Chapter 8: Sword and Demon Sword (7)

As they approached the village, Yunmyeong deliberately disembarked from the carriage early.

“I’ll rest at a nearby inn. Stable the carriage and come find me when you’re done.”

“Understood,” Sohwal replied, heading toward a stable to secure the carriage.

The reason for his caution was the luxurious ebony carriage, which could attract unwanted attention. His affiliation and identity were too dangerous to reveal carelessly, so he took extra precautions. He wore a dark, plain robe instead of his usual Sword Demon attire and pulled a bamboo hat with translucent veils low over his face.

Though he looked somewhat suspicious, such black-clad figures weren’t uncommon, so most would overlook him. This was a top-secret mission directly from the Heavenly Demon, requiring utmost discretion.

Yunmyeong stood before a bustling inn, crowded due to the evening hour.

“The village is big, so the inn’s sizable too. Quite a crowd,” he muttered. He preferred quiet settings and disliked commotion, but he wasn’t picky enough to complain during a mission.

Inside, he chose the least conspicuous corner seat and placed the cloth-wrapped demonic sword on the chair beside him, ensuring he’d notice if anyone tried to steal it. Though it was unlikely a thief would target a bundle of cloth without knowing its contents, caution never hurt.

Soon, a sweating waiter, busy with the crowd, approached.

“What’ll it be, sir?”

“Meat dumplings, plain noodles, and… one—no, two bottles of Qing fruit wine.”

“Meat dumplings, plain noodles, and two bottles of Qing fruit wine. Got it.”

The waiter hurried off.

As Yunmyeong sat quietly, Soul-Severing Blade, true to form, spoke in a mocking tone.

[Two bottles of wine? On an important mission? Getting drunk might be inconvenient.]

Though two bottles wouldn’t faze him, Yunmyeong caught the sword’s veiled jab about his tolerance and smirked.

“To a thing like you, who can’t even sip wine, two bottles might seem like a lot. But not to me.”

Normally, he’d have seriously countered that he wouldn’t get drunk, but days of relentless verbal sparring had sharpened his wit. His retort left the sword momentarily speechless.

[…The one who gave you this mission would be thrilled to see this.]

“They’re generous and will understand. Spare me your pointless concern.”

As they traded subtle barbs, the food arrived and was placed on his table.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Just then, Sohwal appeared, her face also veiled by a bamboo hat, and sat across from him.

“The carriage is stabled near the inn. I looked for other lodging, but this place is the best, so I booked here.”

“Good work. I ordered food for you too, so eat up.”

Knowing Sohwal’s fondness for noodles, Yunmyeong passed her a bowl of plain noodles.

“Thank you,” she said.

“No need to thank me. It’s paid for with mission funds. Besides, feeding my subordinate is part of my duty. Oh, and take this.”

He handed her one of the two bottles of Qing fruit wine.

“You’ve earned it for driving nonstop.”

“Thank you.”

Though its eye was covered, Soul-Severing Blade overheard their exchange and pieced together the situation.

[Oh, you care for your subordinate? Hard to imagine, given the cranky, foolish side you show me.]

Yunmyeong replied in a low voice so Sohwal wouldn’t hear.

“That’s because my subordinate isn’t a defective piece of junk like you.”

[Too good a subordinate for you.]

“And I’m too good a master for a defective thing like you to serve.”

Rustle

The knot on the cloth covering the sword’s eye loosened slightly, revealing a sliver of its red eye. As light hit its long-darkened vision, the eye darted around, taking in the unfamiliar inn, the food, and Yunmyeong and Sohwal eating and drinking.

Watching them, Soul-Severing Blade forgot its current form and spoke.

[My lofty master, Yunmyeong. Those dumplings and wine look tasty. Care to share?]

Yunmyeong tilted his head, eyeing the sword oddly.

“Oh, the cloth came loose. But why ask for food when you don’t have a mouth?”

Realizing its situation, the sword replied with a mix of embarrassment and regret.

[Oh, right. My mistake.]

Yunmyeong stared at it strangely, then his expression turned serious as a thought struck him.

“Wait. You don’t mean…”

A realization hit him.

‘Was this thing… human once?’

He’d assumed the sword was created with consciousness, not that it housed a human soul. That would be too cruel and tragic.

Dropping the dumpling he was eating, he asked in a shaken voice, louder than intended, forgetting Sohwal’s presence.

“You… were you human before?”

Sohwal looked at him with concern.

“Sir?”

But Yunmyeong’s gaze remained fixed on the sword.

[Did you think I was born like this? I had a body once.]

“…”

His expression softened, different from usual.

Seeing this, Soul-Severing Blade shouted in an agitated tone.

[Don’t look at me like that! Are you pitying me?! Don’t forget—I’ll take your body and live again. So stop looking at me like that!]

