Youngest Daughter of the Ultimate Martial Master Namgung Family

Chapter 5

Heeran remembered Hwi looking at her indifferently, expression unchanging, as she cried for help.

She remembered Su-ryeon harshly pushing away her outstretched hand without even realizing it.

She remembered Uncheon, who’d made her into a spectacle by hurling criticism and harsh words at her in front of everyone.

She remembered Gangwoo, who couldn’t stand being unable to torture her all the time.

Instead of cherishing her, they had treated her like all the other members of the Namgung Family had—they’d acted hateful and ignored her.

That’s how it had been for well over ten years. Thanks to that, she knew her place better than anyone else. She also knew that there was absolutely no reason for her siblings to protect her now.

But Hwi cut off Heeran’s anxious shouts.

“Namgung!”

Hwi paused.

“Namgung does not give up a child of Namgung. No matter what happens, I will never hand you over to those b*stards!”

Heeran’s gaze wavered at his words, which were stronger and more resolute than ever.

“Why?!” she cried desperately. “You hated me. You despised me. You never thought of me as family!”

“Ahee.”

“But why now?! Why do you keep confusing me?! Why, why, why?!”

Her vision became blurry. Unlike her siblings, who were Namgung’s pride, Heeran had always been the useless one—a source of public ridicule. Even the other members of the Namgung Family treated her that way. None of her excellent and talented siblings, who were the talk of the martial world, loved her.

As she was about to cry, she heard Hwi’s voice.

“I... have never once thought that you weren’t family.”

What did he just say? Heeran looked up in surprise as tears fell from her eyes.

Hwi spoke as if making a promise. “Namgung will not give up on you. So go on first.”

“And what happens after I go?” Heeran’s voice trembled. The Steel Blood Alliance had attacked the Namgung Family for not giving her up. But when they found out that she was no longer at the residence...

“Leave that up to us. The youngest just has to do what we say. When things settle down, we’ll call you back.”

That promise seemed firm coming from a sonorous voice mixed with elegance and liveliness. Su-ryeon had cut off Heeran, which presupposed an ominous situation. As Heeran stood there blankly, Gangwoo and Hwi exchanged a meaningful look. Gangwoo grabbed Heeran and dragged her inside the Patriarch House.

As if to see them off, Hwi followed them, stepping over the corpses of the assassins scattered about. He pressed down on a part of a certain wall and it opened with a loud noise of metal clashing. After looking down the hidden dark passage, Gangwoo turned his head and peered at his siblings.

“I’ll go first,” he said.

Hwi nodded. “Take good care of her.”

“Know that you’ll die if even the tip of Ahee’s finger gets hurt,” Su-ryeon snarled.

After exchanging his goodbyes with Hwi and Su-ryeon, Gangwoo turned around. Heeran, who was looking at her oldest siblings while biting her lips, was then forcibly pulled away by Gangwoo.

“We have to go, dummy! Are you worried about Hwi and Su-ryeon Namgung? You need to worry about yourself!”

“I—”

“Do you know how strong they both are? So don’t be stupid! Follow me!”

At Gangwoo’s urging, Heeran stepped into the passage. Guided by Gangwoo, their slow pace quickly turned into a run. While he tried to be considerate of their different strides, he also didn’t stop running.

After a while, they exited the secret passage and passed the Namgung Family garden. They could see the houses of the Namgung Residence burning in the distance. The sounds of screams and clashing weapons were more distinct now.

Each time Heeran halted, Gangwoo dragged her away with more force.

As they ran through the night hand in hand, Heeran dwelled on what Hwi had said. You’ve never once thought that I wasn’t family?

She sneered. What nonsense.

There was a time when Heeran had looked forward to hearing those words. But not anymore.

It’s a lie.

If it were true, there was no way they would’ve been so cruel to her. Heeran wasn’t naive enough to believe those words—she’d experienced too many things that told her otherwise. She didn’t know why they had evacuated her, but it was probably because she would’ve been in the way if she had stayed.

If the Steel Blood Alliance catches me, that means they win the war. I guess that’s why they wanted me to go outside.

She could only think of it in that way. Heeran felt relieved at the conclusion she had finally reached.

At that moment, her foot tripped on a jagged stone and she faltered. Gangwoo must’ve sensed that she was about to fall because he quickly swept her up.

Heeran’s body trembled. He had picked her up without hesitation, as if they were on good terms.

Gangwoo was desperately running with all his might while gritting his teeth. While watching this from his arms, Heeran spoke.

“Leave me behind.”

“What?”

“You can go faster if you do.”

“What is this crazy brat saying now? If I leave you here, you’ll die!”

