Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 199

199. Illusionary Sword Dance

The Twelfth Palace Lord’s words were clear: her presence alone was enough to deter them from acting rashly.

However, it was never as simple as it sounded.

How many could truly stand firm against the menacing aura of the cavalry?

Especially in a situation where they could inflict harm at any moment.

“If we leave, Seo-gi *oppa* [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend] will suffer alone, not even knowing why. We absolutely cannot back down.”

“I will never back down.”

Dokgo-rang’s voice was deep and resolute.

His gaze, burning fiercely, remained fixed on the Overlord’s Blade Bayantu before him.

The Twelfth Palace Lord smiled, but the smile vanished quickly. She puffed out her chest and raised her head towards the cavalry, her posture haughty, almost provocative.

‘Not bad?’

Je Geul-giho was inwardly impressed.

The Twelfth Palace Lord, who usually seemed merely cute and a little absent-minded, now appeared incredibly reliable, even charming.

*Ssk.*

‘I can’t just stand here either.’

Je Geul-giho surveyed the cavalry.

‘The leader is him, then those three, and then twelve who seem to be squad leaders, and the rest of the cavalry.’

After a quick assessment, Je Geul-giho gave a wry smile.

‘Fifty-two in total?’

Even excluding the Overlord’s Blade and the three warriors, the twelve riders and thirty-six cavalrymen all seemed formidable.

‘If necessary…’

Je Geul-giho stealthily reached for his luggage.

‘Even if it means throwing everything I have at them…’

I will definitely get out of here.

Of course, with Dokgo-rang, the Twelfth Palace Lord, and Un-hyun.

‘Damn it, please hurry, Secretary Un.’

Je Geul-giho prayed inwardly for Un-hyun’s swift arrival, though he was nowhere to be seen.

***

Un-hyun opened his eyes. Or, more accurately, he regained consciousness.

As if waking from a dream, Un-hyun suddenly became aware of his surroundings.

He found himself standing blankly before the Eternal Ice Crystal.

‘What is this…?’

*Whiing.*

‘Ah.’

Was it because he had so abruptly returned to reality?

Un-hyun felt a slight dizziness and nearly lost his balance.

*Tak.*

Taking a step, Un-hyun steadied himself. Then, he examined his condition.

‘This is bad.’

Un-hyun realized he was quite a mess. His clothes were disheveled, his hair loose, making him look unkempt.

There were no injuries, but it looked as if he had been through some kind of struggle.

Un-hyun quickly straightened his clothes.

Even when alone, a scholar had a duty to maintain a neat appearance and proper conduct.

While tidying his disheveled hair, Un-hyun suddenly raised his head and looked at the Eternal Ice Crystal, still shining in its place.

‘Eternal Ice Crystal, Ice Soul.’

The massive Eternal Ice Crystal emitted a faint light, just as it had when he first saw it.

The deafening reverberation and the surge of energy that had swept through the underground chamber were gone.

It was as if everything Un-hyun had experienced was an illusion.

*Sarak.*

Un-hyun shivered slightly.

The strange vision Un-hyun had seen at the last moment was a sword dance.

It wasn’t his own sword.

It wasn’t even himself.

But it was a sword dance that felt so familiar and was exquisitely beautiful, so much so that Un-hyun felt a sense of longing without realizing it.

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped his lips. Just recalling the sword dance made his heart heavy and his eyes moist.

What on earth was that sword dance?

Un-hyun stood still, gazing at the Eternal Ice Crystal.

The trajectory of that beautiful sword dance seemed to linger around him like a fragrance.

“That sword dance…”

Un-hyun said softly, looking at the Eternal Ice Crystal.

“Is it your memory?”

There was no answer.

The Eternal Ice Crystal quietly emitted light, simply existing.

*Ssk.*

Un-hyun slowly reached out his hand towards the Eternal Ice Crystal.

He hesitated slightly, but eventually, Un-hyun’s fingertips touched the Eternal Ice Crystal.

*Dugun.*

‘Ugh.’

A tremendous power surged through him.

Although dormant, Un-hyun could clearly feel the immense power breathing and gently undulating deep within.

As if checking the breathing of someone sound asleep, Un-hyun carefully listened.

But there was nothing to hear or feel.

Only the cold chill, typical of ice crystals, was transmitted through his hand.

“…Hoo.”

Un-hyun sighed and withdrew his hand. Then, he smiled bitterly.

‘To think I expected it to answer.’

Perhaps it was because he had experienced something so astonishing.

Un-hyun raised his head.

The massive Eternal Ice Crystal still looked imposing, but to Un-hyun, it somehow felt familiar, like an old friend he had known for a long time.

He felt like he could stay there forever.

*Jeobeok.*

But Un-hyun turned away. This was not a place to linger, and he had somewhere to return to.

‘…This is…’

*Jeobeok, jeobeok.*

‘The secret of the Falling Sun Sword.’

Un-hyun knew now what the Falling Sun Sword was and where it had disappeared to.

The Falling Sun was now inside Un-hyun, and it was originally a part of the Eternal Ice Crystal.

That was why Un-hyun, or rather, the Falling Sun, resonated and synchronized with the Eternal Ice Crystal.

But what he still couldn’t understand was that illusionary sword dance and the voice he had heard as he awakened, that unknown sound that seemed to be the language of the Northern Sea. What did it mean?

*Jeobeok.*

Standing before the stone door, Un-hyun turned around and carefully examined the underground chamber and the massive Eternal Ice Crystal, as if trying to capture it in his eyes one last time.

But the Eternal Ice Crystal remained unchanged.

Un-hyun slowly closed the stone door.

*Geureureung.*

The moment the door closed, Un-hyun felt like the Eternal Ice Crystal was shining, but that was just a feeling.

