Chapter 26: Demon Sword Empress (3)

Demon Sword Queen (Demon Sword Queen) (3)

This is an event that happened long ago at some Taesan Mountain.

It was the mountainside, densely piled with coldly cooled corpses.

In the center of Purgatory, where even demonic beings were mixed without distinction between righteous and unrighteous, the Demon Sword Queen Namgung Bi-ah stood alone, sword in hand, looking at the sky.

[Demon Sword Queen (Demon Sword Queen).]

At my call, Namgung Bi-ah slowly shifts her gaze.

Perhaps it’s the single drop of blood splatter on her white cheek, but she looks particularly alluring.

Her dark, gloomy eyes held no emotion whatsoever.

As I made eye contact, all I could see was darkness.

[You’re the only survivor, huh? Did you kill them all?]

The cruel sword aura, visible even to the demonic beings, excluding other martial artists, was the path left by Namgung Bi-ah’s sword, and no one else’s.

In the battle that had occurred earlier, Namgung Bi-ah had killed everyone in this spot, regardless of whether they were enemy or ally.

Seeing that, I opened my mouth.

[You said time was tight, what kind of bullshit are you pulling?]

At my voice, Namgung Bi-ah approaches me, letting her heavily blood-stained sword hang down.

Namgung Bi-ah doesn’t seem to harbor killing intent, but it’s impossible to know for sure, as Namgung Bi-ah never harbors killing intent.

Not in any situation.

A human unmoved by emotion.

That’s why she’s such a fearsome sword master.

Namgung Bi-ah arrived in front of me. After wiping off the blood splatter from her cheek, she spoke.

[There was nothing here.]

[Naturally, because you erased it all.]

Swish. Namgung Bi-ah quickly swings her sword as if shaking off the blood splatter.

Strong wind pressure spreads in the direction it was swung.

Shaking her sword with a tuk-tuk sound, Namgung Bi-ah asked me.

[What did the Sect Leader say?]

[He said to bring you here. Obviously, he figured you’d be rampaging like a crazy bitch.]

[The latter part… is what you want to say?]

[Seeing that you understand, you seem to have your wits about you.]

She wasn’t wearing flowers in her hair, but Namgung Bi-ah was crazy. And not just crazy, but crazy solely about the sword.

Casually swinging to shake off the blood splatter, Namgung Bi-ah sheathed her sword and moved her feet.

Seeing that, I sighed.

[That’s not the way, Demon Sword Queen.]

[…Which way?]

[Left.]

[Ah…]

[…That’s the right.]

Only after several corrections did Namgung Bi-ah find her way.

She was someone who, despite likely having killed hundreds in this very spot, had a somewhat dim-witted side.

Unlike that appearance, there was an inexplicable discrepancy in how she could enter among dozens of martial artists and unleash a deadly sword dance.

Demon Sword Queen (Demon Sword Queen).

Perhaps it was the title that suited Namgung Bi-ah the most.

Namgung Bi-ah, who had been walking slowly, stopped in her tracks.

[About that over there.]

[What is it?]

[If it’s the Sword Saint, they’d be strong, right?]

[…Seeing you spout nonsense, it seems you’re not sane after all.]

I, who had been following behind, also stopped.

Because she seemed to be having strange thoughts, I said firmly:

[Just in case I’m telling you, don’t do anything unnecessary. The Three Venerables are the Sect Leader’s responsibility..]

[What would the Sword Saint’s sword be like?]

[Ah… this crazy bitch.]

I shook my head and moved my feet.

Somehow, I didn’t feel her presence following, so when I looked back, Namgung Bi-ah was muttering something to herself and heading in another direction.

[….]

Should I stop her? I hesitated for a moment.

I picked up a rock lying on the ground and threw it at Namgung Bi-ah.

I even put my aim into it to hit her head precisely.

The rock, flying quickly, split in half near Namgung Bi-ah and fell with a tuk sound.

By then, Namgung Bi-ah had drawn her sword and was looking at me.

[Are you going to fight?]

The only time Namgung Bi-ah’s expression showed emotion was at this moment.

My body tingled from the qi that began to press down on the surroundings. I brushed my face with my hand and said:

[…That’s not the way.]

[….Ah!]

At my words, she immediately sheathed her sword. The qi that had been encroaching on the surroundings vanished in an instant.

Only then did Namgung Bi-ah, who had been walking properly again, hesitate once more.

Her face seemed lost in thought.

[What are you doing?]

[I’ve been thinking.]

[About what?]

[No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like the right way.]

Namgung Bi-ah spat that out, then leaped like an arrow towards the opposite side and quickly disappeared from sight. Seeing that, I brushed my face again.

