1220 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Thud. I paused, startled by the man who had collapsed. Instinctively, I had struck him. When he brandished a sword at my neck, I couldn’t hold back. "Oh, sorry. It was involuntary." I tried speaking to the person gasping for air. He seemed slightly older than his early twenties. He looked disoriented, likely from the blow he took. That's when I cautiously approached him. Whoosh-!!! "Whoa." A dagger came flying sharply. I turned my head and dodged it. Fast. ‘Was the surprise attack successful?’ It seemed the person wasn’t low-leveled. He appeared quite skilled for his age. Evading his attack, I advanced forward, taking a step and raising my hand. Thud-!! I smacked away the hand throwing the dagger. It was heavy. I could feel the force imbued in it. "......!" His trajectory warped. The young man looked visibly surprised. The back of his hand throbbed. The impact was significant. ‘He’s not primarily a dagger user.’ Although his level showed some proficiency, there were gaps in his distinctive movements. Which means. ‘He’s not an assassin.’ He’s closer to being a bodyguard than an assassin. Thunk-! I shoved his knee with my foot. When he tried to charge, I threw him off balance. “Ugh!?” He staggered and almost fell over. I could've just finished it by striking his chin. I tightened my grip and aimed to attack his chin. "Huh?" Before my fist reached him, I saw his face. Whoosh-!! “Ugh!?” My fist grazed his cheek. I narrowly avoided hitting his chin. And then. Slam. “Argh!?” I grabbed his face and pulled it close. "……This face……." How should I describe it? “You resemble someone.” He looked like someone I knew well. Whose face is this? It's strangely familiar, with a gentle appearance. This face is... "Ah." It came to me. "Mu Yeon?" "……!" At my words, the young man's eyes widened in shock. "You…… how do you know my son's name-!” “Eh?” "Who are you!" He moved angrily. For a moment, I was taken aback. "Son……?" Mu Yeon is his son? After hearing that, I couldn’t react immediately. Swish-!! A sword came flying. Ah, I thought as I hastily moved my body. "Mu Jin." Freeze. At the low voice, the young man halted. ‘Mu Jin?’ Hearing the name, I narrowed my eyes. It was someone I knew. ‘That person.’ The middle-aged man who served as Lady Mi’s bodyguard. His name was definitely Mu Jin. So. ‘……Is this man Mu Yeon's father?’ Mu Yeon was his son. This was new information to me. "……Danju." "Stand down." "But." "Do you intend to disobey an order?" “…….” With that, Mu Jin adjusted his stance and stepped back. His glare at me was fiercely intense. The newcomer was an elderly man. A middle-aged man with more than half of his hair turned white. ‘……Ah.’ I recognized who this middle-aged man was. Having met him once, it was only natural I knew. A middle-aged man. He was likely in the position of Baekhwa Sangdanju right now. Moreover. ‘A member of the Gu family’s lineage.’ He was likely a direct lineage of the family head. "Who might you be?" Baekhwa Sangdanju asked me. "……I’m Baek Yangcheon from the Blue Dragon Squad." "Baek Yangcheon……." Hearing my name, Sangdanju narrowed his eyes. He had fewer wrinkles than before, but he was unmistakably the same person. "I see. Are you the disciple of Paejon?" "……Yes." He already knew my details. I wasn’t surprised. It was unsurprising for someone at the level of Baekhwa Sangdan to know. It's just. "I also heard you might be born in the Gu family." “…….” I didn’t expect to hear such a thing right now. ‘Was someone listening in?’ The amount of information exceeded my expectations. "Your appearance does make that speculation plausible." He commented on my features. More precisely, he seemed to be referring to my eyes. The sharp, elongated eyes were a prominent feature of the Gu family. "Please forgive the bodyguard’s rudeness. He is new to his role and tends to be sensitive." "Ah, it’s alright." "Thank you for understanding. So, what brings you here?" "It's nothing urgent. I needed to see the small danju for a bit. If she’s busy, I can come back later." Seeing Mi Hyoran's stern expression as I spoke, Sangdanju also looked at her. "……It’s fine. Our discussion has concluded, so feel free to talk." With that, Sangdanju turned away. “We’ll talk later.” “……It won't change anything even if we talk later.” Mi Hyoran’s chilly tone swept through the space. Sangdanju stared at her intently at those words. But that was all. "Let’s go." "……Yes." As Sangdanju moved, Mu Jin followed. Shortly after, the two passed by me and exited. Once they disappeared, I approached Mi Hyoran. “Did I come