Chapter 200: Warriors of the Hainan Sect-2
Chapter 200: Warriors of the Hainan Sect-2
Then the girl quickly explained again.
"The White Wolf Sword is what they call a beggar who carries a sword engraved with a white wolf. I heard he's fought the Haenam Sect pirates several times and smashed them to pieces. Sir, are you the White Wolf Sword?"
The child looked at Seonwoo Jin with sparkling eyes.
At those words, Mukrang, who was within Seonwoo Jin, reacted before he could.
[A sword engraved with a white wolf, you say?]
Seonwoo Jin could understand his reaction.
Of the five swords Mukrang had left in the world, aside from his own Mukrang Sword, the Sword Emperor's Blood Wolf Sword, the Wall Wave Sword that Poisonous Eyed Ghost Sword Seo Il possessed, and the shattered Yellow Wolf Sword — the one remaining sword was precisely the Seolrang Sword.
Perhaps this person called the White Wolf Sword was someone who carried that Seolrang Sword.
But Seonwoo Jin decided to answer Yu Hae-eung's words first.
"There is no one called the White Wolf Sword among us, and we do not know of any such person!"
At that, Yu Hae-eung, who had been silently staring at Seonwoo Jin's sword, shouted again.
"Then why did you attack our Haenam Sect warriors?!"
Seonwoo Jin shouted back in answer.
"They were Haenam Sect warriors?! They were plundering the village and seizing women and children, so we thought they were pirates!"
The one who reacted to those words was not Yu Hae-eung, but One Blade Killing Terror Oh Ik-deok, who was aboard a different ship.
He shouted in a voice filled with fury.
"What?! They plundered the village and took women and children?! Is that true?!"
It seemed that not only Yu Hae-eung, but Oh Ik-deok as well was a man of a different nature from those pirates.
The one who answered his enraged voice was Jeung Chil.
Jeung Chil, seemingly deeply resentful about having been toyed with by Oh Ik-deok just moments before, shouted back in an angry voice.
"Are your eyes frozen fish?! Can't you see whether it's true or not just by looking at the state of the village?! Or why don't you ask this girl here?! They were even trying to seize a young girl like her!"
At that, Oh Ik-deok's face flushed crimson with rage.
As if he could no longer contain himself, he shouted at his subordinates.
"We're going to those bastards right now! How dare they sully the honor of the Great Haenam Sect! I'll turn them into shark bait!"
And with that, he turned his ship and began heading toward the vessel that was lingering far out at sea.
That was likely the ship that had fled earlier.
Then Yongwangjigung Yu Hae-eung, who had been silently watching him go, suddenly launched his body into the air.
Chwaak! Chwaak! Chwaak!
He landed on the shore, stepping across the breaking waves in three bounds.
It was not quite as exceptional a movement technique as Seonwoo Jin's party possessed, but the fact that a man with a frame no less imposing than Bae Jong-gwan's had displayed such nimble bodywork was more than enough to be astonishing.
He walked boldly toward Seonwoo Jin, Seol Pung, and Jeung Chil as they watched.
Seen up close, he was truly a man like an iron tower.
A man with a muscular body like Bae Jong-gwan's and a solemn face reminiscent of the ever-taciturn Thirteen Squad Commander Pung Yang.
He approached Seonwoo Jin and the others who were watching him and suddenly clasped his hands in a respectful martial salute.
And he apologized.
"Forgive my rudeness. To those who disposed of our sect's trash on our behalf, I not only failed to offer thanks but instead committed discourtesy. On behalf of the entire Haenam Sect, this Yu offers his apology to you all."
It was an apology so earnest it was hard to believe it came from one of the foremost transcendent peak masters of the Haenam Sect.
He seemed genuinely ashamed of the Haenam Sect warriors who had engaged in piracy and sincerely sorry toward Seonwoo Jin's party.
At that earnest apology, the three, who had been tense about what might unfold, were rather taken aback.
Jeung Chil and Seol Pung, unsure of what to say, deferred the answer to Seonwoo Jin with their eyes, and Seonwoo Jin answered with a sigh.
"It's a bit flustering. Seeing members of the same Haenam Sect show such completely different sides of themselves..."
