Chapter 103
A crimson, menacing light blazed from his eyes, and from his mouth came a beastly growl.
“Grrrrrr.”
Naseoyu let out a voice filled with despair.
“No… no.”
At the same moment, Cheolgwi lunged toward her.
Whoosh!
“Grrrrr!”
His movements were ferocious, like a wolf stalking its prey.
Naseoyu felt hopeless.
There was no way she could stand against Cheolgwi, a master so formidable that even the greatest experts couldn’t defeat him.
But to even try to fight back, she had to draw her sword—and she simply couldn’t.
To draw her sword, she’d have to put down the stretcher.
But doing so would shock her father.
And her father was so fragile that even the slightest shock could put him in grave danger.
“Grrrrr!”
Whoosh!
Cheolgwi’s fist was barreling right toward her face.
‘Father.’
She glanced at her father, who was briefly asleep, and in the end, she closed her eyes.
She knew perfectly well that if she stayed still, they’d both die—but still, she couldn’t bring herself to risk hurting her father with her own hands.
Suddenly, a face flashed vividly in her mind.
His face—the one she longed to see more than anything.
Silently, she sent him one last message in her heart.
“Goodbye…”
Then—
KRAAAASH!
An enormous explosion sounded right beside her ear, snapping her eyes open. She looked up again.
Where just moments ago Cheolgwi had been charging at her, now she saw a broad back blocking the way.
And just by looking at that back, she knew exactly who it was.
It was him.
The very one she had pictured in her mind, thinking this might be the last time.
Naseoyu whispered his name in disbelief.
“…Seolpung?”
Seolpung, panting heavily from his hurried run, suddenly turned his head and smiled at her.
“Sorry I’m late.”
Tears welled up in Naseoyu’s eyes.
“Ah…”
She couldn’t believe it.
That at the moment she had prepared to face death, she could see his face again—and that he had come all this way to save her.
Just like the first time she had held him in her heart, he had appeared before her like a miracle.
“Jojang…”
Then—
“Grrrrr!”
Cheolgwi, who had been flung back, charged again.
Seolpung glanced at him calmly, as if already knowing what to expect, and spoke gently to Naseoyu.
“Please wait a moment, Sojeo.”
Stepping forward, Seolpung’s eyes blazed with fierce anger.
But the fiery red glow in his eyes wasn’t just rage.
His ‘Red Eyes’—a secret technique he usually kept closed—now shone vividly, revealing their terrifying power.
“You…!”
PAANG!
Seolpung’s spirit form leapt forward like a fierce tiger.
“I will protect Sojeo!”
BAM!
Seolpung’s fist pierced through Cheolgwi’s shoulder as he swung.
Cheolgwi’s right shoulder was shattered as if hit by a cannonball.
He staggered, caught in a violent storm.
“I’ll kill you!”
CRACK!
A kick struck Cheolgwi’s knees, snapping both joints.
Unable to keep his balance, Cheolgwi collapsed.
Seolpung watched coldly as his enemy fell.
Then, aiming for Cheolgwi’s head, which hung low, he delivered a final, all-out strike—lifting and smashing upward toward the chin.
“How dare you!”
BAM!
As Seolpung’s fist soared like a dragon ascending to the sky, Cheolgwi’s shattered head exploded like fireworks.
Seolpung’s mastery of the ‘Red Eyes’ technique had surpassed even the highest level of martial arts.
The thought that the last Cheolgwi might have gone straight for me, Sojeo, came to me while I was struggling fiercely against the two Cheolgwi.
“No way…”
Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.
My heart dropped.
After that, I threw myself into the fight with all my strength.
And in that moment, I realized I had never truly reached my limit before.
This power I was using now must be my true limit.
My mind felt as sharp as a blade’s edge.
My focus was so intense it was as if I could pass through a needle’s eye as easily as a wide-open gate.
With that impossible concentration, I managed to cut the necks of both Cheolgwi.
