Chapter 83

Sima Mantian’s usually calm eyes, now unusually cold, pointed at Sososo, who clearly looked unwell to anyone who saw her.

“…This is not the martial arts I was taught to use like this.”

“Martial arts are just tools. How you use them is up to you.”

The calm words of the master-disciple relationship made anger boil up from the depths of his organs. His mind quickly calmed down.

The sight of the girl he wanted to protect being hurt and the fact that his respected teacher’s teachings were being misinterpreted left no room for hesitation.

“Don’t you dare come any closer to the Young Mistress!”

Was it the intuition of a martial artist? The North Sea Ice Palace guards, who had been waiting below, sensed something strange and approached, but Mantian paid no attention.

He simply took a step forward.

『Fudo Myo-o’s Step (不動明王步)』 – Suppression

Kwa-wang!!

The guard who had approached Mantian was instead slammed into the floor of the inn, subdued.

“What… what was that?!”

“W-was that… sorcery?”

“It’s martial arts. Don’t interfere.”

Mo Dan, raising his hand to calm the panicked guards, slowly lifted his sword toward Mantian, who was walking straight toward him.

“If you come any closer to me now….”

It wasn’t worth listening to. Ignoring Mo Dan’s words, Mantian closed the distance without hesitation.

At this, Mo Dan’s left eyebrow twitched slightly.

Once again, beautiful snowflakes began to dance. A single icy petal grazed Mantian’s cheek as it passed.

…But he didn’t stop walking.

In the silent inn, only the sound of a cane tapping echoed.

“You’re still coming closer despite my warning. What’s your reason?”

To the foolish question, Mantian clenched his fist and gave the obvious answer.

“If I don’t get closer, I can’t knock you down.”

No more words were needed.

Both observed each other, ready to unleash the martial arts they had learned from their masters.

Now, the distance between them was ten steps, just ten steps.

…And suddenly, Mantian’s foot stopped moving.

To be precise, it was stopped. By the thin fingers he felt on his back.

“Lord Sima… I’m… fine… please don’t fight.”

Sososo, who had forced herself up, clung to Mantian’s sleeve and pleaded.

“…Please.”

Her rough breathing, the slight tremble in her fragile hand.

…But because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to shake her off.

Even though there was someone in front of him he needed to knock down. He couldn’t do it.

Swallowing the anger rising within him, he turned and lifted Sososo into his arms.

In what could be called a princess carry, Sososo’s eyes widened as she was buried in Mantian’s embrace. All eyes in the inn turned to them.

“You shouldn’t do this… I… I….”

Sensitive to the surrounding gazes, Sososo tried to push Mantian away as the “Young Master of the Namgung Family.”

“Brother Namgung, do you really want to see me go crazy?”

At the low voice filled with mixed emotions, she couldn’t speak.

“Just… don’t say anything… and lean on me for now.”

Neither the “Little Emperor,” nor the “Sword Dragon,” nor the “Young Master of the Namgung Family,” he simply held the fragile, wounded girl.

Sharing warmth with her cold, stiff body.

“Jang Sam, let’s go.”

Mantian carried Sososo out of the inn.

***

In a private room within the Martial Alliance.

Was it a blessing in disguise? Sososo’s condition was said to be not good.

Fortunately, the Martial Alliance Leader, Jaro, who could be considered Sososo’s backer, sent a physician familiar with the Namgung Family’s situation.

According to the physician, avoiding cold food and taking medicine while resting would help her recover, which was a relief.

And as the urgent crisis subsided, allowing a moment to catch their breath.

“Um… Young Master? A guest has come… what should we do?”

“…A guest?”

At Jang Sam’s call, he went out to see. There stood the Young Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace.

“Um… um… how is Sister Sososo…?”

Seol Wonhwa stood nervously, fidgeting and glancing around.

“What face do you have to come here! Did you come to get some beef stew!!”

Thinking back now, Wolhwa might have been in cahoots with Mo Dan, so when I shouted at her.

“N-no… it’s not that… I… didn’t know.”

Her usually bright, golden eyes, which always sparkled, now shook uncontrollably as tears formed.

“Please believe me… is Sister okay? If something happens to Sister Sososo too… I… I….”

