Shadow Unit
The man who turned out to be Lady Cheongyeon's father introduced himself before our entire squad, now gathered together.
"I am Hae Unbaek, Cheongyeon's father."
At his words, a long-standing curiosity of mine was finally resolved.
"Ah, then Lady Cheongyeon's surname must also be Hae—Hae Cheongyeon."
She gave a small smile and nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
"I knew it! I suspected all along that your family name wasn't Cheong."
As I rejoiced at the mystery finally being cleared up, Bi Sa-yeong, standing beside me with a dazed expression, asked:
"Don't you think there's something more important here? Doesn't his name ring any bells to you?"
Bi Sa-yeong had just returned after taking down more than twenty ghastly fiends all by herself. Truly, her growth was remarkable enough to warrant the saying: to look at her with new eyes.
Then, Captain Seol Pung, his face grave, swallowed hard and asked:
"Could it be… are you the great master, the Heavenly Sword Saint Hae Unbaek?"
Captain Seol Pung had single-handedly slain all nine of the assailants, including two peak experts. According to Na Sojeo, there hadn't even been room to help—he hadn't needed it.
At Seol Pung's words, Lady Cheongyeon's father stroked his beard and nodded.
"I have been called that, yes."
In that moment, we all froze.
The Heavenly Sword Saint…
We were too shocked to even speak.
The Heavenly Sword Saint was one of the Three Saints among the infamous Three Saints, Four Fiends, and Five Monsters of this era—the absolute beings of the martial world.
That meant he stood on the same level as the lecherous master Son Unsang, the Blood Demon, and even the Martial Alliance Leader himself.
And with the title Heavenly before his name, he was renowned as the most righteous hero under heaven.
He was the idol of every knight-errant in the martial world—none other than Hae Unbaek, the Heavenly Sword Saint.
And Lady Cheongyeon… was his daughter.
For a long moment, everyone was frozen stiff before, one by one, my squadmates awkwardly began to speak.
"L-Lady Cheongyeon… you were the Sword Saint's daughter?"
"Uh, sister… let's make sure to stay close from now on."
"Ah, uh, Lady Cheong… no, Lady Hae. If I've ever wronged you before, please…"
I looked at them all in disbelief and sighed.
For me, a person's worth was always defined by themselves.
Whose disciple they were, whose child they were, what family they were born into—none of that mattered.
So what if Lady Cheongyeon was the Sword Saint's daughter? That wasn't a reason for my actions to change.
Wasn't that right?
Even if the other party was the Sword Saint himself, I had no reason to flatter him or bow my head.
So, standing tall as always, I addressed him.
"Great Sword Saint! I am Seonu Jin, the one who once rescued Lady Cheongyeon! My life was in a bit of danger, but it was nothing too grand!"
"Oh? Hahahaha! Yes, I've heard. Cheongyeon said she owes you a great debt."
"You honor me! I will continue to give my utmost!"
I chose to ignore the exasperated looks from my squadmates.
After exchanging greetings, we turned our focus to the leader of the assailants.
The man who had fought me, stung by poisonous insects until he could barely open his eyes, had been using meditation to suppress the venom in the meantime.
The Sword Saint spoke to him.
"Do you recognize me?"
The man fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"How could I ever forget you, great Sword Saint?"
It turned out the reason the Sword Saint had stopped me from killing him was because they knew each other.
Long ago, when he had been but an unknown warrior, the Sword Saint had recognized his talent and recommended him to take the Martial Alliance entrance examination.
"At that time, I thought—if you were polished, you would shine like a brilliant gem. But why, then, are you doing something like this?"
At the Sword Saint's pained question, the man could not answer. He hung his head low, tears dripping.
Lady Cheongyeon interjected.
"He's not doing this because he wants to. Even during their ambush, it was clear—he didn't want to kill the innocent. If he had been the type to revel in slaughter, he would have joined forces to kill Captain Seol Pung first."
Then she turned to the man with a direct question.
"What would happen if you refused to take part in this?"
After a moment of hesitation, he finally answered.
"Warriors without a prestigious lineage must serve in the Shadow Unit for ten years before they qualify to join the official strike forces. And every Shadow Unit warrior signs a pledge that if they defy orders, they accept death without complaint. So…"
At this, the Sword Saint let out a low groan.
"What is this… how could the Martial Alliance…"
But Lady Cheongyeon nodded.
"It's a way to maintain secrecy while raising warriors stripped of independent judgment, bound to serve only them. At the same time, it weeds out anyone who might cause trouble later. To them, it's killing three birds with one stone."
Then she spoke again, this time to her father.
"And you, Father, bear responsibility for what happened to him."
The Sword Saint's eyes widened.
"What? Responsibility? How so?"
"If you had stood as his backing, Uncle Jegal could never have sent him into the Shadow Unit. To Uncle Jegal, he must have been an irresistible talent. After all, he was guaranteed by the Sword Saint's recognition, yet had no background to protect him."
"Then… you mean it was because I recommended him that this happened?"
"Yes. Uncle Jegal must have known better than anyone that you would deliberately withdraw your interest so as not to grant unfair favoritism."
It rang true.
Everyone knew of the Sword Saint's integrity. In fact, in the Alliance, it was known that he would cut off ties with any warrior he recommended, lest his name become an unfair advantage.
But that very integrity had led to them being exploited instead.
"And judging from how he cannot even look you in the eye… he must have joined the Martial Alliance purely out of admiration for you. Isn't that right?"
The man could not answer. His head sank lower still.
But silence was answer enough.
The Sword Saint gazed at him with sorrow, until Lady Cheongyeon spoke firmly.
"That is why you must take responsibility for him, Father."
