Unexpected Gift
'To think it was like this...'
The moment he stepped into the grand hall, Yeon-hoo inwardly marveled at the crushing pressure unlike anything he'd ever felt before. At last, the heads of the White Night Eight Great Families had gathered in one place. Of course, the Ghost Family was absent, but since he'd spent time with them, their lack didn't create any noticeable void.
As Yeon-hoo headed to his seat, he felt the gazes pouring over him from every direction. The heads of the Blood Family and Moon Family had their eyes closed, but he sensed not even a fingernail's worth of goodwill from anyone else. Wi Yeon Gwang went without saying.
[That net of yours was far too sloppy.]
Yeon-hoo mocked the Heavenly Net Formation. He stared straight into Wi Yeon Gwang's pupils, flickering with cold killing intent, and sat down calmly. Coincidentally, his seat was directly across from Wi Yeon Gwang.
"Who do you think ought to have arrived first, ahead of everyone else?"
At the thick, gravelly voice, Yeon-hoo turned to Umunjeok. Though it was a new face, the nameplate on the round table identified him.
"I've never heard that the order is set in stone."
"This is the round table where only the heads of the Eight Great Families may sit. Yet you haven't formally ascended to your lord's position, so isn't it basic courtesy to arrive first and await the others?"
"How ridiculous. A mere pirate lecturing on propriety."
"...What did you say?"
Yeon-hoo's single remark made Yayul and Jeokhon open their previously closed eyes. They fixed him with gazes laced with sharp energy. But it lasted only a moment before they closed their eyes again.
"Heh heh heh. This brat must be sick of living."
"You got the skill for it?"
"Curious? I could show you right now. Heh heh heh."
That was when it happened.
"The Elder Council Chairman arrives."
"The Great Earth Sovereign arrives."
Following the successive cries from bodyguard commander Heodo, Somubaek, Cheol Gun-ak, and one elderly man emerged from the wall behind the dais. Everyone rose from their seats in unison. But to any observer, it was merely perfunctory—no trace of reverence could be found, not even a fingernail's worth. Umunjeok bowed his head while glaring at Yeon-hoo, even baring his teeth in a grin. Yeon-hoo ignored him and bowed toward Somubaek.
Somubaek returned the faintest smile before addressing everyone with a stern expression.
"First, allow me to thank you all for attending amid your busy duties."
His tone and demeanor carried considerable gravity, but Yeon-hoo could vaguely sense the man's extreme tension. With that, Somubaek took his seat on the dais, and the Elder Council Chairman stepped forward instead.
"It's been a long time since we've all met."
He began to speak at length—details on Somubaek's inauguration and the obligations of the Eight Great Families thereafter.
'How strong could he be?'
A warrior's innate curiosity stirred. His appearance was unremarkable, but Yeon-hoo instinctively knew: Seomunhoe's power had already transcended human limits. And no doubt, everyone gathered here was the same.
'People whose paths may one day clash with mine...'
Yeon-hoo himself had undergone grueling training to surpass those limits. And before returning to the Iron Blood Family, he'd shattered a millennium-old legend to achieve it. Thus, he felt a strange sense of kinship with Seomunhoe now.
Seomunhoe's words dragged on at length. It could have been tedious, but not a single person shifted posture. Even Umunjeok couldn't tear his eyes away. The stark contrast with Somubaek's speech alone showed Seomunhoe's immense stature.
"With that, my explanations conclude. And Lord Yi Yeon-hoo of the Iron Blood Family."
All eyes turned to Yeon-hoo. He met Seomunhoe's gaze.
"Would you stand for a moment?"
Yeon-hoo rose from his seat. Seomunhoe continued.
"As you all know, the North has yet to officially name its next lord. However, since Lord Yi Yeon-hoo represents the Iron Blood Family and the North, treat him with the honors due a lord until the grand assembly ends."
"Has there ever been such precedent?" It was Wi Yeon Gwang.
Seomunhoe met his eyes squarely. "Every tradition has a beginning, does it not?"
"Setting a poor precedent could breed endless future troubles, Chairman."
"That's not for you to worry over. Follow the Cartel's directives."
Wi Yeon Gwang's brows twitched at the somewhat cold tone, but he said no more. Seomunhoe turned back to Yeon-hoo.
"You may sit."
Seomunhoe pressed on. "If you have questions, speak now."
There were none.
"Then let the assembly begin. Bury any personal grudges deep today and enjoy yourselves freely."
That was when it happened. Umunjeok glanced at Yeon-hoo and asked loudly.
"You said to treat him as the North's lord until the grand assembly ends—so after that, we needn't bother?"
"That seems a matter for the parties involved."
"So the Cartel won't intervene. Is that right?"
"Indeed."
"Understood."
As Umunjeok sat, he sent a transmission to Yeon-hoo. [Hey, brat. I'm a different breed from trash like that Wi Yeon Gwang over there. So watch your back on the way home. Heh heh heh.]
Yeon-hoo impassively stared at Umunjeok and picked up his chopsticks.
Snap!
They broke limply. He held the pieces toward Umunjeok and smiled coldly. Umunjeok, who knew exactly what it meant, grinned back, baring his teeth.
Then Cheol Gun-ak's deep voice boomed.
