Chapter 22
‘You show me something like that, and then you tell me to stop?’
There was laughter in his tone, but it was by no means a joke.
I could feel the sincerity of the Demonic Evil Sword.
He was delighted.
Because he had just seen the path he should take.
And because that path satisfied him more than anything else.
I understood.
There had been times when I lived as a recluse, but looking at the whole of my life, I hadn’t lived in vain.
To be blunt, in my life I had rarely encountered anyone with a sword comparable to mine—let alone superior.
The only one who had ever truly competed with me was the Celestial Demon Sword.
But even that man—after crossing blades with me—I never heard that he resurfaced in the world.
No doubt he too was rotting away somewhere, hidden from the world.
In other words, in this vast world, there was only one sword to compare to mine.
So I could understand him admiring me.
But to try to become me was an entirely different matter.
In other words, he was saying he wanted to become the Purple Twilight Divine Sword himself.
‘Whether it’s easy or difficult aside…’
Personally, I couldn’t recommend it.
Being revered sounds sweet, but in truth, the weight of the responsibility is crushing.
It might sound ridiculous coming from me, but the Demonic Evil Sword had only just recently gained its own self-awareness.
It was far too soon to be burdened with such things.
I wanted him to roam free for now—to experience more of the world before making his choice.
So I withdrew the Purple Twilight Divine Sword.
—Ah!
A sigh of regret escaped the Demonic Evil Sword.
But he didn’t press further.
‘There must be a reason.’
His trust in me reached my heart.
I smiled faintly.
It couldn’t have been easy for him to let go of that desire even after seeing it with his own eyes.
It was commendable.
So, to repay that trust, I decided to give him a gift.
‘Though I cannot show you the Purple Twilight Divine Sword…’
Another sword was possible.
Like this.
—Shaaah!
The divine sword that had been radiating violet light disappeared, and in its place appeared another blade.
It looked less than the divine sword, but no less solid, and honed to a razor’s edge.
Once upon a time, this sword had been called the Flying Heaven Sword.
It was the name I bore during the days when Jincheon roamed the world as the Shadowless Divine Fighter.
Of course, a different name didn’t make it a completely different sword.
Some aspects were emphasized, others concealed or pared away.
But at its core, it was still me.
Because the name Purple Twilight Divine Sword was hidden, its power was somewhat lacking.
That was why the Flying Heaven Sword was not enough to be called a divine sword.
Yet in forging a path forward, no sword was freer.
And that was exactly what the Demonic Evil Sword needed now.
So, not the Purple Twilight Divine Sword—but the sword named Flying Heaven, carrying that intent—I swung the Demonic Evil Sword.
—Woom!
A deeper resonance than usual.
The sword’s cry swept across the training hall.
By the time matters at the training hall wrapped up, Song-gok arrived with news.
“The Lord requests your presence. It seems his talk with Lord Yu Guk went well.”
So he said.
On my way from the training hall to the lord’s residence, I thought:
‘As expected.’
Unless something unexpected happened, this was bound to be the outcome.
If he truly was Yu Maeng’s descendant, then Yu Guk was without doubt a fool.
The kind of fool who valued loyalty above his own welfare.
“Well, I suppose it’s fortunate things concluded faster than I thought.”
I had expected a man like him to take several days to come to a decision.
But judging by the fact the sun had not yet set, the discussion had gone smoothly.
And when I arrived at the residence, Yu Guk was still there, standing with Geum Danmok instead of having left.
“Your clothes are more disheveled than before. Were you training alone?”
“I only stretched a little. Nothing you’d call training.”
I brushed off Yu Guk’s curious gaze and turned to Geum Danmok.
“Song-gok told me the gist of it. You’ve worked hard. You’ve yet to fully recover, so from here on, let me handle things.”
It wasn’t just lip service.
Danmok looked far more worn out than earlier.
From his face alone, I could tell how difficult the talk with Yu Guk had been.
On the other hand, Yu Guk’s expression was brighter than before, showing who had really come out the ‘winner.’
Though calling him a winner was absurd.
It was obvious he had stuck his head willingly into the jaws of danger.
He must know it himself, and yet he looked so pleased.
Truly, the blood of a fool ran in him.
“…My son—no, until I recover, I leave the trading company and its affairs to you.”
