A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 243

243. Omen

“Taha!”

The spirited shouts of the young men echoed across the training grounds.

There were no masters displaying manifested Sword Energy, nor dazzling sword techniques to captivate the eyes.

However, as if narrating the tale of their arduous training, forged through sweat, perseverance, and tears, the blades wielded by the young men, imbued with their inner strength, clashed in a fierce battle with no quarter given.

Clang!

Silver blades collided, sparks flying. The significant impact caused both combatants to grimace and grit their teeth. Yet, neither yielded.

“Taha!”

In that moment of confrontation, a young man, sensing an opening, channeled all his inner strength into a downward strike.

It was a reckless blow, not particularly refined, with little regard for the consequences. Unfortunately, his opponent lacked the ability or agility to deflect it.

Thwack, clang!

“Kugh.”

He blocked with his sword but couldn’t escape the full force of the blow. He lost his balance and stumbled backward several steps.

In that instant, his opponent’s sword, seizing the opportunity, was already at his throat.

“Stop!”

The middle-aged man overseeing the contest declared the match over. The outcome was decided.

“Hoo, hoo.”

The victorious young man sheathed his sword, gasping for breath. His face was filled with pride.

The defeated young man seemed unable to shake off the shock of his loss but soon composed himself and stood up. However, he could not hide his dark expression.

Both young men bowed to the elders of the clan and the honored guests before stepping back.

“Next.”

At the middle-aged man’s word, two young individuals stepped into the center of the training ground.

One was a young man with a tense expression, and the other was Namgung Soyu, equally resolute.

Watching, Son Bin asked Shin-ui,

“If the opponent is a man, wouldn’t Young Lady Namgung Soyu be at a significant disadvantage…?”

“The Namgung Clan does not make such distinctions.”

The Clan Head, who was across from Shin-ui, answered. Clan Head Namgung Kwon smiled gently as he spoke.

“To a martial artist wielding a sword, the distinction between male and female is meaningless. Rather, in the world of martial arts, most opponents a woman must face will be men. To only compete against other women would be unrealistic.”

Son Bin looked at Clan Head Namgung Kwon and said,

“In short, even if it seems unfair, you mean they must prepare to fight against reality.”

“That is the spirit of the Namgung Clan.”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon said with a voice full of pride. However, Son Bin was not finished speaking.

“It is truly a remarkable spirit. However, I am a little concerned.”

“Concerned?”

Namgung Kwon asked back with a puzzled expression. Son Bin bowed lightly and said,

“Overcoming unfairness is an undeniable virtue. But sometimes, people have a habit of absolutizing their own experiences. I wonder if they might end up believing that even outdated customs that can be changed must be accepted as they are?”

Though he spoke indirectly, he was ultimately criticizing Namgung Kwon’s words.

Namgung Kwon stared at Son Bin. His gaze was quite imposing, but Son Bin simply met it with a gentle expression.

“Haha.”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon chuckled.

“That is a valid point. I will keep it in mind.”

“I was presumptuous. Thank you for taking it so well.”

Son Bin’s gratitude was sincere. Compared to Namgung Kwon, Son Bin was younger and not even the host. Depending on how it was received, it could have sounded very unpleasant.

“Hmm.”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon gazed at Son Bin.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

Son Bin asked with a puzzled expression, and he smiled.

“I suddenly had this thought. People say that scholars are weak, but aren’t they actually the most upright of all? They do not back down no matter who the opponent is, and they will never bend, even if they break.”

Son Bin gave an awkward smile, wondering if he was being indirectly rebuked for his earlier actions.

“No, no. I am not saying anything to you, Master Son, but… I just thought you seemed like a true scholar.”

“I am a scholar, but…”

Son Bin replied. However, Namgung Kwon smiled instead of answering.

His expression seemed to understand everything, and just as Son Bin was about to say something more, Namgung Soyu’s sparring match began.

“Tahaaa!”

Swish.

The one who started the attack first was the young man. He seemed determined to come on strong from the start, unleashing a fierce energy as he charged toward Namgung Soyu.

On the other hand, Namgung Soyu stood still, holding her sword. She showed no reaction, to the point where one might think she had given up.

However, she could not have given up. Because Namgung Soyu’s eyes were shining brighter than ever.

Swoosh.

The young man’s blade fell toward Namgung Soyu. It was a powerful strike, containing a considerable amount of inner strength.

The moment that strike rushed toward Namgung Soyu, her sword, which had been still, began to move, drawing a soft curve.

