Chapter 79. Do you think it will help?
In the end, Sirius left with Hwanwang.
It would have been better to wait until morning and explain to Justitia and Andres before leaving, but time was of the essence.
It seemed like time would be tight if they didn’t want to be late for the Southern Union meeting.
So they left a short letter and set off right away.
“You’re the only man in the world who would leave on a sudden trip after leaving only one letter for his wife.”
“Your concern is unnecessary.”
“Are you just going to leave your subordinates alone?”
“I have already communicated our future plans.”
Now, the Cheonrang Sword Clan will be fully operational, using the Egret Workshop as their base.
The Retijud family has also agreed to fully support the Cheonrang Sword Clan.
With the Cheonrang Sword Clan and the Retijud family jointly engaging in治安activities, a new wind will blow through the southern region.
In the eastern region, there is already a治安maintenance force called the Black Tortoise Guards, in which several families participate.
The southern region will soon follow suit.
“Hwanwang, what’s the maximum speed you can reach with flight magic?”
“What?”
“Show me your top speed.”
Hwanwang frowned at Sirius’s words.
“You won’t be able to keep up with me.”
“Really?”
“You’re such an arrogant brat.”
Hwanwang drew upon the magic power of the 9th circle.
“Follow me if you can.”
BOOM!
Hwanwang soared into the southern sky.
It was a much faster speed than any flight magic Sirius had ever seen.
“Well then…”
Sirius also drew upon his internal energy.
The total amount of his current internal energy far exceeded 360 years.
He used his entire body to circulate his energy and spread his light body.
BAM!
He jumped with a sound that shook the ground.
He flew through the sky, cutting through the wind.
As his height began to decrease due to gravity, he kicked a nearby tree with his foot and jumped again.
He repeated this process, gradually increasing his speed.
“What the?!”
Hwanwang, who was flying ahead, turned around and widened his eyes.
Sirius, who had started late, had caught up to him in an instant.
Hwanwang continued to fly at a constant speed, but Sirius was repeatedly jumping, increasing his speed more and more.
And then… Sirius overtook Hwanwang.
“This bastard…!”
BOOM!
Enraged, Hwanwang increased his speed by one level, overtaking Sirius again.
Sirius checked Hwanwang’s side profile as he passed by with a loud noise and said,
“Your face is all flushed. You should take care of your skin.”
“Shut up!”
Despite the teasing, Sirius was impressed by Hwanwang’s stamina.
He had asked him to show him his top speed, but he still had some energy left.
Sirius also drew upon more of his internal energy.
He felt like he had to finish this today.
Light body or flight magic, which would win?
* * *
“I won.”
“Damn it…”
Hwanwang sat in a shabby neighborhood restaurant, breathing heavily.
They had raced each other, one leading and the other following, but in the end, Hwanwang reached his limit and landed on the ground.
No matter how great a 9th circle great mage he was, it seemed impossible to maintain flight magic for several hours.
“How can you use your leg strength to keep up with flight magic?”
“There is a technique, a technique…….”
Sirius ordered food while beating around the bush like that.
It was because it was almost time to eat breakfast.
After a while, coarse bread and soup came out, and Sirius and Hwanwang began to eat.
“Big brother.”
“Why do you keep calling me big brother?”
“Then, should I call you Hwanwang here?”
“Ugh…….”
There were many merchants who were having breakfast before going out to work.
There might be someone who had heard Hwanwang’s name, so it would cause a commotion if he kept mentioning it.
“Brother, have you never thought about getting married?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“You keep nagging me about why a married man like me suddenly left on a trip.”
“Marriage and stuff, a guy like me doesn’t make a family in the first place.”
Hwanwang said with a snort.
“It will only become a hindrance in life.”
“Do you think so?”
“Do you think family is helpful in life?”
“I…….”
Sirius was lost in thought for a moment.
Originally, Baek Murang did not have a family.
It could be said that he had a family since he became the son-in-law of Seomunse, but…… thinking about how his wife betrayed him and threw him away like trash, Hwanwang’s words seemed to be correct.
But what about now.
At least it doesn’t seem to be a hindrance in life.
In particular, Justitia is very helpful.
“Moreover, family can sometimes become a weakness. For guys like me, the more I cherish my family, the greater my weakness becomes.”
“…….”
“Why would a guy like that dream of marriage? Don’t talk nonsense.”
Looking at Hwanwang with a bitter expression, Sirius opened his mouth again.
“Brother, that part may not necessarily be true.”
“What do you mean?”
“There are many ruthless villains in the world who don’t care whether their family dies or not. For such people, family is not a weakness, but just a tool.”
“That’s…….”
“But it seems that brother thinks that if you have a family, you will become weak.”
Sirius took a bite of bread.
“That means that you have the humanity to cherish your family, brother.”
“…….”
Hwanwang’s expression hardened.