The sword’s denial only deepened Yunmyeong’s turmoil.

‘The blacksmith said it was alone in a cave, rusted. How long was it alone?’

His gaze trembled as he looked at the sword, then he clamped his mouth shut and turned away.

Only then did he notice Sohwal’s worried look.

“Sorry, I haven’t rested properly, so I’m hearing things. Don’t worry. A few nights’ sleep will fix it.”

“…Understood.”

Sohwal was concerned but knew showing it would discomfort her superior, so she stayed quiet.

After the exchange with the sword, Yunmyeong, lost in thought, barely touched his dumplings, picking at them absentmindedly.

Unable to suppress her worry, Sohwal cautiously spoke.

“Sir, are you really—”

“Aaaagh!”

“You bastard! I told you you’d die if you messed up one more time!”

A girl’s scream and a man’s harsh shout came from outside.

All eyes in the inn turned toward the door.

“A scream outside?”

“What’s going on?”

Crash! Thud!

“Aaaagh!”

The sounds of breaking objects and pained screams grew closer.

“They’re coming this way!”

“Hey, shouldn’t we get out?”

“No! Not another commotion in my inn…!”

Before the innkeeper finished, the wooden door shattered, and a girl flew in, tumbling across the floor.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

Covered in bruises and wounds, the girl struggled to rise, but a man stormed in and kicked her stomach, sending her rolling again.

Thwack!

“Gah!”

“You’re doing this on purpose, huh? Trying to screw me over?”

The sudden chaos startled everyone in the inn, and some hurriedly slipped out.

“Who’s that?”

“What’s happening?”

“Look at that.”

Some whispered, pointing at the man’s shoulder, where “Red Ox” was embroidered. Recognizing it, they shut their mouths and averted their eyes.

The inn fell silent, save for the girl’s groans and the Red Ox thug’s footsteps.

In that silence, the first to speak was…

“Damn it. My wine’s ruined.”

It was Yunmyeong.

He frowned at the wood shards floating in his glass.

Naturally, all eyes, including the Red Ox thug’s menacing glare, turned to him.

Drawing attention, Yunmyeong stood and spoke to Sohwal.

“It’s getting noisy. Let’s go.”

As they rose quietly, the thug’s gaze returned to the girl.

“See? You keep causing trouble. Shut up and come with me.”

“No!” the girl screamed, dragging her injured body across the floor.

Anyone could see she needed help, but no one stepped forward.

There were many reasons, but the biggest was the man’s affiliation: the Red Ox Sect, a black-path faction dominating the area. Once mere thugs, their leader and lieutenants had recently grown powerful, skyrocketing their influence. Opposing them here was tantamount to suicide.

For different reasons, Yunmyeong also ignored the girl.

A Heavenly Demon Cult grandmaster drawing his sword for the oppressed was laughable, and with a critical mission from the Heavenly Demon, he didn’t want to cause trouble.

As he stepped toward the broken door, Soul-Severing Blade’s voice reached him.

[Not going to help her?]

“…”

[Can’t even save the scared child in your heart—how could a weakling like you save anyone?]

The sword sneered.

[Keep walking. Ignore her, just like you’ve ignored your heart’s wounds. Truly fitting for my proud, lofty master. So admirable.]

Twitch

A vein bulged on Yunmyeong’s forehead.

“You… today, I’ll—”

“Shut up.”

Provoked by the sword, Yunmyeong snapped loudly.

Swish

The problem was, his outburst interrupted the Red Ox thug.

“Hey, buddy. What’d you just say?”

Yunmyeong glanced back, realizing his mistake, and spoke.

“Sorry for interrupting. I’ll leave, so carry on.”

But the thug, publicly humiliated, wasn’t about to let it slide.

“No, no. That won’t do. I need to hear what you said to me.”

Sauntering over, he bumped Yunmyeong’s chest with his head.

Tap tap

“What. Did. You. Say?”

Tap

Seeing the thug persist despite being given a chance, Yunmyeong’s already frayed patience hit rock bottom.

“Ha…”

“What, a sigh? You sighing at me?”

Chuckling in disbelief, the thug’s face turned menacing as he leaned in, threatening.

“Listen, buddy, I don’t know who you are, but mess with the Red Ox Sect around here, and you’re done.”

Yunmyeong stared silently, and the thug shouted, swatting his bamboo hat.

“Hey! You deaf—gah!”

But then—

Crack

Yunmyeong grabbed the thug’s neck, his voice icy.

“Three times.”

“G-Gah! You… do you know who I—”

“That’s how many chances you missed.”

His face cold, Yunmyeong glared down at the thug.

“You had three chances to live. Sadly, you’re out of chances now.”