Chapter 484: Side Story 4 Baek Sang-ah’s Melancholy

……What did you just say?

Silence fell across the hall.

“No matter how close to estrangement you may be, Sang-ah, you are still officially a member of the clan, and matters of marriage and kin are matters between clans.”

The Southern Heaven Sword King calmly recited the facts.

Indeed, the overwhelming majority of marriages still occurred between clans, arranged by them.

There was a reason love marriages were still treated as disgraceful, passed off as idle tales.

“What happens if I refuse?”

“Well……”

The Southern Heaven Sword King trailed off.

“The problem with this proposal is that the Imperial Family is not in a position of strength right now.”

“……”

Baek Sang-ah easily grasped the meaning of those words.

Given the current state of the Imperial Family, it was all too understandable.

However, there was one thing she could not understand.

“Why me, and not the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”

The balance of power in the Central Plains was clear.

Given that, it would have been far more logical for the Imperial Family to reach out to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, not the Murim Alliance.

“Precisely because of that balance of power.”

That answer came from Baek Gongjin of the Heavenly Night Sword, who had come as the Southern Heaven Sword King’s escort.

“Right now, the Imperial Family is moving toward making the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult the state religion.”

“W-what?!”

Jegal Eun’s eyes widened in shock.

No matter how desperate things were, making it the state religion?

“Of course, the condition is that they must first reclaim Beijing from the rebels, but under the leadership of Lord Baek Cheong, they’re pushing forward aggressively.”

Currently, Beijing was still occupied by the rebels.

Naturally, since the current Imperial Family was backed by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the reclamation of Beijing was only a matter of time……

“If the balance of power tilts too far to one side……”

“Exactly.”

“And to counter that imbalance, you’re saying the Alliance Leader is to marry the Crown Prince?”

Even putting her relationship with So Cheon aside, there were far too many complications.

“The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult will never allow this.”

“Yes, based on the logic of power, they wouldn’t.”

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wasn’t foolish enough to silently watch the Imperial Family and the Murim Alliance form such a tie.

“But wouldn’t it be different if it’s about personal relationships?”

“……What do you mean by that?”

“If Sang-ah truly desires this marriage, then the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult…… no, ‘he’ will acknowledge it.”

“……!”

“Because you are friends.”

Baek Sang-ah’s expression blurred, while Jegal Eun’s face twisted.

He was right.

If Baek Sang-ah sincerely requested it, Jin Yeomyung would likely grant permission.

However—

“Do you think Unni would accept such a proposal?”

“That’s not for you or me to decide. It’s Sang-ah’s decision alone.”

The Southern Heaven Sword King stood up.

“Inside the envelope are gifts disguised as a dowry from the Imperial Family. I’ll say this again—this decision is entirely yours.”

Surprisingly, he did not try to persuade Baek Sang-ah.

He neither coaxed her with sweet words nor tried to sway her—he merely fulfilled his role as a messenger linking the Imperial Family and her.

“And…… the Crown Prince will personally visit Nakyang in the near future.”

“……!”

“Judge for yourself what kind of man he is. Lastly……”

The old man paused for a moment before continuing.

“Whatever your decision may be, the Namcheon Baek Clan will respect it.”

Main gate of the Murim Alliance in Nakyang.

Escorted by the vigilant warriors, the Southern Heaven Sword King stepped out through the gate and, as if on impulse, turned his gaze to the signboard of the Murim Alliance.

When he saw the plaque engraved in vigorous script that read “Murim Alliance of Justice and Evil,” memories of his own days as the Leader of the Justice Alliance came flooding back.

To be honest, although the orthodox and unorthodox factions were now united, the current Murim Alliance still had not surpassed the strength of the former Justice Alliance when it stood alone.

Too much blood had been spilled. Too many talents had perished.

However—

‘Their eyes are still alive.’

There was no sign of the characteristic lax atmosphere of an alliance.

Though the Murim Alliance may currently lack strength, it was firmly united around the person named Baek Sang-ah.

