The Dark Path has always been a stranger to fairness. But sometimes — it needs to wear fairness as a mask.

To produce the most unfair outcome of all.

“It’s me.”

Woon Seorin arrived the moment dawn broke.

“Come in.”

She looked exhausted. The redness in her eyes made clear she had spent the night working through contingencies.

She sat down and went straight to the point.

“They’re going to put you to a test.”

It came out of nowhere — but Seo Woojin understood immediately.

“That was inevitable.”

“Your gambit worked. In less than a day, your words have already spread all the way down to the lower ranks. The warriors at the bottom are already starting to think of you as the new Dark Alliance Lord.”

Seo Woojin looked mildly surprised.

He had aimed for exactly that — but hadn’t expected it to travel so fast.

“Lighting a fire in the hearts of the lower warriors was a success. The problem is the Seven Families. They won’t sit quietly and watch you become Alliance Lord.”

“I know.”

“But they can’t oppose you outright either. In their minds, you have the Murim Alliance Lord standing behind you. So what’s the most ‘reasonable’ way to remove you? A test. They’ll demand a fair test — and we’ll have no choice but to accept.”

Seo Woojin nodded.

“If we refuse, the fire we lit in those warriors will be snuffed out just as quickly. But on the other hand — if we pass that test, couldn’t it make that fire burn even brighter? The weight of the title ‘Dark Alliance Lord’ would feel heavier too.”

“If we pass. That condition is the problem.”

Seo Woojin offered an awkward smile.

“Haha. I know I’m not exactly inspiring confidence — but with your help and the Four Black Dragons’……”

Woon Seorin pressed her fingers to her temple and sighed.

“I said ‘fair,’ didn’t I? We can give you advice — but in the end, you’ll have to get through whatever it is yourself.”

“Well — there’s nothing to say there except ask you to trust me……”

“The real problem is that the ‘fairness’ only applies to us.”

“Pardon?”

Woon Seorin held up the paper in her hand.

“Do you know what this is? A report the Military Advisor’s Hall submitted right before I came here.”

“A report about……?”

“We’ve been tracking the movements of the Gok and Cheon Clans. According to this, the young Cheon Clan head met with the Seven Family heads last night. Do you know what that means?”

Seo Woojin smiled ruefully. He had expected something like this — but acting on it this openly was still something.

“They’re uniting to face a common enemy.”

“Exactly. They’ll call it fairness — but for us, whatever test they design will be as unfair as it gets.”

Seo Woojin thought for a moment, then tilted his head.

“Wait. If the Woon Clan gets involved, couldn’t your faction help me?”

At that question, Woon Seorin looked at him without a word.

The weight of her gaze made him look away — and only then did she sigh.

“You said it yourself yesterday. That I was trying to make you a puppet. I told you that at the very least, my priority was your safety over that. But I am my clan’s daughter before I’m the Military Advisor.”

“Ah.”

“Yes. My family’s priority was making you a figurehead — your safety came second. And then you dismantled that plan yesterday. They won’t interfere the way the Cheon or Gok Clans will — but they’ll stand back and watch. They’ll only step in when you’re right at the edge of the cliff.”

“Are you alright?”

The question came out of nowhere. Woon Seorin frowned.

“What?”

Seo Woojin scratched his head with a complicated expression.

“You’re the one responsible for me here — so I wondered if you’ve been taking heat for what I did yesterday. Are you alright?”

“……”

Woon Seorin looked at him again. A long, still look.

This time, Seo Woojin didn’t look away.

She scrunched her expression and answered coldly.

“That’s not something you need to concern yourself with. What matters is how we get through this.”

She was deliberately changing the subject. Was it a trick of the eye, or did the hand lifting her teacup tremble slightly?

Seo Woojin let out a quiet sigh and followed her lead.

“Haah. The key question is what form this test will take……”

He didn’t have to wonder long.

The answer walked in on its own.

“Young Lord. Clan Head Cho Igyeom of the Soaring Wind Cho Clan is here.”

The two exchanged a startled glance.

Woon Seorin gave a small nod. Seo Woojin answered.

“Send him in.”

Slide.

The door opened. Cho Igyeom stepped inside.

