Chapter 10 

Those who traveled to the Namgung Academy usually carried very little.
The entire road belonged to the Namgung clan, so there was no danger.
For Sa-yeol, they assigned:

• two attendants,
• two martial escorts,
• and one maid.

It was a tiny entourage for a “direct descendant,” but Sa-yeol preferred it this way.

If they got in her way, she’d just kill them.

“Miss, we at least have a carriage!” So-hwa cheered.

Of course, So-hwa was coming with her.
Sa-yeol knew well how rare it was to find someone willing to die for her.
The girl was young and not a warm-constitution type either—she’d be able to learn ice arts without much difficulty.

Sa-yeol, who had decided to calmly push another person onto the path of darkness, boarded the carriage.
The coachman took his seat up front.
It was a two-day journey by carriage—nothing unusual should happen.

Or so she thought.

But now, something ridiculous was unfolding in front of her.

“Aaargh!”

“Miss! Come here! Quickly!”

One slash of a masked man’s blade had cut a coachman in half.
Through the torn body she could see the killer’s eyes—cold and bloodthirsty under a black mask.

“We are but simple highway robbers,” the man announced.

Sa-yeol found that statement hilarious.

How did things turn into this?

She retraced her memory.

***

Earlier

The carriage carrying Sa-yeol and the two maids rolled forward smoothly.
Even if she had no guards, the carriage design itself marked her as Namgung’s direct line—
No ordinary person would dare block it.

“Miss, shall we bring out the snacks?”

So-hwa asked cheerfully.
The newly assigned maid sat stiffly, nervous around both of them.

“I’m fine. You eat.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Sa-yeol watched So-hwa nibbles snacks one by one and then gently feeds some to the new maid.
Truly, So-hwa was too kind.

“What’s your name?” So-hwa asked.

“Hwa-yeong, Miss.”

“You were originally assigned to Hongryun, weren’t you?”

At the name Hongryun, So-hwa’s expression turned murderous.

“I… I wasn’t a good fit… so…”

“Not a good fit? What does that mean?”

“It’s just… um…”

Hwa-yeong fidgeted, unable to answer properly.
That alone told So-hwa all she needed to know.

“You must be terrible at your job.” So-hwa sighed.

“…”

Hwa-yeong blushed and lowered her head.
So-hwa sighed deeply again.

“Well, it’s fine. You can learn slowly.”

Then—

The carriage suddenly stopped.
So-hwa immediately lifted the curtain and looked outside.

Sa-yeol sensed two unfamiliar presences blocking the road.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Miss.”

The two Namgung escorts stepped forward, confronting two suspicious men dressed in black.

“State your identity.”

“How dare you cause trouble on Namgung land?”

Shiiing—! Clang!

The masked men answered with blades instead of words.
The escorts drew their swords and met them.

A few exchanges were enough for Sa-yeol to see the truth.

Her escorts were losing.

Who are these people, appearing out of nowhere?

“Open the carriage door.”

“Miss! Where are you going?!”

So-hwa lunged toward her, but Sa-yeol gently pushed her forehead back and stepped outside.

Blood sprayed. One escort had been cut deep by the strange sword art those masked men used.

“Aaagh!”

“Miss! Come this way!”

So-hwa grabbed her arm, panicked, but Sa-yeol didn’t move.

One masked man looked through the split body of the escort and locked eyes with her.

“We are but humble robbers,” he repeated, scratching his cheek.

“So you want us to give up our valuables to stay alive?” Sa-yeol asked calmly.

“A reasonable young lady, I see.”

“But I possess nothing.”

“Then we will take your carriage.”

“And how am I supposed to travel?”

“…Seriously? That’s what concerns you? The horses pulling your carriage are already dead!”

Sa-yeol tilted her head and glanced at the fallen horses.

Then she smiled faintly.

“Who said I have no horses?”

She reached up and plucked the hairpin from her hair—
a small white accessory shaped like a butterfly.

“I see two horses right in front of me.”

Wind rushed behind her, lifting her white hair in a ghostly swirl.
The masked men froze.

“…What is this…” one began, but—

KA-CHING!

A huge metallic clash rang out.
Something had shot out of the forest to the right—so fast even Sa-yeol almost missed it.

“Wh-who is that?!”

So-hwa peeked from the carriage, clinging to Sa-yeol.

A man emerged—a filthy beggar with long, unwashed black hair and ragged clothes.

“Who are you?” Sa-yeol asked.

“…Just passing by.”

“A passing beggar, you mean.”

“…”

Everyone heard So-hwa whisper that insult.
She clamped her hands over her mouth and yanked Sa-yeol back.

Is he from the Beggar’s Sect? Sa-yeol wondered.
They had people everywhere, even on Namgung land.

But the timing was odd.
Then again, everything was odd today.

The masked men seemed shaken too.

“You meddler… Who are you?” one demanded shakily.
“If you interfere here, you’ll bleed for it.”

They had said nothing when confronting Namgung escorts.
Yet now they could barely speak straight.

Sa-yeol looked at the beggar.

“Don’t kill them.”

“…Why?”

“I need them to talk.”

“…Fine.”

At that, So-hwa bristled.

“Is he insane? Who talks to a noble miss like that?!”

The beggar swung his chipped sword.
Despite its broken blade, he overwhelmed the two masked men instantly.

CLANG! CLASH! CRACK!

He even jammed the broken tooth of his sword into an opening in theirs, twisting so hard that their weapon flew out of their hands.

Sa-yeol narrowed her eyes.

Between his messy hair, she glimpsed—

blue eyes.

A blue-eyed beggar…? I don’t know him.

In just a few moves, the two masked men lay bleeding on the ground.

Sa-yeol surveyed the battlefield.

Alive:

• One terrified Namgung escort
• Two injured masked attackers
• One suspicious beggar

She turned to the trembling escort, who had wet himself.

“You. Go back and report this to the clan.”

“Y-yes?!”

“Go.”

He bolted immediately, not even noticing his soaked trousers.

Sa-yeol then faced the beggar standing among the fallen attackers.

“Your name.”

“…Wol.”

“Wol?”

“No surname. Just Wol.”

“I see. Poor thing.”

A ridiculous name indeed.