Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: You Are the Vice Squad Leader
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Huh? Bandits?
What kind of confession is this? Oh. Come to think of it, on the way from the Healer Immortal Sect to here, we did run into a bandit gang.
I'd specifically asked the coachman to take a route where bandits frequently appeared. My plan was to use them to boost my Hypnosis skill proficiency and mental strength. But how does this woman know about that?
Those bandits we met back then... I think I took care of every last one of them. Or did I? Maybe I let a few go?
This dumb brain of mine had already forgotten about something that happened less than a month ago.
I forced my expression to stay calm and asked her.
"How did you know about that?"
"How could I not know when the rumors are spreading like wildfire?"
The woman replied as if it was unbelievable. Hm. I see.
"But is that a problem or something?"
"No, not at all. There's no one who would complain even if you wiped out every last bandit."
She shook her head. Wait, then why bring it up?
As I furrowed my brow slightly and grumbled inwardly, she spoke again.
"Do you happen to know who started those rumors?"
How the hell would I know that?
I swallowed the words that rose to the tip of my tongue and answered politely.
"No. I have no idea at all."
Then she cautiously extended her index finger and slowly moved it. And the direction her fingertip pointed to was...
Her own chest.
No, more precisely, her left breast, swollen to the point of bursting. The very one that had been in my hand just moments ago.
The words slipped out abruptly.
"Boob...?"
"Wh-what?!"
The woman's face turned bright red in an instant. She frantically covered her chest with both hands and shouted.
"Th-that's not it! I mean, I spread the rumors!"
I blankly asked back.
"What? You?"
"Have you never heard the rumors about the Mountain King?"
Mountain King. Oh.
It was a vaguely familiar name. On the day the decision was made for the Secret Cave trip by Byeok Cheonwi. I think he was mumbling something about the Mountain King while talking nonsense.
But that was about me?
No, more importantly, how did she know?
As if reading the thoughts on my face, she said.
"You have that 'how did you know' look on your face."
What is it with this woman... No, why do all these martial world people use mind-reading techniques one after another?
"Of course, we didn't spread rumors that the Mountain King's true identity is Vice Squad Leader... I mean, 'Shadowless.' That would only cause trouble for you. Anyway... to sum it up, thanks to you, Vice Squad Leader, bandits terrified into surrendering have been increasing, and the Alliance Leader is pleased about it."
So she sold me out to reduce the number of bandits. I got the gist. Namu Amitabha.
"Well... I see."
The woman let out a sigh, then opened her mouth as if she'd made up her mind. In that moment, her gloomy aura vanished completely, replaced by the sharp edge of an intelligence operative.
"From the day you received the invitation from the Murim Alliance, you've been under surveillance."
"...!"
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not just you. Everyone invited to the Murim Alliance is without exception monitored by our Vermilion Bird Squad. It's to judge their actions, character, and whether they'll be a threat to the Alliance."
"And... your movements were particularly interesting."
"According to the gathered intelligence, about half a year ago plus a bit... you appeared out of nowhere, as if dropped from the sky, with no past traces at all. Then you joined the Healer Immortal Sect. After that, you kept failing the Physician promotion exams."
This woman was casually reciting my dark history.
"But one day, you—a supposed incompetent Physician—solved the extremely rare Silkworm Devouring Poison, about which there was scarcely any information, in one go. And with an unprecedented early promotion, you became a full Physician."
Hey, did you have to call me incompetent...?
"And the very next night."
Her green eyes pierced straight through me. The frightened deer-like gaze was gone.
"Didn't... someone intrude into your room?"
Cheonha Young. The mysterious woman with pink hair who had hidden in my room that night.
She knows up to that point?
The Vermilion Bird Squad's surveillance wasn't just tracking movements. This meant... they had eyes even inside my room.
"Uh..."
The woman's green eyes narrowed.
"As I thought... it was true."
She murmured softly.
How did she know? Did they peek inside my room in detail? If so, the Vermilion Bird Squad's intelligence capabilities far exceeded my imagination.
Reading the wariness and bewilderment on my face, she shook her head slightly and added.
