Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 27

027. A Bond Forged in Prison

Il Chung-hyun’s calm voice, as he recounted his past, sounded like a will, making Yun-hyun feel even more sorry for him.

“Il Chung-hyun Instructor…”

“Just call me ‘hyung’ [older brother, a term of endearment].”

Yun-hyun’s eyes widened.

However, Il Chung-hyun’s gaze remained gentle.

“Do you not like it?”

Yun-hyun quickly shook his head.

“No. No, hyung… No.”

Before he could finish his words, tears welled up in Yun-hyun’s eyes again.

Il Chung-hyun smiled at Yun-hyun.

“It sounds much better. Now that I think about it, it’s been over a decade since you and I met, so this is no ordinary bond.”

Yun-hyun couldn’t answer and just nodded.

Tearful eyes streamed down Yun-hyun’s cheeks again.

“Hmph, for Il Chung-hyun’s brother, you sure have a lot of tears… Stop feeling sorry for me.”

The person about to lose his life was comforting Yun-hyun.

At Il Chung-hyun’s words, uncontrollable tears streamed down Yun-hyun’s cheeks.

“But, but…”

Yun-hyun couldn’t continue and lowered his head.

Tears began to soak the front of Yun-hyun’s clothes again.

Plop, plop.

Both Il Chung-hyun and Yun-hyun were silent for a while.

After a long time, Yun-hyun lifted his tear-stained face and asked.

“Is there no way? Is there no way to save you, hyung…?”

Yun-hyun couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

Il Chung-hyun muttered with a look of regret.

“A way…”

There is a way.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the way Yun-hyun was thinking of. Il Chung-hyun had an easier and simpler method.

In fact, no one in the Imperial Palace knew Il Chung-hyun’s true abilities.

At first, he wasn’t even given a chance, and later he hid it himself.

It wasn’t just because revealing his true self in the midst of all the schemes in the Forbidden City [the Imperial Palace] was dangerous.

Rather, he believed that not being able to wait for the right moment was the most foolish thing to do.

But that time never came, and he ended up trapped like this.

Il Chung-hyun looked at Yun-hyun and replied with a gentle smile.

“Even if you’re right, sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back.”

Il Chung-hyun did not choose that simple method. No, he couldn’t choose it.

With his skills, breaking out of prison would be easy.

But what would happen after that?

Perhaps he could live in seclusion or raise an army for revenge.

However, the people who would suffer as a result would be his innocent colleagues.

Even if he could somehow evacuate his family back home, many of his close associates, including Yun-hyun right in front of him, would shed blood.

The proud Il Chung-hyun, with his martial artist’s pride and dignity, could never allow that.

So what could he do?

He could only lament his fate for being born in the wrong era.

“Hyung…”

Although Yun-hyun didn’t know Il Chung-hyun’s inner thoughts, he could tell that he had made up his mind.

It was neither resignation nor surrender.

As a martial artist, Il Chung-hyun’s loyalty had led him to choose death himself.

Looking at Yun-hyun, who was lowering his head again, Il Chung-hyun spoke in a gentle voice.

“I have a favor to ask of you, brother.”

“Yes?”

Yun-hyun raised his face, which was covered in tears.

His appearance was so funny that Il Chung-hyun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, your face is a mess.”

Yun-hyun raised his hand and wiped away the tears. And with a tear-stained face, he said to Il Chung-hyun.

“Is it worse than how you look right now, hyung?”

Il Chung-hyun simply responded with a smile to Yun-hyun’s words.

“If it’s a favor…”

As Yun-hyun cautiously spoke, Il Chung-hyun replied as if he had just remembered.

“It’s nothing much, but I’d like you to take care of my belongings later. If you have the chance, you can pass them on to my family. They’re not much, so I’m a little embarrassed to show them to others. But a brother is better than a stranger, right?”

Il Chung-hyun said with a smile, but Yun-hyun’s throat tightened again.

Il Chung-hyun was asking Yun-hyun to take care of his mementos.

“Hyung…”

Tears welled up in Yun-hyun’s eyes. But he tried hard to swallow them.

Il Chung-hyun, who couldn’t possibly not know Yun-hyun’s feelings, continued.

“Oh, and there’s a small ring, so you can have it. I want to give you something, but that’s all I have.”

Tears welled up in Yun-hyun’s eyes again, and his head lowered.

But Il Chung-hyun didn’t care.

“Then today will be our last training session.”

“Yes?”

Yun-hyun raised his head at Il Chung-hyun’s unexpected words.

Il Chung-hyun frowned and said.

“Didn’t you have something to show me?”

“Ah!”

Il Chung-hyun nodded as Yun-hyun looked like he had remembered something.

“That’s right. Show me the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword Style that you saw.”

“But, but this place is…”

Yun-hyun hesitated a little.

Right now, there isn’t even a wooden branch, let alone a wooden sword.

Besides, how could he perform a sword style in a place like this?

But Il Chung-hyun didn’t back down.

“Stand up and take a stance.”

Yun-hyun didn’t hesitate any longer. No, he couldn’t hesitate.

This was his last wish.

Even if this was a prison, how could he refuse his wish?

“I understand.”

Yun-hyun stood up straight and slowly calmed his breathing.

Looking around, it seemed like there was enough space.

Besides, whether he had gotten used to it in the meantime, the smell that had been stinging his nose didn’t feel so repulsive anymore.

“Close your eyes and imagine there’s a sword right in front of you.”

Il Chung-hyun’s voice was heard.

It was a clear and powerful voice that didn’t sound like someone trapped in prison.

“Slowly reach out and grab the sword, but you must wait until the entire sword clearly comes to mind.”

Yun-hyun closed his eyes. And he thought of his wooden sword.

Boom.

There was no need to try hard.

