Side Story: Yuri’s Runaway Ruckus! (6)

Yuri’s third wife.

Her true identity was none other than Asana.

“I never realized how important ‘dojo-breaking’ was.”

Her expression was as blank as ever, but now that Yuri was closer to her, he could read the subtle emotions Asana revealed.

“Dojo-breaking, huh…?”

She was clearly enjoying herself.

It was as if she wanted to spread the news all over town immediately.

Who knew what she might say to the other wives.

“No, no, wait!”

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re not seriously thinking of spreading rumors, are you?”

“Just watching you do it.”

Asana smirked faintly and shifted her body to the side.

“It looks like you want to fight everyone here. Fine. Let’s do this.”

The instructors stared at Yuri with stern faces. They clearly had no idea who Asana really was.

One of the instructors asked her,

“Guest instructor, you seem to know this troublemaker. What’s the story here…?”

“Hmm…”

Asana smiled slyly.

“He’s my ex.”

Everyone except Asana’s eyes widened. Yuri’s mouth dropped open.

“Wow… to think you dated such a violent man…”

“That was a mistake.”

“Well, it’s a relief you broke up. From now on, please find a good man. For your sake, and for the honor of the Shincheongseong faction, we’ll make sure to clean up that guy properly.”

“Thanks. Please take care of it.”

“Gosu!”

The instructor shouted the battle cry, clenching his fist and puffing out his chest.

Yuri asked,

“What does ‘Gosu’ mean?”

“It’s the motto of the Shincheongseong faction.”

“What does it stand for?”

“The path of a master is painful! Shortened to ‘Gosu’! It’s our vow of self-discipline.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Gosu!”

“By the way, guest instructor, what exactly do you teach here?”

“Don’t tell me you still have feelings for your ex?”

“Not at all…”

“Stop clinging and just give up!”

“You brat…”

From behind the instructor, Asana made a finger-shuriken gesture. It seemed she had taught some assassination techniques during her visit.

“Phew…”

Anyway, Yuri reminded himself not to forget his own role.

Gathering his composure, he barked,

“Anyway! Master Moyongchan… no, where is Moyongchan?”

“The head instructor isn’t here right now!”

“Why not?”

“It’s lunchtime. He went to eat!”

Looking up, the sun was high in the sky.

“I see…”

Yuri pointed at the Shincheongseong disciples surrounding him with trembling hands.

“Have these students been training without even eating?”

“That’s right! To become masters!”

“Training even while starving…”

“That’s the spirit of Shincheongseong!”

“Ah…”

Though Yuri had come under the pretense of dojo-breaking, these people were basically his disciples.

Moved by their passionate love for martial arts, Yuri quietly shouted the Shincheongseong motto.

“Gosu…!”

The instructors’ eyes softened.

“Seeing you understand the meaning of ‘Gosu,’ you don’t seem like such a bad guy after all.”

“Of course not. It’s all a misunderstanding.”

“I understand. Relationships between men and women don’t always go as the heart wishes. Even if the world has torn you and the guest instructor apart, and even if that has left you with a ‘trash’ label, that is a burden a warrior must bear.”

“That’s not true! No one ever called me trash!”

“Enough talk!”

The instructor raised both fists.

“How about we settle the rest of this conversation with martial arts?”

“Fine.”

Yuri raised his fists to meet.

“Let’s continue this conversation with our fists.”

A dialogue of martial arts.

To Yuri, this wasn’t nonsense. He had already reached a level where a single sword strike or punch could read and convey thoughts.

“I’ll let you strike first.”

“You’ll regret that.”

The instructor didn’t hesitate and charged.

At the same moment—

Bang!

Yuri’s gun fired.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell everywhere.

The instructor froze in place.

Yuri’s bullet was lodged right at his feet.

Had he aimed just a little lower, the man would have been crippled.

Feeling the tension, Yuri quickly explained.

“Ah, sorry. Was this supposed to be a fist-only fight?”

