The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 53
A bright morning.
Basking in the warm morning sun, Kim Yeon-hee headed to work as usual.
As always, she exchanged pleasantries with the desk staff.
“Good morning.”
“You’ve arrived, President.”
“Everyone, let’s keep up the good work today.”
While waiting in front of the elevator, the Secretary-General gave her a report.
“Electron contacted us unofficially through the Korean branch, asking if we could increase the supply of artificial spirit stones, but I’ve put it on hold for now.”
“Decline it. It’s a carefully balanced distribution; we don’t want it to get messy by giving more to one and less to another.”
Walking into the office, which housed the brain of this Optimum headquarters, the gentle aroma of coffee greeted her. The secretary handed her an espresso.
“Hmm.”
Perfect.
Now all that was left to do was to watch some family photos while savoring the espresso, then start a meeting—it would have been a truly perfect start to the day.
That is… until this trouble-making husband barged in.
“What? Why are you here this early?”
“I missed you!”
“To be honest, I’m worried. Don’t you remember we already had breakfast together?”
“Time doesn’t matter! Love! You don’t need a reason to love, right? Hahaha!”
“…Hmph.”
Stay calm, Kim Yeon-hee. Stay calm.
Haven’t we been through this more than once?
When dealing with Park Geon, the first rule—and second rule—is to stay calm. If you get upset, you’ll only be the one at a disadvantage. A parade of at least a thirty-minute string of nonsense about love and passion will surely ensue.
“I love you too, but let’s stop the nonsense and cut to the chase.”
“Expect something great. Ta-daa!”
“USB?”
“Nope. Not just any USB. This USB contains the adorable antics of our precious granddaughter! What do you think? Still useless?”
“Let me see it.”
“Let’s enjoy some popcorn together, shall we?”
Frankly, Kim Yeon-hee had anticipated something like this when the USB came out. Her youngest daughter couldn’t talk about her daughter without getting emotional. Just looking at the social media of this family was enough—there were only pictures of “Spring”. Of course, videos were also often sent, as they were today.
Just one thing was curious—why didn’t he just send it digitally? This seemed trivial at the time, so she ignored it and started the video.
The location in the video turned out to be the clubroom, delivered by Park Ki-hyuk.
‘A hell with no exit,’ she thought, letting out a soft laugh at the naming sense of her son.
The familiar faces of Han Jun-woo, Merhem, Jin Yu-ri, and Park Bom appeared on the screen, creating a very daily scene as she watched.
Unconsciously, a thought crossed her mind.
‘What exactly is he trying to show me?’
As if responding to that question, the camera’s focus shifted to one spot.
“Is that a puppet show?”
“Hmm? Isn’t that the puppet set the lizards use to play with?”
“…Is that really it?!”
The birth of a True Dragon is always imbued with mana, and thus requires mana control. And it seemed they were teaching such control with these puppets.
But still…
“That looks quite valuable. Is it alright to take it out for this?”
Seeing her niece handling the puppet so casually, it seemed like she’d been playing with it for quite some time…
While she was curious, she decided to overlook it for now. That wasn’t the main thing she was focused on right now.
What she focused on was the movement of the puppet, Captain Tiger.
“…Not bad, eh.”
Captain Tiger wielded the sword so vividly, almost like a real person. The footwork, the pose of striking—everything was neat.
“Our granddaughter really has a solid foundation!”
“…To be able to wield a sword so skillfully using a puppet…”
“Haha. Captain Tiger indeed! Tigers are always right! Our granddaughter is not only good at mana control but also has a keen sense for it.”
“She can basically be taught anything.”
“She’s grown so well despite going through tough times.”
“Ki-hyuk also shows his fatherly side.”
Soft smiles graced the faces of both of them.
Both knew the “secret” about Park Bom. The abduction, the experiments, the ticking time bomb of her lineage—all the dangerous moments she’d faced, and the presence of “Park Ki-hyuk” who helped control all of it.
