The Black Lion's Judgment (7)
"...Wi Daehyeop. It's time."
I looked at the innkeeper who appeared carrying something wrapped in a bundle. After knocking to announce himself, he set the bundle down respectfully in front of me and stepped back.
"These are the clothes for you to change into."
"Don't you have any armor?"
"Pardon?"
"...Forget the armor. How about a mask that can cover my entire head instead?"
"But wouldn't that obstruct your vision?"
Vision was life itself to a martial artist. The innkeeper's worried tone showed how strange my request sounded. Still, I wouldn't have suggested it without thinking it through.
No knight takes off his helmet on the battlefield, after all.
And helmets restrict your field of view far more than most people realize.
"That doesn't matter. I'm more used to it that way. Also... I placed an order for a sword at the Mokga Forge. I'd appreciate it if you brought that too. It'll draw less attention than if I went myself."
"...Understood."
It was still midday.
If my memory was correct, the assembly would begin late at night.
I could change clothes and wait. I'd already decided how I'd handle myself during that time.
...The situation was a little unstable, but they wouldn't have sent a Super Peak expert just to swallow Hao Mun, so it shouldn't be too difficult.
Protecting VIPs wasn't exactly new to me.
"Benefactor, do you plan to hide your identity?"
"I don't know who's trying to devour Hao Mun, but delaying the moment they learn who I am should throw them into confusion."
Longsword techniques aren't suited for fighting multiple opponents.
So... I intended to use an art that was advantageous in group battles if possible.
"Mister, will a mask really be enough to hide who you are?"
"If it covers my whole head, it'll do fine."
"Mister wearing a mask... that's going to look incredible!"
What exactly was incredible about it?
"If you cover your face too, won't you look like a yaksha? People might get scared and run away."
"Why does everyone think my face is that bad?"
People might call me old-looking, but I wasn't ugly enough to make children cry. I shook my head at Hye-ryeong's bizarre taste and picked up the clothes.
"Anyone who saw me would think I wasn't a martial artist but a reaper from the underworld."
The original outfit had been entirely black, but this was even darker. I didn't know anything about dyes, so I had no idea how they'd made it, but it looked like the kind of garb assassins would wear.
"Coming to the murim sure gives you all kinds of new experiences."
A knight walking around in assassin clothes. If the captain saw this, he'd yell at me and smack the back of my head without hesitation.
Still, there are times you can't back down, and there are times when a little flexibility is necessary to save someone.
"I'm changing, so get out."
"...Can't I watch?"
"..."
Just leave already. When I glared at her, Hye-ryeong reluctantly left the room. I immediately started changing.
"...Benefactor. Are all those scars from the battlefield?"
"That's right."
Pierced by arrows. Stabbed by spears. Beaten by blunt weapons. Cut by swords.
The medals I'd earned for surviving the battlefield covered my upper body. Sometimes when I caught my reflection in water, the battlefield would rise in my mind as clearly as if it were yesterday.
"I don't understand how you're still alive."
"Neither do I."
I'd simply struggled like a madman to survive, and somehow I was still here.
Oddly enough, the Mamluk commander had been so impressed by how many of his own men I'd killed that he tried to recruit me.
Thinking back on it now, it was ridiculous. The Mamluks mixed in slaves from all over, so maybe it wasn't that strange, but who tries to recruit the man who slaughtered a third of his troops?
Was he bold, or just insane?
...Forget it.
What was the point of digging up the past?
I had work to do right now.
"Mok-gyeong. I'm leaving Hye-ryeong in your care. I don't think they'll reach out to you two, but as you know, the world can be unpredictable."
"...Leave it to me. I will protect Lady Hye-ryeong with my life."
"Good."
"Wi Daehyeop. I've brought the sword and mask as you asked."
"...That's less a mask and more a full face covering."
Well, it didn't matter.
I pulled the unnecessarily flashy lion mask over my head and topped it with a bamboo hat.
The innkeeper looked at my bizarre outfit with an awkward expression.
"It, uh, suits you well."
It was obvious he was horrified by how I looked, yet he still forced out that polite nonsense. Never mind.
"Can we leave right away?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then let's go."
It had been a while. Time to loosen up my body a little.
"I wonder if this will go well."
"Hao Munju-nim, everything will work out."
"Where is this expert you recruited?"
"He'll arrive soon, so please don't worry."