“Hoo.”

Namgung Kwon let out a soft exclamation. Son Bin also widened his eyes.

Shriek.

Namgung Soyu did not confront it head-on. Her sword, which seemed to collide head-on, gently deflected the young man’s fierce strike, and before he knew it, it had penetrated his side.

‘Gasp.’

The young man was greatly dismayed. However, retreating from here would mean exposing his weakness. He instead took an even stronger step forward.

“Tahaaa!”

Clang.

The heavy recoil transmitted from under his feet. Using that momentum, the young man twisted his body and swung his sword at Namgung Soyu.

Swoosh.

His stance was slightly broken, but the blade, with even greater force, rushed in as if to cut through Namgung Soyu’s supple waist.

It was a desperate strike, launching a counterattack against Namgung Soyu, who had been aiming for a weakness, but Namgung Soyu did not fall for it.

Tsk.

The moment Namgung Soyu stomped her foot, her figure disappeared from the young man’s sight.

Swirl.

Namgung Soyu’s pink martial robes danced in the air. And the young man saw it. The tip of Namgung Soyu’s sword brushed past his eyes.

‘Kugh.’

If it were a real battle, he would have been blinded. But the sparring match was not over yet.

The young man stopped only after taking a few more steps, unable to control his momentum. And he immediately turned his body. To attack Namgung Soyu, who was falling from the air.

Swish.

However, the moment he turned his head, the young man could no longer move. Because the tip of Namgung Soyu’s sword was already shining before his eyes.

“H-How, when…”

The young man said in disbelief.

Jumping up may look flashy, but it is difficult to change position and direction. According to his judgment, Namgung Soyu was definitely before landing.

But Namgung Soyu was already standing in front of his eyes. With her sword pointed at him.

“Just now.”

Namgung Soyu said with a bright smile.

“Stop!”

The middle-aged man’s voice echoed. The outcome was decided.

Swish.

Namgung Soyu lightly sheathed her sword. Namgung Soyu, who had concealed her sword and whose breathing was not even disturbed, bowed politely.

“Her movements are good.”

Son Bin, who had been watching the sparring match, said. The reason Namgung Soyu was able to get behind the young man was that there was no unnecessary excess in her movements.

That small difference brought about the opponent’s decisive misjudgment. Of course, the match was decided before that.

“It’s as natural as flowing water. That was definitely the Namgung Sword Style just now, right?”

“That’s right. It is the Namgung Sword Style.”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon nodded. He, too, was smiling as he looked at Namgung Soyu.

“Originally, that child’s Namgung Sword Style was excellent, but there was a sense of rigidity. Today, however, the use and connection of her moves are very flexible and free-spirited. Especially the moves she unfolded in the air were quite impressive.”

The moves Namgung Soyu showed just now are all movements in the Namgung Sword Style. But even Namgung Kwon was seeing this kind of connection for the first time.

“Compared to her usual self, it’s as if she’s a different person.”

Swish.

Namgung Kwon rose from his seat. Namgung Soyu, who was about to step back after finishing her sparring match, approached Clan Head Namgung Kwon and bowed.

“That was a good sparring match. The Grand Master also praised your sword.”

“Thank you, Clan Head.”

Namgung Soyu’s face flushed slightly at the Clan Head’s praise. She also bowed politely to Son Bin.

“Thank you, Grand Master.”

“It was a good sword. Very impressive.”

Namgung Soyu smiled slightly at Son Bin’s words.

“It’s thanks to receiving a sword evaluation from a gracious person.”

That gracious person was, needless to say, Son Bin. Son Bin gave an awkward smile when Namgung Kwon asked.

“A sword evaluation? What was it like?”

The reason he did not ask who it was from was because he naturally assumed it was her father.

“It’s nothing special. What should I say, just…”

A playful look appeared on Namgung Soyu’s face.

“He told me giving up makes things easier.”

He never said such a thing. Son Bin felt wronged, but he could not argue about it here.

“Giving up?”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon gave a puzzled expression. Namgung Soyu said to the Clan Head with sparkling eyes.

“I stopped trying to do what I couldn’t do and found what I could do. Giving up was not easy, but once I made up my mind, I felt like I had broken free from something.”

There was something in her words that moved Son Bin’s heart. Son Bin nodded without realizing it.

Namgung Kwon was the same. Only then could he understand why Namgung Soyu had changed.

In fact, it was not just her swordsmanship that had changed.

