Chapter 214: Omen (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: Omen (1)
“You seem to have caused a great deal of trouble.”
I swallowed hard at Father’s icy tone. His voice was calm, yet a distinct undercurrent of anger simmered beneath the surface. Considering how rarely Father showed any emotion at all, I knew the situation was grave.
I’m fucked.
Every single problem I had planned to deal with after returning to the clan had piled up and was now exploding in my face. It all fell squarely on my shoulders; I couldn’t blame anyone else.
“…A jailbreak, was it?”
Flinch.
My shoulders jerked involuntarily at his words.
“A member of the Gu Clan, breaking out of jail?”
“…About that—”
“Before we get into that…”
Just as I was about to mention the Marble of Celestial Captivation as an excuse, Father cut me off. His gaze fixed on me, intense and probing.
[…How terrifying. You look even more like him now.]
It was terrifying for me, too. Seeing Father’s eyes, usually so expressionless, now filled with emotion, was more frightening than I could have imagined.
“You killed the First Elder?”
“…Yes.”
I offered no excuses. There were none to give.
“I heard you used another clan member’s name to do it.”
“That’s correct.”
“Do you understand what that means?”
“…I do.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Despite his palpable anger, Father didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t shout. He simply waited for my explanation, his crimson eyes pinning me in place, refusing to let me escape until I gave a proper account.
Sigh.
I had no intention of running. Letting out a slow breath, I explained everything to Father. Why I killed the First Elder. Why I escaped from jail. I even told him about the Marble of Celestial Captivation, leaving nothing out. I elaborated on that part in particular.
It didn’t take long. There was no way to drag such a story out.
“…”
After I finished, Father fell into a deep silence. The only change was that his anger seemed to have cooled slightly, his sharp gaze returning to its usual detached state. For me, that was enough.
After a long pause, Father let out a soft sigh and spoke again. “Answer me truthfully. I will not accept any lies.”
“Yes…”
“The secret room you mentioned, in the First Elder’s residence. Does it truly exist?”
“It does.”
“Then how did you come to know of it?”
I saw it then, in Father’s eyes. He was searching for a reason. A justification for my actions. It seemed less about verifying the truth of my story and more about finding a logical basis for everything I had done.
But how do I explain this?
I had acted largely on impulse, guided by knowledge from my past life—something I could never explain to him. Trapped by my inability to answer, I could only remain silent. Seeing this, Father looked away and changed the subject, dropping the matter entirely.
“Regarding the second issue, I may let it slide, given your significant role in it.”
He was referring to my use of the Marble to locate Gu Huibi and assist in her escape. Father was hinting he would overlook this particular transgression.
“First…”
But that didn’t mean I was entirely off the hook.
“Even if we find this secret room you speak of, taking the life of the First Elder by your own hand is a severe overstep. Do you understand that?”
“…I apologize.”
“I hope you realize you do not yet hold that kind of authority within the clan.”
I don’t yet. I understood the implication of those words, and it wasn’t a good sign. It meant that regardless of my actions, I was still destined to become the Young Lord.
“An Elder’s Meeting will be convened to address this matter.”
I winced. The Elder’s Meeting, dormant for years, was being summoned because of me. To be fair, it was understandable; I had personally killed the First Elder. Come to think of it, the last meeting was also called because of me—my outburst against Peng Ah-hee and the broken engagement.
Looking back, I really am a troublemaker, huh?
My past was one thing, but since my regression, I’d caused more than my fair share of problems. A faint sense of shame washed over me.
Did I regress for this…?
Of course, I shook off the thought immediately.
“Know this: the Second Elder will not participate in this meeting.”
“…!”
“I will not take your side, either. That means you will have no one to support you.”
Now that’s a serious problem.
Whether in my past life or this one, I knew the Third and Fourth Elders disliked me. With the First Elder dead by my hand, nothing good would come from them. And now, the Second Elder was sitting out? Was this Father’s doing? Excluding an Elder from a meeting was unprecedented.
As my expression soured, Father added one more thing.
“I expect you to take full responsibility for the consequences of your actions at this stage of your life.”
A parent’s expectations always carried a certain weight, even if our relationship was less than ideal.
“Understood.”
I suppressed a sigh and nodded. I had no grounds to argue. Him telling me to take responsibility also implied he was involved in cleaning up my mess.
As silence fell over the room again, Father’s gaze returned to the letters on his desk. He spoke softly, “Your dealings with the Gu Sunmoon branch, along with your punishment, will be decided after the Elder’s Meeting.”
“…”
“I ask that you refrain from any further actions in the interim.”
“…Yes, understood.”
He was telling me to stay put until the meeting concluded and the matter was settled.
It’s not like another problem is going to pop up in the meantime.
And even if one did, I would do nothing. Causing more trouble now would leave me with no way out. I wouldn’t be killed by my father, but I had a feeling he might burn all my hair off.
[But it seems you never actually get beaten.]
True.
No matter what trouble I caused in my past life, Father never laid a hand on me. I probably wouldn’t be beaten this time, either.
…But I can’t let my hair get burned off.
I’d rather take a beating. That simply couldn’t happen.
Furthermore, Gu Sunmoon had lost its leader, and the sole successor, Gu Jeolyub, was still young. Since the Second Elder wasn’t a swordsman, I assumed the position would be given to someone else. Alternatively, Gu Jeolyub might become a junior successor, managing the branch under Father’s guidance.
And about Jeolyub…
It was a name that had been on my mind. I hadn’t seen him since sending him to the infirmary.
Not that I’m in a position to check on him anyway.
Once the affair of the First Elder’s secret room was resolved, I would need to see him. I couldn’t just ignore him.
As I quietly settled my emotions, Father looked at me and brought up a strange topic.
