll see you tomorrow morning. I'll come to get you.”
“Where are you going at this time of night?”
After saying something incomprehensible, Geom Mugeuk vanished in an instant.
“Because you're not the only one who needs to wear protective armor.”
*
Late at night, Baek Ja-gang was training shirtless in his private Training Grounds.
His opponent was an iron training dummy made with ten-thousand-year cold iron.
The iron training dummy became Geom Woojin, then Hwang Seok-gyeong, and then even himself.
He could have sliced it in a single strike, but only light sounds continued to come from the iron training dummy.
After a flurry of sword swings, Baek Ja-gang approached the iron training dummy.
He slowly caressed the marks just engraved with his hand.
So many lines had been drawn that the surface now seemed to have become a plane.
But amidst them, Baek Ja-gang knew exactly which marks he had just left.
It was a higher level of mastery than simply cutting through ten-thousand-year cold iron, and it was his fingers, tracing the blade strokes, that savored this great level of mastery.
The lines were telling a story.
That he was not a man who had easily inherited the position of Alliance Leader.
That he too was a man who had walked the path of blood to reach the Grand Advisor's seat.
Just then, the voice of the guard commander was heard from outside.
“The Young Cult Master has arrived.”
*
Geom Mugeuk stood before the iron wolf again today.
“What brings you here at this late hour?”
“I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you.”
If it were anyone else, he would have assumed it was due to nervousness, but he thought that would not be the case for Geom Mugeuk.
There must be a reason for his visit.
“Why not come inside?”
“Ah, I like it here.”
Baek Ja-gang stood side-by-side with Geom Mugeuk.
“I heard you said this wolf would come to life?”
It seemed the guard commander had relayed his words.
“For some reason, I find myself wishing it would come to life.”
“Are you wishing for a crisis to befall our alliance?”
“Ah, I suppose I was. No wonder! I had such a strong feeling it would come to life.”
This was why conversations with Geom Mugeuk were interesting.
Because he would so casually say things no one else would dare to.
“I heard you said he was a formidable enemy?”
Geom Mugeuk spoke to the empty air. “Aren't you relaying too much of what I say to the Alliance Leader? Are there no secrets between us?”
Only after making such a jest did the playfulness disappear from Geom Mugeuk's face.
“Yes, he is probably the strongest among the enemies the Alliance Leader has ever faced.”
“As much as your father?”
“Not quite to that extent.”
Before a relaxed smile could form on Baek Ja-gang's lips, Geom Mugeuk spoke first.
“But he is not an enemy to be taken lightly either.”
He knew such words could wound the Unorthodox Alliance Leader's pride, but he still gave the warning.
“Are you afraid that I might die?”
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk answered.
“Yes, I am.”
Baek Ja-gang detected no falsehood.
This Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect was genuinely worried that he might die.
How on earth was he supposed to accept this?
“There should be protective armor for the Alliance Leader. I ask that you wear it when you depart.”
“Why protective armor?”
“Your opponent will be wearing one too.”
He already knew from his life before regression that the Martial King wore protective armor.
Not just protective armor; if it meant he could win a fight, he would not hesitate to use all sorts of artifacts and divine relics.
This was known because the Martial King felt no shame about such facts.
The only thing he was ashamed of was defeat.
A person who was already as strong as a Demon Sovereign, but also used the best artifacts—that was why he was worried for the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
“I've felt it before, but you seem to know this person well.”
What should he say?
“Yes, I have information about this person.”
The longer he spoke, the more likely a flaw would appear, so he said nothing more.
Since he had previously mentioned that similar plots had occurred in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, the Martial Alliance, and the Wind Heaven Sect of the Outlands, he would probably think he had learned of it during the process of resolving those incidents.
“Please do not misunderstand. I am not saying this to disrespect you, Alliance Leader.”
“I know that. But let me ask you this.”
Baek Ja-gang stared intently at Geom Mugeuk and asked, “If it were your father, would he have worn it?”
After thinking of his father for a moment, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“He would not have worn it.”
Baek Ja-gang emanated a cold aura.
“Then why are you telling me to wear it?”
“Because I would have told my father to wear it as well.”
In the same situation, he would have recommended it to his father.
