I didn’t even know whose voice it was, but the moment I heard that tone filled with certainty, I realized there was no point in denying it.
So I took a short breath and answered.

“Yes.”

“Wow… You’re pretty good with a sword, huh? So why is someone like you serving as a servant in this shabby little village?”

The woman let out a soft chuckle, ruffled my hair, and tightened the leg that was wrapped around me.
Her hot breath tickled my ear and neck, and the soft warmth of her skin against mine made me dizzy beyond words.

“C-Could you please… let me go?”

“Hmm? Ahaha… Are you embarrassed, boy? You’re cute~ Have you ever even seen someone as pretty as me in this countryside?”

“I haven’t seen your face yet…”

“Oh? So what, if my face doesn’t meet your standards, you’re going to call me ugly? You think I’m lying to you?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Ahaha! You’re really cute!”

I could barely keep my sanity thanks to this woman hugging me tightly and patting my head like crazy.
She even called me cute!

In all my short years of life, not once—no, not even as a joke—had anyone ever said that to me.
The only times I’d ever heard that word were when someone was talking about another person or their pet.

Was something like this even supposed to happen?

Just because… my face changed a little, there’s this big of a difference?

But wait—how can she even see my face in this darkness?
No, if she came all the way here, it means she must have recognized me beforehand.
So maybe that doesn’t matter.

“So, why are you in a backwater place like this? Don’t lie. If you lie, there’ll be punishment.”

“I… I was planning to leave soon anyway.”

“Heh~ Then where did you learn martial arts? From the looks of it, you’ve been training seriously for a few years…”

A few years, huh.

Her words left me feeling a bit bitter.
It wasn’t strange for a master to instantly judge the level of a novice.
That kind of thing happens in every field.

A first-rate chef can tell someone’s skill just by the way they handle ingredients.
It’s the same with martial arts.

And when two people’s bodies are this close, they can roughly sense each other’s internal energy and muscle development to guess what kind of martial art the other practices—or so I’ve heard.
I’ve never been in such a position myself, of course.

Still… I’ve been training for over ten years, and all she sees is “a few years”?

After some thought, I decided to mix in a bit of truth.

“When I was younger… a swordsman passed through this area.
He said he wasn’t that great himself, but he still taught me a cultivation method.”

“Heh~ What was his name?”

“Jeong Uigong.”

“You know him well. If you’d tried to lie or hide it, I was going to punish you.”

The woman giggled softly beside my ear.
Yeah… just as I thought.

The Jeong Uigong method wasn’t created to prepare for the Demonic Sect war.
It was a martial art developed long ago by the Murim Alliance, along with the Jeongui Eight Swords, and it still existed even now.

That’s why most of the righteous sects knew about it—especially those affiliated with the Alliance.
So I’d told the truth.
Why did I think she was part of the Murim Alliance?

Because she mentioned Wang Ak.
In my previous life, the pursuit unit that killed Wang Ak later took me in through an old master.
So it was highly likely that this woman was one of that group.

Even if she wasn’t, it wouldn’t matter.
Because—

“I don’t even need to ask who taught you. It’s not some grand martial art anyway.”

Exactly that.
The Jeongui Eight Swords and Jeong Uigong weren’t considered anything special.
Even if a country boy like me knew them, the one who taught me wouldn’t be punished for it.

Ordinary people might not know such trivial techniques, but for martial artists, it was no big deal.

“Why did you kill Wang Ak?”

“I just… had a bad feeling about him.”

“That’s all?”

“His clothes were covered in blood… and the way he asked for directions to our village felt strange.”

I couldn’t really explain that part.
It was strange, after all.

I knew from my previous life that he would harm our village, but there was no proper way to explain that now.
Still, she didn’t seem to care much.

“I see.
Anyway, thanks for doing the Information Division’s job for us.”

“Information Division?”

“Oh~ right, I haven’t introduced myself yet.
Just think of it as a group that does errands for the higher-ups—stuff like ‘find out about this,’ or ‘take that guy’s head.’
You probably don’t even know what the Murim Alliance is, huh?
Anyway, my name’s Joo Sohee.
And you’re Wang Chil, right?”

“Yes.”

“Smart, cute, and even handsome—but that name really doesn’t suit you.
I’m guessing your master picked it?”

“Um… can you really see me right now? It’s so dark here.”

Only then did I ask if she could actually see me.
After all, we were in a pitch-dark storage shed.

Even if a faint moonlight crept through, it wasn’t enough to make out anything clearly.
Yet she spoke as if she could see me perfectly.

“I’m using internal energy to enhance my sight… though I suppose you wouldn’t know what that means. Only first-rate martial artists can do it.”

“Oh, like this?”

“..Hmm?”

Following her words, I directed my internal energy upward from my dantian toward my eyes.
And then—how should I describe it?
The darkness in the shed suddenly… stopped being darkness.

Even though I knew it was dark, I could still see everything—what was where, what it looked like—much clearer than before.
Not only could I pierce through the shadows, but I could even see fine details.

“That’s not something that just happens so easily… Anyway, can you see my face now?”