'He should be here any moment...'
The Wuhan branch leader of Hao Mun stared at the back door of the hall where the man was supposed to appear. Since that person needed Hao Mun's help too, he probably wouldn't run away now.
He watched the door with anxious eyes.
Fortunately, the sound of footsteps finally reached his ears.
Heavy, dull steps like a bull stomping across the ground.
Soon the door opened.
"Wi Daehyeop...?"
"You are...?"
Both men trailed off as they stared up at the strange figure wearing a mask with a bamboo hat perched on top.
Broad shoulders, muscles that showed even through clothing, and a massive frame. The man stood there radiating a terrifying aura.
The two escort warriors beside the Hao Mun leader watched him with wary eyes, hands resting on their sword hilts. They looked ready to draw at the slightest provocation.
William ignored their reactions and looked directly at the Hao Mun leader.
"Are you the leader of Hao Mun?"
"Y-yes, I am."
'He looks like a yaksha that crawled straight out of hell. Is this man truly the Lion Sword Hero?'
The appearance was so different from the rumors that the Hao Mun leader felt a flicker of doubt. Before it could grow, William spoke first.
"I disguised myself just in case."
"I see."
Their eyes met. William gazed at the old man whose life and death had been decided in a single line in the original story and fell into thought.
'So this is the Hao Mun leader. I don't know if he's the real one or a substitute, but he's the one I need to protect.'
"Thank you for coming, Wi Daehyeop."
"Please call me the Black Lion."
William tossed out the first name that came to mind and scanned the still-empty hall.
'Quite spacious. Built in a remote location too, so it won't be easy to find.'
If someone died here, no one would ever know. After memorizing the hall's layout, he turned back to the Hao Mun leader.
"When does it begin?"
"It should start in about an hour, so feel free to rest in the corner until then."
William went to a secluded spot and sat in a lotus position. He planned to rest while he had the chance.
Meanwhile, the Hao Mun leader watched the branch leaders from various regions gradually filing in, his eyes moving quickly.
'How many traitors are there? Ten have been identified. There could be as many as thirty more.'
He had only learned of the traitors several years after taking the position of leader. Five years ago he'd discovered their existence, but without knowing exactly which hidden force was behind them, he hadn't dared to act recklessly.
The position of Hao Mun leader was ultimately won through information and political power rather than martial strength.
With his foundation still shaky after only a few years in the role, he couldn't easily move against the traitors even after identifying them.
He had managed to reduce their numbers using various excuses, but in the meantime the traitors had multiplied like a cancer, growing to the point where it was difficult to even estimate their true numbers.
'This is the last chance. I must eliminate every last traitor this time and take complete control of Hao Mun. The odds of success aren't high, but...'
From his investigation, the power backing them was the Demonic Cult.
If they mobilized their demonic warriors, Hao Mun would be wiped out in an instant.
Even the current leader, who had learned the sect's secret arts, didn't possess particularly high martial prowess.
That was why he had prepared thoroughly for today.
The formation installed throughout the hall, the hidden escort warriors, and... the expert his most loyal subordinate had brought.
'How much the Lion Sword Hero can do will decide whether I live or die.'
"It's been a while, Danju-nim."
"Mun-gyeom, is that you? Have you been well?"
"Yes. I've been doing fine thanks to you, Munju-nim."
Empty formalities and hollow pleasantries. The Hao Mun leader continued the tiresome routine while watching the hall gradually fill with branch leaders.
'To think the day would come when I must kill my own people with my own hands. I have no face left to show the previous leader.'
But he couldn't simply hand Hao Mun over to the Demonic Cult.
With a face full of resolve, he looked over the gathered branch leaders and spoke.
"My fellow pillars who lead Hao Mun, it has been a long time."
"Managing Hao Mun cannot be easy, yet you look so vigorous. That is fortunate."
'Yun Cheol. The presumed leader of the traitors. He competed against me for the position of Hao Mun leader... the vile bastard.'
He had lost count of how many times poisoned food and tea had been sent his way. He viewed the man as a thorn in his side. However, a sect leader could not carelessly reveal personal feelings. Like a proper leader, he answered with a false smile that hid his emotions.
"It is only natural with all of your help, isn't it?"
"Haha, you flatter us."
A subtle battle of nerves unfolded in the hall. The other branch leaders watched the two men in silence, swallowing nervously.
