Chapter 89 – Heavenly Demon’s Disciple (11)
[Chapter 5–Verse 5] No Misunderstanding
The martial artist before me—who lumped me together with the bandits and tried to kill me—was probably not an evil person.
Her eye-catching white attire. Her straightforward tone and expression. Eyes filled with a sense of justice.
Even putting aside her beautiful appearance, she didn’t look like the type to do shameful deeds.
However—
‘So what?’
I’m not generous enough to forgive someone who tried to take my life.
Clang—!
“Ugh?!”
She barely managed to block my strike with her sword, then immediately abandoned any thought of counterattacking and retreated far back.
A bold decision.
“Tsk.”
My crescent blade sliced through empty air as she dodged my follow-up attack. The surprise strike failed, and I clicked my tongue.
Not bad.
The fact that she could defend herself proved she had learned proper swordsmanship.
But in terms of internal energy—and everything else—one exchange was enough for me to confirm my complete superiority.
Vwooom—
I poured internal energy into the low-quality bandit scimitar.
“How can a mere bandit possess such power…? No, wait! You aren’t a bandit, are you?”
“And if I’m not?”
“It seems there was a misunderstanding. Please forgive my mistake. I am a member of the Namgung Clan—”
“Pick up your sword. It’s already too late.”
“It’s not! No one is injured ye—”
A thin stream of blood trickled down her neck as she suddenly realized the cold blade had already touched her skin.
She hadn’t reacted at all. The only reason I hadn’t killed her yet was simple.
“Pick up your sword.”
“If you kill me, the Namgung Clan will never forgive you.”
“They won’t know it was me. You’re alone, remember?”
“T-That’s…”
“Last warning. Pick up your weapon. I’ll give you the honor of a proper death—like any knight deserves.”
Valentine.
My bodyguard from the world of the romance fantasy novel I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family.
Ever since learning the “Knight’s Swordsmanship” from her, I could no longer kill an opponent who surrendered.
That was a knight’s way.
And if I wanted to avoid tarnishing the name of the knight who had cherished me—
I had to uphold that ideal.
“…Kill me.”
“I will. But pick up your weapon.”
“I refuse to be toyed with like a plaything before I die. Just kill me quickly.”
“I promise I won’t toy with you. The moment our duel begins, I’ll split you cleanly from head to groin in a straight line.”
“…You’re serious?”
“I swear it on my honor as a knight.”
“A… knight?”
“No need for a dying woman to know the details.”
“……”
I stepped back slightly and waited for her to raise her weapon.
“…What now?”
“Do you really not understand? If I pick up my weapon, you’ll kill me.”
“I said I’d give you an honorable death.”
“But I’ll still die!”
“Well, obviously. You tried to kill me first.”
“I apologized.”
“Let’s be honest—you apologized because I’m stronger.”
Her pretty brows furrowed at my logical retort.
No comeback for that, right?
“So you would even kill a powerless child if they attacked you?”
“You’re claiming you are weak?”
“Yes.”
This woman who sliced through bandits in one blow… claimed she was “weak.”
I see how it is.
Tap.
Fed up with her nonsense, I dropped my crescent blade to the ground.
“Ah? So you’re forgiving me?”
“No. Since you won’t pick up your weapon, I’ll just kill you bare-handed. That makes it fair, right?”
“It does NOT! Isn’t ‘not killing me’ an option?!”
“Of course no—”
It seemed I had wasted too much time in meaningless conversation with this woman.
She’s not just an ordinary wanderer.
Ever since being shot by a sniper in my previous life, my threat-detection ability had sharpened. After gaining internal energy in the world of this martial arts novel <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?>, that sense had grown even keener.
“Lady Namgung! Are you unharmed?!”
“My lady! You ran off alone so suddenly, we were startled!”
“My lady, do you know that man?”
“Lady Namgung! Are you okay?”
A group of men and women rushed toward us, each dressed in very distinct attire.
Blue robes, black clothing, leather gear, floral patterns…
Their apparent ages varied—from university-age down to something like middle school.
But they had one thing in common:
Every one of them had striking, extraordinary looks.
Having read the novel <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?> And reviewed the summary notes, I immediately realized who they were.
They’re the Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes—the ones who become the protagonist’s subordinates and wives, right?
Nine Dragons, Five Phoenixes (Guryong-Obong / 九龍五鳳).
A social circle of nine men (“dragons”) and five women (“phoenixes”) destined to lead the next generation of the central martial world.
