A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel

“Have you regained consciousness?!”

I feel so thirsty I might die…

Water, water…

Perhaps drinking too much seawater has damaged my voice.

Even so, I’ve already made up my mind. A cup of water appeared before me.

I gulped down the water someone held to my lips. About a third of it spilled, but considering I was lying down, there was nothing I could do.

When my lips and chin became moist with lukewarm water, my blurry vision began to steady. Subsequently, my consciousness became clearer.

“Ugh…”

My head feels like it’s splitting.

After blinking several times to regain focus, a youthful voice spoke from beside me.

I turned my weak neck slightly to look at the woman who had been taking care of me.

Big chest… no, unfamiliar attire filled my vision.

It looks somewhat like Chinese clothing, but I didn’t know much about traditional Chinese costumes beyond cheongsam even before I reincarnated, so I couldn’t obtain any definitive information.

Before that, the woman’s earlier words sounded like Chinese.

Could it be due to my near-death experience that my mind is all over the place? I furrowed my brows as my aching head processed this, then simply came to a conclusion.

Let’s stay still for now.

It’s best to observe the situation calmly at moments like this.

“I’ll bring you some porridge, please rest. Patient.”

The woman smiled gently, wiped the corners of my mouth with a towel, and gave me a fresh pillow.

Thanks to her, the uncomfortable feeling disappeared, allowing me to leisurely observe the room she left after.

The building had a structure that seemed to belong in a martial arts novel, with the shouting from somewhere nearby resounding through the air.

They are probably conducting some form of training; the shouts were loud and powerful.

And… there’s a strong smell of the sea.

I stared at the ceiling blankly and sighed.

It seems I’ve drifted ashore on the Chinese coast.

Although I did wish to go far away, I didn’t want to come all the way to China.

After all, I wasn’t even aware that China existed.

Until now, I thought I had reincarnated as an extra in a medieval fantasy novel.

Knights throwing around aura and emitting sword energy; how could I imagine China would exist in a world like that?

I roughly thought the fantasy continent was quite similar to our reality.

“…I don’t know. Somehow, it’ll work out.”

It doesn’t matter where I go as long as it’s not a war zone.

Just not a war zone.

Recalling the days when I was showered daily in the blood of Middle Eastern fighters, my happiness circuit heated up intensely.

Maybe being washed ashore in China was a stroke of luck.

While I don’t know exactly which novel’s world I’ve reincarnated into, being in an unfamiliar place was actually better for me.

Because Western countries were currently embroiled in a bloody conflict with Middle Eastern nations. If I went back, I’d find myself dragged back into the war.

It makes more sense to find a way to live here in China.

After all, the knight order I once had an affiliation with was destroyed when I was young, so I don’t have anywhere to return.

I shook off my melancholy thoughts and closed my eyes. Since I got the situation figured out to an extent, now was the time to reflect on my body’s condition.

My mana nodes, or qi meridians, are intact so far.

My muscles have atrophied a little, but it’s not in bad shape.

The mana core, or dantian, however, is completely empty. It seems I unconsciously tapped my aura to protect my body when I fell into the sea.

First, I need to focus on recovering.

It’s also essential to lay a few groundwork elements for convenience.

“Patient, here’s your meal~”

A lively voice entered the room at just the right time. I turned my head toward the clinking sound and saw the woman who was with me when I first woke up.

“Whether you’re asleep or not, you must eat… Oh, you’re a Colored-Eyed Person, so you don’t understand Central Plains Language.”

She finally realized that fact, gaping with a dumbfounded look. Then, she placed the table in front of me and pointed at the porridge with her slender finger, gesturing as though eating with a spoon.

Eat this, I gather.

After watching her body language, I spoke.

“Central Plains Language… I understand it…”

Ah, my throat hurts. Still, I figured I might as well talk.

It seems that understanding Central Plains Language without issue might be another gift of my reincarnation.

It’s too natural that it could cause headaches if I accidentally speak, so I better clarify it beforehand.

There’s no need to hide the fact that I understand Central Plains Language and make things inconvenient. It would be a terrible move to create unnecessary suspicion while trying to live in a new place.

“You can…? How do you know Central Plains Language…”

“I’ve learned it before… because… I knew someone from Central Plains…”

I threw out a reasonable excuse and observed her reaction. Fortunately, the woman accepted my explanation without any suspicion.

Of course, how could she suspect me if I claim I learned the language from a Chinese person?

Besides, there aren’t many other ways to learn Central Plains Language.

“I’ve never seen a Colored-Eyed Person who speaks Central Plains Language so well!”

