Chapter 280 – Hong Yeon-hwa’s World (4)

“What? You’re saying that Cheonma has another woman while he’s with me…?”

The Black Sword Duke’s eyes became impure for a moment.

What a change in attitude.

Hong Yeon-hwa can’t help but know what I’ve figured out.

Hong Yeon-hwa gave me a pat on the shoulder with a smirk.

“The Black Sword Duke has been guarding me even before I became Cheonma. He just has a little more loyalty, so don’t hate him too much.”

“I’m sorry.”

The Black Sword Duke immediately kneeled and apologized to me. Well, that’s not necessary….

“If I were in the Black Sword Duke’s position, I would have felt the same way, so I understand. However, please understand that I don’t take Yeon-hwa lightly.”

Just as I was about to move on to a heartwarming moment, Hong Yeon-hwa asked me while giggling.

“Oh? Is that so? If you’re not taking me lightly, are you taking me seriously? Did I not gain weight?”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that I like you a lot.”

“Yeon-hwa doesn’t understand difficult words. If you don’t tell me how much you like me properly, I won’t know.”

Hong Yeon-hwa demanded that I tell her how much I like her with a pouting attitude.

In this atmosphere where the Black Sword Duke was staring wide-eyed…?

I glared at her with a little sarcasm, but Hong Yeon-hwa just blinked her pink eyes as if she didn’t know anything.

It’s so obvious that she’s doing it on purpose, but she’s so cute that I’ll let it slide.

I let out a sigh and opened my mouth.

“First of all, you’re pretty and cute. Your breasts are big too. Oh, when you’re serious, you look cool. But I also think you’re great not only in appearance but also internally.”

I continued to praise her, saying that her cute behavior when she’s obsessed with snacks or her admirable behavior of cutting a piece in half and giving it to me when she likes to eat, and so on.

To some extent.

“Stop it! Stop it! I did something wrong, so stop it now!”

Until Hong Yeon-hwa herself was embarrassed and struggling.

Phew… I won…!

As I was feeling triumphant inside, Paeng So-so, who had been listening quietly, grabbed my collar.

“What about me?”

“…You too?”

“Yes.”

“You’re asking me to do it even though you saw Yeon-hwa doing it?”

“Yes!”

Paeng So-so nodded her head happily, followed by Sama Mang and Sama Yeoryeong, who quietly lined up behind her.

Oh my god….

All I could do was close my eyes tightly and prepare myself for what I could do.

***

Even though I’m not the one being praised, it’s still embarrassing just to listen to it.

The Black Sword Duke, who was staring blankly at this, suddenly met eyes with Myeongwoljin, who was alone and isolated.

“By any chance…”

“Don’t make disgusting sounds. It’s true that Bindo holds the Black Sword Fortress in high regard, but we’re not in that kind of relationship,” said Myeongwoljin, using the title that the monks call themselves.

As the Black Sword Duke, she couldn’t help but feel repulsed, but what was more important to her than personal resentment was the fact that Myeongwoljin was part of Hong Yeon-hwa’s group.

“Ahem. I apologize… By the way, you said the Black Sword Fortress?”

The Black Sword Duke asked with a puzzled expression.

It was no wonder since the only swordsmanship she knew was Namgungse, who was already dead, and Cheongeomseong, who was the only one in the world with the title of “seong” (saint) in his name.

Despite the title, he was a son of a bitch who was unique in the world, and that’s why he died at the hands of Hong Yeon-hwa.

Anyway, since the Black Sword Duke had never heard of the title “Baekgeomsung,” she couldn’t help but be skeptical of Myeongwoljin’s words referring to Jinsochan.

Did he really give himself the title of Baekgeomsung?

“Well, he definitely has the presence to be called a swordsman, but… no matter how you look at it, he’s a self-proclaimed swordsman, right?”

The Black Sword Duke shook her head to dispel her doubts.

Myeongwoljin, who had stopped talking because the conversation had taken a different direction, now had a regretful expression.

“Oh, right. I couldn’t say the most important thing. Actually, we… um…”

Myeongwoljin looked at Paeng So-so, who had just passed by, and then at Jinsochan, who was starting to explain where Sama Mang was good.

“Since Bindo says things as she pleases, it’s better to hear it directly from Cheonma later. …I’ll tell you later.”

“Shall I offer you a cup of tea? I didn’t sell everything for decoration, I still have things I need for entertaining guests.”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

The Black Sword Duke looked at her master, who was smiling brightly like when she was young, while leisurely brewing tea.

“I didn’t know I’d be able to see that smile again.”

That was enough.

Hong Yeon-hwa was always the top priority for the Black Sword Duke.

***

As I watched my women, who were blushing and staring at nothing, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

I did it!

I survived the praise relay from hell…!

As I let out a sigh of relief, a warm cup of tea was placed in front of me.