As family members, they were aware of everything. That’s why the scene showing Park Ki-hyuk and Park Bom together felt even warmer, reminiscent of how they felt when they first held Seohyeok.
But warm was warm.
The following part of the video, however, was more of a shock than warmth.
As Captain Tiger lifted a great sword towards the sky, the next moment…
“Go. Mo. Ryu!”
Go Mo Ryu? Could that be Geomho-ryu?
“Strong. Sword. Technique!”
“Strong Sword Technique?!”
“Quiet for a moment!”
“Mountain. Landslide!”
“…!!”
“…!!”
Geomho-ryu Strong Sword Technique.
Mountain Landslide.
The sword art of the Sword Master was being enacted through the puppet.
Naturally, Kim Yeon-hee’s jaw was plummeting to the floor.
“What… did I just see…?”
“Haha! Of course, it’s the mountain landslide…”
“Quiet!”
It was the same shocking reaction Jin Yu-ri had a few days ago.
That night, a family meeting for the Geomho clan was convened.
The topic? Spring.
The discussion was about the future direction of the youngest member of the family.
Meanwhile, Park Bom’s video was also drawing attention elsewhere.
At the peak of the True Dragon Mountain.
An elegant traditional Korean-style house exuding tranquil ambiance.
This was where Jin Do-ha, the pinnacle of the True Dragons, resided.
“Go. Mo. Ryu!”
“Strong. Sword. Technique!”
“Mountain. Landslide!”
Tic—
Jin Do-ha, having watched the video, turned off the playback with the remote control.
“Jin Yu-ri.”
“Yeah.”
“Did this child use ‘Geomho’ techniques with the puppet, and then this puppet disintegrated? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Dad, it’s just…”
“Never mind, I’ve got the answer. After all, we have the video.”
Jin Do-ha took a sip of tea and looked down at Jin Yu-ri, who was kneeling.
“When you created the ‘War Armor,’ I didn’t say anything, nor when you plundered the warehouse for research purposes. But… look at what broke this time—the educational puppet set, officially known as ‘Young Dragon Educational Set.’ Without permission, you took an important artifact from the family and also broke it. Whom should I hold accountable—should it be you? Or the child?”
“Dad, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! Spring didn’t do anything wrong!”
At the mention of the name “Spring,” Jin Yu-ri flinched in surprise. The girl who had been kneeling and raising her hand to apologize raised it even higher in apparent contrition. Watching this, Jin Do-ha chuckled wryly.
Is this my daughter?
Time will tell.
The so-called “greatest genius” and “most mischievous” of the True Dragon history is now showing proper respect and even repentance for something.
All because of this “Spring.”
This Spring must be extraordinary indeed.
“Cut out the nonsense that doesn’t suit you.”
As Jin Do-ha waved his hand, the chair shifted back a bit.
“Sit down.”
Taking the opportunity, Jin Yu-ri swiftly sat down.
“This time, I’ll let it slide, but there won’t be a next time. Remember that.”
“Okay!”
“Now, let’s talk about this child. Is she really the adopted daughter of ‘Cat’?”
“Dad, what do you mean by ‘Cat’? Besides, why do we need to call her ‘adopted’? She’s just Spring.”
“Whether she’s adopted or just Spring doesn’t matter to me.”
What Jin Do-ha was really curious about right now was only one thing.
“How can this child use ‘Cat’s’ sword skills?”
The sword skills of Geomho are not ordinary techniques.
You first learn to use the sword through ‘Flash Sword,’ then build speed with ‘Fast Sword,’ strength with ‘Strong Sword,’ weight with ‘Heavy Sword,’ illusions with ‘Illusion Sword,’ smoothness with ‘Flowing Sword,’ and change with ‘Transformation Sword.’
It’s a compendium of everything one can achieve with a sword, created to perfect the Geomho.
Born solely for the Geomho, these techniques were made to create an even more perfect Sword Master.
Therefore, even if others learn it, Geomho techniques cannot be utilized effectively unless one is from the Geomho lineage.
