Chapter 242
Chapter 242
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: The Commander's Return
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The quarters of the Fourth Shadow Brigade, located at the eastern edge of the Demon Hall.
In front of the inner training ground paved with bluestone slabs, about twenty warriors were sprawled out on the ground.
They were the members of the First and Third Squads.
*Rustle.*
Just then, Wi Cheon-gyeong and the members of the Second Squad, who had been training in the bamboo forest, returned to the quarters, dripping with sweat.
“What are you all doing here?”
At Wi Cheon-gyeong’s question, Won Se-mun, who was lying on his side, waved his hand dismissively.
“Just pass on by. We’re tired.”
“What does being tired have to do with training?”
“What’s the point of training?”
Won Se-mun sighed and hung his head.
“Our commander is gone.”
In that moment, Wi Cheon-gyeong’s eyes wavered like ripples on water.
Until now, the brigade members had been silently waiting for Bu Eun-seol, from whom they had heard nothing. But the impatient members of the First and Third Squads had all reached their limit.
“The rumor is that all the search parties tracking the commander’s whereabouts have been recalled.”
“That’s just a rumor. Nothing has been confirmed.”
“It’s hopeless anyway.”
“Won Se-mun!”
“Don’t yell.”
With a groan, Won Se-mun pushed himself up and spoke in a listless voice.
“Without our commander, we’re just empty shells, aren’t we?”
Wi Cheon-gyeong couldn’t say a word.
The members of the Fourth Shadow Brigade were originally a wild bunch of ruffians who feared neither heaven nor earth.
But upon meeting the steadfast pillar that was Bu Eun-seol, they had come to their senses and allowed their latent talents to fully blossom.
And just as they were striving to achieve even greater things, this had happened.
*Rustle.*
At that moment, the sound of footsteps approached, and dozens of warriors came to a halt in front of the Fourth Shadow Brigade’s quarters.
At the very front stood an arrogant-looking middle-aged man, smiling faintly.
It was Gok Jin-dong, the commander of the Life-Ending Brigade, who had once been humiliated by Won Se-mun after mocking them for being rootless warriors.
“Hahaha. Are you having a good time?”
He craned his neck forward and grinned at the sprawled-out Won Se-mun and the First Squad members.
“My, my, everyone’s taking a nice, long rest.”
The members’ eyes all turned sharp as axes.
His actions and tone made his purpose for visiting painfully obvious.
“Commander Gok.”
Wi Cheon-gyeong frowned and asked.
“What business do you have here?”
“Business? None at all. I was just passing by and decided to drop in.”
Gok Jin-dong said with a sly smile.
“The commander of the Fourth Shadow Brigade is still nowhere to be seen, I take it.”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“No, I was just worried.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, you haven’t heard? I suppose… without a commander, you wouldn’t have heard the results of the meeting.”
Gok Jin-dong bared his canines in a wide grin.
“The order came down a few days ago. To recall the search parties.”
“Is that true?”
Sparks flew even from the eyes of Wi Cheon-gyeong, who always maintained his composure.
No matter how much Gok Jin-dong disliked the Fourth Shadow Brigade, this was not something he could say as a joke.
Recalling the search parties. That meant the Demon Hall had given up on Bu Eun-seol.
‘Has the main Hall really given up on finding our commander?’
Just then, twenty brigade members descended from the bamboo forest toward the training ground.
It was Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong, along with the Fourth and Fifth Squads they led.
Coming down from the forest, Myo Cheon-u frowned upon seeing Gok Jin-dong and the members of the Life-Ending Brigade.
Noticing the unusual atmosphere, he looked at Wi Cheon-gyeong and asked.
“What’s going on?”
“It seems the main Hall has given up on our commander.”
“Given up?”
“He says the search parties have been recalled.”
“Hehehe.”
Gok Jin-dong then chuckled and said.
“What a shame. For this to happen right after you became squad leaders…”
His words were cut short.
A terrifying energy erupted from the bodies of Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong.
‘Whoops. I forgot these two are of the Ten Demon Hall Attendants.’
The martial prowess of Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong was not that of mere brigade members, but of a second-class commander of the Demon Hall, or perhaps even greater.
Realizing this anew, Gok Jin-dong cleared his throat and quickly turned away.
“Well then, excuse us. Ahem.”
The members of the Life-Ending Brigade scrambled to follow Gok Jin-dong as he fled.
“So this is how it ends.”
Won Se-mun let out a sigh.
It wasn't just him; the light in the eyes of most of the Fourth Shadow Brigade members had faded.
With Bu Eun-seol gone, the Fourth Shadow Brigade would cease to exist. They would once again become rootless warriors, drifting through the Demon Hall.
“This is ridiculous.”
Just then, Yu Un-ryong looked down at the members and laughed coldly.
“You were always shouting ‘Commander, Commander,’ but is this all you’ve got?”
Myo Cheon-u waved his hand and said.
“Leave them be. They don’t know him that well yet.”
Hearing the two converse, the members all wore bewildered expressions.
“Does that mean… our commander is alive?”
