I silently stared at Moyong Baek’s office.

Just imagining the Poison Demon and the Sword Demon from my past life talking inside there made me feel strangely off.

To be honest, the Sword Demon’s situation is complicated and difficult.

How difficult, you ask?

It’s a riddle even someone like the Sword Demon can’t solve.

It must be just as difficult for Moyong Baek.

But to me, the very act of arranging this meeting held meaning.

I don't know why.

Because I’m always in the dark about a lot of things.

There is, however, one thing I know for certain.

This is a problem Moyong Baek can’t solve, the Sword Demon can’t solve, and I can’t solve either.

But the three of us together might be better than facing it alone.

***

As soon as Moyong Baek saw the Sword Demon sitting across from him, he involuntarily swallowed. He couldn’t figure out where the Master of Haomun kept finding these monstrous men.

Not just his martial skill, but even his mental state seemed unshakable—he was at a loss for words.

The Sword Demon noticed the young physician was tense and opened his mouth.

“No need to be nervous.”

“Yes, sir. What should I call you?”

“Me? Hmm. That’s a bit ambiguous.”

Moyong Baek smiled and asked,
“Since you're my elder, shall I call you Hyungnim?”

The Sword Demon shook his head and replied,
“No one has ever called me that. I thought you were just a physician, but you’ve trained in martial arts as well, so call me sunbae, like the Master of Haomun does.”

Moyong Baek replied,
“Would you prefer being called sunbae?”

When the Sword Demon nodded, Moyong Baek said in a flat tone,
“Then I’ll call you Hyungnim.”

“……”

“Should I call you patient instead?”

As the Sword Demon blinked at him, Moyong Baek lowered his head slightly.

“Just joking.”

The Sword Demon said in a calm tone,
“No wonder you’re the sworn brother of the Master of Haomun. Birds of a feather.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“That’s up to the listener.”

The Sword Demon let out a sigh and glanced around the study.

“You read a lot of books.”

“Yes. Martial arts manuals, medical texts, ancient scrolls, and rare old novels. Do you enjoy reading too, sunbae?”

“I do.”

“What do you usually read?”

“Martial arts books.”

“And besides those?”

“I used to read Laozi’s writings from time to time, but even then, I read them by applying martial principles. Have you read it?”

“I have.”

“What did you think?”

“There were mostly incomprehensible things, so I shut it pretty quickly. Did it help you at all, sunbae?”

“No. I found it unnecessary and forgot it all.”

Moyong Baek wet his dry lips.

“Ruthless, aren’t you?”

“That’s how I am.”

“Why does the Master of Haomun refer to you as a patient? From what I can see, you seem completely fine.”

The Sword Demon nodded, then unfastened the Bright Sword and placed it on the table.

“Care to draw it?”

Moyong Baek answered with a tense face,
“This won’t kill me, will it?”

The Sword Demon smiled.

“Would I dare harm an acquaintance of the Master of Haomun?”

“Well then, I’ll give it a try.”

Moyong Baek reached out with both hands, drew the Bright Sword, and as soon as he heard the ear-piercing ghostly wail, he hastily sheathed it.

He said,
“The sword screams. It must be in pain, doesn’t it?”

The Sword Demon, rarely laughing aloud, responded,
“You seem to see everything as a patient.”

“Occupational hazard.”

“There are very rare swords that cry out of their own accord. They’re not normal swords.”

“So this is what they call a demon sword. Did you make it, sunbae?”

“Of course not. It was forced upon me when I was young.”

“By your family?”

The Sword Demon nodded.

Moyong Baek cleared his throat, took a white handkerchief from a drawer, and wiped his forehead.

“Is there a way to break that forced bond?”

“There might be, but I never learned how.”

“If you knew how, would you sever it?”

“I can’t—not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because that would be like asking me to die.”

Moyong Baek nodded.

“Do you mean you'd die the moment the bond is broken? Or that losing the demon sword would weaken you so much you’d fall to your enemies?”