She muttered incredulously and turned me halfway around, so we ended up facing each other while still holding one another.
And that’s when I finally looked up at her face.

“You’re… really beautiful.”

“Oh?”

I’d somewhat expected it.
Her voice alone had been too lovely.
And anyone strong enough to serve in the Murim Alliance’s Information Division was bound to be beautiful, too.

But even so—she was far more stunning than I imagined.
I’d never complimented a woman’s looks before, so I wasn’t sure how to express it, but—

“Your eyes are really big and pretty. I can see my reflection in them. And your skin… it’s so white, like fresh snow. They say true beauties don’t tan even under the blazing sun—it must be true. And also—”

“S-Stop! I get it!”

I recalled how female martial artists in the Alliance used to compliment each other and just said what came to mind, but she quickly turned away and covered my mouth with her hand.

“Honestly… a little brat like you saying such sweet things…”

“?”

I was just answering her question honestly…

“Anyway, you said you’re leaving soon, right?
So where are you going? Have you decided what to do?”

“Uh… no.”

I had no choice but to lie here.
I did have plans, but I couldn’t tell her the truth, and I wasn’t ready to leave just yet.

“Then… do you want to learn martial arts? Not that cheap stuff you know, but real, advanced techniques.”

“N-No?”

“Ha! You think I’ll hurt you if you say yes? Your eyes are twitching. Don’t lie.”

As Joo Sohee pinched my cheek and teased me, I turned my gaze aside awkwardly.
She was right.

I’d lied out of fear that showing greed for martial arts might lead to something bad.
But of course, it was impossible not to yearn for higher techniques.

“If you want, I can arrange it.
Ah, not me—I’ll entrust you to an older sister I know.
She’s insanely skilled, so don’t worry.”

“Um… why are you being so nice to me?”

“Hm?”

“No, it’s just… I’m grateful, but… it feels a bit unreal.”

I asked earnestly.
Because I really didn’t understand.
Why me?

Right now, I was just a village boy.
Sure, I knew a bit of martial arts, but that meant nothing to someone of her level.

So why was someone like her showing me such kindness?
She had approached me so silently I hadn’t even sensed her—proof that she was on a level far above mine.

“Why, huh… well, maybe no reason at all.”

“Sorry?”

“I just thought—it’d be fun to see what kind of monster you’d become if I let that sister of mine teach a talented kid like you.
And maybe… I just felt like doing something for you.
Ugh, why am I even explaining this in detail…”

Joo Sohee frowned and pinched both my cheeks again.
I thought her face looked a bit red, but maybe it was just my imagination.

“Anyway, what’s your answer? Come on, answer your big sister.”

“I-I’ll go..!”

I shouted immediately.
Where else would someone like me ever get the chance to learn higher martial arts?

Those wandering tales about discovering secret manuals on cliffs weren’t the only kind of fateful encounter—this was one too.

“Then let’s go. Get up.”

“R-Right now?”

She stood and pulled me up with ease.
It was so dark I couldn’t even see a step ahead, and yet she wanted to leave now?
Even if she had the skill for it…

Just leaving like this felt…

“Shouldn’t I at least say goodbye to my master’s family—”

“Leave a note.
Even in this countryside, people living in a house like that can read, right?”

“Uh, yes… I think they have a few books too.”

“What? Books, in this backwater?
How classy and expensive for such a place.
Anyway… wait a sec.”

She muttered incredulously.
Books were expensive luxuries, and owning them in a tiny village was rare indeed.

She rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a bamboo slip and a brush, then began writing something.
I’d seen such things a few times—they used small containers to keep ink from drying.
As expected of someone from the Information Division, she used fine tools.

Seeing how serious she was, I decided not to argue further.

“Anything special you want me to write?”

“Um… there’s this friend named Wang Boheon—
No, tell his father that I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye in person.
Though… would he even believe that?”

At first, I meant to leave a message for Wang Boheon himself, but then realized I didn’t even know how to write his name, so I changed it.

“A few silver coins should make sure they do.
And if they wake up to find something on their pillow, who’d dare ignore that?”

“That’s true.”

They’d probably be too scared not to listen.

Once she finished writing, she put the brush away, tore off the bamboo slip, and suddenly disappeared right in front of me.
An astonishing movement technique.

‘I could barely see her blur…’

Could a human really move that fast?
I knew masters could, but seeing someone my own age do it was something else entirely.

Then again, even Ye Rin, who was my age, had been a top-tier master.
Maybe it was foolish to keep being surprised.

As I was thinking that, my body suddenly lifted off the ground.
Startled, I looked back to see Joo Sohee holding me in her arms.

“Let’s go.”

“W-What the—?”

“What, did you think I’d match your walking pace? Of course I’m running.”

Wait—she was going to run while carrying me like this?

“Y-You don’t have to—”

“Quiet. I’m short on time.
I have to drop you off at my sister’s and then head straight back to the Alliance.”

“Guh—ugh—”

“Don’t talk, or you’ll bite your tongue~”

Then I felt it—a massive force dragging me downward, as if my whole body were plunging into a deep abyss.
All I could do was clamp my hands over my mouth and endure it, just as she said.