"Oh my, Brother Il-oh! What on earth happened to you?"
"... My head hurts, don't shake me..."
Myeong Il-oh was lying flat on the bed, covered in ointment and wrapped in bandages, while Ak Yeon-ho shook him vigorously with a face that looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.
"How could you become a living corpse just while I went to the restroom! Brother! Brotherrr! I'll definitely avenge you!"
"... Brother Baek. This guy is teasing me, isn't he?"
"That's why I told you not to tease him about going to the restroom so often."
"..."
"Oh, Brother Il-oh! If you become a bachelor ghost without even getting married..."
"Stop it, you brat! You're going to kill me with anger!"
Finally, Myeong Il-oh, who couldn't hold it in any longer, jumped up and swung his arm, and Ak Yeon-ho quickly ran away, almost causing a commotion.
"Can't you both behave! The bandages are getting soaked with blood!"
"Sorry..."
"Yes..."
Only after being scolded by the doctor did the two calm down.
I clicked my tongue as I watched the childish antics of the two.
"Look at these grown men acting like this..."
Myeong Il-oh, lying back on the bed, lifted his head to look at me.
He sighed deeply and spoke.
"... I'm ashamed after you helped me so much."
"Forget it. Who would have thought the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique would appear there?"
"I thought I could land a big hit on that unlucky face... but I ended up losing disgracefully."
"I don't think they see it that way."
I chuckled and patted Myeong Il-oh on the shoulder.
To be honest, Myeong Il-oh was of no concern to Namgung-su.
Even if it was just for a moment, making someone like that struggle and forcing him to use the family’s secret technique, the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, must have been a blow to his enormous pride.
"He's probably grinding his teeth right now. Once we join, you and I will have a tough time ahead."
Myeong Il-oh grinned at my words.
It seemed he had changed a bit after hanging out with us.
"I'm prepared."
As we exchanged smiles, Ak Yeon-ho joined the conversation with a grin that resembled a cheap villain.
"Hehehe... Me too."
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the restroom now?"
"... I'll go in a bit."
Ak Yeon-ho cleared his throat and shifted his hips when suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from outside the building.
The practical exam sparring hadn't ended yet, so it seemed there was an exciting match between an applicant and an instructor.
Myeong Il-oh looked at me and asked, "Your turn will come soon, aren't you going to check it out?"
"They'll call me when it's time."
I replied indifferently.
Unless my opponent was Namgung-su, it didn't really matter who I faced.
'Unless it's someone like Bu Gwan-ju or Mae Geuk-ryeom... but I doubt it.
It's probably that guy.'
I had a rough idea of who my opponent would be.
Considering how he had been glaring at me throughout the sparring, he probably knew too.
Creak.
Just then, the door to the doctor's room opened, and a familiar face walked in.
A woman holding a large book in her arms, it was Jegal So-young.
"Oh."
Jegal So-young, who quickly spotted me, approached with quick steps and asked, "Is the patient doing okay?"
"I'm fine. What brings you here instead of the sparring?"
When I asked with a puzzled expression, Jegal So-young smiled brightly and said, "I just finished a moment ago, so I came right away."
Wait a minute.
If it just ended...
"The cheers from the students earlier were no joke... Was it your sparring, Miss Jegal?"
"Ah, well. I think I was a bit lucky."
Jegal So-young seemed embarrassed as she tucked her hair behind her ear and avoided my gaze.
I heard she had just graduated from Cheonmu Academy and was barely over twenty, but she looked like a young student.
However, what caught my eye wasn't Jegal So-young's face.
'I want to see how she fights.'
No matter how observant one is, you can't fully understand someone's martial arts just by looking at their appearance.
Jegal So-young, as a member of a prestigious family, seemed to have a solid foundation with a well-balanced posture, but it was hard to guess what martial arts she had learned or what weapon she used.
'Does she only use the Judge's Brush?'
At that moment, the large book she was holding caught my eye.
Judging by its murderous thickness and the tough-looking leather cover, it seemed heavier and sturdier than most weapons.
'She wouldn't swing the book like a blunt weapon, would she?'
Noticing my gaze on the book, Jegal So-young hugged it tighter and asked warily, "Why are you staring at it like that?"
"I was just checking if there was any blood on the edges..."
"... Pardon?"
"Nothing. So, you came to visit the patient?"
"That's part of it, but..."
I didn't know at the time.
That Jegal So-young was such a clueless woman.
How could she ask something like this with such a bright smile?
"I'm curious about our bet."
"... Bet?"
"What bet?"
At the mention of a bet, Myeong Il-oh and Ak Yeon-ho, who had been holding their breath until then, turned their heads sharply to look at me.
I felt a cold sweat run down my back, something I hadn't felt even when facing Namgung-su.
"A, a bet? What are you talking about...?"
Feigning ignorance, I sent a voice transmission to Jegal So-young.
[Miss Jegal, let's talk about that later...]
But before my voice transmission reached her, Jegal So-young, with wide eyes, quickly and kindly explained as if I had forgotten.
"We bet that Applicant Myeong Il-oh would defeat Brother Namgung within fifty moves! Have you already forgotten?"
"..."
An awkward silence filled the room, and after a moment, Myeong Il-oh spoke to me with a betrayed expression.
"Brother... Is that why you helped me?"
"Well, you see... it was a bit of both..."
Myeong Il-oh turned away from me with a hurt expression, and Ak Yeon-ho poured salt on the wound beside him.
"Wow, how could you. So when Brother Il-oh was fighting for his life, Brother Su-ryong was betting on it?"
"To be honest, he wasn't exactly risking his life."
"Wow, this brother still doesn't reflect..."
"..."
I had nothing to say, so I kept my mouth shut, and the two gleefully tore into me.
