Chapter 38: An Unidentified Test (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: An Unidentified Test (4)
I had phrased it ambiguously, but it was clear who I was referring to.
At my words, Jo Seong-won wore an expression that seemed to ask if it was really okay to speak like this.
The person before us was Baek Hye-hyang.
She was one of the two candidates for the position of Blood Cult Leader. There was no telling how she would react if her pride was wounded.
Fortunately, her reaction was close to what I had anticipated.
Baek Hye-hyang, who had looked momentarily surprised at the mention of me clashing with the Martial Alliance Leader Baek Hyang-muk, let her cherry-red lips twitch as if she found the situation delightful.
"You’re lucky. To have crossed blades with the Alliance Leader himself... I’m almost jealous."
A chill ran down my spine at her words. She wasn't just being competitive; she was being entirely serious. Was she truly burning with the desire to fight one of the Eight Great Masters, the pinnacle of the martial world?
"But what makes you think I’m the one who had some fun with that man?"
"Because the blacksmith has disappeared."
"And what does his disappearance have to do with me? Is this just a simple hunch?"
She was feigning innocence.
"I’d say it’s based on the circumstances."
"What circumstances?"
I gestured toward the large, shattered incense burner.
"The person who saw that was one of your subordinates. I believe he said he was a disciple of the Fifth Blood Star. Aside from him and me, no one else saw the swords hidden inside that burner."
At my explanation, she gave a bright smile. She stepped closer and whispered.
"Ah. I’ve been caught."
"......"
It seemed she never had any intention of hiding it in the first place. I hadn't expected her to come clean so easily. To kidnap a blacksmith who was under the direct commission and periodic surveillance of the Alliance Leader—right under the nose of the Martial Alliance, the sanctuary of the Orthodox Faction—was beyond bold. It was arrogant.
"......Can you handle the aftermath?"
Since she had admitted to it, there was no reason to beat around the bush. She was currently stepping on the tail of the Martial Alliance Leader. This could cause a disaster even before the Martial Discussion began.
"Why would I need to handle the aftermath?"
"The Alliance Leader will come looking for the blacksmith."
She gave a short, mocking laugh.
"He can't look for him openly."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You don't need to know that much."
Well, she certainly wasn't going to tell me everything. However, I had a suspicion. It likely had something to do with that imitation Ink Immortal. The vision I’d seen through the Heavenly Secret—the blade turning red and cracking—weighed on my mind.
"More importantly, there's something I want to ask you."
"......What is it?"
Baek Hye-hyang tilted her head toward Sama Yeong.
"I like this one, so I’ll accept her too."
"........"
If I had been drinking water, I would have spat it out. While I was struggling to figure out how to respond, Sama Yeong spoke up with an incredulous look.
"Who are you 'accepting' exactly?"
"I like you. I think it wouldn't be bad for the three of us to enjoy the night together."
"Cough! Hack!"
Jo Seong-won, who had been watching the mood, began to cough as if something had gone down the wrong pipe. His face turned bright red, and he averted his gaze, not knowing what to do with himself.
"Your jokes are going too far."
At my remark, Baek Hye-hyang licked her upper lip with her tongue.
"Does it sound like a joke?"
Ah, this was confusing. Truly confusing. Meanwhile, Sama Yeong’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she snapped back, even stammering in her anger.
"W-Who said anything about enjoying the night with you!"
"Are you pretending to be innocent?"
"I am not!"
"How boring. I don't like innocent types."
"It's better than being shameless!"
Just as the Lesser Conversation Sword said, Sama Yeong was falling right into her trap. Sama Yeong was no pushover, but seeing her get toyed with like this proved that Baek Hye-hyang was on another level. I decided to intervene before the teasing continued indefinitely.
"......Even if he can't search openly as you say, isn't it dangerous to stay here?"
"Why? Are you worried about a pursuit?"
"Unless you're looking for a double suicide, I think it's best we disperse now."
"You always prepare an escape route, don't you?"
"I have to stay alive."
"Honest. Fine, then."
Baek Hye-hyang pulled something from her robes and tossed it to me. It was wrapped in leather; when I unwrapped it, I found a dagger blade without a hilt.
"That's yours, right?"
'Ah...'
It seemed to be the piece the blacksmith had made.
'So this is how he made it.'
The blade was designed to be attached to the Lesser Conversation Sword. It looked like holes had been made in the upper part of the sword's guard so the blade could be slotted in and secured. Seeing her in possession of this confirmed she was indeed the kidnapper.
"With this, the debt is settled. If we meet outside the city again, I won't let you go so easily."
