Ch.223Episode 42. The Righteousness of Education (2)

“Are you really going to be okay?”

Just before stepping onto the arena, Jin Subin grabbed Yeon Muhui’s hands and asked. To me, it looked like she was trying to dissuade Muhui.

“I’ll be fine. This is something I’ve wanted ever since I rejected father’s teaching methods. Plus, I get to take revenge on the father who hit my mother.”

Jin Subin narrowed her brows, looking at Yeon Muhui with concern.

“Mom’s okay. You don’t have to do this if it’s too hard. You don’t need to have this match… Mom is fine.”

There’s no way she could be fine.

She was still afraid of Yeon Hwaryong. Pain from violence etched into the body naturally creates an instinctive aversion.

In fact, her body trembled uncontrollably at the sight of Yeon Hwaryong.

She was probably trying not to show it in front of her daughter, but there was no way Muhui wouldn’t notice.

“Honestly, in the past, I might have said I was doing this for you. But not anymore.”

Muhui faced Jin Subin confidently with a smile. Natural confidence showed through her smile.

“This is for me. And for the person who believed in me.”

Muhui glanced at me as she said this. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’ll win and come back.”

“But…”

“Child, that’s enough.”

The elder stopped Jin Subin as she tried to dissuade Muhui one last time.

“Respect Muhui’s decision.”

The elder patted Muhui’s shoulder and said in an affectionate voice.

“I’ll make you something delicious after you beat that rotten bastard’s head in. Give him a good thrashing.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“What’s ‘daegaengi’?”

“It means head.”

“Ah…”

A mother-in-law telling her granddaughter to hit her son-in-law’s head…

The elder seemed to hate Yeon Hwaryong quite a bit.

Honestly, considering what Yeon Hwaryong had done to her daughter and granddaughter, she’d probably want to hit his head a hundred times.

“Mom, watch me. I’ll go teach that terrible father a lesson.”

To people who don’t know the circumstances, this might seem like filial impiety, but understanding the situation as I did, I thought Muhui had every right.

“Okay. Be careful.”

“I’ll be back.”

Muhui pulled her hands from Jin Subin’s grasp. Then she turned and walked straight to the arena.

“Mother and Elder, please go to the spectator seats where the children are. Those seats are designed to be safe even if fragments fly from the arena.”

“Yes, we will.”

I walked alongside Muhui as she headed to the arena.

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve always been ready.”

“You’re lying. You were scared in front of your father.”

“I was not scared!”

Seeing that she has the composure to get upset like this, she seems to be in good condition.

“Just do what you always do. Like when you spar with me.”

Throughout the second semester, I helped Muhui visualize Yeon Hwaryong’s combat image whenever we sparred. I helped her respond to variables that might arise by imagining as concretely as possible.

“Just think of it as having one more sparring match with me today.”

“With you, Eugene…?”

“You always came at me with killing intent when we sparred, right?”

“Well… that’s because I couldn’t even scratch you otherwise.”

“That’s enough. Today, pour out all your energy and give Mr. Yeon Hwaryong a good hit before coming back.”

I said, holding out my fist. Muhui bumped her fist against mine.

“I don’t plan on just giving him one hit.”

“Then let’s release all the resentment you’ve built up.”

Muhui let out a small laugh and confidently stepped onto the arena.

“Thank you for teaching me for two years, Instructor Eugene.”

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. I never expected Muhui, of all people, to voluntarily use formal speech.

Especially since it wasn’t forced, but spoken with genuine respect, it touched me deeply.

I was starting to feel proud.

“Save that for after you win.”

If she doesn’t win, everything I taught her would be meaningless, and worse, it would give credence to Yeon Hwaryong’s teaching methods being correct.

If that happened, everything Muhui had done until now could be invalidated.

“Don’t worry. I’ll win.”

“That’s right.”

I too had no doubt that she would defeat Yeon Hwaryong today.

Now it was time for me as a teacher to watch my student move forward.

“Hah… to think I have to participate in such a pointless match. How annoying.”

Yeon Hwaryong stood in the center of the arena, muttering as if he found the situation unjust. Tapping the handle of his sword, he looked bored with the situation.

“If you think this match is pointless, that means you don’t care about us, Father.”

Muhui said, stopping her steps at the center of the arena. Her gaze as she faced Yeon Hwaryong was fierce. Like she was looking at a mortal enemy.

“I’ll prove today that your teaching methods were wrong.”

“…Hmph. Not even funny.”

