Heo Cham was swinging his Zanbato in the training ground.
"..."
Even while swinging the Zanbato, the words Cheon Myeong had said kept echoing in Heo Cham's mind.
Cheon Myeong's words that he wouldn't be able to defeat Jeonjong with his current skills.
Because those words were firmly stuck in his mind, Heo Cham couldn't stay still for a mont.
The Zanbato, which had been flying about in the air, soon landed on the ground.
Simultaneously, letting out a rough breath, Heo Cham stood still, leaning against the Zanbato.
'Where on earth did the Young Master go?'
Until the morning, Cheon Myeong had been here with Heo Cham.
However, after leaving the training ground saying he had so business to attend to, Cheon Myeong had not returned for several hours.
'It's certain that the Young Master is plotting sothing...'
The smile Cheon Myeong had before leaving the training ground was definitely that.
The smile of a mischievous child imagining how the results would change due to his prank.
But the problem was that the matter Cheon Myeong was currently plotting didn't seem like it would end as a re prank.
'A plot by that Young Master Cheon Myeong...'
Still, having spent so ti with Cheon Myeong, Heo Cham had managed to grasp what kind of person he was to so extent.
An inscrutable person.
At the sa ti, if you were on his side, he was trustworthy, but you never knew where he would jump next.
Especially since sothing always happened whenever Cheon Myeong smiled aningfully, Heo Cham was on edge.
'I hope he doesn't cause any unnecessary trouble...'
As Heo Cham was taking a short break and thinking, the door to the training ground opened and soone ca inside.
"Oh, you're still here?"
Speak of the devil.
Cheon Myeong was walking this way, speaking nonchalantly.
"Young Master!"
As Cheon Myeong appeared, Heo Cham greeted him as if he were glad to see him.
"What, have you been training here this whole ti?"
"Uh... I just rested and swung it a little."
"I told you to just rest until I ca back."
"I just couldn't stay still... I'm sorry."
Heo Cham said so and lightly bowed his head.
Then he raised his head and asked Cheon Myeong.
"By the way, Young Master, where have you been all this ti?"
It was already evening outside, so at least four hours had passed.
Where had Cheon Myeong gone and what had he been doing all that ti?
Heo Cham first asked Cheon Myeong that question.
"? I went to the Eighth Grinding Training Ground."
"Ah, to the Eighth Grinding Training Ground... What? The Eighth Grinding Training Ground!"
As Heo Cham shouted in surprise, Cheon Myeong covered his ears with both hands.
Still, Heo Cham couldn't easily calm his excitent and continued to speak to Cheon Myeong in a loud voice.
"Why on earth did you go there!"
The Eighth Grinding Training Ground. Heo Cham, of course, knew who was there.
Wasn't the target of his revenge right there?
But to hear that Cheon Myeong, not himself, had gone there, Heo Cham couldn't help but get excited.
"Did you et Jeonjong? Huh? Is that it?"
"Alright, I get it, so just quiet down a bit."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
As Cheon Myeong said that, Heo Cham realized he had been too excited.
He barely cald his excitent with a deep breath.
Seeing that, Cheon Myeong uncovered his ears.
"Well, where were we?"
"I asked why you went to the Eighth Grinding Training Ground and if you t Jeonjong there."
"Ah, right."
"..."
"To get to the point, I t him. And we had a duel."
Not only did he et Jeonjong, but he even had a duel with him?
Heo Cham couldn't understand the situation at all.
"Are you saying that because my skills were lacking, you took revenge on my behalf, Young Master?"
If that were really the case, Heo Cham felt he would have no choice but to be disappointed in Cheon Myeong.
Even if Cheon Myeong defeated Jeonjong in a duel on his behalf, could that be called true revenge?
Absolutely not.
Rather, he would feel even more miserable at the thought that he couldn't even get his own revenge properly and had to entrust it to Cheon Myeong.
"I think you're misunderstanding sothing."
"...?"
"I only went there to gauge his skill level."
"What? Why?"
"What do you an, why?"
Cheon Myeong asked as if he were serious and pointed at Heo Cham with his finger.
"I need to figure out his skill level and how he fights so I can train you accordingly, right?"
"You... you're going to train , Young Master?"
"Then who else is here besides you and ? Are you going to teach ?"
"..."
Of course not.
However, Heo Cham had never expected that Cheon Myeong had gone to the Eighth Grinding Training Ground for such a reason.
"From now on, you will continuously duel with ."
"..."
"I will fight in a way as similar to Jeonjong as possible. So watch carefully how I swing my sword and burn it into your eyes."
It was impossible for Heo Cham to win against Jeonjong with his current skills.
After sparring with Jeonjong directly, Cheon Myeong was even more certain of that fact.
'So, from now on, we begin the remodeling.'
Even for Cheon Myeong, it was difficult to raise Heo Cham's skills above Jeonjong's right away.
But wasn't Heo Cham trying to beco stronger solely to win against Jeonjong?
Then the job becos much easier.
If he narrowed the opponent down to one person and trained him accordingly, he could transform Heo Cham enough to win against Jeonjong even in a short period.
"It won't be familiar at first, but if you keep dueling with , you'll get a rough idea of how to fight Jeonjong."
"..."
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. You know what that ans, right?"
"...Young Master."
To think that was the reason Cheon Myeong had been away.
Heo Cham felt so moved that he thought he might cry.
"Young Master!"
Unable to contain his emotions, Heo Cham rushed towards Cheon Myeong.
