A Medieval Knight in a Martial Arts Novel

“It seems like traveling with the caravan was a good decision.”

“Right?”

“Definitely… It is convenient.”

As I casually remarked while sitting astride the cart, Hye-ryeong and Mugwang, who were sitting beside me, nodded in agreement. It seemed neither of them had expected the journey toward the Martial Alliance to be this comfortable.

“No appearance from the Green Forest Bandits yet, nor any trouble from the Unrighteous Factions, and it’s almost uncomfortably pleasant.”

Mugwang appeared slightly awkward with the current situation. After all, he was the one with the most tense expression when we first set off.

While fighting off pirates might be familiar to some degree, the Green Forest Bandits, the Unrighteous Factions, and the Demonic Sect are an entirely different matter.

Although it’s rare to find anyone more brutal than the pirates, those guys allegedly show no mercy, even to children. It’s not for nothing that people in Hainan start bristling with anger whenever the pirates are mentioned.

“Anyway, I wonder what’s on the menu for today?”

“The rabbit meat we had yesterday was delicious!”

“At this rate, I might start gaining weight.”

“Hehe… But if you keep practicing your breathing exercises and swing your sword diligently, you won’t gain any weight.”

“You… Hmm.”

How will that turn out if you grow any further?

I unconsciously turned my gaze toward Hye-ryeong, then quickly averted my eyes and looked up at the sky.

It’s been four days since we started our journey through the mountain trails.

They said it’s about half a day’s travel until we reach the next town. Once we get there, we’ll eat a late dinner and rest for the night.

Then, as planned, we’ll set off early the next morning to continue on our journey toward Muchang County.

At this rate, we might not encounter even one bandit before reaching our destination.

It’s impossible for me not to feel a little disappointed, as I secretly hoped to face the Green Forest Bandits.

You know, the ones who burst out shouting nonsense like “I’m a mighty lumberjack with an axe!”, show off their strength, then get a beating from the protagonist and either reform or become fertilizer at the roadside.

It’s a typical event in martial fiction, but it seems we won’t have that happen to us.

Of course, it’s best that they don’t appear… but I did want to witness the Green Forest path once.

Continuing like this, just having our meals and lodging provided while doing nothing feels a bit unsettling in my heart.

It would help save face if I had a reason to wield a sword at least once.

And while it may not be a good thing…

“Ajusshi, what will you do when you arrive at the Martial Alliance?”

“First, I want to look around.”

For one thing, I want to confirm if the protagonist has already arrived. I intend to meet as many characters from the original story as possible. Since everyone important in the original story has a grudge against the Demonic Sect, gaining their friendship might be helpful during the war.

And when the right moment to pull back comes, I’ll use the protagonist as a cover and stay back to enjoy the sweet life. After all, I’m just a Colored-Eyed Person, so there won’t be much criticism if I pretend to fight and then slip away.

…And I wouldn’t mind taking a bit of the protagonist’s fortune, either.

While the protagonist needs all the fortune to proceed smoothly until the final showdown, I can’t deny the allure of it as a martial artist myself.

Before I incarnated here, I used to think people chasing fortunes they shouldn’t have were stupid. Now I can finally understand why.

In fact, it’s all about empathy.

Only by standing in someone’s shoes will you fully understand everything.

“Personally, I want to make friends at the Phoenix Guild and aspire to join the Martial Alliance’s Phoenix Squad! Oh, that’s an all-female organization! And its illustrious captain is Miss Baek So-yeon, the Plum Sword Phoenix.”

“So I’ve heard. She’s said to be among the top talents even among the esteemed female warriors.”

Baek So-yeon, huh?

I know her too.

She’s one of the main heroines from the original story.

A confident beauty who’s also a bit clumsy, right?

Among the top talents of Mount Hua Sect, she’s known for her impressive background and prowess.

Of course, this all changed when she inexplicably became involved with the protagonist and devolved into a love-struck fool…

Anyway,

“The Phoenix Squad…?”

As I turned my gaze toward Hye-ryeong after hearing her words,

Despite changes in the past, I guess the major trends remain the same?

In a way, this seems natural.

In the original story, the Martial Alliance’s Phoenix Squad was already revered by the righteous factions’ female warriors.

Out of the protagonist’s heroines, including Hye-ryeong, three were members of the Phoenix Squad. So, it’s not unusual that she’d want to join.

“You won’t mind fighting the Demonic Sect, will you?”

“I didn’t start practicing the sword just to look cool! I’ll cut down every single member of the Demonic Sect!”

