Daily life didn’t change much from before.

I woke up in the morning, ate breakfast, rested, practiced breathing techniques with Yoo Doha, and learned swordsmanship.

In the afternoon, I took a break, took medicine, read the books Yoo Doha had told me to memorize, spent time, and fell asleep with Hyuk Dojin.

That was it. It was a life that hadn’t changed much from before, but it was definitely different.

Previously, I did things reluctantly, with a mindset of ‘it’s good if it works, but okay if it doesn’t,’ but now I had a clear goal.

When I ate the medicinal herbs that were bitter to even put in my mouth, I wondered what the point of it was, but now I accepted them without saying anything.

Even if he brought even more bitter herbs, I chewed and swallowed them while holding my nose. If it was medicine that would cure me, I would have swallowed even worse.

As time passed, a bit of impatience was added, but I wasn’t afraid like before.

Even if everything went wrong, I had no intention of sitting down like this. At least, I didn’t want to disappoint the person next to me.

“Miss.”

On a quiet afternoon while reading a book, I raised my head at the sound of Joo Hwarin calling me.

Joo Hwarin smiled slightly at me and placed a cup of tea on the table.

“Is it going well?”

“Well… I’m not sure because there’s too much to memorize, even though I’m doing something.”

The books Yoo Doha had given me were not light, and they were as thick as a decent dictionary.

Memorizing and learning all that content was almost impossible.

Can I really memorize all of this?

Joo Hwarin glanced at the book I was reading.

“Still, Yoo Doha praised you for being very intelligent.”

“He praised me?”

“Yes. While he was talking with my father, your story came up, and I overheard him saying that you learn quickly and memorize fast, so he has high expectations for you.”

When she said father, she must have meant Joo Jonghak. At Joo Hwarin’s words, I slightly rolled my eyes.

Is it fast, really? I’m not sure. I felt like there was so much to do that I didn’t feel fast at all. Can this be called fast?

“It took me more than half a year to memorize a book smaller than that. They say geniuses can memorize everything after seeing it once, but I guess I don’t have that kind of brain, so I had to go over it at least ten more times to memorize it. But this is only your second time seeing it, right?”

“Yes.”

“But the fact that you’ve memorized more than half of it means that you must be born with an intelligence different from ordinary people. So, cheer up!”

I quietly looked at Joo Hwarin, who had her eyes shining with her hands clasped, and smiled slightly.

Nodding my head, I picked up the teacup.

As I brought the cup closer to smell the aroma, Joo Hwarin’s mouth opened slightly, and she let out an exclamation.

As I turned my gaze, Joo Hwarin spoke quickly as if she had remembered something.

“Ah, come to think of it, it’s something that came up when I heard the story the other day…”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head diagonally at Joo Hwarin’s trailing words. Joo Hwarin tilted her head with an ambiguous expression and carefully spoke.

“I heard that a guest is coming from the Righteous Sect. Well, my father didn’t express it as a guest, but a guest is still a guest.”

“Why are people from the Righteous Sect coming?”

“I heard that the Murim Alliance sent someone. As you know, just as the Demon Cult didn’t like the marriage with the Righteous Sect, the Murim Alliance also didn’t like this matter. Considering that there have been rare instances of the Righteous Sect and the Demon Cult joining forces, although not publicly revealed, this matter being official and moreover, being a marriage with the Young Cult Leader, they are thinking very sensitively about it.”

“Hmm…”

I lightly closed my eyes while tilting the teacup.

Joo Hwarin’s words were not wrong. Actually, it was very noisy even before I left for this place.

It wasn’t uncommon for people from the Murim Alliance to come and go, and it was a major issue where even the elders and seniors of the clan had differing opinions.

The Murim Alliance. I wasn’t very pleased with the sudden visit of people from the Murim Alliance.

I couldn’t shake off the thought that they were coming not for my sake, but for their own benefit or to find fault with something.

After organizing my thoughts with my eyes narrowed, I raised my head and faced Joo Hwarin, who was quietly looking at me.

“Do you know who is coming?”

“No. But Yoo Doha would know, so why don’t you ask him? Or should I find out separately from my father?”

“Hmm, no. There’s no need for that.”

After smiling brightly, I put down the cup. Anyway, there was someone who knew about this matter most deeply.

* * *

In the evening, after finishing work and returning, Hyuk Dojin spoke immediately while taking off his outer garment.

“I heard the Murim Alliance is dispatching people.”

Hyuk Dojin told me what I was curious about, as if he had read my mind without me asking first. I approached him, took his outer garment, and asked back.

“Who did they say is coming?”

“I heard that they are sending a small number of people from the Nine Renowned Sects and the Five Great Clans, led by Ahn Hwihak, the elder of the Murim Alliance, who is known as the Nine Blood Nine Swords.”

“…Even from the Five Great Clans?”

Hyuk Dojin nodded his head and took back the outer garment I was holding and hung it on the wall himself.

As Hyuk Dojin observed me hesitating, I moved my stiffened legs and sat on the bed.

Hyuk Dojin continued speaking while taking off his thick clothes.

“Yes. Of course, the Moyong clan is included. And since I know you’ll be curious, I separately investigated who is coming and found out today.”

