The mont I ntioned the Small Moon Unit, the Moonlit Sword’s eyes narrowed.
A chill ran up my spine. Maybe it was my imagination, but the room felt colder.
I wanted to rub my arms, but held it in.
We hadn’t even started talking yet.
“The Small Moon Unit... I didn’t expect your interest to be there.”
“How could I not be interested. That’s why I’m asking.”
This wasn’t just anything; it was the sect’s elite corps. rely belonging to the Blue Moon Sect changed how the world looked at you, and this was the very top— the Small Moon Unit.
Not just anyone even got a glance.
As far as I knew, the Small Moon Unit...
“They were treated as honored guests at ordinary branches.”
If I took the Anhui Branch I’d worked at as example, when soone appeared with the Small Moon Unit seal, even the Branch Leader ca out to greet them.
Of course, I only saw the Small Moon Unit for the first ti after coming to the sect proper, so I can’t say for sure—only that’s what I’d heard.
The Blue Moon Sect, a sect directly aligned with the Martial Alliance.
For such a sect’s elites, the weight ant just that.
The Moonlit Sword asked:
“Then—what do you intend to do once you have your answer?”
“Well... that depends on the answer.”
I pretended to think a mont, then said:
“If it sounds possible, I’ll try.”
“......”
It was a bold line. If I can, I will. At that, the Moonlit Sword simply looked at .
I’d felt it before—his gaze was heavy. Even without doing anything, just eting his eyes made my body want to lock up.
The peculiar presence leaders carry showed starkly.
“Unlike soone else.”
[...that’s the look you use when you badmouth .]
“If it displeases you, you needn’t say anything.”
[The way you ignore says I’m right, doesn’t it?]
I edged back a hair, and only then did the Moonlit Sword open his mouth.
“No. That wasn’t the intent—only caution.”
“Caution?”
“I’ve seen that Young Master Bang inherits that one’s progress, and that you are an excellent person.”
[Excellent my ass—what’s excellent about this sly brat—]
“But I wonder if it isn’t still sowhat dangerous to asure you against the Small Moon Unit.”
[How dare he compare the one I’m raising to the Small Moon Unit. Still wet behind the ears!]
“......”
Pick one—curse or cover .
And calling “still wet behind the ears” in front of the Sect Master? A dozen retorts rose, but I swallowed them.
“To your eyes, Sect Master, I still look lacking?”
“Not lacking—rather, I would have you regard the significance the Small Moon Unit bears as weighty.”
For all the flat tone, I felt the pride in it.
[That part’s true.]
The old man could sit this one out.
“Weighty significance... and therefore, for to enter is still... premature?”
“I would prefer you take it kindly.”
“Hm.”
[Heh-heh-heh.]
Yoo Cheongil laughed. I flinched. That look he wore when he laughed—it ant he didn’t like sothing.
[I like the pride. I don’t like the arrogance.]
I glanced at him. Then imdiately turned my head.
“Ugh, that face is scary.”
The rictus split his mouth exactly the way it did when he had a sche.
It was filthy scary, but this ti, it was fine.
Because from the look of it, this ti it would help .
[Do as you wish.]
Permission—not that he asked. Ridiculous as it was, hearing that eased .
“Then, Sect Master. I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Yes.”
Smiling, I said:
“Care to make a wager with ?”
“...A wager?”
A flicker of interest crossed the Sect Master’s face.
“Whatever the test is, I very much want to enter the Small Moon Unit.”
Truthfully, not “very much,” but I wanted the words spicier.
“Yet the feeling you give, Sect Master, is that I absolutely shouldn’t be able to... so let’s wager on that.”
“...A wager, you say...”
“Yes. A wager.”
“Every ti I see you, I feel it.”
His gaze shifted, slightly.
“You are a peculiar person, Young Master Bang.”
“That’s odd. There’s no one more ordinary than .”
[Nonsense.]
He only ever butted in at tis like this.
“Haha.”
Even the Sect Master laughed. Did he think I was joking? I was serious.
“Impossible. No one else has stood this boldly before . Much less, no one has been so arrogant as to wager with the Small Moon Unit before him.”
Slice.
“...!”
I swallowed. I felt sothing cut. What was cut? Where?
[Steady. Nothing was cut.]
“......”
At Yoo Cheongil’s words, I steadied the churn in my gut.
If nothing was cut, then it was purely in my head?
“No—that was a warning.”
I had stepped over the line; the Sect Master’s warning told to keep my conduct straight.
If I stepped a little further, I felt like I’d lose everything.
The old would have backed off here. I’d have cooled my head and sought another way.
“Put like that, I suppose I am peculiar.”
I didn’t back off.
Because—
“Do as you wish.”
Because of that single line from Yoo Cheongil.
“However, I think that applies to you as well, Sect Master.”
“...Hm?”
At my words, the Moonlit Sword creased his brow.
“What do you an?”
“Well, isn’t it so?”
Smiling sunnily, I added:
“If soone begs to this degree, you might think, ‘He must have a card,’ and take a closer look. Instead, you weigh only the value of the Small Moon Unit and refuse to look at what’s right here.”
