Chapter 149
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Forsaking the Name of the King of Assassins (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Neither the patter of the falling rain nor the sound of the wind whistling through the open pillars of the pavilion was clearer than Seo Ryang's voice.
“Join me?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm.”
Jong Risan showed no sign of surprise. He simply refilled his own cup.
Seo Ryang asked, sounding intrigued.
“Did you suspect?”
“Would you care for a drink?”
It wasn't an answer to the question. Seo Ryang nodded and held out his cup.
As he poured the drink, Jong Risan spoke.
“Before I met with you again, Third Young Master, I had a thought.”
“What was that?”
“Why would he want to go to the Red Snake House again after the inspection was finished? And with me in tow, no less.”
“…”
“If he wanted to go, he could have gone immediately. What was the reason for waiting until the inspections of the Seven Houses were complete?”
Jong Risan didn’t just fill Seo Ryang’s cup. He slowly filled Ma Dongpil’s as well.
“As a special inspector for the Divine Cult, you could have received another secret order from the Cult Leader. But I thought that was unlikely.”
“Why did you think so?”
“Because I didn’t sense any sense of duty.”
“A sense of duty?”
“Yes. A sense of duty.”
Thud.
Jong Risan set down the bottle and raised his cup.
“It wasn't duty, but desire. A powerful desire was blossoming in the Third Young Master’s eyes. A desire not for someone else, but solely for himself.”
“…”
“That desire could also be seen as a sense of purpose.”
Seo Ryang smiled.
“Was the look in my eyes that intense?”
“It was.”
Jong Risan drained his cup. This time, Ma Dongpil poured him another.
Gazing down at the slowly filling cup, Jong Risan spoke.
“Was he planning to wipe out the Red Snake House? Nonsense. Even if that were possible, he could have just done it during the inspection.
There was no need to go through the trouble of coming back.”
“So that’s when you guessed.”
“I didn’t.”
Jong Risan glanced at Seo Ryang’s shoulder.
“Not until I saw that the inspector’s insignia was gone from your shoulder, Third Young Master.”
“…”
“The Third Young Master I met again was not an inspector. He was purely an individual.”
“That I was.”
“A candidate for Cult Leader visiting one of the Seven Demonic Houses with which he has no connection? A house he just turned completely upside down with an inspection?”
Jong Risan drained his cup again.
“It wasn't a secret order from the Cult Leader, nor was it to crush the Red Snake House. And yet, he headed for the Red Snake House, accompanied by me and the forces of the Giant Whale House.”
“…”
“Bringing the forces of my house was a deception meant to pressure the other party. As for me, I could find no other reason besides ‘persuasion’ and ‘alliance.’”
As he refilled the man’s cup, Seo Ryang said.
“You have good instincts.”
After filling Jong Risan’s cup, Seo Ryang drained his own.
He picked up the bottle. But he didn’t immediately fill his cup.
“So, have you made your decision?”
As he’d said, he wouldn't waste words.
It was surprising that Jong Risan had figured it out, but that was all.
What mattered to him was whether the other party would accept his offer or not, not how he had guessed or what his impressions were.
Jong Risan opened his mouth.
“I will ask just two things.”
“By all means.”
“What will you do if I refuse your offer?”
“What will I do?”
“The one who receives an offer can choose to accept or refuse.
But I must also bear the consequences of my choice. I am curious as to how you will act if I refuse, Third Young Master.”
Seo Ryang smiled.
“Most would ask about the rewards of acceptance, but you, Lord, are curious about the outcome of refusal.”
“I have no choice.”
Jong Risan’s eyes deepened.
“I am someone who has witnessed your abilities firsthand, Third Young Master. I know how relentless you can be when you harbor enmity toward someone.”
“…”
“That is why I ask.”
“I will do nothing.”
“…?”
“You asked one question, but I shall give you two answers.”
Seo Ryang set the bottle down. His cup was still empty.
“If you accept my proposal, Lord, I will ask much of you.
You, too, may ask much of me if you need. But our relationship will by no means be one of master and servant.”
“A relationship where we use each other as needed?”
“To put it coldly, yes.”
Jong Risan nodded.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then that is the end of it. We can rest well here at the Yeonju branch and then go our separate ways.”
“…Is that truly the end of it?”
“Did you think I would harm you, Lord?”
“I did.”
Seo Ryang pouted.
“You’re so blunt.”
“The Third Young Master I know is not one to scheme behind the scenes. You’d rather meet face-to-face and shatter things yourself.”
“That is true.”
“There is no middle ground in a power struggle. It’s either friend or foe. The moment I refuse your offer, I become…”
“You will remain the Lord of the Giant Whale House.”
“…?”
“Even if you refuse, you are still you, Lord. You are not my enemy.”
“Why do you think that? What if a time comes when I must ally with another to attack you?”
“Then we shall face each other as enemies at that time.”
Jong Risan’s brow furrowed.
“If that is true, you may be called straightforward, but you will not be considered very wise. At least not here, in the Demonic martial world.”
“It’s quite the opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
A seriousness crept into Seo Ryang’s face.
“In conquering the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress, the strength of the Seven Demonic Houses is indispensable.
But for me to strike down one of them with my own hands? I might be called decisive, but certainly not wise.”
“…!”
Jong Risan looked startled.
“Conquer the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Those two factions… Don’t tell me you’re planning on starting a war?”
