Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 238

238. Legend of the Ronin

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of a carriage echoed lonesomely on the barren road.

Yunhyun was lost in thought, gazing at the passing scenery.

“My lord.”

Dohkoh Lang’s low voice suddenly broke the silence.

“There are suspicious individuals.”

Yunhyun turned his head.

However, he saw nothing on the straight road.

He felt nothing either.

“Where…”

“There was movement just beyond the road a moment ago.”

Dohkoh Lang had keen eyes.

Yunhyun then realized why he hadn’t sensed anything.

The distance was too great.

“Suspicious people on such a deserted road…”

Yunhyun muttered to himself.

“Let’s check it out.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Dohkoh Lang nodded.

At that time, a man hiding in the bushes beside the road spoke quietly.

“Squad leader.”

The man called squad leader was half-asleep.

“What?”

The squad leader asked, annoyed, and his subordinate replied.

“It’s a carriage.”

“Which way is it headed?”

He asked listlessly without even opening his eyes.

“It seems to be entering Hang Prefecture.”

“Tsk.”

The squad leader clicked his tongue.

Only then did he open his eyes and look towards the road.

Sure enough.

A small carriage was approaching.

“Shall we let it pass, or shall we stop it?”

The orders they had received were quite complex.

Detailed instructions had been given depending on who the passerby was and which direction they were heading.

Just like the Martial Alliance scout who had passed by here recently.

In other cases, the decision was entirely up to the squad leader.

“Positions.”

“Yes.”

The nine subordinates immediately scattered to both sides of the road and hid themselves.

The squad leader also lowered himself as much as possible.

“Can you see any markings?”

Generally, carriages display a small flag indicating their affiliation.

This was true for most security agencies, not to mention large clans or influential families.

“No. They are wearing martial attire, but it doesn’t seem to be a well-known sect.”

A subordinate with good eyesight replied.

It was not unusual for a carriage to have guards.

If they were ordinary people, there would be no need to reveal themselves.

The squad leader relaxed slightly.

“Doesn’t seem like a messenger heading to the Martial Alliance, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

Messengers usually ride horses.

Moreover, in a situation like this, they should be rushing down the road like mad.

“…Let’s watch a little longer.”

The squad leader said, thinking.

The fact that it was only a small carriage was also a decisive factor in his relaxed attitude.

“Standby.”

The squad leader said quietly.

They remained hidden, waiting for the carriage to approach.

Clatter, clatter.

The small carriage, unaware of anything, approached where they were hiding.

And it didn’t take long for the squad leader to realize his misjudgment.

‘Ugh.’

The moment he saw the eyes of the martial artist driving the carriage, the squad leader realized that the opponent was by no means easy to deal with.

The squad leader immediately gestured to his subordinates.

Rustle.

The subordinates lowered themselves further, concealing their presence.

The squad leader also hid himself, holding his breath.

‘Please…’

With a desperate heart, the squad leader prayed.

‘Just pass by. Please.’

He had only seen him from a distance, and only once.

But at that moment, the squad leader felt a chilling sensation on his back.

That person was someone they could never handle.

Holding his breath, the squad leader listened intently to the sound of the carriage.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of hooves grew closer and closer.

And, despite the squad leader’s desperate prayers, the carriage stopped right in front of where they were hiding.

Clatter.

Silence fell.

And a heavy voice fell upon their heads.

“Come out.”

‘Keuk.’

The squad leader hesitated.

But enduring like this would only make the situation worse.

After a moment, the squad leader slowly stood up.

Rustle.

Standing up from the bushes, the squad leader was finally able to see his opponent clearly.

‘Gasp. What eyes…’

The opponent was like a sword.

His sharp eyes, as well as the aura he exuded, were by no means ordinary.

“If we have disturbed you…”

“I said come out.”

The man’s gaze was accurately directed at the location of those still hiding.

The squad leader bit his lip and gestured lightly.

Rustle, rustle.

