The Mo Yong Family’s former Family Head, Starry Heaven Sword Mo Yong Tae.

When I tried to recall information about him, I realized I did not know much.

To be honest, he was someone I had never once seen since I was born. He was also someone I had never paid much attention to.

There’s no need to be curious about him.

He had already stepped down from the position of Family Head and disappeared, and I had heard he was simply living at ease after retiring.

They said he did not even appear for commemorative events of the Mo Yong Family.

Which meant he was someone I did not need to know whether he was alive or dead.

If there was one thing I could think of that I knew about him—

He was the one who led the engagement.

He was the person who had led the engagement between me and Mo Yong Yeongsun.

At the same time, he had been called a friend of the Bang Family’s former Family Head. My grandfather.

That was all I knew. There was no need to know more.

The engagement was already over. I had no reason to meet the former Family Head, so I had never gone out of my way to be curious about him.

Why is he calling for me?

That Starry Heaven Sword was looking for me. Why? Even when the engagement had been broken off, the old man had not sought me out.

Nothing comes to mind.

I could not think of anything in particular. The closest thing was what Mo Yong Yeongsun had said.

My grandfather is a little unusual. He cherishes me excessively, so please don’t be too surprised.

He cherished her excessively.

A grandfather who treasured and loved his granddaughter. There was nothing strange about that.

And if he had come because he had a problem with the fact that I had made Mo Yong Yeongsun cry, like White King—

He should have come looking for me when the engagement was broken off.

It was not something he should be seeking me out for now.

What is this?

It was a mystery. Even as I rode in the carriage, it remained a mystery. So I gripped the sword at my waist and asked,

Do you know anything?

[About what?]

Asking the Heavenly Demon was the best option I had right now.

About the former Mo Yong Family Head.

Since I had no information, I asked the Heavenly Demon, who had been active in the past.

Then—

[Hmm. Mo Yong Tae.]

The Heavenly Demon sank into thought for a moment. That was a first. Seeing that man hesitate, I mean.

You do know him?

[Not in detail. A little.]

As far as I knew, the Mo Yong Family had not directly participated in the war against the Demonic Cult.

They had not refused to lend strength altogether, but they had apparently watched from slightly behind the lines.

Because of that, the Alliance had grown somewhat distant toward the Mo Yong Family, even though it was one of the Five Great Families.

Of course it did.

There were people who had risked their lives to help during the war. It made no sense to throw strength behind the Mo Yong Family instead.

The Mo Yong Family was surely aware of that too.

So I wondered whether the Heavenly Demon would really know much about someone who had not joined the front line.

[He was a strong martial artist.]

Hmm?

The Heavenly Demon’s evaluation was somewhat unexpected.

A strong martial artist.

The Heavenly Demon, who gave extremely harsh and sharp evaluations of others, said that much?

......He must really have been strong.

[Rather than strength as a martial artist, he was someone whose strength as a human deserved high regard. Of course, he was also decent as a martial artist.]

Oh.......

The more I listened, the better the evaluation became.

It was ridiculous to see it that way when the evaluation came from a devil of the Demonic Cult, though.

[He is not someone to be careless around. Simply watch him carefully.]

After saying that, the Heavenly Demon fell silent.

Just then—

[I know a little about the former Family Head too.]

This time, Dohyang cut in.

She knew? I did not answer. Unlike the Heavenly Demon, Dohyang could not read my inner thoughts.

[I investigated him a little. If we were going to operate in Liaoning, I still needed to know something.]

Was this from when the Sky-Crushing Palace investigated the Mo Yong Family in order to move around Liaoning?

[They say the former Family Head hasn’t appeared once in nearly twenty years. That’s actually a lie.]

Hm?

A lie? I listened closely to Dohyang.

I wondered if she meant he had simply come and gone from the county town or something like that, but apparently that was not it.

[Once. They said the former Family Head showed himself exactly once.]

As I began wondering when that had been—

[Was it winter about ten years ago? They said he appeared briefly then and went back again.]

Winter ten years ago?

My eyes narrowed. Briefly, ten years ago in winter......?

Had he just shown himself briefly? It did not sound like anything particularly impressive.

[They say there was a battle on the mountain then. An entire mountain disappeared as it was. They also say the Mo Yong Family covered it up so no rumors would spread—but from what we figured out, we believe it was the former Family Head’s doing.]

“.......”

He erased an entire mountain? Suddenly? The former Family Head, of all people?

Why?

Why did he do that? If Dohyang was right, it was strange. What could have happened that required erasing a mountain?

Ah. Wait.

But winter ten years ago?

The timing bothered me. Because—

That was.......

My gaze naturally turned to Mo Yong Yeongsun.

Wasn’t that the day the engagement was broken off?

The time when I broke off my engagement with Mo Yong Yeongsun.

That had also been winter ten years ago, if I remembered right.

“......What are you looking at?”

“......”

Mo Yong Yeongsun, who had been looking out the window, seemed to notice my gaze and spoke bluntly.

“......Nothing. It’s nothing.”

It had to be a coincidence.

It was probably just a coincidence.

I tried thinking that way, but as always, my bad premonitions had never once been wrong.

*****

The carriage stopped.

On a mountain. A mountain in Liaoning, managed by the Mo Yong Family.

As soon as we arrived, I sensed a fragrant scent.

At a glance, it was not an ordinary hill.

“This is......”

“Beautiful Fragrance Mountain. That’s what the family calls it.”

A mountain with a beautiful fragrance. What a direct name.

