Even though Namgung Jin had come just as she had thought he would, Sohwa showed no sign of welcome. She only reached out and closed the window.Following that composed hand, Namgung Jin’s gaze slid and he asked,“By any chance, did you know I would come?”“Yes. There are steps on the wall side that connect up to the roof, so I thought you would take those.”Click.Sohwa opened the wooden box and pressed together the two stone pillars she had separated. Then the noise that had been coming in from outside the window vanished.“Just as the Namgung residence does, the Tang residence also has mechanism-formations brought from the Tang Clan’s tower. There are items like this that block sound, and there are ones that sound an alarm if someone intrudes.”“I know. So I took care not to touch them.”“I am sorry, but I intend to frame the Little Clan Head for trespassing. So I’m going to trigger the intrusion alarm.”Tang Sohwa added in an apologetic voice,“Perhaps my father or the Grand Elder… could come. Since they are in a medicinal bath, it will take a little time.”Seeming to understand the situation, Namgung Jin let out a hollow laugh.“Was it that you deliberately sent the servants away in the daytime so I would have to sneak in?”“Yes.”In a voice emptied out, Namgung Jin asked,“Have you joined hands with the Blood Cult?”Sohwa shook her head.“No. And I will not in the future.”“Then why are you doing this?”“Because the only one who will trust me and help me is you, Little Clan Head, so I dragged you in in haste.”“Hm. Did it not occur to you to explain your reason to me and ask my intention—such a normal method?”“If I go to the Namgung to explain the reason, it could reach someone’s ears, and if I call the Little Clan Head to my pavilion, Young Hero Namgung Hyun will take offense, so he likely won’t help me.”One of Namgung Jin’s brows lifted.“Do you need Hyun’s help as well?”“Yes.”“What kind of help?”Sohwa hesitated at Namgung Jin’s question. But if she was to leave together with him, it was a secret she absolutely had to tell.Slowly, Sohwa parted her lips.“Young Hero Namgung Hyun has agreed to make a path to the Northern Sea.”“The Northern Sea?”Hearing a place he had never once considered, Namgung Jin asked back in surprise.“We must indeed go to the Northern Sea, but the way will not be long, so please go with me.”“It’s the first I’ve heard such a joke as that the way to the Northern Sea is not long.”Namgung Jin spoke as if taking it for a jest, but soon waited in silence for her explanation.Apart from whether Namgung Jin found the Northern Sea far-fetched, Sohwa realized he was curious about Namgung Hyun’s secret.So, even though Namgung Jin had not asked, she spoke first about Namgung Hyun.“Young Hero Namgung Hyun is skilled in formations. He knows how to make formations that link distant places, so the Blood Cult coveted that ability. But the Young Hero chose to help me, not the Blood Cult.”This too was hard to believe, but Namgung Jin did not counter.He had never considered that Namgung Hyun could make a way to the Northern Sea, but he had long harbored suspicions that the boy had ties to the Blood Cult.Sohwa set the silk envelope she had left by the window onto the table.“There is something that must be prepared before leaving for the Northern Sea. When you leave the headquarters, please deliver this to Baekgeumgak. They are easy to find, so if you say I gave it to you to Min Doyu of Baekgeumgak, it will be fine.”“Who is Min Doyu?”“The real name of the one who manages Baekgeumgak.”After a brief silence, Namgung Jin carefully opened his mouth.“I’m not trying to show off, but I’ve lived being told I’m quick to understand, and yet I do not understand a single thing you are saying now, Young Lady.”It was a reaction one might expect, yet the Little Clan Head was composed, and while hearing the other, he did not miss the core.He demanded an explanation beginning from the most important.“Tell me first why you are trying ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to go to the Northern Sea.”It meant he would not go if he could not accept it.Since it was a response one could understand, Sohwa answered readily.“A rebellion has occurred within the Blood Cult. I intend to grow it into a civil war.”“Did the rebellion occur in the Northern Sea?”“Strictly speaking, those who began the rebellion in the Central Plains crossed to the Northern Sea and settled there.”When Namgung Jin lent his ear, Sohwa readily gave information about the Blood Cult.“There are descendants of the Northern Sea Ice Palace in the Blood Cult. It is said that one among them has brought the martial arts of the Northern Sea Ice Palace to great mastery. Now that person is gathering my blood relations and trying to take back the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”“How do you know this, Young Lady?”She could have said more, but for now it was meaningless.Namgung Jin too had been brainwashed by the Alliance Leader at the Hall of Mediation, so he did not remember the Blood Demon.If she did not mention the Blood Demon, she could not make him understand the situation outside the pass.“I will explain the details when the time comes.”Instead of saying more about the Northern Sea Ice Palace, she emphasized her request.“I hope you will go with me to the Northern Sea, but I will understand if you have no mind to. However, at least please deliver this letter to Baekgeumgak. There is no one but you, Little Clan Head, whom I trust to ask this of.”As Tang Sohwa finished speaking, she opened the window.She picked up the small stone pillar she had set by the window and threw it toward the eaves.Tuk.There was a sound of something striking, but she did not hear the sound of the formation piece coming loose again.But suddenly, she sensed a presence. Seeing how very swiftly it drew near, it seemed someone was running.Only then did Namgung Jin understand Tang Sohwa’s action.“Did you touch the formation?”“Yes.”Before he had even accepted the request, Tang Sohwa had prepared to frame him.Namgung Jin let out a hollow laugh, at a loss.What was he to do with such shamelessness.