Published at 27th of August 2026 7:14 pm

Chapter CH.1104: The World of Ascension (34)

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Drip.

As she wrung out my clothes with her pale hands, blood-soaked water poured down. It must have absorbed quite a lot of liquid because the amount streaming out was no joke.

And as for what she was holding...

'That’s a flail.'

A weapon made of an iron ball with spikes, connected by a chain. Just from a glance, it was clear how it was meant to be used.

'That woman is using that?'

The fact that the one wielding it was none other than a delicate-looking woman was rather unusual. It wasn’t the kind of weapon commonly used by someone like her.

Whoosh—! Whoosh, whoosh—!

The woman stopped wringing her clothes, swung the flail a few times, and then rested it against her shoulder.

Then—

"Phew! That’s better."

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, looking satisfied.

"......"

To an outsider, it might have seemed like a carefree moment, but the fact that she was covered head to toe in monster blood left me at a loss for words.

At that moment—

"...Lady Hyun?"

From behind, Namgung Jin spoke in a startled voice. As soon as he did, the woman holding the flail turned her gaze toward him.

"Ah. There you are."

The way she smiled at him sent an involuntary chill down my spine.

"What... How are you here, Lady Hyun...?"

Namgung Jin was just as shocked. He stared at the woman, called Lady Hyun, with widened eyes.

'They know each other.'

That much was obvious. Even more than that—

'They look exactly alike.'

The woman I knew—Namgung Bi-ah—and this woman standing before us looked almost identical.

How could they resemble each other so much? As that thought crossed my mind—

"Sword Dragon."

A low voice swallowed up the surroundings. When Gu Cheolwoon spoke, the atmosphere instantly froze over.

"Explain. Who is she?"

"......"

All eyes turned to Sword Dragon. He glanced at Mi Horan briefly, then kept his mouth shut, unable to speak.

In that delicate silence—

"She’s my fiancée."

The answer didn’t come from Namgung Jin. It came from the woman herself.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Everyone reacted in surprise. But no one was as shocked as I was.

'Fiancée?'

I stared at the woman with wide eyes.

Fiancée?

'And she looks exactly like Namgung Bi-ah?'

Ah. I see.

At that moment, I understood exactly who she was.

'That woman...'

She was none other than the future mother of Namgung Bi-ah.

I became certain of it as I watched her smiling face.

*******

Hyun Soyeon.

Age: Twenty-two.

Daughter of the Seonho Trading Company, a renowned merchant group in Anhui.

She was half a head shorter than the Namgung Bi-ah I knew, but aside from that, their appearance was nearly identical.

'How is that even possible?'

Except for her height and hair color, everything was the same.

Looking at her, it was impossible not to recognize her as the woman who would one day become Namgung Bi-ah’s mother.

The problem was—

'...What do I even know about her?'

The truth was, I didn’t know much about Hyun Soyeon.

I hadn’t heard much about her, and as far as I was aware, she was already dead in the present timeline.

The only vague details I could recall were:

'The daughter of the most powerful trading company in Anhui.'

And because of that, she was engaged to the Namgung family. That was about all I knew.

'But.'

I never expected to run into her here.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Hyun Soyeon."

Crackle.

Snap.

The fire crackled gently as we sat around it. This wasn’t an ideal location for setting up camp, but the sudden appearance of an unexpected figure had forced our group to pause.

"I never thought I’d get to meet such esteemed individuals."

She smiled brightly as she spoke. The warmth of her smile seemed to light up the surroundings.

'...Wow.'

She looked exactly like Namgung Bi-ah, yet she smiled so naturally. I found myself staring at her in fascination—

Tap, tap.

Someone nudged me from the side. When I turned, it was Soi.

"Don’t stare so rudely."

Had I been staring too intensely? I nodded at her silent scolding.

"I was wandering a bit, trying to find the right path, but then—wouldn’t you know it? Some monsters appeared out of nowhere! I was in serious trouble. It was a stroke of luck that I ran into you all."

"......"

"......"

No one responded.

In trouble?

'Lies.'

Even just from watching her swing that flail or sensing the bloodlust radiating from her, it was clear.

'She’s at least first-class.'

Maybe even at the peak level. Considering she was a merchant’s daughter, her level of martial prowess was shockingly high.

At the very least, she wasn’t someone who could be taken down by mere Green-ranked monsters.

Then—

"Soyeon..."

Someone called her name.

It was Mi Horan.

Hyun Soyeon’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at her.

"Oh my, unni! How wonderful to see you here!"

They knew each other.

Well, of course.

'They’re both daughters of merchant families.'

Whether it was Baekhwa Trading Company or Seonho Trading Company, they were both famous trading groups. It wouldn’t be strange for their direct heirs to know each other.

"What brings you here...?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, like I just said...."

Hyun Soyeon pointed at someone.

At Namgung Jin.

"I came to find my fiancé. He’s been taking too long."

"Wait..."

Namgung Jin’s face twisted in frustration.