Her words shocked not only the Sword Saint, but all of us. Even Sak Muhun himself lifted his head in surprise.
The Sword Saint asked, baffled.
"Take responsibility? What do you mean by that?"
"You must. He entered the Martial Alliance only because of you, and because you abandoned him, he ended up here. Whether you take him as an attendant or raise him as a disciple—you must take responsibility."
At that, Sak Muhun lowered his head once more and muttered—
"D-Disciple? How could I dare…?"
Yet despite his words, there was a faint spark of life returning to his face.
The Sword Saint gazed at him in silence.
It seemed he was torn.
From my perspective, Lady Cheongyeon's words were somewhat unreasonable.
Whatever the circumstances, the choices had been his own, and the things he had done would not simply vanish.
But for Lady Cheongyeon to say such things, knowing this—it was clear she had another intention in mind.
I asked her:
"Do you have something else in mind, my lady?"
She smiled sweetly and nodded.
"Yes. Things might have gotten complicated, but if this man cooperates with us, everything can be resolved very simply."
Sensing something in her words, the Sword Saint told Sak Muhun that he would take him on as an unnamed disciple for now and observe.
Naturally, Sak Muhun wept with gratitude.
Lady Cheongyeon then had him, now an ally, send a report to Jegal Jigang claiming that he had successfully killed her.
Then, together with the Sword Saint, she approached Division Leader Heon Yeongbo and had him also report that she had been abducted by the Blood Cultists.
And of course, now that he knew she was the Sword Saint's daughter, there was no way Heon Yeongbo could refuse.
Thus, officially, she was considered dead.
"With this, we can stay hidden for now. Father, please use this time to quietly gather information. This must have been going on for at least ten years—ever since the frontline was established. So you absolutely cannot act rashly."
The Sword Saint groaned, his voice low.
"Mm… You mean this isn't just Jegal Jigang's doing?"
"Of course not. In fact, it's more likely that you were the only one left in the dark. Anyone involved when the frontlines were first created is probably connected to this."
She emphasized again and again—they had to pretend ignorance and collect evidence slowly.
Though unsettled, the Sword Saint chose to heed his daughter's judgment.
It seemed he trusted greatly in her extraordinary insight.
And thus, the attack on Lady Cheongyeon was brought to a close.
But at that time, I did not yet realize—
That in dealing with events which had never occurred in my past life, I had neglected to pay attention to those that had.
Mayu-gyeom stared at the note from Mae Yeogyeong, summoning him to a secluded place, lost in thought.
He had been ignoring it, but he knew well that she was collapsing into a near-wreck these days.
She couldn't accept the separation. It was frustrating—but then he thought of himself, unable to let go of Tang Yeoeun, and realized he was no different.
No… perhaps worse. I, the Blood Demon's grandson—who am I to look down on anyone?
Perhaps it was because he had lost confidence in himself of late.
With a bitter smile, he pondered what to do—and then recalled the secret manual left by the Blood Demon.
The passage on suggestion arts.
A thought struck him.
If I could just leave a suggestion with her… that she can live well without me… wouldn't that be better for her?
It was plausible.
And since suggestion worked best on those whose hearts were either wide open or completely broken, she was a perfect target.
Even if it's a Blood Cult technique… if I use it for good, doesn't that make it not entirely evil? A sword's morality depends on the hand that wields it.
With that reasoning, Mayu-gyeom opened the manual again and began memorizing and practicing the suggestion method.
But soon he realized—he didn't need to.
For some reason, he already knew everything written there. Not only the suggestion art, but all of it.
He forced a laugh. Was my memory always this sharp?
He never suspected that even this might be the Blood Demon's lingering suggestion.
Mae Yeogyeong had chosen as their meeting place the back of a small rocky hill deep in the forest—a secret spot where they had shared trysts before.
If you blocked the entrance with brush, the hollow within was completely hidden from view.
There, she waited anxiously for him.
When Mayu-gyeom arrived, Mae Yeogyeong's face lit up with near tears of joy.
"Captain! You came!"
Her blind devotion made him sigh inwardly.
Her response, like a loyal dog greeting its master, was suffocating.
Still, he hid his feelings.
To use suggestion, he needed her subdued—or completely defenseless in spirit.
So, forcing a gentle smile, he said:
"You don't look well, Yeogyeong. Have you been eating properly?"
At his concerned tone, she broke down and wept.
"Uuuhh… Captain…"
He approached and embraced her trembling form.
She melted into him, utterly without defenses.
This should be enough.
All he had to do was meet her gaze and implant the suggestion.
As he prepared himself, focusing his mind—suddenly, Mae Yeogyeong whispered through her sobs:
"Captain, I love you. Even if you really are the Blood Demon's grandson—I don't care. I'll stay by your side no matter what."
The words struck Mayu-gyeom like a lightning bolt.
His body shook violently. His heart nearly stopped.
With a face gone pale, he demanded:
"W-What did you just say?"
Through her tears, she smiled radiantly.
"I don't care, Captain. I'm your woman, nothing else matters."
And then he remembered—she had a key to his quarters.
On the day he'd first read his mother's letter, he had left it lying carelessly on the bed when he stormed out.
White panic consumed his vision.
Mae Yeogyeong tried to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Captain. As long as you don't abandon me, I'll never betray you."
She knew.
She knew his secret.
That he was the grandson of the Blood Demon.
Mayu-gyeom felt his mind explode.
He saw nothing. Thought nothing.
Only fear.
The fear of his true identity being revealed.
A few days after Lady Cheongyeon's incident was resolved, Mae Yeogyeong was found—her body shriveled and drained, as if all her blood had been sucked out by a ju-gwi (blood ghost).