Chapter 45
Part 20: The Talented Girls
The three girls were trembling like aspens.
It was not because they were standing naked in the middle of winter.
It was because of the single woman standing before them.
The woman’s splendid attire, her glittering accessories, and her breathtakingly beautiful face.
When the three of them first saw her, they had all let out exclamations without realizing it.
But now, all of that felt like a disguise concealing this woman’s true nature.
“I will ask one last time.”
Radiance flowed from the woman’s golden eyes.
Her vertically split pupils seemed to pierce straight through them.
“What can you do for the Eldest Young Master?”
Without the slightest hesitation, the three girls answered in one united voice.
“We will simply offer everything and follow him.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Jeong-ah’s lips.
She had seen every reaction transmitted from the girls’ bodies, and she had felt their hearts.
Their words were sincere, without the slightest falsehood.
“Put on your uniforms. And pack your belongings.”
The moment her words fell, the girls trembled, yet they could not hide their joy.
“You will now go with me to Wongakjeong.”
What appeared on their lips was clearly a smile of rapture.
They had been granted permission to serve their master.
***
“The triplets. My greatest masterpiece.”
Those were the words of the Head Butler, who had been waiting for Jeong-ah outside.
“They are excellent.”
Jeong-ah did not hide her admiration.
“You said they were from the special class, did you not?”
“That is right. Outwardly, the special class is known as a place where problem children with outstanding abilities but serious flaws receive special education, but…”
In reality, it was a place where the Head Butler selected only the children he had carefully chosen and “made” them into people who would dedicate everything to his master, Yeon Sang-hyeon.
“Do all three of the triplets use martial arts?”
“Not at a high level. That was the limit of the resources available to me.”
He smacked his lips in regret.
“But I can guarantee the girls’ talents, so do not worry.”
At his words, Jeong-ah shook her head.
If not for the Luoyang Sword Clan,
If not for the Head Butler’s mad loyalty and obsession,
where else in all of the Central Plains would anyone even think of using such talents as mere maids?
“Fortunately, thanks to you, Elder, I will no longer need to worry about supplementing Wongakjeong’s personnel.”
He let out a hearty laugh.
“At the end of that long wait, I can finally do something properly for my lord!”
***
The girls, now dressed in the Wongakjeong maid uniforms they had been issued, were so beautiful that the word naturally came to mind.
Small swords hung at each of their waists.
Bright smiles adorned the identical faces of the triplets.
“At last…”
The Head Butler, who had poured his whole body and soul into raising them, was not the only one who had long awaited the day they would serve their master.
“It is finally time for us to act for our master.”
“What sort of task will we be given as our first mission?”
“Tracking, assassination, sabotage, spreading terror—there is no field I fear.”
“Intelligence work would be good as well. Investigation, analysis, prediction, counterintelligence—I am confident in any field.”
“I am looking forward to ordinary maid duties as well. We must show the dignity of Wongakjeong to its honored guests.”
Strong confidence flowed from their faces.
They were the ones who had survived all that dreadful training and the education that had even continued in their dreams.
Now the time had come for them to go out into the wide world.
“There is nothing to fear.”
“We are the best, after all.”
“Mo-hyo-hyo-ho.”
Just then, a voice came from beyond the door.
“Are you chattering after finishing all your preparations?”
The mere sound of Jeong-ah’s voice made the napes of their necks stand on end.
They instantly finished getting ready and lined up before the door in perfect order.
“Head Maid, preparations are complete!”
The door opened, and Jeong-ah revealed herself.
Her cold gaze turned to each of them.
Under that gaze, cold sweat ran down the backs of the triplets.
After finishing her inspection, Jeong-ah nodded.
“Let us depart.”
***
With the gorgeously dressed and dazzlingly beautiful Jeong-ah at the head, the sight of the beautiful maids following behind her drew gazes and exclamations wherever they stepped.
“Oh my, they are so pretty.”
“I wonder where they belong. I am so jealous.”
The triplets’ noses rose higher and higher.
‘Huhu, very good. Continue praising the beauty of us Wongakjeong maids.’
‘Ah, so this is the pleasure of receiving attention. I am happy.’
‘A perfect first entrance. Now, now, look up to us even more.’
Jeong-ah gave a bitter smile at the feelings she sensed from the triplets behind her.
They were lively girls.
Even if they were broken.
After walking and walking for quite some time, Jeong-ah’s steps finally came to a halt.
“Now, this is the main gate of Wongakjeong.”
The triplets’ faces turned deathly pale.
The main gate of Wongakjeong was guarded by people dressed in security uniforms, and among them, one person was exuding an enormous aura.
‘A-an incredible master!’
‘As expected of the heart of the Sword Clan!’
‘We are heading into the center of power!’
Leaning against the wall with his head lowered, emanating an aura like that of a savage fiend, was none other than the gatekeeper, the Life-Reaping Ghost Sword.
His atmosphere was so severe that even his colleagues had moved far away from him.
Seeing him like that, Jeong-ah instinctively sensed that her master must have provoked him in some way.
“These are the new maids of Wongakjeong. I ask that you take good care of these children from now on as well.”
After completing the entry procedure, Jeong-ah pushed the stiff, frozen triplets through the gate.
“Now, now. Pull yourselves together. Inside this place, you must never leave the path.”
Just as Jeong-ah was about to lead the maids, who were frantically looking around, and move on, a voice came from behind her.
“Exclusive maid—no, I suppose I should call you Head Maid now.”
