Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 23

023. The Scholar’s Sword

Swish.

Un-hyun’s hand reached out into the empty air.

Then, as if gripping a sword, he slowly and carefully clenched his fist.

Rustle.

Of course, there was nothing to grasp.

Un-hyun sighed once more.

“Hoo…”

It wasn’t that he expected a sword to materialize in his empty hand.

But it felt like it should.

As if all he had to do was reach out and grab it.

Un-hyun opened his eyes and looked down at his empty hand.

‘What was that?’

What he couldn’t understand was that experience from yesterday.

Even as a scholar, he couldn’t bring himself to put it into words.

In fact, it wasn’t that he couldn’t if he tried. He had lived his whole life holding a brush; how could he not be able to put it into words?

But he was afraid.

That dreamlike experience, which sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it, felt like it would shatter if he tried to fit it into language and sentences.

But not being able to write anything down was also unsettling.

‘Could it be that I’ll forget it like this?’

Perhaps it would be forgotten, distorted, or fade in color.

He knew better than anyone how fragile human memory was. In the end, all that remained was record.

But somehow, he didn’t think that would be the case this time.

It was because of the unfounded feeling that he hadn’t found the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword, but rather that the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword had found him.

“Eh.”

Thump.

He jumped up from his seat, causing the chair to slide back with a noise.

“Instead of this, let’s go get a wooden sword.”

Un-hyun walked towards the entrance of Munyeon Hall.

In the empty space where he had been sitting, the books that had been bothering him were scattered about, but they were no longer a problem.

***

The Gold Guard in charge of the armory was a very stern person.

It seemed clear that he recognized Un-hyun, but he still demanded to see Un-hyun’s identity plaque and examined it with sharp eyes for a long time.

Un-hyun wondered if all this fuss was really necessary for a single wooden sword, but what rule in the Forbidden City was easy to understand?

Perhaps someone had caused trouble with a wooden sword in the past, Un-hyun thought.

Or maybe someone had made this pointless rule, insisting that a wooden sword was still a sword.

Finding nothing unusual with the identity plaque, the Gold Guard allowed Un-hyun to enter the Gold Guard armory.

“Follow me.”

He led the way, and Un-hyun followed.

Feeling the fierce glares of the Gold Guards standing guard, Un-hyun carefully moved his feet.

It had been twelve years since he was sent to the palace as a scholar, and almost seven years since he started going to the Gold Guard training grounds as if it were his job.

So, all the Gold Guards standing guard now were people Un-hyun knew.

But he couldn’t find even a hint of friendliness in their eyes as they looked at Un-hyun.

He even felt a sense of unfamiliarity in their faces.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Reaching the entrance of the armory, the man who had led Un-hyun exchanged words with the Gold Guards standing guard.

Watching this, Un-hyun shook his head inwardly.

‘The procedure for a wooden sword is more complicated than I thought. They could have just given me anything from the training grounds…’

The problem was that there were no wooden swords in the Gold Guard training grounds.

They were all real swords, so he would have to search the storage, but he was just grumbling, wishing he could have received a real sword from the training grounds instead.

In the meantime, the conversation must have ended, as the Gold Guard who had come with him gestured to Un-hyun.

As Un-hyun approached, the doors of the large Gold Guard armory opened with an unfamiliar noise.

Thump.

Un-hyun swallowed hard without realizing it. The Gold Guard who had come with him turned to him and said,

“Would you like to go inside?”

“Is it… alright to go in?”

The Gold Guard nodded at Un-hyun’s cautious question.

“Instructor Il Chung-hyun asked us to, and your identity is confirmed, so you may enter if you wish.”

Un-hyun nodded at the Gold Guard’s words.

When else would he get to see the Gold Guard armory?

“Alright. Then follow me.”

The Gold Guard took the lead. With a slightly pounding heart, he stepped into the armory, and the doors of the armory closed behind him with a small noise.

‘Wow!’

Un-hyun clicked his tongue inwardly.

The various weapons filling the surroundings were enough to captivate his attention.

He wanted to examine them up close if possible, but the Gold Guard’s relentless steps didn’t stop for a moment.

Thanks to this, Un-hyun was too busy turning his gaze here and there.

“This is the place.”

Un-hyun stopped and turned his head at the sudden voice of the Gold Guard.

The swords lined up densely behind the Gold Guard finally came into Un-hyun’s sight.

“Heo!”

Un-hyun’s eyes widened.

“Goodness, so many swords…”

Not only the number but also the types were diverse.

Un-hyun couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight he was seeing for the first time in his life.

As a scholar and having spent over a decade in Munyeon Hall, the bookshelves filled with countless books were nothing new anymore.

But the sight of so many swords gathered together was shocking.

Without realizing it, Un-hyun reached out to the nearest sword.

“Ah!”

At that moment, Un-hyun flinched. Then, he turned to the Gold Guard and asked cautiously.

“May I touch it?”

The Gold Guard nodded. However, he didn’t forget to place one hand on the sword at his waist.

As soon as permission was granted, Un-hyun slowly drew the nearest sword.

Swish.

“Hoo.”

It was a sharp sword with a blue edge.

Bringing his hand close, it felt as if the sharpness felt from the blade was transmitted to his skin.

‘At first, I felt proud just holding a sword like this.’

Un-hyun recalled when he first learned swordsmanship from Instructor Il Chung-hyun.

At that time, he held a sword in his hand for the first time in his life.

Looking at the sword shining in the sunlight, it felt as if he had gained tremendous power just by holding it.

