[Protagonist's POV]
"Guh… I… tried to hold it in… but it keeps…"
—Shing
"I'll shut up."
"Only listening when I draw my sword isn't a good habit."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Sit down first. I heard you have sothing to say."
Unlike the serious tone mimicking the Sword Sovereign, Yeosocheon's goofy grin betrayed how much she was enjoying this. It felt like being dragged into her ga, but believing this act could help, he had no choice but to play along.
"Sword Sovereign, I have sothing to say. It's important—please don't get angry and hear out to the end."
"…Go ahead."
"Hoo…"
He took a deep breath to set the mood, as if it were real. Even though it wasn't actually the Sword Sovereign in front of him, his heart raced all the sa. Must be the weight of the situation. But he couldn't just keep breathing forever—ti to speak, if only to prep for the real deal.
"I… recently shared affection with another woman… and I'm set to marry her."
He left out Dang Ayeong's na, just in case.
"…"
Yeosocheon's eyes quivered silently—clearly rattled.
—Gulp
"…I'm sorry. To bring this up without properly resolving what happened between us before…"
That's when it hit—
"…What happened between us?"
Yeosocheon—no, the "Sword Sovereign"—said sothing cryptic.
"Huh?"
"I don't understand what you an. I don't recall anything between us worth apologizing over for your marriage."
"…What do you—"
"If you're set to wed, shouldn't you be with your bride? No need to stir up misunderstandings with her."
"…!"
The implication sank in, and a wave of awe washed over him—
"This'd be your best-case scenario, right? Though it's pretty unlikely."
"Oh."
Then it faded. This was just Yeosocheon running a simulation, after all.
"…But couldn't the Sword Sovereign react like that?"
"It's not impossible—depends on how much her mindset's shifted lately."
"Ugh…"
"Justice and being a pushover aren't the sa. Won get unpredictable when n are involved."
Hope flared, then fizzled. Scummy as it was, that was his dream outco—her honoring his "let's pretend it never happened" plea for real.
"But are you actually marrying Dang Ayeong?"
"…I figured saying that might up my odds of being forgiven."
"Wow, you're trash."
"…If I don't stop the world from ending first, marriage'll be the least of my worries, right?"
Marriage or not, saving the world ca first. They call it the grave of life, but he was staring at a literal grave if this went south.
"Looking at it, you might've had a real talent for lechery. Your knack for screwing over won's unreal."
"…"
Sad, but undeniable.
"…Oh."
"What now?"
"Uh… the Sword Sovereign doesn't know about the world ending yet, right?"
Yeosocheon's face visibly soured.
"…I've got a bad feeling."
"What if I convince her to deal with this after stopping the apocalypse?"
"Haa…"
She scowled, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You're dragging sothing that big into your woman troubles now?"
"Good's good, right?"
"Hoo…"
Arms crossed, eyes closed—she sank into deep thought, her expression grim.
"Fine, try it. I'll play along."
"…Still doing that?"
"You saw—it's pretty effective."
He scratched his head at her insistence on continuing the roleplay. But it had been imrsive, no denying that.
"Sword Sovereign, I've got sothing to say."
He slipped back into the act.
"Speak."
"I… recently shared affection with another woman… and I'm set to marry her."
"…What?"
Yeosocheon's eyes narrowed sharply.
"How long's it been since we had our mont, and now this? Didn't you say we'd pretend it never happened?"
"T-That's…"
"I thought you had so grand purpose—so reason you couldn't tie yourself to a woman yet. I understood that. But this? Back in Shaanxi how long, and now marriage? I never heard you had a betrothed waiting."
"W-Wait, let expl—"
"No excuses. Seems I misjudged you—badly."
—Shing
The "Sword Sovereign"—no, Yeosocheon—drew her sword with a cold glare.
"Since you didn't ntion it back then, it's so new woman in Shaanxi—or feelings blood fast. But deciding sothing as huge as marriage that quick? Hard to call that love built normally."
"S-Sword… I an, Socheon? You're not swinging that, right?"
"Die, lecher."
"W-W-Wait, hold on! Give a chance to speak!"
"…Oh. Let's rewind from 'no excuses.'"
She blinked, as if she'd forgotten, and he thought—she's way too into this.
"Ahem. Here we go—no excuses. Seems I misjudged—"
"Does the Sword Sovereign know this world's in danger?"
He cut in, seizing the pace this ti. Couldn't let her run the show.
"…What's that supposed to an?"
"You're aware, right? Those called the Blood Cult stirring chaos in the Central Plains again."
"…Hmph. If it's just their remnants, calling the world 'in danger' is—"
"They're not the Blood Cult you know. Demons from another world—wearing their skin, but inside, they're nothing like what you fought."
Yeosocheon's eyes shook—impossible to tell if it was acting or real now.
"…How do you know that? Got proof?"
"That's…"
A dangerously sharp follow-up—
—Clench
Hands balled tight, he opened his trembling mouth—
"Truth is, I'm not from this world either—"
"STOP!!!"
"Huh?"
Yeosocheon's hand clamped over his gaping mouth.
"No way!! You can't say that!! I can't handle it!!"
"????"
"I-I'd have to act the Sword Sovereign hearing that—no, just no!! Not now, and never say it to her for real! It'll be a disaster!"
No clue what she ant, but her freakout seed legit—he filed it away as sothing to avoid.
—Clang!
—Clang!
In a sunless underground chamber—sowhere isolated, neither clearly Central Plains nor beyond—a red-eyed man and woman clashed swords.
Both pale-skinned, almost sickly-looking—but one glimpse of their strikes would shatter that impression.
Their martial arts looked Central Plains-style, yet layered with an alien power—unfathomable by local standards.
A skill gap showed as they traded blows—the woman's sword steadily outpaced the man's until—
—Clang!
—Thud!
Her strike sent his blade flying, lodging into the wall.
Dropping your sword in a duel—a swordsman's disgrace.
"…I've learned sothing."
But the man didn't seem fazed, offering a sincere fist salute and bow.
"…"
—Swish
The woman didn't spare him a glance, turning away—her expression as indifferent as if she'd seen a bug crawl by.
"Tch…!"
Her gaze landed on a red-haired woman watching from the sidelines.
"What's this?! You can't even beat that?! You think I pumped you full of enhancent drugs for this?! Fight again—pick up your sword!!!"
"…Forgive my words, but raising it again won't change the outco. I've lost."
"Grrr…!"
The redhead stomped in frustration, then glared venomously at the victor.
"Don't get cocky! I don't know what tricks you pulled to win the Lord's favor, but it's not your power!! Strut around like it's yours, and I, Lady Radia, will drive a stake through your—"
"Hey."
—Flinch!
Radia froze under the woman's icy, detached stare—despite her own biting insults.
She'd challenged this masterless vassal out of jealousy—rumors of the Lord's favor stung, so she'd pitted her strongest vassal against her. A forr swordmaster in life, loaded with every enhancent she could muster—
'How could he lose to so ownerless wretch?!'
A clean defeat—to a half-baked vassal who couldn't even serve her master properly.
Backing down now ant ridicule from her peers—branded a vampire who cowered before a lowly vassal.
Vampires, noble lords of the night, prized dignity and pride—bending it was akin to death. Many would choose death over sha.
But…
'I… can't win.'
Instinct scread it—if this masterless vassal drew her sword again, Radia's head would roll.
'? Killed by a re vassal—a vampire?!'
That logic didn't faze the figure before her.
She saw it—the woman's hand drifting slowly to her sword.
And in that mont, Radia glimpsed—
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