If about ten years were to pass from now, the Murim Alliance would undoubtedly become a true Alliance worthy of the name.

‘I……’

While the Southern Heaven Sword King was caught in an indescribable emotion toward the Murim Alliance—

“Will this really be alright?”

Baek Gongjin of the Heavenly Night Sword pulled him back from his thoughts.

“What are you saying?”

“It’s about Sang-ah. Things like the interests of the clan, or the gains and losses that come from marriage… I thought we could explain those more firmly…”

The Southern Heaven Sword King shook his head.

“Nonsense. That would only deepen her resentment.”

“But surely we can at least tell her that the main clan’s situation is dire?”

Baek Gongjin could not hide the sorrow in his voice, letting out a trace of bitterness.

“The Namcheon Baek Clan… is no longer the Southern and Northern Twin Baek Clans of the past. We’ve lost most of our former influence… Competing with the other Five Great Clans is now impossible…”

“Enough.”

That one word, as cold as frost, from the Southern Heaven Sword King silenced Baek Gongjin.

“As you said, during the last great migration of the demonic beasts, we exhausted all our strength defending Namchang.”

“……”

That day had indeed been an unavoidable catastrophe.

It was when demonic beasts across the Central Plains had begun moving toward Mount Tai.

Namchang happened to lie on the path of a group large enough to be called a massive horde.

At the time, Namchang was considered a metropolis rivaling even Nakyang in population. For the Namcheon Baek Clan, abandoning Namchang would have been no different from abandoning their foundation.

To abandon or to fight.

Faced with that fork in the road, they chose to fight—and in exchange for victory, lost over seventy percent of the clan’s strength.

It was a confidential matter not yet known to the outside world, as the information networks across the Central Plains remained paralyzed.

“Still, we are here, aren’t we? And Sang-ah is still standing.”

“……”

“Even though she showed hostility toward us, seeing her today, it seems she has not fully severed ties with the clan. That alone is enough. No matter how long it takes, Namcheon will shine again.”

“Clan Head……”

It might take decades to reclaim their former power.

Whether the Southern Heaven Sword King or Baek Gongjin would still be alive to witness that was uncertain.

But—

“Yes, you are right. That day will surely come.”

“Let’s go. We have much to do.”

“I’ve brought all the available information on the Crown Prince.”

“……”

“It’s from before the uprising, so there’s about a three-year gap… but I assume there haven’t been many changes since then.”

“……”

Seeing Baek Sang-ah lost in silent thought, Jegal Eun asked in a somewhat solemn tone.

“…You’re planning to refuse, aren’t you?”

“…I don’t know.”

Baek Sang-ah closed her eyes.

If she were still the Southern Lotus Sword Flower Baek Sang-ah, she could have answered without hesitation.

But now, she was the Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance, bearing the weight of tens of thousands of lives on her shoulders.

“If I reject this marriage, the Imperial Family will surely become the enemy of the Alliance. Not just any member of the royal family—this is the Crown Prince himself.”

“……”

Jegal Eun could not bring herself to agree with those words.

This was a matter tied to the authority of the Imperial Family.

For them, authority was power—something to be preserved at all costs.

Losing that authority meant a rapid descent into ruin.

“Kekeke! You don’t seem at ease.”

From behind Jegal Eun appeared the Hao Sect Leader, the White-Faced Fool.

True to his alias White-Faced (Baekmyeon), he currently took the form of a hunchbacked old man.

“The current Imperial Family has effectively already fallen.”

“……”

“That’s why rejecting the marriage won’t bring immediate consequences. More importantly… isn’t it true that the one who holds the Alliance Leader’s heart is none other than that Young Master So Cheon?”

“Sect Leader.”

Jegal Eun gave a warning glance at the direct remark, but the White-Faced Fool stuck his tongue out at her as if to say, ‘What? Why?’

