I took Sowol as my disciple around the end of spring.
That was nearly 9 months ago.
When I first saw Sowol, I thought:
Ah, I could teach her everything within a year.
As if proving that, Sowol grew rapidly.
“Huff… huff…”
Despite the chilly weather as winter approached, Sowol’s pretty face was covered in sweat.
That showed how passionate she was about her training.
She could now use Moonlight Wave and Moonlight Flash without difficulty, so it was about time to pass on the third technique.
“Master, phew… is this enough?”
I examined the traces Sowol had created.
The forest where we came up to train every day looked as if a skilled lumberjack had been here, with quite a few trees strewn about.
All of this was the result of Sowol’s sword.
“Excellent.”
To have grown this much in less than a year of holding a sword.
I was pleased that my prediction was accurate.
“Hmph. This much is nothing.”
Although she scoffed confidently at my praise, a look of pride remained on Sowol’s face.
Yes. I’m proud of you too.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll give you a praise sticker.
“Then I’ll teach you the third technique.”
“Yes!”
“The third technique of the Moonlight Sword is Moonlight Dance. The sword dance I used at Wola Mountain before was also an application of Moonlight Dance.”
“Is that true?!”
Sowol, looking quite joyful, rushed up to me with sparkling eyes.
I like her great passion for learning.
After patting her head, I began my explanation.
“The mana flow of Moonlight Dance is based on Moonlight Wave and Moonlight Flash. You must combine the two to maintain sword energy on the blade.”
“But last time, there was no sword energy condensed on Master’s sword, right?”
“It’s not about releasing sword energy. You have to completely confine the sword energy within the blade. There should be minimal mana waste.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Other martial arts schools call this process the Divine Sword Union. It’s like maintaining the sword and body as one.”
“Sounds difficult.”
“It’s not one of the best swordsmanship for nothing. Now, let’s begin.”
After teaching the mana flow of Moonlight Dance, I explained all the movements.
As usual, she was awkward at first, but she started to pick it up skillfully after a few tries.
Her talent really is amazing.
“Hmm… is this good enough?”
Sowol, who had clumsily tried Moonlight Dance once, fiddled with the wooden sword and tilted her head.
Asking if it’s good enough?
It’s excellent.
“The rest is just increasing proficiency. Practice hard.”
“Yes!!”
Sowol answered with a bright expression. At that moment,
Pure white snowflakes began to fall little by little from the sky.
It’s the first snow of the year. Staring blankly at it, Sowol let out a slight cough.
“Ugh…”
Having sweated a lot, she must be cold.
I draped the outer garment I was wearing around her body.
“I’m fine…”
“It’s okay. I can maintain my body temperature with mana.”
It’ll be more tiring for me if she catches a cold and delays her training.
Stopping Sowol from taking off the clothes, I even buttoned it up for her and said while picking up my sword,
“Let’s go. Today, let’s eat something warm and rest a bit.”
“How about some warm alcohol?”
“That’s not bad either.”
Returning to the Eastern Trading Company after training, people were busy moving about.
Is it because of the snow that started to fall in earnest?
As I watched people covering goods with waterproof cloths or bringing them inside, I sent Sowol back to her room and headed to my quarters.
In front of my quarters, which was quiet and clean as usual, a letter was placed.
“A letter has arrived from the church.”
A passing maid told me as I was standing there puzzled.
Church?
I hope it’s not asking me to attend the year-end mass.
With trembling hands, I tore open the envelope with the church’s mark prominently attached to it.
If it really is about attending mass, what excuse should I make this time…
“Ho ho.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t a letter asking me to attend mass.
Serin.
She’s my friend, a high-ranking priest of the church, and a main character in the upcoming religious war.
[The Holy Kingdom of Tehoron would…]
Ignore that.
[… I’ll stop joking around. Are you doing well? I’m doing well too. Every day is a day of fighting heretics, but it’s very rewarding. I wonder if you’re training your disciple well. Ah, the most curious thing. The church has released a list of talented kids they’ve found. I’ll attach that too.]
How satisfying. On the last page, there were profiles of five people.
Hmm… I’ve seen these kids, too. They don’t have as much talent as Laila, so there’s no need to pay attention.
