Ilhwageomjon came to see me again the next night.

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘there’s a third chance.’ Today is the last fight.”

It was unclear whether her visit was due to the importance of her promise to her father or the pleasure of yesterday's rain.

"great."

I gladly accepted the third mission.

“I came back after drawing in the first round of the match yesterday and slept all day. When I lost the first day, I couldn’t even breathe, but the day I came back after drawing, I slept like crazy. I wondered if I had ever slept this well.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

“That’s right, I’ve never really slept that deeply. So do you know what I was thinking?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Do I have to go and do some mud bathing every day to get a good night’s sleep?”

I laughed, and Ilhwageomjon also smiled and drew his sword.

After one fight, we separated and rested for a while.

And we asked questions whenever we had questions.

“During the twenty-third attack earlier, you dodged to the left. Why was it to the left? Wasn’t the right faster?”

“The reason I dodge to the right was to reduce the number of people who would do well. If I dodge to the right, the people who would do well would have three options. But if I dodge to the left, there were only two.”

“It’s because of my center of gravity.”

“Yes.”

If you become a master like me and Geomjon, you can replay the fight like in Baduk even if it takes hundreds of moves.

When I asked him a question, Geomjon told me his thoughts without hiding them.

If you listen, you will know. Is this person really speaking to me sincerely or not? If my father heard, he would scold me for not knowing what people were thinking, but at least Geomjon answered sincerely.

She also asked me questions when she had questions. I answered them with my own thoughts. Just as I felt sincerity from her, she also felt that my answers were not empty. There is no harm in teaching. It was the same when I taught Ian, but I learned more when I taught.

“I don’t know when it was. I’ve never been this purely immersed in martial arts. Maybe it was the first time.”

Given her age and position, the word "first" wasn't something that could be said easily.

“What about me?”

“Okay, shall we start again?”

"great!"

This time, as if they had made a promise, they flew into the air and fought. This fight was literally an air battle.

If it seemed like they were going to fall to the ground, they would launch their opponents into the air by stepping on them and making a leaping attack. During this process, they never made a surprise attack. They helped each other and continued to fly and exchanged swords.

A splendid sword light decorated the night sky, and we flew until we had exhausted all our aerodynamic strength, then descended into the smokescreen.

In the training hall, only my breathing and hers could be heard. If it had been the first day of the competition, the outcome would have been decided by who could catch their breath first, but we didn't care at all.

“Do you have any alcohol?”

She, who doesn't drink, found alcohol.

“Yes, there is.”

I went into the house and brought out some alcohol.

“This is a good drink.”

“You know a lot about alcohol, don’t you?”

“Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean I don’t know. And I used to drink it too.”

She and I drank together. There was a special charm to drinking together with Geomjon and Bimu. She had quit drinking a long time ago, but she drank often. It was to the point where I thought she might be drinking alone and secretly.

“Lee Gongja, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, senior.”

“Why did you suddenly change like this? Wasn’t he originally like this? I didn’t observe Lee Gongja closely, but I had a rough idea of ​​what kind of person he was.”

“It wasn’t a sudden change, I’ve been preparing for it for a long time.”

“You lived hiding your true self?”

“It’s similar. If I had revealed my true colors when I was too young, my brother would have killed me. I crouched down until I could protect myself.”

“Lee Gongja is a really scary person.”

When the bottle of alcohol we had been sharing was empty, she said.

“Let’s do it one last time.”

I was surprised. Ilhwageomjon's tone of speech had changed.

She, who always used honorifics, started to speak to me naturally.

“It might sound strange, but when I’m with a scientist, I feel like I’m with a friend.”

Maybe she felt a cross-section of my past life. In front of my father or Ian, I would constantly tease and joke around so as not to bring up the darkness, hardship, and years of the past, but not in front of her. Especially during the rain, I was more serious than anyone else.

We learn from the masters and also from the beginners. The difference in enlightenment is so powerful that we often neglect learning from our peers. We belittle the value of learning from the same person, saying, “The same old thing is the same old thing.”

But today I realized that rice with that vegetable might be the best dinner ever.

We fought after talking, we fought while learning, we fought while realizing. Now we put down our glasses and fought. I dare say it.

Our fight was elegant. We had no murderous intent to harm our opponents, only the nobility of wanting to enjoy the fight.

And through all this, I never once mentioned the Bloodthirsty Horse. I forgot even the thought of getting her on my side.

So we exchanged our last superb blows, clashing powerfully and exploding spectacularly.

“It may be irreverent, but I felt like I had a friendship with my senior through the sword.”

She agreed with my sentiments.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship we will have in the future, but the secret meeting I had with Lee Gongja today will remain in my memory forever.”

Ilhwageomjon also considered the value of this weapon important.

“Yes, I will never forget it. Thank you for teaching me so much.”

“Did I really teach you?”

You may think that you have received more than you deserve.

But I'm sure I learned more. She learned a few lessons, but I absorbed them all.

I've thought a lot about the Bicheon Sword Technique over the past three days, and the system of Daesung that I've firmly established has been shaken.

I could tell. The walls of the Ten Stars had collapsed, and now my realm was starting to move towards the Twelve Stars. My heart began to beat at the new change that had come after a long time.