The hidden subordinates all stood up.

The squad leader bowed respectfully.

“If we have disturbed you, we apologize. But we have no intention of harming you.”

The squad leader said as politely as possible.

However, the opponent did not respond.

The squad leader’s mouth went dry.

‘This is not good…’

Just as the squad leader was thinking that he wouldn’t get away with it easily.

Click.

The carriage door opened and a young man stepped out.

Dressed as a typical scholar, he bowed lightly to the squad leader.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Ah, yes…”

The squad leader answered his greeting absentmindedly.

However, the squad leader had no choice but to harden his face at the scholar’s next words.

“You seem to be from the Green Forest [a common term for bandits]. Are you under the command of King Moon?”

The squad leader was shocked.

The name King Moon was only known to the leaders of the Waterway Camp and the Green Forest.

The squad leader had never even heard of it before taking on this mission.

Yet this young man dressed as a scholar had brought up that name.

“W-Who are you?”

It was only natural for the squad leader to ask.

The scholar smiled gently and said.

“I am Yunhyun. A secretary of the Martial Alliance.”

The answer made the squad leader even more bewildered.

‘A secretary of the Martial Alliance?’

It was the first time that someone from the Martial Alliance had spoken to a Green Forest bandit like himself so casually, and it made no sense that a secretary would do so.

The squad leader was utterly confused.

But he was not given time to sort out his confusion.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

At those words, the squad leader snapped back to his senses.

To be precise, it was Dohkoh Lang’s murderous aura that startled him.

“W-We are the New Green Forest!”

New Green Forest, meaning ‘new bandits’.

Yunhyun’s guess was correct.

As for the question of whether they were under the command of King Moon, the squad leader’s reaction had already answered it.

“I see. Then what were you doing here?”

The squad leader gritted his teeth.

No matter how much Dohkoh Lang’s murderous aura was piercing his skin, he couldn’t say this.

“Hmm.”

Yunhyun, watching the reaction, turned his head.

Swish.

Yunhyun, gazing intently at the other side of the road, said to himself.

“…So all the roads leading to Hang Prefecture are like this.”

The squad leader flinched.

He wanted to ask how he knew that, but doing so would be confirming his words.

In the end, the squad leader had no choice but to shut his mouth and remain silent.

After a moment, Yunhyun turned around.

“Let’s go, Dohkoh Je.”

It was then.

“W-Wait a moment!”

The squad leader said urgently.

Dohkoh Lang’s sharp gaze flew over at once, but he had to ask this no matter what.

“Who are you people?”

If he reported that he had let people go without knowing who they were, his head would be on the line.

To survive, he had to know who they were.

“I’ve already revealed my name…”

Yunhyun, puzzled, suddenly looked at Dohkoh Lang.

“Ah, this is Dohkoh Lang.”

‘Dohkoh Lang.’

The squad leader repeated the name in his mind.

Meanwhile, Yunhyun got into the carriage, and Dohkoh Lang also glanced at the squad leader before climbing onto the driver’s seat.

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage began to move again.

Leaving behind the squad leader and his subordinates, who were as stiff as statues, the carriage began to run along the road.

The squad leader couldn’t move until the carriage was completely out of sight beyond the road.

And only after they disappeared from view did the squad leader let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Hoo-oo-oo.”

“S-Squad leader. Just who were those people…”

The subordinate said, but the squad leader frowned and tilted his head.

“Dohkoh Lang, I’ve definitely heard that name before? Dohkoh Lang, Dohkoh Lang… Gasp!”

The squad leader raised his head abruptly.

“The Invincible of Three Battles!”

“Yes?”

“The Invincible of Three Battles, the swordsman?”

The subordinate also couldn’t hide his surprise.

A man who wandered the world alone like a ronin [a masterless samurai], finally becoming a master of sword energy manifestation [a high-level martial arts technique].

A true martial artist who defeated a senior disciple of the Gongsun Family in the heart of the Martial Alliance without using any internal energy.