“Why are you talking about this? It’s ruining my appetite.”
“What about the head of the Strauss family?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Does the Lord of the Strauss family have humanity that cherishes family, or is he a being that transcends that?”
Hwanwang made a surprised expression.
“Humans originally have the nature to cherish those close to them. Protecting one’s own bloodline is probably a kind of instinct because even animals do it.”
“……”
“Many human actions stem from this nature.”
What Sirius is talking about now is the teachings of Confucianism, one of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Confucianism emphasizes benevolence.
This is based on the human nature of loving family.
That is why it teaches that the monarch should love the people like children, and the people should respect the monarch like parents.
Fighting against foreign invaders is also an extension of parents fighting to protect their children.
“However, sometimes there are those who are free from this nature.”
“Are you talking about the ruthless villains I mentioned earlier? Those who don’t care whether their family dies or not…”
“It’s possible to be like that even if you’re not a villain.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even if your family dies, or a stranger you don’t know dies… if you have a noble mentality that thinks it’s all the same, you’ll become like that.”
“……!”
Benevolence is discrimination.
Because the life of someone close to you is more precious than the life of someone distant.
If you come to the realization that this discrimination is wrong… that’s a kind of enlightenment.
“Looking back at history, there have been many people who have reached a very high level and gained this kind of enlightenment.”
“……”
“To such people, fighting desperately in the mundane world must seem like a futile thing.”
There were such beings in the martial arts world as well.
In contrast to the Demonic Path that had reached the extreme of darkness, there were those who had reached the extreme of light.
When the martial arts alliance fought against the Cheonma Divine Cult, they just watched from afar.
Thinking how truly futile it was, feeling sorry for them.
“Surely you’re not saying that the Lord of the Strauss family is such a person?”
“What do you think, elder brother?”
“I…”
Hwanwang closed his mouth and fell into thought.
He was recalling the memory of challenging the Lord of the Strauss family to a fight and being ignored.
“The soup will get cold. Let’s finish eating first and then think about it.”
“Talking about things that ruin my appetite since morning…”
Hwanwang muttered and picked up his spoon again.
Sirius also resumed eating without saying anything more.
“……”
Although it was said as if it were a passing remark, it was a very important matter to Sirius.
In his previous life, Baek Murang, the unrivaled warrior, had failed to get such beings to cooperate with the martial arts alliance.
He had to fight the ones who had reached the extreme of darkness, but he couldn’t get the ones who had reached the extreme of light to participate in the war.
In the end, we had to make enormous sacrifices in our fight against the Cheonma Divine Cult.
As the leader of the Murim Alliance, Baek Mu-rang had always regretted this fact.
He was determined to prevent such a thing from happening again in this life.
In order to create a true Murim Alliance on this land, he needed to include even those who thoughtlessly engaged in worldly battles.
That was why Sirius intended to have a proper conversation with the head of the Strauss family.
However, what if they refused to come down from their lofty heights and rejected any dialogue?
Even Baek Mu-rang, the Heavenly Wolf, had personally visited such people in his previous life to persuade them, only to be turned away at the gates.
Would the head of the Strauss family agree to talk to Sirius?
Sirius wondered about this.
* * *
After three days and nights of travel, Sirius and Hwanwang reached the Southern Sea.
“These vast seas are all part of the Strauss family’s territory.”
“I see.”
Sirius stretched as he looked out over the blue waters.
Just seeing the ocean made the journey worthwhile.
“The patriarch should be in the villa built on the cliff over there.”
“Let’s go.”
Sirius followed Hwanwang’s guidance towards the cliff.
“Should we enter through the main gate?”
“How did you do it last time?”
“Do you think someone like the Hwanwang of the Alliance would knock on the door and ask, ‘May I enter?'”
“We’ll just go in.”
They climbed over the wall and entered.
This time, Sirius took the lead.
He had a sense of where to go.
Their destination was the backyard, which was located right in front of the cliff.
There, a rocking chair was placed, and an old man with white hair was sitting in it.
“….”
The old man, sensing their presence, raised his head.
Then, looking at Hwanwang, he slowly opened his mouth.
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“Long time no see, Hwanwang.”
“Yes, it has been a long time… Shadien Strauss.”
Shadien Strauss.
The white-haired old man before his eyes was the head of the Strauss family.
Hwanwang stared at him with a tense expression, but Shadien’s expression was relaxed.
“Have you been well?”
“So-so.”
“I see. It’s been difficult to hear news of you, but it seems you’ve been quietly practicing magic.”
Shadien spoke as if he were addressing an old friend.
And then… he suddenly asked a question.
“Have you abandoned your obsession with the Poison King?”
“……?!”
Huanwang’s expression turned into one of bewilderment.
However, Shadien continued without heeding him.
“Deep in your heart, you still have lingering feelings for the Poison King. I advised you to cast them aside and become an existence that purely pursues magic, in order to break through the wall… but it seems you haven’t been able to do that yet.”