We didn't say goodbye.

Ilhwageomjon pulled out the Ilhwageom and held ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) it out, and I responded with the Black Magic Sword.

visor!

Our fight ended with a clear farewell where swords clashed against swords.

* * *

Ilhwageomjon, who returned to his residence, was drinking alone.

After the match with Geommu-geuk ended, I felt a variety of emotions.

Three days passed as if I was possessed by something.

I remembered my first day in the rain.

All sorts of thoughts went through my head that day. I even thought about putting on a mask and going back to kill Geommugeuk.

The person he was that day and the person he is today were completely different people. They were the same person, but at least in terms of their relationship with the sword dance, they had become completely different people.

At that moment, Saujong's voice was heard outside the prison.

“It’s Woojong.”

As he came inside, he was holding a dish that would be a side dish. Saujong asked as he put the side dish down on the table.

“Do you have any concerns?”

In the time since I've been with her, I've never seen her drink alcohol.

But today, all of a sudden, I'm drinking alcohol.

'It's a bad omen.'

Saujong judged the situation as follows:

Because Ilhwageomjon had been moving so secretly, Saujong had no idea about the secret battles of the past three days.

Ilhwageomjon did not answer any of his questions.

At times like this, Saujong feels a strong sense of self-loathing. She has never shown herself openly to him even once. I thought it was because he was an emotionally dry person, but why is he suddenly drinking?

“Is this by any chance related to science and engineering?”

Ilhwageomjon glanced at Saujong. His eyes were cold, as if telling him not to talk nonsense.

“Nothing happened.”

Saujong quickly lowered his head.

“I said something unnecessary. I’m sorry.”

When she was feeling down, Saujong had a personalized prescription.

“Oh, I brought a new guy. He’s waiting in the secret room…….”

“Enough!”

"yes?"

“Now, men… please stop bringing them.”

“!”

For a moment, Saujong was startled.

He wasn't surprised that he was told to stop bringing men. The sword master was respectful to him. He felt as if he had been hit in the head.

'What? Why are you suddenly doing this?'

He was proud of the specialness that only he treated.

I thought I heard wrong, but that wasn't it.

Ilhwageomjon let out a light sigh.

“It was something I should have stopped a long time ago. No, it was something I should never have started in the first place.”

When Saujong first brought a young man, it was because of the lust of the moment that it became a problem.

Just once! Yes, just once. I can't even remember when I last slept with a guy. Let's just have fun just this once!

But there was never a single instance of lust opening a box.

Once became twice, and twice became three.

She closed her eyes tightly at Saujong's words that she was doing it because men wanted to and that she was helping them because they were giving her a lot of money. To be honest, she didn't even feel guilty later.

Lust has become a habit.

I was more afraid of habit than lust. It wasn't that enjoyable, but I couldn't quit.

But now it was time to stop. After finishing my time with Geommu-geuk, I felt it was time to start something new. With or without Geommu-geuk.

“Then I will send you back today. Just let me know whenever…….”

“It won’t happen again. Do you understand?”

Saujong lowered his head at the cold gaze.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Get out of here. And if you touch the young men under the pretense of keeping a secret, you will die by my hand.”

So far, the young men have been taken care of. They are paid properly, and they are sent away alive. They are not killed by the Saujong to keep the secret.

“That won’t happen.”

After hastily bowing his head and greeting, Saujong turned around.

His expression was set. He had used the men to gain favor, and he believed that this secret had solidified his position as the perfect second-in-command.

But what is that strange coldness? What is that confidence?

I was certain that I would be the next swordsman.

The sword master's heart was wavering. No, it was turning away from itself.

She knew the reason better than anyone else. It was the one person who had shaken her up recently.

'Sword Dance!'

* * *

That night, someone was waiting at Saujong's residence.

The woman's name is Cheongseon.

As one of the five disciples of the Demon Lord, she was a sorcerer.

Cheongseon ran into Saujong's arms as he entered the room and hugged him. The two had been dating for a year, and it was the height of their relationship.

Cheongseon spoke with a slightly discontented expression while being held in Saujong's arms.

“Can’t you take that picture off?”

Her gaze was directed to the painting on the wall. The woman in the painting was Ilhwageomjeon.

“Are you jealous of the painting too?”

“I’m not jealous. I know you’re loyal, but do you really need to hang a picture of that woman in your room?”

“The second-in-command of the Bukcheon Swordsmanship didn’t just happen.”

“I know. I know, but it makes me feel bad every time I see it.”

Cheongseon led Saujong to the bed.

“You know what? Today is the first time you’ve called me to see you. I’ve always been the one looking for you.”

“Was it so?”

“He’s the bluntest in the school.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“It’s because of that old lady, Geomjon.”

“Watch what you say.”

"sorry."

Cheongseon dug into him, and Saujong hugged her as fiercely as always.

But Saujong's gaze was directed at the painting hanging on the wall. The hot heat in his eyes was not loyalty.

Cheongseon didn't know that at this very moment, her man was thinking of another woman. A woman much older than herself.

When the groans of pleasure had died down, the words that would change their fate came out of Saujong's mouth. Those words were the beginning of the end of all relationships.

“……I have a favor to ask.”