Chapter 35: Rather, Do Not Forget.
Chapter 35: Rather, Do Not Forget.
“This is unfair! I’m telling you, I didn’t do it!”
The man pleading his innocence in the Huangquan Pavilion interrogation room was Bae Jong-tak, a martial artist of the Northern Heavenly Sword House, led by the One Flower Sword Venerable.
He had been arrested on charges of raping a young maidservant of the Sword House. In the past, such an incident wouldn't have even been treated as a crime, but this time, Bae Jong-tak had been apprehended the very day after the report was filed.
“That maid is framing me! Let me confront her! This is an injustice!”
“Why would a maidservant frame you?” I asked.
“How should I know? Maybe someone put her up to it, or maybe I made some minor mistake with her. But at the very least, I did not rape that girl.”
He looked genuinely aggrieved.
“Fine, I’ll let you confront her.”
“Bring her in this instant!”
At my signal, Seo Dae-ryong, who had been waiting outside, entered with a girl who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. The child was paralyzed with fear.
“Hey! Why the hell are you doing this to me?!” Bae Jong-tak roared at the girl.
I raised my hand to silence his outburst. “Quiet. If you shout one more time, there will be no confrontation.”
“Fine. It’s only because I’m so frustrated.”
I turned to the girl and asked, “Is this the man who raped you?”
The girl slowly nodded her head.
“Look at that! She nodded without even looking me in the eye!”
“She already knows who you are,” I countered. “Why would she need to look closely?”
“She can’t look at me because she’s consumed by guilt!”
“Was it truly not your doing?”
“It wasn't! I swear to heaven, it wasn't! If you punish me based solely on a child’s word, it would be a grave injustice. Think about it. If I were starved for a woman, I would have gone to a brothel. Why would I touch a mere child?”
“How should I know? You tell me. Do children excite you?”
“Didn't I tell you it wasn't me?!”
Bae Jong-tak glared menacingly at the girl.
“Do you have any idea how terrifying the penalty for a false accusation is? I’ll forgive you, so just tell the truth. Tell them it wasn't me!”
The girl cowered, trembling violently.
“See? Look at her shaking!”
“That’s because she’s terrified,” I said coldly. “Didn't you tell her that if she spoke a word of the rape, you’d find her family in her hometown and kill them all?”
This case hadn't actually been reported by the victim herself. She had told another maidservant, who then went to the Huangquan Pavilion branch across from the Pungryu Tavern on her friend's behalf.
“Why do you only believe her words?”
“Because I trust her.”
“Isn't that a bit biased?”
“Because I’m certain you raped her.”
“Then show me some solid evidence! Stop relying on that brat’s words!”
I looked at Seo Dae-ryong, and he stepped outside. He returned shortly with two more girls. They were slightly older than the first.
The moment Bae Jong-tak saw them, he flinched.
“You remember them, don't you? They used to be your maidservants.”
“I know them. You’ve grown quite a bit!” Bae Jong-tak greeted them with feigned warmth, but the girls kept their heads bowed and offered no response.
“While listening to the child’s testimony, I grew curious,” I continued. “If he did it this time, could it be he’s done it before?”
After tracking down and investigating his former maidservants, I discovered that they, too, had been raped.
“They’ve already given their full testimonies. The method used was identical. The threats were the same, too. You toyed with them for two or three years before replacing them with new ones.”
Realizing that denial was no longer an option, Bae Jong-tak’s expression shifted. The man who had been pleading his innocence vanished, and his true nature emerged.
“It was a mistake made while I was drunk. Please, let it slide just this once.”
His sudden shift to composure was so jarringly different from his earlier histrionics that it felt like watching a performance by a street acting troupe. He spoke calmly to the girls.
“Honestly, you girls enjoyed it too, didn't you? I even gave you money every time we finished.”
At that, the youngest maidservant pulled coins from her robe and threw them onto the floor. They scattered with a loud clatter. She had kept every single cent without spending it, bringing it all here today.
Bae Jong-tak looked away, ignoring the sight, and pleaded with me.
“I’ve heard that in the history of the Huangquan Pavilion, no one has ever been sent to the dungeon for touching a maidservant.”
“You’ve done your homework. You’re right.”
“I won't let it happen again. I swear to heaven. I’ll sign a pledge if I have to. No, I won't keep any female maidservants at all.”
“You aren't going to the dungeon.”
At my words, the girls looked up. Their faces were filled with dread.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Bae Jong-tak smirked at the girls. They all lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.
“Instead, you’re going somewhere else.”
“Where?”
Swish! Stab!
My sword severed his neck in a single stroke. He died instantly without even a scream, toppling backward along with his chair.
Startled by the sudden turn of events, the girls cried out. The man’s blood flowed over the coins scattered on the floor. I immediately turned to the children.
“The man who tormented you is now dead. Your families will not be harmed. So, live your lives without worry from now on.”
The girls stared at me with stunned faces.
“You will likely never forget what happened to you for as long as you live. Since you cannot forget anyway, then do not forget today. Use this moment, where this man paid for his crimes, to overwrite what you suffered. Let this final end be the only image of him you remember.”
This was the best I could do for them.
The girls looked at the corpse, then at each other. After a moment, the oldest girl stepped forward and bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much for avenging us.”
The other girls bowed along with her.
“Thank you, Elder... sob...”
The youngest maidservant burst into tears, and another girl pulled her into an embrace. Tears also streamed down the face of the one doing the hugging.