“I feel the same way. A martial artist who doesn’t perform righteous deeds can hardly be called such.”

“Virtue…”

I mulled over the word ‘virtue’ that Mugwang brought up.

It was a concept far too distant from me.

At the very least, it was a word I didn’t deserve to utter, having once needlessly killed in war.

“Another war, huh?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. For now, it’s just a baseless worry.”

At least for the people here.

Phew.

I almost let slip some crucial information.

While I, as someone who’s incarnated here, know another Righteous-Demonic War will break out in a few years, the people here don’t yet.

Still, it’s irritating that we’re this much into the story and the Righteous-Demonic War is still years away. Although it’s mostly because the original author needlessly stuffed the plot full of irrelevant events.

In a showboating attempt to elevate the protagonist, the author threw in every possible event.

And when it finally came to the most important part — the Righteous-Demonic War — they skipped through it all like mad and wiped out the Demonic Sect with ease, leaving my comment section in flames.

Then again… thinking about it,

Why exactly is Hainan Sword Sect part of the Nine Great Sects?

“Hye-ryeong.”

“Yes?”

“Why is the Hainan Sword Sect called a Sect (‘Men’) and still part of the Nine Great Sects?”

“Oh, we took the place of the Dianchang Sect after they were wiped out. The Hainan Sword Sect was acknowledged as one of the Nine right after the Second Righteous-Demonic War. I mean, it does feel a bit odd… but that’s how things turned out.”

The Hainan Sword Sect newly joined but using “Eight Sects, One Sect, One Sect” just doesn’t feel right, so they just lumped it in with the “Nine Great Sects.”

It’s interesting to uncover these behind-the-scenes stories that weren’t detailed in the original.

“I see…”

“Many sects were wiped out during every Righteous-Demonic War. Had it not been for you, we might have faced the same fate.”

“Same here. If it weren’t for Sir Wi…”

“Don’t gild the lily too much. It’s awkward.”

“Hehe, you’re so easily flattered~”

Hye-ryeong gave me a playful smile, her expression almost like she’d found a new teasing opportunity.

This mischievous girl.

And so, we spent that potentially dull time chatting idly. This way, we’d likely reach the next town safely and enjoy a delicious meal.

I wonder what we’ll eat next?

Holding that thought, I pulled my longsword for the first time in a while.

The well-maintained longsword gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

“Kids, we’re under attack.”

“Who’s there?”

The moment I spoke, the booming voice of Elder Baek followed. As expected of a true master, he had already sensed the ambush.

I noticed the merchants and pack handlers quickly gathering together, while Hye-ryeong and Ha-jin at the front, along with Elder Baek, were unsheathing their swords. I moved to my designated position.

Let’s see who it is.

Who could be targeting this caravan?

Lord Myeong had mentioned this was an unexpected cargo run and that the contents weren’t revealed, but it’s not plausible for anything to remain quiet in the chaotic Martial World.

Clearly, Lord Myeong is transporting something significant.

Flies are bound to gather around a sweet smell.

“Whoever you are, show yourself!”

“Ha! Myeong Yunjin! Did you bring the Hainan Sword Sect into our personal grudges?”

A gruff voice berated Lord Myeong as if they were older. Sneaking a glance ahead, I saw a robust man with a bushy beard. He wielded what looked like a giant broadsword, marking him as a swordsman.

The man glared at Lord Myeong with a look that promised imminent slaughter.

“How do you expect to repay grudges with virtue?”

He sounded like he was reprimanding Lord Myeong for some grave wrongdoing. What exactly had Lord Myeong done to provoke this?

I quietly handled my sword, straining my ears. The killing intent wasn’t intense yet, so it seemed the encircling enemies had no immediate plans to attack.

“Mustn’t people who need to live find a way to?”

“You sure do have a silver tongue, you liar!”

Hey, if you’re going to bother showing up here, can’t you explain the matter properly?

You guys are just throwing out inside jokes without elaborating on the problem.

Now that we’ve come this far, why keep dancing around the point?

Everyone else must feel the same way too, right?

Maybe that’s why the man finally revealed the identity of the object everyone’s been after.

“Hainan Sword Sect warriors! Are you aware that the item you protect is the secret manual of the ‘Divided Light Eighteen Swords’ technique?”

What?

“The Divided Light Eighteen Swords?!”

“How could such a manual… Wasn’t it thought lost to history?”

Secret manual?

“…Hye-ryeong, what is that?”

What is it?

Let me act surprised, too.

This being the first time I’ve heard of this sword technique, I couldn’t help but feel left out.

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