Chapter 6: What are you talking about?

Moomyung, now sixteen years old, had undergone a remarkable transformation, growing to an extent incomparable to his state three years prior.

Not only had he shot up in height, but his physique was now so well-developed that it would not be outmatched by anyone else’s.

Until now, I had only focused on teaching him the foundational training to build his ‘vessel’ and basic ‘Un-gi-jo-sik’ (TL Note: A cultivation method involving mana breathing techniques).

As I hadn’t yet taught him any specific sword techniques, I mused that it might finally be time to begin his instruction.

As was his custom, he had ascended to the mountain’s peak in the early morning and was now making his descent.

Shirtless, Moomyung turned, his back facing me, and began to wipe away the beads of sweat that coated his skin.

I narrowed my eyes, my gaze fixed intently on Moomyung’s back.

‘Considering the current state of his body.’

‘He should be able to follow the techniques I employ, even if only clumsily at first.’

Perhaps I had stared too long, for Moomyung seemed to sense my gaze.

He flinched, a slight tremor passing through his body, before he merely turned his head towards me and opened his mouth.

‘Why is a grown man reacting like some demure maiden?’

His reaction made me feel as if I had committed some egregious act, leaving me slightly discomfited.

“Master? Why are you staring so intently?”

Moomyung continued to mouth words, his lips parting and closing silently, before finally managing to speak.

For some inexplicable reason, his voice was exceptionally faint.

“Hmm? Is there a problem?”

I couldn’t help but feel as though I was being unjustly maligned.

‘Surely a Master is permitted to observe his disciple’s physique.’

Indeed, Moomyung was prone to excessive fuss.

“…Hmph, it’s nothing at all.”

As he responded, Moomyung’s ears seemed to have inexplicably flushed crimson.

‘What in the world is wrong with him?’

I found his line of reasoning utterly incomprehensible.

I picked up the thread of my thoughts, which Moomyung’s voice had so abruptly severed.

My resolve to teach him swordsmanship wasn’t predicated solely on his external growth.

While his physical development was certainly impressive,

I believed Moomyung had also achieved significant internal growth.

Until three years ago, Moomyung had participated in his training as if hounded by some unseen force, driven by a palpable sense of malice.

I had, perhaps unnecessarily, concocted various excuses to Moomyung, thereby postponing his instruction in swordsmanship.

For some inexplicable reason, an unsettling sense of apprehension had gripped me at the thought of teaching him the blade then.

Indeed, Moomyung’s mental state at that time had appeared considerably unstable, even to me, an utter layman in such matters.

In retrospect, it had been a wise decision.

Had he learned the sword in that fragile mental state, he undoubtedly would not have learned it properly.

Furthermore, given Moomyung’s harrowing past, he might well have devolved into a madman consumed solely by vengeance.

At one point, he would even scream in his sleep when we shared a bed, as if tormented by nightmares of his past.

Yet, as a result of my unwavering and devoted care for Moomyung, I had not witnessed such episodes recently.

It seemed his mind had cleared considerably.

‘Though, lately, he seemed somewhat disinclined to share a sleeping space with me for some reason.’

I wondered if he was entering adolescence; Moomyung was certainly reaching that age where he might crave his own space.

It had been an eternity, but I, too, had once been a man, so I could certainly empathize.

Still, we had shared a sleeping space until now, and it felt inexplicably disheartening that he now seemed to find my presence uncomfortable.

‘Hmm, now that I think about it.’

Speaking of adolescence, I recalled that the age of adulthood in this region was sixteen.

Thanks to that, just before I fled into the mountains,

The village chief of my former home had attempted to marry me off to his son.

A shiver of unnecessary revulsion ran down my spine, causing me to tremble.

The mere thought of that time still made my head spin; perhaps that very incident had played a significant role in my hasty retreat into the mountains.

I consciously redirected my thoughts, which had begun to veer off into an irrelevant tangent.

‘In any case, if that’s the case, isn’t Moomyung, who just turned sixteen this year, considered an adult now?’

As far as I knew, just before I secluded myself in the mountains, the village had been abuzz with news of an academy being established.

And surely, that academy, once a person reached adulthood, granted eligibility to anyone, regardless of their social standing,

To sit for its entrance examination. I was certain of that.

If this novel’s tags included ‘academy,’ then didn’t that imply the main plot was about to commence?

‘Oh, wait a moment, am I perhaps completely messing things up by keeping him here?’

It felt as though I had committed a colossal blunder, and cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

Feeling an unbidden surge of anxiety, I called out to Moomyung, who was still in the process of dressing, his ears still noticeably flushed.

“Moomyung.”

“Yes, Master.”

Upon my call, he paused mid-tie of his front garment, turning his head to offer a soft reply.

“Moomyung, you must be an adult by now. Do you not wish to attend the academy?”

“Pardon? What precisely are you referring to?”

What? Is he so provincial that he doesn’t even know what an academy is?

Even I, who had been secluded in these mountains for so long, was aware of it.

The mere thought that I possessed more knowledge than him sent a needless swell of pride through my chest.

I grinned impishly and posed the question to him.

“What? You don’t know about the academy?”

“I know about the academy, but..”

What, he knows it?

My shoulders, which had puffed up with undue arrogance, deflated back to their normal state.

‘Why does he speak in such a perplexing manner?’

A wave of unprovoked petulance washed over me, and I pouted my lips as I questioned him.

“Then why did you react like that?”

Moomyung gazed at me, a subtle, unreadable expression flitting across his face for a moment.

