Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Festival of Papiyas Began in Splendor (2)
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“Phew, this is exhausting.”
So Yeonsim pressed a hand to her forehead.
Yeonil spoke cautiously.
“You’ve already been up for three straight nights. How about you go get some sleep, even for a little while?”
“No. The Festival of Papiyas is only three days away, and there’s a mountain of work. There’s no time to rest.”
“Then please rest for at least an hour. Head Steward Ju and I will finish organizing the supplies.”
For a fleeting moment, the words “Should I?” almost escaped her lips.
So Yeonsim shook her head.
“You’ve worked just as hard as I have. Besides, Juhwa just recently recovered her martial arts. I have to do as much as I can myself.”
Yeonil sighed inwardly.
So Yeonsim was a wonderful superior. She was competent, knew how to care for her people, and was an excellent leader who personally took on difficult tasks.
And that made her an equally difficult superior to work for.
It was only natural that when a person in charge worked themselves to the bone, their subordinates would feel pressured.
So Yeonsim knew this but said she couldn't help it. It was due to her perfectionist nature.
Yeonil respected her for that. Her suggestion to rest was born of genuine concern, not because she felt pressured.
Of course, she had expected this kind of answer…
‘I should at least brew her some high-quality tea.’
Just as Yeonil bowed her head to leave.
“Lord Sooo!!”
The booming voice from beyond the window startled both So Yeonsim and Yeonil.
“That voice is?”
“Lord So! I’m here! Can you spare a moment?”
So Yeonsim’s mouth hung open in a daze.
Yeonil smiled and bowed her head.
“We will handle the supply organization. My lady, please welcome your esteemed guest.”
“…I suppose I must.”
A short while later, Seo Ryang and So Yeonsim were seated across from each other in the Lord’s office.
“I apologize for visiting without any notice.”
“Whatever are you saying? On the contrary, I should be the one apologizing.”
“Huh? What does the Lord have to be sorry for?”
“I should have come to see you sooner about the transport unit incident… I’m too late, aren’t I?”
Seo Ryang had intended to pass it off with a cheerful joke.
He was going to banter about why she’d procrastinated instead of buying him drinks sooner, or how it was only right for the younger one to visit first, all to lighten the mood.
But seeing So Yeonsim’s face, he found he couldn't.
‘She looks completely ill.’
Her once clear and translucent skin was dry, and the area around her eyes had turned dark and sunken. Though she had tried to tidy herself up for a guest, anyone could see she was worn down by fatigue.
“Ahem, it’s fine. I had completely forgotten about it, anyway.”
“Still, that’s not right. Allow me to formally apologize here.”
She bowed her head, her movements sluggish. It seemed she was more than just a little tired.
Even a master martial artist couldn't escape the fatigue brought on by an overwhelming workload.
“And thank you. If it weren’t for you, Young Master, the transport unit’s mission would have ended in failure.”
“You heard everything from Head Steward Ju.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I was the one who stubbornly dragged Head Steward Ju into a deadly situation. Let’s just pretend it never happened.”
“I’m grateful for you saying so.”
Seo Ryang smacked his lips.
So Yeonsim forced a bright expression and asked.
“By the way, what brings you here? Is there something you need to ask of me?”
“Well, if I had my way, I’d ask you to get wasted with me, but I have my own business to attend to… I’m sorry to have come while you’re so busy.”
So he definitely needs a favor.
So Yeonsim smiled and asked.
“Not at all. So, what brings you here?”
“It’s something that might be a bit unsettling. It might be different under normal circumstances, but… well, I’ll apologize in advance.”
“What could it be?”
“I’ve come about a deceased cult member.”
Deceased? Who’s deceased?
“Two years ago, wasn’t a handmaiden from the Garden of Joy murdered?”
In an instant, So Yeonsim’s expression hardened.
“…Is that why you’ve come?”
“It is.”
“Why?”
Her reaction was quite sharp.
Six of the victims had belonged to the Outer Halls, and the last one was from the Garden of Joy. She was a handmaiden who, like Aeng-hwa, had only learned an internal energy technique and knew not a single half-stance of external martial arts.
No superior would be pleased to hear that one of their own had been murdered. Even so, So Yeonsim’s reaction was excessively sharp.
Seo Ryang, who had been quietly observing her expression, asked as if tossing a stone.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“…”
“You knew there was another culprit, didn’t you?”
“…How did you come to know that, Young Master?”
So she did know.
“How I know isn’t what’s important. What’s important is that I’m running myself ragged trying to catch that real culprit.”
“What?”
Seo Ryang smacked his lips.
“I’m going to catch that bastard this time.”
So Yeonsim asked with a bewildered expression.
“You, Young Master? Personally?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“But why on earth would you? This sort of matter should be handled by the Hall of Punishments…”
“…”
“Did the Hall of Punishments, by any chance, request your cooperation?”
“You’re as sharp as ever.”
“Have you also heard the identity of the true culprit?”
“I have.”
*Fwoosh!*
An intense demonic energy surged from So Yeonsim’s body.
That energy was burning with rage. When all was said and done, So Yeonsim was a supreme master who oversaw the entire Garden of Joy, and the pressure of the demonic energy she emitted was truly immense.
“Who is it, the culprit?”
“That, I cannot say.”
So Yeonsim didn't ask why. She knew that if she were the Head of the Hall of Punishments, she too would have asked for the culprit’s identity to be kept secret.
The fewer people who knew about such things, the better.
“Very well. If you are trying to catch the culprit, Young Master, then we must provide you with information.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only right that I roll up my sleeves and help.”