Upon hearing this, Sirius looked up at Huanwang’s face.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Shut up.”
Huanwang’s face turned red.
Sirius recalled the attitude Huanwang had displayed in front of Verdiant, the Poison King’s disciple.
He had grumbled about how he only ever had relationships with women who were as venomous as witches.
“As expected, even big brother has a heart that loves someone…”
“I told you to shut up!”
Huanwang’s face became even redder.
“Damn it, why do I have to come here and have this kind of conversation? I’m long past the age of youthful dalliances.”
“It might not be too late yet.”
“I said shut up, Sirius!”
As Huanwang said this, Shadien’s gaze turned towards Sirius.
“So, you are Sirius.”
Shadien gazed intently at Sirius’ face.
“Amazing.”
“What’s so amazing?”
“I can’t read your mind at all. How did you manage that?”
“…….”
“Don’t be offended. I’m not trying to pry into your mind. It just happens naturally like this.”
When one cultivates the Thousand Mile Divine Art, one also develops resistance to demonic techniques that can bewitch the mind.
That was why the Thousand Mile Monarch Bai Wulang was immune to techniques like the Heart Reading Technique.
The same was true now.
“It seems you research magic that affects the human psyche.”
“Not just the human psyche. Everything is the object of my research.”
“Have you researched enough?”
“Far from it. The fact that I’ve been stuck at the 9th Circle for decades is proof of that.”
Not everyone cultivates magic in order to become as strong as Huanwang.
There are also those who pursue the act of reaching higher realms as its own end.
“Sirius, I hear you’ll soon be attending the Southern Union’s meeting.”
“You’ve heard about that?”
“My ears are open. But I rarely interfere. I leave worldly matters to my children.”
“…….”
Worldly matters.
Sirius could tell what kind of disposition this old man had, just from that phrase alone.
Because such people existed in the martial arts community as well.
‘Yes, this old man is close to a hermit.’
That’s right.
Those who reached the extreme of darkness were the demonic cult.
Those who reached the extreme of light were hermits.
They were the ones who looked down on those who fought tooth and nail in the secular world, and practiced the Way only among themselves above the clouds, as if they were noble.
They were called grandiose aliases like Sword Hermit or whatever, but they didn’t even think about correcting the world with their power, the zenith of the righteous path.
Cheonrangmuje Baek Murang didn’t like such hermits.
Just as the demonic cult was of no help to the world, hermits were of no help to the world either.
They possessed immense power, but they didn’t go out into the world to save it.
No matter how much the Murim Alliance asked, they didn’t even bother.
They ignored Baek Murang, the Lord of the Murim Alliance, even when he visited them in person.
What about the old man in front of him now?
Was he a hermit who didn’t come down from the clouds even though the world was in chaos?
Or…….
“It seems like you intend to obtain the cooperation of several clans in the Southern Region, just like you did in the Eastern Region.”
“Do you oppose that?”
“I don’t like bloodshed. Even if they are wicked people.”
Shadien said in a calm voice.
“You are too depraved. You have shed too much blood.”
“…….”
“It’s both in line with the Strauss family’s principles and strangely inconsistent with what I think.”
After saying that.
Shadien turned his gaze towards the sea.
“Until recently, I thought that way.”
“Yes?”
“A few days ago, a letter arrived from Rootvein Rigel.”
Sirius was taken aback by this statement.
“You received a letter from your father-in-law?”
“Yes, we communicate by letter from time to time.”
Shadien said with a smile.
“Rootvein and I are both heads of the continent’s five great families.”
“Ah…….”
He had forgotten.
From the perspective of the heads of the continent’s five great families, Rootvein was equal to Shadien.
“He mostly talked about you.”
“He talked about me?”
“Yes, he said that you were a man who would create a new order that encompasses both white and black, without leaning to one side.”
“…….”
Rootvein had also doubted Sirius at first.
However, when Sirius himself expressed his intentions, he came to trust and support Sirius.
“I was also moved when I received that letter.”
“……!”
“I thought that at least I shouldn’t chase you out without even having a conversation with you.”
After saying that, Shadien stood up from the rocking chair.
“I will serve you tea, so come inside. I would like to hear about the ideal that you are pursuing.”
“…….”
“I will decide whether or not to cooperate with you after hearing your story.”
Shadien took the lead and entered the building.
Sirius opened his mouth as he watched his back.
“Your Highness, did you hear that?
Shadien was clearly a being like a sage above the clouds.
However, he says that he will come down from the clouds himself and talk to Sirius.
It was Sirius’s master, Rootvein, who made it happen.
It seemed that he had no choice but to admit it now.
“My family… seems to be helpful in life.”
The first impression was that Baek Moo-rang, the unrivaled swordsman, would only be thrown away.
However, the Rigel family… was the best ally for Sirius Canis Root.