"Don't misunderstand. To be honest, we don't know who the intruder was. We didn't see it ourselves."
"Then how..."
"It's simple. We have records of the presences of people who regularly enter and exit your room. But that day, there was a trace of a fourth intruder not in our records. It was very faint, but it couldn't fool the eyes of our Vermilion Bird Squad."
I see. So they analyzed the traces left behind, not saw it directly. Only then did I nod, feeling a bit relieved.
No, wait a minute.
"Normally, there are... three people besides me who enter my room?"
In my memory, it was just Bang Soso and the nameless maid who cleans the room. At most two. Who was the third?
To my question, the woman nodded as if it was obvious. She gazed into space for a moment, as if recalling, then spoke.
"Hm... If my memory is correct, the maid who tidies your room every day, and a fellow disciple woman who, for some reason, calls you 'Senior Brother.'"
That was within expectations.
"And... your Master."
My Master?
In my room? When I'm not there?
I had no idea at all. Why? What reason would she have to sneak in and out of my room? I suppressed the rising questions and managed my expression. Guess I'll have to ask her directly later.
While I was lost in complicated thoughts, the woman got to the main point.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you share information about those intruders? It would be very valuable to our Vermilion Bird Squad."
What do I even know? Just their names and overwhelming power.
After a moment of thought, I opened my mouth. Hiding it from them wouldn't benefit me anyway.
"There was a woman with pink hair. Her name is Cheonha Young. And there was an old man with dark skin with her; he said his name was Black Elder."
I recalled that day. The suffocating pressure and the killing intent that pierced through my entire body.
"That old man... I don't know about now, but back then, he seemed insanely strong."
"Is that so?"
The woman's eyes lit up with interest.
"Then, compared to our Azure Dragon Squad's Leader Byeok Cheonwi, which one do you think has the edge?"
I answered without a second's hesitation.
"Definitely. Black Elder has an overwhelming advantage. Even comparing them would be rude."
The woman's expression stiffened ever so slightly. It might have sounded like I was disparaging the Azure Dragon Squad Leader's prowess. But what can you do? It's the truth.
"By any chance... did you sense Demonic Energy from them?"
At her question, I thought of my Master's face. After they left, Master had clearly said the energy left in my room was Demonic Energy.
"Probably... yes. Master said the energy they left behind was Demonic Energy."
"Then it's almost certain."
The woman spoke as if drawing a conclusion.
"That pink-haired woman is from the Demonic Cult. The very same one rumored to be stirring up trouble in the martial world right now."
Demonic Cult.
So it was them after all.
"In that case, did you accept the Murim Alliance's invitation to avoid them, Vice Squad Leader?"
I admitted frankly.
"Yes. To be honest, they seemed to need me, so it didn't look like they intended to kill me. But... that old man's killing intent did scare me preemptively."
She smiled softly.
"Don't worry. The Alliance Leader himself is here at the Murim Alliance headquarters. Plus, our Vermilion Bird Squad and Black Tortoise Squad guard it ironclad, so even the Demonic Cult can't just waltz in."
Hm. That's truly reassuring, then.
The moment I thought I'd breathed a sigh of relief, the woman took a step closer to me and said.
"With that in mind... could I ask one favor?"
"No."
I answered reflexively. After digging out all that info, now a favor? No way.
At my curt refusal, the woman blinked in surprise for a moment, then lifted the corner of her mouth slightly.
"Refusal... denied."
What?
"What kind of favor is that? If I can't refuse, it's not a favor!"
As I shot back in disbelief, she lightly touched her ample chest with one hand and said.
"If you refuse, I'll accuse you of groping my breast and demand punishment for insulting a superior."
"What nonsense is that? Why would you be my superior?"
I'm the Vice Squad Leader of the Azure Dragon Squad. And she's just a librarian in some archive.
"Hehe..."
She brushed her disheveled green hair behind her ear. Her face fully revealed for the first time.
Her green eyes stared at me.
"You are the Vice Squad Leader."
She paused for a moment, then continued with a quiet smile.
"I am the Squad Leader."