“Probably the latter.”

Moyong Baek nodded again.

“Then breaking the bond lightly would be a mistake.”

“Indeed.”

“Still, the reason the Master of Haomun brought you here is because merely having this demon sword poses a problem. Please explain.”

“That’s the part that’s hard to explain.”

The Sword Demon gently stroked the Bright Sword.

“At a certain point, my growth began to slow, but this thing keeps growing stronger endlessly, as if feeding on enemies like a living creature. I survived among demons thanks to this sword... but now, the fact that I depend on it fills me with disgrace. Disgust, even. You understand what I mean? I start to wonder if maybe... I’m weaker than this demon sword. And yet I can’t simply cast it aside. Still, compared to dying in defeat...”

The Sword Demon trailed off, and silence fell for a moment.

Moyong Baek asked,
“So that’s the story. What’s the sword’s name?”

“It’s called Bright Light.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“That’s quite an unfitting name. Let me handle it again.”

Once the Sword Demon gave his permission, Moyong Baek drew the Bright Sword again. This time, the ghostly wail was gentle and prolonged, unlike before.

After swallowing once, Moyong Baek said,
“This wail is different from the first.”

“The Bright Sword is unstable and does as it pleases. I use it to survive, but its unpredictability makes me wonder if one day it’ll devour me instead.”

Moyong Baek set the Bright Sword down and crossed his arms.

“Should I say a normal person? Or an average martial artist? If someone like that got this sword, they’d keep killing and growing stronger. Kill, and kill again, growing endlessly. They likely wouldn’t regret it either. First, they’d take revenge. And if there’s no one left to take revenge on, they’d fight until they became the greatest under heaven. Of course, if they met someone they couldn’t beat, even this demon sword wouldn’t save them. That’s Jianghu. A world where common sense and morality are trampled, and overwhelming power is regarded as the only truth.”

The Sword Demon looked at Moyong Baek.

“And?”

“Weren’t you born into a demonic family, sunbae?”

“Yes.”

“There must have been a time you accepted what your family taught. But at some point, your thoughts diverged. Perhaps you came to believe that it wasn’t necessary to grow stronger through indiscriminate slaughter... or that you had no desire to absorb the weak. Feelings like that. Your family wouldn’t have taught those. And if you trained hard on your own on top of that, you’re more than entitled to feel disgrace. But I wouldn’t say you’ve fallen to a heart demon.”

“You’re saying it’s not a heart demon?”

“Yes.”

“Then what is it? This horrible disgrace and emptiness... these complicated emotions too tangled to even name...”

“It’s responsibility.”

“……”

Moyong Baek clasped his fingers and looked at the Sword Demon.

“A sense of responsibility to live while upholding the last bit of human decency, despite being born human and raised under demonic influence. A very high form of responsibility. Because, surely, the environment you lived through was brutal.”

“How would you know that?”

“You told me yourself. You said you survived among demons. The stronger the demons, the greater the psychological pressure you must have endured. All you wanted was to survive, but hardship must have been all around you. If you’d had a weaker disposition or been a little more reckless, you’d have never felt this responsibility. You’d have just swung that demon sword and met whatever fate it led to. Sunbae, could you readily hand this sword over to someone else?”

The Sword Demon shook his head.

“Not easily.”

“Who would live while exercising that much restraint with a sword like this? It’s no easy task. So keep using it. And if, someday, you reach a breaking point... then give it to the Master of Haomun.”

The Sword Demon answered with a surprised look.

“To the Master? You’re saying he should use it?”

Moyong Baek calmly shook his head.

“No. With his personality, he’d probably snap this cursed sword in two the moment he laid eyes on it.”

The Sword Demon replied, looking somewhat shocked.

“Why would he…”

Moyong Baek heard, “Why would you do that with such a valuable thing?”

He replied flatly,
“Because you, sunbae, are more important than the sword, so the sword would be broken.”