But because these fourteen people also served as representatives for their prestigious families and sects, they engaged in endless political maneuvering. Because of that, the number of times they all gathered in one place could be counted on one hand.
This time was no different.
Only five members of the group were present.
“I’m fine. But… this young master and I have a misunderstanding, so it’s a bit troublesome.”
The woman pointed at me.
At her words, half of the Nine Dragons–Five Phoenixes shifted their focus toward me.
“No need to be wary.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
“Let us introduce ourselves.”
Perhaps because the woman who had just attempted to kill me warned them, they adopted a peaceful stance and greeted me with a cupped-fist salute—the martial world’s formal greeting—followed by their introductions.
Blade Dragon, Poison Dragon, Fist Dragon, Beauty Phoenix, Sword Phoenix.
I nearly fell asleep listening to their titles.
For reference, the unreasonable woman who had tried to kill me along with the bandits was.
In martial arts terms, her title indicated that she was the most skilled sword-wielding, marriageable-age female martial artist—a top-tier bride candidate.
Highly shocking.
That girl is Sword Phoenix? She was so weak…
Because Sword Phoenix was portrayed in the novel as a genuinely strong martial artist.
As one of the Nine Dragons–Five Phoenixes, she was supposed to be among the top-tier fighters of her generation—one of those destined to shape the future of the martial world.
Among the five currently present, she was the strongest.
“So let me get this straight— The woman who tried to kill an innocent person for no reason is Sword Phoenix, and all of you are her friends, the Nine Dragons–Five Phoenixes?”
“I told you that was a misunderstanding!”
Sword Phoenix, who had tried to gloss over her wrongdoing earlier, flared up.
“Do you want to die?”
“Your tone suddenly became polite once my colleagues arrived, didn’t it?”
“For someone who only shows respect to those stronger than themselves, you say quite a lot.”
The remaining members looked at her questioningly after hearing our exchange.
“Is that true?”
“Lady Namgung, is it?”
“How could you…”
Panicking under her peers’ judgment, Sword Phoenix frantically waved her hands and tried to explain.
“I-It’s a misunderstanding! I only attacked because the bandits were flattering him, so I mistook him for their leader! There’s no need to show courtesy to a bandit leader!”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
“We trust you, my lady.”
“If it was a misunderstanding…”
Blood is thicker than water, it seems. Her cheap excuse worked on them, and now they all turned their hostility toward me.
“What is your relationship with the bandits?”
“Please answer honestly.”
“We still don’t know your identity.”
To avoid unnecessary fighting or misunderstandings, cooperative conversation would be necessary here.
At least, that’s what I used to think when reading <Is This Heavenly Demon for Real?> Back then, I didn’t understand why the protagonist always escalated conflicts with a bad attitude.
But now that I’m the one standing here—
I understand perfectly.
Internal energy must have a natural tendency to make people arrogant. Increased aggression comes as a bonus.
Otherwise, I would never have said what I said next:
“Fight me. All at once. If you can defeat me, I’ll answer.”
When I first acquired internal energy, something that exists only in martial arts worlds, I didn’t expect much.
After all, I had only just taken my first step. There was no way I could compete with martial artists who had trained their internal energy for years. That was common sense.
But in reality?
“You arrogant brat!”
“You will regret those words.”
“I shall teach you there is always someone above you!”
They were laughable.
Especially—
“Someone above me, huh…? Have you ever even been above the sky to say that?”
Listening to people who’ve never even ridden an airplane talk like they understand what lies above the heavens… it was hilarious. They probably didn’t even know Earth was round.
It was one thing I never understood when reading martial arts novels—
Characters who didn’t even know the components of air would “study breathing,” “comprehend the universe,” and “harmonize with nature.”
Well, that’s fiction for you.
“You dare— Hngh?!”
I rushed toward Blade Dragon and lightly kicked him in the abdomen.
BOOM—!
He couldn’t react at all.
Was it because I surprised him?
No. Just like how I was completely helpless against the Wudang Divine Sword’s disciple before learning internal energy, this was simply the overwhelming perception gap created by an extreme difference in ability.
Now I get it.
I was someone deemed a “monster” by the P-Aptitude Test—a top-tier athlete who even professional monsters admired.
And that version of me had now acquired internal energy.
“What was that about heaven?”
This wasn’t a fair duel between two martial artists.
It was a fight between a regular person and an elite athlete.
Unless they brought some asymmetric weapon that ignored individual ability, my advantage was absolute.
“Blade Dragon…!”
Fist Dragon finally realized his peer had fallen in an instant.
He came charging at me, striking forward with a fist full of internal energy.