“Young Master So Cheon is a direct descendant of the Divine Cult’s Six Great Clan, so the Imperial Family can’t exactly say anything. Right now, they can’t even hope to reclaim Beijing without the help of the Divine Cult.”

“That’s only true for the time being.”

“…Well, that’s also true.”

The White-Faced Fool shrugged.

“But still, it’ll be impossible for the Imperial Family and the empire to recover from this disaster within this generation.”

“……”

“Thirty years… no, maybe fifty? Only when the Crown Prince is nearing the age of an untimely death will the empire be restored.”

“Hmm……”

“What would there be to fear by then?”

“But when that time comes, our descendants…”

“That’s their concern. Why worry about it now?”

The White-Faced Fool’s words seemed entirely reasonable.

Jegal Eun placed a hand on her forehead.

“Haa… This damages the Crown Prince’s authority. And thirty or fifty years may sound distant, but how can we rest easy during that time, knowing the Imperial Emperor sees us as enemies?”

“Hmm……”

“If things turn extreme—what if the resentful Imperial Family throws its support behind the Demonic Faction just to destroy the Murim Alliance?”

Jegal Eun’s sharp remark left the White-Faced Fool speechless.

Even if such a possibility didn’t exist now while Jin Yeomyung remained well, no one could say for sure what might happen after a generation.

Baek Sang-ah rose from her seat.

“Whatever the case, I won’t be able to make a decision without meeting that Crown Prince in person.”

She asked.

“White-Faced Fool. What kind of man is the current Crown Prince?”

“Well……”

The White-Faced Fool’s expression subtly changed.

Had he been a mere wastrel, or an incompetent fool, it would have been far easier to respond.

They could have simply proposed stripping him of his status.

However—

“Potential of a wise ruler.”

“……”

“Extremely capable. Especially in the military—his support there is absolute. One reason the Imperial Family hasn’t lost hope even after Prince Yeongsa’s rebellion is because of the military forces that ardently support the Crown Prince.”

The White-Faced Fool clicked his tongue slightly.

“Honestly, the current Emperor isn’t incompetent either—he’s just unlucky. A man like that wouldn’t name a fool as Crown Prince unless he’d completely lost his mind.”

“That… makes sense.”

Jegal Eun nodded with a heavy tone.

“The very fact that he’s coming here himself to meet the Alliance Leader shows his caliber. Normally, those Imperial brats would demand you come to them, no matter who you were.”

Baek Sang-ah and Jegal Eun let out a deep sigh at the same time.

How could they possibly refuse the authority of the Imperial Family?

Ten Thousand Great Mountain.

Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

Creeeak!

At the very heart of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, the thick iron doors of the Audience Chamber swung open.

The Guardian Lions, handpicked to protect the Heavenly Demon, silently watched the entrant from the shadows.

The one who had come to stand before the Heavenly Demon—

While walking along the straight path, So Cheon suddenly turned his head sharply in one direction.

“Oh, long time no see, Brother Byeok.”

“……”

Gu Chil, who had been silently concealing his presence in the darkness, frowned at So Cheon’s abrupt action.

“I heard you were dragged off by the former Great Guardian and put through hellish training. Glad to see you’re doing well.”

As he said, Gu Chil was a newly appointed Guardian Lion, but had been acknowledged as a close aide to the Heavenly Demon and assigned directly under the Great Guardian.

Still, that was one thing, and this was another.

“…Keep moving.”

Grinding his teeth, Gu Chil gestured with his chin.

But So Cheon didn’t listen, instead giving a faint smile.

“Come on now. We’re practically family.”

“…This is the Royal Hall. No matter who you are, even you, So Cheon, further rudeness won’t be tole—”

Just then, a voice rang out from above.

“A Clan Head can get away with a little rudeness.”

“……!”

Gu Chil and the Guardian Lions immediately dropped to one knee.

“You’re here.”

“Yeah.”

So Cheon looked up at the throne and declared.

“I’m here to report. As of now, I am the Clan Head of the Hidden Shadow So Clan.”

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