It was the Life-Reaping Ghost Sword.
“Do you have a moment?”
Jeong-ah nodded and had the maids wait.
When they moved a little farther inside, he was the first to speak.
“The Eldest Young Master… just what kind of person is he?”
Jeong-ah smiled.
It seemed her guess had been right.
“To me, he is the finest master there is.”
At her answer, he roughly scratched his head.
“You know that is not what I am asking, do you not?”
Jeong-ah covered her mouth and laughed.
“It is only natural to feel confused. I was the same.”
“This is not confusion, it is…”
She cut him off.
“There is only one thing I can tell you.”
Her serious gaze turned toward the Life-Reaping Ghost Sword.
“Cast aside every negative prejudice you have about him, and try to look at him as he truly is.”
She spoke to him as he stood there, lost in thought.
“And today, we will be receiving a guest.”
The farther their steps headed inward, the warmer the weather became.
Along with that, as the beautiful scenery began to reveal itself, the expressions of the triplets changed in all sorts of ways.
Jeong-ah’s steps stopped before a single building.
“Now, this is the place Master is currently using as both his residence and office. All of you, tidy yourselves up once more.”
Clear nervousness flowed across the triplets’ faces.
“W-we are finally going to meet Master!”
‘A good first impression! A good first impression!’
‘Surely we will not be driven out after coming this far, right…?’
After confirming that they were ready, Jeong-ah announced toward the inside.
“Master. It is Jeong-ah. I have brought the new children.”
A low voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
The triplets were kneeling before Yeon Sang-hyeon, who was leaning back in his chair.
Their gazes were lowered to the floor, and they were barely managing to suppress the trembling of their bodies.
‘Th-this person is Master!’
‘What a tremendous achievement!’
‘Ah, Master, please take us in!’
Meanwhile, Yeon Sang-hyeon was not exuding any aura or dignity.
Rather, he could not hide the bewilderment on his face.
As he looked over the Head Butler’s letter and the report containing information on the triplets, he let out a hollow laugh.
‘Head Butler…’
He looked at Jeong-ah.
His gaze seemed to ask what on earth she had done with the Head Butler when he had merely told her to bring people who could cook and do odd jobs.
Jeong-ah widened her eyes at his gaze and asked,
“Master. Do these children not please you?”
At those words, Yeon Sang-hyeon saw the girls lying prostrate tremble even harder.
They looked unbearably pitiful.
Yeon Sang-hyeon sighed.
There was no way Jeong-ah, who possessed Dragon Eyes, had failed to read his gaze, so this must have been her own way of expressing her will.
“Very well. I will accept these children.”
“Your grace is boundless!”
Yeon Sang-hyeon waved his hand.
“These children… from now on, I will call them ‘the triplets.’ As for everything concerning the triplets, I will entrust full authority to the Head Maid.”
“I shall obey your command.”
After bowing deeply to Yeon Sang-hyeon, Jeong-ah spoke to the triplets.
“Now, follow me. I will assign you your first mission.”
At the words “first mission,” the girls followed Jeong-ah with solemn expressions.
Yeon Sang-hyeon sighed and shook his head at the mischievousness that was blatantly revealed in Jeong-ah’s words.
‘Well, in any case, this is a good thing…’
His gaze returned to the report containing information on the triplets.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
‘So those children were the ones the Head Butler raised.’
He sank deeply into his chair.
‘…I see. So that was how it turned out.’
His gaze turned toward the distance.
“Kki!”
***
“I-is this not a little strange?”
One of the triplets was casting a net in the pond.
Mud covered her entire body, and when the fish caught in the net leapt and splashed, she was drenched in water.
“Why are we doing this…?”
Another was holding a hand hoe and digging crops out of the field.
Because of Wongakjeong’s mild weather, the weeds had grown with frightening vigor.
“Why is there not a single maid or servant in this Wongakjeong?!”
The last was diligently fanning the fire at the furnace.
“Cough, cough.”
The acrid smoke stung her eyes.
‘Th-these are only tears from the smoke…!’
Jeong-ah, who had gone around and checked on them from a distance, chuckled quietly.
All of them were grumbling nonstop, their lips jutting out in dissatisfaction, but not a single one was slacking off.
Far from slacking off, they were sweating profusely as they did their utmost.
‘All of you, endure and wait just a little longer.’
The more her master moved, the more rapidly Wongakjeong’s personnel would increase.
When that time came, they would fulfill their roles as senior maids and take on their true duties.
***
“Do you know why the Second Young Master and Third Young Master are angry at you, yet have still not made any serious moves?”
Jeong-ah nodded.
“They are afraid rumors might spread.”
The rumor that the maid they had been aiming for had gone to the Swordless would greatly damage their dignity.
The Head Butler advised her in a solemn voice.
“There is a saying that you can block a road, but you cannot block people’s mouths. In the end, the rumors will begin to spread, and they will have no choice but to take action against you.”
Jeong-ah had to finish every preparation she could before then.
Around the time the sun was slowly setting.
“Head Maid!”
The Life-Reaping Ghost Sword appeared, displaying a movement technique as swift as a beam of light.
“What is the matter?”
From him, she sensed astonishment, urgency, and confusion.
“An old man has come to the main gate.”
“Do you mean the person I mentioned?”
He hurriedly nodded.
“That is right! The Medicine King himself has come!”
The time for the Eldest Young Master Yeon Sang-hyeon, not the Dark Heaven Venerable One, to begin moving in earnest was gradually drawing near.