Chapter 1102: Scorched World.

White hair, crimson eyes, and white skin.

A beauty with a gentle appearance, wearing a red martial uniform, the clothes looked familiar.

‘Gu Clan’s martial uniform.’

Because it was precisely the martial uniform worn in Gu Clan.

The incredibly familiar martial uniform had a look that made it impossible not to know who gave it.

The problem was.

‘Why?’

Why was Mother here?

She was someone who shouldn’t be here.

And of all places, on a food-laden carriage?

Seeing Wi Seol-ah’s image surface, I lost my words.

“Oh, Mother……”

Without realizing it, I almost called her Mother but stopped myself.

Because I knew it wasn’t a situation where I couldn’t speak.

Then what should I say? No words came to mind. My head went blank for a moment.

After being speechless for a moment, I remembered. Ah, right. There was only one thing to say in times like these.

“Who are you?”

“Ah!”

Mother flinched.

She started to speak, then rolled her eyeballs. Since her eyes were already large, I could see them rolling.

“Um… uh……”

After being unable to speak for a while, she eventually laughed.

“Hehe.”

“……”

She’s just standing there going ‘hehe’.

It was an innocent reaction.

What should I do about this? Just as I was hesitating, with nothing specific coming to mind either.

Hwa-reuk.

I felt flames.

Sensing a familiar feeling, I turned around.

“……”

It was Father.

This time, Father appeared and looked at me, no. He looked at Mother inside the carriage.

“Ah!”

Mother, making eye contact with Father, beamed.

“Cheol-un!”

She called Father’s name nonchalantly.

“……What are you doing?”

To that remark, Father reacted with a frown.

His expression was one of disbelief. Seeing that, I understood.

‘He didn’t know.’

It was an expression that showed he hadn’t realized anything.

His face showed panic and an inability to find words.

“……”

“Cheol-un! I’m here!”

Despite Father’s reaction, Mother didn’t back down.

Her purely bright smile was an expression that made it impossible to curse at her.

“Ehehe.”

“……”

Father finally ran a hand over his forehead in response to Mother’s reaction.

His expression was full of sighs.

Then, he looked at me.

“Follow me for a moment.”

“……”

It was the first time we were having a conversation, just the two of us.

Whether I wanted it or not.

---

A dark night.

Riding the night, we entered the forest.

“Ugh!”

As we walked the path, Mother let out a groan.

It seemed to be because we were climbing the mountain path.

Climbing like that, we eventually reached the mountain’s summit.

Upon reaching a place faintly lit by the moon, Father and Mother finally stopped walking.

“……Why did you follow?”

Father said to Mother.

“I definitely told you not to follow.”

“But, I wanted to come.”

“That… Haa.”

The way he spoke as if arguing, then sighed, was familiar. It felt just like watching myself and Wi Seol-ah.

“Does Mi Hyoran know?”

“No!”

“……”

She was so confident. So confident, it left me speechless again.

“Hyoran doesn’t know.”

“……Then how did you get on?”

When asked how she secretly got on when even the carriage owner didn’t know, Mother nodded and said.

“I just got on?”

“……”

She just got on.

This was the same thing Wi Seol-ah said. She said the same thing back then.

When asked how she secretly got on, she said she just got on.

‘I didn’t feel her presence.’

I suspected that was the case for both Wi Seol-ah and Mother.

And it was true.

‘I didn’t feel it.’

Even though I could hear the sounds of eating in front of me, I couldn’t sense any presence.

I feel it even now as I watch.

‘I feel nothing.’

Even though they were right in front of me, I couldn’t sense their presence. It was strange.

It was strange, but I was aware of it. If asked why, the conclusion was simple.

‘Because Mother isn’t human.’

The master, or one of the masters, of Man-gye. I thought perhaps this feeling arose because of Mother’s existence.

As I recalled that and watched quietly.

“Cheol-un.”

“……What is it?”

Mother called Father and pointed at me.

“He resembles me. Doesn’t he?”

“What?”

‘Huh?’

At her words, Father looked at me.

Resembles? I didn’t recall who resembled whom.

Because the context made it obvious.

‘Me and Father?’

I really didn’t think we looked alike.

Even knowing we didn’t look alike as father and child.

I felt a strange sentiment from Mother’s words.

“Stop the nonsense there.”

As Father said that, contorting his face, Mother pouted and turned her head away.

“……”

Seeing that, I awkwardly scratched my cheek.

“Captain Baek.”

This time, Father called me.

At his words, I swallowed dryly.

“……Yes.”