".....?"
Baek Hye-hyang pulled her bamboo hat down and turned away. Contrary to my expectation of a messy confrontation, she had acted quite coolly. I had thought of her as merely selfish and violent, but her caliber was greater than I’d imagined.
As she was about to leave, she paused and spoke.
"I'll take care of the Alliance Leader's pursuers on this end, but you'll have to deal with the person who leaked the information to you yourself."
"........"
"If it were me, my suspicion would only grow if I set a trap and no one fell for it."
With those final words, Baek Hye-hyang vanished from the blacksmith shop. Watching her go, Jo Seong-won shook his head.
"She’s not going to be easy to deal with."
My thoughts exactly. With the Martial Alliance Leader, Chief Strategist Zhuge Won-myeong, and even Baek Hye-hyang all entangled in this, it was becoming impossible to see even an inch ahead. I wondered if I could truly seize the Blood Demon Sword safely.
A chase was unfolding in a dark alleyway.
Two masked figures were fleeing, pursued by warriors wearing bamboo hats. After a long chase, the bamboo-hatted warriors blocked the path of the masked men. They tried to escape onto the rooftops, but warriors were already stationed there, cutting off all routes.
One of the men in a bamboo hat stepped forward.
"Give up on escaping. Where is the blacksmith you kidnapped?"
"......."
The man in the bamboo hat clicked his tongue at the silent masked figure.
"Tsk, tsk. Fine. I didn't expect you to talk easily. Subdue them."
As soon as the order was given, the bamboo-hatted warriors prepared to pounce. At that moment, the masked men shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Peerless Fortress does not forget its grudges!"
"What?"
With that cry, the two masked men drew their weapons across their own throats. It happened so fast there was no time to stop them.
"Damn it..."
The leader of the bamboo-hatted warriors couldn't hide his dismay as he looked at the fallen bodies. He never expected them to commit suicide while invoking the name of Peerless Fortress. Though it was late evening, the shouts had already begun to draw the attention of people nearby.
Biting his lip, the leader ordered, "Take the bodies and withdraw."
"Understood!"
The warriors quickly gathered the corpses and vanished from the scene.
I listened to Jo Seong-won's report and asked, "Where did you hear this?"
"The rumor is all over the city."
"Is that why you went out for breakfast?"
"Information is easiest to find where people gather."
I shook my head in amazement. In high-rank guest houses, servants brought meals to the rooms. On the other hand, members of smaller sects or martial families used the large communal dining halls because of their numbers.
"It was a great place to eavesdrop."
He really was a former member of the Beggar's Sect. I hadn't even told him to, but he’d gone out since morning to gather intel. Perhaps he was anxious about the involvement of everyone from the Alliance Leader to Baek Hye-hyang, so he was looking out for his own survival.
"Peerless Fortress does not forget its grudges, huh..."
I marveled inwardly. I had wondered how she would shake off the Alliance Leader's pursuit, and she had used such a clever move. Others might be fooled, but I was certain this was Baek Hye-hyang's doing.
'The goal isn't necessarily to deceive them.'
'It's to escalate the confusion.'
He said there were bloodstains left behind along with that shout. If my guess was right, they likely shouted that piece of misinformation and committed suicide intentionally. It was a tactic spies used when they were at risk of being captured—diverting attention to a third party. Even if the enemy only believed it ten percent, that ten percent of doubt would create chaos.
'Since no one knows for sure who did the kidnapping, she’s successfully muddied the waters.'
However, this method required inevitable sacrifice. To use her own subordinates as expendable pawns... she was a terrifying woman.
.......Well, they were two of a kind. She had also sacrificed a few people to act as decoys during our escape from Six Blood Valley. This was a quintessentially Blood Cult—no, an Evil Faction—method. I wasn't sure about the sacrifice part, but I probably would have tried to divert attention in a similar way.
Baek Hye-hyang's move wasn't just about evading the Alliance Leader's pursuers. It was about driving a deeper wedge between the Martial Alliance and Peerless Fortress. Their alliance was already broken; if she kept fanning the flames like this, there was no telling what disaster would strike.
Could you just call it cunning? Regardless, now wasn't the time to worry about Baek Hye-hyang.
"Where are you going?" Jo Seong-won asked as I stood up.
"The First Strategist Division."
"Pardon?"
Just as she said, I needed to use the measures I’d prepared to avoid suspicion.
I had to wait for nearly an hour before I could finally meet the First Strategist, Zhuge Won-myeong. I thought he might be busy with morning duties, but it turned out he was late returning to the Strategist's Hall due to an emergency meeting within the Martial Alliance. I suspected it was related to last night's incident.
