I had been expecting to inevitably run into her near the Infinite Boundary, but I never thought it’d be here.
This place is close to the Infinite Boundary but it’s certainly not somewhere you can just casually wander into.
Moreover, this area is where you could bump into wild beasts or martial realm practitioners if you’re wandering alone.
What was that? The esteemed daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader is here without an escort?
Ah, there is an escort.
I quietly shifted my gaze to the warrior who had landed softly in front of her. Could this be the bodyguard who suffers greatly because of the main protagonist, the notorious klutz?
In the original work, this person played the role of a bodyguard who went through all sorts of hardships to protect their charge.
Due to the klutziness of his master, the bodyguard had to carry around a sachet with a tracking fragrance tied to her wrist, learned tracking techniques, and mastered the skill of staying awake while following her day and night.
This was truly the epitome of a dedicated bodyguard in this era.
And his name was…
“A young lady, it’s late already. We should head back.”
There was no need to be so defensive. How dangerous could a man who is just loitering here really be?
…Though, given my towering figure, I might already look quite intimidating.
Despite that, I, in my capacity as a knight, had no intention of harming the lady and conveyed this to the unexpected guests on the other side of the brook.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Please continue whatever you were doing. Feel free to admire the scenery or continue your stroll.”
“…Han language?”
“If someone ventures so deep into the Central Plains and doesn’t know how to speak it, how on earth would they survive?”
“Is that so…?”
The youngest daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader, Seo-ryeon, tilted her head.
Is she amazed to find someone of different eye color can fluently speak Chinese?
I could feel her peculiarly vacant stare focusing on my face. What exactly is the situation here?
“The colored-eyed people truly have yellow hair…”
Her curious gaze was directed at my hair.
The intensity of her eyes suggested she was about to touch it if given permission. Before she could, the bodyguard, whose name I couldn’t recall, spoke up.
“Miss, please do be more cautious.”
…The bodyguard truly had a tough job.
Constantly searching for the young lady who kept disappearing randomly.
The bodyguard who made his charge carry a sachet with a tracking fragrance probably didn’t have many counterparts like him in the world.
“But he doesn’t look like a villain, does he?”
“There are countless evildoers who wear the mask of kindness.”
That wasn’t wrong.
This merciless medieval era was rife with daily betrayals.
A world where the strong were continually oppressed by those stronger than them, and the weak were exploited with no choice.
Anyone who wasn’t verified should be met with suspicion initially because failing to do so could end with a knife in one’s back, turning them into a cold corpse.
“I shall take my leave then. I wish you a pleasant stay.”
It was troublesome, so I decided to go back quickly.
I stood up from the rock and turned my back. From behind me, a dazed voice followed.
“You don’t have to leave because of me.”
“I was planning to head back anyway.”
Building some form of rapport since our paths crossed wouldn’t hurt, but the timing wasn’t right yet.
I turned around and immediately headed back to camp, lying down on my bed.
Seo-ryeon, Seo-ryeon…
She was the so-called secondary female protagonist, wasn’t she?
As the daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader, she was quite popular, and her martial arts skills were commendable. She was eccentric and infamously directionally challenged.
She played a significant role in the original, but it wasn’t substantial.
In truth, with the exception of the main heroine Namgung So-so, the other female characters had no prominent roles. Even Namgung So-so wasn’t given much screen time.
Should the original have become extremely popular and reach 300 or 400 episodes, things might be different. However, the original was heavily focused on the protagonist’s storyline, thus Seo-ryeon’s role wasn’t too significant.
She only appeared a few times in Martial Alliance-related episodes.
Truth be told, her prominence could be seen as a mere bonus in the protagonist’s achievement records.
… I never expected to meet her here.
I thought I’d only cross paths with her after I joined the Martial Alliance.
Considering the vastness of the Central Plains, it was unlikely to encounter someone in such a manner.
It was just a small hill on the outskirts here, but given its size, it was like encountering someone atop Mount Jiri—an entirely different scale. Such an encounter seemed unnatural and almost as if there were external factors at play.