Now, Namgung Soyu was conversing with the Clan Head in a much more relaxed manner. One might think she was not nervous enough, but rather, her youthful energy was felt, which was not bad at all.

“You have worked hard. Continue to improve.”

The Clan Head encouraged her with a pleased expression, and Namgung Soyu bowed in gratitude and stepped back to her seat.

After that, several more people continued to spar. There were sparring matches that caught Son Bin’s attention, but most were similar and not significantly different.

Namgung Soyu continued to win against her opponents by showcasing flexible and fresh swordplay. Among the strong sword techniques of the Namgung Clan, which were close to orthodox, her sparring matches stood out.

As a result, the final battle of the Hidden Dragon Gathering was fought between Namgung Soyu and a young man named Namgung Gyu.

“That young man’s martial robes are unique.”

Son Bin asked, looking at Namgung Gyu. His martial robes were slightly different from those of the Namgung Clan. Thanks to this, Namgung Gyu’s slender and nervous impression was even more pronounced.

“He is a young man belonging to the collateral line of the clan.”

Clan Head Namgung Kwon said. He was looking at Namgung Gyu with sharp eyes.

“It is rare for a collateral line [a branch of the family, not the main line of descent] to remain until the finals. He seems to be a young man with considerable talent.”

The direct line is generally more skilled than the collateral line. And that is largely due to the environment.

Nevertheless, the fact that Namgung Gyu has won until now means that he has innate talent.

“It also means that he has trained hard.”

Namgung Kwon smiled at Son Bin’s words.

“There is no one in the Namgung Clan who does not work hard.”

Namgung Kwon looked back at the young men and continued.

“In fact, when looking at their skills alone, all of these young men are talented enough to shoulder the future of the clan. How can we determine the superiority between them by winning or losing in a single competition?”

“You are right.”

Son Bin agreed with those words. However, the Clan Head’s following words were quite different from Son Bin’s thoughts.

“But we cannot entrust the future of the clan to just anyone. In the end, those who will ultimately stand as the pillars of the family will be decided by considering their character and personality.”

Son Bin realized what Namgung Kwon’s words meant.

There is nothing logically wrong with it. If their skills are all similar, then of course, you have to look at their character.

In fact, character should be looked at before skill, but considering the characteristics of a martial arts family, it is not entirely wrong.

However, the character and personality that Clan Head Namgung Kwon speaks of are even more ambiguous than the skill that cannot be known from one or two competitions.

What is the difference between that and saying that it is ultimately determined by blood ties and connections within the family?

‘This is the problem with blood ties.’

Son Bin recalled what Namgung Hyang had said.

However, the civil service examination system, which competes on skills, and the recommendation system, which trusts the insight of respected elders, are all methods of employing officials that have been recognized since ancient times. Considering that, Namgung Kwon’s words cannot be unconditionally criticized.

“Begin.”

At the Clan Head’s words, Son Bin raised his head.

Namgung Soyu, wearing a light pink martial robe and with a feminine figure, and Namgung Gyu, with a slender and sharp impression, drew their swords.

This time, there was a clear light of tension in Namgung Soyu’s eyes as well. In particular, Namgung Gyu’s eyes, who was thin and tall, were quite eerie.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, Son Bin noticed something strange.

‘Was that person always like that?’

Namgung Gyu’s sparring matches had taken place several times before. Of course, Son Bin had also seen them.

However, he had not received such a cold feeling as he did now. The more he looked, the more he felt a sense of incongruity, as if the person had changed.

Son Bin looked at Clan Head Namgung Kwon, wondering if this was the case. However, Namgung Kwon did not seem to notice at all. Shin-ui next to him had no interest from the start.

Swish.

Turning his head, Son Bin looked at where his group was.

As expected, Seorin was frowning and tilting her head repeatedly. Her expression was not just strange, but very uncomfortable.

Sasu-yeon also had a suspicious expression, and Dang Wora also did not hide her sharp gaze behind her veil.

It seemed that Son Bin and his group were the only ones who felt a sense of incongruity with Namgung Gyu.

Son Bin turned his head to the other side and looked at Namgung Hyang and Hyeolbong. Namgung Hyang, like the Clan Head, did not seem to notice.

However, Hyeolbong Geum Saryeon was different.

‘Young Lady Hyeolbong.’

Son Bin widened his eyes.

Hyeolbong Geum Saryeon was staring at Namgung Gyu with a stiff expression. Among the people of the Namgung Clan, who were full of anticipation and excitement, only her small face was bleached white, like an omen of impending misfortune.