Neither tall nor short. Neat clothes — but the quality of the silk was apparent at a glance. His beard was trimmed with care, and his eyes were clearer than his age suggested. Looking into those clear eyes made Seo Woojin feel oddly exposed — like something was being read off him. The smile at the corner of his mouth conveyed ease, while the fan in his hand seemed to conceal whatever lay beneath it.

He smiled more deeply and folded his hands in salute.

“I greet Young Master Seo. I am Cho Igyeom, head of the Cho Clan.”

Seo Woojin returned the greeting.

“This is our first time meeting properly. A pleasure.”

Cho Igyeom smiled pleasantly and let his gaze drift.

“My, I didn’t realize the young lady was here as well. Hahaha.”

Woon Seorin fixed him with a cool stare.

“I’m here in my capacity as Military Advisor.”

At her clipped response, Cho Igyeom slapped his own forehead with exaggerated drama.

“Aiyoh. Old Cho has done it again — haha. It’s been how many years since you became Military Advisor, and ‘young lady’ still comes out naturally. That just shows how fondly I think of you! Hahaha.”

“Your reason for coming?”

The moment the conversation threatened to stretch, Woon Seorin cut it off clean.

Cho Igyeom blinked as though just remembering.

“Ah, right, of course. Everyone must be busy — better to come to the point quickly. Ah, but — is there no tea for me?”

The dizzying pace of him was enough to make even Seo Woojin’s head spin. He let out a quiet sigh and poured a cup for him anyway.

“Here you are.”

“Aiyoh. What an honor. To have our Young Master personally pour tea for me. To think even the late Alliance Lord never gave me so much as a sip of……”

“Your reason for coming.”

This time it was Seo Woojin who cut him off.

“Please state your business. We can catch up after — it won’t be too late.”

A glimmer of something passed through Cho Igyeom’s eyes.

He set the teacup back down and smoothed his beard.

“Well, since you put it that way.”

He looked between Seo Woojin and Woon Seorin in turn, and slowly began.

“I am here as a representative of the Seven Families.”

Faster than expected.

And that it was neither the Cheon nor the Gok Clan who had moved directly — that was unexpected too.

“So you met with Young Clan Head Cheon as well, I take it?”

At Woon Seorin’s pointed question, Cho Igyeom shook his head.

“No, no, young lady. That question misses the mark. Whether I met with Cheon Doyun isn’t what matters. What matters is that I came here directly — and that means the Woon Clan gave its blessing for me to do so.”

“……”

“Which means the Woon Clan’s wishes are included in the Seven Families’ wishes. Wouldn’t you say?”

The message was unmistakable.

The Woon Clan already agreed to this. Don’t interfere.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would have responded to that with a sharp retort. But it was her own family’s will — and that closed her mouth.

Cho Igyeom turned to Seo Woojin at last, looking satisfied.

“Yesterday’s speech from Young Master Seo was truly remarkable. Even a man of my years felt his heart stir. Hehehe. ‘More than some Murim Alliance Lord sitting somewhere far from here — the Dark Alliance right here matters more!’ Was that it? My, what a way with words.”

It was hard to tell whether he was mocking or genuinely moved.

A man whose true feelings are impossible to read……

He was nothing like the flustered figure who had reacted to the Sword Saint’s blade the day before.

“Which is why I felt it completely. What? Our Young Master’s will — and the pride of the Dark Path!!”

“……Is that so.”

“Haha. Indeed. The other Family heads may not have said so out loud, but I suspect many of them were quietly moved. They’re simply too proud to show it.”

“……”

“That said.”

The lightness dropped from his voice in an instant.

Those clear eyes became heavy. The air around him settled into something more serious.

“Confirming one’s will and standing at the top of the Dark Path are two different things.”

This, at least, was as expected.

Seo Woojin nodded calmly.

“Go on.”

“We would like to confirm whether you have the right to stand above us.”

A brief silence fell over the room.

Clink.

Seo Woojin took a sip of tea and asked.

“Interesting. How do you intend to confirm it?”

The corner of Cho Igyeom’s mouth curved up. The weight in the room vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

“Haha. Nothing too grand. Just three simple tests.”

“Hm. Doesn’t sound simple — but fine. Please continue.”

