Chapter 116

Kwangg!

“Ugh…! Ugh…! Gah…!”

Riki slammed into the wall, coughing up blood before collapsing.

Just as I thought the match was finally over and let out a sigh of relief, I saw Riki getting back up.

‘…Is she seriously getting up after that?’

It was a devastating blow. A punch strong enough to make someone with lower stats explode on impact.

“Gah…! Damn it, it’s not over yet. You think I’d go down from something like this?”

Everyone watching the spar—me, Yoo Ju, and Wi Ho-yeon—was amazed by Riki’s mental fortitude and tenacity.

But there was another reason we were shocked.

‘…She didn’t let go of her sword.’

Riki was still holding her sword. Even after taking Yoon Yeon’s strike, she hadn’t dropped it.

“Ha, you crazy bitch…”

“Gah… Calling a crazy bitch crazy won’t help. And hey, is your arm okay?”

Riki smirked as she spoke, and I glanced at Yoon Yeon’s arm. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but her right arm was bleeding.

‘Did she attack while being sent flying?’

Hearing Riki’s words, Yoon Yeon looked down at her own arm.

“…You’re definitely different from before.”

“Keuk… Acting all calm, huh? Your arm and the side I grazed earlier aren’t exactly in great shape, are they?”

Sensing something off, I checked Riki’s sword using its unique trait.

[Yodo Muramasa (Legend Grade) – A cursed sword, also known as the sword that curses. Leaves a curse on the opponent when it inflicts a wound, and the curse erodes through the injury. The more the curse spreads, the more it mentally attacks the target and temporarily lowers their stats. Increases Strength by 5 and Agility by 3 when equipped.]

‘The curse is eroding her?’

Yoon Yeon’s expression seemed calm, but I could sense a faint discomfort in her.

“So? It does feel a bit uncomfortable. But you’re in worse shape, aren’t you?”

“Keuk… True. Ptooey.”

Riki spat out blood and steadied herself.

“Let’s start again. Focus.”

Pat.

Riki closed the distance to Yoon Yeon in an instant. Her speed was slower than before, likely due to her injuries, but Yoon Yeon was also injured.

Riki swung her sword, and Yoon Yeon deflected it with her right hand. Her other arm reached out toward Riki, but the curse seemed to slow her down momentarily.

Riki’s eyes flashed. She didn’t miss the opening and grabbed Yoon Yeon’s arm, pulling her closer.

Then, Riki’s knee slammed into Yoon Yeon.

Thud!

“Guh!”

Yoon Yeon groaned and swung her fist again, and Riki responded in kind.

Clang!

A shockwave erupted, sending both of them flying.

******

“Sigh… So, couldn’t you two have just taken it easy?”

“Ugh…”

“Damn it.”

Inside the Kotozuke Clan’s infirmary, Yoon Yeon and Riki were being treated after their spar.

While their external injuries had healed, their internal injuries were still being treated.

Riki grumbled in frustration.

“Damn it, that girl is so stubborn!”

“Who are you to talk? You were the one who got slammed into the wall and then stubbornly got back up to keep fighting.”

“Falling there would’ve been embarrassing, you idiot.”

“……”

I sighed and spoke up.

“Anyway, both of you should rest. It looks like we’ll be staying longer than planned.”

Originally, we were supposed to return to the Neutral Country soon, but since the two decided to spar, I thought it would be a light match. Instead, they went all out, and now we can’t leave immediately.

Yoon Yeon, feeling awkward, spoke to me.

“Ahem, ahem… Sorry about that. But, uh…”

“Yes?”

“Why are you using formal speech? Is it because of her?”

“Well… yeah? It’s not just the two of you here; there are three of us.”

“Whatever, just treat me like you usually do. Yoon Seong, and you too, just talk to me like normal.”

“But… both of you are masters of large clans. It feels a bit inappropriate for me to use informal speech here.”

“I don’t care about that. She probably doesn’t either, right?”

I glanced at Riki, and she nodded.

“Alright, then…”

“By the way, Yoon Seong. Since we’re staying longer anyway, how about attending the banquet?”

“…What banquet?”

“The Eastern Alliance holds regular gatherings for large clans. There’s one in a week. Please, come with me? Your clan members can come too.”

‘Ugh, a banquet? Sounds annoying.’

I’m not exactly a social butterfly. Parties and banquets are my nightmare.

Of course, if necessary, I can handle it, but attending the Eastern Alliance’s banquet doesn’t really benefit me.

“Isn’t that a bit… awkward? I’m not even from the Eastern Alliance. Wouldn’t it be weird for me to attend?”

“Just stick with me. I’m a bit nervous because of the recent clan purge. There’s going to be a lot of attention on me.”

‘Damn, wouldn’t that make it even more awkward for me?’

She must have sensed my hesitation because she started acting cute.

“Come on, please? I’ll be lonely. Pretty please?”

“Sigh… Fine. I’ll talk to my clan members first.”

I reluctantly agreed since it was hard to refuse her request.

“Hehe, thanks. You’re the best, friend.”

Riki seemed to want me to stay in the Eastern Alliance—or more specifically, her clan—a bit longer.

Since I wouldn’t be seeing her for a long time after returning to the Neutral Country, I decided to humor her for the short time we had left.

