"If something dangerous were to happen, what should we do? If we intervene directly, someone might notice the honored guest’s identity."
"Hmm..."
Namgung Yeom stroked his chin. Though the honored guest had insisted on moving about alone, and though this was the Namgung family’s territory, if anything were to happen, it would be a stain on the family’s reputation.
"It’s better to assign escorts after all..."
Namgung Yeom nodded.
"Choose those with light footsteps. And tell them not to interfere unless absolutely necessary."
"Understood."
"Good."
This was the first time in a full year that an honored guest from the Heavenly Guest Room had visited the Namgung family. During their stay, nothing should be lacking.
"Prepare tea and fresh meals in time for the honored guest’s return. Just in case, have bathwater and fresh clothes ready as well. If they request a meal, make sure it can be served immediately."
"Yes."
Namgung Yeom emphasized once more.
"Exercise the utmost caution to ensure the honored guest experiences no inconvenience."
"We will keep that in mind."
The Namgung family had six martial units. The Secret Wind Sword Unit, directly under the family head. And then the five dragon units, distinguished by their colors: the Yellow Dragon Unit, Blue Dragon Unit, Red Dragon Unit, White Dragon Unit, and Black Dragon Unit.
Among them, only the top ten squads of each unit were recognized for their skill and could enter the Inner Hall as warriors. The rest were Outer Hall warriors, referred to as sword squads. The training ground Ilhwa had found belonged to the Red Dragon Squad, clad in red uniforms with plain red sashes.
Inside the training ground, even children in red uniforms could be seen. At the center, atop the sparring platform, the Red Dragon members were deep in sword training.
"Great Flame Sword Technique, First Form!"
"Ha!"
At the command of a man with a single gold stripe on his red sash, those with plain sashes executed the stance in unison. Despite over a dozen people moving, their disciplined motions showed not a hint of disorder. Ilhwa watched them perform the sword forms for a moment.
In her past life, these were the kind of people who would fall like leaves with a single swing of her sword—beneath her notice. But now, things were different. These were the very roots supporting the Namgung family.
A tree with strong roots does not topple easily. They would be the starting point for strengthening the Namgung family’s power. After seriously observing the Outer Hall warriors’ sword training, Ilhwa came to a brief realization.
‘This isn’t swordsmanship.’
Their movements, honed through countless repetitions, were clean and brimming with confidence—worthy of pride. As the foundation of the Namgung family’s sword techniques, there was no flaw in their skill. Yet, their swords held a critical problem.
‘Have they never fought in real combat?’
Their technique was perfect, but their sword lacked essence. What they had learned were mere motions, not true swordsmanship. To the untrained eye, it might seem flawless, but to Ilhwa—who had spent a lifetime facing the Namgung family’s swords—it was glaringly obvious.
‘In a real fight, they’d die before even getting a chance to use their techniques.’
Even if these were basic forms shown to outsiders, the Namgung family’s swords were not weak. Yet, these warriors were weak. Very much so.
‘They have a long way to go.’
With a short sigh, Ilhwa turned toward the weapon rack at the side of the training ground. Knowing the problem didn’t mean she could fix it immediately. She decided to set aside the Red Dragon Squad’s training and focus on her own.
But just as she reached for a wooden sword— "Hey, you there!" A sharp voice called out. Ilhwa turned her head toward the sound.
Unsurprisingly, the man with the single gold stripe—who had been leading the squad earlier—was now striding toward her. He was the squad leader of the Red Dragon 11th Squad. Not bothering to wipe the sweat dripping from his body, he glanced at the wooden sword Ilhwa had been about to take and spoke curtly.
"You can’t just grab whatever you want. These aren’t toys for kids to play with. Put it back."
Ilhwa looked toward the far side of the training ground. There, children around her age were practicing sword forms. Following her gaze, the Red Dragon squad leader snorted.
"They’re not like you, kid. They’re officially learning the sword. You, at best..."
He scrutinized Ilhwa’s appearance. She wasn’t wearing a squad uniform, and her clothes didn’t look particularly high-quality.
‘At best, some errand kid...’