[Other than that… by the time this letter arrives, you can consider the surrounding heretic subjugation complete. But while suppressing the heretics, I discovered something. I found traces of the Asura Cult.]
Asura Cult.
A heretical sect that advocates monotheism and claims all other gods are merely false.
They perform human sacrifices at every mass and somehow become alarmingly stronger.
[I thought the Asura Cult had been completely eradicated. It seems that was our church’s misconception.]
That’s right, it’s a misconception.
The leader of the opposing religion that appears during the religious war event is from the Asura Cult.
The core of the religious war event is the Asura Cult, which has absorbed all other heretical sects, formally revealing itself to the world.
I calmly skimmed through the contents of the letter.
Many things were said, but to summarize the main point, it seemed that the group previously targeting the Eastern Trading Company was a faction of the Asura Cult.
Hmm. The Asura Cult.
This is an unexpected development.
[Maybe it’s not over yet. Just in case, please protect Lord So Jung-yang well. I’ll also report to the higher-ups and have them dispatch holy knights there.]
That’s a thankful thing to say. Then I just need to hold out for a few days?
I folded the letter, put it in my pocket, and immediately went to find So Jung-yang.
In any case, he should know about it too.
“Welcome, Master Lee Hyun.”
Working in his office, So Jung-yang greeted me, and I immediately got to the point.
At the news that a heretical sect, and the worst one called the Asura Cult at that, was targeting him, So Jung-yang gave a bitter smile.
“When doing business, many things like assassinations, kidnappings, and more occur frequently. We can consider them as one of those kinds.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
“Since the church is sending people, it’s something to be thankful for.”
“It will take a few days. Until then, it would be wise to be cautious.”
“Thank you.”
“I will also minimize going outside the trading company as much as possible. Then I can respond immediately no matter what happens.”
“I feel like I’m only relying on Master Lee Hyun too much.”
“It’s nothing much.”
“Now that it’s come to this, how about you formally take a position in our Eastern Trading Company?”
My name is listed in the Eastern Trading Company, but it’s almost no different from a temporary position.
So Jung-yang was asking me to officially become a member of the Eastern Trading Company.
But that’s something I can’t do. I have to find my next disciple right away, and after I finish teaching the next disciple, I have to go to the Tower of Sages and obtain sage qualifications.
After that, I have to become an instructor at the academy.
I have too many things to do to be tied to the Eastern Trading Company.
“It’s regrettable.”
“But I will continue to teach Sowol, so don’t worry.”
“…Your words sound a bit strange. Teaching Sowol… as if you’ll leave once you’ve taught Sowol everything…”
“Yes. Because once I’ve fully taught Sowol, there won’t be anything left for me to do here.”
“No, no. How can you say that? Even if you finish that task, we hope you will continue to stay as a guest of our Eastern Trading Company. Haven’t our Eastern Trading Company’s warriors also become stronger thanks to Master Lee Hyun? So…”
“Haha. I appreciate your words. But I also have my own goals I’m aiming for…”
“Haa… If you say so, there’s nothing I can do.”
He seemed to have noticed that he couldn’t hold me back any longer.
So Jung-yang sighed heavily and looked at me.
“Our Eastern Trading Company will always welcome Master Lee Hyun. Please show your face from time to time, even if it’s just occasionally.”
“I’ll try.”
Though I don’t know if I’ll have the time.
After that, there wasn’t much special conversation.
We talked about surrounding matters and recent business trends, and by the time I left So Jung-yang’s room, it was quite late.
Phew. Let’s hurry and get some sleep…
“…Oh. It’s starting already, huh.”
I thought it would take some time.
At the sudden ominous atmosphere, I moved my hand to my sword.
Clouds began to cover the sky, obscuring the moonlight.
The torches inside the trading company started to go out one by one due to the strong wind.
And that unpleasant feeling mixed in with the wind. As if I wouldn’t know what that meant.
I laughed, drew my sword, and spoke into the darkness.
“You’re hiding so well… I saw your hair, so come out.”
At my words, men in black clothes started crawling out of the darkness one by one.
Seeing that, the moment I was about to use magic.
“Kyaaaaah!!”
A sharp scream. It was Sowol’s cry.
“I’ll see you later.”
Because taking care of Sowol takes priority over dealing with you guys.