Chapter 18
News of me having a lover spread just as quickly as the overnight scandal with Jeok I-geon.
And the effect was incredible.
“Seol-ha, I misjudged you for a moment! I didn’t know you already had someone!”
“Me too! I mean, you’re not the type to do something like that.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“…Wedding?”
“Yeah, isn’t that why you’re quitting as a maid? So-ok mentioned it.”
Oh, So-ok.
Why did you go around talking about what I confided only to you?
I told her because we’ve shared the same room for five years and she’s done so much for me, but now this has backfired.
They say one lie leads to another, and this was exactly that moment.
If I even hinted at anything negative, I’d arouse suspicion again.
So, I feigned joy as best as I could.
“The wedding date hasn’t been decided yet. We’ll figure it out soon.”
“He must be a great person. Seventeen is a bit young, isn’t it?”
Of course, it’s way too young.
“What are you talking about? If he’s in the Blood Shadow Corps, you have to secure him! Steady salary, lots of time away from home. You can’t find a better husband!”
“Really?”
Watching the older maids laugh and chatter as they surrounded me gave me a moment of existential crisis, but I kept my poker face on.
After all, I wouldn’t see them two months from now.
I just had to endure until then, and a hopeful future awaited me.
“Sisters, about the Second Young Master’s lunch today…”
Thanks to my self-sacrificing lies, Jeok I-geon’s meals were always prepared without any issues.
And proportionally, my martial skills were improving day by day.
Very secretly.
***
“What you must learn is the basics of swordsmanship—Demonic Life Sword.”
On the first day of training, Jeok I-geon handed me a wooden sword and started the lesson.
The day had finally come for me to learn swordsmanship.
Memories of the martial arts novels I’d read flooded my mind, leaving me moved to tears of gratitude.
“The Demonic Life Sword consists of three basic techniques, combined into a fourth technique.”
Huh?
I’ve definitely heard this before.
In martial arts novels, whenever a protagonist first learned the Three Talents Swordsmanship, the instructors always said something like this.
“First Form: Demonic Army Suppression.”
Boom!
Jeok I-geon stepped forward and delivered a powerful downward slash with the sword.
“Second Form: Demonic Gale Sweep.”
Next, he twisted his body and slashed horizontally.
“Third Form: Path of the Demon King.”
A vertical slash, followed by a horizontal slash, and then—of course—thrusting.
Bang!
Jeok I-geon’s thrust pierced the air, causing the air to rupture belatedly.
“Fourth Form: Demonic Gale Dominion.”
Swoosh!
Whoosh!
The final technique combined the previous moves into a seamless, flowing sequence.
His movements were so fast, it was hard to even follow with my eyes.
“Did you see?”
Jeok I-geon sheathed his sword and looked at me. Despite the intense movements, his breathing remained perfectly composed.
“Show me.”
One demonstration, and it was immediately time to practice.
Jeok I-geon never cut anyone slack, even with this.
This was making me nervous.
To be honest, martial arts still felt like an abstract concept to me.
Could I really achieve something that seemed possible only for superhuman individuals?
The feat of opening the Ren and Du Meridians had completely slipped my mind, and I was now just lost in unnecessary doubts as I held the wooden sword.
Well, might as well give it a try.
“First Form: Demonic Army Suppression!”
Taking a big step forward, I struck down with all my strength.
“Plant your step firmly.”
Even though I tried, it seemed clumsy to Jeok I-geon.
He tapped my legs with his sword sheath, correcting my posture.
“A strong foundation is like roots for a tree. Try again.”
There it was, the infamous root metaphor again.
“Understood.”
Following his guidance, I swung the sword down forcefully once more.
“A sword is not a club. Don’t strike; slash. Swing with the intent to cut.”
The intent to cut.
Cut. Cut. Cut.
Like a mantra, I repeated Jeok I-geon’s words as I slashed the sword down with intent.
“Now it’s starting to look acceptable.”
It was clear that having mistakes corrected immediately improved my stance with every swing.
Perhaps because of that, Jeok I-geon’s previously blunt tone had grown noticeably softer.
“Next is Demonic Gale Sweep.”
But seriously, why was I already sweating this much?