Had she failed the warrior’s test? There were often kids like that—those who wanted to learn the Namgung family’s swords but failed the test, sneaking in to learn in secret. The way she had watched their training with shining eyes earlier, wandering freely around the training ground—she fit the bill perfectly.
A cleaning attendant.
‘What a pain. Don’t they even manage the errand kids properly?’
"Kid."
The Red Dragon squad leader stepped right in front of her. His large shadow loomed over Ilhwa.
"Swords aren’t something you can learn just by copying. So don’t stick around here and get hit by flying splinters. Go do your cleaning and leave."
With a thud, he snatched the wooden sword from her hand. Ilhwa stared at the empty space for a moment before walking back toward the weapon rack.
‘Huh?’
Despite his intimidating tone, the kid paid him no mind. The squad leader’s face twisted in disbelief.
"This brat..."
Thud, thud.
He stomped over and yanked the wooden sword from Ilhwa’s hand again. As she stared at the sword in his grip, her brow furrowed slightly.
"You ignoring me, kid? Where’d you learn such terrible manners? Looks like you need a real lesson to straighten out!"
"..."
"Where’s your supervisor? I’ll have them whip some sense into—" "Sigh..."
Ilhwa exhaled.
She had come to the training ground to avoid causing a scene, yet somehow, she was drawing even more attention.
‘Should I just leave?’
Maybe she should’ve gone to the Heavenly Guest Room’s training ground from the start. While she hesitated, the squad leader’s forehead began to pulse with anger. To him, her thoughtful expression looked like defiance.
"You—" His grip on the wooden sword tightened with a crack.
"You ill-mannered little—!"
He swung the wooden sword straight at Ilhwa’s shin. But the moment it was about to connect— Tap.
Thud.
Ilhwa lightly leaped into the air, stepping on the swinging sword before landing gracefully. She didn’t even spare the weapon a glance.
‘Huh?’
The force behind the swing vanished as if evaporated. A strange silence lingered for a moment.
Thud!
The squad leader, having lost his balance, collapsed unceremoniously onto his face.
"...?"
What just happened? Why did I...? Still sprawled on the ground, he blinked in confusion.
Meanwhile, Ilhwa picked up the fallen wooden sword and calmly walked away.
"Hahaha! Squad Leader! You were gonna discipline the kid, but why are you face down over there?"
"Did you trip over your own feet? Trying to catch a kid and ending up caught yourself! Pfft!"
His comrades, watching from a distance, burst into laughter.
‘...!’
The squad leader’s face burned crimson. This was beyond humiliating. Falling flat on his face over some errand kid?
At least his squadmates didn’t think he’d been taken down by the child. Unfortunately, neither did he.
"Stop right there!"
He pushed himself up in one swift motion. No one had seen what happened—meaning no one had properly witnessed the kid’s movements. But his judgment was already clouded by rage.
‘I don’t know what trick she used...’
It must’ve been his own mistake.
"I said stop!"
At his second shout, the kid paused and turned to look at him. Her expression was unmistakably annoyed. The squad leader’s eyes blazed with fury.
"Fine, you brat!"
Maybe she got lucky once, but not twice!
"I’ll break your legs if I have to—just to teach you some manners!"
Whoosh— His wooden sword sliced through the air again. The fierce swing carried enough force to create a sharp sound— —as it arced toward Ilhwa’s leg once more.
Snap!
A crisp sound rang out as a wooden sword spun through the air. The onlookers’ eyes followed its parabolic flight. It was the squad leader’s sword.
‘Huh?’
He stood dumbfounded. Before he could process what happened, Ilhwa swung her arm.
Thud!
"Ghk!"
A dull pain shot through the back of his knee. It felt like being struck by a thick club.
Thump!
By the time he realized why, he was already kneeling before the child. At the same time, his sword clattered to the ground in the distance, and the spectators’ gazes snapped back to the two of them.
"Gasp!"
"...!"
Their eyes widened in shock. The Red Dragon squad leader was now kneeling before the child. It had happened in an instant.
Still dazed, the squad leader barely registered the shadow falling over him.
"Had enough?"
The voice was unbelievably youthful.