Heo Cham had rushed with the intention of hugging Cheon Myeong, but Cheon Myeong reflexively turned his body and dodged him.
"Wh-what are you doing!"
"Young Master! I love you!"
"Uh...?"
"For you, Young Master, I can even offer my heart!"
'I don't think I'd take it even if you gave it to ...'
While Cheon Myeong was thinking that, Heo Cham, unable to control his emotions, rushed at him again.
Thwack-
At that mont, Cheon Myeong's fist struck Heo Cham's face.
A grown man rushing at him while confessing his love, his fist flew out without him realizing it.
In the end, Heo Cham was hit by Cheon Myeong's fist and fell flat on his back.
Thud-
Heo Cham lay unconscious, his limbs spread out like a dead frog.
Looking at him, Cheon Myeong realized he had swung his fist too hard.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
"..."
There was no answer.
Seeing the area hit by the fist swelling up, it seed he was out for the count.
"Well... can't be helped."
Actually, this was better.
It wouldn't be too late to rest for a while and start the training when Heo Cham woke up.
"Young Master... I love you..."
Heo Cham muttered, even while unconscious.
Watching him, Cheon Myeong stealthily took a few steps back from Heo Cham.
-
Jeonjong, like any other day, stood blankly in a corner of the Eighth Grinding Training Ground, watching the mbers train.
However, unlike usual, his mind was troubled.
No, to be precise, Jeonjong had been in this state ever since the duel with Cheon Myeong.
'Since then, Young Master Cheon Myeong hasn't shown his face at all.'
That was already half a month ago.
That much ti had already passed since Cheon Myeong had suddenly visited the Eighth Grinding Training Ground and had a duel with him.
However, Jeonjong still didn't know with what intention Cheon Myeong had dueled him.
"..."
Since he had said, "See you again," he had thought that Cheon Myeong would definitely show himself again within half a month.
But Cheon Myeong didn't appear even as ti passed.
Were the words "See you again" just sothing he said?
As so much ti passed, Jeonjong had no choice but to think that way.
'Then why did he duel with ?'
It wasn't a simple duel either.
A duel that he didn't end even though he could have.
At the ti, he had thought it was nothing more than Cheon Myeong toying with him, but thinking about it now, Jeonjong felt that might not have been the case.
'Yes... thinking about it now, it felt like Young Master Cheon Myeong was observing my skills back then.'
If he said that he deliberately didn't end the duel for that reason, then everything fell into place.
Then why would Cheon Myeong go to such lengths to examine his skills?
Jeonjong's thoughts naturally led to that question.
'As expected... did he check my skills before trying to pull into his faction?'
That duel was highly likely a test of sorts.
If he passed Cheon Myeong's standard, he would beco part of the sa faction; if he didn't et the standard, he would fail.
Facts he hadn't realized at the ti suddenly began to surface in Jeonjong's mind.
'Does that an... I failed?'
Just seeing that Cheon Myeong hadn't appeared before him for half a month, didn't that an exactly that?
If he had passed, he would have made the offer right after the duel ended.
Or maybe it was ambiguous, so he was put on hold.
That's why he had said, "See you again," and he might be in the middle of deciding whether to pull him into his faction or not.
'Then I might still have a chance!'
Half a month seed quite long for a period of consideration, but since Cheon Myeong had a very cautious personality, couldn't he be deliberating for that long?
No, rather, a matter like this must be chosen with caution.
From the mont they beca part of the sa faction, Cheon Myeong and he would be in the sa boat.
If Cheon Myeong beca the Young Leader, that boat would head to paradise; if he failed, it would be a sinking ship.
'Yes, one must be cautious with such matters. Yes, absolutely.'
Jeonjong thought so and was arbitrarily running a happy circuit in his mind.
And at that mont, as if reacting to Jeonjong's happy circuit, a man approached him.
"Leader, a guest has arrived."
"What? Did you say Young Master Cheon Myeong is here?"
"Huh?"
"You said a guest has arrived! It's Young Master Cheon Myeong, right? Right?"
As Jeonjong asked, the man scratched his head as if troubled.
"No, it's not."
"It's not?"
The mont he heard that, disappointnt was written all over Jeonjong's face.
"...Then who is it?"
"Well...? It was a man I've never seen before."
"'Well'? I told you to first ask for the guest's na and purpose of visit when they arrive!"
"W-well, that's..."
"Do you want your salary cut?"
As Jeonjong said that, the man began to rub his hands together urgently.
"Please forgive just this once!"
"...This is your last warning."
"Th-thank you!"
Fortunately, having avoided the disaster of a salary cut, the man let out a sigh of relief.
Then he carefully asked Jeonjong again.
"Leader, what should I do with the guest who is looking for you?"
"..."
If it wasn't Cheon Myeong, there was no need to be so deferential.
Moreover, if it was an opponent whose face he couldn't even rember, his rank wouldn't be that high either.
"Bring him here."
"Understood."
As Jeonjong gave the order, the man scurried towards the entrance.
And a mont later.
Jeonjong spotted the person walking towards him, and his eyes widened as if he couldn't believe it.
Thump- Thump-
A man was walking this way with heavy steps.
The man's build wasn't large. However, what he was carrying on his back was so enormous that it made him seem several tis larger than he actually was.
'Why is that guy...!'
A man walking towards Jeonjong.
Heo Cham looked at Jeonjong, who was staring at him, and flashed a aningful smile.
(End of Chapter)
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