Absolute Regression

Chapter 554: We Fought Together, So We Must Drink Together

Everyone’s attention turned to Bih Sa-in.

He usually wore black robes, but today was the first time he wore white robes, drawing everyone's gaze naturally.

Bih Sa-in deliberately avoided Geom Mugeuk’s eyes as he walked in.

He had expected to be teased about his attire the moment he sat down.

But Geom Mugeuk simply poured him a drink and said,

“My lifesaver, take a glass.”

Bih Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk with a suspicious glance.

‘Can’t let my guard down!’

Geom Mugeuk was someone who could make him flustered at any moment in unpredictable ways.

Without revealing such thoughts, Bih Sa-in responded with gratitude.

“Thanks to you, I preserved my reputation.”

Originally, those bastards had tried to use Bih Sa-in to eliminate the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress. Had Geom Mugeuk not intervened, their fates would have become far more entangled.

At that moment, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress herself brought out dishes with a bright expression.

“You also saved everyone in the Sky Flower Pavilion.”

She placed the food on the table. What was laid out today was beyond lavish—a true feast in every sense. Rare delicacies from mountains and seas, and fine liquor were all prepared.

“Oh, and we’ve also prepared separate drinks and food for the martial artists.”

Even though no one had requested it, she had arranged a separate space for those keeping guard outside.

To avoid discomfort, she had seated Orthodox and Unorthodox guards separately in a corner of the pleasure house, ensuring no one would run into each other.

“Thank you very much for your consideration.”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress looked toward Geom Mugeuk.

“You saved me once before, and now you’ve saved me again.”

In response, Geom Mugeuk glanced around at the friends seated with him and calmly said,

“I’d love to take credit for everything for our Mistress’ sake, but this time, it was the combined effort of them. This is the moment when the Three-way summit of the Flowing Wind Tavern finally bore fruit.”

It was a historic day when Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions joined forces to face a single enemy. Not through the power of Cult Leaders or Alliance Leaders, but through the strength of their successors.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress respectfully bowed to express her gratitude to the others as well. She especially gave a separate smile to Jin Haryeong, who had protected her.

“Then please, enjoy to your heart’s content.”

As she bowed and stepped back, Geom Mugeuk refilled everyone’s glasses.

“Now, let’s drink to our reunion.”

Geom Mugeuk raised his glass, and everyone joined in a toast.

“Tonight, we drink and play without holding back. Until this drinking session ends, forget about enemies and conspiracies! Forget where we belong. Let’s just talk about first loves and ramble on with silly chatter!”

Everyone emptied their glasses in one go.

Bih Sa-in suddenly sent a transmission.

—Don’t misunderstand.

—Misunderstand what?

—I wore white robes completely by chance. I just put on whatever my hand grabbed, and it happened to be white robes.

Geom Mugeuk stared directly at Bih Sa-in, then made a regretful expression.

—Why?

—Did you comb your hair yourself?

Bih Sa-in flinched and replied firmly.

—I did not!

Then, he asked quietly.

—...Does it look strange?

Geom Mugeuk drank his liquor while barely suppressing a laugh. Despite running late, he had still taken the time to comb his hair. That frightening face, the terrifying Young Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance—but even he was still a young man at heart.

—Now that I look again, it actually seems to suit you.

—Anyway, don’t get the wrong idea.

If he hadn’t liked Han Seol, he wouldn’t have come out wearing white. And to even comb his hair? That wasn’t just liking someone’s first impression—it was love at first sight, wasn’t it?

Just as Geom Mugeuk was about to drink again, he suddenly flinched. Bih Sa-in was glaring at him fiercely.

—Try making a joke, and the Unorthodox-Demonic War breaks out that day.

—I didn’t say anything.

—I warned you!

Of course, warnings were useless. Geom Mugeuk was already grinning, thinking of the most entertaining way to tease him.

Then it happened.

“I think white suits you better.”

Everyone turned their eyes toward the one who spoke.

—Huh? That wasn’t expected.

Bih Sa-in didn’t even register Geom Mugeuk’s transmission. The speaker, shockingly, was Han Seol.

She looked at Bih Sa-in and said,

“It suits you better than the black robes you wore yesterday.”

Bih Sa-in’s face flushed slightly, and his eyes widened.

Caught off guard, he froze, not knowing how to respond.

—Hurry up and say thank you!

At Geom Mugeuk’s urging, Bih Sa-in offered a polite cupped-fist salute and replied to her.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“I was simply sharing how I felt.”

Bih Sa-in then sent another transmission to Geom Mugeuk.

—You put her up to this, didn’t you? Just to tease me.

His voice, which had never trembled even in the face of fearsome foes, now shook.

—I’m not even that close to her.

Geom Mugeuk looked at Han Seol with fresh eyes. The last time he saw her, she had seemed quite withdrawn in her relationships with people. But she felt different now.