I scrubbed the smile off my face.
“Tell —who is arrogant, right now?”
“...!”
[Oh!]
Yoo Cheongil let out a low exclamation.
Whooosh—!
A gale roared through the room.
“Wow... nuts.”
At the wind I felt, I swallowed a secret mouthful. Wind surged off the Moonlit Sword’s very body.
How was that even possible? Could all masters do this? Curiosity tickled , but this wasn’t the ti.
I didn’t look away either. Our blue eyes t and held for a long while.
At last, the late wind ebbed.
“Young Master Bang.”
“Yes.”
“The only reason I let that remark pass is because I consider you that one’s successor.”
“I know.”
I was exploiting that to cheek him—how could I not know.
“It also ans there is a limit.”
I felt a different emotion shade those blue eyes.
“I admit your remark went too far.”
Feeling it, I stepped back one step.
“However, I find no fault with the remark itself. Nor do I regret it.”
Even so, I kept what I needed to keep.
“......”
A crease finally marked the Moonlit Sword’s brow.
How would he react? I watched closely.
Hoo— The wind that had been rising dropped away.
“Then let ask... what do you intend to stake?”
This ti, the Moonlit Sword took a step back. Seeing that, I grinned.
“Full Moon. I’ll stake it.”
[H-hey? You lunatic. Why, on your own—]
“Full Moon?”
“Yes. If I cannot enter the Small Moon Unit, I’ll transfer ownership of Full Moon.”
“...Hm.”
To be honest, Cheon Eujin had found it and given it to , so using it like this was a bit off.
Still—who cared. It was mine now.
[Strictly speaking, it’s mine, not yo—]
The dead can sit this one out.
“You called it a wager; you must want sothing in return.”
“I do.”
Of course I did. Only—
“If you grant a single favor, that will be enough.”
“A favor...?”
“Yes.”
“What favor?”
“I haven’t thought of it yet. I’ll use it when it cos to .”
“......”
For a mont, the Moonlit Sword looked at as if it were absurd. It was a bit of a shabby wager.
“If you dislike it, you can decline.”
If you’re scared, drop dead.
“Hah...”
Perhaps catching my intent, the Moonlit Sword chuckled low. Then he spoke, quiet:
“..mander of the Small Moon Unit.”
“Yes.”
‘...Good lord.’
The voice ca from right beside . A man had dropped to one knee at my side before I knew it.
The Commander of the Small Moon Unit.
He was the sect’s most fad martial after the Moonlit Sword.
Of course he bore Moon Eyes.
“Can you prepare a test now?”
“If you desire it, I can prepare it at once.”
“Then prepare it.”
“As you command.”
“And.”
He issued the order to the Commander, but his eyes stayed on .
“Since this is very much a wager, witnesses are best in number. What say you?”
Witnesses, is it.
“I don’t mind.”
“Commander.”
“As you command.”
The Commander spoke—and vanished. I still didn’t catch him leaving. Silence fell.
I stood there, faintly awkward.
“Will you not regret this?”
The Moonlit Sword asked. Regret...
“I’ll be fine.”
“A reply full of confidence.”
I didn’t bother to answer that part. It was true.
I had a certain old hand in this domain.
****
Past noon, I followed the lead to a place.
I heard it called the Small Moon Hall.
What was it? It turned out to be a training ground of sorts.
Only—
“It wasn’t like the others.”
The feel was quite different from the places I saw sect mbers training during my walks.
Size was one thing, but—
“Majestic.”
The aura was entirely different.
More pristine, and far more sacred.
[The Small Moon Hall is the testing ground used for generations when selecting the Small Moon Unit.]
I nodded at Yoo Cheongil’s explanation.
“So not a training ground—an exam hall.”
No wonder the na felt so literal.
Though for that, it seed too big.
At this size, using it as a training ground would be more efficient...
[Things like this are precisely where people heap the ceremonial trappings.]
The old man had a point.
Especially when it ca to great sects and renowned houses—so parts must be kept.
Wasting money on useless things—
That was my view; from the group’s perspective...
“They value tradition.”
You could see it that way.
As I stood quietly—
Creak—!
The entrance opened again and people poured in.
“Wow.”
At the head was the Commander I’d just t.
A line of figures filed in behind.
“All Small Moon Unit.”
Everyone entering was Small Moon Unit.
“It shows in the uniform... hm?”
As I scanned them one by one, a face I shouldn’t see was mixed in.
Cheon Hyein—smiling sweetly at .
“That crazy woman was Small Moon Unit too...?”
She’d worn ordinary sect robes before, so I’d assud she was simply a Second Disciple.
Now I saw she was Small Moon Unit.
“Ha.”
The Moon Dancer was impressive, all right. Her value hit anew.
“Excluding the eight on assignnt and the five absent for treatnt, all mbers are present.”
At the Commander’s words, the Moonlit Sword nodded.
“To your places.”
At the order, they moved like one. Where to? A little over thirty stood in a single line, facing each other.