“Who is coming?”

I had a thought, but in the novel, the meeting between Moyong Do and Hyuk Dojin took place after Moyong Sowol’s death.

Although Moyong Do’s anger was directed at the Demon Cult, Moyong Do’s foundation was weak to meet Hyuk Dojin, who was the Young Cult Leader, so they could meet for the first time in the middle of the novel.

So, I knew it wouldn’t be Moyong Do, my older brother. However, since I had a slight expectation, I carefully asked.

Hyuk Dojin glanced at my reaction and slowly parted his lips.

“They said it’s Moyong Geum, an elder of the Moyong clan. Do you know him?”

As expected. I knew, but I felt disappointed as expected. Even if I try not to expect, I can’t help but feel disappointed.

I tried to relax my expression and calmly answered.

“He is the disciple of Moyong Danli, the clan leader. He is the most respected elder among the elders, except for the current eldest elder. He is a person who would go through fire and water for the Moyong clan.”

“Go through fire and water…”

Hyuk Dojin, who had been quietly muttering my words, finished changing his clothes and pulled a chair closer.

Hyuk Dojin, who sat opposite me, faced me with sleepy eyes and spoke.

“Is he someone you can trust?”

“What? What do you mean…?”

Hyuk Dojin untied the string that tied his hair into one and lightly flowed it over his shoulders, continuing to speak.

“Recently, there have been suspicious movements in the Murim Alliance. They say that the Alliance Leader, Namgoong Baek, who didn’t want conflict, suddenly changed his attitude and strengthened vigilance against the Demon Cult. They say that within the Murim Alliance, they are criticizing the Moyong clan’s decision as hasty and going against the greater good. It seems that things are also progressing noisily within the Moyong clan because of that.”

“What does that mean?”

“There are rumors that the clan leader, Moyong Danli, may have colluded with the Demon Cult. In addition, there is criticism that he sold off a sick family member. And recently, Moyong Danli has not shown up at official events where he should have appeared and has gone into seclusion. Currently, the one filling Moyong Danli’s vacant position is Elder Moyong Hyeon.”

Hyuk Dojin narrowed his brow. I also didn’t find his words very pleasant. It was true that Moyong Danli had abandoned me.

He sat me down and explained the reasons why I had to leave.

In the end, the most fundamental reason why I had no choice but to leave the Moyong clan was Moyong Danli’s decision.

It wasn’t that I felt familial ties with Moyong Danli.

However, the decision he had to make and the gaze in his eyes that contained his complex feelings when facing me still remained in my memory.

Moyong Danli made a choice for the clan, and in the process, he had no choice but to cast me out.

I could criticize him for that myself, but others shouldn’t criticize him.

At least, they all committed the same sins against me.

However, such Moyong Danli recently chose seclusion. What could that mean?

I recalled the image of Moyong Danli that I knew and the elders who surrounded him.

Moyong Danli was sensitive to principles… If I had to categorize him, he was a stubborn person. He treated all clan members equally and acted for the clan.

However, Moyong Hyeon and Moyong Geum, whom I knew, and other elders were not exactly such people.

If I had to describe them, they were honest individuals. They were people who revealed their own desires. In fact, in the novel, they were described as materialistic.

In the novel, there were hardly any stories related to Moyong Sowol and Hyuk Dojin. As a result, I couldn’t predict the things that were happening to me now.

It would be nice if I knew something, but unfortunately, what I knew was the story after I died.

“When criticism was pouring on Moyong Danli, the Murim Alliance also strongly criticized the Moyong clan. However, as soon as Moyong Hyeon took the position, the Murim Alliance changed its attitude. And now, this visit. I think there is a high probability that some kind of words have been exchanged between the Moyong clan and the Murim Alliance.”

Hyuk Dojin rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.

“I want to refuse this visit if I could, but I can’t, so I accepted it for now.”

I looked at him and rolled my eyes. Hyuk Dojin’s story was concise and easy to understand. After pondering for a moment, I nodded my head.

“Okay.”

“What?”

“I won’t contact people from the Righteous Sect separately. Ah, even if I do contact them, I’ll avoid unnecessary words and make sure to have an escort by my side.”

I smiled slightly at Hyuk Dojin, who was looking at me with a blank expression. Hyuk Dojin silently looked at me, let out a hollow laugh, and shook his head.

“You’ve become a Demon Cult member. I didn’t expect you to understand what I was going to say just by hearing that much.”

“It’s been over three months since I’ve been here. And I have no choice but to become a Demon Cult member. That’s because my husband is the Young Cult Leader of that Demon Cult… I should also become a Demon Cult member.”

When I shrugged my shoulders, the corners of Hyuk Dojin’s lips lifted. He lightly rose from his seat and kissed me. After a short kiss, Hyuk Dojin stepped back.

Hyuk Dojin seemed to be heading to the bathroom, but he let out a small exclamation ‘Oh, right,’ rummaged through his clothes, took out a small box, and placed it in front of me.

“What is this?”

“Would you like to open it?”

At his words, I tilted my head and lifted the lid of the box. Inside was a round shape of…

“Poop?”

“…It’s medicine.”

“Ah.”

I covered my face in embarrassment.