Seeing my expression sour, Jegal So-young timidly asked, "Did I... make a mistake somehow? If so, I'm sorry. I often hear that I become oblivious when I get absorbed in something..."
As Jegal So-young shrank her small shoulders, Ak Yeon-ho and Myeong Il-oh, who had been criticizing me, were startled and shook their heads simultaneously.
"No, not at all!"
"Miss Jegal did nothing wrong! If there's any fault, it's all Brother Su-ryong's fault!"
...
And these are the ones I call brothers.
Anyway, thanks to Jegal So-young's shrinking demeanor, the two who had been teasing me couldn't continue to speak recklessly.
"I'll be careful next time. But about that bet..."
Even while saying she'd be careful, Jegal So-young continued to speak her mind.
That was Jegal So-young.
With a sigh, I said, "Alright. I didn't defeat Namgung-su within fifty moves, so I lost the bet..."
"I lost."
"... Hmm?"
I closed my mouth and looked at Jegal So-young.
Then Jegal So-young looked me straight in the eye and continued, "The technique Brother Namgung used at the end. I believe it was a move that shouldn't have been used in this sparring, which was meant to assess the skills of new instructor applicants. The applicant could have been seriously injured."
Jegal So-young turned her head to look at Myeong Il-oh.
Her expression darkened as she saw the numerous wounds on his body.
"If Brother Namgung hadn't used the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique at that moment, he would have surely fallen backward. If I didn't know that, I might have claimed victory in this bet, but I can't say I won with a clear conscience."
"Hmm..."
To be honest, I didn't quite understand her argument.
Whatever Namgung-su did was his business, and the fact that he didn't fall was undeniable.
Jegal So-young could have claimed victory if she wanted.
But she didn't.
'It's her own conviction, I suppose.'
In any case, I had no reason to refuse.
Besides, the prize for the bet was...
"Since I lost, I'll grant you one wish as per the bet. Anything within my ability!"
"Hmm."
Jegal So-young spoke with eyes shining brightly, almost burdensomely so.
As I nodded, I heard voice transmissions from both sides simultaneously.
[...
A wish?]
[Anything she can grant?]
[She said anything she can do...]
[That, that anything...
If that's the case...]
Turning my head, I saw Ak Yeon-ho and Myeong Il-oh swallowing hard with flushed faces, clearly lost in their thoughts.
...
These guys.
[Traitors!]
[Keeping such a lovely lady to yourself!]
I sighed at the sticky fantasies swirling in their heads.
"Seriously, you two, knock it off. I'm too embarrassed to face Miss Jegal."
"Huh? Embarrassed about what?"
I couldn't meet Jegal So-young's innocent gaze directly.
"Ahem. I'll tell you my wish later. I haven't really thought of anything yet."
I did have something in mind, but it wasn't the kind of wish to mention here.
"Oh, okay! Then let me know whenever you think of something!"
"Thank you. Did you come all the way here just to say that...?"
"Actually, that's not the only reason... I have a few questions too."
"Questions?"
Jegal So-young fidgeted with her fingers as she hugged the book tightly and asked me, "I heard you applied as an external martial arts instructor. Do you also have a deep knowledge of martial arts history?"
"Martial arts history?"
"When you compared the sword of the Moyong family and the Kunlun sect earlier, you seemed knowledgeable about the history of both..."
"Well... I think I know the basics. I've been interested in it for a while."
As a martial arts instructor of the Blood Sect, I studied the martial arts and history of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, which I would eventually have to overthrow.
Jegal So-young's face lit up with delight at my words.
"I knew it! Nowadays, everyone just learns martial arts without caring about their origins or history. The martial arts history classes I majored in at Cheonmu Academy were canceled several times because there were hardly any students. Unless they were genuinely interested or needed the credits, no one wanted to take them... Can you believe that? I want to tell them this: A martial artist who forgets history has no enlightenment!"
I nodded, dumbfounded by her rapid-fire speech.
"Uh... well, that's true."
"I'm so glad to meet a teacher who's interested in martial arts history like me! I didn't expect it at all..."
Jegal So-young's face was flushed with excitement.
If I were a woman, she would have grabbed my hands and jumped up and down.
"Will we have another chance to talk? I'd love to have a deeper conversation than now..."
I couldn't bring myself to say it was bothersome to her expectant face.
"Well. If we both pass as new instructors, I suppose we will."
"Then I don't have to worry."
Jegal So-young sighed in relief.
She seemed eager to talk more with me, but she glanced at Myeong Il-oh and Ak Yeon-ho and blushed.
"I got too excited and talked too much again. There are patients here... I'll be going now."
"Take care."
"Yes! See you next time."
Jegal So-young bowed like a student greeting a teacher and left the doctor's room.
Her steps were light and cheerful, making me smile.
"Maybe it's because she just graduated."
She felt more like a teaching student than an instructor.
I chuckled and shook my head, but then I heard eerie voices next to me.
"Brother."
"Brotherrr..."
The two, who hadn't said a word while Jegal So-young was here, suddenly started talking as if they had been waiting.
"What do you mean, alone! Let us get close too!"
"When did you become acquainted with such a beautiful lady..."
"Was it when I went to the restroom and Brother Il-oh was getting beaten up? Is that when you made your move?"
"They say the lucky ones always get lucky. We always drank miserably with three men, but now you're alone..."
"Let's invite her to drink with us next time!"
...
These guys are hopeless.
I clicked my tongue and tried to push away the clingy guys when a voice called out.
"Applicant Baek Su-ryong! Are you here?"
The door to the doctor's room, which Jegal So-young had closed, opened, and one of the regular martial artists working at Cheongryong Academy entered.
He sighed in relief when he saw me.
"There you are. Hurry and get ready! It's your turn for the sparring!"