The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

“Again.”

“Hmph!”

This time, the Red Dragon captain swung his sword even faster.

Swish, swoosh!
The blade sliced through the air with sharp sounds.

But once again, Ilhwa easily intercepted his attack without difficulty.

A few more exchanges followed.

Then, in a fleeting moment, Ilhwa’s wooden sword slipped through an opening in his sword path and struck the captain’s forearm.

“Argh!”

Clutching his throbbing arm, the captain heard the child’s clear voice.

“Putting too much strength into your attacks doesn’t make them better. You should only use as much force as you can control.”

Too much of anything is harmful.

No matter how much strength you pour into a sword, it won’t split a boulder.

If you try to cut a boulder with sheer force, you’ll only damage and dull your blade.

Only by applying the precise amount of strength at the right speed and angle can the boulder be cleaved.

The Red Dragon captain’s attacks were no different.

Though his strikes were powerful, they weren’t effective.

“When you focus too much on using force, your body stiffens, and you lose fluidity. A rigid body can’t wield a sword as you want it to.”

“You…!”

Gritting his teeth, the captain swung his sword low in a horizontal arc, aiming to exploit Ilhwa’s shorter stature.

But Ilhwa merely stepped back lightly, avoiding the strike.

Then, lowering her body further, she quickly slid beneath his guard.

“…!”

The captain tried to twist his body and adjust his sword path, but—

Thwack!

Ilhwa’s wooden sword struck his ankle faster than he could react.

“Ahhh!”

The captain fell to the ground, unable to maintain his balance.

This time, he managed to avoid the humiliation of a complete faceplant by using his sword as a prop.

Standing before him, Ilhwa spoke calmly.

“Your lack of lower body strength makes you lose your balance. And when your balance fails, you’ll keep falling.”

“You….”

Ilhwa’s wooden sword pointed at his neck.

The cold pressure emanating from the wooden blade made the captain gasp and raise his gaze.

“The ground doesn’t waver, as long as you stand firmly on it.”

Ilhwa’s calm, unshaken gaze was utterly chilling.

It was her flawless victory.

Not a close contest but a completely one-sided triumph.

No, calling it a match was meaningless. To Ilhwa, this wasn’t even a duel.

‘This should be enough.’

The rest was up to him.

Would he dismiss her words simply because she was a child? Or would he reflect on his own shortcomings?

Turning away from the defeated Red Dragon captain, Ilhwa glanced at her own hand.

It was her first time holding a sword since expelling her internal energy.

Perhaps due to her body not yet fully adjusted to its weakened state, her fingertips trembled slightly, and a dull ache lingered.

‘I’m in no position to give advice. I’m no better at controlling my strength.’

Letting out a small sigh, Ilhwa resolved to grow accustomed to her reduced power for the time being.

Meanwhile, the Red Dragon captain couldn’t believe what had just happened.

He had given his all to defeat a mere child, yet she hadn’t even broken a sweat.

To make matters worse, she had critiqued his swordsmanship.

Her remarks targeted every flaw he had quietly struggled with.

‘That child….’

Who was she?

How could she casually roam Namgung’s martial grounds with such an extraordinary level of skill?

Watching her receding figure in stunned silence, the captain suddenly had a realization.

‘Could it be…!’

Perhaps she wasn’t just a child.

After the match, Ilhwa exited the training grounds.

The commotion had drawn too much attention, making it impossible for her to train in peace.

‘I’ll use the guesthouse’s training hall.’

She should have gone there from the start.

While the time wasn’t entirely wasted, word of the incident would undoubtedly reach the Namgung patriarch, leaving her feeling somewhat regretful.

Had she used the guesthouse’s training hall, none of this would have happened.

“…!”

As Ilhwa retraced her steps, her vision suddenly swayed.

Since returning to the past, she had expelled her internal energy and hadn’t taken proper rest. Using unexpected force had strained her young body.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and her body wobbled as it lost balance.

She was going to fall! That thought crossed her mind when—

Grab!

“Well, well?”

Someone caught her just as her body began to tilt.

“Hey, kid. You okay?”

Shaking her head to clear her vision, Ilhwa looked up at the person who had grabbed her.

It was Seop Mugwang, the leader of the Swift Gale Sword Unit.

“You don’t look too good, kid.”

By now, sweat had gathered in her palms and beads of cold perspiration dotted her forehead.

Quickly wiping her hands on her pants, Ilhwa responded.

“I’m fine. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment—ah!”

Before she could finish speaking, her perspective suddenly shifted, her field of view rising higher.

A startled yelp escaped her lips as she found herself cradled in Seop Mugwang’s arms.

Ilhwa frowned deeply.

“Put me down.”

“Let’s go.”

Ignoring her protests, Seop Mugwang immediately used lightfoot techniques and sped off somewhere.