As soon as he saw me, Zhuge Won-myeong spoke.
"I apologize for the long wait. The meeting ran longer than expected. With the Grand Martial Assembly and the Successor's Martial Discussion just around the corner, things have become quite hectic. Could you keep your business brief?"
He sounded genuinely busy. It made sense, given that the Successor's Martial Discussion was starting tomorrow. I preferred it that way too, rather than wasting time over tea. I got straight to the point.
"I came because I recalled what you mentioned the other day, Strategist."
"What I mentioned? And what would that be?"
"Did you not ask me to participate in the Successor's Martial Discussion and identify the Blood Cult spies?"
Zhuge Won-myeong's interest sharpened instantly.
"I did say that."
"I was hesitant to speak, as I am not officially part of the Martial Alliance."
I intentionally showed a moment of hesitation. This was the best way to pique someone's interest. While it might not be a foolproof technique against someone as cunning as Zhuge Won-myeong—a man who seemed to have a thousand snakes in his head—it was more effective than just blurting it out.
Zhuge Won-myeong watched me for a moment, then smiled thinly.
"What is it? Don't be hesitant. How could I take the opinion of a young man who will carry the future of the Orthodox Faction lightly?"
"Thank you for saying so."
"Go on, speak."
"At that time, didn't you say that the Blood Cult spies were also after the Blood Demon Sword?"
The moment I said that, Zhuge Won-myeong's eyes narrowed. His gaze felt as though it were piercing right through me. I felt the tension. Setting aside his martial arts, Zhuge Won-myeong was a man who had reached a pinnacle of insight and wisdom; a single slip of the tongue would give him an opening to tear me apart.
After staring at me for a long beat, he opened his lips.
"......Yes. I did say that."
"Well, rather than trying to root them out during the discussion, wouldn't it be easier to catch the spies this way?"
"What do you mean?"
"Identify those who are even slightly suspicious and leak information to them."
"......Leak information?"
His expression turned peculiar. I pressed on regardless.
"Yes. For instance, leak the time and location of when the Blood Demon Sword is being moved."
"Ho."
"The important thing is that this must be false information."
"False information?"
"There's no need to take an actual risk, after all."
"Interesting. Continue."
"If we leak false information, the Blood Cult spies will surely move. Especially if one of their goals is the Blood Demon Sword."
The wrinkles around Zhuge Won-myeong's eyes twitched slightly. His expression remained unchanged, but since I was reciting his own plan back to him, he couldn't help but react, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
"And then?"
I brought my fist and palm together in a respectful but spirited gesture.
"That is when you capture them. If we're lucky, wouldn't this be a chance to wipe out a large number of Blood Cult spies in one fell swoop?"
"........"
When I finished, Zhuge Won-myeong didn't respond. He just stared at me, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. After a moment, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahahaha! What a brilliant strategy. There has never been a day where I envied Great Hero Hojongdae more than today."
"You flatter me."
Zhuge Won-myeong said with a smile, "To tell you the truth, I had the same thought. With promising young men like you, the future of the Orthodox Faction is not so dark after all."
It seemed to have worked. Now, even if no one fell into the trap, it would be difficult for him to suspect that I was the source of the information leak. Who would ever guess that a dagger had been eavesdropping on their conversation?
Shortly after So Woon-hwi left the office, Zhuge Won-myeong spoke to the middle-aged guardian warrior standing beside him.
"From this moment on, overhaul all security for the First Strategist Division."
The guardian warrior frowned. "......Do you believe there was an internal leak?"
"There is a thirty percent chance."
"Understood. I will replace everyone except for the office guards and the core personnel of the division. Where do you place the other seventy percent?"
"Put tails on Bukyeong Doseong and his disciple as well. Do not miss a single move they make."
The arrow of suspicion had flown toward an unexpected target. But that wasn't all.
"I will do as you command."
As the guardian warrior turned to leave, Zhuge Won-myeong stopped him.
"Wait."
"......?"
"Put someone on So Woon-hwi as well."
"Is there reason to suspect him?"
"The fact that there is absolutely no reason to suspect him... is what bothers me by about a single penny."
It was a significantly lower probability than ten percent. A very faint suspicion. But it was the duty of a strategist never to overlook even the smallest doubt.
"Understood. I will assign someone."
"If he truly turns out to be one of ours..."
"Then?"
"I would like to inform the Alliance Leader and groom him as my successor."
"Ah!"