“I would be grateful if you could provide me with the victim’s detailed personal information, physical characteristics, and habits.”
A moment later, a cultist brought in a stack of documents.
“There are five pages in total. All the information about the victim is written here.”
“Thank you. It looks like you’re in the middle of something, so I’ll take my leave now.”
“Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“…Please, be sure to catch him.”
Seo Ryang offered a reassuring smile.
“I’ll find a way to catch him.”
After Seo Ryang left, So Yeonsim, who had been lost in thought for a long while, pulled a cord hanging in the air.
“You called, my lady.”
“Yeonil.”
“Yes.”
So Yeonsim’s eyes grew cold.
“Compile a complete list of all the leaders participating in the Festival of Papiyas and bring it to me.”
Normally, Seo Ryang would have surely brought up the ‘Festival of Papiyas.’ It was his habit to instinctively probe and understand his opponent’s current state.
But today, Seo Ryang had not mentioned the festival. He was likely worried that she might catch a hint about the culprit.
Furthermore, the Hall of Punishments had entrusted this matter to none other than one of the successors.
If they had only needed investigative skills, the Hall of Punishments would have tried to solve it internally. It would have been far more professional and reliable.
This meant it was difficult for the members of the Hall of Punishments to touch the culprit easily. In that case, there was a high probability that the culprit was a high-ranking cultist planning to participate in the upcoming festival.
“And make sure not to leave out the list for the Seven Demonic Houses.”
If the culprit had been a high-ranking official with weak backing or acting alone, the Hall of Punishments would have contacted the Office of the Grand Marshal, not a successor candidate. The matter wouldn't have escalated into a political issue.
Therefore, the culprit was most likely a member of the Seven Demonic Houses.
‘If they won’t tell me, I’ll find out myself.’
It was a moment where So Yeonsim’s extraordinary mind shone. With just the situation and a few lines of conversation, she had instantly deduced the group to which the culprit belonged.
A power more fearsome than martial arts—it was intuition and intellect.
‘I will make sure you are caught.’
So Yeonsim was famous for taking good care of her subordinates. Although the incident had happened two years ago, she still hadn't forgotten that day.
So Yeonsim rose from her seat.
The accumulated fatigue of the past few days vanished in an instant. In its place was the fury of the highest authority in charge of the Divine Cult’s finances.
And so, a day passed.
* * *
“My head is killing me.”
Seo Ryang grumbled as he tossed aside a law codex as thick as his index finger was long.
*Thud!*
Ma Dongpil’s eyes twitched.
On the bed, the spot where the codex had landed was now deeply indented. It was a testament to the murderous amount of content packed within that book.
But there was an even more terrifying fact.
“Did you… read all of it?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, more or less?”
Ma Dongpil found it impossible to think of Seo Ryang as human.
Seo Ryang waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not like it’s some martial arts incantation that I need to analyze word for word, right? I just skimmed it. I don’t even remember most of it.”
“Even so, that’s incredible.”
“Incredible? From what I saw, it’s just a book full of wordplay. Looking at that, the Hall of Punishments is completely arbitrary. They can just grab anyone they want, slap on a few charges, and boom, you’re a criminal.”
Seo Ryang, still grumbling, let out a lazy yawn.
For three days, he had gone without sleep to re-examine his demonic arts, then spent another day training and another day poring over that law codex.
He had been awake for five days straight. Even a supreme master couldn't help but feel fatigued.
“How about you get some sleep?”
“That’s the plan. Just after I check one thing.”
Seo Ryang glanced at Ma Dongpil.
“How is it?”
“Pardon?”
“Your body, how is it? It should feel like a whole new world.”
Ma Dongpil’s expression immediately brightened.
“It’s incredible. I never imagined I had this kind of power hidden within me.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t have imagined it either. That you were suppressing your power so foolishly.”
“…I am ashamed.”
“Why are you ashamed in front of me? You should be ashamed of your own constrained mind. What’s the point of a strong will if your thinking is completely rigid? Keep that up, and you’re going to get hit hard one day.”
“…”
“I’m not scolding you, so you don’t have to look so down, man.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seo Ryang muttered under his breath. He grumbled about how Ma Dongpil was still so stiff he couldn’t even take a joke, despite thinking he’d loosened up a bit.
Ma Dongpil’s expression turned awkward.
‘It can’t be easy for him to act this way.’
He was once again reminded of how unskilled his master was at taking credit for his deeds. Then again, that straightforwardness was part of his charm.
“The demonic art you practice is from the Hall of Protectors, right?”
“Yes, it is the art practiced by all protectors of the Hall.”
“The Lord of the Hall, too?”
“Ah, the Great Protector has learned a more advanced demonic art.”
“Hmm.”
Stroking his chin, Seo Ryang nodded.
“Let me take a look at your demonic art later. You’re not going to tell me the incantations are a secret, are you?”
“Ah, of course not.”
On the contrary, he wouldn't dare ask, but it was what he had always wanted. How could he refuse an offer from a supreme master to look over his martial arts?
“Good, then that’s settled.”
Seo Ryang lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
“Wake me up around sunset.”
“Is there something else you need to do?”
Seo Ryang grinned.
“What else is there to do? I need to make sure my martial arts are perfectly ingrained in my body. It seems I’ll have to move around a lot to catch the culprit anyway. And crucially…”
“…?”
“You’re seeing a new world, but so am I. I plan to perfect it completely before the Festival of Papiyas.”
“…!”
“I’m sleeping.”
One day, two days, three days passed.
Finally, the night before the Festival of Papiyas arrived.