Perhaps feeling uneasy from the attention focused on her, she added her reasoning.

“Most people in my palace wear white robes, so I can tell who suits them and who doesn’t.”

Geom Mugeuk seized the opportunity. He wasn’t about to let this golden moment slip away.

“Since it came up, why don’t you give our Young Leader a word of advice on how to wear white robes properly?”

Han Seol looked at Bih Sa-in. His face reddened further.

“How could I possibly give such advice?”

She politely declined, but Geom Mugeuk continued to persuade her.

“You know how it is. For people like us, if we don’t hear something like this now, we may never hear it in our lives. And if you don’t say anything, our Bih Young Leader will go on wearing that gloomy black forever.”

Faced with such insistence, Han Seol couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She looked at Bih Sa-in for a moment, then calmly spoke.

“Your features are strong, so you’ve probably always worn martial attire in intense colors like black or red. But that only makes your impression even more striking. Even if not white robes, if you wore clothing in warm, bright colors, you’d come across much softer.”

Bih Sa-in couldn’t respond right away. It was the first time in his life he’d been advised to wear warm-colored martial attire.

He had never once thought that such colors would suit him—no, he had never even considered trying them on in the first place.

He bowed his head slightly toward her and said,

“Thank you for your words.”

Han Seol also bowed her head slightly in return.

From a bit further away, the Cold Ice Twin Swords glanced at each other, exchanging subtle signals. They hadn’t known this side of the Young Palace Master. She was usually someone who only listened quietly.

—The Palace Master would be surprised if she heard this.

—She wouldn’t believe it.

It struck them, too, that this was a side of her even the Ice Palace Master didn’t know.

Geom Mugeuk raised his glass again.

“Now, to our Young Leader’s dazzling new attire!”

Everyone once again emptied their glasses.

Setting his cup down, Geom Mugeuk turned to Han Seol and asked,

“What kind of man is your ideal type, Miss Han?”

The sudden question startled Han Seol. Bih Sa-in, sitting beside her, glared at Geom Mugeuk.

—Don’t do this!

Ignoring him, Geom Mugeuk pressed on with the conversation.

“Why so surprised?”

“It’s just… I’ve never been asked that before.”

Fair enough. Who would’ve dared to ask the Young Palace Master of the Ice Palace about her ideal type?

“And why do you ask?”

“Among friends, isn’t it natural to ask that sort of thing?”

At the word "friends," Han Seol’s clear eyes sparkled even more.

After seeming to hesitate for a moment, she replied.

“I like reliable men. Ones who don’t talk much.”

“That’s too cruel!”

From the side, Jin Haryeong quickly sent a transmission to Geom Mugeuk.

—You told him to wear white, didn’t you?

There was no way he’d show up to an occasion like this suddenly dressed in white robes. There was also something subtle about the atmosphere at the table.

—I did.

—Trying to match the two of them?

She didn’t even need to rely on a woman’s intuition. Just knowing the kind of person Geom Mugeuk was made it easy to guess.

—They seem to suit each other well.

Hearing that, Jin Haryeong turned her eyes toward her brother.

‘What about my brother!’

She was worried that he might feel left out, thinking Geom Mugeuk only cared about Bih Sa-in.

She knew better than anyone how much her brother thought about Geom Mugeuk—so naturally, she worried.

—You should look after my brother too.

—Miss Jin, that’s your job. You’re the one leading the Gathering of Successors. Haven’t you met hundreds of righteous heroines by now?

Jin Haryeong flinched for a moment. She might not have met hundreds, but she had indeed encountered many worthy righteous heroines.

Come to think of it, she had never seriously set her heart on finding a woman who suited her brother.

She had vaguely assumed that since he would one day become the Leader of the Martial Alliance, he would eventually meet someone even better. The truth was, she hadn’t given it much thought at all.

And yet, she had dared to question Geom Mugeuk for not caring enough?

She sincerely reflected on herself. He might be a friend, but he was still a man. And here he was, going to such lengths out of consideration.

Jin Haryeong looked at her brother. What had happened in the formation? She had felt that his thoughts had grown heavier ever since. Of course—he was that busy, that burdened. When would he have had time to start a relationship?

‘Fine. I’ll find someone for my brother!’

While Geom Mugeuk continued to liven up the drinking party with various conversations, he exchanged transmissions with Bih Sa-in.

—Don’t just sit there drinking. Ask Miss Han some questions too.

—I appreciate the thought, but it’s not necessary.

Truthfully, Bih Sa-in had liked Han Seol’s first impression. In terms of looks alone, she matched his ideal type.

—It’s a hopeless case anyway. How could the Ice Palace and the Unorthodox Alliance ever be connected?

The Ice Palace was part of the mysterious Wilderness forces, but it leaned more toward the orthodox factions.

—And you and I became friends because our factions matched?

—That’s different.

Geom Mugeuk refilled Bih Sa-in’s empty cup.