[…That’s not it, you crazy bitch…]

I was able to reach the destination in less than a day after that.

As for Namgung Bi-ah, who had run off like that, she arrived at the destination three days later.

---

At my shout, the gazes of everyone gathered focused on me.

Namgung Bi-ah’s gaze was particularly terrifying.

I didn’t want to get involved with that crazy bitch, even if I died.

The Namgung name, being the pillar of the Four Great Clans? Her beautiful appearance? All of that was meaningless.

That crazy bitch’s existence was exactly that.

“…Young Master?”

Mu-yeon, seeing me appear while shouting profanities, had a flustered look on her face.

I wanted to keep my mouth shut and endure if possible, but this was too much.

Meanwhile, Namgung Bi-ah looked at me and asked.

“Are you the master of this group?”

Just hearing her voice made cold sweat break out. Should I answer?

As if uninterested in my answer, Namgung Bi-ah paid her respects to me.

“I am Namgung Bi-ah of the Namgung Clan. If it wouldn’t be a bother, until Sichuan….”

“No. We’re not going to Sichuan, and it is a bother.”

At my firm refusal, the eyes of those watching widened.

Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head. Was it because this was unexpected?

Indeed, she probably hadn’t been refused anywhere when she announced herself as being from the Namgung Clan. But I clearly had my own words.

“We cannot confirm if you are truly affiliated with the Namgung Clan, and we cannot recklessly accept an unidentified martial artist as a companion.”

While one could see she was indeed a person from the Namgung Clan just by looking at her blue-white hair and the Namgung name written on her blue martial arts attire, this was strictly adhering to principle.

I absolutely would not accept her.

At my refusal, Namgung Bi-ah made a sound like ‘Ah…’ and then nodded.

Then she drew her sword. Seeing this, Mu-yeon urgently assumed a combat stance, but Namgung Bi-ah simply stood still and closed her eyes.

For some reason, the familiar sight made me unable to hide my unease.

‘Could that crazy bitch possibly….’

In an instant, the flow of the air changed.

It felt like walking not on the ground, but on a sword’s edge. The air felt sharp, evoking the atmosphere of a blade.

It was the aura I could constantly feel from Namgung Bi-ah in my past life.

Eventually, Namgung Bi-ah slowly opened her eyes.

Simultaneously, a tingling qi was emitted from her entire body.

Sensing this, Mu-yeon and the guards simultaneously drew their swords.

Before the sword edges could reach Namgung Bi-ah, the qi emanating from her vanished in an instant.

Although numerous swords threatened her at close range, Namgung Bi-ah’s face was utterly serene.

Emperor Sword Form (Emperor Sword Form).

It was the Namgung Clan’s secret technique, briefly shining from that seemingly fragile woman.

“I can’t handle this perfectly yet, so this is all I can show, but perhaps this is enough proof?”

Namgung Bi-ah had used such a crude method to prove she was from the Namgung Clan.

In a way, it was a more certain method.

Perhaps all the martial artists standing here were convinced she was a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan.

Because there was no method more certain to prove them than the Namgung Clan’s secret technique.

Hearing her words, I nodded and said:

“It’s truly a tremendous aura. It seems we absolutely cannot travel with someone who uses such terrifying martial arts. I apologize.”

Of course, even if she proved it, it still wouldn’t work.

---

Fortunately, after refusing Namgung Bi-ah’s company, we started moving again to head towards Sichuan.

Unexpectedly, Namgung Bi-ah said nothing about my refusal. She just nodded.

Did I just solve one problem?

I really felt like I aged ten years.

‘Who would have known I’d meet that person here.’

The sight of her just swinging her sword, regardless of ally or enemy, was still vivid before my eyes.

Why was a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan wandering around here alone?

“Ah… I’m really tired.”

Compared to the past three days traveling by carriage, just a few minutes encountering Namgung Bi-ah felt more exhausting.

“Young Master, Young Master!”

“Why are you calling?”

Suddenly, Wi Seol-ah, who had been looking out the window, called me.

“She’s still following.”

“What?”

What is following…

At Wi Seol-ah’s words, a chilling thought lingered in my mind.

As if confirming it with a kill shot, Wi Seol-ah answered.

“That pretty older woman from earlier is still following us.”

Oh my God…

I urgently checked outside the carriage, and sure enough, Namgung Bi-ah was following from a distance.

‘I’m going crazy. Was that nod earlier meant to imply this?’

‘If you don’t accept me, I’ll just follow?’

….This is really driving me insane.

My heart wanted to curse her out and tell her not to follow, but I didn’t have the justification for it.

‘I even told her we weren’t going to Sichuan. Why is she following us?’

Is our path the same? There was no way.