Yeon Hwaryong snorted and looked at Muhui with disdain. He narrowed his eyes and scanned her appearance.

In the two years, Muhui’s body had developed more muscle, and her physical abilities had improved significantly. While she wasn’t at a level to win against Yeon Hwaryong with 100% certainty, I believed she had at least earned the qualification.

“With your personality, I thought you’d just drop out. But you actually graduated.”

“Yes. I didn’t want to drop out because I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. And I had a proper educator who guided me.”

At Muhui’s words, Yeon Hwaryong glanced at me.

“Educator… I do get the feeling that students follow you well. But I can assure you, when it comes to ability development, I’m better than Eugene.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You’re not better than Eugene in any way. Not in any aspect.”

Sring!

Muhui drew her sword with bulging eyes. The killing intent she openly displayed made my skin tingle.

“He’s several times better than you who thought violence was everything. If you’re thinking of insulting my instructor, I’ll kill you right here.”

“…Try to kill me if you can.”

Yeon Hwaryong matched her killing intent by releasing his energy and placing his hand on his sword.

Not drawing his sword and using iaijutsu from the start meant he was taking her seriously. It meant that the current Muhui was threatening enough that he needed to use his full strength.

“Both of you… I’ll intervene if there’s a problem, so please spar freely.”

“After I educate my daughter, you’re next. Be prepared.”

He shouldn’t have the leisure to warn me.

I turned my gaze to Muhui. She had her eyes closed, finding her pace.

This isn’t a real battle. Since it’s just a sparring match, she has time to ease her tension.

I was glad to see she was using my advice properly.

Then what I needed to do was buy time until Muhui was ready.

“You still can’t let go of your grudge after losing back then?”

“I’ll smash your arrogant head into the ground today.”

“I admire your determination… but your turn to fight me won’t come. Because…”

I grinned and pointed at Yeon Hwaryong.

“You’re going to lose to Muhui today.”

* @ *

“Hoo…”

‘Focus. I need to pour all my strength to beat that man.’

To defeat Yeon Hwaryong, Muhui recalled the numerous sparring sessions she’d had with Eugene recently.

‘Don’t doubt what you’ve been doing. And if I can’t trust myself, I should trust Eugene. Eugene was confident I could beat that man.’

After imprinting in her mind once more all the possible moves Yeon Hwaryong might use, Muhui gripped her sword with both hands and said.

“I’m ready, Eugene.”

Eugene looked at Muhui with satisfaction before extending his hand forward.

“Mr. Yeon Hwaryong, are you ready too?”

“Of course.”

Apparently quite irritated by my provocation, he took an iaijutsu stance while emitting a fierce killing intent. He looked ready to cut down even his own daughter.

“Again, I’ll intervene if there’s a threat to either of your lives, so don’t worry. Now, please get ready.”

I looked at both of them in turn, then raised my hand and shouted.

“Begin!”

With my shout, Muhui pushed off the ground. Seeing her closing the distance quickly, Yeon Hwaryong drew his sword.

“「Single Flash」!”

Yeon Hwaryong’s massive red sword energy poured toward Muhui. Facing the sword energy, she quietly murmured.

“「Lotus Single Flash」.”

As she ran, she accelerated and slipped into Yeon Hwaryong’s blind spot.

“!”

Clang!

But Yeon Hwaryong half-drew the sword still in its scabbard and blocked the strike aimed at his side.

“Tch…!”

‘She’s much faster than I thought. No, has she become much faster since the license exam?’

Screech—!

Clang!

Yeon Hwaryong had no choice but to fully draw his sword to fend off her threatening blade.

Muhui faltered momentarily at the sudden force but closed the distance again and pressed in.

She pressured Yeon Hwaryong, recalling Eugene’s advice.

“The most threatening technique among those Yeon Hwaryong can use is definitely the Sword Fire Style based on iaijutsu.”

“Then how do I counter it?”

“Simple. Close the distance and make sure he can’t sheathe his sword again.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The metallic sounds rang out fiercely in succession.

‘I can’t give him any opening. I need to press him now while his sword is drawn!’

“Lotus Style—”

Splurt!

“…!”

The moment she saw blood suddenly spraying up, she felt extreme pain in her left upper arm. Muhui turned only her eyes to look at her forearm.

Somehow, her arm now had a large laceration with blood flowing from it.

‘What? I didn’t miss a single sword strike…’

“You seem to be under some misunderstanding. The Sword Fire Style isn’t just iaijutsu.”