Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Traitor Within
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"...So it was just as I thought."
It was something he'd half-expected.
That's why he'd brought Sima Jin back to the main house to confirm it.
But hearing it confirmed straight from his mouth didn't sit entirely right with him.
Even so, Hyeok Mulin knew he had to dig deeper.
'Right. They weren't the type to go down that easily.'
No matter how rough their recent years had been, the Hyeok Clan was no ordinary family. They possessed a stature beyond compare.
In the New Frontier, the prestige of being one of the Seven Great Demon Clans was absolute.
Yet even this pillar of the Seven Great Demon Clans had crumbled at the edges. Why?
It wasn't just the creeping encroachment by the Cheon Clan. There was a more fundamental reason they'd had to stretch their hands out so desperately.
'It all started with that abnormal financial deterioration.'
Like a bucket with a hole in the bottom, their revenues dwindled bit by bit—ever so slightly—while expenditures ballooned.
Months turned to years, then decades, until one day, the Hyeok Clan's finances plummeted overnight.
No external assault alone could have caused that.
The enemy was inside.
Unfortunately, in his previous life, Hyeok Mulin hadn't noticed anything amiss until it was far too late to act.
'Good thing I came back now.'
Relations with the Cheon Clan had soured, worsening the situation.
Any later, and intervention would have been impossible.
There was still time.
Yes, still.
"We'll discuss the details on the way back."
"Understood."
Hyeok Mulin left the Hyeok Clan estate and headed straight for Pure Heaven Pavilion.
There, he sat with Sima Jin in the central chamber and began their in-depth conversation.
"Did they put up any resistance when you checked the financial records?"
"No. Once the Clan Patriarch gave permission, they handed them over without a fuss."
Of course. An infiltrator wouldn't risk exposure over something like that.
Still, they must have sensed something off.
The Cult Leader and Deputy Military Strategist had come in person to audit the books.
So.
"I've already given the Clan Patriarch a heads-up. Go back and forth between here and the Hyeok Clan for a while to investigate. You can apply direct pressure if needed."
"Understood."
He'd need to assign an escort.
Digging straight into the heart of the matter required at least basic precautions.
Hyeok Mulin had already pegged Danri Hyang as the perfect man for the job.
"And."
He locked eyes with Sima Jin.
"If necessary, make use of the Secret Affairs Hall."
"...!"
Hyeok Mulin handed Sima Jin the hilt of yet another blade.
Going forward, as Deputy Military Strategist, he'd need to coordinate closely with the Secret Affairs Hall often.
This would be their first collaboration, a chance to build trust in each other's abilities.
"I'll root out the infiltrator within a short time frame."
"I believe in you."
Hyeok Mulin nodded lightly.
Then, something flashed through his mind.
'Hmm...'
Moments later, Hyeok Mulin picked up a brush and scribbled something on a small slip of paper.
He folded the brief note carefully, slipped it into a golden pouch, and placed it on the table.
"What's this?"
"If you hit a wall during the investigation, open it."
"...?"
Sima Jin stared in confusion, but Hyeok Mulin just smiled faintly.
Wouldn't it be better to open it early if it's useful?
...But the Cult Leader said to, so there must be a reason.
"Understood."
Not entirely sure but convincing himself otherwise, Sima Jin tucked the pouch securely into his robe.
The next day, Sima Jin arrived at the Hyeok Clan's main compound and, with the Clan Patriarch's permission, began poking around the various halls on his own.
He gathered intel from within, observed closely, and made contact with numerous figures.
"Has something happened in our clan, by any chance?"
As Sima Jin compiled the financial records spanning the last dozen or so years, Chief Steward Hwang Gibok asked in a worried tone.
Sima Jin looked up slowly and met his gaze.
Chief Steward Hwang Gibok.
The man had inherited the position from his father and had managed the Hyeok Clan's affairs for over twenty years.
He'd known the Cult Leader since childhood, so he welcomed his visit warmly and cooperated eagerly despite not knowing the full story.
'...'
How to handle this one?
As Sima Jin eyed him thoughtfully, Hwang Gibok pleaded earnestly.
"I'm the Chief Steward of the Hyeok Clan. There must be something—even the smallest thing—I can help with. Please, tell me."
With such desperate words, Sima Jin let out a deep sigh and murmured in a grave voice.
"You're right. You must have suspected as much. The Hyeok Clan is facing a grave issue."
"What on earth happened?"
Hwang Gibok swallowed hard, as if he'd half-guessed it, and gripped Sima Jin's shoulder.
Sima Jin glanced around and whispered lowly.
"Everything I tell you is strictly confidential."
"Of course! Hwang Gibok swears on his life to keep the secret!"
At his resolve, Sima Jin's lips curved slightly.
"Truth is, the Hyeok Clan is under suspicion of collusion with an external party."
"What?!"
Hwang Gibok recoiled in shock, utterly blindsided.
Sima Jin pressed a finger to his lips to calm him before continuing.
"We've found evidence in the financial records over the past few decades showing funds flowing into the Central Plains through multiple layers."
"I... I had no idea."
Of course not.
It was a lie he'd just made up.
"You could be innocent, Chief Steward. You set the budgets and delegate the details to subordinates."
"That's true, but..."
Hwang Gibok's face twisted in panic, but he soon composed himself and shook his head.
"You must have made a mistake. How could one of the Seven Great Demon Clans—let alone the Cult Leader's own family—collude with the Central Plains?"
"I want to believe that too. It's still just suspicion, nothing confirmed, so please refrain from any rash actions."
"Understood. If there's anything you need, just say the word. I'll leave you to it—I have business to attend to."
Hwang Gibok nodded at Sima Jin's warning and hurried off.
Sima Jin watched his retreating figure intently.