I struck the exact same spot dozens of times on each, without a single miss.
“Really… I did it.”
It was an incredible achievement.
To behead Cheolgwi—two of them at once, no less.
In my past life, only the most elite masters could have done that.
But I had no time to savor the victory.
“Please, please…”
Frantically, I flew toward the back gate of Nagajang’s estate.
My mind was consumed with worry for Sojeo.
What if one of the Cheolgwi had attacked her directly?
What if, once again in this life, I had failed to protect her?
I knew I could never forgive myself.
Clenching my teeth, I prayed desperately.
“Sojeo, please!”
Landing atop the back gate wall, I finally saw it.
The scattered remains of what must have been Cheolgwi bodies strewn across the field.
And there, cradled in Seolpung Jojang’s arms, was Sojeo—crying.
I stood frozen in place.
Nothing came to mind.
I just stared blankly at the scene.
The Sojeo before me was nothing like the strong woman who usually felt like a mother or older sister.
She was like a fragile girl, finally reunited with her true love, sobbing uncontrollably in Jojang’s embrace.
Endlessly.
So peaceful.
In contrast, Jojang still looked awkward.
He patted Sojeo’s back stiffly, like a machine.
But I could see clearly.
Though his movements were clumsy, the look in his eyes as he gazed at Sojeo was warmer and softer than I had ever seen.
I understood what that look meant.
I, who had always wanted to be like Jojang in every way, could tell.
The woman I loved most.
Held in the arms of the man I respected most.
They looked at each other with such tender eyes…
I could only stand there, watching in stunned silence.
Endlessly.
Unable to do anything.
As Seolpung Jojang gathered the two beheaded Cheolgwi corpses, he gave me a thumbs-up.
“You cut off their necks? Both of them at once? Impressive, Jin.”
I smirked arrogantly at him.
“Hah, it won’t take long before I catch up to you, Jojang. You better watch out.”
He laughed and replied.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
But then, glancing sideways, he caught sight of the utterly mangled Cheolgwi bodies.
Their heads and shoulders completely torn apart.
I swallowed hard without realizing it.
“Catch up? More like, if I survive, I’ll be lucky to catch up at all.”
We were cleaning up the Cheolgwi bodies to bring them to the Biryong Corps.
Since the message had already been sent, the Biryong Fifteen would come to collect them once we were done.
Looking over, I saw Nagajang’s warriors busy repairing the broken walls and main gate.
Watching them for a moment, I said,
“Still, it’s a relief that there weren’t more casualties.”
Jojang nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. It’s all thanks to you, Jin.”
Nagajang’s death toll was about twenty—far from negligible—but compared to the neighboring Jo and Gwak clans, who were completely wiped out, it was a blessing.
I asked Jojang,
“So, Sayoung is bringing Ma Maengun here?”
“Ah, yes. They left with me, but Maengun’s skills aren’t quite up to par yet, so it’s taking longer than expected.”
I chuckled and asked,
“Not because he’s flying so fast you can’t keep up, right?”
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“Uh, maybe? I’m not sure.”
Apparently, after hearing about Sojeo’s father’s condition, Jojang had sent Ma Maengun—the son of an elder from the mysterious clan—along with Bi Sayoung to come here.
Though not the elder himself, Maengun’s medical skills, inherited from his lineage, would surely be far more helpful than some quack like Yang Uiwon.
It was a thoughtful gesture, to say the least.
Grinning, I teased Jojang.
“As expected of our Jojang! Definitely a man worthy of being entrusted with Sojeo!”
He jumped, startled, stammering,
“Entrusted with Sojeo?! What do you mean by that?!”
“Hmm? What’s this? Aren’t you officially dating Sojeo now?”
“Da-dating?! No, no, no!”
Jojang shook his head frantically, trying to deny it as if nothing had happened.
But his face, burning red like a roasted sweet potato, betrayed him completely.
“Tsk, tsk.”
I clicked my tongue.