at a bad time?” “No……. You came at a good time. I needed someone right now.” It sounded more like she needed a reason than a person. Then Mi Hyoran let out a small sigh and looked at me to ask. “Seems you had a good trip.” “Yes. I went appropriately.” “Really? That’s good to hear.” Though her expression suggested otherwise, it was fine. I knew she typically behaved this way. "You seemed to be having an unusual conversation. Is it alright if I ask about it?" “You understand I don’t have to answer, right?” “Yes, you’re free to do as you please.” I had no intention of forcing an answer if she didn’t want to give one. Conversations that people are reluctant to discuss often lead to troublesome situations when overheard. So I made it clear I wouldn’t listen, and Mi Hyoran looked at me with curious eyes. "By the way." “Yes?” "Are you really of Gu family blood?" “…….” I swallowed dryly. Sangdanju’s words echoed, but it seemed Mi Hyoran had heard something too. “……Do I need to answer that?” “You don’t have to. But that just means I’ll imagine it as I please.” "Isn't it more like a prediction rather than an imagination?" "Why do you ask about it?" When I asked why she suddenly brought up the Gu family, Mi Hyoran chuckled. ‘She’s laughing?’ It felt like the first time I'd seen Mi Hyoran smile since I arrived in this world. "It's nothing significant. I’d never really thought about it before, but you seem to resemble someone." "Resemble? Me?" "Yes." "Who?" "The Blue Dragon Vice Commander." "……." She was talking about my father. Hearing that, I narrowed my eyes. ‘I’ve never heard such a thing.’ I am his child, yet hearing this was almost foreign to me. I had heard things like how I didn’t resemble my father, or that a tiger's child is no better than a dog. "Out of nowhere...? What about? My face?" "Isn't that a bit too much?" "……." If not, then what’s that supposed to mean? Those words kind of hurt. "Not the face. It's your attitude of seeming indifferent to matters not involving you. It made me wonder if you were siblings." "No, I'm not." "Are you really not siblings?" "Yes. I swear I’m not." We weren’t really siblings, so I wasn’t lying. "Hmm…… Is that so." Mi Hyoran nodded with a dubious look. She didn’t seem convinced at all. "Anyway, it's nothing big. Just……." Mi Hyoran’s eyes sharpened as she spoke. “They were asking if I had any thoughts about getting engaged to the Namgung family." "……What?" I paused. It was something I had heard before. The context was completely different, though. "Engagement……?" "Yes. Sigh." Her face was filled with annoyance. "What's that woman up to anyway?" There was no need to ask who that woman referred to. ‘……It must be about Hyun So-yeon.’ It seemed obvious that she was talking about Hyun So-yeon. “If she only did things correctly, she’d at least be average. What exactly did she do......?” "What are you talking about……?" "You should know." "Me?" "The fact that the engagement with Namgung family was brought up…… means there’s trouble on their end." Crack. Mi Hyoran clenched her fist tightly. The pressure was audible. "What has been going on? This is different from what I heard." ‘A story?’ Her words piqued my curiosity. What story was she referring to? "Sigh…… Forget it. I’m not going to bother. I’m not going through with it anyway." "You’re not going to?" "Do you think I would?" "……." Her eyes said, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Indeed, it was a strange notion. Lady Mi actually seemed to despise Namgung Jin. It was painfully clear she had feelings for my father, so it made sense she wouldn’t want to. ‘Hmm……’ It felt like things were tangled up. ‘The fact that the Sangdanju brought it up……’ It means there’s an unexpected issue on the Namgung side. Or. ‘Did Namgung Jin do something?’ It might have been the case. ‘Tsk.’ My head was spinning. What should I do? Just as I was mulling over this— “……Alright, whatever. Baek Gongja's business should be inside, so why don’t you go in?” Mi Hyoran addressed me. “Business?” “That’s what you came for, isn’t it? Isn’t it?” She didn’t ask who it was. It was as if she already understood my purpose. “……Oh, yes. That’s right.” “Go on in.” “Yes.” I received her permission and cautiously made my way forward. Heading toward the place ahead. At that moment. Creak-!! “Whoa!” “……!?” Someone burst out from inside and collided into me. It was Mother. “Aha! That startled…….” Mother greeted me with a bright smile, but then suddenly paused. "Uh-oh?" And then her reaction followed. "Something’s changed about you?" "……." With those words, her ruby-like eyes sparkled. Very vividly.