Though he definitely would not have worn it.
“I know. As a martial artist, I know your pride and self-respect, Alliance Leader. You are the type of person who would face an opponent with a single sword, even if they came wrapped in all the treasured artifacts of the world. I know well that both my father and you are such people. That is why he is the Cult Master, and why you are the Alliance Leader.”
“If you know, then why are you telling me to wear it?”
“Because I would wear it. I would go out wearing two layers of the best protective armor. Even if I become the Cult Master, I will do so.”
Baek Ja-gang stared intently into Geom Mugeuk's unwavering eyes.
He was curious why this young Young Cult Master, who would be responsible for the next generation, was saying such things.
“Because the honor of a Cult Master, as I see it, does not lie in the coolness of winning under unfavorable conditions.”
“Then where does your honor lie?”
“It lies in the result of killing those who must be killed. That is why it is alright to be a little less cool. There is no need for heroic tales. I just want to return safely and see my people. I want to return safely, drink with them, and talk with them. I won't say a single word about the enemy who is already dead. I will take off the blood-soaked protective armor, and laugh and talk. People will think in their hearts, ‘Yes, if it's the Cult Master, he can surely kill them.’ My honor lies there.”
It was something Baek Ja-gang had never once considered.
When he was with Geom Mugeuk, things he himself lacked kept unfolding before him.
Everything Geom Mugeuk had said before was for this conclusion.
“I hope that you, Alliance Leader, do not get even a single scratch. I hope that becomes your honor.”
From the start to the end of Geom Mugeuk's words, Baek Ja-gang sensed not a single lie.
*
The next day, the carriage carrying the Unorthodox Alliance Leader was on the move.
The few martial artists riding alongside, guarding the carriage, were the Unorthodox Alliance Leader's Escort Martial Artists.
Only the most skilled among the escorts had joined this secret procession.
Inside the carriage were Baek Ja-gang and Deputy Grand Strategist Hyeok Sa-gun.
“Are you nervous?”
At Baek Ja-gang's question, Hyeok Sa-gun, who had been looking out the window of the moving carriage, turned his head.
“No, sir.”
“You seem more nervous than usual.”
Of course, Hyeok Sa-gun was nervous.
His fate would be decided today.
He believed Hwang Seok-gyeong would win, but that place would become a perilous battlefield.
There was no telling what variables might threaten him.
“Regarding this matter, may I say just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Honestly, I was disappointed. If you were going to trust me, I would have preferred it if you had trusted me completely.”
“You were disappointed that I didn't tell you the Grand Strategist's whereabouts.”
“Yes.”
Soon, Hyeok Sa-gun bowed his head in apology.
“I apologize for my disloyal words, Alliance Leader.”
“No. You are only human, it is natural to feel that way.”
Hyeok Sa-gun was doing his best to hide himself.
The Alliance Leader was a sharp man.
A man who could see right through a person with those small eyes.
That was why he was masking his excitement today with disappointment.
Because he had to get to where Hwang Seok-gyeong was waiting.
How long had they been riding like that?
Just as the carriage began to slow down, Baek Ja-gang brought up something unexpected.
“Today is the day the Unorthodox Alliance Hall accepts new recruits, isn't it?”
“That's right, it is today.”
At the mention of the Unorthodox Alliance Hall, Hyeok Sa-gun grew tense inside.
“I heard Instructor Hwang took a day off today?”
“Yes, I heard it's the first time such a thing has happened. But how did you know?”
“Isn't he famous for his diligence? Do you know what's going on?”
“I heard he had an urgent personal matter.”
“I think I know where that man went.”
Before he knew it, the carriage had come to a stop.
Baek Ja-gang's gaze turned to the window.
“That person is right over there.”
Ahead, the Martial King stood blocking the road.
The Martial King, revealing his aura completely, exuded an immense presence.
Just the aura he was revealing now was enough to explain why Geom Mugeuk had been so worried.
The Escort Martial Artists, who had already received instructions from In Gung, showed no signs of agitation.
Baek Ja-gang slowly stepped out of the carriage.
The Martial King's fighting spirit raged and flew at him like a blade, but Baek Ja-gang spoke with utmost composure.
“You, isn't this too grand a vacation?”