Danmok stopped himself mid-sentence, then nodded readily.
I understood his worry.
It wasn’t just enemies he had to face—Yu Guk had joined our side now too, so the risks had grown.
He had placed even his friend’s life on the scales.
So he had been about to step forward himself.
But in the end, he abandoned his stubbornness and entrusted it to his son.
The trust in his gaze said as much, but more than that, he knew his body had to recover if he was to be of any help.
On that point, I rated him highly.
Perhaps not yet a great merchant, but at least he wasn’t the sort to drag his son down.
“I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.”
I supported Danmok back to his bed before returning.
And then—
“You’re staring hard enough to burn a hole, uncle.”
With Danmok gone, Yu Guk was openly staring at me.
It wasn’t hostile.
On the contrary.
“To think you’d put my father first—you’ve truly grown.”
His eyes were filled with warmth and approval.
His shoulders even shook, as though he might leap up and embrace me at any moment.
Before it came to that, I spoke.
“Wouldn’t it be better to discuss details outside, so the lord can rest peacefully?”
“Indeed.”
“I’ll guide you.”
I rose first, and Yu Guk followed.
Originally, I planned to head for a nearby guest hall.
But Yu Guk made another suggestion first.
“Before we talk, I’d like to see what kind of skill my ally possesses. Would you indulge me?”
I chuckled.
He didn’t bother to hide his curiosity or competitiveness.
And he called it checking his ally’s skill?
Not even a stray dog would buy that.
“What’s the matter? You’re not confident?”
“Are you provoking me now, uncle?”
“I can hardly lecture you like I used to, can I?”
His shamelessness made me laugh again.
I didn’t know what the old Geum Jamun had been like, but I didn’t dislike this side of Yu Guk.
Truthfully, I was curious myself.
Yu Guk’s skill.
More precisely, the true level of a peak master.
‘I experienced it plenty in my past life…’
But that was only by the standard of Swordborn.
In this life, I hadn’t yet seen it firsthand.
And this was an important matter.
‘Overlooking it as no big deal is exactly how you make mistakes at critical moments.’
Beyond experience, I needed objective clarity.
I had to know exactly where I stood, and what level of enemy I could face.
In that sense, Yu Guk’s proposal wasn’t bad.
And there was another reason to cross swords with him.
‘You’re curious too, aren’t you?’
My gaze fell to my waist.
The Demonic Evil Sword, who had worked hardest today, hung there.
As if sensing my look, a light tremor ran through the blade.
Like it was signaling it was ready.
I smiled.
‘But agreeing outright would be no fun.’
I shifted my gaze back to Yu Guk.
He was undoubtedly a good man—his choice to help the Golden Flower Trading Company proved it.
But regardless, our relationship needed to be defined more clearly.
Not simply as uncle and nephew, but person to person.
‘Sorry, but…’
I intended to seize the initiative.
The Golden Flower Trading Company would not be dragged along by Cheongun Escort Bureau—
Rather, the opposite.
“If I’m to accept your proposal, I’d like to add a condition.”
“A condition?”
“Nothing major. The winner gets one wish granted.”
“A wish?”
My words caught him off guard.
I pressed further, returning the provocation he’d given me.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re not confident in beating your nephew?”
I even added that if he was too scared, we could just skip the condition.
Yu Guk burst into booming laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Fine, as you wish! But no going back on your word later.”
“Same to you, uncle.”
“Then swagger all you want for now.”
We were trading blows of wit before the fight had even begun.
Neither of us entertained the thought of losing.
And for him, that was natural.
In his eyes, I was still a sickly nephew who had long struggled against illness.
Even if I’d shown a glimpse of skill earlier at the main gate, it hadn’t been enough to truly convince him.
‘Then I’ll just have to make it real for him.’
No holding back.
From the start, I would fight with my full strength.
And perhaps from that very resolve, the outcome had already been decided.
We soon arrived at the training hall.
There, we fought.
And the duel ended surprisingly quickly.
—Clang!
…I lost.
In just three exchanges, someone’s beloved blade was broken, blood was spat, and before losing consciousness, I admitted defeat.
What they call a defeat within three moves.
The fight ended too quickly for me to gain much self-assessment.
But I did walk away with one granted wish—
And one uncle who, from that day forward, would follow me with fierce devotion.
