Chapter 16
The top floor of the Shingeom Dogga main house was a space designed for the head of the family.
“Hmm.”
The head of the family, Doyeik, was there.
Despite being at the peak of all the lions, he did not neglect his training, even on the day of the banquet.
After swinging his sword vigorously, he washed his sweaty body.
And then…
“Refreshing.”
With a wet towel on his head and only a towel around his waist, Doyeik entered the sauna.
Phew.
He spent time in the scorching heat that an ordinary person could not bear, not even controlling his mana.
Even though sweat flowed endlessly, there was not a hint of disturbance in his breathing.
In that state…
“It seems everyone has gathered.”
Without spreading his sensory net, Doyeik expanded his senses to grasp the relatives in the main house.
Unlike ordinary people, handling mana and sensing the movements of those who had trained with swords since childhood was not a difficult task for him.
Soon, he withdrew his senses.
“Since everyone seems to be here, I should start preparing as well.”
The banquet will begin shortly.
Even though the troublesome offspring had arrived, as the head of the family, he couldn’t be late for the annual event because of his position.
At that moment, the head secretary arrived.
“Sir, the banquet is scheduled to begin shortly.”
“Yes, I know. I’ll be out in a moment.”
The head secretary relayed the message from outside the door.
Doyeik gripped the towel on his head and got up from his seat.
As he opened the door, the heat and steam from the sauna escaped.
“I will assist you in preparing.”
“Thank you.”
Even in that heat.
The secretary, wearing frost-covered glasses, gestured to the servants behind him.
The servants approached Doyeik and handed him his clothes.
Doyeik took the clothes and put them on.
Then, he asked the secretary.
“Did any issues arise with all the children gathered in one place?”
“There were no significant issues that required your attention, sir.”
“Is that so?”
“However….”
The chief secretary paused for a moment.
Doyeik remained silent, casting his gaze.
Soon, the chief secretary spoke up.
“I heard that the two young masters have engaged in a noticeable dispute.”
“A dispute? Nothing significant. So, who was it that fought with whom?”
“It was Do Beomjun, the Sub Lord, and Do Sangjun, the Regional Chief.”
“Sangjun?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Hmm….”
His fifth son, Do Sangjun.
A pitiful child who, despite his noble blood, had no talent and foolishly established a family with an ordinary person.
Upon hearing Do Sangjun’s name, Doyeik couldn’t help but find it unsurprising.
Due to going against the family’s wishes and marrying, Sangjun knew his place and lived a humble life.
Given his recent clash, it was inevitable that Doyeik would take an interest in his son’s quarrel.
“It seems that the dispute has reignited due to the confrontation between the two from last time.”
“Is that so.”
Soon, Doyeik understood.
As the head of the family, he couldn’t be unaware of the conflicts within the family.
He recalled a recent incident where Do Beomjun and Do Sangjun clashed over their children’s issues.
“The lad who used to live inconspicuously and quietly now shows such behavior due to his children’s problems getting entangled. So, what happened then?”
“Well….”
Even if Sangjun had initiated it, he couldn’t match Beomjun’s influence.
Doyeik asked, anticipating the answer.
However, the chief secretary’s response was completely different from what he had expected.
“By chance, when Do Seungwoo and Do Gyunwoo were about to engage in a duel, things shifted towards the parties resolving the issue themselves.”
“….”
“Do Beomjun set up the stage, took everyone present to witness the duel between the two young lords.”
“Oh, how did that happen?”
It was a completely unexpected turn of events.
Doyeik clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Sangjun is going to face a great humiliation.”
Considering the current trend.
With Beomjun and Seungwoo premeditating, Sangjun and Gyunwoo were set up for disgrace.
Sangjun fell into a trap.
Doyeik decided to no longer concern himself with the inevitable outcome.
If the chief secretary hadn’t spoken up immediately after.
“However, it is said that it was Do Gyunwoo who first proposed the duel.”
“What?”
“Do Gyenwoo has challenged Do Seungwoo to a duel.”
“….”
“After seeing Do Seungwoo, Do Gyenwoo….”
Do Gyenwoo proposed a duel.
Upon hearing the secretary’s words, Do Yeiik couldn’t help but doubt his ears.