At Wi Cheon-gyeong’s question, Yu Un-ryong let out a grim laugh.
“Alive? Heh heh heh.”
Then, as if he had never laughed, his expression turned as cold as if coated with a layer of ice.
“You truly know nothing.”
As if they weren’t worth speaking to any further, Yu Un-ryong addressed the Fifth Squad members.
“That’s all for today’s training.”
And without a backward glance, he returned to his own quarters.
The remaining members watched him go, their mouths agape.
“Hey, that guy. If he’s going to say something, he should finish it.”
Unable to watch any longer, Won Se-mun grumbled before cautiously speaking to Myo Cheon-u.
“What on earth is Squad Leader Yu talking about?”
Myo Cheon-u smiled calmly and replied.
“He’s mocking you.”
“For what?”
“For shouting ‘Commander, Commander’ every day, yet knowing nothing about him.”
Looking down at Won Se-mun’s pained expression, Myo Cheon-u spoke calmly.
“He came to the Isle of Hell without having properly learned a single martial art.”
Myo Cheon-u’s eyes grew infinitely deep, as if recalling his time on the Isle of Hell.
“And yet, in just two months, he surpassed all the peerless geniuses who had been systematically training in martial arts since childhood.”
As the members’ gazes focused on him, Myo Cheon-u spoke in a loud voice.
“And even after making enemies of all those geniuses, he survived with his head held high and became one of the Ten Demon Hall Attendants. Do you understand what that means?”
“So… you’re saying our commander became one of the Ten Demon Hall Attendants without even learning martial arts?”
When Won Se-mun asked, Myo Cheon-u nodded.
“That’s right.”
“What kind of joke is that…”
But the look in Myo Cheon-u’s eyes was unwavering.
Only then did all the members realize that there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in his words.
“What kind of person was the commander you all knew?”
“Well…”
At Myo Cheon-u’s question, all the members of the Fourth Shadow Brigade finally understood.
They understood what kind of man Bu Eun-seol was.
How he had led them, and how he had survived impossible missions.
“Yes, that’s the kind of man Bu Eun-seol is.”
As Myo Cheon-u spoke with confidence, a silent Won Se-mun replied weakly.
“But they say it’s the Tan-wang. Not just anyone, but the Tan-wang who supposedly foams at the mouth and has a fit whenever he sees a demonic arts practitioner.”
“Even if he had encountered the Three Revered Ones, it would be the same. That man will definitely return alive.”
Myo Cheon-u’s voice was filled with a trust harder than steel.
In that moment, a glint of light returned to the eyes of the Fourth Shadow Brigade members.
They too had absolute faith in Bu Eun-seol.
They just hadn’t been aware of it.
That faith existed not only in Myo Cheon-u’s heart, but in the hearts of every member of the Fourth Shadow Brigade.
“Come to think of it, I’ve skipped training for three days.”
Jo Nam-cheon, who had been huddled to one side, shot to his feet.
Clearing his throat, he addressed the Third Squad members.
“We’ve rested too much. Let’s start right away.”
The other members also slowly got to their feet.
“You’re right, I can’t remember the last time we rested this much.”
“Let’s surprise the commander when he gets back.”
But something was strange.
Only Won Se-mun remained huddled on the ground, not getting up.
“Won Se-mun. Still not up?”
Jo Nam-cheon nudged him with his foot.
“Actually… I had a dream a few days ago.”
Won Se-mun said with a gloomy expression.
“A dream about the commander.”
In that instant, the expressions of the Fourth Shadow Brigade members hardened.
Won Se-mun had a very unique ability: he sometimes had prophetic dreams that foretold the future.
While some members had initially doubted or scoffed, his prophetic dreams had consistently come true with an almost divine accuracy.
“A dream about the commander? So?”
Jo Nam-cheon asked urgently. Won Se-mun blew his nose loudly and spoke in a low voice.
“The commander was trapped in a huge hall… the walls were crumbling, and a mountain-like boulder was falling.”
“A boulder? What happened next?”
“I was so shocked I woke up, so I don’t know what happened after. But…”
They didn’t need to hear the rest to understand.
Won Se-mun was trying to say that Bu Eun-seol had been crushed to death by that boulder.
*Ssh, ssh.*
Just then, the sound of several people walking was heard from the gate, and a dozen maids entered.
“What is it?”
When Wi Cheon-gyeong asked, one of the maids bowed her head and said.
“The Head of the Cleansing Hall has ordered us to clean this place, as it will be used by the warriors of the Ghost Shadow Brigade starting today.”
“What? The Ghost Shadow Brigade?”
Jo Nam-cheon’s face instantly stiffened.
Giving the perfectly fine quarters of the Fourth Shadow Brigade to the Ghost Shadow Brigade. Wasn’t that as good as acknowledging the rumors of Bu Eun-seol’s death?
“Dammit!”
Hearing this, Won Se-mun slammed his fist on the ground and collapsed.
“The commander’s gone, so the Hall doesn’t even intend to let our brigade continue!”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. No one knows anything for sure yet.”
