Published at 27th of August 2026 7:14 pm

Chapter 1101: The World of Ascension (31)

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Hiiing.

Clatter—! Thud—!

The sound of hooves echoed as the small, cramped space jolted. The only noises filling the interior were the rattling of wheels and the faint sound of breathing.

Inside the quiet carriage, that was all there was to hear.

‘...I’m seriously about to throw up.’

Motion sickness? No. That was something I had long since overcome, so there was no discomfort in that regard.

‘But being crammed in here with these guys...’

The problem was the constant sensation of shoulders brushing against one another every time the carriage swayed. Three men squeezed into this tiny, suffocating space—there was no avoiding contact. Even the slightest movement caused us to bump into each other.

It had been like this for days.

Clunk—!

Another jolt sent my body tilting sideways, making me collide with the guy on my left. He scowled, his expression twisting in irritation.

“Don’t touch me. It’s disgusting.”

At his words, my brows furrowed.

“You think I’m doing this on purpose? If you hate it so much, then move away.”

“What?”

The guy on the left—Sword Dragon. His reaction made it clear he was pissed.

“There’s no damn space to move!”

“That’s exactly my point. How the hell am I supposed to not touch you? Are you blind?”

I had long since dropped formal speech with Sword Dragon. Out of respect, I had initially tried to maintain some courtesy, considering that I knew Namgung Jin, the Sword Dragon, personally.

But no matter how I looked at it, in his younger years, this guy was exactly like Namgung Cheonjun. I just couldn’t bring myself to treat him with respect.

“You little—”

“What? You got a problem? If you do, then get even closer.”

His constant nagging was starting to piss me off. Should I just put him in his place once and for all? Why did he keep provoking me? I was already on edge—maybe this time, I should really shut him up properly.

Grinding my teeth, I reached out to grab him—

“Now, now... Let’s all calm down. If you crack the carriage again, who knows how Lady Mi will react this time?”

“......”

“......”

Both Sword Dragon and I froze at Do Yun’s words.

Lady Mi.

Just hearing Mi Horan’s name made us both stiffen like statues.

Just yesterday, I had tried to put Sword Dragon in his place when he pissed me off too much.

I must have used too much strength, though, because the carriage ended up getting slightly damaged.

And at that moment—

‘That was terrifying.’

The rage Mi Horan displayed upon seeing the damage to the carriage... I never imagined a face that furious could be that terrifying.

‘...So this is what she was like when she was younger.’

The dignified and composed woman I knew—seeing her lose her temper like that was a first.

Both Sword Dragon and I had been left speechless, our heads bowed in silent submission.

Honestly, I still didn’t understand why Mi Horan had to be involved in the Azure Dragon Division’s mission.

‘But since it’s a supply carriage, there’s no helping it.’

Apparently, Baekhwa Trading Company was the primary supporter of the Azure Dragon Division.

For this mission, they were providing carriages and supplies, and in exchange, Mi Horan had been assigned as the person in charge.

With that reasoning, I had no real grounds to object.

And more importantly, the fact that the Sword Master himself had approved it meant there was nothing to argue about.

‘Tch.’

Which led to this mess.

Mi Horan and Soi.

And my father were in the large carriage ahead.

Meanwhile, the three of us men were crammed into a compartment attached to the supply cart.

‘...This is just depressing.’

What blatant discrimination.

I had experienced discrimination in my past life, but at least in this one, I had avoided it—until now.

‘It’s been a while since I felt this way.’

Damn it. I didn’t miss this at all.

I swallowed a sigh.

Maybe I should just jump off and run? That would be at least a few times faster.

‘But I have to stay.’

Given the current situation, it wasn’t an option.

I had already decided to stick close to Do Yun whenever possible.

Not just for my father, but considering the circumstances, staying together was the right choice.

‘Tsk.’

As frustrating as it was, I had no choice but to endure.

‘This guy is the problem.’

The real issue was Sword Dragon.

This annoying bastard.

He was grating on my nerves so much that I really wanted to beat him into the ground.

‘Damn it.’

But there was a certain woman that made me hold back.

If something happened to this guy... it would cause trouble for her later.

‘If only he hadn’t come along...’

I had no intention of working with Namgung Jin, but the mission had turned out this way, so there was no avoiding it.

Because for this mission—

‘The destination is...’

We were headed straight for the Namgung Clan.

*******

Day Four of the Journey

As night fell, the carriage came to a stop.

With the sun setting and the moon beginning to rise, we decided to set up camp by a nearby valley.

Sizzle.

The scent of roasting food drifted through the air as I stretched my body. The atmosphere remained eerily quiet.

It had been like this the whole time.

We barely spoke.

My father hadn’t said a single word.

Only occasionally would Soi or Mi Horan make conversation with him.