“It’s better than trying to run away together and having both of us die.”

Gangwoo’s face twisted at Heeran’s calm words. “Are you telling me to let you die?”

Heeran just stared back at him.

“Ha! You really are! Stop saying crazy stuff that’ll piss me off! Just shut the hell up and stay still!”

Heeran’s eyes wavered. Including Hwi, the eldest brother and the patriarch of the family, and Gangwoo, the fourth child and the one who was holding her, there was nobody in Namgung who liked and cherished her.

But why are you all acting like this now?

A question that had already crossed her mind several times rose up again. Heeran’s expression stiffened as she quietly peered at Gangwoo’s face. It was pale in the moonlight. He looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.

As if on cue, Gangwoo’s body tilted.

“Sh*t.”

As she heard his quiet curse, she felt his firm hand protecting her head. Gangwoo rolled down the slope while holding Heeran tightly, as if he was making sure that she wouldn’t get hurt at all.

After a long while, his rolling body came to a stop. Only then did Gangwoo’s hand, which had been tightly holding Heeran, loosen.

Heeran rushed to stand up. Under the faint moonlight, she could see her brother, scratched and bruised in various places. Heeran froze stiffly when she saw blood flowing from Gangwoo’s head.

“You—! Your head is bleeding!”

“This won’t do. You go on first. I’ll catch up with you soon.”

“What are you saying now?”

“Did you not understand me? Go on first! Why aren’t you going right now?!”

Gangwoo shoved Heeran.

“Starting with Namgung’s martial art, you haven’t mastered anything! What did you receive from Namgung?! Are you going to die here in vain? What for?!”

Heeran froze at the sharp words that pierced her heart.

“You were scorned and bullied by the members of the family! Even the family’s statesmen and elders tried to mercilessly abandon you! How can you even have any affection for Namgung?! Are you an idiot? Why aren’t you leaving right now?!”

“You—!” Heeran repeated.

“What kind of loyalty do you even have? Why would you want to be tied to me, ready to die together in Namgung’s name? Get lost now!”

These were the type of blunt, harsh insults that Gangwoo was skilled at. But they felt different. Heeran felt nauseous.

“You said you hated me. That I appalled you. So why...? Why are you acting so desperate?”

“When did I say that?”

Heeran’s eyes opened wide. Gangwoo pushed her shoulder hard.

Due to his sudden push, Heeran rolled down the slope. When she came to a stop, she swallowed her groan and looked up. She saw Gangwoo clashing swords with people dressed in black on the slope.

‘What are you doing?! Run away! Are you going to die and ruin all my hard work?!’

Gangwoo’s silent message lingered in her mind. Heeran chewed on her lips roughly. Blood oozed from her dry, chapped skin.

Gritting her teeth, Heeran slowly got up and ran in the opposite direction, where there was no fighting. Leaving behind the sound of clashing weapons, she faintly heard Gangwoo’s silent message in her ear.

‘I didn’t hate you.’

What?

Heeran instinctively turned around.

In the distance, she saw Gangwoo decapitating the only masked man left. At the same time, a knife plunged into his chest. Heeran’s eyes widened to the point that she thought they might pop out.

Even though they were far away, Gangwoo and Heeran’s gazes met. Gangwoo’s eyes looked warped.

‘Live. Even if life is unfair and messy. Live, Ahee.’

Gangwoo smiled as he called her by her childhood name, which he had never said before.

He stopped breathing.

His body collapsed on the ground.

Tears flowed from Heeran’s wide eyes. She had seen something unbelievable.

On that day, the Namgung Family, which had long been Anhui’s overlord, collapsed. She had long thought that her siblings had despised and hated her, but they had all sacrificed their lives to save her.

For Heeran, this changed everything she had thought she had ever known.

***

Heeran would not forget. She recalled her siblings’ sacrifice every day after, for as long as she still drew breath.

The Namgung Residence burning—the sound of clashing metal. The screaming and yelling. Hell had unfolded in that place, and yet, her siblings had given up their lives to save her.

However, Heeran still didn’t believe the lies—she didn’t think that they had thought of her as family or cherished her. She knew only one thing for certain: her extraordinary siblings had chosen her over the family.

While I still don’t know why you saved me, this is enough, right? It’s even the arm of the Blood Church Successor.

Namgung’s Shame, who had never even mastered its martial arts properly, had come all this way for revenge.

This is enough, right?

Although she couldn’t hear any answer, Heeran smiled. This was enough.

Terrible guilt, revenge, and hatred. It was all over. Now she was finally free...

Or so she had thought. But what on earth is happening?

“Ba ba ba?”

What? Why is a sound like that coming out of my mouth?