“I saw it in my dream, I tell you! The commander struggling inside a collapsing hall.”
He buried his face in the ground and sobbed.
“It’s no use anyway. Without the commander, it’s all useless…”
As Won Se-mun sobbed quietly, tears welled up in Jo Nam-cheon’s eyes as well.
Bu Eun-seol, who had never lorded his authority over them and was the first to acknowledge their individuality.
Without him, the Fourth Shadow Brigade could not exist.
“Yeah, if the commander’s gone, so is the Fourth Shadow Brigade…”
Just as Jo Nam-cheon, unable to bear the grief, closed his eyes and muttered,
*Clack, clack, clack.*
A middle-aged man in an official’s attire entered through the gate.
“I am Heo Yu, a Cleaner from the Cleansing Hall.”
As Heo Yu politely clasped his hands, Jo Nam-cheon wiped his tears and cleared his throat.
“What brings you here?”
Heo Yu then scanned Jo Nam-cheon and the members of the Fourth Shadow Brigade before speaking in a loud voice.
“I have an order from the hall master. All members of the Fourth Shadow Brigade are to move their quarters to the first-class residence in the North Gate, the Dan-mi-gak… Ah, my apologies. The Sa-yeong-gak.”
At that, Won Se-mun, who had been sobbing with his face buried in the ground, shot up and his eyes widened.
“What do you mean by that? A first-class residence?”
“The order just came down.”
“Our commander is gone, and you’re sending us to a first-class residence?”
Heo Yu blinked.
“The commander… you mean the Commander of the Fourth Shadow Brigade?”
“Do we have another commander?”
“But he entered the Hall today.”
“What? What nonsense is that?”
“It’s not nonsense…”
Heo Yu said, as if he couldn’t understand.
“He already met with the Grand Commander this morning, and had a private meeting with our hall master just an hour ago.”
“Our commander… is alive?”
It was an unbelievable fact.
With tears and snot streaming down his face, Won Se-mun shouted once more.
“The commander is alive!”
Startled, Heo Yu’s eyes went wide as he stepped back.
“Ye-yes.”
“Damn you!”
Just then, an enraged Jo Nam-cheon kicked the fallen Won Se-mun in the face.
“What? The commander was struggling in a collapsing hall?”
Furious at having been deceived by Won Se-mun’s nonsense, Jo Nam-cheon repeatedly struck the fallen man.
“You blockhead of a fortune-teller!”
“It’s true! I really had a vivid dream about the commander!”
Despite being beaten, Won Se-mun didn’t seem to feel any pain, his expression dazed.
‘The commander, our commander is alive!’
*Thud, thud.*
Just then, with the sound of slow footsteps, a shadow passed through the gate and entered the quarters of the Fourth Shadow Brigade.
He wore a glossy gray martial uniform, and on his shoulders were ornate epaulets decorated with jewels, resembling the brilliant feathered wings of a Peng bird.
It was Bu Eun-seol.
“Co-Commander!”
Upon seeing Bu Eun-seol, the members of the Fourth Shadow Brigade cried out his name.
Bu Eun-seol, who was said to have been killed by the Tan-wang, had returned with an even more imposing aura!
“Bu Eun-seol, what on earth…”
Just as Myo Cheon-u approached and began to speak,
“Co—mmander!”
Won Se-mun ran forward, grabbed Bu Eun-seol’s leg, and cried out.
“What on earth happened?”
As Won Se-mun whimpered like a child, Bu Eun-seol sighed and said.
“Something happened.”
“What kind of something?”
“There were circumstances.”
In that moment, the eyes of all the Fourth Shadow Brigade members darkened.
Bu Eun-seol was a man of too few words.
He was trying to brush off over a month of being out of contact with a simple phrase like ‘there were circumstances.’
“Bu Eun-seol, explain yourself properly.”
Unable to watch any longer, Myo Cheon-u’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Do you have any idea how worried the members have been about you?”
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to explain a little more.
“I was trapped in a certain place. And it took time to break through the trap…”
“Was it by any chance a huge hall where rocks and hidden weapons were falling?”
Won Se-mun’s eyes flashed as he cut in. Bu Eun-seol blinked.
“How did you know?”
*Pow!*
Won Se-mun suddenly turned and slammed his fist into Jo Nam-cheon’s face.
“See! I was right!”
“You crazy bastard…”
Jo Nam-cheon, nose bleeding, was about to clench his fist, but then shook his head and laughed.
“Right! What does it matter? The commander is back safely, that's all that counts.”
“Trapped? What about the Tan-wang?”
Myo Cheon-u approached and asked, unable to comprehend.
“The search party that was tracking you announced that there were signs of a fierce battle with the Tan-wang.”
Recalling Buk-gung Ryeong’s face, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“We didn’t fight properly. No, we couldn’t.”
The bitter smile lingering on his lips made it clear that there was some complicated story behind it.
But that was as far as it went.
Bu Eun-seol fell silent and slipped into his office. As always, he left without explaining the trivial details.
So taciturn he only said what was absolutely necessary. The members could only stare after him, their mouths agape.