Meanwhile, I could feel Namgung Jin constantly sneaking glances at Mi Horan.

‘So it’s true, huh.’

That guy—he really was interested in Lady Mi.

If it was this obvious, then there was no doubt about it.

And yet—

‘There’s no way she hasn’t noticed.’

Mi Horan had insane instincts.

There was no way she hadn’t picked up on Namgung Jin’s interest when he was making it so obvious.

If anything, she was probably just choosing to ignore him.

‘So the Sword Dragon liked Lady Mi...’

Was this something that only happened in this world?

Or had it been the same in the world I came from?

I had no way of knowing.

‘Hmm.’

All I could do was occasionally glance at my father and Mi Horan sitting together.

They looked... distant yet familiar.

Mi Horan stayed right beside him, constantly fussing over him.

Even over the smallest things.

Making sure his clothes were clean. Checking that he had enough food.

Asking him if he needed anything.

It was painfully obvious.

‘This is exactly what it looks like.’

Just as Namgung Jin had feelings for Mi Horan...

Mi Horan clearly had feelings for my father.

She wasn’t even trying to hide it.

And judging by Namgung Jin’s darkening expression, he was definitely aware of it.

‘Tsk.’

This was awkward.

I didn’t want to watch this play out any longer.

I stood up.

“I’ll be leaving first.”

“You already finished eating?”

Soi glanced up at me as I rose.

“Yes. I’ll go ahead and start preparing for the night watch.”

At my words, my father turned his gaze toward me.

Then—

“Don’t go too far.”

It was almost a warning.

Given my past with the Sword Master, it was clear they were keeping an eye on me.

I gave a brief nod.

“...Understood.”

And with that, I walked away.

********

The place I headed to after leaving the meal wasn’t too far.

It was the carriage carrying our provisions—the one I had originally been riding in.

‘There are still a few more days until we reach the Namgung Clan.’

Since we were traveling all the way to Anhwi, it would take a few more days to get there.

But more importantly—

‘Why are we even going there?’

The only thing I knew for certain was that our destination was the Namgung Clan.

I had no idea why the Azure Dragon Division—why we—needed to go there in the first place.

‘It doesn’t seem like a particularly dangerous mission.’

Since Lady Mi was with us, it couldn’t be anything too risky. They wouldn’t assign a support overseer to a dangerous mission.

‘Then what is it?’

I had no clue.

I rolled my eyes around, trying to piece together some kind of reasoning, but it was useless. I didn’t know a damn thing.

And no one was telling me anything either.

‘...Well, whatever. I doubt it’s anything major.’

I hadn’t expected to leave Hanan so soon, let alone head to the Namgung Clan.

‘I’ve been there twice before.’

Once in my past life.

And once more, in this life—when I was engaged to Namgung Bi-ah.

‘Hmm...’

As memories of the engagement ceremony surfaced, I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

It was because Namgung Bi-ah had suddenly come to mind.

I wondered how she was doing.

I hadn’t seen her in a while, and every now and then, she crossed my mind.

Maybe it was because I was traveling with Namgung Jin.

Maybe it was because I was heading to the Namgung Clan alongside that guy.

‘......’

I shook my head.

Thinking about it wouldn’t do me any good, so I pushed the thoughts away.

At some point, without even realizing it, I had already arrived at my destination.

‘This is the supply carriage.’

The one I had been riding in for days.

Looking at it, I couldn’t help but smirk.

Something about it triggered a memory.

When was it?

‘Probably when I was on my way to the Tang Clan.’

During the Tang Martial Arts Conference.

I had been traveling to attend it—

And Wi Seol-ah had hidden in a carriage just like this.

It was the exact same kind of carriage.

Feeling nostalgic, I glanced around the interior.

Not too cramped, but not spacious either.

How the hell did she even think of hiding in a place like this?

And more importantly—

‘Wasn’t she eating something too?’

Since it was a supply carriage, Wi Seol-ah had stuffed herself with food while hiding.

I remember how startled she was when she suddenly heard a noise back then.

Chomp. Chew.

‘Yeah, just like that sou—’

...Huh?

I frowned.

There was a sound coming from inside the carriage.

‘...What the hell?’

What was that noise?

I expanded my senses, but I couldn’t feel any living presence inside the carriage.

Chomp. Munch. Munch.

...Then what the hell was that?

I quickly moved closer and pulled back the cloth covering the entrance.

And then—

“Mmgh... Huh?”

“......”

I locked eyes with someone inside.

Someone who was eating their fill.

“Aah!”

The woman flinched in shock before speaking.

“I’ve been caught? That’s not good...”

“......”

My mouth fell open as I stared at her.

‘Mother...?’

Because it was a face I knew.

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