The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

After finishing her early morning training, Seolhwa quickly prepared and headed to Cheonhojeon with Namgung Cheongun.

As she stood at the base of the stairs leading up to Cheonhojeon, Seolhwa recalled the first day she had arrived at Namgung.

That day, she had been chasing a warrior, and now, Namgung Cheongun was by her side.

“Should I carry you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then, let’s hold hands.”

Seolhwa didn’t refuse.

She thought it was a little better than being carried up the stairs.

The two of them held hands and climbed up the stairs to Cheonhojeon.

Cheongun’s hand was soft and warm.

She had realized that her father was a tender-hearted person from the moment he had risked his life for her. Just last night, he had clutched his injured hand, choking up and blaming himself, and she had to soothe him.

‘Come to think of it, the people of Namgung are a bit too dramatic sometimes.’

How many times did he sweat over a small injury?

Cheongun seemed to be more nervous than she was, as he continuously held her hand tightly while climbing the stairs.

Seolhwa found this a bit amusing and squeezed his hand back.

After climbing the stairs, they entered Cheonhojeon.

Seolhwa quickly glanced around at the gathered people.

Most of them were familiar faces.

Some were people she had killed, others were blood relatives or those killed by the hands of the Twelve Months.

A few were looking at her with warm smiles, while others coughed awkwardly and avoided her gaze.

The ones avoiding her gaze were probably not happy to see her back.

‘Not everyone will welcome me.’

Namgung was a large sect with many entangled interests, and some people would benefit from her absence.

It wasn’t surprising, and she had expected this.

As all eyes were on her, Seolhwa walked forward with Namgung Cheongun to stand before Namgung Mucheon.

On the first day, Namgung Mucheon looked down at her from the highest seat in Cheonhojeon.

“Greetings, Lord.”

“Hello, Grandfather.”

Namgung Mucheon’s eyebrows raised slightly at Seolhwa’s greeting.

He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“I finally get to hear you call me ‘Grandfather.’ Last time, even when I told you to, you wouldn’t say it.”

“I’ve heard that a handful of affection is scarier than a debt of a thousand gold. If I wasn’t a member of Namgung, I would have had to leave this place, but I was afraid that if I became too attached to you, Grandfather, I wouldn’t want to leave. That’s why I couldn’t say it.”

A sigh spread throughout the room.

The gazes of the adults on Seolhwa mixed with both regret and admiration.

Namgung Mucheon also wore a bittersweet expression.

“But now that I am recognized as a proper granddaughter, there’s no reason I shouldn’t say it.”

Namgung Mucheon nodded with a pleased smile.

“Good. Call me that often. It sounds nice.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

Namgung Mucheon nodded again, and Namgung Cheongun stepped forward.

“Father, I would like to introduce Seolhwa to the elders of our family.”

“Alright.”

Namgung Cheongun led Seolhwa to the right side of Cheonhojeon, where the elders were seated.

“Greet them. These are the elders of our family.”

Seolhwa bowed toward them.

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Seolhwa.”

Most of the elders of the council greeted her with kind smiles.

“You’ve gone through a lot. I heard you came back on your own?”

“I remember seeing you when you were just a baby. It’s so wonderful to see you return like this.”

“You’ve grown up to be such a smart child. It’s a great blessing for our family.”

Each of them added a word of praise and patted her head.

Some even wiped away tears.

Seeing their genuine joy, it was clear that none of them were unhappy to see Seolhwa return.

But appearances can be deceiving.

‘The term “old monster” is not just a saying.’

As people age, hiding their emotions becomes easy. In the best case, it’s called becoming experienced, but in the worst, it’s called becoming crafty.

Of course, not everyone is like that.

Next, the family’s current elders introduced themselves.

“I am Namgung Gi-baek, the head of the Law Enforcement Hall. I’m glad to see you returned safely. You should come visit the Law Enforcement Hall sometime.”

“I am Namgung So-ra, the head of the Finance Hall. Thanks to you returning on your own, Namgung saved a hundred gold coins… Ouch! Why are you hitting me?!”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

Ignoring the bickering between Namgung Gi-baek and Namgung So-ra, the next person stepped forward to greet Seolhwa.

“I’m Namgung Yeom, the head of the Outer Hall. We’re already acquainted, aren’t we? If I had known you were Seolhwa, I would’ve been more attentive when you were at Cheonggaewon.”

“I’m Choryeon, the head of the Medicine Hall. We’ve already exchanged formal greetings, so I’ll keep it brief.”

She winked at Seolhwa, closing and opening one eye.

The figure of Namgung Mu-gang, the head of the Martial Hall and the second-in-command of Namgung, was nowhere to be seen.

Seolhwa then went on to greet other elders who did not hold prominent positions.

Although no one openly expressed displeasure, a few people seemed uncomfortable with Seolhwa’s presence.

The greetings with direct family members were omitted, as they had a separate meal together.

After briefly greeting the heads of the five martial factions of Namgung, Seolhwa stood before Namgung Mucheon once more.

Namgung Mucheon, who had been slowly scanning Seolhwa and the people of Cheonhojeon, smiled and spoke.

His low voice reverberated grandly through Cheonhojeon.

“After a long 8 years, we have finally recovered the lost child of Namgung. This is an immense joy for Namgung.”

His expression was one of pure happiness.

Seeing the leader so joyful, the elders and other senior members of the family also smiled warmly.

“We will announce to the world the return of our child. The news of the child’s return must be known far and wide.”

Namgung Mucheon raised one hand.

“Let a proclamation be made across the Central Plains, and open the storerooms of both the main and branch families to distribute grain to those who come to offer their congratulations! Let those who spread the news be given grain so that the return of this child will be known to all!”

The family elders rose in unison and saluted.

“Chung!”

“We must make sure that those who oppose Namgung understand clearly! That behind this child, they must realize, is the power of Namgung!”

Namgung Mucheon rose from his seat, holding the decree in his hand.

“There shall be no more loss of a Namgung child!”

The decree hit the ground with a loud thud.

The immense aura that spread from the decree shook Cheonhojeon for a moment.

“We must never forget the pain of the past 8 years when we lost this child, and today’s joy!”

“We accept the will of the Lord!”

“We accept the will of the Lord!”

At Namgung Mucheon’s declaration, everyone in Cheonhojeon stood and saluted in unison, responding to their leader’s will.

The loud sound of their salute shook Cheonhojeon once again.

Namgung officially proclaimed the return of the child.

The child’s name was Namgung Seolhwa.

This was the return of the child who would later become a monster born from the Namgung family and the sky of the Martial Arts Alliance.