“On what grounds do you believe I will help you? What if I advise those who are running here that you, Young Lady, are about to flee to the Northern Sea, and tell them to lock you in your room—what will you do then?”“Three years ago, the Little Clan Head said that close friends first show trust, and indeed you showed me trust without cause.”She spoke in a voice that sounded sincere and calm.“I too am first showing trust in the Little Clan Head’s way. If the Little Clan Head betrays me and reports me, there is nothing I can do.”As she said so, Tang Sohwa’s gaze moved to the doorway. Eyes that held the red lantern glowed faintly.“But if you will not help me, the one who can give the Little Clan Head information about the Blood Cult might also disappear.”“...Are you threatening that you will no longer associate with me?”“It is not a threat. If I do not flee the headquarters as soon as possible, I will be reclaimed by the Blood Cult. If that happens, I will no longer be able to tell the Little Clan Head the things I know.”Even as she posited a dangerous situation, Tang Sohwa spoke in a composed voice.“The truth the Little Clan Head seeks—you too will not be able to learn it in the end. Who killed Great Hero Namgung Cheonghae, and what the Great Hero tried to say at the last.”Tang Sohwa turned her gaze forward again.“This too is not a threat. It is my last counsel, because the Little Clan Head does not have that much time left.”In a quiet voice, she spoke frightening words.“I cannot explain in detail, but be wary of Daebyeolsan. This year, Little Clan Head, you will meet your end there.”Namgung Jin stared at her without a word.He spoke of unconditional trust, and then immediately threatened him.Did she not know what trust was?Setting aside his stance of only listening, he opened his mouth.“Let’s make one thing clear.”Letting out a sigh, Namgung Jin put the silk envelope into his breast.“It is not because I am afraid that I will die if I remain in the Central Plains that I am helping you, Young Lady.”“Yes.”“And you must restore my tarnished honor.”“Can it not be exchanged for the price of a life?”Though she had said no, she thought he had accepted because he feared he would die.That indifference that hid nothing left one at a loss for words.More frightening was that this absurd attitude was becoming familiar.Before they knew it, the presences had come close to right before the room.Namgung Jin shook his head.“No. It was trust, not a threat, that moved my heart, so the price of a life has no value.”Creak.Rising from the chair, he turned his back to the door and shielded Tang Sohwa. Bending his body, Namgung Jin whispered in a small voice,“And the headquarters is more conservative than you think, so merely trespassing into quarters is not enough to expel an alliance member. Especially, it is difficult to punish strictly the Little Clan Head of another clan.”Suddenly, Namgung Jin pressed his forehead to hers.It was as if he had read her thoughts.“Trespass is a bylaw set to prevent disgraceful incidents, so if you want to make the headquarters hastily decide on expulsion, then let us rather make it that a disgraceful incident occurred. If, as you say, time is of the essence.”KWA-ANG.There was a sound of the door panel coming off, and the Little Clan Head’s body retreated far back.Sohwa’s gaze dropped to the table.A crack had run through the table Namgung Jin had leaned against.Tang Ji-ha withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and asked in a chilly voice,“What are you doing, Little Clan Head?”Though Tang Ji-ha was greatly enraged, perhaps because he normally had trust in Namgung Jin, he tried hard to suppress his anger.“Unbelievable. How could you, of all people, do such a thing?”In a situation where even denying the misunderstanding would not satisfy, the Little Clan Head straightened, bowed properly, and lifted his head.“I apologize.”Smiling, he flicked his gaze to the woman behind him.“It seems I am still immature and lost my reason.”Tang Ji-ha snapped his head back to check Tang Sohwa’s expression. But as always, the daughter’s face was expressionless. Just as he was trying to grasp the situation, a tremendous force rushed in.“You crazy bastard!”Heukcheon Amgui, who had burst into the room, grabbed Namgung Jin by the collar. It seemed he had leapt out from the bath; he had roughly thrown on a long robe over his wet body.Unlike Tang Ji-ha, who held on to a scrap of reason and did not lay hands on the Little Clan Head of another clan, Heukcheon Amgui, like a man who possessed no reason, lifted onto his toes and shook the Little Clan Head.“How dare you, here of all places! Who are you trying to molest!”“P-please calm yourself, Grand Elder!”Tang Hae-han, who had run in after, grabbed Tang Min’s waist.“Are you not going to let go of me?”When Tang Min bellowed, Tang Hae-han, his face ashen, whispered,“Grand Elder, your robe has come undone! Ple-e-ease do not move! Stay still!”Looked at closely, Tang Hae-han was, from behind, pretending to restrain him while tying the sash.It seemed he had followed out of worry that the Grand Elder might become naked while being given a medicinal bath.“What—what’s the harm in men seeing a bit!”“Young Lady Sohwa is here!”“She won’t see! Ah, stop interfering and go over there!”“Uwaah, Clan Head! I touched something strange! Please restrain the Grand Elder!”“...Grand Elder, step out.”Grinding his teeth, Tang Ji-ha gave the order.But he ought not to have given it.In his own way, because he “respected” the Tang Clan Head’s words, Tang Min held back his anger and took one step back. Then, following the Grand Elder’s loosened front, Namgung Jin’s gaze dropped downward and then quickly rose up.He behaved as if he had seen nothing, but he had already seen everything.Even the Tang Clan’s utterly chaotic state.Tang Sohwa covered her burning face with both hands.'Of all people, to show this to the Namgung—I want to die.'Having come back alive only to witness a disgraceful sight, Sohwa could not raise her head, and she felt self-contempt at whether a Tang Clan that had no honor left to guard had the right to tarnish the Namgung Little Clan Head’s honor.

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