The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

There was a saying called “Colors that Shake a Nation.”

It referred to a beauty capable of toppling a nation. How beautiful must she be for an emperor to do anything she wanted, regardless of the nation’s fate?

As one got used to characters in comics, novels, and games, becoming indifferent to attractive characters was common. However, the two heroines of this martial arts visual novel captivated me from the moment I turned it on.

Despite being a nuisance, the blonde princess in the story made everyone overlook it with her bright personality and attractive appearance.

Moyong Sang-ah, with her bewitching beauty and brown hair, had a face that seemed to draw you in.

If the princess heroine was the sun, then Moyong Sang-ah was the moon.

Both women were heroines with equally irresistible beauty.

It was definitely a problematic game, but if it were released, the heroines’ appearances alone would effortlessly open many men’s wallets.

If paid DLCs like additional costumes were introduced, one might want to buy them all regardless of their own financial ruin.

A heroine whose beauty could not only captivate an emperor and ruin a nation but also empty the wallets of gamers.

That was exactly who Moyong Sang-ah was.

“Did you call for me?”

The appearance of Moyong Sang-ah in the office was nothing short of shocking.

A top slightly revealing her upper chest and a short skirt not reaching her knees. She hadn’t married yet, so she didn’t wear a hairpin, but she appeared with flower decorations in her brown hair.

Crazy.

Really crazy.

Marrying a woman like this?

Even if I were drunk, the moment such a woman approached me, I’d sober up instantly. To think Kang Yun-ho, this spoiled brat, would offend such a woman in one go.

If you change a game character into a realistic appearance, it usually fades. But Moyong Sang-ah was not like that. In fact, she surpassed it.

This world might be set in a martial arts universe, but in reality, it was a martial arts visual novel filled with a variety of costumes.

While pretty outfits certainly enhance one’s appearance, for Moyong Sang-ah, they seemed to merely complement her beauty.

If such a woman were to stab her husband and weep on television, everyone would believe there had to be a reason for it.

The dirty supremacy of a beautiful appearance.

“Your husband has arrived, and you didn’t even come out to greet him. Where have you been, and why are you only now appearing?”

Typical of a sibling relationship destined for conflict, Moyong Bi immediately shouted upon seeing Moyong Sang-ah.

“I don’t have a husband yet,”

Moyong Sang-ah stated calmly.

“What?”

Wow. They truly had the worst relationship. Almost as bad as Kang Yun-ho’s and Moyong Sang-ah’s. After all, the head of the Demonic Sect was the one who instigated the sale of Moyong Sang-ah.

And with that, I needed to prepare for the third stage.

I was the pampered Kang Yun-ho. The infamous Kang Yun-ho.

It was time to become that very famous scoundrel.

“How dare you talk back to your brother, who is as exalted as the sky. Brother, are all the women in the Central Plains this disrespectful?”

“No! Only she is like this.”

Nice save, Moyong Bi! This time, we’re temporary allies!

“If the man who will be your husband has come from afar, even running barefoot to greet him would be insufficient. Yet here you are, skulking and talking back!”

He scolded Moyong Sang-ah loudly.

Actually, it would have been best if she had skipped the wedding and simply stayed hidden. But she wouldn’t do that.

“If he had come to welcome his wife, I would have done so. But there’s no need for that with a man who came to buy a woman.”

It seemed that Kang Yun-ho kept the fact that he ‘bought’ her fresh in his mind.

“Huh, are you attempting to exact petty revenge for a joke made with a heart as vast as the ocean?”

“A joke, you say?”

Moyong Sang-ah’s eyelids fluttered. It seemed that she was not entirely without expression.

After all, the most prominent lady of Yodong Castle had never been treated like this.

She was eliminated in the clan race. Her brother sold her to barbarians. Her family was exposed to the threat of the Demonic Sect. Those barbarian bastards treated her like a courtesan.

It must have been the worst experience of her life.

“Why? If it wasn’t a joke, would you draw the sword next to you?”

I hadn’t noticed at first because of her striking attire, but Moyong Sang-ah wore a sword.

Did she think she was the heroine Sohn Sang-hyang? Why would she bring a sword to the head of the family’s office?

“If that is your wish.”

Moyong Sang-ah made a gesture as if reaching for her waist.

Sorry! I was too immersed in my acting and crossed the line!

I didn’t want that!

That was what I had been preparing to avoid!

It was all just acting! Please don’t do it!

“You wench!”

At that moment, Moyong Bi quickly approached Moyong Sang-ah, and as he raised his right hand, Moyong Sang-ah swiftly tried to block it.

But perhaps there was a gap in their skills. Moyong Bi quickly grabbed her hand with his left and subdued her, then…

Slap!

He slapped her.

“Damned wench! When my brother-in-law said you needed education, I felt a bit insulted as a member of the Moyong Family. But now, I’m ashamed of having thought that! Father raised you too leniently!”

Wow.

Moyong Bi, you’re not just a temporary colleague anymore. You’re my best friend now!

“Brother-in-law, give me that book.”