*Kung.*

The stone door closed, and the sight of the Eternal Ice Crystal and the underground chamber vanished completely.

*Sarak.*

Un-hyun turned around and began to retrace the path he had taken down. The path that had been so eerie when he came in now felt somewhat regrettable as he left.

***

Je Geul-giho was anxious. He pretended to be calm, but his inner thoughts were turbulent.

The cavalry’s sharp gazes were unnerving, but more than anything, it was the indefinite wait for Un-hyun.

‘Why isn’t Secretary Un coming? And what is the Third Palace Lord doing?’

Of course, Secretary Un, Un-hyun, might be a little late, but it was definitely strange that the Third Palace Lord hadn’t appeared yet.

The Twelfth Palace Lord had clearly said that her sister, the Third Palace Lord, had informed her, hadn’t she?

But the Third Palace Lord was nowhere to be seen.

‘Could it be…’

Je Geul-giho quickly dismissed the thought that had suddenly come to mind.

There was no way the Third Palace Lord would betray them, because her younger sister, the Twelfth Palace Lord, would also be in danger.

“Twelfth Palace Lord.”

Je Geul-giho said quietly, trying to sound casual. The cavalry’s eyes glared so fiercely that it felt like something would happen if he even flicked his finger.

Contrary to his worries, the Twelfth Palace Lord turned her head without hesitation.

“Why? Did you call me? Do you have something to say?”

Je Geul-giho gave a bitter smile, but since he had already started, he had to ask what he was curious about.

“Third…”

Je Geul-giho swallowed his words as he was about to ask when the Third Palace Lord would come. It was possible that some of the cavalry understood the Southern dialect [a regional language].

But the Twelfth Palace Lord was more astute than Je Geul-giho thought.

“My sister? My sister isn’t coming now.”

She had cleverly figured out what Je Geul-giho was trying to ask.

That was the problem.

Je Geul-giho became half tearful.

“Why would you say that?”

A moment ago, the eyes of the warrior Kabul had flashed unusually. It was clear that he had understood their conversation.

“Wasn’t that what you were asking?”

“No, that’s true, but…”

The Twelfth Palace Lord followed Je Geul-giho’s gaze and looked at Kabul.

“Ah ha.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord nodded as if she finally understood, but she wasn’t surprised or flustered.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord said to Je Geul-giho with a confident smile.

“Because Secretary *Oppa* [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend], no, the Blue Wolf will be here soon.”

“Yes?”

Je Geul-giho was dumbfounded, but the Twelfth Palace Lord continued to speak calmly.

“The Blue Wolf is the guardian of the Northern Sea who never falters. So, it doesn’t matter if the Overlord’s Blade and his three warriors, and the Twelve Knights of the Northern Sea are the opponents.”

*Sarak.*

The Twelfth Palace Lord said, looking straight at the Overlord’s Blade.

“He will never lose.”

It was perfect Southern dialect.

Even while facing the Overlord’s Blade’s sharp gaze, the Twelfth Palace Lord was not intimidated at all.

But Je Geul-giho had no time to worry about that.

“No, wait a minute. So now…”

Je Geul-giho said, dumbfounded.

“Are you saying that we’re just relying on Secretary Un right now? There are over fifty cavalrymen on that side?”

The Twelfth Palace Lord sighed softly. Then, she turned to Je Geul-giho and said as if he was hopeless.

“That’s what I said, didn’t you hear me?”

‘This *ssiang* [a mild curse word]…’

Je Geul-giho barely managed to hold back the curse that was about to escape his lips. At the same time, his suspicion of the Third Palace Lord grew even stronger.

Could it be that the Third Palace Lord had really betrayed them? Considering the history of power struggles where kinship bonds were often ignored, he became even more uneasy.

It was at that moment.

“Ah!”

The Twelfth Palace Lord, who had been frowning, smiled brightly.

Je Geul-giho immediately turned his head, and he could immediately see the reason for the Twelfth Palace Lord’s smile.

*Jeobeok, jeobeok.*

“Secretary Un!”

Je Geul-giho’s voice trembled with joy.

“Young Master Je Geul.”

Un-hyun, who was walking over, smiled at Je Geul-giho.

“Twelfth Palace Lord, and Dokgo Je.”

With a flawlessly bright smile, Un-hyun raised his hand.

“What brings you all here?”

It was a casual greeting, as if they had met by chance while taking a walk.

Un-hyun paid no attention to the menacing gazes of the fifty-odd cavalrymen or the surprised expressions of the former elders.

“Is something wrong?”

Un-hyun asked.

At those words, Je Geul-giho was jolted back to his senses.

“That’s, these guys…”

Je Geul-giho glanced at the former elders and the cavalry.

No explanation was needed.

The former elders could not hide their astonishment, and the fifty-odd cavalrymen were emitting a mixture of surprise, vigilance, and hostility.

In particular, the former elders’ surprise was great.

‘To not have noticed him coming all the way here…’

Un-hyun was the successor of the Sword Saint. They already knew that he was extraordinary.

But no one had noticed him approaching?

Not even the former elders, let alone the Overlord’s Blade Bayantu.

They could not hide their dismay and astonishment.

Un-hyun’s approach was so unexpected. It was as if he had come on the wind rather than walking.

*Ssk.*

Un-hyun turned his head and looked at the Overlord’s Blade and his fifty-odd cavalrymen.

“Who are you?”

The Overlord’s Blade Bayantu’s eyebrows twitched. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the Twelfth Palace Lord said in a clear voice.

“The Blue Wolf is asking who you are.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord’s expression was quite proud.

“Answer him.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord said, her eyes shining.