Seeing Wolhwa tearfully searching for Sososo, both irritation and pity rose within me. Without thinking, I raised my voice.

“Stop looking for Sososo! Is Sister Namgung your mother!?”

Jang Sam, who had been watching from the side, joined in with a sharp remark.

“That’s right! Or do you- do you not have a mother to take care of you?”

“Gasp-!?”

It felt like cold water had been poured over my head. Jang Sam’s unexpected jab brought back rational thought.

“H-hey, Jang Sam- isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Young Master, stay out of this. Spoiled brats like this need to find their lost mother to come to their senses.”

I hurriedly tried to stop Jang Sam, but it was already too late.

“Sob… sob… y-you’re right… I don’t have a mother.”

The sorrowful cries of Seol Wonhwa, the motherless child, echoed.

“I don’t have… a mother… or an aunt… sob… if something happens to Sister Sososo too….”

Watching the tears fall down her pale cheeks, a sense of pity and a sigh escaped me.

‘Right… what fault does she have?’

Before the incident, Wolhwa had been happily planning to play with Sososo, smiling brightly.

But then, suddenly, her respected brother and cousin started fighting, and her sister was carried off to the infirmary.

She must be very scared and confused right now.

Taking out a handkerchief, I wiped her tears and patted her back.

“Um… you must have been really shocked. I was too harsh. Sososo will be fine.”

“Sob… really?”

“Really. She was examined by a physician. She’ll be fine after taking medicine and resting.”

As I comforted the sniffling Wolhwa.

Jang Sam, left as the only bad guy, clenched his fist with a sulky expression, pouting his lips and muttering.

“Just saying… you still have a dad and a brother.”

“Enough! You brat!!”

He really knows how to pick the weirdest things to harp on.

***

“Having someone to take care of is really tough.”

“When you hear they’re hurt or sick, your heart races, and you can’t focus on anything else.”

As the Martial Alliance Leader, Jaro, arrived late, I leaned against the corridor wall and spoke.

“You’re very devoted. Then why not punish the one who caused this?”

“It’s complicated. Right now, Sososo’s only backing within the Namgung Family is her maternal side, the Ice Palace. If this incident becomes public, Sososo will be seen as a political fool betrayed even by her maternal family.”

Jaro’s softened gaze, unseen by others, looked toward the room where Sososo was sleeping.

“…And if I interfere unnecessarily, it will only make things worse and create a rift.”

“Inviting someone to a meal and then drugging the food already seems like a rift to me.”

“It’s not life-threatening. He must have thought it through and decided not to cross the final line.”

“Are you siding with your disciple?”

“It’s not that. More importantly, I’ve always thought you have a good eye for martial arts.”

As the words ended, his gaze shifted to Mantian.

“Anyway, don’t interfere and stay quiet. This is something Sososo needs to resolve herself.”

“…What if I refuse?”

“Then Sososo will have to watch someone she cares about get hurt because of her again.”

‘Someone she cares about? Hurt?’

Unable to let the words slide, I stood straight from the wall and looked at Jaro.

“What do you mean by that?”

Jaro scratched the back of his head, pondering for a moment, then made a decision.

“It’s a long story. Let’s change locations.”

***

In the private office of the Martial Alliance Leader.

The prophecy given at birth, the resulting cross-dressing, and the brutal murder of her parents by an assassin known as “Invincible” when she was just twelve years old.

The story Jaro told was quite shocking.

Now I understood why Sososo had begged me not to fight.

Sososo was scared.

Just like when her parents, whom she thought were her entire world, were killed.

She was scared of seeing someone she cared about get hurt and fall because of her again.

…She was scared of having her trust shattered.

“What kind of person is this ‘Invincible’ guy?”

“I’m not sure. He’s my disciple’s enemy. I’ve gathered information to kill him, but there’s not much.”

“Where he was born, his real name, nothing is known. The only thing I have is the martial arts he uses.”

Jaro took out a cigarette, lit it with a flame from his fingertip, and took a deep drag.

“Hoo~ Before he became known as the Martial World’s Public Enemy for killing the royal family, he worked as an assassin for the Evil Faction under one of the Four Pillars of the Evil Faction.”

“His alias at the time was ‘Iron Dog Invincible.’ That’s the biggest clue we have now.”