As soon as he concentrated, his wooden sword appeared vividly in front of his eyes as if it were real.

Yun-hyun slowly reached out and grabbed the wooden sword.

Swish.

As he clenched his hand, he felt the familiar sensation of the wooden sword.

Even though it couldn’t actually be there, the unique dullness of the wooden sword seemed to be transmitted to his hand.

Yun-hyun slowly opened his eyes.

“Hoo.”

Taking a slight breath, Yun-hyun stared at the tip of the wooden sword.

As expected, there was nothing in front of him. But to Yun-hyun, it was as if he could see the tip of the wooden sword he was holding.

“Do you feel the sword you’re holding?”

Yun-hyun nodded at Il Chung-hyun’s question.

“Good. Can you perform the sword style?”

Yun-hyun quietly moved his gaze to gauge the size of the place he was in.

It seemed a little narrow to properly perform the White Tiger Training Sword Style, but since the sword wouldn’t actually touch anything, it seemed like it would be fine if he took that into account.

Yun-hyun nodded again.

“Then show me.”

There was no need to catch his breath.

As soon as Il Chung-hyun’s words ended, Yun-hyun’s hand slowly moved.

At first, very gently, but soon without hesitation.

The first form of the White Tiger Training Sword Style was beginning in Yun-hyun’s hand.

‘Heh heh.’

As Yun-hyun began the White Tiger Training Sword Style, Instructor Il Chung-hyun smiled.

‘That clumsy scholar…’

He remembered the image of Yun-hyun, who was surprised when he first met him and fell backward on his butt.

He also vividly remembered the look in his eyes as he always carried books and writing utensils while learning martial arts from him, constantly asking questions.

And now, Yun-hyun was performing a sword style in front of him.

Il Chung-hyun’s feelings were bound to be special.

‘Time has passed.’

Il Chung-hyun sighed slightly without realizing it.

‘Scholar Yun, and me… We’ve really changed a lot.’

When Il Chung-hyun gave up his dream of the martial world and entered the path of a military officer, he felt the same emotions that Yun-hyun felt when he first came to the Forbidden City.

He had dedicated his entire life to the country and its people, but he was deprived of even the opportunity.

In this place where connections and cunning schemes were more prevalent than loyalty and skill, there was nowhere for him to be.

If the world were chaotic, he might have seen a way out, but the peaceful world forced him to rot in this place.

In the Forbidden City, he was completely exiled.

‘Hoo hoo. Scholar Yun said that he was lucky to have met me, but…’

Then he met Yun-hyun and began to teach him martial arts.

No matter how it started, Yun-hyun’s interest in martial arts and the flood of questions made Il Chung-hyun look back on himself and led him to his own answers.

‘Maybe I was the one who was lucky.’

From then on, Il Chung-hyun began to change little by little.

He became close to the instructors he had kept his distance from, and he began to put his heart into teaching the Golden Guard trainees.

His situation was no different from before, but he was able to escape from frustration and gradually find meaning in life.

Looking back, the past few years may have been a happy time.

No, it was definitely happy.

‘Heh heh.’

Il Chung-hyun closed his eyes and savored the warmth that was slowly filling his heart.

But he couldn’t just be immersed in these emotions.

The reason he urged Yun-hyun to perform the sword style was not just for a moment of reminiscence.

Il Chung-hyun opened his eyes.

The sharp and cold eyes of the Golden Guard instructor, the eyes of a master who had roamed the martial world, began to examine Yun-hyun’s sword style.

Meanwhile, Yun-hyun was completely immersed in the White Tiger Training Sword.

As if he had completely forgotten that there was no sword in his hand, there was not a single flaw or awkwardness in his eyes and hand movements.

Perhaps he had forgotten where he was.

Saaa.

Like the soft hem of a woman’s dress, Yun-hyun’s hand flowed, and following his hand, an invisible sword rippled and flowed.

No one had a sword in their hand, but to Yun-hyun and Il Chung-hyun, the sword path of the White Tiger Training Sword was clear and distinct.

And it wasn’t long before.

Il Chung-hyun’s eyes began to twitch slightly.

‘Hmm?’

It wasn’t the White Tiger Training Sword.

The sword that was being unfolded in Yun-hyun’s hand was very different from the White Tiger Training Sword that Il Chung-hyun knew.

The sword path hadn’t changed. Il Chung-hyun knew what the next movement would be.

Nevertheless, Yun-hyun’s sword felt very unfamiliar.

‘Is this the training sword from back then?’

Il Chung-hyun couldn’t believe it.

But if what Yun-hyun was unfolding now wasn’t the White Tiger Training Sword, then what was it?

Saaack, whoosh.

Yun-hyun’s sleeves made a whooshing sound as the White Tiger Training Sword Style continued.

Il Chung-hyun couldn’t take his eyes off Yun-hyun’s sword style.

As if he had forgotten that he was trapped in prison at this moment, Il Chung-hyun’s eyes were shining vividly.

Whoosh.

As Yun-hyun’s sword style began to race towards the end, Il Chung-hyun was finally able to figure out what had changed in the White Tiger Training Sword.

‘Ah!’

It wasn’t a change in the sword path, nor was it a difference in momentum.

The noble flow that permeated the entire White Tiger Training Sword, that was the cause of the change.

But unfortunately, Il Chung-hyun didn’t know what it was.

And if he couldn’t understand the opponent’s sword, it meant only one thing.

“Could it be.”

Il Chung-hyun muttered without realizing it.

“Has Scholar Yun’s sword surpassed me?”

He couldn’t believe it.

But the reality unfolding before his eyes was cold.

In the martial world, the superiority of third-rate or second-rate martial artists is nothing to a master.

The superiority of a martial artist can be reversed at any time with a little more effort in training or by meeting a good teacher.