“…”

“Seems like we have different ideas. To me, sparring is a matter of life and death.”

“Trying to seize the initiative like that is a cheap trick.”

“It’s the truth.”

Yuri handed the gun back to Jared and raised his fists again.

“Let’s do this properly. Let’s have a real conversation with our fists!”

“Gosu!”

The instructor’s fist flew.

It was fierce.

Yuri deliberately didn’t dodge.

An unexpected brawl broke out.

Even while taking hits, Yuri never lost his smile.

“Hit me harder!”

He didn’t want a one-sided fight.

Just as the instructor said, he wanted to talk.

A physical conversation.

Having transcended human limits in martial arts, Yuri could feel what the instructor was thinking and trying to say through the punches flying at him.

It was as if he could hear a voice.

“My name is Roni! Since I was a kid, my stubborn nature often caused clashes! But I never bent on what I believed was right!”

A man with a strong will.

“The hardest times in my life, only Shincheongseong accepted me! A man must keep his loyalty! From now on, I’ll live for Shincheongseong!”

A passionate man.

Yuri’s own spirit began to ignite.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

“Gosu!”

They exchanged blows to each other’s jaws.

Fists flew mercilessly.

A desire to improve in martial arts!

Pride in Shincheongseong!

Faith in benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust!

That burning spirit was transmitted to Yuri.

“Hahaha! Excellent! Come at me harder!”

The instructor’s fist flew again. This time, it carried a heat unlike anything else…

“You bastard!”

Without thinking, Yuri threw a genuine punch.

The instructor’s body flew through the air, smashing through the main gate of Shincheongseong’s headquarters, breaking several walls before finally collapsing to the ground.

Silence returned.

Even Roland and Jared frowned, staring at Yuri.

“W-Why the sudden outburst…?”

“Did you mean to kill him?”

Yuri cleared his throat.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“This was self-defense.”

The fist conversation had gone too deep.

Unintentionally, Yuri had read even Roni’s most secret feelings.

“The guest instructor is truly beautiful. I fell in love at first sight! I’ll confess! But first, I’ll beat the ex to a pulp!”

No wonder he was babbling nonsense.

Yuri dusted off his hands while glaring at the fallen Roni.

“We just had a disagreement during our fist conversation.”

“What does that even mean…?”

“Of course, Asana is partly to blame.”

Yuri approached Asana and whispered.

“That guy likes you.”

“No way.”

“Then why’d you call me his ex?”

“I know he’s married.”

“What?”

“I said ex, not single. I told you he’s married.”

Asana raised her hand. A wedding ring gleamed on her ring finger.

Yuri’s gaze shifted to Roni, still sprawled in the main hall.

Carried by a sudden breeze, Roni’s last unspoken devotion reached Yuri.

“I don’t care if you’re married!”

Yuri regretted not hitting harder.

“So he was the one who abandoned loyalty and righteousness…”

The Shincheongseong disciples lifted Roni’s body and carried him away somewhere.

Anyway, the dojo-breaking wasn’t over yet.

Yuri shouted,

“You sent one guy! How about it? No one else wants to face me?”

“…”

“Is Shincheongseong just a bunch of sissies? Everyone’s just sulking! I’ll take the signboard, and from now on, you’re not Shincheongseong but ‘Shincheonglosers’! Hahaha!”

A few officials chuckled at Yuri’s wordplay.

Feeling confident, Yuri shouted again.

“And the top instructor Moyongchan? Tell him to change his name to ‘Moyong’—meaning ‘useless’! Totally useless! Hahaha!”

A few more laughed.

Yuri continued.

“And his lackey Simon? Rename him ‘Simon-close’! Guinness should be ‘Shortness’!”

This time, the reaction was lukewarm.

Just as Yuri was about to deliver a killer joke from the humor collection Nights of Hwangseong—

“What are you doing?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

Yuri grinned.

Finally, the face he truly wanted to see appeared.