At that, Yu Hae-eung answered with a darkened face.
"I can only offer my apologies for our sect's shameful conduct."
He did not seem inclined to discuss the internal affairs of his sect.
But Seonwoo Jin could surmise that while Haenam Demon Sword Jin Tae-do had been subjugating pirates to grow the Haenam Sect's power, the internal opposition must have been considerable.
And that conflict was continuing even now.
Seonwoo Jin let out a sigh and spoke.
"We are fine. No one was injured or anything. But will this village be all right? Won't the other Haenam Sect people speak differently from you, Yu Daehyeop?"
He meant: after Yu Hae-eung returned, wouldn't others come seeking revenge or retribution?
At that, Yu Hae-eung answered with a solemn expression.
"Upon this Yu's honor, I will ensure such a thing never happens. I will station my subordinates here permanently to guard against any further harm, so please, trust in my word."
Seonwoo Jin nodded at his words.
At the very least, he did not seem like a man who spoke falsehoods.
Mukrang also confirmed his sincerity.
[That man is as earnest and weighty as a rare boulder. I believe he can be trusted.]
Seonwoo Jin nodded readily.
"Understood. Then we too shall trust in you on that matter, Yu Daehyeop."
At that, the girl, who had been listening behind them with wide eyes, opened her eyes even wider upon hearing that Yu Hae-eung would station subordinates to protect the village — overcome with joy.
She seemed to be holding back a cheer.
Yu Hae-eung silently gazed at the cloth-wrapped Mukrang Sword for a moment, then abruptly opened his mouth.
"If by chance... you happen to meet the one called the White Wolf Sword, would you convey a message? That Yu Hae-eung of the Haenam Sect wishes to have a quiet conversation."
Seonwoo Jin suddenly realized that the man was not asking about their identities.
He probably still thought that Seonwoo Jin might be this White Wolf Sword person.
And that was why he deliberately refrained from asking their identities.
Seonwoo Jin simply nodded.
"If we happen to meet him, we will certainly convey your message."
Hearing that, Yu Hae-eung nodded silently and turned his body as if to leave now.
But he hesitated for a moment and could not take a step.
Then, after wavering, he opened his mouth with difficulty.
"If it is not a matter of great importance to you all, I would recommend moving inland rather than along the coast. The Southern Sea these days... is not a very pleasant place for travel."
With those words as his last, he launched his body and returned to the ship.
Seonwoo Jin's party stared blankly for a moment at his receding figure.
Seol Pung suddenly spoke.
"It can't be easy to criticize one's own sect. He seems like a decent man — the situation is lamentable."
Seonwoo Jin nodded silently at those words.
At that, Jeung Chil gave a scoff.
"Hmph! When it comes down to it, aren't they fellow disciples with those pirate bastards anyway?"
Hearing that, Seonwoo Jin frowned and looked at Jeung Chil.
It seemed he would have to have a talk with him.
Jeung Chil flinched and asked warily, reading the mood.
"Wh-what? Why, why are you looking at me like that? Earlier, I just let my guard down too much — if I'd shown my real skill, those pirate bastards would have been..."
"Hyungnim!"
The biggest problem was that he had no sense that picking a fight and charging out first had been the issue in the first place.
It seemed the conversation with him was going to be a long one.
Also, just as Yu Hae-eung had said, it looked like they would have to abandon the route moving near the coast.
Because for people like themselves who were unskilled in water techniques, fighting at sea was far too dangerous and difficult.
If they continued moving along the coast and clashed with other Haenam Sect warriors again, they could not expect to be as lucky as they had been today.
Somehow, even though they had left the front lines, it felt as though the threats had not disappeared.
***
The main forces of the Flying Dragon Squad at the front line.
Jegal Ji-gang, who had been in the midst of operations to secure control of the front, frowned upon receiving an unexpected report from Flying Dragon Unit Commander Gwan Gu-bung.
"The remaining members of the Thirteen Squads' Seventh Squad, and even that squad's leader, Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il — they all disappeared at once?"