CRACK!
My spinning back kick hit him, snapping his arm like a twig.
“Aaaargh?!”
“The legs support your whole body all day. They’re far stronger than arms.”
“M-My arm!”
“…You weren’t ready.”
WHACK.
I lifted his chin with the top of my foot—a classic Taekwondo front kick.
“Damn you…!”
Poison Dragon suddenly pulled out several daggers and hurled them at me.
True to his nickname, each blade was laced with deadly poison.
Just a graze could be fatal.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
But if none of them hit?
They’re useless.
“Too slow.”
“Wha—? Aaaaagh!”
I instantly appeared behind him and kicked him in the tailbone.
FWIP—
Like performing a circus stunt, he flipped twice in midair before landing face-first on the sand, limbs spread out.
“Stop wasting time and go home to invent plagues or something.”
“……”
If he just unleashed one of the plagues that terrified the ancient world, this unadvanced-medical civilization would collapse instantly.
A doctor who doesn’t know how to fight doesn’t become stronger just because he has a syringe full of strong poison.
Same logic.
Poisoned blades only matter in fights between similarly skilled opponents.
“And you?”
“I surrender. You wouldn’t use violence against a defenseless young maiden, would you?”
A girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen raised her hands above her shoulders in surrender.
Beauty Phoenix.
The most beautiful unmarried woman in the central martial world. She was the weakest among the Nine Dragons–Five Phoenixes. Even though she had learned martial arts, her slender physique which evoked a man’s protective instinct made her impractical for combat.
In other words, Beauty Phoenix had abandoned combat power in exchange for charm.
Naturally, that came with pros and cons.
“Sir, you’re not falling for my body, are you?”
“Want me to slap your cheek with my smelly foot?”
“No.”
“Don’t look down on me. I have a girlfriend way prettier than you.”
“Lies!”
Ignoring Beauty Phoenix’s disbelief, I turned to look beside me.
“You aren’t going to fight?”
“I surrender too!”
Sword Phoenix quickly mimicked her companion’s surrender the moment our eyes met.
“I don’t want to.”
“Such discrimination is unjust—”
Smack!
Before she could finish complaining, I flicked her forehead—hard.
She didn’t even have time to scream in pain. Her head snapped back from the concussion-level hit, and she collapsed backward.
“That’s too much… To hit a woman’s face, her greatest treasure…”
Beauty Phoenix finally gathered her courage to criticize me.
“That’s why I hit her.”
“On purpose?!”
“She tried to kill me. A bump on her forehead is dirt cheap in exchange.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Even Beauty Phoenix accepted my merciful verdict without further objections.
“Beauty Phoenix.”
“I already introduced myself—I’m the second daughter of the Murong Clan, Murong—”
“Give me some money.”
“…Sir, you’re really not the bandit leader, right?”
“You guys killed the bandits I captured, so my bounty got cut in half. This is a fair request.”
“Ask Sword Phoenix. I don’t have money.”
“Lies.”
“I’m serious… If I need something, Blade Dragon or Fist Dragon buys it for me. That’s why I never carry money.”
“You’re really hopeless, aren’t you?”
It was personal information that never appeared in the novel.
“If I buy something myself, they misunderstand and think I like them. It’s annoying.”
“That is annoying!”
The Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes were important characters destined to become the protagonist’s subordinates—or spouses—in the future.
Carelessly killing them because they were weak could ruin the entire scenario.
I should be careful until I find Mao Zai.
Clink!
I gathered the severed bandit heads and their valuables into a sack.
“…Why?”
Beauty Phoenix watched me as if observing some rare creature.
“Do you need money that badly?”
“This is plenty.”
“I can notarize it under the Murong Clan’s name. Then you can receive the bounty even without the heads.”
“Oh? Really?”
Now that she mentioned it… yes.
The protagonist had exterminated countless criminals, bandits included, yet he had never once picked up their severed heads.
“In return, you’ll have to accompany me to the nearest government office.”
“That’s fine.”
If it meant not carrying these foul-smelling heads around, I’d gladly do that much.
“I’ll rely on you, then.”
“Sure.”
“If it isn’t rude… may I know your name and affiliation, sir?”
Beauty Phoenix naturally tried to dig into my identity.
I wasn’t the secretive type, so after about a second of thought, I answered:
“Kang Moon-soo.”
“Oh! So you’re Young Master Kang.”
“I’m the Heavenly Demon’s grandson.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Nice to meet you.”
Surely the relic from Skeleton Master would help with the misunderstanding somehow.
…If not, oh well.