“I heard you earned a title. ‘The True Dragon,’ was it?”
“Pardon?”
The mention of that ridiculous title drew a dumbfounded response from me. Why was he bringing this up? And every time I heard that name, it just felt… shitty. What kind of title was ‘True Dragon’? Before, I didn’t know, but now that I had this ‘Dragon’ title, it felt far too grand for a mere young prodigy. Honestly, I was more like the real snake of all snakes than any dragon.
“Not bad.”
“…Pardon?”
I was stunned by his response. What had he just said?
“Good work.”
He nodded as he spoke, as if genuinely offering praise. Seeing him like that was incredibly awkward and made me feel slightly nauseous inside.
What’s wrong with him? Did he get hit in the head during his fight with the Palace Lord?
But no, I’d seen him demolish everything without a scratch. Maybe he’d eaten something bad lately.
Setting that aside for now, I decided to ask Father a question. “…If you have nothing else to say, may I ask you something?”
Rubbing my strangely full stomach, I waited as Father looked at me.
“It seemed something was happening with the Moyong Clan earlier. What was the meaning of that?”
“Moyong… Ah.”
He reacted as if he’d already forgotten the brief exchange he’d had with the Moyong Clan elder.
“Business.”
“…Yes, it would be. Obviously.”
Did he think I asked because I didn’t know that?
“It means you do not need to know the details.”
I gave up immediately upon hearing his reply. I knew from experience that once he said those words, he wouldn’t divulge anything more.
[Aren’t you giving up a bit too easily?]
Experience from my past life comes in handy at times like these.
[What a pointless kind of help that is…]
Flutter—
“If you have nothing else to say, you may leave.”
Hearing Father’s dismissal, I turned and walked out of the Lord’s chamber. Stepping outside, I saw the sun beginning to set.
I suppose he doesn’t plan to throw me back in jail.
That was likely because Father had returned to the clan. Honestly, going back to jail didn’t sound so bad right now.
Because I think hell is waiting for me at my quarters.
If my first hell was facing Father, the second hell I had to confront was even more daunting. So much so that I’d prefer jail.
“Welcome back, Young Master.”
Hongwa was the first to greet me when I stepped into my residence for the first time in a while.
…Hmm… This is a big problem.
The problem started right here. The fact that it was Hongwa who greeted me, and not a certain someone. Usually, a particular person would come running to welcome me, but she was nowhere to be seen. A cold sweat began to form.
Hiding my panic, I asked Hongwa carefully, “Where are the girls?”
“…”
At my question, Hongwa flinched momentarily, her pupils shaking slightly. Seeing her reaction, I could only smile and nod grimly.
Yeah, I’m fucked.
Hongwa’s reaction confirmed it.
“Lady Namgung went straight to her room upon arrival. She seemed tired.”
“Is that room… mine?”
“Oh, yes.”
Why did you answer as if it were the most obvious thing in the world? Why is it obvious for her to be in my room…?
“Lady Tang said she had some business to attend to in the city.”
“…I guess that’s one fortunate thing amidst all this misfortune.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
Tang Soyeol having business in the city? It was strange enough that a scion of Sichuan had affairs in Shanxi, but that wasn’t what concerned me right now.
“What about Wi Seol-Ah?”
It was the first time. The first time I had ever said her full name aloud. I might not have even done it in my past life, always referring to her by her title, the Celestial Sword.
“Oh, Seol-Ah is…” Hongwa hesitated for a moment before answering. “Seol-Ah should be in the mountains at the back.”
My feet carried me toward the mountains. The sun was nearly set, so why would Wi Seol-Ah be up there? Especially when she knew I had returned to the clan.
[Isn’t it obvious? She doesn’t want to see your face.]
As Elder Shin voiced my very fears, I bit my lip. Why did my heart feel so heavy? It was a familiar feeling, but it always carried a burdensome weight.
I climbed the mountain after hearing she was somewhere up there, but I had a feeling I knew where to find Wi Seol-Ah. I couldn’t sense her presence. Her aura was always faint, elusive even to my Peak Realm senses, but I suspected she would be somewhere with a view of the sunset. If I was right, it would be a cliff or a peak. In the mountains behind the Gu Clan, there was only one such place.
Just as I expected, on a hill overlooking the sunset, I saw a figure.
Swish-Swoosh!
Accompanied by the sound of a sword cutting through the wind, a wooden sword sliced through the air. To the untrained eye, it might look like swordplay, but to a martial artist, it was a poor imitation, lacking any fundamental technique. It was difficult to even call it swordplay.
I heard she was training with the sword.
But I never expected she would be swinging a wooden sword.
Pause—
She sensed my presence. Her movements, which had seemed relentless, halted abruptly, and her gaze met mine.
Huh?
The person standing there was Wi Seol-Ah…
The one staring at me was Wi Seol-Ah…
But for some reason, I found it harder to breathe.
Why is that?
Wi Seol-Ah’s hair was black with a hint of brown. She didn’t have the shining golden hair I remembered from my past life, and her eyes were an obsidian black, not the golden orbs of my memories. Yet, for some reason, staring at her now, I was reminded of the Wi Seol-Ah from before.
Was it because the setting sun cast a brighter glow on her black hair? Yes, that must be why I was mistaken.
“Uh, hi?”
I greeted Wi Seol-Ah cautiously, even giving a slight wave. It was a pathetic, loser-like greeting, but I couldn’t think of anything else.
“Hello.”
Fortunately, Wi Seol-Ah responded. Her voice was deeper than I remembered, but she replied.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. About last time, I was in a hurry—”
She didn’t seem angry, so I started on the excuse I had prepared.
“Young Master Gu.”
“…And couldn’t… what?”
I looked at Wi Seol-Ah, my sentence trailing off unfinished.