‘…There might be something in it for me.’

“…What about Yoon Yeon?”

I asked Yoon Yeon just in case, but her answer was quick.

“Ah, I can’t. I can’t leave my clan unattended for too long. I’ll be heading back first.”

This time, even Riki chimed in.



As a fellow Clan Master, it seems they understand the need to manage the clan.

‘… Unexpected.’

Honestly, I thought they would tell Yoon Yeon to leave too.

Looking at their face, they seem a bit disappointed. But it feels like they’re more upset about missing another chance to fight.

‘Well… It’s hard to find a sparring partner at their level.’

******

In the end, Yoon Yeon and Seo Yoo-ju returned to the Neutral Country first.

Yoon Yeon had to go back to manage the clan, and Seo Yoo-ju was the same, but when I told her I’d stay a bit longer at Kotozuke before returning, she had a strong reaction.

‘Damn…’

She went on about how I was bewitched by Yanagiya Riki, and if I was thinking of transferring clans, she absolutely wouldn’t allow it. It took a lot to calm her down.

Seeing how the Kotozuke Clan treated me with utmost care and no harm, she seemed reassured about my safety, but she was clearly unhappy about me sticking close to Riki.

Still, we agreed I’d return within two weeks at most, and for my safety, Wi Ho-yeon stayed by my side as they left.

I thought Riki and Wi Ho-yeon might know each other since they’re both from the Eastern Alliance, but it turns out they’ve only heard of each other through rumors and stories.

“Ah, you’re the Sword Monarch, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. You won the martial arts tournament, didn’t you?”

“… I’ve also heard a lot about you. Whenever the topic of the best swordsman in the Eastern Alliance comes up, Yanagiya-san is always mentioned.”

Wi Ho-yeon, being deeply interested in martial arts, showed respect to Yanagiya Riki, especially after seeing her spar with Yoon Yeon.

“Thanks for the compliment. The martial arts tournament… I was too busy to ever participate, but it must’ve been fun.”

“Yes. It was a great opportunity to broaden my martial arts knowledge. I gained a lot of insights from fighting many strong opponents.”

“Really? That’s a bit enviable. I should’ve participated back then. Not that I could join at my current level.”

I thought their personalities might clash, but it was a relief to see them getting along.

“Anyway, neither of you need to worry. It’s literally just a banquet or party, and no one in the Eastern Alliance would dare mess with me, so just relax.”

At Riki’s words, I nodded slightly.

Before I knew it, we arrived at the banquet hall entrance, where two guards who looked like warriors checked our identities.

“May I ask for your names?”

“Yanagiya Riki. And these two are my guests.”

“Yanagiya Riki-san. Confirmed. Then, for the identities of the guests…”

As the man was about to check our identities, another man next to him hastily interrupted.

“T-this…! No, no need. Haha… Please go in. Yanagiya Riki-san and the two guests. Identity confirmed.”

“Senior? But we should still check…”

“Shut up, you idiot! Haha, please, go ahead!”

The man was sweating profusely as he guided us in.

Riki seemed completely unfazed by the situation.

“Well, let’s go in then.”

Entering the banquet hall felt… different from the banquets or parties in the Neutral Country.

It was more like the noblemen’s gatherings during the Joseon Dynasty. There were women playing instruments like the gayageum, and quite a few people had already taken their seats.

Seeing men with women on their arms, and vice versa, it was clear that the Eastern Alliance players were quite open about their desires.

In the Neutral Country, even if people were indulgent, they at least restrained themselves in formal settings like this.

Glancing at Riki’s expression, she didn’t seem to care. In fact, she looked quite accustomed to this atmosphere.

As we entered, most eyes turned toward us. Well, it was only natural since Yanagiya Riki had arrived.

“… Yanagiya Riki has arrived.”

“I heard there was a large-scale purge in the Kotozuke Clan recently…”

Most of the conversations were about Riki or rumors surrounding her. But I also caught snippets of other discussions.

“Who’s the guy next to her?”

“Huh? Wait. Isn’t that the Sword Monarch next to her?”

“… It is the Sword Monarch. Did she return to the Eastern Alliance? I heard she left for Baronia.”

In the Neutral Country, some people recognized me, but sadly, it seems no one in the Eastern Alliance does.

‘Well, this might actually be better. Less attention on me.’

My goal was to quietly attend this banquet and leave, so this was actually preferable.

It felt like a gathering of famous CEOs on Earth. Most of the people here were probably masters or executives of large clans, or merchants from major guilds.

After briefly scanning their stats, most of them were in the upper tier.

‘And of course, there are probably those involved in shady businesses or dirty work.’

Well, it’s not really my concern. After all, Riki is also the master of a clan involved in such matters.

‘… Come to think of it, I should ask Riki for a favor.’

Given that she’s essentially the drug lord of the Eastern Alliance, I needed to ask her for some drugs.

‘Getting the recipe and the factory would be nice, but… I doubt she’d go that far.’

Honestly, I don’t need the factory or the recipe. Thinking about it, too much is as bad as too little, so just getting the drugs would be enough.

After all, the reason I need the drugs is to deal with Ha Yu-ri.

‘I’ll have to get to work as soon as I get back.’