“…Mister, what are you thinking about?”
“…When did you wake up?”
“About when you went to wash your hands.”
Hye-ryeong smiled and wrapped herself in a blanket.
Even the blanket couldn’t hide her imposing figure. I quickly averted my gaze from her and looked back at her face.
“Your hand washing took a while…”
“Plunging my hands in cold water woke me up. I ended up reading a manual.”
“Was it difficult?”
“Not yet. I still can’t understand about half of it.”
“Hehe, as you keep reading, it will become clearer. That’s how manuals work—you need to memorize them thoroughly until you fully understand.”
So the idea is to read first and understand later?
“I’ll head over to wash up.”
“…Considering there’s someone there now, would it be better to wait?”
“Someone?”
“There’s a woman with gray hair taking a walk.”
“Here, in the middle of this mountainous area?”
Seeing the confused look on Hye-ryeong’s face, she then turned towards the direction of the stream. She gasped and looked back at me, trembling.
“Ghost…?”
“She’s human.”
“But… isn’t it strange to take a stroll at this hour and place?”
“She’s indeed human.”
“…Even so, Mister, would you please accompany me?”
Must she beg so desperately?
I raised my body from where I was lying and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“No big deal.”
…
Hye-ryeong and I headed towards the stream. By now, the youngest daughter of the Martial Alliance Leader must have returned home under the watchful eyes of her bodyguard.
As expected, there was no one by the stream.
“Aren’t you really seeing ghosts?”
“It’s not a ghost.”
“But… wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere else?”
People who cut heads without hesitation are unafraid of ghosts, yet she’s scared?
I chuckled at her rare display of fear.
She’s cute when she acts like this.
“Alright, hurry up and wash.”
I turned around and stared at the night sky.
The pale light was slowly pushing back the inky darkness. If I waited a bit longer, I might catch the morning glow.
While lost in thought, I ignored the splashing sounds behind me.
Even though it was just washing her face and limbs, such sounds couldn’t help but grab my attention.
“I’m done!”
Hye-ryeong called out to me some time later. Evidently, as a woman, grooming took longer. I looked at her refreshed face and said,
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes!”
We walked together back to the campsite.
—————–
“Ho ho, we’re lucky nothing happened.”
“That’s right, Elder Baek. We were so worried that something might have happened…”
As the sight of the Infinite Boundary came into view beyond the horizon, Elder Baek and Ha-jin sighed in relief.
Why worry so much?
Even if something happens once or twice, it’s not like it happens all the time, right?
…Isn’t it?
Although meeting Seo-ryeon was quite the event from my perspective.
It’s practically an insignificant incident since it only affected me.
“Mister, look, that’s the Martial Alliance!”
“…It’s enormous?”
“Isn’t that like a palace?”
Even from far away, the Martial Alliance was clearly visible. In reality, it must be much, much larger.
It’s as if an entire village has been occupied by this compound.
Indeed, with the money in China, the scale surpasses all imaginations.
Of course, the vast land contributes to it.
“Once we enter, it’ll be the true start of our journey!”
“True, that’s how it is…”
In other words, hard work will begin.
After all, much of the story’s focus is around the Martial Alliance.
About half of the story revolves around events occurring within and near the Martial Alliance, so I’ll inevitably be more involved in the original story.
“Hopefully things go smoothly…”
“Hm?”
“It’s just that it’s fascinating being at the center of Jianghu.”
I evaded properly answering her and focused forward.
I can’t think of anything specific right now.
Nevertheless, in my mind, I formulated a plan.
For this world, the first button had been sewn.
The very first thing to do was to find the protagonist.
Confirming the ambiguous timeline of the original story could only be done by assessing the protagonist’s current status.
Only after evaluating the protagonist’s state could I devise a plan.
Were the protagonist not present…
…No, now isn’t the time for those thoughts.
I wiped away ominous speculations from my mind and took a step forward towards the stage of the original story.