‘Come to think of it, that was already over ten years ago.’

Clang.

Un-hyun put the sword back into its scabbard.

When he thought about it, he had started learning martial arts from Instructor Il Chung-hyun as soon as he entered the Forbidden City.

Twelve years as a scholar of Changryong Hall meant that Un-hyun’s martial arts training experience was already that long.

“Huh?”

Walking past the lined-up swords, Un-hyun suddenly stopped.

Then, he reached out and lifted a sword.

“Ah! This is…”

Swoosh.

As Un-hyun drew the sword, the blade wobbled strangely.

“It’s a flexible sword.”

The Gold Guard’s deep voice came from behind.

“Be careful, you might cut your wrist.”

He had seen it many times in the Gold Guard training grounds, but he had never trained with a flexible sword himself.

Seeing the blade swaying so softly in his hand was fascinating.

Un-hyun swung the flexible sword around.

Swoosh, whoosh.

The blade bent back and forth, making sharp noises as it cut through the air.

The movement of the flexible sword, which reacted sensitively to even the slightest movement, was quite fascinating, and Un-hyun examined it closely with interested eyes.

Swish.

Slowly putting the flexible sword back into its scabbard with a hint of regret, Un-hyun muttered to himself.

“It would have been really convenient to have a sword like this when catching bugs…”

But it was just a pie in the sky.

After looking at the flexible sword once, Un-hyun started walking again. But he had to stop after only a few steps.

Looking at the sword next to him, Un-hyun tilted his head.

“That’s a unique sword? It doesn’t have a scabbard, and the blade is…”

The place where Un-hyun stopped was where quite large swords were placed.

They looked heavy, but what was really strange was that the blades were not properly sharpened.

It looked like it couldn’t even cut a piece of paper.

“Is it a training sword?”

As if hearing Un-hyun’s muttering, the Gold Guard’s voice came.

“No.”

Un-hyun turned his head to look at the Gold Guard.

“Only people like Instructor Il Chung-hyun can properly handle that greatsword (重劍). [A large, heavy sword requiring immense strength to wield].”

“Ah!”

The moment he heard the Gold Guard’s words, Un-hyun pictured Instructor Il Chung-hyun holding a greatsword in his mind.

The sight of him holding a large sword, standing like a mountain, and slowly unfolding his swordsmanship was enough to feel tremendous pressure just by imagining it.

‘Wow, that would make a great painting?’

Without realizing it, Un-hyun rummaged through his pockets, looking for something to write on.

But since he had come empty-handed, there was nothing to be found. Un-hyun clicked his tongue.

‘I need to remember it well. By the way, that’s the greatsword.’

He had read about greatswords in books as well.

But since it was his first time seeing one in person, he was just amazed.

“The wooden sword is next.”

The Gold Guard said in a low voice.

The time he could allow Un-hyun to enter was not long.

If it weren’t for Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s request, he would have just brought a wooden sword and handed it over.

The fact that Un-hyun was able to see the Imperial Armory was actually Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s consideration.

‘Ah, right.’

Un-hyun turned his head at the Gold Guard’s words.

In the place where Un-hyun’s gaze reached, a few wooden swords were placed haphazardly.

The rough and crude wooden swords were too shabby and insignificant compared to the swords he had seen earlier.

In fact, where would the Gold Guard use wooden swords?

Of course, there would not be many of them, and they would be managed carelessly compared to other swords.

The reason why he had to come all the way to the armory was not because it was too important, but because it was rare due to its lack of necessity.

However, a slight smile was spreading across Un-hyun’s face.

‘Heh heh.’

Un-hyun slowly reached out and grabbed one of the crude wooden swords.

At the same time, the tension in his whole body was released, and he felt comfortable.

The familiarity of the wooden sword, which he had always held in his hand for the past few years, gently wrapped around Un-hyun, who had been tense among the swords exuding sharp energy.

“Ahem.”

The Gold Guard cleared his throat as Un-hyun continued to stare at the wooden sword.

“If you have chosen a suitable one, let’s go out.”

Un-hyun nodded and stood up.

Then, he lightly stroked the blunt blade and muttered.

“Now you are my sword.”

In the place where Un-hyun’s soft gaze reached, a crude wooden sword was quietly revealing its appearance.

***

“Hmm, so what happened? Did the head of the Mo-yong Clan finally agree to the martial arts contest?”

The storyteller from Ha-nam Province nodded at Un-hyun’s question.

“Yes. In fact, the Mo-yong Clan, with its long tradition, tried to avoid a direct confrontation with the Iron Family at all costs.”

The storyteller seemed to be getting into the story and nodded his head greatly as he spoke.

“The skill of Iron Moo-woong, the head of the emerging Iron Family, who is known as ‘One Stroke Severance’, was also a burden, but more than anything, the Mo-yong Clan had nothing to gain from a fight, whether they won or lost.”

Un-hyun frowned slightly, trying to avoid the droplets of saliva flying from the storyteller’s mouth.

But the new storyteller continued to speak without paying attention.

“On the other hand, wasn’t it a golden opportunity for the Iron Family, which was the overlord of Ha-nam Province but was always overshadowed by the name of the Mo-yong Clan with its long tradition? There was no way they would miss it.”

Whether Un-hyun had seen the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword or not, everyday life continued as usual.

Having received a new wooden sword, Un-hyun couldn’t help but sigh when he heard the news of the next storyteller’s summons.

He really wanted to spend all day holding only the wooden sword, but life was not that easy.