“The test details would be no fun to reveal in advance, so they’ll be disclosed one at a time as we go……”

The corners of Cho Igyeom’s eyes curved downward. Something lit up in them — a playfulness so unrestrained it looked almost childlike.

“I noticed yesterday that Young Master Seo seems to like things ‘reasonable.’ So I trust you’ll understand our position.”

Seo Woojin’s brow furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

Cho Igyeom smiled deeply — like a man relishing the reaction he was about to provoke.

“Of course our Young Master will prove himself — but there is always the off chance that he may fall short of our expectations, is there not?”

“And?”

“If the Young Master fails to prove himself, we can hardly make him Alliance Lord by force — and no one would accept that. But then, finding a new candidate from scratch and having them go through the same process all over again — doesn’t that strike you as terribly inefficient? Terribly unreasonable?”

Woon Seorin’s head shot up.

“W-wait — are you saying——!”

But Cho Igyeom’s words moved faster than hers.

“Which is why the Seven Families have decided — in the spirit of efficiency and reasonableness — to put forward one candidate from each clan.”

A cold silence settled over the room again.

Even Woon Seorin looked visibly shaken — she clearly hadn’t seen this coming.

Understandably so.

She had been certain the Black Dragon Woon Clan’s presence alone would make any competing candidate unthinkable. In the end, Seo Woojin’s display yesterday had come back as a wave rough enough to sweep even that certainty away.

So my acting out really did get under their skin.

Seo Woojin drew a quiet breath and composed himself.

The words had already been spoken. There would be no taking them back.

Woon Seorin, however, seemed to have different ideas.

“You seem to have forgotten — members of the Seven Families cannot become Alliance Lord. That’s the agreement with the Murim Alliance.”

Cho Igyeom fanned himself leisurely and nodded.

“Correct. To be precise — the Clan Heads and their direct successors cannot become Alliance Lord. Putting forward an adopted son or a disciple, however, is something even the Murim Alliance can’t object to. Ah — though of course, since our Young Master will be proving himself, there’s no need to explain anything to the Murim Alliance at all, is there?”

Woon Seorin bit down on her lip, hand clenching and unclenching.

She was clearly still searching for a way through this.

Seo Woojin glanced at her briefly — then looked back at Cho Igyeom.

“Fine. Having more candidates only makes the outcome more definitive.”

“Young Lord!!”

Woon Seorin turned sharply — but Seo Woojin didn’t look at her.

“So — what do these tests involve?”

Cho Igyeom rose from his seat, satisfied with the result.

Tap.

He closed his fan and folded his hands in a formal bow.

“Each candidate will be notified in due course. And in the interest of fairness, no third-party involvement will be permitted. Advice, of course, is another matter.”

He cast a brief sideways glance at Woon Seorin — then bowed again.

“Then this humble one will take his leave. I sincerely hope for a favorable outcome for Young Master Seo. Hahaha.”

After Cho Igyeom had gone——

Woon Seorin sat with her head in her hands, utterly still.

Seo Woojin watched her carefully and spoke gently.

“Are you alright?”

Her reaction told him everything. Her own clan had said nothing to her about this beforehand.

The immediate obstacle looming ahead of them was daunting enough. But being cut out by her own family — that probably stung far deeper.

He was about to say something more when——

Woon Seorin’s head snapped up.

“Actually — this might be better.”

“What?”

“I said the test would be unfair for us. So we play the same game.”

Seo Woojin frowned.

“What do you mean……?”

“The Four Black Dragons will be back soon. And the name ‘Four Black Dragons’ was earned by surviving trials that would make what’s coming look mild.”

“But Cho Igyeom just said third-party involvement isn’t——”

Woon Seorin scoffed.

“As if I care! Don’t get caught and there’s no problem! Steel yourself — I am going to make sure you win this!”

The sudden shift left Seo Woojin laughing in spite of himself.

What a completely unpredictable woman.

Still — this was better. Far better than watching her sit there in stunned silence.

He smiled faintly and nodded.

“Let’s do it. I’ll make sure you get to go home and raise your voice at someone too.”

A test dressed in the clothes of fairness — but the most unfair thing imaginable.

What Seo Woojin didn’t know yet——

Was how much pain this was going to cost him.

And so above the Dark Alliance, stormclouds began to gather once more.

(End of Chapter 13)