Feeling the familiar rush of wind against her ears, Ilhwa asked, “Where are you taking me?”

Seop Mugwang chuckled.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

The place Seop Mugwang brought her to was the Namgung family’s medical hall.

The head of the medical hall was someone Ilhwa had never seen in her previous life.

While she hadn’t heard any news of the medical hall master fleeing, by the time she infiltrated Namgung in her past life, they were nowhere to be found.

‘They probably abandoned Namgung and escaped.’

Usually, a family like Namgung would hire a skilled outsider to manage their medical hall, not one of their own clan. Thus, the medical hall master likely wasn’t a Namgung person.

‘They had no reason to stay when Namgung fell.’

Ilhwa didn’t resent the medical hall master for fleeing in her previous life. This time, she intended to prevent such events from happening.

“We’re here.”

Seop Mugwang lowered Ilhwa to the ground.

The faint smell of medicinal herbs wafted through the air, and Ilhwa took a deep breath, inhaling the scent.

The fragrance of herbs was one she had always liked.

‘The scent of life.’

Back in the Demonic Cult, Ilhwa would often visit the medical hall and sit there for long periods.

Perhaps it was because, amidst the pervasive stench of blood and death that filled the cult, the herbal scent reminded her she was still alive. Being there always brought her a sense of peace.

Feeling her uneasy heart settle, Ilhwa stepped into the medical hall.

“Where is he? Not here again?”

Seop Mugwang looked around the hall and rang the bell at the entrance.

But the medical hall master was nowhere in sight.

“Ah, seriously, where did they run off to this time? I told them to stay put. Kid, wait here for a moment.”

Muttering complaints, Seop Mugwang stepped outside to search for the medical hall master.

Ilhwa watched the door swing shut behind him before turning her attention to the various herbs displayed around the hall.

‘White ephedra, black skullcap, astragalus root… Is this licorice?’

Most of the herbs were common and versatile, yet their quality was exceptional.

‘This is definitely Namgung. The quality is remarkable.’

As she picked up a piece of licorice for a closer look—

“Well, well, what a charming little lady we have here.”

Startled, Ilhwa spun around.

But her expression hardened even more when she saw who the voice belonged to.

“Oh my…”

A soft, lilting voice followed by a playful giggle.

The woman, dressed in a lavish white robe embroidered with blue thread, approached gracefully in high heels. She knelt before Ilhwa, lowering herself to her eye level.

Her deep, captivating eyes gazed intently at Ilhwa from beneath long lashes.

When she raised a hand, Ilhwa flinched.

The woman laughed teasingly.

“My, you’re just like a little kitten.”

Her long lashes curved into a crescent as she smiled.

With her raised hand, she gently patted Ilhwa’s head.

“So cute.”

Her clear, indigo eyes glimmered with genuine affection as she looked at Ilhwa.

There was no trace of hostility in her gaze—only pure goodwill.

Ilhwa could tell the woman meant no harm, but she couldn’t let her guard down.

‘Why is she here…?’

This woman was someone Ilhwa had often visited in her previous life. She had always greeted Ilhwa warmly with a smile whenever she came to the medical hall of the Demonic Cult.

Yet behind that friendly smile hid a ruthless assassin who used poison to kill with cruel precision.

The Demonic Cult’s medical hall master, Poison Moon (Dokwol).

That was the title this woman had held in Ilhwa’s past life.

The unexpected encounter left Ilhwa’s mind racing.

The first question she needed to answer was this:

‘Is she with the Demonic Cult or Namgung?’

Was she a spy sent to infiltrate Namgung, or was this before she joined the Demonic Cult?

If it was the former, Ilhwa would need to eliminate her. If it was the latter, she would need to observe.

Either way, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

“Were you feeling your pulse, little one? How many fingers do you see here?”

When Ilhwa didn’t respond for a while, the medical hall master tilted her head curiously and waved her fingers in front of Ilhwa’s face.

Just then, Seop Mugwang returned.

“Geez, you’re always making things difficult! I went out to find you, and you’re suddenly here? When did you even show up?”

He had just come back after failing to locate the medical hall master.

“Is it so strange for me to be at my own post? And as for you, Great Unit Leader, you’re as grumpy as ever. You look healthy, though—that’s good to see.”

“Tch. Cut the useless chatter.”

“Hmm… Our sturdy Unit Leader doesn’t seem to be unwell, so I assume you’re here because of this little kitten?”

“Little… what…?”

Seop Mugwang’s expression twisted in irritation.

The medical hall master turned swiftly, crouching down again to make eye contact with Ilhwa.

“What brings you here, little one? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“Stop the pointless chatter and check her pulse already.”

“Oh my, you don’t even know what’s wrong, do you? How pitiful.”

The medical hall master’s delicate eyebrows drooped slightly, feigning sympathy.

Her slender hand reached toward Ilhwa.