'Hwang Gibok.'
The person with the easiest access to the Hyeok Clan's finances.
Yet as a lifelong steward who'd inherited the role, he lacked an obvious motive for betrayal.
And his position made him the prime suspect, so if he were the mole, staying hidden this long would have been incredibly difficult.
'I'll keep an eye on him for now.'
The false info he'd leaked would buy plenty of time.
Tied to the grave sin of Central Plains collusion, he wouldn't dare move carelessly.
Sorting his thoughts, Sima Jin started walking slowly.
He approached a warrior standing guard nearby, sword at his hip.
"I have orders for you."
The man with the angular face and thick brows looked at Sima Jin and replied stiffly.
"Our orders are solely to protect the Deputy Military Strategist. Nothing else."
Captain of the Falling Kite Unit, Hyeok Gwan.
A collateral branch member of the Hyeok Clan, he led the clan's oldest and largest martial force unit, the Falling Kite Unit.
Even with Danri Hyang as Sima Jin's escort, Hyeok Gongun had assigned the Falling Kite Unit for extra security.
'But his eyes aren't friendly.'
Yet Hyeok Gwan and his Falling Kite Unit always watched Sima Jin from afar with cold stares.
Was it resentment toward the man rummaging through the Hyeok Clan?
Or anxiety that the financial probe might implicate him somehow?
Sima Jin stated firmly to the frosty man.
"I've been granted command of the Falling Kite Unit. Disobey, and I'll request a replacement from the Clan Patriarch."
Hyeok Gwan flinched at Sima Jin's hard line.
Moments later, he backed down.
"...Very well. I'll follow your lead."
"Good."
Sima Jin smiled faintly, lips quirking up.
"From now on, the Falling Kite Captain will monitor the Chief Steward."
"The Chief Steward?"
Hyeok Gwan frowned, clearly reluctant.
"Yes. And you must never let him notice."
"Is there something wrong with him?"
"The Chief Steward is currently under suspicion as the infiltrator."
"...!"
Understanding the gravity of "infiltrator," Hyeok Gwan's shoulders trembled, eyes widening.
"No need to act first. Just watch. Report anything suspicious to me."
"Got it."
Hyeok Gwan nodded gravely, grasping the severity, and set off toward the Chief Steward.
Once he was out of sight, Sima Jin murmured softly.
"Deputy Unit Leader Danri Hyang."
"Yes."
A voice came from a nearby tree.
Without looking, Sima Jin continued.
"Leave my side now and monitor the Falling Kite Captain. Report anything unusual immediately, no matter how small."
Sima Jin had set up a double layer: monitoring the Chief Steward via the Falling Kite Captain, now monitored by Danri Hyang.
"Understood."
Danri Hyang moved without question.
Alone now, Sima Jin stared in the direction they'd gone.
'Hyeok Gwan has his suspicious points too.'
The Hyeok Clan's expenditures were heavy on military funds.
If the leader of its largest unit had inflated those costs deliberately, holes in the finances were inevitable.
Especially since military spending had spiked sharply since his appointment as captain.
'Chief Steward or Falling Kite Captain—whoever it is.'
With the trap set, the culprit would surface soon.
Sima Jin turned and walked away slowly.
"No suspicious activity detected from the Falling Kite Captain."
"Is that so."
"Yes. He tailed the Chief Steward routinely, without contact with anyone else."
Seven days later, in the office, Sima Jin's face hardened at Danri Hyang's report.
'Did I misread him?'
Sima Jin had found Hyeok Gwan's gaze, actions, and movements subtly suspicious.
Labeling him and setting surveillance should have shaken something loose—but not this time. His prediction had missed.
The Chief Steward remained the top suspect. Should he assume guilt and aggressively gather evidence?
...No. Can't do that.
Danri Hyang had found no impure moves from Hyeok Gwan.
But a strange unease still writhed in Sima Jin's gut, refusing to fade.
Ignoring it felt like courting disaster.
"Hah, at my wits' end."
No solutions came despite his pondering. Sima Jin sighed and slumped in his chair.
Then, he felt a light tap against his chest.
Hm?
Curious, he pulled it from his robe.
'Ah, this!'
Sima Jin's eyes lit up at the golden pouch from the Cult Leader.
He said to open it if I hit a wall.
'Did he foresee this exact stall?'
It matched perfectly with his current impasse. Marveling at the Cult Leader's foresight, Sima Jin untied the pouch slowly.
He unfolded the brilliant stratagem inside—and found just one word scrawled there.
"...?"
Sima Jin tilted his head at the unexpected word.
What could this mean?
He knew of the Tae-eun Merchant Group.
One of the top ten trading conglomerates in the New Frontier.
But they had no dealings with the Hyeok Clan, and nothing linked them to the financial records he'd reviewed.
Why this, then?
"...Not sure, but there must be a reason."
He was stuck anyway, no breakthroughs in sight.
What choice did he have but cling to the Cult Leader's advice?
"This calls for handing it fully to the Secret Affairs Hall."
Until now, Sima Jin had done most legwork himself in the Hyeok Clan, gathering evidence directly.
He'd only tasked the Secret Affairs Hall with minor external links from the finances.
But the Tae-eun Merchant Group had zero connection to the Hyeok Clan, so he decided to delegate entirely and sent a dispatch.
Exactly one day later, a message arrived from the Secret Affairs Hall.
Sima Jin unrolled it and read from top to bottom.
"... ."
The Secret Affairs Hall's report was exhaustive and meticulous.
Not just locations and transactions, but origins, history of growth, and every affiliated merchant house and shop—nothing omitted.
Time passed as he absorbed it all, then he set the scroll down slowly.
"Found it."
The rat that had been gnawing away at the Hyeok Clan all this time.