I had never seen that crazy woman go down a normal path.

Right, let’s ignore her. Ignoring is the answer.

The problem arose later that night when we set up camp.

Just as I found usable terrain, lit a campfire, and started preparations, I saw another campfire far in the distance.

It was none other than Namgung Bi-ah. Where on earth had she caught it? She had skewered a frog on a stick and was gently roasting it over the campfire.

Perhaps it was because her appearance was so striking, but even with her seemingly thoughtless eyes, she looked terribly pitiful.

That was truly a blatant “I’m following you” display.

Where on earth did she catch that frog?

I turned my head, trying to ignore it. When I shifted my gaze, Wi Seol-ah was running around with dumplings, just like last time.

Last time, I overheard the guards talking nonsense, saying their fatigue completely disappeared whenever Wi Seol-ah handed out dumplings.

Honestly, it was a bit relatable.

“Young Master! Dumplings!”

I took the dumplings Wi Seol-ah handed me and ate them.

I don’t know about anything else, but eating the dumplings certainly made me feel refreshed.

‘…I’m glad you’re here.’

My appetite seemed to be stimulated today, as one dumpling disappeared in an instant. Feeling hungry, my stomach wasn’t quite full, so I felt I needed to eat more.

I looked for Wi Seol-ah to get more dumplings.

“…Wow, that’s really not good.”

By then, Wi Seol-ah had gone to Namgung Bi-ah and was handing her dumplings.

Namgung Bi-ah looked at the dumplings Wi Seol-ah handed her, showing a rare expression of fluster.

“Would you like to eat one too, pretty older woman?”

“…Ah.”

I urgently got up and approached Wi Seol-ah.

Then I grabbed Wi Seol-ah’s shoulder and pulled her back.

“What are you doing with an outsider right now?”

Perhaps because my voice was a little angry, Wi Seol-ah looked slightly intimidated.

“No… this older woman was about to eat a frog pitifully…”

“She probably just wanted to eat something. Don’t act recklessly and go back.”

“Yes…”

Perhaps because she was scolded, Wi Seol-ah, with a dejected expression, trudged back.

Meanwhile, Namgung Bi-ah, holding the dumplings, was looking up at me.

I asked her.

“Why are you following us?”

“Just the way…”

“I won’t listen to the excuse that our paths are the same.”

Since I cut her off in advance, she became speechless for a moment.

“I know you are a member of the Namgung Clan.”

“But… why didn’t you grant permission for us to travel together?”

“That’s my decision. Just because you’re from the Namgung Clan doesn’t mean I have to agree unconditionally.”

“Ah…”

“What I don’t understand is, why is a precious jewel of the Namgung Clan traveling to such a distant land alone?”

Trying to show courtesy to Namgung Bi-ah made goosebumps creep up my spine, but I forced myself to endure it. This was necessary…

Namgung Bi-ah scratched her cheek with the hand not holding the dumplings. Her face looked somewhat embarrassed.

“…We definitely departed together…. but I got lost midway…”

Hearing that, I couldn’t say anything.

How could she get lost when she departed with servants, and surely rode in a carriage?

‘…If I didn’t have memories from my past life, I would never have understood.’

I remembered how she couldn’t even properly distinguish left from right.

The Demon Sword Queen was directionally challenged by divine decree.

“We are not going to Sichuan.”

“Really…? I had a feeling you were going.”

The useless idiot who couldn’t find the way had an unnecessarily good intuition about this direction.

I cleared my throat once and continued speaking.

“….Whatever the case, I won’t say anything about you coming separately. However, that’s all there is to it, so please just keep it at that.”

Saying this much should be enough. This is the end. It had to be.

As I tried to quickly leave the spot, Namgung Bi-ah called me to a halt.

“Excuse me, Young Hero.”

“…Why?”

“I am Namgung Bi-ah.”

“Yes, I know.”

Namgung Bi-ah continued to stare at me without speaking. What was she expecting?

As the silence continued, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head again. Eventually, as if she realized something, she opened her mouth again.

“Since I introduced myself, please tell me your name too, Young Hero.”

“I don’t…”

I was about to say I didn’t want to, because telling her my name felt like getting unnecessarily involved.

An idea flashed through my mind, and I spat out words to Namgung Bi-ah.

“…I am Gu Jeolyub.”

“Yes?”

“Gu Jeolyub of the Gu Clan. Gu Jeolyub.”

Namgung Bi-ah nodded upon hearing the name.

It seemed like she would remember it.

…Jeolyub, I’m sorry.

….I’m going to use your name.

It was at this point that I felt a little guilt towards Gu Jeolyub, someone I thought I’d never have to apologize to in my life.