No one cares how maidservants are treated. I was the same in the past.
“There is no need to thank me. I was able to punish him because you were brave enough to testify. This retribution is your achievement. So, continue to live bravely.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you will never be targeted for revenge by this man’s friends or family. From now on, the Huangquan Pavilion will protect you.”
Now, even the oldest girl began to sob. “Truly... thank you.”
Father, if we fail to protect these children under the pretext of 'might makes right,' then we deserve to have our heads taken by those Orthodox bastards you hate so much. No, we should have them taken. We would have no right to complain even if we were decapitated.
Investigators entered and led the girls out. I had instructed them to take special care of these children, so there was no need to worry about their future.
Word of this would spread throughout the Cult, and the number of people who dared to lay a hand on maidservants would dwindle. The twisted notion that such behavior was acceptable because they were Demonic Cultists had to be corrected.
Lee An, who had been watching the interrogation, shook her head.
“When I saw him denying it earlier, I actually thought he was being framed. It’s truly terrifying.”
“Humans are more terrifying than ghosts.”
“But that man belonged to the Northern Heavenly Sword House. Will the One Flower Sword Venerable let this go?”
“His subordinate systematically raped young maidservants. Is he going to make an issue out of me killing such a man? He’d better not.”
“Aren't you afraid, Young Master?”
“I am. I’m afraid I’ll die before I can clean up all this trash.”
“The Cult is becoming kinder and kinder since you became the Huangquan Pavilion Master,” Lee An joked. “What if we end up more virtuous than the Murim Alliance?”
I immediately corrected her. “Not raping maidservants isn't 'being kind.' It’s common decency.”
“Ah, right.”
“We just haven't been able to manage even that basic decency until now.”
Just then, Seo Dae-ryong returned. “Pavilion Master, why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You killed him intentionally, didn't you? Your philosophy is usually that men like him should be thrown into the dungeon to suffer.”
The Cult’s dungeon was a place more painful than death itself.
“That’s true.”
“Then why did you just kill him?”
As expected, Seo Dae-ryong was sharp. I had intentionally handled a case involving the Northern Heavenly Sword House myself, and as he said, I had killed the man on purpose.
“Because killing him like this gives me an official justification to go meet the One Flower Sword Venerable.”
Seo Dae-ryong looked startled. “The Blood Heaven Blade Demon issue is already a headache. Why do you want to meet the One Flower Sword Venerable?”
“Because I need a second tiger.”
“Pardon?”
Ignoring Seo Dae-ryong’s confusion, I issued an order. “Send word to the Sword Venerable immediately. Tell him a problem arose during the interrogation, and I am coming to explain it in person.”
*
An hour later, I headed toward the Northern Heavenly Sword House with Seo Dae-ryong.
“Do you really have to take me with you?”
“It’s an official visit. How can a Pavilion Master go alone? My right-hand man has to follow.”
“Since when did I become your right-hand man?”
“A cold-hearted, power-hungry personality who is nonetheless a romantic devoted to one woman; a rebel who raises his hand alone when everyone else is silent—you’re more than qualified to be my right hand.”
“Good grief!”
“Which description do you like best?”
“I don't like any of them!”
Soon, we arrived at the entrance of the Northern Heavenly Sword House.
If the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s Southern Blade Sect occupied the southern part of the Cult, the One Flower Sword Venerable’s Northern Heavenly Sword House controlled the north.
“This is my first time at the Northern Heavenly Sword House,” Seo Dae-ryong noted. “None of the cases I’ve handled so far involved them. Unlike the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the One Flower Sword Venerable has managed his subordinates well. The Demonic Swords of this house also pride themselves on their honor.”
“Is that so?”
When I responded indifferently, Seo Dae-ryong asked, “Do you think otherwise?”
“To me, Demonic Swords and Blade Ghosts seem cut from the same cloth. Should the eyes of those who value honor look like that?”
The glares from the Demonic Swords guarding the entrance were far from friendly. Word of Bae Jong-tak’s death had clearly spread, but their reaction wasn't 'he died because he committed a crime.' It was closer to 'You killed a martial artist of our Northern Heavenly Sword House over a mere maidservant?'
Of course, they didn't dare provoke me, so they all bowed politely.
Seo Dae-ryong whispered to me, “That’s a look I’ve been seeing often lately, despite being a pacifist. I seem to see it whenever I’m with a certain someone.”
“I’ll add 'pacifist' to the list of adjectives describing you.”
“Ah...”
A martial artist was waiting to guide us. “The Demon Lord is waiting. I am Sa U-jong.”
Sa U-jong was known as the right-hand man of the One Flower Sword Venerable. He was one of the top three experts within the Northern Heavenly Sword House, and his aura was as sharp as a blade’s edge.
I knew this man well. Not because of any personal connection, but because his end had been quite memorable.
“A pleasure.”
“Follow me.”
Sa U-jong led us deeper into the compound. We passed the buildings where the Demonic Swords resided and entered the innermost area. There stood a small hermitage hut. This modest, well-kept place was the residence of the One Flower Sword Venerable.
“The Huangquan Pavilion Master has arrived.”
At Sa U-jong’s announcement, the door of the hut opened, and a woman dressed in white robes stepped out.
“Welcome, Pavilion Master Gu.”
The woman with the gentle voice was the One Flower Sword Venerable, So Yeon-rang.