Night passed, and morning came.

It was a thought that rose as I stepped out of my room and looked up at the sky.

My eyes staring at the brightening sky were soaked in fatigue.

It couldn’t be helped. I hadn’t slept a wink in the middle of the night.

“Ugh....”

I’m sleepy as hell.

For someone who’s supposedly a martial artist, my body isn’t tired, but I spent the whole night tense as a drawn bow, so my condition is absolute trash.

Normally, I would’ve trained anyway.

I don’t even have the head for it.

‘...Goddamn it.’

Because what if someone came again.

That bothered me so much I couldn’t sleep.

Yoo Cheongil said he’d watch and told me to sleep, but—

‘Yeah, right.’

After what that old man pulled the day before yesterday, there’s no way I could trust him.

In the end, I had to spend the night with my eyes open.

“Haa.”

A sigh comes out.

‘This is a first, too.’

A life where I’m being watched?

A life where someone’s aiming at me and tracking me—something I never even imagined.

It’s a life I haven’t lived, and a life I’ve never experienced.

Well, in my past life, ghosts made me feel something similar, but—

‘If it’s a person, that’s different.’

Real danger is worse when it’s human.

Especially in a violent world like the Central Plains.

“Ggh....”

So after spending a whole day tense, my exhausted mind wasn’t about to get better.

I forced myself to shake my head and went down to the inn.

It was late morning, so there weren’t many people in the inn.

‘Where are the others?’

I don’t see the group.

We didn’t set a schedule to do something today, so they’re probably in their rooms, or they went off to train.

“Hmm.”

Remembering that, I sat down at an empty table.

Like it had been waiting, the server came over.

Looking at the one who approached, I held up one finger.

“One noodle soup.”

“Yes!”

The moment it took the order, it ran off fast.

The way it hurried along, looking at the age, it seemed like it wasn’t even ten yet.

That small body sprinting off like an arrow looked kind of cute.

It made me think of the past, a little.

While thinking that, I sat there, and after a brief moment the server came back with the food.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

I said it and took the noodle soup.

But—

‘Huh?’

I tilted my head.

‘Why isn’t it leaving?’

The server wasn’t going away. Why isn’t it leaving? If it brought the food, shouldn’t it go?

I thought about it for a second, then realized.

‘Ah.’

Is it asking for a tip?

I’d heard that was why servers moved around that fast.

‘...Hmm....’

Do I even have money on me?

I don’t really carry it around, so it probably isn’t in there, but—

While I was rummaging in my robe to give it something—

“What can I get you?”

The server asked.

“Huh? No, I’m about to find it and—”

“Young Lady?”

“Hm?”

Young Lady?

At that, I frowned. What is it talking about? Young Lady?

Hearing it, I looked at the server and realized its eyes weren’t on me.

“...?”

I followed its gaze and turned my head to the side.

The moment I did—

“Gah!”

I jumped back in shock.

Someone was sitting right beside me.

When did she sit down?

I didn’t even notice.

[Hahahahahaha.]

At my reaction, Yoo Cheongil burst out laughing.

That old bastard. He didn’t say anything on purpose.

Swallowing cold sweat, I asked the woman next to me.

“...What is this?”

“......”

No answer came.

More precisely, she couldn’t answer.

“Sword Phoenix.”

“......”

The one sitting beside me was Sword Phoenix.

She sat there, staring at me—no, staring at the noodle soup.

“......”

“......”

Watching that, I nudged the bowl a little.

Sword Phoenix’s gaze followed it.

I nudged it a bit more.

Same thing.

So—

“...Do you want to eat it?”

At my question, Sword Phoenix nodded.

“If you want to eat, you can just order it. Why are you sitting here watching?”

When I asked in disbelief, Sword Phoenix pulled her gaze off the noodles and stared straight at me.

Then she covered her mouth with a finger.

“Ah. Because you can’t talk?”

“......”

“Then just point and order with your hand—ha... don’t tell me you were hungry and just stayed like that?”

“......”

She nodded at that too.

I was speechless.

So.

‘You were hungry and sitting there like this, and since I showed up, you came over for help?’

What kind of person is this?

I was flustered, but I ordered anyway.

“One more noodle soup.”

“I’ll bring it right away!”

The server brought another bowl quickly.

The one that came to me, I handed over to Sword Phoenix.

The moment I did, Sword Phoenix started eating like she was possessed.

Her eating speed was insane.

Was she that hungry...?

“Eat slower... you’re going to ch—damn it.”

The moment I said it, Sword Phoenix pounded her chest.

I’m going to lose my mind.

I hurriedly handed over the cup of water in front of me.

As soon as I did, Sword Phoenix grabbed it and gulped it down.

“Are you okay?”

“......”

“Did a starving ghost possess you? What are you eating like that for? You like noodle soup?”

“......”

At my question, Sword Phoenix nodded.

Ah. You like noodle soup.

Then, sure.

I let out a small laugh and was about to eat, but this time Sword Phoenix was staring at me.

What.

“...Why? You want this ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) too? No. I have to eat too.”

This time she didn’t nod—she shook her head.

So she wasn’t asking for my noodles.

Then what?

I stared at her with a puzzled look.

Our eyes met.