"Yes, that is correct. The members of the Seventh Squad left word with those around them that they were going to search for their missing comrades, and Sa Gun-il reportedly left behind a letter akin to a final testament."
"A letter akin to a final testament?"
At Jegal Ji-gang's counter-question, Flying Dragon Unit Commander Gwan Gu-bung answered with a slightly troubled face.
"Yes, it... it was a letter stating that he no longer saw the meaning in merely holding the ground while sacrificing comrades, and that he could no longer entrust the Murim Alliance with the Jeomchang Sect's revenge, so he would take revenge himself."
At those words, Jegal Ji-gang's eyes twitched slightly.
It was nothing short of insolence.
Daring to question the affairs of the Murim Alliance was bad enough, and leaving such a thing as a final testament to incite others was just as egregious.
If only the man had not disappeared, Jegal Ji-gang felt an impulse to dispatch the Dark Shadow Squad immediately to have him assassinated.
Jegal Ji-gang struggled to maintain his composure and asked again.
"Is it certain that they are dead? No — is it certain that they went toward the Blood Cultists? Is there not a possibility that they deserted under that pretense?"
At that, Flying Dragon Unit Commander Gwan Gu-bung stiffened his expression slightly and answered.
"There have been no eyewitness reports of seeing them in the rear. Of course, since they are all considerably skilled individuals, there is the possibility that they secretly slipped through the front line undetected. However, they were all hyeopsa who entered the front line of their own will to confront the Blood Cultists. I do not believe that such people would abandon their comrades and secretly desert, Military Advisor."
Gwan Gu-bung seemed quite deeply wounded by the fact that Jegal Ji-gang had doubted the frontline personnel.
Noticing his demeanor, Jegal Ji-gang smiled gently and nodded.
"Indeed, you are right. I misspoke, Commander Gwan. My apologies."
At Jegal Ji-gang's candid apology, the flustered Gwan Gu-bung hurriedly bowed his head instead.
"No, Military Advisor, sir. I dared to — I apologize."
"No. Though it was not my intent, was the result not effectively the same as doubting the loyalty of the frontline personnel? So it was indeed my misspoken word. Please, act as though you did not hear it. You may take your leave now."
"Yes! Understood, Military Advisor, sir!"
Gwan Gu-bung left Jegal Ji-gang's office with a moved expression.
But the gaze with which Jegal Ji-gang watched his retreating figure was chillingly cold.
Once Gwan Gu-bung had completely left, he murmured.
"Things are decidedly unusual."
It was deeply uncanny.
The fact that the remaining Seventh Squad members disappeared just when he had resolved to kill them all — that was one thing. And the fact that Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il, who had seemed to have no particular connection to them, had disappeared together with them at precisely the same time — that was another.
Moreover, this kind of uncanniness reminded Jegal Ji-gang of that time.
When the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek had begun to move beyond the bounds of his calculations...
That memory had left a deep lesson etched in Jegal Ji-gang's mind.
The lesson that if something felt off, it was better to eliminate it in advance — even if the reason had not yet revealed itself.
Had that time not also begun with nothing more than a feeling that something was amiss, only to ultimately result in bitter regret?
Jegal Ji-gang murmured, his eyes now tinged with killing intent.
"There's no need to suffer through the same experience twice. It seems the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads are..."
Having spoken up to there, Jegal Ji-gang raised his voice and summoned those who would do the dirty work.
"Summon the daeju of the Black Tiger Unit, the Black Wolf Unit, and the Black Dragon Unit!"
The task of weeding out the alliance leader's people from among the three armed forces he still considered under his control remained incomplete.
But Jegal Ji-gang did not care.
On the contrary, through orders like these, he could use the task itself to weed them out.
'Being at the front line made this convenient. I just needed to catch anyone trying to contact the alliance leader's side.'
There was also the advantage that cleanup was easy.
Unlike at the alliance headquarters, where evidence and witnesses all had to be meticulously fabricated — here, he could simply pin all of these deeds on the Blood Cultists.
Jegal Ji-gang murmured with a blood-tinged smile.
"I'll wipe out the entire Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads."
A crisis was now approaching even the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads, from which Seonwoo Jin and the Seventh Squad members were absent.