Two factions.
Today, one of them would reach its end.
"By the way, may I ask why you issued the summoning order? There must be an important reason—"
"Indeed. I called you here for a very important matter."
The Hao Mun leader looked at the assembled branch leaders.
Traitors and loyalists.
How many would stand with him?
'I can only hope it is many.'
"The reason I summoned you is... because a rat has slipped into our Hao Mun. And it is a sewer rat that gives off a truly terrible stench."
"What do you mean by that?"
Yun Cheol asked with a perfectly shocked expression, as if he knew nothing. Looking at that detestable face, the Hao Mun leader suppressed his rising anger and answered politely.
"For several years now, a sewer rat has been scurrying around Hao Mun. After following its tracks, I have finally caught its tail."
"Then..."
"I intend to clean every last one of these rats out of Hao Mun to make our sect pure again. Therefore..."
The Hao Mun leader scanned the crowd, carrying both hope and determination in his gaze.
Some avoided his eyes as if their consciences were pricked. Others met his gaze squarely.
"If you truly love Hao Mun, the sewer rats among you should step forward on your own."
"Sewer rats, you say..."
Yun Cheol clicked his tongue and stepped forward.
It was time for the leader of the traitors to make his move.
"Doesn't the side with fewer numbers go against the flow of the times? Therefore, the sewer rats are... not us, but you, Hao Mun leader."
"So you choose to drink the punishment wine after all."
"Do you have the strength to make us drink it?"
Yun Cheol raised his right hand.
The Hao Mun leader immediately recognized it as a signal and stepped on the formation pedal. All the hall's doors slammed shut. The branch leaders who didn't understand the situation panicked and fled to the corners.
They didn't want to get caught up in this.
"Warriors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! It is time!"
At his shout, the demonic warriors hidden throughout the hall revealed their killing intent.
The thick, sticky bloodlust filled the entire space.
The Hao Mun leader felt his breath catch and looked at the escort warriors in front of him as he stepped on the second formation pedal.
But Yun Cheol simply laughed at the sight and took no action.
'If this works, I can settle everything in an instant!'
"...What?"
The formation didn't activate.
"Hah! Did you really think we wouldn't know your plans, Hao Mun leader?"
"...This place is already a sealed room. Our escort warriors outnumber yours. Even if you destroyed the formation, do you think you can escape with your lives?"
"Hah! We are not the ones trapped! You and your subordinates are the ones locked in here! Surado! Heukbaek Ssanggui! Sa Hyeolchang! Show him your power!"
Hearing the nicknames of the demonic warriors Yun Cheol had called forward, the Hao Mun leader turned to look at William standing behind him.
With the formation broken, William was his only remaining hope.
"It's been a while since my blade has tasted blood."
"Hehehe... Leave some kills for us."
"I want to finish this tedious business quickly and go home."
Three experts. Roughly ten demonic warriors.
A chill ran down the Hao Mun leader's spine.
"Hao Mun leader, I have come to take back my rightful position."
With Yun Cheol's declaration, the battle began.
But the fight that had just started was immediately postponed by the strange figure who walked out from behind the Hao Mun leader.
Though he gave off an unusual atmosphere, his energy didn't feel particularly strong.
"Interesting. Mind if I join you?"
"Who the hell are you!"
"Hehe, to stand before us without knowing your place..."
"That's right, brother. Such a uselessly large build, yet only this much inner energy. The Hao Mun leader who relies on a man like this looks truly pathetic."
"Little brother. Still, that large frame looks like it would be satisfying to tear apart."
Despite their words, they didn't lower their guard.
This was the last card the Hao Mun leader had played. Carelessness could easily lead to disaster.
"Let's dispose of him quickly and take the Hao Mun leader's head."
"I don't like sharing the spoils, but... let's go."
"The workload just increased."
The four experts leveled their weapons at William. One blade, one spear, and a pair of claws.
William stood with his arms crossed, studying them, then spoke.
"Caution is good, but..."
William's foot slammed into the ground.
And then—
"This... doesn't make any sense..."
Surado's neck twisted at an impossible angle and slammed into the floor.
Everyone froze at the pathetic death of a Peak expert.
A single punch.
If their eyes hadn't deceived them, the fist was what had killed Surado in one strike.
As everyone stared at him in stunned silence, the strange man in the lion mask cracked his knuckles and declared.