“Will this do?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“...We’re in private right now.”

“Understood.”

Mo Yong-woo filled Tang Sang-a’s cup.

Tang Sang-a emptied it just like that. From the start, she did not seem to have any intention of pouring for the other person.

Awkwardly, Mo Yong-woo filled his own cup.

Tang Sang-a merely sat there and looked at him. After he had poured her a cup, she could at least have returned the favor, but she said nothing.

It was definitely an awkward moment. But Mo Yong-woo did not turn his head away or drink just to dispel the awkwardness.

“Would you like another?”

“Sure.”

Tang Sang-a accepted the refilled cup, but this time she did not drink first.

And so the two of them sat facing each other.

Mo Yong-woo spoke first.

“So then, what brings you here asking me to buy you a drink?”

“There’s something I want to ask you directly.”

“Ask.”

“You know, don’t you? That our two clan lords were trying to pair us together.”

She had brought up something both of them knew, but had never openly mentioned.

If one wanted to call it bold, it was a bold opening. But considering their ages, it was not all that strange either.

Mo Yong-woo nodded.

“Of course I know.”

It was a calmer response than she had expected.

Smiling, Tang Sang-a said,

“I like that you’re straightforward. Honestly, I thought you’d be a little flustered.”

“I’m plenty flustered. I’m simply trying not to show it.”

“You can show it. It’s not exactly something shameful.”

“Of course not. But I do not easily show my true feelings to someone I have not yet accepted in my heart.”

Sharp.

Hearing words like that spoken with such a flat face, Tang Sang-a actually felt herself relax.

“That’s fair. I’m surprised. You’re a much steadier man than I expected.”

Mo Yong-woo gave a bitter smile.

“We have not had time to get to know one another, but whatever the case, I am the Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps. If you spend that many years together with troops, even a fool is bound to learn something.”

Tang Sang-a smiled.

Her smile was deeply charming. After everything with her father, though only a short while had passed, she seemed to have grown in her own way.

That self-assured smile still lacked a completely settled center, but it already held the possibility of shining much more brightly in the future.

“So, did you come here to talk about that matter?”

“Yes.”

Mo Yong-woo nodded.

“I think it was a conversation we would have had to have someday.”

“That’s right. That’s why I came.”

“Then what is it you want to ask?”

“What do you think of me?”

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

“I think you’re a skilled soldier.”

It meant he did not yet see her as a woman. And it also meant that if nothing tied them together in the future, things would probably stay that way.

Tang Sang-a nodded.

“I also think of Commander Mo Yong as a superior officer with exceptional skill.”

“Thank you for the generous assessment.”

“I’m curious what you think about this marriage arrangement.”

Resting his chin on his hand, Mo Yong-woo sank into thought.

Seriousness naturally seeped from him. It was not some act he had put on for show.

Just from that alone, Tang Sang-a could tell what kind of man he was.

At the very least, he isn’t the kind of man who would lie in a moment like this.

That was already her deliberately restrained assessment. Going only by the feeling he gave off as he was, one could naturally tell that he was a serious and upright man.

A moment later, Mo Yong-woo spoke.

“I do not know whether Miss Tang feels the same way, but I oppose a marriage without affection.”

“Do you?”

“I do. Someone might laugh and call that an indulgent thing to say. But we only live once, do we not? You spend the remaining decades of your life with your partner. I cannot live that way with someone for whom I have no feelings.”

“...”

“Even if we devoted ourselves to one another, I feel as though I would still regret, day after day, all the things I failed to do for that person. I do not want to give a lifetime’s worth of that love and passion to someone I do not even love.”

“...”

“Though, to begin with, I likely could not do such a thing anyway.”

It was a statement that laid his values bare.

He was always sincere with other people. In relationships that were not sincere, he drew a clear line. But once he was tied to someone sincerely, he was the sort of person who would give that person everything he had.

He had a nature so guileless it was hard to believe he led an entire organization. Tang Sang-a was inwardly surprised by how much more serious Mo Yong-woo’s words and conduct were than she had expected.

With a smile, Mo Yong-woo said,

“Does that answer your question?”

“More than enough.”

“I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

Tang Sang-a tilted her head.

“Aren’t you going to ask me?”

“I was about to. Miss Tang, what do you think of this marriage arrangement?”

“If you hadn’t asked, I might have been a little sad.”

“As if that could happen. I’m a man too. There’s no way I wouldn’t be curious about the other person.”

He really was astonishingly honest.

Even so, it was difficult to find a man who would speak this frankly in front of a woman. Tang Sang-a liked that side of Mo Yong-woo.

“If I could marry a man who loved me, there would be nothing better.”

“Of course.”

“But I also think it’s ridiculous to do nothing but wait passively until some fated partner appears.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes widened.

“Then?”

“I’m the only one who can take responsibility {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} for my life. If that’s the case, then I should carve it out for myself.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m going to find him myself. The person who will become my spouse. And if I decide I like what I see, then I’ll reach out without thinking about the consequences.”

Tang Sang-a gave a bitter smile.

“I only realized recently that endurance isn’t everything.”

“...”

“I lived my whole life enduring and suppressing myself. I don’t want to live like that anymore. The protagonist of my life can only be me. If that’s true, then I ought to dress my stage as splendidly as I can.”

A formidable woman.

Mo Yong-woo could not help admiring her even as he marveled at how much she had changed.

When he had first seen Tang Sang-a, she had not been like this. If anything, she had been closer to timid, constantly watching other people for fear that she might burden them.