Then, with an expression of mild shock, as if a sudden, unbelievable realization had dawned on him, he finally spoke.

“Master, do you know my age?”

“Yes, aren’t you 16 this year?”

“Yes.. that’s right..”

What in the world was the issue that prompted such a reaction from him?

It felt as though our conversation was somehow disjointed, so I frowned and pressed Moomyung for a quicker response.

“Stop being so frustratingly hesitant and just speak your mind.”

To convey the immense frustration and irritation I felt in that moment,

I clenched my fist and lightly tapped my rather meager chest.

However, the reply that came from Moomyung was utterly peculiar.

“Master, the age for entering the academy is 20.”

“What….”

Twenty? Not sixteen? That simply can’t be right, can it?

A multitude of questions immediately sprang forth within me, yet,

As pondering alone would yield no answers, I swiftly posed another question.

“Then what exactly do they do for four years after becoming an adult?”

I considered if perhaps they attended the academy only after completing noble marriages or gaining other social experiences.

However, upon careful reflection, it dawned on me that the very purpose of attending an academy was to learn about society’s workings.

As I continued to connect these various thoughts on my own, a statement far more shocking than I had anticipated reached my ears.

“…Master, the standard age for adulthood in the current empire is 20.”

“What….”

How much time could possibly have elapsed for the standard age of adulthood to have shifted so drastically?

‘Is this fellow playing a trick on me, simply because I’ve been living isolated in the mountains?’

What utter nonsense…

‘Wait.’

A dizzying, horrifying hypothesis flashed through my mind.

Surely not.

“Moomyung, do you happen to know how long it’s been since the academy was established?”

“Yes, it will undoubtedly be its three hundredth year when I turn twenty, so it must currently be its two hundred and ninety-sixth year.”

What.

“What are you talking about, disciple?”

Moomyung’s expression, as he stared back at me, was indescribably bizarre.

My entire body was trembling uncontrollably, and I knew my own expression must have been equally ridiculous.

“Sixteen is an adult? Master, what is your age, or rather, your venerable age?”

As Moomyung’s words concluded, my mind went utterly blank.

‘Wait, wait, wait.’

Something was undeniably amiss.

If everything Moomyung had just uttered was indeed true,

And this body had been sixteen years old before I first entered these mountains…

‘Am I now over three hundred years old…?’

With that realization, I promptly lost consciousness.

****

Not long after, I jolted my prostrate body upright with a sudden burst of energy.

“Hwaaaah-!”

It felt as though I had lost consciousness due to some immense shock, but what could it have been?

“Master, have you come to your senses?”

Moomyung, as if nothing untoward had occurred, calmly inquired from beside me.

“Hmph… Yes, it feels as though I’ve had a truly dreadful nightmare.”

“Is that so?”

Moomyung continued to behave as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired, settling himself beside me.

‘It seems he intends to simply let the matter drop, doesn’t he?’

I offered a faint smile and met Moomyung’s gaze.

Despite his usual demeanor towards me, this fellow truly seemed to possess a kind heart—

“So, Master, what is your age?”

What kindness? That damned disciple, utterly devoid of tact, brazenly repeated his question.

However, observing the disciple’s remarkably earnest expression, calling him tactless might be a slight misnomer.

He had asked, even knowing full well that I was reluctant to answer.

Moomyung would occasionally play pranks on me, it was true,

But if I ever signaled my displeasure, he would immediately cease; this time, however, he did not.

‘Is my age truly that important to him?’

Honestly, I wished he would simply let it go.

What kind of person would ever proudly boast of their advanced age?

The more money, the better; the younger the age, the better.

This was an immutable truth.

I swiftly racked my brain, desperately searching for a way to resolve the predicament.

And just as swiftly, I reached a conclusion.

‘I’ll make a run for it.’

If I keep running, surely this fellow will eventually give up, won’t he?

‘Moomyung couldn’t possibly catch me if I were truly determined to escape.’

Having concluded my brief deliberation,

I stealthily began to assess Moomyung’s demeanor, seeking an opportune moment to slip away from this spot.

However, he seemed to have no intention of releasing me.

He placed his hand over mine, which lay on the ground, effectively pinning me and preventing any escape, before he began to speak.

Yet, the words that emerged from Moomyung’s lips were quite different from what I had anticipated.

“Master, if you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to.”

He wore a sorrowful expression as he tightened his grip on the hand resting atop mine.

“It seems you are still hiding many things from me, Master.”

And then, he even went so far as to wipe at the corner of his eye with his free hand.

“It must be because I, your disciple, haven’t earned your trust, Master.”

This wicked boy! If he speaks in such a manner, how can I possibly keep it a secret?

After a brief silence, I exhaled a sigh so profound it seemed capable of shaking the very earth, and then I spoke.

“Why do you say such things..”

It was merely my age, nothing more, yet I felt an inexplicable flush of embarrassment creep up my neck and redden my face.

“…It seems I’m a little over 300 this year.”

I subtly turned my head toward him, eager to gauge his reaction.

This Moomyung fellow was grinning so wide it looked as if his mouth might split.

I had been duped!

Aargh! Moomyung, you scoundrel!

Feeling an almost unbelievable sense of betrayal, I immediately delivered a punch to Moomyung’s solar plexus.

“Gah-!”

Nevertheless, I felt a faint flicker of gratitude that he regarded me—me, who had lived an excessively long life, so long that even I was shocked to the point of losing consciousness—

With such unwavering eyes, and that he would still tease me.