“That kid… said that?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
Rabbit, Do Gyenwoo.
Once known as a promising figure in the family, he became the subject of contempt within the family due to his frail and timid nature.
Do Yeiik couldn’t believe that he had challenged Do Seungwoo to a duel.
‘What is he thinking?’
Do Yeiik got lost in his thoughts.
Curiosity soon followed the thoughts.
“If we go now, will we be able to see it?”
“Most likely, by the time Lord Gaju arrives, it will already be over.”
“Then we must go see the outcome.”
The outcome seemed predictable.
However, the curiosity arose as to what exactly led Do Gyenwoo to challenge Do Seungwoo.
Finally, Do Yeiik started to move his feet.
* * *
Any being is bound to reveal a vulnerability at the moment of attack.
That is the moment of the hunt.
I aimed for that moment….
“Grow well, it was nothing special.”
I pierced Do Seungwoo’s side.
The Suwangryu Defense Form 2 is fundamentally designed to defend against the opponent’s attack with equal or greater force, so if one does not properly assess the opponent’s skill, it cannot be used efficiently.
However, I could compensate for this flaw with the instinct to evade.
The instinct to evade helped regulate the distribution of power.
[Skill level has increased.]
[Instinct Control Lv 1 → 2]
The level of Instinct Control has increased.
As I brushed away the message that immediately popped up, I looked down at Do Seungwoo.
Do Seungwoo was lying on the ground, showing his back.
In a way, he seemed stuck.
“I didn’t intend for it to end like this….”
Seeing Do Seungwoo lying unconscious on the ground, I felt a sense of regret wash over me.
“I haven’t ruled out pretending it was a mistake and cutting off an arm or a leg… But even so, that was not a viable option. It was beyond what I could handle. Even if the Divine Sword School emphasized competition, our family was not so obsessed with it as to cause turmoil within the clan or, most importantly, disregard human life.
“So I had planned to delay and toy with him instead, but damn it. I lost control of my strength. It was all because in the heat of the moment, I let my emotions get the best of me.
“Could I really not suggest we start over? Should I try suggesting it when he wakes up?”
Do Seungwoo’s excited expression overlapped with the face of the person who had tormented me in the past. Just looking at that face made me angry. Unknowingly, I gripped the sword with excessive force in my hand.
And this was the result.
“Aren’t you going to get up?” I prodded the person lying on the ground with the tip of my foot. He didn’t even flinch.
Suddenly, fear crept in. “…Could he be dead?”
Though I had struck with the blade, there was still no assurance. A wrong strike could indeed be fatal. Moreover, this was the first time I had used a blade to knock someone unconscious. Naturally, fear consumed me.
“Hey, get up. Get up, quickly.” I tapped his body with the sword. Still, he didn’t regain consciousness, so I smacked his cheeks a few times.
“Don’t pretend to be dead.” Smack!
“Get up, quickly.” Smack!
“Don’t make me a murderer.” Smack!
“Seungwoo? Will you get up?” Smack!
“Ugh….”
Oh, there was a reaction. When Do Seungwoo’s cheeks turned red, he furrowed his brow. Only then could I finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Realizing that confirming he was breathing was all that mattered, I noticed how I had forgotten this simple fact in a moment of agitation.
That was when.
“Ah?”
Grabbing the back of his neck and lifting him halfway up, I soon realized that something was flowing from his lower body.
It was urine.
His lower garment was damp enough for anyone to notice, with puddles spreading on the ground.
Since the floor of the training ground was not dirt but a light yellowish color, it was vividly visible.
“Oh, he wet himself….”
Oops, did I say that too loudly?
I belatedly observed the reactions of the people who had been watching the training.
“….”
People were gaping.
Fainted, slapped, urinated – it was Doseungwoo who had wet himself, yet his face looked as if he himself had received the blow.
I looked at them and gulped.
“Looks like everyone saw it.”
Well, with a puddle this big, it’s impossible not to see.
Without the need for me to announce it, people had already seen it.
“Ew, disgusting.”
I instinctively stepped back.
Before I knew it, Doseungwoo’s urine had spread all the way to my feet.
“…At this rate, I might not be able to suggest another training session.”
In any case, Doseungwoo’s survival was confirmed.