At one end stood the Sect Master; at the other, .
The air was heavy. I rolled my eyes, taking in the surroundings.
Even Cheon Hyein, who’d co in smiling, stood impassive now.
“With the Small Moon Unit assembled, from this mont—”
Ssssss—
At the sensation, I narrowed my eyes.
“The air is terrifying.”
A pressure I couldn’t na rolled off the Moonlit Sword.
“As Sect Master of the Blue Moon Sect, I will confirm for myself whether you have the right to beco the moon.”
I swallowed at the words.
The tone changing was one thing, but—
“...It’s a bit much.”
At this rate, I thought my breathing might hitch; I wondered what to do—
[Turn the internal art.]
“......”
At Yoo Cheongil’s words, I imdiately worked the Blue Moon Heart Art.
And—
Whoo—!!
“Huh?”
The energy spun far stronger than usual—
Fwaaah—!!
And the spinning energy poured through my body and out.
“What—?”
“That is—!”
Voices burst around at once.
“......”
Blue energy rippled around . At a glance, it looked like stars drifting.
Gorgeous—and beautiful.
“What now.”
This hadn’t happened before. It was a sudden change.
Moreover—
“Moonlight...?”
“How is it not enough that he has Moon Eyes—at that age, even moonlight...!”
From the Small Moon Unit’s reaction, I’d clearly shown sothing out of the ordinary.
“...Heh.”
Even the Moonlit Sword let a breath slip, as if that proved it.
“A sign that you’re ready? As a display, it’s aggressive.”
No, that’s not what this is...
“What did that damned old man do this ti.”
Breathing was certainly easier, but from their faces, it looked like I’d done sothing I shouldn’t.
I stared ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ at Yoo Cheongil, dumbfounded.
[Kekekekeke.]
Of course the vile spirit was laughing.
From the look of it, he’d known this would happen.
Truly maddening.
“Anyway.”
Leaving that aside—
“What’s the test?”
What did I have to do to enter the Small Moon Unit?
“The old man said not to worry.”
Would it really be as he said? While I looked to the Moonlit Sword with that doubt—
“From this mont, by tradition, we begin the Blue Moon Rite.”
“...Huh? Blue Moon Rite?”
A strange word right from the na.
Rite? If it was a rite...
“Do Hyeong of the Small Moon Unit—prepare for a duel.”
“...Disciple Do Hyeong, as commanded.”
“Oh... hell.”
At the Moonlit Sword’s words, a youth at the far end stepped forward.
A familiar face. The very Small Moon Unit man who’d guided just before.
Which ant—
“Oh, no way.”
A prickle of dread rose.
“No wonder the entire unit assembled. Is this...?”
A thought flashed through my head—
[This is the traditional thod of selecting the Small Moon Unit.]
Right on cue, Yoo Cheongil spoke.
[You face the youngest of the Small Moon Unit and receive the Sect Master’s recognition.]
“......”
[Easy, right? I told you it’d be easy.]
“Like hell it is. Easy, my ass.”
At his brazen line, I bit my tongue.
Easy? Sure.
It was the world’s simplest, most brainless thod.
“The na is Blue Moon, but why is everything so violent.”
Sothing felt off.
“A duel with the youngest?”
I looked at Do Hyeong. So he was the youngest?
“So not Cheon Hyein.”
He was quite young for a Second Disciple, but if you counted, Cheon Hyein was younger.
Well, Cheon Hyein had probably been Second Disciple from the mont she entered... entirely possible.
“Not good.”
I frowned as I watched Do Hyeong.
Really not good. The duel itself was awkward, but—
“I really don’t want to fight that one.”
A duel with Do Hyeong was worse. Ah— more precisely, it wasn’t that I disliked fighting Do Hyeong.
“...I don’t want to make enemies with the one behind him.”
The “presence” behind Do Hyeong bothered more.
“Tch.”
And there was no way to avoid the duel. I figured I just had to accept it—and then—
Thud—!!
At the loud sound, all eyes turned, Do Hyeong’s included.
I looked to see who—it was soone dropping to one knee out of nowhere.
“Hm?”
A face I knew.
Of course—
“...Second Disciple Seom Seonggyeong. I have sothing to say.”
One of the ones who’d secretly watched the day in the dining hall.
“What is it?”
The Moonlit Sword asked, blunt.
“...Disciple Seom Seonggyeong. I wish to take this chance to experience the previous Sect Master’s sword personally.”
“You—!”
It wasn’t the Moonlit Sword who shouted at Seom Seonggyeong’s words, but the Commander.
“How dare you—! Do you not know what place this is!”
To wish to experience the previous Sect Master’s sword—
In other words, he wanted to face . And of all tis, now.
“In this sacred place, a wretch like you—!”
“Enough.”
The Moonlit Sword stopped the Commander, who had fire in his face.
“...Hmm.”
Interest glinted in his expression.
And before him, I—
“That damned woman.”
—I was twisting my face at Cheon Hyein.
User Comments
0 comments from readers