I felt like taking a break, even if just for a quarter-hour, but there was no way I had the courage to request that from Jeok I-geon.
So, I simply swung the wooden sword, again and again, without rest.
How many days passed like that?
After mastering the Demonic Life Sword, the next martial art I learned was Demonic Life Steps, a footwork technique.
Jeok I-geon insisted that the foundational arts of the Demonic Cult, Demonic Life Sword and Demonic Life Steps, must become so ingrained that one could perform them even in their sleep.
Only by mastering the basics, he said, could one advance to higher-level martial arts.
And so, he pushed me relentlessly.
What initially began as training limited to lunchtime soon extended into evenings, and eventually, I was practically living in the training grounds, enduring grueling practice.
The surprising part?
I found it all incredibly fun.
No matter how much Jeok I-geon pushed me to my limits, I persevered and made the techniques my own.
Could such progress really be achieved in such a short time?
Could I have talent?
Surely not… could I really have something like Heavenly Martial Physique?
Even with my meridians opened, my rapid improvement was astounding to the point of disbelief.
Honestly, I felt like I could take on even one of the Ten Great Villains right now and win.
“You’ve reached a minor level of success,” Jeok I-geon remarked.
Of course, to him, I was still just a novice.
“That will be enough training for today.”
“Thank you for your guidance.”
Unintentionally, Jeok I-geon and I had formed something resembling a teacher-student relationship.
Though I couldn’t outright call him my master, I always expressed my heartfelt gratitude after each session.
Fear was fear, but gratitude was gratitude.
“Seol-ha, it seems you have a visitor outside. Wipe yourself down with this and go see them.”
Cheon Gang, who had been practicing alone in a corner, approached and informed me of the visitor.
Jeok I-geon’s training grounds were surrounded by high walls, and only I, as his personal maid, and Cheon Gang, as his guard, were permitted entry.
This meant that only the three of us knew that I was learning martial arts from Jeok I-geon.
“A visitor? For me? At Geonyeong Pavilion?”
Who could possibly be here to see me?
“Could it be my grandmother?”
“It’s a man.”
“A man?”
“A young man. He seems to be waiting rather eagerly.”
“Thank you for letting me know, Cheon Gang. I’ll head out now.”
Curiosity spurred me to leave the training grounds in near haste.
I had no idea who could be here to meet me.
Where could they be?
Naturally, I assumed they would be near the main gate, so I ran over, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.
Could they be by the back gate?
I quickly crossed through the garden and navigated between buildings toward the back gate.
“I heard you joined the Blood Shadow Corps! They say it’s incredibly difficult to get in. That’s amazing!”
“Seol-ha seemed so proud of you. And I heard you’re getting married soon!”
As I approached the back gate, I could hear cheerful chatter and laughter from a resting area where maids took breaks from work.
Oh no, Yang So-baek!
I immediately realized the identity of the visitor.
Once just my childhood friend, Yang So-baek had somehow become my “lover” through a bizarre turn of events.
So, it’s you?
If you needed something, you could’ve just come to the noodle shop like always. Why did you suddenly come here?
And at such a bad time!
Fearing that my lie might unravel, I practically sprinted to the source of the commotion using Demonic Life Steps.
“Haha, I’d love to get married, too. If Seol-ha would agree, that is.”
What nonsense was he spouting now?
“Yang So-baek!”
Before things escalated further, I loudly called out his name to pull him out of there.
As a result, every eye turned toward me.
“Seol-ha!”
Yang So-baek jumped up with a bright expression.
But why did he look like that?
For some reason, his face was full of emotion.
“Hurry up and get out here!”
Ignoring his demeanor, I hurriedly urged him to step outside.
One lie was enough.
I didn’t want to lie anymore, and I needed to explain things to Yang So-baek before he got caught up in this mess.
“Seol-ha!”
But what was this unsettling feeling?
When Yang So-baek ran toward me and hugged me tightly, I sensed a completely unfamiliar atmosphere.
If only that had been the worst of it.
“…!”
I nearly had a heart attack.
Standing not too far away was Jeok I-geon.
And he was glaring at me with eyes that looked ready to kill.
—
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