Jojang was perfect in every way—but when it came to women, it looked like I’d have to help him out.
Hmph.
An idea struck me, and I leaned in, lowering my voice seriously.
“Jojang, did you know that before you came, Sojeo’s mother was trying to marry her off?”
At once, Jojang’s face froze like ice.
He looked as if he’d been struck by a thunderbolt.
“Marriage… you mean?”
“Yes. It seems they’ve already started negotiations with a nearby faction.”
At that, the captain’s eyes began to tremble as if caught in a storm.
“Th-then… what does that mean…?”
I’d never seen the captain—always calm and composed, no matter the enemy—so restless and unsettled in all my years.
Suppressing a smile, I continued seriously.
“Think about it, Captain. Of course, I, Na Sojeo, don’t want this marriage either. But no matter how much she resists, with her kind nature, can she really defy the elders’ orders so strongly?”
Slowly, his gaze dropped to the ground, crumbling under the weight of the news. Then, with the expression of a man whose world had shattered, he muttered:
“…No, she can’t.”
That was exactly the reaction I wanted.
The atmosphere was set perfectly.
Now, it was time to fan the flames.
Gripping his shoulder firmly, I spoke with intensity.
“That’s right. Na Sojeo can’t refuse. So it’s up to you to act.”
He lifted his head, eyes desperate, as if clutching at straws.
“Me? What can I possibly do?”
I met his burning gaze and said firmly,
“You go and say it boldly! That Na Sojeo is already mine! That we’re promised to each other!”
His eyes widened in shock, trembling like a ship caught in a tempest.
“Me? How… how could I possibly do that?”
Frustrating, but expected.
I sighed deeply and shook my head.
“Still too difficult, huh? Well, if you can’t do it, then in the end, Na Sojeo will marry someone else. If that doesn’t bother you, then what can I do?”
I glanced at him sideways.
His expression flickered repeatedly in an instant. Even from the side, I could see his mind wrestling with resolve and despair, going back and forth at least five times.
Then, finally, he clenched his teeth and said,
“You’re right. I have to step up.”
With that, he strode purposefully toward the room where Lady Na Sojeo was staying.
I watched his back and smiled with satisfaction.
To be honest, even if the captain hadn’t acted, there would have been no further marriage talks.
The person who initiated them had disappeared.
Back when Na Sojeo was in the captain’s arms, I had been watching them for a while before quietly following Lady Min and her son, Na Seohwang.
I made sure they could never return.
Because that was all I could do for Na Sojeo now.
“Phew…”
A deep sigh escaped me.
The smile had already vanished from my face.
In my past life, Captain Seolpung had never once shown a truly happy smile.
Like someone clinging to the past instead of the future, his eyes were always tinged with gray.
Much like the gaze of Hwahyeongbin, the divine sword who once wished for death.
Looking back, I think it started after Na Sojeo died.
Many comrades had died countless times, so I hadn’t noticed, but the captain had become a completely different person after her death.
Realizing this now, I let out a hollow laugh.
“And Na Sojeo was the same.”
Come to think of it, Na Sojeo’s brightest smiles were always when she was beside the captain.
Though she showed a motherly smile to the others, only by his side did she laugh like a girl.
That was something I only realized now.
In the end, they had held each other deeply in their hearts long before I ever met them.
Because they were the man I respected most and the woman I loved most, I never dared imagine it.
Or maybe I didn’t want to imagine it.
Because if it was those two against me, there was nothing I could do.
Yes, with those two, all I could do was bless them.
My chest ached as if being squeezed.
In truth, that ache had never stopped since then.
Still, I forced a smile and whispered,
“It’s okay. I can give her up to the captain. My hero, my savior—the captain will surely make Na Sojeo happy. Far more than I ever could. Yes, I’m sure of it.”
As if trying to convince someone else, I kept murmuring like that for a long time.
Even as tears streamed down, even as my chest tightened unbearably.
But no matter how much I tried to persuade myself, the pain in my heart refused to fade.