“The entire mountain is planted with medicinal herbs and flowers that carry a distinctive scent. Don’t touch anything by mistake. This is private land managed by my grandfather.”

“......I won’t touch it.”

With a mountain managed this carefully, anyone could tell not to touch anything.

Especially a mountain managed by the former Family Head? Absolutely not.

“My lady.”

Someone greeted us as soon as we got off. He was a middle-aged man wearing the martial uniform of the Mo Yong Family.

But—

He’s strong.

I felt it the moment I saw him. He was a master. My instincts told me that.

“......It’s been a long time, Guard Ju.”

“You must be tired from the long journey.”

“Where is Grandfather?”

“He is at the summit.”

“I’ll go up now.”

“Understood. I will guide you.”

The man spoke and bowed his head. At that moment—

......Hm?

I felt his gaze on me, sharp and cutting. It was obvious he did not like me.

“Let us go.”

It was only for a moment, but I definitely felt it.

The man called Guard Ju went ahead and climbed the mountain. Mo Yong Yeongsun and I followed behind him.

The mountain was neither rough nor difficult to climb.

The path was well maintained too.

“Thank you for your work.”

“Not at all, sir......”

We saw people managing the mountain everywhere along the path.

“Who are they?”

“Herb gatherers hired by the Mo Yong Family.”

“Herb gatherers?”

“Yes. Though rather than plucking herbs, they plant and manage them.”

That seemed to be the case.

They were taking things out from cloths at their waists, planting them, or removing useless weeds.

There are quite a few of them.

There were a lot of them. They seemed serious about the mountain.

No wonder.

A mountain shouldn’t be able to smell like this.

It was full not of natural scents, but of medicinal herbs and other fragrant smells.

Was it like this because they managed it with that many people? I looked around in fascination.

Why go this far?

Why deliberately cover a mountain with medicinal herbs and certain flowers? It was strange.

“Thank you for your work.”

“Not at all, sir.”

We kept climbing the mountain. The higher we went toward the summit, the fewer herb gatherers there were.

The scent of medicinal herbs also began to fade. By the time the fragrance I had felt below had thinned somewhat—

“Thank you for your work.”

When Guard Ju spoke again—

“Not at all.”

An old man planting herbs answered.

“......”

I stopped walking as I looked at him.

“What are you doing?”

Mo Yong Yeongsun, who had gone ahead, spoke to me. I scratched my cheek. What should I do?

I hesitated briefly.

It was only an instant. I could not drag it out.

In the end, I chose.

“Greetings.”

I greeted the old man, whose back was still turned as he dug up herbs.

“I am Bang Seongyeon of the Bang Family. I greet the former master of the Mo Yong Family.”

“......”

At my words, Mo Yong Yeongsun and Guard Ju both froze.

“......”

Then the old man, who had been moving his hoe while digging up herbs, stopped.

“What is this?”

He straightened up.

Once that contracted body revealed itself, it was, first of all, not a body that could be called an herb gatherer’s.

On top of that, he was tall. And when I saw his face, it was obvious.

He resembled White King.

Cold eyes. An old man whose very atmosphere felt chilled. That was him.

......Mo Yong Tae.

The former Family Head of the Mo Yong Family. That was the identity of the old man who had been digging herbs.

In that instant—

GRAB!

“......!”

The old man’s hand seized me by the collar.

“Grandfather......!!”

Mo Yong Yeongsun hurried toward him at that action.

“Why, why are you doing this......!”

“Stay still.”

Mo Yong Tae spoke while looking at me. His gaze was fierce. His energy was so strong my insides felt as if they were roiling.

“You. How did you know?”

“......Cough.”

I pushed back his energy. The pressure was no joke.

“Explain. How did you recognize me?”

“......It was simple.”

The reason was not that great.

“There were four reasons in total.”

“Four?”

“Yes. First, there were too few herb gatherers as we got closer to the summit......”

The altitude rose, and the path grew steeper as we climbed. For herb gatherers who had not learned martial arts, it was a fairly difficult terrain to travel.

“Second...... you did not turn around when Guard Ju greeted you.”

Guard Ju was a martial artist and guard of the Mo Yong Family. Every herb gatherer had shown proper respect when he greeted them first.

But this old man had not. He had received the greeting, but he had not turned around to show his face.

Could someone do that no matter how busy he was? I did not think so.

And third.

“The herbs you are holding are too expensive.”

“What?”

My eyes went to Mo Yong Tae’s waist. The herbs in the cloth there. Several seeds and grasses were arranged inside.

“That herb is White Immortal Herb, isn’t it?”

“......”

White Immortal Herb. I knew that herb. It was none other than something Mo Yong Yeongsun had often sent.

She had sent it to my father and the Head Steward, saying it was good for their health.

They had drunk so much of it that I remembered both its scent and appearance.

“As far as I know, it is not cheap. I also doubt they would have an ordinary herb gatherer handle it...... and lastly.”

My eyes met Mo Yong Tae’s straight on.

“Your energy was far too strong for an herb gatherer.”

“Ha!”

Mo Yong Tae laughed when he heard that.

“......What an arrogant brat.”

At that laugh, a bad feeling flashed through me.

“You look just like that damned bastard. Because you’re his grandson after all, is that it?”

Ah, damn it.

When I heard him, I realized. His words were full of resentment and anger.

I had mistaken one thing.

Why—

If I thought of White King and Father, it was something I could have known easily.

......did I assume they were friends?

Apparently—

The former Family Head and my grandfather had not gotten along either.

These fucking Bang-blooded bastards.