“The reason I went to Bukcheon Palace last night… was because I wanted to see the Asura Sword before the offering ceremony. If I miss this opportunity, I won’t be able to see the Asura Sword until I become the young sect leader, and if I can’t become the young sect leader, even that will be difficult.”

Asura Sword.

The sword that is only allowed to humans chosen by the gods.

Perhaps Ja Ryong wanted to create some kind of intense prophecy by holding the Asura Sword.

He wanted to lay the groundwork for the idea that one day he would become the young sect leader, and further inherit the name of Cheon Ma to become the true owner of the Asura Sword.

“If it is my sin that I insulted Jeok Gun Ak because I went too far with that desire, then so be it.”

When the name Jeok Gun Ak came up, Na Rin’s eyebrows twitched upward.

“So did you fight?”

“No. At that time, he seemed to back down obediently. But after entering Sujeongtap, his attitude seemed to change.”

“Sujeongtap?”

“It’s where the Asura Sword is kept. It’s a place considered sacred by Bukcheon Palace.”

Ja Ryong described to Na Rin in detail how the Asura Sword was stored inside Sujeongtap.

He said the Asura Sword was stuck in the middle of a garden, half of which was a white salt hill and the other half a mercury pond.

‘They stored it so carelessly.’

Na Rin made a sullen expression. How did I obtain that sword for them to just stick it in a pile of salt?

“As soon as I held the Asura Sword, Jeok Gun Ak called me…”

Ja Ryong pressed his lips as if in pain, then continued with difficulty.

“…a traitor.”

It was such a terrible word.

What made Ja Ryong even more distressed was the fact that there were plenty of histories where the eldest son, coveting his father’s position, dared to go against the laws of nature and tried to stain the throne with blood.

‘Not even once. Not even once did I ever have such a disrespectful thought, even in my dreams!’

Now, the modifier ‘traitor’ will be attached to the name Dokgo Ja Ryong.

Even a hundred years later, even a thousand years later.

“Oh please. He harbors traitorous thoughts himself and then goes around catching innocent people and causing a fuss? They say you only see what’s in your own eyes, and there’s not a single old saying that’s wrong. Right?”

Ja Ryong was a little taken aback by Na Rin’s blunt response.

“Doesn’t it bother you? I was called a traitor!”

“Originally, if you live long enough, you hear all sorts of things. If you’re scared of that, you can’t do anything. Let them talk! If you cut out their tongues, that’s the end of it! It’s more comfortable to think this way.”

Ja Ryong was gripped by a shock that felt like his head had been hit with an iron hammer.

Weren’t those words a complete denial of Ja Ryong’s life, spent relying on other people’s evaluations and working hard to manage his reputation?

“But, but…”

“Elder brother, are you a traitor?”

“How could that be!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Is that so? Is that how it works?

Ja Ryong stuttered, unable to say anything, confused as if the values he had believed in and lived by until now were being beaten.

“Did you fight because he called you a traitor?”

“No, not exactly because of that, but Jeok Gun Ak attacked me first with Hyeonmu-dae. At first, I managed to deal with it somehow, but as time went on, he kept tightening the noose like a mouse in a trap, so I was occupied with running away.”

Na Rin nodded as if she understood.

“I know. That feeling is really unpleasant. So what about the Asura Sword?”

“I think I put it down somewhere and fought… To be honest, I don’t remember the location, but I swear I didn’t take it and run away. Believe me.”

“Of course. If you had fought with the Asura Sword, you wouldn’t have lost.”

Ja Ryong’s eyes widened a little in surprise at Na Rin’s words, but soon thought that it could be possible.

Na Rin was the one who came to find the Asura Sword.

She would be the person who knows the most about the Asura Sword.

“Then the Asura Sword is still-”

Thud!

-What is all this? Hey, Mr. Hwang! Mr. Park!

It seemed to be time for the prison guards to change shifts. Na Rin hurriedly reduced her presence and hid her figure in the shadows.

The prison guard who came running, out of breath, sighed with relief as if he had endured ten years of hardship when he saw Ja Ryong sitting obediently inside the cell.

“You were here. What a relief.”

“Did you think this noble one would escape like a rat?”

Ja Ryong took an arrogant attitude from the beginning and snorted. He was worried that the prison guards would check if there was an intruder and discover Na Rin’s presence.

The prison guards waved their hands in denial.

“No. How could that be possible?”

“If you understand, I would appreciate it if you could give me some space. I was in the middle of meditating.”

Meditating while trapped in a prison cell, if it were true, he would be an extraordinary figure.

That’s when it happened.

“I’m very sorry to interrupt your meditation, but.”

Behind the flustered prison guard, a man walked in leisurely.

“…!”

Both Na Rin and Ja Ryong. It was a face they knew well.

A giant with fiery red hair, gray skin, and dark green eyes.

The Northern Lion, Bisa Muncheon, Jeok Gun Ak.

“How dare you come here!”

“This humble one is just doing his job. Have you forgotten that Hyeonmudae is in charge of the investigation?”

“So what? Are you going to torture the descendants of Cheon Ma with those filthy fingertips?”

“If necessary, I will have to.”

Jeok Gun Ak smiled brightly.

“But there will be no need for that. The Asura Sword was found in Ja Ryong-jeon.”

“What did you say?”

Jeok Gun Ak closely observed Ja Ryong’s eyes shaking violently, as if he had come to the prison just to see this, and raised the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t make me laugh! That’s impossible! Why would it be there!”

Kwang!

The sound of Ja Ryong grabbing and shaking the iron bars resounded through the prison.