“…Really? That simple?”
“They may imitate it, but they won’t be able to exert the inherent destructive power of the sword skill.”
There have been countless attempts from people throughout history.
Learning the Geomho’s sword technique to become as powerful as them, for example.
Some Geomho members have even provided parts of their techniques out of pure interest.
Something unthinkable in the closed-off True Dragons—but Jin Do-ha would consider it “Geomho-like.” After all, as exemplified by Park Geon, Geomho members are known for being eccentric.
Anyway, there were countless attempts, and the outcome?
Naturally, none succeeded.
“Without the right bloodline, the Geomho’s technique is meaningless.”
“So Spring…?”
“Yes, if she used the Geomho technique, then by definition, she’s already a Geomho.”
“Wait, you’re saying Spring is really our daughter?”
While Jin Yu-ri was confused, Jin Do-ha was lost in thought.
“Yu-ri probably didn’t realize because she didn’t play with the puppet enough.”
The puppet carried by Jin Yu-ri this time, Captain Tiger—this rather unpleasantly named creation—was actually a “defective product.”
Due to its high difficulty level, it was judged unsuitable for children and was shoved into a warehouse corner.
But this defective product was handled so effortlessly by this child, Spring.
“Judging by the fact that the puppet maintained its form until the end of the puppet show, her mana is far beyond what one would imagine.”
“From what I understand, it seems likely that she has been trained in magic professionally, given her use of ‘Double Casting’ in the middle.”
“More importantly…”
Incredibly adept at manipulating mana via puppets to replicate Geomho techniques—an extraordinary ability!
How excellent is this magical talent!
How desirable!
It is a shame she’s a member of the Geomho family.
“…Still, from what I hear, this young man Park Ki-hyuk seems to have deep knowledge of magic.”
At least he would be a more reasonable conversationalist than the boorish Park Geon.
With the decision made, Jin Do-ha picked up a pen after a long while.
To Park Ki-hyuk…
Things got complicated.
It was merely sending Spring’s video from the clubroom cameras as usual, but I hadn’t expected it to blow up like this.
Apparently, showcasing some swordplay through a puppet was surprisingly shocking to them.
The evening of the day I sent the video, the moment I got home, I was interrogated by my parents.
“Ki-hyuk, wouldn’t it be better to transfer Spring to another kindergarten, perhaps something like a gifted education center?”
“We should teach her swordsmanship. Spring was born to use a sword. I myself will teach her.”
Then the siblings got involved, stoking the situation further.
“Dad, just back off. I’ll teach her. Women have swords suited for them, you know.”
“You’re the one who should back off. Ki-hyuk, as you know, beginnings are always the most important. If the foundation isn’t solid, you eventually hit a wall. It’s best to learn from the person among us with the strongest foundation, right?”
“So am I saying you don’t know the basics?”
“Son, your arrogance is unbecoming. Come here. Let me show you my authority.”
“No way this goes on.”
“…Hmph, this house. Everyone, quiet down!!”
An unexpected tug-of-war over Spring.
Spring herself had no intention of leaving anyone behind, but the adults were all clamoring to teach her.
Fortunately, that’s where it ended. The next day, via Jin Yu-ri, I received a letter addressed to me. The sender, completely unexpected, was Jin Do-ha, head of the True Dragon lineage.
“…I thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I am the father of Jin Yu-ri. I often hear about the trouble she causes.”
“To cut to the chase, please allow me to take charge of educating Park Bom. She has a talent to become an exceptional sorceress.”
When I heard through Yu-ri that Jin Do-ha had a strong penchant for talent, I had shrugged it off, but his offer to fund everything in the name of her growth was undeniable proof of his sincerity.
Regardless, the ruckus caused by Spring’s video was eventually resolved peacefully as a common occurrence, and we returned to our normal roles as Academy students heading toward the gate.
“Ah pu-ah! Look at this! Auntie bought it!”
Of course, Spring came along too.
