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Gwang-du was about to get two rooms, one large and one small, when I interrupted.

“Just get us one room.”

Startled, Gwang-du quickly said,

“Haha, I can sleep at the table over there. I prepared a thick cotton garment just in case.”

“You usually go along with all sorts of jokes, why are you so stiff about this?”

“Pardon?”

“You idiot! Do you think I’d get just one room to make you sleep outside in this cold?”

“Then, you don’t mean…?”

“I mean we’ll sleep in the same room. You know, the room with two beds? Why waste money on two rooms? What, do you snore a lot?”

“I don’t, but still, how can I share a room with you, Young Master?”

Gwang-du was visibly flustered.

“Why? Don’t want to sleep with trash?”

“How can you say that? It’s disrespectful, that’s why.”

“Enough. Give us one room, please. With two beds.”

After getting just one room, instead of going up to the second floor where the guest rooms were, we sat at a table to the side.

“Let’s have a drink before we go up.”

“With me?”

Gwang-du stared at me blankly.

“Who else is here?”

Gwang-du’s voice trembled as much as his quivering eyes.

“This is a first. Sitting here drinking with you, Young Master. Not to mention sleeping in the same room.”

I’ve repeated this many times before, but I can’t help saying it again this time.

Byeok Ri-dan is truly an idiot.

We ordered drinks and food and sat facing each other. He was as stiff as when we were getting the room. Since we usually exchange all sorts of jokes, I feel even more sorry.

Of course, it’s not my fault, but since I’m Byeok Ri-dan now, I suppose I should feel sorry.

“Here, have a drink.”

As I tried to pour him a drink, Gwang-du panicked.

“Let me, I’ll pour for you first.”

“It’s fine. You drink first.”

“Young Master!”

“You’re older than me. So drink first.”

In fact, I’m several times older than him, but that’s beside the point.

“Isn’t the world one family? Drink.”

“Didn’t you say that was nonsense? I can’t.”

After declining several times, Gwang-du reluctantly accepted the drink.

“Ah, this isn’t right. A servant will get spoiled. Alright. I’ll accept just this once. As a memento. I’ll never forget this.”

Looking at his cup with a touched expression, Gwang-du suddenly seemed to realize something.

“I see. I understand now. You’re taking me somewhere to kill me, right? That’s why you’re being so nice? They say even cows are fed well the day before slaughter. Right?”

With this jest, the tense atmosphere began to loosen.

He drank quite well. According to him, he once drank more than ten bottles by himself, but that seemed like an exaggeration.

As for me, I didn’t know my exact alcohol tolerance.

I had never been properly drunk before. Usually, assassination or poisoning attempts target drinking occasions. When drunk, one’s body and mind naturally become loose.

Even at drinking occasions I couldn’t avoid, I had made it a habit to use the Heavenly Martial Heart-Guarding Technique to expel the alcohol from my body.

But tonight, I drank comfortably. I was getting tipsy. The feeling of being drunk wasn’t bad. When was the last time I drank so comfortably like this? Ah, was this the first time?

“By the way, Young Master, I was too flustered to ask then… about your martial arts. What happened? How did you defeat that guy so easily?”

“Haven’t I been training lately?”

“Just for ten days?”

“Ten days is enough to deal with that trash.”

Gwang-du looked me up and down, from my face to my feet under the table.

“No matter how I look at you, you’re still our Young Master. How did you change so much?”

“I guess I’m a late bloomer.”

“I’m not asking for a great vessel. Just one that won’t break, right?”

Gwang-du was also slightly tipsy.

“It won’t break.”

“Promise me. Promise you won’t suddenly go back to how you were before. Promise!”

“Why is a verbal promise so important?”

“It’s important to me. I need to hear it.”

“Alright, I promise.”

Only then did Gwang-du let out a sigh of relief, and we continued our conversation.

“I’ve been hiding my martial arts. I’m much stronger than you think.”

Since I can’t tell him the truth anyway, it’s better for him to understand it this way.

“Why?”

“To survive long in the martial world, you need to hide three-tenths of your skill.”

“Then, did you act like a good-for-nothing on purpose?”

“No, not that. The moment I got hit by Miss Song, I realized I couldn’t live like that anymore. I matured, as if by magic.”

He’ll have to believe it. Because I changed from that moment on. Among the many strange things that happen in the world, being reborn after getting beaten by a woman is something he can surely accept.

“Miss Song is your benefactor then.”

“You could say that.”

“Speaking of which, don’t let Miss Song go. What broken engagement? You should cling to her trouser leg if you have to.”

“What do you like so much about Miss Song?”

“She’s pretty, isn’t she? What else do you need? Male-female relationships are simple. It’s when you complicate them that problems arise.”