The woman slapped her hands together as she stared at me in amazement.

Her sparkling eyes hint at her inquisitive nature.

I asked her a question to gather information.

“Where are we?”

“This is Hainan Island’s pride, the Hainan Sword Sect!”

Her voice brimmed with pride for the Hainan Sword Sect. Her admiration for her sect seems as large as the bouncing cleavage I observed.

Then, if it’s Hainan Sword Sect, isn’t it the Hainan School?

Martial Realm?

What kind of world is this? Aren’t they using martial arts in the West as well, and we have the Martial Realm here too?

Did I reincarnate into a fusion fantasy world?

“And you can talk casually! You look older than me… Ah, you can call me Hye-ryeong!”

Hye-ryeong…

Somewhere this name feels unsettling.

It seems like a name lingering in my memory, but it’s too vague.

I’ll probably remember it more vividly if I gather more information.

With that thought, I began asking one by one the things I was curious about.

How I ended up here, whether anyone else was found, and what the Hainan Sword School does.

The last question was closer to flailing in an attempt to figure out which novel’s world I’ve reincarnated into.

“I found you collapsed on the beach! I didn’t see anyone else, and the Hainan Sword Sect mainly practices sword techniques! It’s one of the famous schools of Hainan Island! And we’re even part of the Nine Schools and One Sect!”

Hye-ryeong enthusiastically declared the grandeur of the Hainan Sword Sect through her heaving pride.

“Ah! Have you heard of the Nine Schools and One Sect? The Nine Schools and One Sect are…”

She sure loves to chatter.

The more she enthusiastically talks, the better for me.

As Hye-ryeong delivered her pleasant-sounding information, I organized my understanding of the Martial Realm, storing it neatly in my mind.

The Nine Schools and One Sect follows the usual clichés: Hainan, Shaolin, Huashan, Wudang, Cangong, Zhongnan, Ami, Qingshan, Kunlun, and the Beggar Sect. Mentioning Hainan first must be out of sect pride.

After all, people typically mention their sect last only to show modesty.

“Ah! I should have offered you the meal first! I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine, don’t bow unnecessarily.”

I said, feeling uncomfortable.

“I’ll tell you the rest after you finish eating!”

Is there more?

At this rate, I might learn the exact count of spoons in the Hainan Sword Sect.

“Here, eat. Ah~”

I began gobbling up the porridge she fed me.

Though it lacked taste due to being hospital food, I ate the bowl empty with the mindset that having anything in my mouth was better than nothing. Hye-ryeong grinned as she set down the empty bowl and spoon after I finished.

“Did you like it?”

“It was delicious.”

“Well, you don’t have to lie. I just boiled some rice after all; it couldn’t be that good.”

She’s surprisingly honest.

Of course, though honesty is good, rudeness isn’t appropriate for maintaining an image, so I spoke up once more.

“It’s the first meal I’ve had after nearly dying. How could it not be good?”

“Upon reflection, that is true, isn’t it?”

Hye-ryeong hit her palm with her fist as if realizing something she hadn’t considered.

“So next time, please ask them to give you a little more. This body needs more nourishment.”

This body, which befits someone chosen as an inheritor, is rather large, so naturally, the required meal portions are greater. Hye-ryeong nodded in acknowledgment after hearing my words.

“Master Instructor will take care of it! But, I do have a question…”

“You do?”

“How did you end up floating in the sea?”

Hye-ryeong’s eyes gleamed as if floodlights were shining on them. She’s more talkative than expected. At this rate, we’ll be stuck in endless small talk—

“Hye-ryeong! Where are you?”

“Ah… Master’s calling me! I’ll see you in the evening!”

With a hint of disappointment in her expression, Hye-ryeong left hurriedly while carrying the table. I sighed in relief at finally having a moment to rest and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Do I have to stay like this until I recover?

Keep listening to Hye-ryeong’s chatter?

Since reincarnation, I’ve hardly had conversations with women, so I felt a bit dizzy and rested my forehead.

No, still, surviving somewhere is better…

“Master! It’s me, Hye-ryong! Hye-ryeong! The esteemed disciple of Hainan Sword Sect’s Sect Leader Im Ha Bong! Such threats are meaningless…”

Im Hye-ryong?

Im Ha Bong?

Sect Leader?

“Hye-ryeong… you must survive.”

The blurred memory gradually becomes clearer.

“Shit.”

Damn.

I now know why the memory was blurred.

Her nature is completely opposite, causing confusion.

Because this is before the heroine turns dark.

I feel a headache arising from the realization that I’ve found myself saved by a sect destined to be wiped out.

—

End of Section

---