The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 30

Namgoong Jipyeong, panting heavily, turned his head to look at the child who had approached him.

“Did you finish?”

“Yes... one thousand... I completed them all...”

“As expected, a thousand seems easy for you.”

“...Excuse me?”

Namgoong Jipyeong and the other warriors, still catching their breath, all stared in disbelief.

Could she not see how much they had struggled?

Didn’t they look like they were about to die?

She might be a child, but still!

“From now on, it would be better to place the weights on your backs. As it is, this doesn’t look like it’ll be effective in strengthening your tendons and bones.”

At her serious tone, the jaws of Namgoong Jipyeong and the other warriors dropped open.

“W–weights... on our backs? Fifty geun?”

Was... was that even possible?

“Attaching them to your arms and legs during push-ups doesn’t serve much purpose.”

Seolhwa addressed the warriors still sprawled across the training ground.

“Likewise, for horse stance training, attaching the weights to your legs is meaningless. You should place them directly on your thighs next time.”

The warriors gaped again.

They had managed to endure the torturous horse stance for two hours precisely because the leg weights helped anchor their balance. And now—what?

Remove the weights from their legs and stack them on their thighs?

“W–wouldn’t we ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) die from that...?”

One of them finally mustered the courage to protest.

“That’s not enough to kill you.”

Seolhwa did not back down.

Her expression was radiantly innocent as she said it, which somehow made it even worse.

She’s a demon.

I knew it from the moment she floored the squad leader.

She’s trying to kill us all!

I’m quitting...!

Yes. Quitting sounded like a better idea than having every muscle in their body torn apart and dying in agony.

The warriors, almost in unison, vowed they would not be coming back tomorrow.

But then—

“If you keep this up, you’ll all become Inner Hall warriors in no time.”

“...!”

“...!”

The warriors’ eyes lit up.

It was every Outer Hall warrior’s dream—to rise to the ranks of the Inner Hall.

To be called one of Namgoong’s elite, to learn martial arts passed down only within the Inner Hall, and to grow strong enough to make their name known across the martial world.

“Do you really mean we can become Inner Hall warriors just by doing this?”

She was only a child—but wasn’t she a guest of the Celestial Guest Courtyard?

Surely that meant she could be trusted.

“Of course. It’s more than possible.”

Without hesitation, Seolhwa nodded.

Their faces brightened further.

The warriors began talking excitedly, already acting as though they had become Inner Hall warriors.

Even during training, they kept asking Seolhwa for confirmation, and every time, she gave a firm nod.

With each confirmation, the warriors pushed themselves harder.

All except one—Squad Leader Namgoong Jipyeong.

****

After training, on the way back.

Tired, but now carrying a glimmer of hope, the warriors returned to their quarters with lightened expressions.

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As they left, Seolhwa remained behind and approached Namgoong Jipyeong, who had stayed until the end.

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll see you at the Red Dragon Formation’s training ground.”

Namgoong Jipyeong blinked in surprise.

“Our training ground?”

“Yes. I don’t think I’ll be staying here anymore.”

“You’re leaving...?”

“Not leaving. Just leaving the Celestial Guest Courtyard.”

As of today, her identity would be publicly declared. She would no longer be housed in the Celestial Guest Courtyard but moved into the Inner Hall residence.

And once that happened, she would no longer be able to use this training ground.

“Training needs consistency if you want results. That means we can’t afford to slack. Starting tomorrow, I’ll see you at the Red Dragon Formation’s grounds.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Please let the other warriors know as well.”

“...Yes.”

She had said all she needed to say and was about to turn to leave—but for some reason, Namgoong Jipyeong didn’t move.

He looked like he had something he wanted to say.

“If you have something to say, go ahead.”

At Seolhwa’s prompt, he hesitated a moment, then let out a quiet sigh.

“...It probably won’t happen.”

“What won’t?”

“Becoming Inner Hall warriors. No matter how strong we become, it’s likely we never will.”

Namgoong Jipyeong had debated for a long time whether or not to say it.

Part of him thought he shouldn’t—especially after seeing how motivated the squad had become at the mention of Inner Hall warriors. But...