A beauty with striking white skin and black eyes.

No, I wasn’t trying to admire that.

‘Who is she?’

I still had the question.

Sword Phoenix looks like she knows me.

But no matter how I look at it, I don’t know her.

I’m not the type to forget faces, so I should remember.

But I still don’t.

So I asked.

“Do you know me?”

“......”

Sword Phoenix nodded again.

“I mean, not ‘I’m the Little Sword Saint.’ I mean, did you know me before that?”

She nodded again.

“...That can’t be.”

There’s no way she’d know me.

And there’s no way I’d forget someone like Sword Phoenix.

So who is she?

I don’t know.

“Aren’t you mistaken?”

She shook her head.

“I’ve never been to Shaanxi. How would you know me?”

“......”

This time there was no reaction.

She just stared.

What kind of eyes are those?

‘This is my first time seeing someone this expressionless.’

I can’t read any emotion.

What she’s thinking, what she’s trying to do—nothing.

This is hard.

People like this are the hardest for me.

If it were someone unpleasant to deal with like Cheon Hyein, it’d be easier.

This is—

‘Because I can’t tell.’

More uncomfortable.

As I thought that and was about to scratch my cheek—

SWISH.

Sword Phoenix moved.

She pointed at the empty noodle bowl.

“Hm?”

What? She said she didn’t want more, so why is she pointing?

I frowned, unable to understand what she wanted.

Then—

SWISH.

Sword Phoenix suddenly lifted the empty noodle bowl with her hand.

And then—

TUK TUK.

She flipped it upside down over her head and shook it.

Like she was trying to show me the bowl was completely empty.

“What the—uh?”

Watching that, I wondered what she was doing, but—

“Uh? Uh?”

Something suddenly came to mind.

It was from a fairly distant past.

Right after I met Murong Yeongsun.

If I’m being precise, right after I regained my past-life memories.

That memory and this situation fused together.

“Uh?”

Back then too, I think something like this happened?

My eyes widened as I remembered.

“Don’t tell me—”

Just as I was about to catch the thread of Sword Phoenix’s identity—

“...!”

SHIIIING!

CLINK.

Sword Phoenix moved.

The bowl in her hand shattered.

A sword was drawn, and she threw a strike at something.

CREEEAK!

Sword Phoenix’s sword stopped.

There was a person standing there.

Same as before.

A figure I couldn’t tell when it had appeared was standing straight, staring at me.

Sword Phoenix’s blade was touching that man’s throat.

‘Holy shit, that scared me.’

I was startled. Sword Phoenix moved so suddenly it made it worse.

‘Who the hell is this guy now?’

While I was calming my pounding chest—

The man staring at me spoke.

“You are Young Lord Bang Sungyeon of the Blue Moon Sect.”

“...Who are you?”

Even at a glance, he wasn’t ordinary.

Especially the martial uniform he wore, and the cloak layered over it like it was announcing he was from Main Alliance Headquarters—his position clearly wasn’t low.

“I am a third-rank leader of Main Alliance Headquarters. Jegal Yeok.”

“...!” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A big name.

Third-rank leader Jegal Yeok.

A strong man chosen among the leaders of Main Alliance Headquarters.

A master called the Beautiful Wind Sword in the Central Plains.

Why would someone like that want me?

Before I could even react to the sudden appearance of a master—

“A high-ranking person of Main Alliance Headquarters seeks Young Lord Bang.”

“...Me?”

News even more bewildering landed on me.

*****

CREEEAK.

I closed the door and stepped inside.

The first thing I felt upon entering the room was the cool smell of books.

The paper-and-ink scent unique to a study packed full of books.

That slightly damp, familiar fragrance—like it had piled up from neglect—faintly dragged up my past life.

The closest thing to me had been ears.

But what I read to the point of sickness was books.

And what I kept close to the point of sickness was writing.

Like I’d been longing for this scent, I swallowed my enjoyment with my eyes.

‘It’s packed.’

Books everywhere.

Not just that—treasured.

Letters scattered on the floor caught my eye, but among them, there wasn’t a single book.

Everything was neatly shelved and managed.

Even so, the reason the ink smell and faint mustiness lingered was probably because of those letters on the floor.

‘...There’s nowhere to step.’

There were so many letters I couldn’t even find a place to put my foot down.

I tried to move my toes carefully, but it wasn’t easy.

So I half-stumbled, scanning around—

“Sit.”

A cold voice invaded my ears.

It was from the old man reading letters over there.

A body thin and small.

Maybe because he was too thin, his sharp-looking impression seemed even more vicious.

Yoo Cheongil had said it.

‘He said he looks like rotten tree bark.’

As if proving that, the old man’s face naturally gave off exactly that feeling.

I’d met him briefly before, but seeing him this close, I could tell even better.

[Right?]

Yoo Cheongil asked slyly, like he’d read my thoughts.

I ignored him and focused.

That man.

‘The king of war.’

The War King, or the God of War.

A monster who outperformed countless martial artists in war and built the greatest achievements.

The greatest genius in the history of the Jegal Clan.

‘Thousand-Mile True Sight Jegal Jin.’

And—

‘My maternal grandfather.’

I ended up meeting him out of nowhere.