“Hm.”

“After breaking it in a fit of rage, you’d probably run to Cheolbang, throw it in the furnace, and watch it melt down into molten metal. You’d likely curse it too.”

“I see. I think that’s exactly what would happen.”

Moyong Baek nodded, then gently stroked the Bright Sword.

“Yes, it’s indeed a rare and valuable sword, but when I think about it, it’s just a weapon. Do I dare to predict when it might go berserk? The person who knows the sword best is you, sunbae. And the person who could most effectively control this sword is you as well. The pain you feel isn’t from a heart demon—it’s from a sense of responsibility.”

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you think I feel that sense of responsibility just because I carry this sword? I mean, there was a time when I recklessly swung this sword without thinking. I’m starting to sound tangled up, aren’t I? Understand?”

“Yes. If you had truly gone on a rampage, the Master wouldn’t have brought you here with that expression. Since you have self-control and can hold a conversation, that’s why I was introduced to you. I’m not a great master like you or the Master of Haomun. After talking to you, I can understand. The sword is a monster, but you’re no demon.”

The Sword Demon glared at Moyong Baek.

“My nickname is Sword Demon.”

“I know.”

“Did the Master tell you?”

“No. I’ve just heard the nickname. Sunbae, I realized that the ominous name of this demon sword, ‘Bright Light,’ and the fact that a man called Sword Demon might not actually be a demon. Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but the only way for a person to do what they should with this sword is to carry it properly. If that happens, the sword’s name stays Bright Light, and the person remains human.”

Moyong Baek held the Bright Sword with both hands and offered it to the Sword Demon.

“Is it a demon sword, or a bright sword? This ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ matter lies with the swordsman.”

The Sword Demon locked eyes with Moyong Baek, then grabbed the Bright Sword.

“It’s up to the swordsman, then.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll engrave this in my heart.”

“Don’t engrave it too deeply.”

“Why?”

“That might become a wound too.”

The two shared a brief silence before Moyong Baek continued.

“Please look after the Master of Haomun, who sometimes loses his mind. Come visit when you have time. If you occasionally respond to his nonsense, you might get a chuckle.”

“I’ve done that sometimes.”

“A chuckle is still a form of laughter, so it’s a good thing.”

The Sword Demon finally relaxed his expression a bit.

“Good. It’s been a pleasure, Moyong-seonsaeng.”

Moyong Baek almost made a joke but stopped himself before extending his hand.

“Shall we go out?”

“Weren’t you going to say something?”

“I’ll save the joke for next time.”

The two left the office, their expressions awkward and unsure.

***

I woke up and immediately sensed the presence of Moyong Baek and the Sword Demon, and realized I was snoring.

“……”

The color demon jumped up and said,
“Master, you’re up.”

I naturally got up, with my double-lidded eyes, and put my hands behind my back.

“You’re up? Good. Let’s go eat.”

My voice was hoarse, likely from thirst.

The Sword Demon looked at me and responded,
“Master, did you sleep well?”

I nodded and replied,
“Being able to sleep anywhere is a skill in itself.”

“I see.”

I watched the expressions of the Sword Demon and Moyong Baek. Both seemed the same as usual, so I couldn’t tell what had happened.

Anyway, I reached into the side pouch.

“Moyong-seonsaeng, we’ll see each other again.”

Moyong Baek stepped forward and grabbed my arm.

“Master, I won’t accept it today.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t even prepare medicine for sunbae. We should buy you a meal later.”

“Should I?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and pointed at the color demon.

“Be especially careful with this one. If he comes alone, don’t treat him like a patient. Did you understand my words?”

Moyong Baek nodded.

“I’ll remember.”

I met the color demon’s eyes and spoke first.

“Shut up.”

“……”

The atmosphere was so awkward that I glanced around before speaking.

“Is it strange, the atmosphere? Am I the only one feeling this awkward? Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?”

Since no one responded, I gave up.

“……Let’s go.”