"I trust no misfortune arises from old grudges in this fine gathering. Should it occur, we will determine fault and mete out severe punishment without fail."
He had been watching Yeon-hoo. Sensing the odd tension between him and Umunjeok, he'd issued the warning. The target was clearly Umunjeok. Separately, he transmitted to Yeon-hoo. [Endure it. Umunjeok will seize any pretext, however small, to act without remorse.]
[I'll bear it.]
The maids began serving drinks and food. Heodo's voice rang out.
"Seats for bodyguards are prepared separately—please enjoy the feast there."
Cheol-u was reluctant. The other families' guards showed no eagerness to move either. But as the Blood and Moon Family guards relocated, the rest followed one by one.
[What are you waiting for? Go enjoy yourself.]
"......"
[They're friends you might cross blades with someday. Scout them out now.]
At Yeon-hoo's words, Cheol-u finally moved to the seats on the left side of the hall. Coincidentally, Wi Yeon Gwang's guard sat beside him. The man provoked first.
"Must be tough serving such a young lord."
Cheol-u wasn't one to stay silent. "Better than pandering to an old fox, no?"
"Huhu. Takes after your master—arrogant fool who doesn't know his place."
"Just like a fox whelp."
The other guards watched the verbal sparring with interest. But as Heodo, the Sovereign's bodyguard commander, approached, it naturally died down. Cheol-u sharply observed the others, scrutinizing hands, fingers, and palms in particular. Each bore bizarrely thick calluses—common among fist or palm art specialists.
'No weapons allowed, so they brought guards specialized in that.'
It was as expected from the start. Even so, Yeon-hoo had brought Cheol-u. Though Baek-un was stronger in fists and palms, there was a specific reason for Cheol-u. A secret between just the two.
About two hours into the feast?
Wi Yeon Gwang rose and approached Somubaek. The Sovereign's Palace guards blocked his path, but he ignored them and looked up at the dais.
"Per custom, I bring a gift for the Great Earth Sovereign."
He drew a golden box from his bosom and offered it. A guard took it and passed it to Somubaek, who handed it to Cheol Gun-ak before expressing thanks to Wi Yeon Gwang.
"I gratefully accept."
Offering gifts to a new Great Earth Sovereign was an ancient Cartel custom. Somubaek knew this and offered no excess words. As Wi Yeon Gwang returned, Umunjeok stepped up, followed in turn by the other family heads.
Last was Yeon-hoo's turn. He rose calmly and spoke to Somubaek.
"Yi Yeon-hoo, lord of the North, has prepared a man for the Great Earth Sovereign to keep and command as a gift."
A stir!
The hall erupted in murmurs. A person as a gift? Not just the Eight Great Families' heads—even the guards and palace bodyguards stared at Yeon-hoo.
Somubaek and Cheol Gun-ak's faces brightened for an instant before returning to normal. No one noticed the change.
"I gratefully accept."
That was when it happened. Umunjeok shot to his feet and bellowed in his signature gravelly voice.
"No precedent for gifting people—Sovereign, rebuke this insolent fool and cast him out at once!"
"I concur." Wi Yeon Gwang chimed in.
All eyes shifted from Yeon-hoo to Somubaek. Somubaek drained a cup and addressed the room.
"No form required for gifts, so I accept with thanks. Let us speak no more of this."
"It could be a ploy with impure motives."
"That's not for you to concern yourself with, Lord Umun."
"No, does this make sense? Gifting a person—and accepting it? How can the Sovereign countenance such absurdity!"
Thud!
Somubaek slammed the table. With a fierce glare, he continued.
"If dissatisfied, gift a person yourself. Enough. Mention it once more, and it shall be deemed an insult to the Sovereign."
"...!"
At Somubaek's uncharacteristically firm demeanor, Yeon-hoo smiled faintly and lifted his cup.
Umunjeok sat, chugging from a bottle.
Gulp gulp!
Thud!
He glared at Yeon-hoo, snatched his bottle, and emptied it in one go. The smile on Yeon-hoo's lips deepened slightly.
[We'll settle the tab later. You'll pay dearly.]
Yeon-hoo eyed Umunjeok's face reddening from anger and called softly toward the rear.
"Enter."
Moments later, Akso and Baek-un entered the hall, joined belatedly by two young men.
They deliberately emanated a modest level of energy, per Yeon-hoo's prior instructions. Concealing it entirely might invite more suspicion. And so?
As the four entered, everyone—who'd watched with keen interest—smirked and looked away. Everyone but two. Somubaek and Cheol Gun-ak's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Somubaek wanted to laugh. Truth be told, when Yeon-hoo said he'd send men to serve him, he'd been delighted yet wary of backlash. Of course, bolstering the Sovereign's guard was his prerogative—no great issue—but this way, no one could object.
'What a clever stroke...'
He longed to descend and pour Yeon-hoo a drink himself. Cheol Gun-ak felt the same. By accepting Yeon-hoo's men, all potential future issues dissolved with this single move. Cheol Gun-ak resolved anew to forge an unbreakable bond between Yeon-hoo and Somubaek.
'Yes. Lay down all burdens and enjoy today. Only if I do can the Sovereign as well.'