That woman was gone now. She still looked a little unsteady, but in her place sat a strong woman who had established principles of her own.

“So.”

Tang Sang-a grinned mischievously.

“I thought I’d start by getting to know you, Commander.”

Mo Yong-woo blinked.

“M-Me?”

“Yes.”

“...What made you think that?”

“It’s not as if I’ve gone crazy because I couldn’t find a spouse. But people say this. That Mo Yong-woo, Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps, is a talent fit to be called one of the finest under heaven.”

“That is praise far beyond the truth.”

“I don’t know whether it is or not, but I do know you’re a good man.”

“Ahem.”

“So I thought I’d take a closer look. See whether you really are a good man. And if, while I’m doing that, I happen to develop feelings for you... then I might not care about anything else.”

Mo Yong-woo’s face flushed bright red in an instant.

Bold was one thing, but this was frightening. Martial artists were far more open than ordinary commoners, but even so, it was hard to find someone like this.

A type of woman one rarely saw in the Central Plains. That side of Tang Sang-a felt extremely fresh to Mo Yong-woo as well.

Tang Sang-a burst into bright laughter.

“This time you really do look flustered.”

“I am extremely flustered.”

“I just wanted to tell you honestly what was on my mind. If that was rude, I apologize.”

“Not at all. If anything, I would like to learn from that honest side of you.”

“You’re honest too, Commander Mo Yong.”

The conversation, which had begun under palpable tension, turned surprisingly warm.

“By the way, may I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

Tang Sang-a rubbed her chin.

“What exactly is going on between you and Commander Yeon?”

Mo Yong-woo blinked.

“What makes you ask that?”

“I don’t really understand politics, but... I get the sense that the Yeon Clan and the Mo Yong Clan are in pretty sharp opposition. But the way you two looked the other day, you seemed quite close.”

“Did it look that way?”

“Yes.”

Mo Yong-woo looked at Tang Sang-a quietly, then spoke in a lower voice.

“For now, we are not anything yet. I’m only trying to grow closer to him.”

“Hm, is that so?”

“It is.”

“...All right.”

Tang Sang-a held out her cup.

“One more. Ah, should I pour for you first this time?”

“I’ll accept with thanks.”

As he accepted the drink Tang Sang-a poured, Mo Yong-woo thought,

I need to be more careful.

He really had let his guard down.

Of course, Tang Sang-a’s eye might simply be unusually sharp, but the Alliance of the Martial World was full of people more perceptive and quicker-witted than she was.

Had I thought I had nowhere else to lean? Was that why I wanted, at least, to preserve what I had with Yeon Hojeong?

He did not know.

What mattered was that if he went on treating Yeon Hojeong the way he had been, something would one day happen.

Yeon Hojeong had probably known already. He knew Tang Sang-a was not the sort of person who would go around spouting nonsense to others. That was likely why he had left things alone until now.

But he could not cross the line any further than this.

Being careful isn’t enough. I have to become the one taking the lead. I have to live as if I am the one steering things, not someone leaning on another.

Mo Yong-woo watched Tang Sang-a.

The words she had spoken came back to him.

The protagonist of my life can only be me...

He had learned a great deal from speaking with her.

After quietly looking at Tang Sang-a for a while, Mo Yong-woo lowered his head.

“Thank you.”

“Huh? W-Where did that come from?”

“Because of you, I realized something important. I cannot tell you what it is, but if it were not for you, I might have made a mistake someday.”

Tang Sang-a cleared her throat.

“You’re making it sound so grand that now I’m the one feeling awkward.”

Mo Yong-woo lifted his cup.

“Let’s drink.”

“Sure. Hmph, but now I’m curious. What did you realize?”

“It’s a secret.”

“I heard someone say men with too many secrets aren’t attractive.”

“Being unattractive doesn’t get in the way of living.”

Draining his cup in one go, Mo Yong-woo looked toward the window.

Yeon. Because of this inadequate older brother, you really have had a hard time.

Today, more than usual, he wanted to see Yeon Hojeong.

*****

“Whew, this winter is really no joke. There are still more than two months left. At this rate, something’s going to happen.”

After brushing the snow off his head and shoulders, Je Gal Munho knocked on the door.

“It’s me. May I come in?”

“...Come in.”

What was that?

Je Gal Munho was inwardly puzzled. Yeon Wi’s voice coming from inside had sounded heavily subdued.

Did something happen?

The door slid open.

Je Gal Munho entered and bowed his head.

“Sorry I’m later than expected. There was a lot to take care of.”

“That’s all right.”

Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi rose and cupped their fists.

“Thank you for coming.”

“What hardship was there in coming here? Sit.”

“Yes.”

Everyone took their seats.

Je Gal Munho studied the faces of the three of them.

...Hmm.

The sense of puzzlement was growing at an alarming speed.

Did something really happen?

The atmosphere was extremely heavy.

Mookbi’s face openly showed that she half believed and half did not, while Yeon Wi’s face had stiffened enough that anyone could have noticed it at a glance.

Yeon Hojeong, on the other hand, wore an expressionless face. But unlike that calm expression, his eyes were somewhat bloodshot.

Je Gal Munho cleared his throat.

“Ahem! In any case, all of us are busy, so I would rather get straight to the point.”

“Good.”

“All right, then tell us now. About the secret you’ve been hiding.”

In a hard voice, Yeon Hojeong said,

“Are you familiar with an organization called the Three Fanatic Creeds?”