Chapter 6: Huh? isn’t that the captain?!

It’s been sixteen years since I reincarnated into this world.

What can I say?

It feels like a monumental day.

Like 2031 days without an accident…

[Congrats! Seo’s 192 months of martial world survival!]

It’s hard not to feel nostalgic.

Surviving sixteen years in a world lacking modern common sense and ethics.

‘So many crises.’

I once ignorantly approached a crazed lecher.

Lingered around a school to learn letters, nearly getting a harsh lesson.

The worst was when a black-path thug with a sword ravaged the village.

In contrast, the happiest moment was recently learning martial arts.

Anyway, even in this martial world where lives are treated like straw, I’ve felt joy, sorrow, and everything in between.

‘Today’s the most bewildering day of my life.’

Seo thought, watching Soso awkwardly avoid her gaze.

“S-Soso didn’t see anything.”

“Soso?”

“No, I didn’t see… anything…”

Seo felt a sudden headache.

Why did Soso pop up there?

And that formal tone?

‘Was I too careless…?’

From Soso’s attitude, she must’ve seen Seo thrash Danryang with inner energy.

Wanting to keep her martial arts training secret, Seo should’ve ensured Soso was asleep.

But pressured to master martial arts in a week, she hadn’t been cautious enough.

‘I formed a dantian… but Noya said to master martial arts.’

Though ignorant of martial arts, Seo knew sensing qi and forming a dantian were the basics.

Noya said to master martial arts, so she needed to reach at least the third stage of the book to confidently say, “I’ve mastered it!”

Like in math, knowing basic addition and subtraction doesn’t mean you’ve mastered the subject.

‘In novels from my past life, forming a dantian was hard…’

Seo didn’t believe it.

They were just novels, and she, talentless, formed one in a day.

She thought anyone could do it.

“Soso.”

“Y-Yes!”

Seo only called her name casually, but Soso tensed up, clearly misunderstanding something.

“I can explain. Don’t be scared.”

“N-No! I-It’s not… the Divine Maiden’s Hall… s-some organization… purging impure elements…”

Seo nearly smacked her forehead hearing Soso.

As a servant, you hear all sorts of rumors.

Though not as sociable as Soso, Seo’s past-life social skills let her get along with most servants, except Danryang and his cronies.

But where did Soso keep getting this info?

Even this Kyomakwan servant assignment, and now talk of purging impure elements in the Divine Maiden’s Hall?

Seo sighed.

“Sigh… Where do you hear these things?”

“Eek! I-I said something I shouldn’t… S-Sorry! Please spare me!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Soso seemed to think Seo would silence her for knowing her secret.

Revealing her own assumptions, panicking on her own.

A one-woman show, beating drums and gongs.

Seo approached Soso, arguing to clear the misunderstanding before it grew.

She mixed some lies, explaining why she sometimes vanished after work—to secretly study martial arts alone.

She added a plea to keep it secret.

Thankfully, Soso seemed somewhat reassured.

“Oh… That’s what happened…?”

“Just talk normally.”

“B-But…”

Soso was calmer but still couldn’t speak casually.

She probably thought Seo, having learned martial arts, was now a true disciple.

Seo sighed deeply and said.

“Learning a bit of martial arts doesn’t make me a true disciple.”

“R-Really…?”

“This stays a secret. Got it?”

Seo kept calming Soso, gently coaxing her back to the tent.

Morning came, and we boarded the carts, heading to Kyomakwan.

Seo worried Danryang might harbor foolish thoughts, but it seemed unfounded.

Danryang stared blankly into space, lost in thought.

‘He didn’t turn into an idiot, did he?’

Having never hit someone so hard, Seo felt a twinge of worry.

But seeing Danryang’s disheveled state, she overheard him tell onlookers:

‘I went to pee at dawn, tripped on a branch, and fell. Don’t worry…’

Thankfully, he wasn’t revealing last night’s truth, which was a relief.

‘Oh, we locked eyes.’

Danryang, meeting her gaze, quickly looked down, avoiding her.

It seemed she wouldn’t have to worry about trouble with him anymore.

When words don’t work, a bit of violence and sharp words do the trick.

Seo nodded, satisfied, and glanced at Soso.

Soso, still shaken from last night, remained stiff.

Seo asked.

“Soso.”

“Uh… Y-Yes? Yeah?”

“No idea what you’re worried about, but talk normally.”

“O-Okay…”

“Any rumors about Kyomakwan?”

Seo asked, knowing Soso’s knack for picking up gossip, partly to ease her tension and partly hoping for useful info or news about village kids.

“Uh… I heard this from Sister Jeomrye…”

Soso, as if waiting for the cue, started chattering like usual.

Like how Seo talked to Noya.

‘Does Noya see me the way I see Soso?’

Seo relaxed, watching Soso, who seemed younger as she babbled.

Soso’s stories continued.

Sadly, no useful info or news about the kids came up.

“Oh! Do you know who the headmaster of Kyomakwan is?”

“Something like Dark Cloud Scholar?”

A scholar trailed by dark clouds.

“Right, right! A supreme master, tipped to be one of the next Ten Demon Lords!”

“Isn’t it Ten Sacred Lords?”

Demon Lord is a Central Plains term, isn’t it?

“Come on! Does it matter? Demon Lord, Sacred Lord, same thing. Just listen!”

Soso was fully immersed in her story.

No longer the kid worrying about formal or casual speech.

Seo didn’t care much about Demon or Sacred Lords, so she nodded casually.

“Go on.”

“Anyway, the past ten years, tons of people flocked to Kyomakwan to become the headmaster’s disciple!”

“Oh… So the headmaster had no disciples. Then?”

Soso leaned close, whispering as if no one should hear.

“This… I heard the headmaster finally took a disciple!”

“Oh, really? Sure?”

“Not exactly.”

As Soso scratched her head awkwardly, Seo was about to comment when the cart stopped.

The head servant’s voice rang out.

“Everyone, quiet!”

Seo peeked out to check where we were.

We’d arrived at Kyomakwan’s gates.

Three instructors awaited us.

An older man, likely the head instructor, stepped forward and said.

“Who’s the head servant?”

We followed the three instructors into Kyomakwan.

Listening closely, they were exchanging typical talk.

How short-staffed the graduation ceremony preparations were.

How many people needed to be assigned here.

How high-ranking figures would attend, so do well.

Obvious stuff.

Seo scanned the surroundings, looking for familiar faces.

‘They wouldn’t forget me after just a year, right?’

She’d been so good to them in the village.

If they didn’t recognize her, fine, but ignoring her face-to-face would sting.

As a plain disciple, she couldn’t do much about it.

Passing the empty training grounds, a familiar voice called out.

“Hey? Isn’t that the Boss?!”

“Shut up! Why would the Boss be here?!”

Seo turned toward the voice.

Her eyes met a familiar pair of twins.

“No, idiot! Look over there!”

“There! Where! Call me an idiot again and… Wait, that’s really the Boss?”

‘They still remember me!’

Seo felt relief and joy, knowing her worries were baseless.

They couldn’t reunite face-to-face now, but knowing they were doing well meant they’d meet soon.

As Seo moved to walk on, the twins shouted.

“Boss!!!!”

‘Is… that okay?’

As Seo thought this, the head instructor, as if reading her mind, roared at the other instructors.

“Those… those brats again?! What are you doing?! Stop them!”

No way it was okay.

Seeing the troublemaking twins unchanged after so long, Seo felt relief and a familiar headache.