SSMW CH 23

Chapter – 23

Perhaps my return in such a filthy state was more shocking than expected, because everyone at Cheonwolru fussed over my safety.

“Miss, if you need anything at all, please call us. Please, you must!”

There were courtesans who said things like that, and—

“……”

Whenever I so much as stepped outside the Cheonwolru building, at least one guard would trail along behind me.

It was a bit bothersome, but since it all came from genuine concern for my well-being, I decided to let it slide.

“…You don’t really need to stick this close, you know.”

“Protecting Lady Hyeryeong is my duty.”

Despite her words, Sewha’s expression wasn’t very good. It seemed my disappearance had shocked her quite badly.

‘Even if Sewha had been there, she wouldn’t have been any help anyway.’

An ordinary person—no, a frail female—what could she have done in a place swarming with males?

Appreciation was appreciation, and impossibility was impossibility.

That was why I lightly tugged at the hem of Sewha’s skirt.

As Sewha reflexively bent her knees to meet my gaze, I reached out and gently patted her head.

“You did well. Staying put was helping me.”

Perhaps surprised by my action, Sewha’s pupils trembled slightly.

“I just went to teach a lesson to some bad guys who were trying to harm you.”

“Lady Hyeryeong…”

“I got a bit dirty, but I wasn’t hurt at all. What’s there to worry about?”

When I soothed her like that, telling her not to fret so much, Sewha finally nodded.

Sheesh, calming humans is no easy task.

Thinking how difficult it was to understand the human heart, I was watching the brocade carp swimming in the pond when—

“Sewha. Bring Hyeryeong.”

It was the fox.

I turned my head toward him, and a voice transmission reached me.

[Mountain Lord. The investigation is finished.]

[I’ll follow right away.]

When I stretched out both arms toward Sewha, she gently lifted me up into her embrace.

Since my body was small, being carried was faster—but I was starting to get a little too used to it.

‘Next time, I should just gather my qi in my legs and move quickly myself.’

Making that resolution, we headed deeper into Cheonwolru, into a room inaccessible to others.

“First, I’ll tell you about the Amhon Association. There’s something you need to know beforehand—any group with ‘Association’ in its name isn’t a sect, but an organization.”

With that, the fox began his explanation.

In the martial world, groups with ‘Association’ at the end of their name frequently appeared and disappeared.

The Amhon Association was a group formed by wandering fighters, and for the right price, they would take care of anything.

‘An organization made to earn money, huh.’

He said they hadn’t killed anyone yet, but because they used extreme methods, they were classified as part of the unorthodox faction. And on top of that—

[The problem is that one of them has an elixir from the Blood Cult.]

When I conveyed that through voice transmission so Sewha couldn’t hear, the fox frowned.

[Yeah. That’s the problem.]

He pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache.

“The big guy was kind enough to spill some information, but none of it was particularly useful. Seems like we’d need to get to the Association Leader before anything meaningful comes out.”

“Oh, but I do know what that elixir does.”

“What?”

“I heard it from that half-wit Ma Baek.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

“It was hard to trust what a half-wit says.”

“Ah… well, true. Hard to believe anything that brute says.”

“He said, ‘If I just make her take this, I can do whatever I want with Sewha.’”

Sewha’s face tightened slightly. Well, it wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear.

“Then it must be a drug that affects the mind. Putting in real effort for something so disgusting.”

I nodded at the scathing assessment. If they’d spent that effort training, who knows how things might have turned out.

“If we know the general effect, figuring out which herbs were used won’t take long.”

“And the Amhon Association…?”

“It’s too early to get involved directly. Cheonwolru is, after all, a pleasure house, and reputation is crucial.”

Moreover, since it was only circumstantial suspicion for now, we needed to act cautiously. I frowned at the explanation.

We’d found traces of the Blood Cult, yet there was nothing we could do.

‘Is that a good thing?’

Given the situation, perhaps it was. It meant the Blood Cult wasn’t actively intervening yet.

Still, it was a little disappointing. If I’d come this far back in time, it would be nice to disrupt the Blood Cult’s nonsense ahead of time.

“Don’t be impatient.”

At the hand pressing down firmly on my head, I rolled my eyes and looked up at the fox.

“I was going to warn you about this anyway, Mountain Lord.”

“Warn me?”

“Yes. Mountain Lord, how did you feel when you fought that big guy?”

The fight with the big guy? That was…

“It was easy.”

“No. It wasn’t easy. It was just that a lot of coincidences happened to work in your favor.”

The fox’s gaze sank heavily as he looked at me.

“Your body is that of a seven-year-old girl. Smaller than an adult human.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why he let his guard down. Normally, children are weak and slow—any martial artist could easily subdue or kill one.”

Well… that made sense.

“On top of that, he’d never fought someone this small before, so he was even more vulnerable to a surprise attack. It’s not a level a child could normally reach.”

“So… I took advantage of his carelessness?”

“Yes. This was nothing but luck. It’s not your true ability. And besides—”

The fox held up a finger.

“Humans learn martial arts. They systematize efficient ways of fighting. They use internal energy differently.”

“……”

“Most importantly, you haven’t fought much using a human body, have you?”

“That’s true. To begin with, it’s not even a body meant for combat.”

“And knowing all that, you still charged in because Sewha was in danger?”

The fox’s voice rose. Ah. He’s angry.

“A child’s body isn’t suited for fighting, and your internal energy hasn’t fully recovered either!”

“Uh…”

“Do you know how shocked I was when you came back all filthy? Instead of pulling off stunts like that, you should ask for help. The guards of Cheonwolru aren’t people I hired carelessly!”

I wanted to say there hadn’t been time to ask for help.

…but the fox’s expression was so stern that I just nodded vaguely.

“Don’t just nod vaguely.”

“Wow, you’re really picky.”

“Get it through your head that you’re not the Mountain Lord you used to be, you troublemaker.”

“Who are you calling a troublemaker?”

“You. You right there. You damn Mountain Lord!”

At the fox yelling at me, I covered my ears.

“But I did find the elixir.”

“Does that matter right now?!”

“Of course it does! I found a clue, didn’t I?”

“So what if you did! Think about your current condition before trying to do anything!”

“The whole reason I came to the human world is this! It’s better to know these things in advance!”

“And do you have the personality to just sit still once you know? You’d jump right in the moment something happens!”

We glared at each other, both fuming.

I knew all that, but still—just sitting on my hands without following any leads felt too slow, given how sluggish my recovery was.

“What’s so wrong about personally dealing with scumbags when someone you cherish, and a place you cherish, are in danger? I judged it manageable and acted. I came back without a scratch—shouldn’t that be enough?”

For animals living in the wild, the ability to gauge one’s opponent was essential.

Fail at that, and you’d be eaten—or defeated and driven away.

The big guy and that half-wit were manageable. The risk was worth it. I’d found traces of the Blood Cult, and Sewha was safe.

That was why I couldn’t understand the fox’s attitude at all. At the very least, this wasn’t something that deserved such harsh scolding.

‘I thought he’d thank me. Or at least say he was sorry.’

Instead, he reacted like that, and before I knew it, I was pouting.

But unlike me, the fox didn’t soften his expression. If anything, he looked even angrier.

“Then what are the guards protecting Cheonwolru for, decoration? We pay them a salary precisely for situations like this!”

“So—”

“So what? What ‘so’?! Is there even room for excuses here?”

The fox shouted.

“And after all that, what do you say? That you did it to protect them? Who do you think is the one who needs protection right now?!”