As if to let them know that this place was like a sealed cave.

“I thought I should at least inform you first. The trial will take place after the offering ceremony, before sunset. It would be disrespectful to shed blood from the beginning of the new year, wouldn’t it?”

“This…! No! It wasn’t me! It wasn’t!”

Leaving behind Ja Ryong, who was shouting like a beast, Jeok Gun Ak left the prison again.

The sound of his dragging laughter grated on the ears to the very end, like a chain scraping against the iron floor.

‘The Asura Sword was found in Ja Ryong-jeon?’

Na Rin, who had discovered a questionable point in the conversation between Jeok Gun Ak and Ja Ryong, tilted her head while crossing her arms in the shadows.

Ja Ryong had clearly said that he left the Asura Sword in Bukcheon Palace. If he wasn’t deliberately deceiving Na Rin, there’s no way he could have had such a misconception.

“It seems like you’ve fallen into a proper trap.”

“…”

The prison was empty, with Jeok Gun Ak and the guards all gone.

Ja Ryong was sitting in despair, as if he had lost all hope.

“Elder brother?”

“…”

This won’t do.

Na Rin clicked her tongue. It was unfortunate, but there was no way for Na Rin to help him right now. There were no more clues to be gained from Ja Ryong, so it would be best to leave at this point.

“Elder brother. Your youngest sibling will work hard to uncover the truth. You can’t give up until the end. Understand?”

There was no answer.

Na Rin silently left the prison and hurried to the Jewang Hall where the New Year’s ceremony was being held.

Although Yuri could ride in the flower palanquin and smile while passing through Yeongmyeong-jiro, Na Rin couldn’t entrust the task of performing the ceremony as the New Year’s shaman to someone else.

‘This is when I should use my internal energy.’

When Na Rin drew upon her internal energy, a gentle wind blew and a bright pink light radiated from her body.

Feeling liberated for the first time in a while, Na Rin’s mood became refreshed. She lightly kicked the ground and jumped up to the roof in one go, running like a bird from a height that others couldn’t see.

For half a moment, the flow of the bright pink energy trailed behind Na Rin like the tail of a comet.

Na Rin literally arrived at Jewang Hall in an instant.

“I’m here!”

“Na Rin!”

“You arrived just in time. Hurry and change your clothes!”

Na Rin, who had changed clothes with Yuri as quickly as roasting beans in a flash of lightning, was standing in front of the door behind the altar the next moment. Originally, she would have prepared slowly and steadily with more leisure.

‘This is all because of that Jeok Gun Ak.’

If Jeok Gun Ak hadn’t trapped Ja Ryong, the Asura Sword wouldn’t have gone missing, and if that were the case, Na Rin would have been here at this moment, having eaten heartily, taken a leisurely nap, and sufficiently stretched her body.

The only fortunate thing was that she had somewhat stretched her body on the way here.

-Bring forth the shaman who will brighten the new year~!

Upon hearing that shout from outside, the doors in front of Na Rin opened to either side.

The sight of people densely surrounding the tall altar could be seen.

‘Alright. Just do it as prepared.’

Dung! Dung!

With the sound of drums, Na Rin began to run vigorously.

“In the season of late winter!”

Chuk! Chukchuk! Hwoong!

The sleeves of Na Rin’s clothes, infused with internal energy, created a wind that blew the audience’s hair.

“May the energy and weather be ever healthy!”

Whirling! When Na Rin spun around where she stood, a rumbling sound arose from the ground. At this, people were busy looking at each other’s faces, wondering what was happening and feeling afraid.

“May the jade body be secure in brocade! We look up and pray!”

Finally, Na Rin’s body spectacularly leaped into the air, spun around, and landed on the altar.

Kwaaang!

“…”

“…”

People later recalled it this way.

Like a flame, like a shooting star.

A prodigy emitting a bright pink light descended upon the altar like a comet.

“If the goal was to attract attention, you succeeded brilliantly. Everyone is talking about you, neglecting other events.”

“Hehe.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

Gong Son Wu rubbed his temples as if his head ached.

It was a relief that it ended safely, but how much had his heart raced until the very last moment?

‘And there are two more of these left.’

He could only hope that the Magongnyeo appointment ceremony and the Asura Sword offering ceremony would pass quietly.

“By the way, did you gain anything from going to the prison?”

“More or less. It doesn’t seem like elder brother Ja Ryong is the culprit.”

“I knew it would be like that.”

“But they said the Asura Sword was found in Ja Ryong-jeon.”

“What? How!”

“I don’t know. Since Jeok Gun Ak said so, I guess that’s how it is.”

“Jeok Gun Ak came?”

Na Rin unfolded the events that had occurred in the prison one by one.

“He’s a crafty one.”

Gong Son Wu let out a sigh filled with regret.

From the beginning, it was clear even without confirmation that it was a trap set by Jeok Gun Ak. However, now that the Asura Sword had been found in Ja Ryong-jeon, proving Ja Ryong’s innocence had become difficult.

“But Dabbu. Who could have really stolen it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. It’s not like the Asura Sword has feet. If something that was in Bukcheon Palace was found in Ja Ryong-jeon, doesn’t that mean someone moved it? If elder brother Ja Ryong is innocent…”

“The real culprit must also be a descendant of Cheon Ma.”

Gong Son Wu’s face turned serious.

Who could be the descendant of Cheon Ma that fell for Jeok Gun Ak’s scheme and lent their strength? Who could have directly acted to sink their brother Ja Ryong?

“If Ja Ryong is exiled from Somyeong Palace, the one who benefits the most would be Dokgo Ja Maeng.”