“I prepared it because you talked a lot and might be thirsty.”

“Oh, thank you.”

It was true that my throat was dry, so I reflexively took the cup and drank it, but then I felt embarrassed.

So, in front of the person who had been guarding Hong Yeon-hwa for a long time, I had just ranted about how much I liked other women?

It wasn’t like I had to be careful around her, but maybe it would have been better to avoid unnecessary conflicts with someone who was a subordinate of Hong Yeon-hwa, whom I had feelings for.

It was quite a bold move to make such comments in front of the Black Sword Duke, who was someone I would be seeing quite often in the future.

Was it a play for shame?

I briefly struggled with the belated sense of embarrassment that washed over me.

However, the Black Sword Duke seemed surprisingly calm, unlike when she first heard about my relationships with other women.

Perhaps she sensed my confusion, as she nodded her head lightly and spoke up.

“Since Cheonma seems happy and it doesn’t seem like my husband is trying to deceive her, I didn’t think it was my place to intervene.”

“Th-thank you?”

Anyway, since everything was resolved, I guess that’s a good thing?

As I took another sip of tea, feeling a bit flustered, Myeongwoljin changed the subject.

“Are we done with the expressions of love? Shall we move on to the main topic?”

“Oh! I was so excited to see the Black Sword Duke again that I forgot for a moment.”

Hong Yeon-hwa widened her eyes and cleared her throat.

“Ahem. I think the Black Sword Duke must have many questions. Such as where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing all this time, and who these suspicious companions of mine are.”

“How could I…?”

“Even if you didn’t ask directly, you must have been curious, right? Don’t worry, I’ll answer everything. But first, may I ask you something?”

“Please, go ahead. You don’t need to ask for my permission, Cheonma. Just give me your orders.”

“Don’t be so stiff. The war between the clans is over, and we’re the only ones here, so there’s no need to be so formal, is there?”

Hong Yeon-hwa spoke with a slightly disappointed expression.

“Anyway, it’s not a big deal that I want to ask. How many years has it been since you disappeared? And what’s the current situation like? I want you to start with the most basic and detailed information.”

“Well, in that case…”

Perhaps Hong Yeon-hwa’s disappointed expression had an effect, as the Black Sword Duke’s tone softened as she opened her mouth.

“First of all, it’s been five years since Cheonma crushed the last rebellion of the Wulin Alliance.”

Five years wasn’t that long.

Everyone seemed relieved, and their faces relaxed a bit.

“Although we confirmed the bodies of those who died by Cheonma’s hand, we thoroughly investigated the surrounding cliffs, but we couldn’t find any trace of Cheonma. After that, there were some disagreements.”

“Disagreements among us?”

“It wasn’t that serious. It was just a difference of opinion.”

The factions were divided into those who believed that the search for Hong Yeon-hwa should be prioritized, and those who thought that it was time to focus on stabilizing the lives of the common people.

The royal family had long since disappeared, and since I had destroyed the Wulin Alliance with my own hands, there was no longer any organization responsible for maintaining public order.

If the Cheonma religion, the only remaining power, did not establish order, it was obvious that some people would take advantage of the situation and cause trouble in the provinces.

Even if they weren’t bandits, there were always people like thugs and delinquents.

Well, in the end, we decided to leave the position of Cheonma vacant and perform both the search and the management of the common people together.

Perhaps that’s why a hermit like me was doing police work on the outskirts.

While managing the security of the surrounding area, they also searched the nearby deserted mountains whenever they had time.

“Although there have been some unexplained disasters in the last three years, it’s still a much better world to live in. It’s all thanks to Cheonma.”

The Black Sword Duke finished speaking with a voice full of reverence for Hong Yeon-hwa.

In response, Hong Yeon-hwa nodded her head with a shy smile.

“I see. It’s good to know that things went well even without me.”

“Yes. Occasionally, there are still remnants of the Wulin Alliance who hide somewhere and cause problems, but we were able to suppress them with difficulty.”

“That’s fortunate. Were there any other problems?”

“Ah, recently, there have been people claiming to have seen ghosts all over the central plains.”

“Ghosts?”

“Yes. But you don’t have to worry about it. They all seem to have seen the appearance of the hermits from the Wulin Alliance era, and after a few days of suffering, they recover and get up as if nothing happened. It seems to be a result of long-term abuse causing mental problems.”

“Hmm. Five years is a short time to completely forget the wounds. Anyway, thank you for the explanation. Now it’s time to talk about your story.”

“I’m listening.”

The Black Sword Duke, who was concentrating with a polite attitude, had a serious expression that suddenly crumbled when Hong Yeon-hwa spoke mischievously.

“I’ve been to another world during that time.”

“…What?”

The Black Sword Duke’s serious expression instantly disappeared.