The story of Dohkoh Lang, the Invincible of Three Battles, was already well-known in the martial world.

Although it was somewhat overshadowed by the Waterway Camp and Martial Alliance situation, the name of Dohkoh Lang was becoming a legend to ronin and martial artists of small and medium-sized sects.

Now more famous as the Invincible of Three Battles than his past title of Solitary Swordsman, the swordsman Dohkoh Lang.

The subordinate couldn’t hide his admiration.

“To think that person was the Invincible of Three Battles…”

His fierce eyes and overflowing aura were now fully understood.

The squad leader also nodded.

If the opponent was the Invincible of Three Battles, he wouldn’t be questioned for letting them pass without doing anything.

“But who was that other person?”

“What?”

The squad leader turned around as the subordinate tilted his head and said.

“The person who got out of the carriage. What was it… Yunyeong?”

“He said he was Yunhyun, a secretary of the Martial Alliance.”

The squad leader said, frowning.

Thinking about it, it was definitely strange.

The man named Yunhyun had clearly taken the lead in the conversation a moment ago.

Even though the Invincible of Three Battles, Dohkoh Lang, was right next to him.

“What could his identity be?”

The squad leader couldn’t know that.

He said he was a secretary, but was that really true?

As he remained silent, the subordinate cautiously said.

“…Should we report it as is?”

“We have to.”

The squad leader replied quietly.

Recalling the carriage that had already disappeared beyond the road, the squad leader said in a low voice.

“Let’s go.”

Whoosh.

The squad leader and one subordinate immediately left the spot.

The remaining eight subordinates hid themselves again and watched both sides of the road.

However, as it had been all day, there was nothing moving on the road.

***

King Moon, who was sitting in front of a splendid screen, raised his head.

“The Sword Master of Azure Dragon?”

The subordinate bowed respectfully and replied.

“Yes. According to the reconnaissance team’s report, a man called Yunhyun, a secretary of the Martial Alliance, is heading to Hang Prefecture.”

King Moon’s eyes gleamed.

“Bring the leader of the reconnaissance team.”

Swoosh.

King Moon said, covering half of his face with a fan.

“I want to hear it directly.”

It was highly unusual for King Moon to meet with the leader of a mere reconnaissance team.

However, the subordinate answered without hesitation.

“He is already waiting.”

The answer satisfied King Moon.

And after a moment, the reconnaissance team leader entered King Moon’s tent.

‘Wow.’

The squad leader’s eyes widened.

It was called a tent, but the sight of screens all around made it seem like he had entered a large palace.

At that moment, a low voice reached the squad leader’s ear.

“Be brief and concise, and only answer what you are asked.”

The cold voice startled the squad leader.

Thud.

Without delay, he knelt down and bowed his head.

“Y-Your Majesty, King Moon…”

“Did you see him?”

King Moon’s voice was heard before the squad leader could finish his greeting.

It was a thin voice, like a woman’s, but the squad leader didn’t dare to raise his head.

The aura of the subordinate standing next to King Moon was pressing down on him.

“Yes, yes. So, I…”

The squad leader flinched as he tried to explain the situation.

The intangible aura had suddenly turned sharp.

‘Ah, right.’

Only then did the squad leader recall the warning from earlier.

Be brief and concise, and only answer what you are asked.

“Yes, that is correct.”

“What did he look like?”

“The Invincible of Three Battles was wearing martial attire, and his aura was quite formidable. And the secretary of the Martial Alliance, who was with him, was an ordinary scholar.”

King Moon frowned slightly.

The subordinate standing next to him immediately said.

“The Invincible of Three Battles is Dohkoh Lang. He has been called the Invincible of Three Battles since defeating a senior disciple of the Gongsun Family in the Martial Alliance’s unofficial competition.”

“The one who was said to be the Sword Master of Azure Dragon’s sworn brother.”

“That is correct.”