Moyong Bi released Moyong Sang-ah and gestured.

“Here it is.”

I handed over the books I had written on my way there to Moyong Bi.

“Take this and read!”

“What is this?”

“My father-in-law said you lacked manners and etiquette because you weren’t educated! So, you need to learn about the customs of Joseon.”

No, that never happened. He was subtly dissing his own brother-in-law.

“Is this a book about the customs of Joseon?”

“…… It should be.”

Moyong Bi, having never read the content, subtly glanced at me for agreement.

“I edited and brought this book on Joseon customs myself. You will be tested on it tomorrow.”

“……. What happens if I fail the test? Will it lead to a divorce?”

A faint hint of hope tinged Moyong Sang-ah’s voice.

It seemed my prediction was right.

I didn’t know much about Moyong Sang-ah’s storyline, but I had thought a lot based on what I knew.

Moyong Sang-ah killed her husband on their wedding night. But was that really what she wanted?

In this era, once a woman married and her name was entered into her husband’s family registry, she became an outsider to her own family. Moyong Sang-ah could have been taken to the Kang family as a servant if things went wrong.

It was a risky gamble to involve herself in treason on her wedding day.

Moyong Sang-ah probably thought that sending evidence would implicate the Kang family and lead to a divorce.

But in Joseon, false accusations of treason were common.

“Someone is plotting treason.”

“Again? Where did you hear such nonsense?”

“No, really. He’s my enemy, but he’s definitely plotting treason.”

How could they easily believe that?

So, in Joseon, it would have taken a long time to verify the evidence. Therefore, the reappearance of Kang Yun-ho before her eyes must have been unexpected.

What did Moyong Sang-ah need right now?

Time.

“Originally, the clan didn’t allow marriage until you passed the test. If you fail tomorrow, you’ll try again the next day. If you fail again, the wedding will be postponed.”

“What? You never said that before!”

Moyong Bi exclaimed in surprise.

“Don’t worry. There will be no annulment. If you fail, it will just be postponed.”

So, my first strategy was to delay the wedding.

If Moyong Sang-ah’s goal was to annul the marriage and coincidentally kill Kang Yun-ho to seize the Kang family’s wealth, she would want the wedding postponed.

Delaying it by just one day was enough.

In this era, weddings were planned with distant relatives and guests invited; they couldn’t be easily postponed.

Especially not a wedding conducted in the bride’s influential family estate, even in Joseon.

That was why I acted like a spoiled brat to show that my relationship with Moyong Sang-ah was poor.

“How have you educated the bride-to-be to act like this? I need to mention this where as many people as possible can hear it and naturally start talking about Moyong Sang-ah’s test.”

Of course, the Moyong family would resist.

Then, I would simply collapse, drunk. The spoiled Kang Yun-ho.

“I won’t marry. I want to go back home!”

Who would dare to stop the spoiled Kang Yun-ho? Moreover, the person who would be happiest about the postponement method was probably Moyong Sang-ah. She would try to fail the test even if she accepted the offer.

“If I fail the test, the marriage is postponed…”

Moyong Sang-ah quickly snatched the books from Moyong Bi’s hand. That’s right, you understand, don’t you?

“You wench. What are you thinking now!”

Moyong Bi snapped at her urgently.

“I just realized I wouldn’t be able to learn all this in a day since I wasn’t educated in manners and etiquette.”

Moyong Sang-ah sarcastically repeated Moyong Bi’s comment about her lack of education.

“You were born after killing your mother, so it’s unsurprising you’re cunning. But! There will be no postponement of the wedding.”

But brother, if we couldn’t delay it even for a day, then it’s all over; I’d be dead!

“The Moyong family’s wedding ceremony cannot be delayed just for a test. But we can’t ignore the words of the Kang family, our future in-laws. So, here’s my proposal.”

“What is your proposal?”

“On the first day, you take the test with him. But if you fail, you’ll have to take the test again in front of all the relatives and guests. It will be quite amusing to see the prodigy of the Moyong Family failing a simple test.”

Great. So, you were suggesting broadcasting her test score in this era? Like a roast session in a chat room? And not just for viewers but doing it in front of relatives and guests.

I didn’t need such a cruel friend. You’re no longer my best friend!

“Brother, are you determined to humiliate me?”

“The humiliation is what you’ve subjected me to all this time. If you dislike it, pass the test in one day!”

“……. Understood. I will surely pass the test tomorrow.”

“Hmph! You’ll struggle without proper education in manners. If you don’t want to become a laughingstock, you’d better work hard.”

Moyong Bi smirked at Moyong Sang-ah.

Typical Moyong Family. Even their verbal counterattacks were a back-and-forth affair.

“Then, I will take my leave.”

As Moyong Sang-ah turned to leave with the books, I quickly threw in a word.

“You thoughtless wench. You still don’t understand your place.”

Moyong Sang-ah left as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Perhaps the first secret plan was too much.

But with this, Moyong Sang-ah would study the book I wrote.

That’s when the real strategy could be employed.

Now, I just had to wait for the next step.