“Welcome.”

Turning around, Moyongchan stood before the broken main gate, hands clasped behind his back.

Simon and Guinness stood proudly on either side.

The continent’s top ten powers.

Shincheongseong’s supreme instructor.

Moyongchan.

He had arrived.

Yuri spread his arms and said,

“Long time no see. Looks like you had spicy pork soup for lunch.”

“How did you know?”

“There’s a red stain on Simon’s collar. There aren’t many dishes in Liberta that use red chili powder.”

Simon hurriedly brushed his clothes.

Yuri smiled and greeted,

“You’re as sharp as ever, Master.”

“You too.”

Yuri’s words caused a stir among Shincheongseong. No one had suspected this rogue was Moyongchan’s disciple.

Then Simon and Guinness bowed respectfully.

“You’re as mischievous as ever.”

“It’s an honor, Your Excellency.”

At the same moment, the thug who had been threatening the Sincheong Seongpa revealed his face. To be precise, he removed his slime mask.

“W-what the…!”

Beneath it were jet-black hair and dark eyes.

A handsome face.

There was only one possible meaning to this revelation.

The prince of Briole, husband to the emperor.

The continent’s strongest swordsman.

Yuri Briole had appeared.

It was well known that he had once learned swordsmanship from Moyongchan. It was almost baffling that no one had realized it sooner.

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

The disciples of Sincheong Seongpa erupted into enthusiastic cheers, welcoming Yuri. In response, Yuri made a circuit around the room, clasping hands with each of them.

One of the instructors even tried to present Yuri with the school’s plaque personally.

“If it’s Your Highness, I would gladly offer the Sincheong Seongpa plaque!”

“I appreciate the sentiment.”

The instructor, catching Moyongchan’s sharp gaze, quickly stepped back.

Moyongchan turned to Yuri.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Do I need a reason to come?”

“Not exactly, but showing up unannounced like this suggests there’s something going on.”

“You’re perceptive.”

Yuri nodded.

“Now that I’ve greeted the disciples, let’s get to the point.”

---

Yuri sat in the reception room of Sincheong Seongpa.

This was the room where Roni’s massive body had smashed through the wall, leaving the outside visible and exposed.

“…”

A steaming cup of tea was brought over. The scent suggested it was an import from the East.

“Surely something procured from the Elaine Trading Company.”

“No, I bought it from the Charles Trading Company.”

“What?!”

Yuri’s anger flared briefly but he quickly calmed himself.

Now that the route to the East had opened, competition was inevitable. Monopoly couldn’t last forever.

“Elaine will be busy, regardless…”

Yuri lowered his voice.

“Master. And Cheongun.”

Cheongun sat beside Moyongchan.

Apparently, when the commotion broke out outside, Cheongun had hidden and waited until Moyongchan arrived. Years of living as a ronin had ingrained in him the instincts necessary for survival.

“Please take a look at this.”

Yuri placed a book and a dagger on the table.

Moyongchan and Cheongun both furrowed their brows simultaneously.

“This seems to be an item with a story.”

“This is…”

Moyongchan examined the cover, then flipped through the pages.

Their eyes moved quickly over the text.

Yuri asked cautiously, “What exactly is this book?”

But no answer came.

“…”

Yuri rested his hands on his knees and waited again.

Judging by their expressions, this was serious.

Finally, Moyongchan spoke.

“Jung-su-bul-beom-ha-su (井水不犯河水)!”

His low voice echoed.

Yuri’s eyes widened.

“What does that mean?”

“It means ‘well water does not interfere with river water.’”

“So what does that mean?”

“It’s a metaphor for the boundary between the government and the martial world. The imperial palace and the martial arts circles in the East maintain an unspoken non-aggression pact to keep the balance of power.”

“You should’ve said so earlier.”

“But it seems someone is trying to break this rule…!”

“Huh?”

“To explain, this book contains the martial arts techniques of the Blood Sect!”