I let go of his neck and decided to return to Yeeun.
Just then.
“hahahaha! Perhaps the training is already over, and there’s nothing left to watch?”
“….”
“Regardless of who won or lost, let’s encourage both as adults.”
Suddenly, the training ground door creaked open, and adults started pouring in.
Among them, I saw my father and mother.
“What’s going on?”
I watched them approach and tilted my head.
“Seungwoo, well done. Gyenwoo, keep in mind that you lost…?”
Gradually, they walked towards the training ground, looking at me and Doseungwoo.
“S-Seungwoo!”
“…!”
The eyes of the third elder, who was leading the people at the front, widened, and he let out a very surprised sound.
His face contorted severely.
“Oh, that’s what it was.”
I understood the situation and let go of Doseungwoo’s neck.
He collapsed once again.
After that, what happened was…
It was complete chaos.
“What on earth did you do to make the child end up like this!?”
“….”
Do Beomjun, Do Seungwoo’s father.
The third eldest uncle, who would often pick fights for no reason, was now flushed with anger, pacing back and forth.
Then he tried to corner me somehow to resolve the situation.
He was trying to invalidate the match by accusing me of using cowardly tactics.
“Hyung, what are you doing to the child right now! Are you out of your mind!? It was you who said not to interfere regardless of the outcome of the match! Don’t you remember!?”
“Step aside! Do Sangjun!”
Naturally, Father physically blocked the third eldest uncle from threatening or approaching me.
And then, a physical altercation ensued as a natural progression.
“Hey, calm down a bit, will you!?”
“You’re not moving from here!?”
“They say all the kids who were watching agreed that the match was fair!”
“Tch…! What do those young kids know, telling us to believe that!?”
Apart from not using fists, the two of them pushed and pulled each other, even rolling on the ground in a sudden burst of aggression.
‘…This is a complete mess.’
I had no choice but to silently watch the scene.
There was no way for me to intervene in the fight between the fathers.
Meanwhile…
Another fight broke out elsewhere.
“Fine, let’s say the match was fair! But what about hitting the child even after the match is over! What are we supposed to do about that!? Can’t you see the child’s swollen cheek!? That kid is a total thug!?”
“What? What did you say? Sir, please say it again. Did you just call my son a kid? A thug?”
“Don’t you dare hit our mother!”
My mother and Do Seungwoo’s mother.
Even the mothers got into a fight.
Both of them, eyes wide open as if refusing to back down, argued fiercely.
And when one mother grabbed the other by the hair, Yeeun stepped in.
‘Our mother is quite scary….’
It was strange to see my mother with a fierce expression and shouting.
When we were at the main house, my mother would bow her head and act meekly towards others, so I never expected to see her like this.
But leaving that aside…
“Hey! Do Beomjun! Are you my brother!?”
“What did this guy just say!?”
“That’s right! He called you a thug! Whether the child is from a lowly background or not!….”
“What about your son being no different? The kid seems to have inherited your traits, that’s why I always felt like giving him a good smack whenever I saw him, right? It’s okay, Gyunwoo! You did well!”
From Noble mtl dot com
It was a complete mess.
There was chaos like no other.
It was so confusing whether this place was a martial arts sanctuary or a martial arts market.
“How can we calm this situation?”
It seemed like the members of the clan had no intention of calming the situation.
Instead, they seemed to be enjoying the chaos.
It seemed like there was no hope of getting any help.
I let out a sigh.
And that’s when it happened.
“What’s going on here right now!”
Suddenly, a roar erupted, filling the training ground to the brim.
In the voice tinged with authority, there was a force that seemed to intimidate people.
“….”
After the roar subsided,
Everyone fell silent.
They all turned their heads in the direction where the sound came from, as if on cue.
I did the same.
“It’s a complete mess, no dignity at all.”
“….”
A tall old man was approaching.
The head of the Shin Sword Clan, the grandfather.
‘Why is the grandfather here?’
It wasn’t just me having that thought; probably everyone present was wondering the same.
However, the grandfather seemed to have no intention of answering our questions.
As soon as he approached us, the grandfather furrowed his brow.
“There’s chaos like no other, chaos. Are you all really from a prestigious clan, acting like this? I’m ashamed just looking at you.”