"How could you come here while I’m on a mission? I clearly sent word that I was at the Martial Alliance."

His exasperated remark made Hyun Soyeon click her tongue.

"Oh, please."

'Huh?'

I thought I misheard.

What did she just say...?

"You were the one who told me to return home and wait if I wanted to see you. And now you're backing out? Namgung Jin, are you insane?"

Ah. I didn’t mishear.

Hyun Soyeon—

'She’s feisty.'

Unlike Namgung Bi-ah, she had an incredibly bold personality.

"I told you I couldn’t go because I was at the Martial Alliance, but you kept insisting I come. So I told ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you—if you wanted, you could just wait for me."

"And I did wait. So what’s the problem? I even came out to meet you halfway. Shouldn’t you be grateful at this point?"

"You’re seriously saying that...?"

"You were the one who decided to suddenly join the Martial Alliance, despite already having an engagement set."

"......"

Namgung Jin shut his mouth.

Clearly, he was at fault here.

"Thanks to you, both the Namgung Family Head and my father suffered."

"......"

"And now? You say you have grand ambitions to fulfill at the Martial Alliance, so you can’t go back? Namgung Jin. Are you out of your mind?"

"......"

Judging by the way she kept reprimanding him, this definitely wasn’t the first time she’d put him in his place.

"And the worst part?"

She glanced at Mi Horan.

"The reason for all of this is even more irritating. Do you get that?"

"......"

Namgung Jin averted his gaze. It was clear he had no way to argue back.

"...Phew."

Even though she had more to say, Hyun Soyeon kept it to herself.

Then, she turned toward the highest-ranked person present—Gu Cheolwoon.

"Divine Dragon."

"Speak."

Father stared only at the bonfire before him.

"It seems her identity has been confirmed. If it’s not a problem, may she accompany us? You’re heading to the Namgung family, aren’t you? I left in a hurry and didn’t bring any supplies."

At Hyun Soyeon's words, Father turned to look at her. Seeing his gaze, she momentarily hesitated.

But she quickly composed herself and continued speaking.

"I will compensate you once we arrive."

"That will be fine."

"What—!"

At Father’s decision, Namgung Jin shot to his feet.

"Gu Cheolwoon! What do you mean—"

Namgung Jin spoke in a sharp, irritated tone, but at that moment, a suffocating aura erupted from Father’s body.

Kwaaaa—!

"Kuhk!?"

Namgung Jin let out a choked gasp, completely suppressed by the force.

"Address me properly, Namgung Jin."

"Grrghhh...!"

The suffocating energy pressed down on his throat, making Namgung Jin tremble violently before he barely managed to force out his words.

"Vice... Lord...!"

At those words—Thud!—the pressure instantly dissipated, causing Namgung Jin to stumble.

"Cough! Cough...!"

He clutched at his throat, coughing and gasping for air. But Father didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he turned his attention back to Hyun Soyeon.

"Since we are heading in the same direction and you will provide proper compensation, there should be no problem."

"I appreciate your generosity."

Though she tried to sound composed, Hyun Soyeon looked visibly shaken. She hadn’t expected Namgung Jin to be subdued so effortlessly.

...So.

'That means this woman is coming with us to the Namgung family.'

Since Father had already made his decision, that was how it would be.

It was shaping up to be a very peculiar journey.

As I thought about that, I found myself quietly watching Hyun Soyeon.

"......!"

Suddenly, our eyes met. It was only for a brief moment.

Then, Hyun Soyeon smiled at me.

It was a natural, radiant smile.

A fleeting exchange of glances and expressions. Watching her, I had a thought.

'It suits her.'

That kind of smile—it suited Namgung Bi-ah, too.

That thought settled in my mind.

*******

Time passed.

Life in the carriage wasn’t particularly eventful. We were still heading toward the Namgung family.

It wasn’t too long a journey—at most, a day’s travel—so I thought I could endure it.

'Damn it.'

The already cramped space had become even tighter.

And the reason was obvious.

"...Could you not come any closer?"

"It’s too small in here for that. Just endure it, Namgung Jin."

Hyun Soyeon had joined us in the carriage.

Mi Horan had placed her in our carriage instead of her own.

Her reasoning? "Since her fiancé is here, it should be fine, shouldn’t it?" And Hyun Soyeon had readily agreed.

As for Namgung Jin, he had shouted in protest—only to be blatantly ignored.

Which meant the ones suffering from discomfort were us.

'Ah, damn it.'

This was frustrating.

How much longer would I have to endure this?

As I was pondering that—

"We have arrived."

The coachman’s voice called out.

Hearing that, I let out a sigh of relief.

'We’re here.'

Anhuiseong.

The place where the Namgung family resided.

Just as I was about to fully relax, relieved that we had finally arrived—

"Huh?"

The coachman suddenly sounded flustered.

"A-Ahead! The Family Head is approaching!"

"Hmm?"

At those words, everyone in the carriage widened their eyes.

"What...!?"

Namgung Jin’s face instantly turned pale.

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