“Please keep it a secret.”

“What?”

Narrowing my eyes at his direct statement.

I never expected him to say it so openly. I thought he’d at least try to explain, but he just asked me to keep it a secret.

“A secret…?”

“Yes.”

“A secret about what? You want me to keep her a secret?”

“Yes.”

“……”

I found it rather absurd.

“……Shouldn’t you at least give me an explanation?”

“It’s difficult.”

“……”

He won’t even explain? It’s just difficult?

“……So, you just want me to keep it a secret?”

“Yes.”

“……Hmm.”

I nodded at his words.

Just asking me to keep it a secret?

‘This…’

It seemed like a not-bad situation.

So, looking at Father, I said.

“Just like that?”

“……”

At my words, Father’s expression flickered slightly.

“What do you want?”

“If I ask for something, will you grant it?”

“Depending on what it is.”

He seemed willing to grant it if the situation called for it.

That was unexpected. At those words, I looked at Mother this time.

Mother was watching me. She slightly extended her index finger and covered her mouth.

All while smiling brightly.

After looking at her cute expression, I looked back at Father. What I wanted…

“What if it’s something you can’t grant?”

“……”

Father’s eyes narrowed.

He glared at me with intensified eyes. I flinched. Was he angry?

‘If it’s something he can’t grant, maybe he’ll just kill me.’

You never know. It would depend on Father’s choice.

As I was thinking that.

“I will grant it.”

Father said firmly.

‘Wow…’

He had an attitude of granting anything.

I smiled awkwardly at his demeanor.

Seeing that, I spoke. I wasn’t really expecting anything in the first place. I just thought it was an opportunity.

“I don’t really want anything. Hmm.”

After a brief thought, I said to Father.

“Just… have my back once in the future.”

“……”

At my request to take my side, Father’s expression turned strange.

It sounded simple, yet it was a difficult request. Especially given my situation.

Someone Sword Master is wary of.

A being whose background is unknown. Though I couldn’t be sure, Father’s position likely required him to monitor me.

In such a situation, asking him to take my side later was not an easy request.

‘I wonder.’

What choice would Father make?

If he refused, how would he react? If we were to fight, what would happen?

As I was pondering that.

“Let’s do that.”

Surprisingly, Father agreed.

Kkuuk.

Father was pressing his forehead with his hand, and Mother was watching him, smiling.

‘From this moment.’

They had been meeting since then. Seeing them entangled, looking weary, I felt a subtle sentiment.

However.

‘Putting aside what I’m hiding.’

How would he hide Mother?

That was the question, but soon after, I learned about the method.

---

The Namgung Family of Anhui Province.

One of the Four Great Families, known as the center of the sword sect.

A prestigious family that wields sharp swords cloaked in blue light.

The head of such a family.

The Family Head, Namgung Jeo-hwi, had a frown on his face.

Beyond the pile of letters, he held a single sheet of paper, which was the reason for his frown.

“……They’re coming from the Azure Dragon Division?”

“That’s correct.”

“The reason?”

“They say it’s to investigate the recent anomaly.”

“……”

At those words, Namgung Jeo-hwi’s frown deepened. An investigation. Although I had already reported to the Alliance, I didn’t expect them to move this quickly.

‘What’s going on?’

The Alliance moving this fast made me suspect that similar phenomena might have occurred in Henan as well.

“Therefore, I received a report that the First Young Master and several others are coming to the Namgung Family.”

“Is that so?”

The First Young Master. Hearing that his son was coming, Namgung Jeo-hwi smiled slightly, his frown receding.

He was his outstanding son, who had become a Sword Dragon and was active in the Azure Dragon Division.

“This is good.”

It had been a while since I last saw his face, and the timing was fortunate.

‘Since I was just waiting for that child.’

There was someone waiting for Namgung Jin.

I was already concerned about it, and now that my son was returning, it couldn’t be a more welcome situation.

“Quickly inform Miss Hyeon. Tell her that the First Young Master is returning.”

“Well…”

At the Family Head’s words, the man standing before him showed a strange reaction.

“What is it?”

Wondering what the reaction was, I asked him.

“Miss Hyeon… she…”

Seeing that he couldn’t bring himself to speak, Namgung Jeo-hwi urged him on.

“Speak quickly.”

“…She has run away from home.”

“…What?”

“Because he wasn’t coming… she said… she’d have to go find him herself…”

“…What does that mean?”

Namgung Jeo-hwi wore a dumbfounded expression upon hearing the report.

It meant Namgung Jin’s fiancée had run away from home while waiting for him.