I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 97

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Why did I have to enter the Murim Alliance? — Chapter 97
So Seol-lu had been kidnapped when she was nine years old.
By the time she realized that the reason was her carelessly boasting to everyone that she could sense something special, it was already too late.
She’d been dragged away to a place whose location she never learned.
To be honest, for someone who’d been kidnapped, the treatment was good. She ate better than at home, wore finer clothes than what her parents had bought her, and her bed was more comfortable.
And wasn’t she trained in martial arts? Back home, lacking money, she hadn’t even been able to glimpse the entrance to a martial academy that she’d so desperately wanted to attend.
But nothing was harder to endure at such a young age than missing one’s parents. Perhaps that’s why each day felt like hell.
She was terrified too.
But as time passed, she grew accustomed to it. Time filled the void left by her parents.
Or rather.
It erased it.
Or so she’d thought. But it hadn’t.
Whether or not her longing for her parents had faded from her mind, it had always remained with So Seol-lu in the depths of her heart.
In fact, So Seol-lu’s real name was Yu Seol. She’d been forced to change her name upon being taken in as an adopted daughter by Daeheukmun.
Here’s how So Seol-lu came to be adopted by Daeheukmun.
Among the children being trained and learning martial arts, So Seol-lu’s abilities weren’t exceptional.
The children with superior abilities became young adults and were transferred elsewhere to a place called Cheonhonmun. The remaining children, like So Seol-lu, were dispatched to different locations one or two years later.
All under rigorous surveillance.
Of course, despite being kidnapped, most of the children were satisfied with life in that place, so none harbored dreams of revenge against Cheonhonmun.
Instead, they swore their loyalty.
So Seol-lu was among the rare few who carried the weight of vengeance in her heart. Among them, some ultimately resisted and, sadly, disappeared without a trace.
So Seol-lu reasoned with grim practicality that they were likely dead.
Three years ago, So Seol-lu entered Daeheukmun as an adopted daughter. She was fortunate — she’d originally lived in the vicinity of Guiju Castle, near Daeheukmun itself.
So the moment So Seol-lu was taken in as Daeheukmun’s adopted daughter, she searched for her family.
The only family member she found was her younger brother. Whether by chance or fate, he was working odd jobs within Daeheukmun itself.
Her parents, unfortunately, had passed away years after her kidnapping, or so she was told.
Learning this news only deepened So Seol-lu’s thirst for revenge against Cheonhonmun.
It deepened, but.
There was nothing she could do. She was still under their surveillance and bound by their commands.
“So that’s how it is. And today they ordered me to approach you again. That’s it, right? But if a word of this leaks out, I’m dead, you’re dead, everyone’s dead.”
“Then what about this invisible hand you don’t know about?”
“I don’t know. What exactly is this invisible hand you’re talking about?”
So Sa U-rin told her everything he knew.
“…… Wow.”
She truly had no idea.
“…… So, if what you’re saying is right, this invisible hand you speak of is Cheonhonmun?”
If that were true, she couldn’t even dream of revenge. It wasn’t something she could handle alone.
Well. Even before knowing this, she’d suspected the path ahead would be difficult, but she never imagined them to be such a formidable force.
“I think so. And there’s probably more than just Cheonhonmun. They couldn’t have controlled the Gangho all these long years by themselves.”
“This is driving me mad.”
“What is?”
“…… I’ve been nursing my own dreams of revenge, you know. But listening to you now, it’s hopeless. That’s why.”
“Ah, yes. You can’t possibly do it alone.”
“Tch…… But how did you know I’d mastered the Honyuon-gong?”
Cheonhonmun would never have revealed such a thing.
“There’s a way only I can know.”
“Hmph.”
“But why did they order you to approach me?”
“I don’t know. They just told me to get close to you, to approach. They didn’t really explain the reason.”
She held back mentioning that she should approach by any means necessary — it would seem strange to reveal that.
“But I was the one who approached first.”
“…… That’s true. So now you have no reason to kill me, right?”
“Right.”
She’d told him everything.
Truth be told, she hadn’t expected to reveal so much. And she certainly hadn’t known she harbored such deep vengeance in her heart.
In a way, one might say she was treading the same path as Sa U-rin.
“But what if they ask why you failed to get close to me?”
“I’ll tell the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That you’re a eunuch…… ”
‘…Damn it.’
In that instant, So Seol-lu realized her mistake. She could only hope Sa U-rin hadn’t noticed.
“…A eunuch? Ah. I see. So you took your clothes off intentionally?”
“…No, that’s not it. I really thought you wanted that sort of thing.”
“Me?”
“Yes. …The situation called for it. In any case, forget about it.”
“How can I? I have a good mind—I don’t forget what I see.”
“Tch.”
Looking at him this way, he didn’t seem to be a true eunuch after all.
“Do you have a woman you’re seeing, by chance?”
“No.”
“Then why did you refuse?”
“Because I didn’t come here for that.”
“You said it was your first time.”
“First time isn’t the same as inexperienced. I simply have no experience yet.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“You’re in the same position.”
“…True. So, what about it? Even now? Finding someone like me in Guiju is no small feat.”
“No.”
“Tch.”
“But there were no other orders for you?”
“None. This kind of instruction is a first since I arrived here.”
“Is it because your mother is the supreme leader of the Sapha?”
“Likely. There’s no other reason to point to, is there?”
…What if?
‘Do they know I’ve mastered Honyuon-gong?’
It couldn’t be. Or rather, it shouldn’t be.
Weren’t there Chu Yeop’s subordinates standing guard outside during the Hyeol-u Bang incident?
“What are you thinking about?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“But you heard everything about me. And you even saw me naked. This is completely unfair.”