Smiling, I tried to refill his cup, but he quickly snatched the bottle away.

“I told you, if you’re too nice to a servant, they’ll get spoiled.”

“It’s okay if you get a little spoiled. You.”

Gwang-du’s cheeks, already flushed from drinking, turned even redder.

“You’re buying the drinks, right?”

“Is that what you say in this touching moment?”

“No money?”

“Squeeze blood from a stone, why don’t you.”

But contrary to his words, Gwang-du emptied his cup in one go and said boldly,

“Fine. I’ll buy today! I’ll use the money I’ve been hiding away.”

“Another bottle here!”

“Don’t do that!”

Gwang-du and I drank late into the night.

This was the first time in my life I had gotten drunk so pleasantly.

***

The next day, we arrived at Dongping, where the Yang Minor Faction was located.

The first thing we did was find the largest inn in the village.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to a smaller inn to avoid attention?”

“That would attract more attention.”

“Really?”

“If you can’t hide completely in a dark cloud, it’s better to be under the sun.”

Only after we entered the largest inn in Dongping did Gwang-du exclaim in admiration,

“You’re right, Young Master.”

The massive hall was bustling with guests and servants. There were dozens of tables, and it seemed there were easily a hundred guests.

“Someone could die in that corner and no one would notice.”

“That might actually be happening right now.”

“The martial world is scary.”

Gwang-du brings up the martial world again.

I had noticed a change in Gwang-du’s heart.

Whether it was because of Yang Gi-gang’s recent rampage, or because of my change, Gwang-du had clearly developed a longing for the martial world.

Suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had with Song Hwa-rin.

Do people change easily?

There’s nothing that changes as easily as people.

Here too, we got just one room, then came down to the first floor to eat.

While eating, I listened for any news about the Yang Minor Faction. But even the fact that Yang Gi-gang was injured hadn’t been made public.

Usually, such news would spread one way or another. There were twenty guards from the Yang Minor Faction that day. The fact that there was absolutely no rumor meant that Yang Gi-cheol had thoroughly silenced everyone.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“We need to find out what kind of plan he’s cooking up.”

“How?”

“Since nothing has been revealed externally, we need to find out through an insider.”

Then Gwang-du said something unexpected.

“Would you let me handle that task?”

Though it came out abruptly without hesitation, I could tell it wasn’t said impulsively. He might have been considering this since we were in the carriage.

“Why did you think of that?”

“I’m not sure of the reason myself. I just want to try it.”

“It could be dangerous. If you get caught, you might be tortured. Beaten, branded with hot irons. They might even saw off your fingers.”

“It’s okay. I’ll spill everything before they torture me. I’ll tell them you’re here and that you ordered everything.”

“You must spill. That’s real wise loyalty.”

“I was joking. But is there such a thing as wise loyalty?”

“There is.”

The adjective that usually accompanies the highest form of loyalty is ‘willing to die for’.

But that’s not the kind of loyalty I want from Gwang-du.

“Isn’t that betrayal?”

“At least for now, it’s wise loyalty.”

“It’s complicated. Anyway, I won’t regret it. Leave it to me.”

Sensing that Gwang-du’s fate was stirring, my deliberation wasn’t long.

“Alright. You go find out.”

Once I gave permission, Gwang-du took a deep breath. This must be the biggest adventure of his life.

“From now on, your role is very important.”

“I think my role has been important since the moment you woke up.”

Haha. I admit it. If Gwang-du hadn’t existed, could I have adapted to being Byeok Ri-dan so easily?

“I’ll give my life. I will. I’ve already spent all my emergency funds on alcohol anyway. To think we drank five bottles of that expensive wine!”

“You ordered the last two bottles.”

“You should have stopped me!”

“Should I stop you now?”

Then Gwang-du answered seriously.

“No.”

“You were just as resolute then.”

“Haha. Well, I’ll be going now.”

I gave him some money to use when needed. It was a kind of war fund.

After walking a few steps, Gwang-du came back and whispered,

“You’ll follow me quietly and watch over me, right? You’ll watch over me from where I can’t see, right? Right?”

“If that makes you feel better, think that way.”

I really intend to leave this task entirely to Gwang-du. Whether he lives or dies. Gwang-du should be able to read that resolve in my eyes.

Sure enough, his lips pouted.

“You’re buying the drinks when I get back!”

Gwang-du left the inn.

Why did I allow him to do such a potentially dangerous task, you ask?

I remember the moment I first saw Gwang-du. That moment when he walked steadily towards the reincarnated me and sat down beside me.

I believe that my connection with Gwang-du isn’t so weak that it would be severed by a task like this.

Only then will Gwang-du’s connection with the martial world continue.

So… you better succeed.