The greater the hope, the deeper the despair.

He had to say it—for their sake in the future.

So they wouldn’t be misled by a master’s words into clinging to false dreams.

“Why not?”

The child asked innocently.

No matter how powerful a martial master she might be, in the end, she was still a child. It was natural that she wouldn’t know—perhaps even expected.

Namgoong Jipyeong calmly began to speak.

“I’ve spent more than ten years pursuing the dream of becoming an Inner Hall warrior. In the Outer Hall, I’m considered fairly accomplished.”

Seolhwa listened in silence.

“I was promoted to squad leader faster than most. I thought it wouldn’t be long before I was chosen for the Inner Hall.”

The peers who had passed the warrior selection test alongside him had all said the same thing: he would surely be promoted soon.

“When a junior less skilled than I was selected first, I thought there must have been some mistake. The second time, I believed I had grown complacent. The third time, I assumed I must have made some critical error.”

Perhaps there was a fundamental flaw in the posture of his swordsmanship. Perhaps he had misunderstood the internal formulas of their martial principles.

He tried to identify his weaknesses and correct them, throwing himself even harder into training.

But as the promotion exams repeated, he—and those who had once praised him—began to realize something else.

“Only after failing the promotion exam ten times did I come to understand. The reason I wasn’t advancing wasn’t due to my skill. I only realized it because someone had the nerve to say it aloud.”

Namgoong Jipyeong will never become an Inner Hall warrior, no matter how hard he tries.

Do you really think his turn will ever come?

His skill is too good to rot in the Outer Hall, but... what can he do? He has no backing.

Namgoong Jipyeong let out a helpless laugh, his expression one of resigned calm.

It was only after facing the truth of his situation that he finally found a bit of peace.

“I was just a frog in a well, unable to climb out.”

He had gazed up at the sky, trying to scale the well’s walls. But from the beginning, it had never been possible for him to escape on his own.

A frog is a frog. Unless someone reached in and pulled him out, he would never leave the well.

“That’s why... I hope you won’t give the others too much hope. Those kids haven’t been here long. They don’t yet understand how Namgoong really works.”

He scratched his head and let out an awkward laugh.

It felt a little ridiculous to be talking about clan politics and power struggles with a child.

“Things will be different now.”

“...Excuse me?”

“You have me.”

Namgoong Jipyeong blinked slowly, confused.

She was talking about clan politics—and yet she told him to believe in her, an outsider.

Yes, having a peak master oversee their training was a tremendous opportunity. But still—

Just because training got tougher doesn’t mean the power structure will change, or that we’ll suddenly become Inner Hall warriors...

Of course. She was still too young to understand.

She had always seemed so mature, he’d forgotten—this wasn’t a conversation a child should be expected to grasp.

Namgoong Jipyeong smiled gently, choosing to play along.

“Yes. I’ll give it my best.”

Seolhwa looked at him quietly.

“Then promise me one thing.”

“What would that be?”

“That you’ll never give up.”

No matter how hard it gets, even if it feels like you’ll never achieve anything.

“Promise me you’ll do your very best to the end.”

Her eyes were firm—too firm for a child.

There was not a hint of jest in her expression. And before that unwavering gaze, Namgoong Jipyeong could only nod.

“...Yes. I understand. If nothing else, that’s what I do best.”

He had done it for over ten years already. A few more wouldn’t hurt.

Just meeting a peak master and finding the drive he had lost was already something to be grateful for.

“I’ve wasted enough years. I should at least put in the effort now—so that if a chance ever does come, I’ll be ready to grab it.”

Seolhwa nodded.

“It will come. I’m sure it will.”

A chance. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change everything.

Some call it luck when someone seizes that chance and soars to greater heights.

But such a thing can never be obtained through luck or coincidence alone.

Those who aren’t prepared can’t even grasp the opportunities handed to them. Which is why, in truth, chance is merely the inevitability forged by one’s effort and ability.

Seolhwa looked at him—and smiled.

“I’ll help you.”

Inevitability smiled in his direction.