“Well, I haven’t thought as far as war, but if I can get rid of them, I’m willing to do something even worse.”
Jong Risan, who had been staring blankly at Seo Ryang, turned his gaze to Ma Dongpil. Ma Dongpil’s face was still calm.
“Did you know about this?”
“Of course.”
His tone suggested it was only natural.
As a loyal bodyguard bound by a strong bond, he might have been told in advance. But Jong Risan couldn't understand.
“Before you are the Third Young Master’s bodyguard, you are a follower of the Divine Cult. A matter of this magnitude…”
“You are mistaken.”
“What?”
“Before I am a follower of the Divine Cult, I am the Third Young Master’s bodyguard.”
“…!”
“Whatever path the Young Master chooses to walk in the future, I will always be by his side to protect him.
That is my job. Whatever the Young Master thinks, I will simply trust and follow.”
Jong Risan let out a hearty laugh. Ma Dongpil’s calm voice hadn’t wavered in the slightest.
‘Conquer the Righteous Heaven Alliance and the Iron Blood Fortress?’
How on earth?
The Alliance, the Fortress, and the Cult—these three factions were the superpowers of the martial world, known as the Three Great Powers. If even one of them were to fall, the martial world would descend into chaos.
That was precisely why the three factions had never engaged in an all-out war.
Even if two factions fought and a victor emerged, the victorious side would surely lose more than half its forces.
And that would be the end. The last remaining faction, which had been standing by, would attack the weakened side and bring it down in one fell swoop.
Then, only one of the Three Great Powers would remain. It might not be enough for a complete unification of the martial world, but it would become the number one power and rule over it.
“Are you feeling anxious?”
Startled, Jong Risan looked at Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang’s eyes were filled with amusement, but within them lingered a subtle chill.
“Your reaction has made me curious about something as well.”
“…”
“What is your dream, Lord? No, what is your goal?”
“…?!”
“Is it to expand your house, become the head of the Seven Demonic Houses, and live with your head held high? Do you wish to maintain your current power and end your life in comfort?”
“…!!”
“If the Divine Cult decides to wage war, are you planning to shout that you cannot and then hide away?”
Jong Risan gritted his teeth.
“That was not my point. If a war were to break out, my house would stand at the vanguard and annihilate the enemy. But to forcibly start a war, that is…”
“There is no middle ground in a power struggle.”
“…”
“Those were your words just a moment ago, Lord.”
A seriousness had now settled in Seo Ryang’s eyes as well.
“Very well. Let’s cut the wordplay. Even if you refuse my offer, I will not bring any harm to the Giant Whale House.
The reason being, the Giant Whale House is still a necessary power.”
“…”
“If you accept, you will have to navigate countless hardships with me. If you refuse, you can rest comfortably and then return.”
“…”
“That is the entirety of my answer to your question. Are you satisfied?”
Jong Risan was silent.
Seo Ryang nodded.
“I’ll take that as your understanding. I believe I’ve eased your burden as well. Now, I will await your next question.”
“…”
“Why are you silent? Didn’t you say you had two questions?”
“…You’ve already answered it.”
“Huh?”
“The other question—you have already answered it, Third Young Master.”
“What was the question?”
“Your goal.”
“…Oh.”
Jong Risan toyed with his cup.
“Whether I accepted or refused, I felt the need to properly understand what kind of person I was dealing with.
Naturally, I thought I should also know what your ultimate desire was.”
“So, were you satisfied with the answer?”
Jong Risan fell silent again.
It was after another quarter of an hour of fiddling with his cup that he spoke again.
“It seems you will have to walk a rather rough path to achieve that goal, Third Young Master.”
“Of course. My head is already spinning just thinking about it.”
“And you will have to become the successor.”
A glint appeared in Seo Ryang’s eyes.
Jong Risan met Seo Ryang’s gaze directly.
“And you’ll likely see a great deal of blood to become that successor.”
“…”
“Is that not so?”
“I don’t believe it’s essential to become the successor. But many things would become easier if I did.”
“So you intend to become the successor in the end.”
“I do.”
“To summarize, the Third Young Master is now asking the father of the Sixth Young Master to be on his side.”
“At the same time, you are receiving a proposal for an alliance from the candidate who is the most driven and quite powerful.”
Seo Ryang winked playfully.
“And quite charming, to boot.”
Jong Risan chuckled.
“If you were of the opposite sex, that would have been a factor not easily ignored.”
“So, what is your answer?”
Jong Risan drained his drink.
“Pour me another.”
“Of course.”
Trickle.
The cup slowly filled.
Before it was even full, Jong Risan spoke.
“My son is not cut out to be the Cult Leader. I believe it would be difficult for him to overcome the First or Second Young Masters, let alone you, Third Young Master.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
The cup was filled to the brim.
Holding it out, Jong Risan said calmly.
“If my son’s bloodstains are on the stepping stones to you becoming the successor, I will use any means necessary to kill you.”
His calm voice was laced with a terrifying killing intent.
Seo Ryang held out his cup with a serious expression.
“That will never happen.”
Clink!
The two men toasted and drained their cups.
After emptying his cup, Jong Risan rose from his seat and bowed respectfully.
“I, Jong Risan, Lord of the Giant Whale House, will serve you as my lord from this moment on.”
Seo Ryang did not rise. He understood that returning such a profound gesture of respect would, paradoxically, diminish the other's dignity.
He spoke calmly.
“I’ll be counting on you.”