SHING! SHING!

Every time Jin Mu-Won rubbed the sword in his hands along the whetstone, the dull blade would get a little sharper. As he focused all his concentration on sharpening the sword, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, chest, and back.

When the blade had been fully sharpened, he grinned with satisfaction.

This new sword he had made was one cheok three chon long, and a little over one geun() in weight.[1] It was much shorter than a normal sword, but it was extremely well-balanced.

Jin Mu-Won raised the blade to the light to inspect it more carefully. There were no cracks on the blade, and it reflected the light spectacularly.

YEAHHHH!

Today was the day he finally made his first real sword. Before this, he had made dozens of swords but ended up destroying all of them. This sword was made out of the most ordinary steel, but due to its perfect hardness and balance, none of the previous swords could even hold a candle to this one.

Regrettably though, this sword was far too short and light for him. It was a sword more suited to a person who specialized in speed.

Sigh! I succeeded in making a perfect blade, but it doesnt look like it's a sword thats meant for me.

A sword that he made but could not use was a sword he didnt need. Jin Mu-Won decided to put the sword back into the furnace.

RIIING!

Suddenly, he heard an odd ringing noise coming from the sword.

Was thatthe cry of the sword?

It was as if the sword was telling him that it didnt want to die. Jin Mu-Won tried to listen for the swords cry again, but he did not hear anything this time. The crying sound hed just heard could have been a figment of his own imagination, for all he knew.

He sighed, having decided against throwing the sword back into the furnace. Regardless of whether it had been a hallucination or not, hed heard the cry of the sword. It no longer felt right to simply dispose of it like that.

It had taken him countless swings of the hammer and numerous burns from the furnace to understand even a little bit about the weapon called a sword. Now that he was more familiar with the sword, he could feel that swords had a life of their own. Of course, this knowledge wasnt about to change the way he handled his sword or his attitude toward it.

The more one learns, the more one realizes just how little one knows. My journey to understanding the sword has only just begun, and theres a very long road ahead of me.

Jin Mu-Won hung the sword up on the wall and returned to his lodgings, only to find Eun Ha-Seol sitting on the windowsill inside his room.

She was looking outside and shaking her legs playfully. Every time she kicked the air, her skirt would lift up just a little, revealing the pale skin of her legs.

Ahem! she coughed, embarrassed. She turned her head to face Jin Mu-Won. Her face was lit up by the setting sun, making it appear redder than it usually was.

She glared at him but said nothing. Her eyes shone like obsidian, and her dark hair fluttered gently in the breeze.

She is such a mysterious girl.

Jin Mu-Won had grown a lot taller over the past winter. Similarly, Eun Ha-Seol had also matured, her womanly aura only growing stronger with each passing day.

Jin Mu-Won, who had been completely bewitched by her unfamiliar appearance in the light of the evening sun, quickly came back to his senses. He calmly asked, When did you arrive?

Not long before you did.

What have you been up to? I havent seen you in some time.

Ever since going to Shim Won-Uis banquet together with him, Eun Ha-Seol hadnt come over to his place.

Did you miss me?

A little.

Eun Ha-Seol smiled at Jin Mu-Wons reply.

I was busy. There was something I had to do.

Something you had to do? Then, are you done with that now?

Kind of Eun Ha-Seols voice trailed off.

Seeing Jin Mu-Wons skeptical expression, she quickly changed the topic, saying, Im hungry.

What? Please dont tell me, you havent eaten for days?

I dont know how to cook.

You spoiled brat.

Jin Mu-Won shook his head, but Eun Ha-Seol naturally walked over to the table and sat down.

As usual, he cooked some rice and made hotpot. The secret behind his tasty hotpot was the fact that he made the same thing every single day, which meant that he had gotten a lot of practice. He could even be a professional hotpot chef by now. In no time, the fragrance from the cooking food spread out over the entirety of the Tower of Shadows.

Eun Ha-Seol rested her head on her hands as she watched Jin Mu-Won cook. Suddenly, she said, Hey, about that woman

Woman? What woman?

You know, the one that came here recently. I saw her go inside the Grand Library.

Ah, you were referring to Miss Seo-Moon?

What were you two doing together inside the library?

We were just talking.

About what?

She asked me all sorts of questions about this and that. I wasnt expecting her to be such a nosy person, replied Jin Mu-Won as if it wasnt a big deal.

To Eun Ha-Seol, however, this wasnt a small matter. She asked, Do you think shes pretty?

Yeah.

Eun Ha-Seols aura instantly started to intensify

But youre even prettier, added Jin Mu-Won.

Oh? Really?

The corners of Eun Ha-Seols lips turned upwards, but Jin Mu-Won did not see it because he had his back to her.

You are such a weirdo, she softly grumbled.

Did you just say something?

No, I did not.

Sometime later, Jin Mu-Won brought out the freshly cooked food. As the steam rising from the food filled the room, it seemed to warm her up as well.

Eun Ha-Seol pushed open the door to her room. She was greeted by the familiar sight of the room she had gotten used to.

Haa she sighed, looking around the room.

Suddenly, a light of alarm flashed across her eyes. She raised her head to look at the seemingly empty ceiling.

Who goes there?

Young Mistress.

A person dressed in black from head to toe descended from the ceiling and knelt down before her.

Sa-Ryung.

I have returned, Young Mistress.

Im glad youre safe, Sa-Ryung.

Thank you very much for your concern, Young Mistress.

Did you find Master?

Yes. I was fortunate enough to find the Madam in one of the safehouses that I prepared beforehand.

How is she? Is she okay?

The Madam was seriously injured, but her condition has improved a lot since.

Eun Ha-Seol heaved a sigh of relief, saying, Phew! That takes a load off my mind.

The Madam also instructed me to leave you here until her wounds have fully recovered.

What? So, I cant leave this place yet?

We arent confident that we can beat those guys without being at full strength. They even almost caught me several times as I made my way here.

Sa-Ryungs skill in camouflage and disguise is one of the best in the world. If they put their mind to it, no one will be able to detect their presence. The fact that they were nearly caught can only mean that we are in an extremely dire situation.

With a grave expression, Eun Ha-Seol said, Is there no other way to go about this?

That person will not give up until he has achieved his goals, and as long as the Madam and Young Mistress are alive, his ambition will never be fulfilled, said the evil spirit Sa-Ryung, an eerie glow flickering in their eyes.

As Sa-Ryung spoke, Eun Ha-Seol could feel an extraordinary murderous intent emanating from them and assaulting her senses.

Be careful. There are a lot of people in this fortress besides the two of us, she warned.

My sincerest apologies, Young Mistress. Only after Eun Ha-Seol reminded them, did Sa-Ryung suddenly realize their mistake and brought their killing intent under control.

Did something happen? What are the successors of Heavens Summit doing here?

Theyre waiting for a guy named Dam Soo-Cheon.

Dam Soo-Cheon? mumbled Sa-Ryung.

Do you know him?

Hes probably the most talked-about martial artist in the world right now.

Whats your opinion of him, Sa-Ryung?

He is a born warrior.

Hes that strong? exclaimed Eun Ha-Seol, astonished. The Sa-Ryung she knew would never give another person such high praise.

Im sure you would understand what I mean after seeing him in person, Young Mistress.

Okay. In that case, I will judge him personally.

Please be very careful when you do that, Young Mistress. This is enemy territory, after all.

Eun Ha-Seol nodded silently and looked outside the window. Night had fallen over the Northern Army Fortress, shrouding it in mystery.

Footnotes:

[1] One cheok three chon long, and a little over one geun() in weight: Length 38 cm or 1 3. Weight: Around 600 g or 1.3 lb.