“You’re alive.”
“…Wow. You’ve got the mindset of a true thief. So the reason you wanted to kill me from the start wasn’t actually wrong, was it?”
“I have my own vengeance to pursue. And until just now, you were part of my target list.”
“…Vengeance? What vengeance? For what reason?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Fine, I’m done asking.”
“Then let’s do this.”
“How?”
“Tell them you’ve succeeded in getting close to me. Then the next order should come down, right?”
That way, perhaps he could learn why—what reason—they had for trying to approach him in the first place.
“…That makes sense. But I think we’ll need to use some gossip for it.”
“What gossip?”
“…That you and I are in that kind of relationship. If I spread rumors, they’ll believe it easily without too much suspicion.”
“That has merit. But is there nothing besides such rumors?”
“If you have another way, use that instead.”
“Another way…”
Nothing came to mind immediately. In truth, like So Seol-lu said, there seemed to be no easier or more certain way to deceive the other party.
“Let’s just go with your idea.”
“But will you be all right? If such rumors spread about you?”
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
Sa U-rin wasn’t the kind to be swayed by idle gossip.
“Are you sure? You’re a woman, after all.”
If rumors like that spread wrongly, it could make marriage itself impossible for a woman.
“It’s fine.”
Really, as long as she could make sure things turned out that way, that was enough.
“Then we’ll do it that way.”
So Seol-lu’s mood brightened considerably.
“All right. Then can I ask one favor?”
“What is it?”
“……I was hoping you might let my sister go. Is that possible?”
“Understood.”
Then So Seol-lu would have more freedom. Of course, it might arouse their suspicion, and her value as a tool might diminish—such thoughts crossed Sa U-rin’s mind. But he couldn’t leave his sister held hostage while exploiting So Seol-lu for his own ends. That would make him no better than them.
“Hehe. Thank you.”
“Then let’s go.”
“……Already?”
“The conversation’s over.”
“But if we leave so quickly, people won’t believe the rumors about us. And even if they do, bad rumors about you might spread.”
“What do you mean? Bad rumors about me?”
There was nothing to warrant such a thing, surely.
“……It’s that…… rabbit thing…….”
“……Rabbit?”
“Yeah, rabbit. Don’t you know? When men finish too quickly…….”
“……I know. But do we really have to spread such rumors?”
“That’s how rumors work. Even if the story starts as just ‘we’re seeing each other on good terms,’ people will distort it as it spreads. Especially something like this. There will definitely be people who saw us entering the inn.”
Many eyes had watched Sa U-rin and So Seol-lu go in, hadn’t they?
“……I suppose so.”
He hadn’t given that much thought.
“So…… how much longer should we stay?”
“At least a couple of hours.”
“But you know an awful lot about these things.”
“It’s strange that you don’t.”
“Is it?”
“It is.”
“……Then let’s rest for a while.”
“Fine.”
A brief silence fell between them.
Then So Seol-lu spoke.
“But thinking about it, if I’m going to deceive people, I’ll have to deceive myself too.”
“What does that mean?”
“My heart isn’t inclined that way. So how could I possibly pretend to be that kind of couple with you?”
“Do we really need to act?”
“We do.”
“……I can’t do that kind of thing.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying it. Since you can’t manage it, I’ll have to act convincingly enough for both of us. That way I can fool people’s eyes.”
“How?”
“So…… that thing…….”
“No. That’s what you’re really after, isn’t it?”
So Seol-lu flared up.
“What are you saying! I’m trying to help you! If you don’t like it, fine! I won’t do it. I said I won’t!”
“Want to die?”
“……What? Again? Fine, kill me! Go ahead!”
“…….”
Damn.
He’d thought that would work like it did with his mother…….
It didn’t.
‘……What now?’
Of all the strange things to get stuck on.
“That was too harsh. Is there anything else? Anything else at all?”
“Fine. Then I think I can manage to act with just a kiss.”
“……A kiss?”
“Yes. A kiss.”
“……Alright. Just a kiss, nothing more?”
“That’s right.”
So Seol-lu felt like she could die of joy, but she didn’t let it show on her face.
If she did…… the kiss would turn to dust.
“……Then you do it.”
“Alright.”
So Seol-lu leaned closer to Sa U-rin. And her lips touched his.
But…….
So Seol-lu’s lips and Sa U-rin’s lips did not want to part.
* * *
So Seol-lu and Sa U-rin emerged from the inn. At that very moment, Hu Gi-ji-su, who had been enjoying a banquet across the way, spotted them and cried out.
“There! There they come!”
In an instant, the others swarmed toward them like clouds.
“Wow.”
“No way.”
“This can’t be right.”
“Hold on. We can’t be sure they’re… like that just because they came out together.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
That was true.
So.
So Seol-lu linked her arm through Sa U-rin’s.
Then Sa U-rin spoke.
“Do we really have to do this?”
“Yes. Look over there. They’re all losing it.”
“……Yeah, I guess they are.”
That was true.
So So Seol-lu said.
“Let’s just disappear. Right now.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. Let’s just go.”
“I need to go back to the banquet hall. The others are waiting.”
“No. We have to vanish like this. And if we go in, someone might figure out what’s really between us.”
“Why?”
“They’ll ask us everything, won’t they? If our stories start to contradict each other—”
“……Ah. You’re right about that.”
“So let’s go.”
“……Okay.”
And so Sa U-rin and So Seol-lu, arm in arm like a couple very much in that sort of relationship, gradually disappeared from the sight of Hu Gi-ji-su and the others.
And the banquet that had been prepared because of Sa U-rin came to an end just like that.
Amid the disappointed groans of everyone present.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————