—And if it doesn’t work out, it won’t be because of the Ice Palace and the Unorthodox Alliance. It’ll be because of your face.

Bih Sa-in nearly snapped but ended up letting out a hollow laugh.

—You’re not wrong.

—But then again, it might work out because of your face.

—What do you mean?

—I told you before, didn’t I? That your smile looked cool. If there’s a woman out there who feels the same way I do, then it might work out because of that face.

—What nonsense.

It really did sound like nonsense. Even to him, his own face looked fierce and frightening.

—If she truly had no interest, she wouldn’t have said the white robes suited you.

Bih Sa-in tilted his glass again.

—Once we part ways this time, who knows when we’ll see each other again.

—So that’s your angle.

—You want to make fun of me if I confess and get rejected?

—I won’t pretend I don’t have that thought. But more than that, would I really want to see you ruin such a good drinking party in a bad mood?

Bih Sa-in felt like he shouldn’t fall for it—but he was falling anyway.

—Then why are you doing this?

—I like the martial world, I like the Unorthodox Alliance—but most of all, we’re still young, aren’t we?

—!

These young ones still didn’t understand.

Just how fast time would fly by, carrying them to the very end of their lives.

—Maybe someday Miss Han will still remember, but she won’t remember what this excitement felt like.

Bih Sa-in stared at Geom Mugeuk. He hadn’t even lived that long, yet he said things like that so easily.

—Be brave. You even danced in front of all those people.

Bih Sa-in eventually laughed. At the very least, when he thought back on that moment, he had no regrets.

—If you get rejected, I’m not even going to pee in the direction of the North. If war breaks out, the Northern Sea Ice Palace is the first one we’ll invade! And our cult will march in with you!

But more tempting than such joking nonsense was this:

That so far, Bih Sa-in had never suffered a loss or regretted listening to Geom Mugeuk’s advice.

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to reveal his feelings to Han Seol. Even if he regretted it later. Just the memory of Geom Mugeuk trying to persuade him like this would be enough. Later, Geom Mugeuk would tease him. “Should’ve listened to me back then.” Yes, he might regret it.

But Geom Mugeuk was a man who didn’t know how to give up.

—The night is still long. Now then, shall we stir up the mood a bit?

Geom Mugeuk suddenly stood up from his seat.

“We weren’t the only ones who fought last night.”

His gaze turned to the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Alliance, the Demon-Slaying Brigade, and even the Faceless Swordsmen perched on the distant walls.

“We fought together, so we must drink together. At least for today.”

He reached out his hand, activating Void Telekinesis.

Srrrrrk.

The tables and chairs that had been arranged in separate corners slid together into one spot. The tables, full of dishes, moved swiftly without spilling a single drop of liquor, and dozens of chairs moved without making a sound.

“Let’s all drink together today. Let’s pour drinks for one another, make toasts. For today, we don’t need a perimeter watch. If they couldn’t defeat us while we were sober, how could they hope to beat us now that we’ve had a drink?”

Some martial artists chuckled at that. But still, drinking in front of the Young Leader and the Demon-Slaying Brigade Leader? That wasn’t easy.

Then, a voice rang out.

“Today, Sky Flower Pavilion is under our protection.”

They turned to see the Evil Smiling Demon standing at the entrance. Behind him stood the Faceless Swordsmen in rows.

Jin Hagun and Bih Sa-in both looked surprised and confused.

There was no way the Evil Smiling Demon or the Faceless Swordsmen could join them for drinks. Even so, they had never expected the Evil Smiling Demon to say he would protect them.

Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,

“You would do that for us?”

From behind his mask, the Evil Smiling Demon smiled back and replied,

“Drink to your heart’s content tonight.”

Geom Mugeuk looked at Jin Hagun and Bih Sa-in. With Geom Mugeuk stepping forward, and even the Evil Smiling Demon joining in, there was no need for further hesitation.

The two of them nodded, then called all their subordinates inside.

“All right, drink at ease today! That’s an order!”

The people of Sky Flower Pavilion brought in food and liquor.

The Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Alliance and the Demon-Slaying Brigade sat down together. They had coordinated in operations before, so their relationship wasn’t awkward.

Geom Mugeuk went around pouring drinks for everyone.

“Today, we drink without reserve. Set aside your worries and burdens, and let us toast to the fact that we’re alive—just for today!”

Lively sounds echoed from within.

Before anyone realized it, the Evil Smiling Demon was standing atop the highest roof of Sky Flower Pavilion, arms crossed as he overlooked the scene.

Below him, the Faceless Swordsmen were scattered across the rooftops and walls, either standing or crouched as they kept watch over the surroundings.

Moonlight streamed through the gap in a broken wall.

Through that opening, Geom Mugeuk could be seen raising a cup high and shouting a toast.

Tonight, it was not the sword at his waist, but the cup in his hand that glowed under the moonlight.