Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Myriad Dragon Escort Agency (4)
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In the heart of the commercial district lining the eastern main road of Cheongju City stood a massive compound.
The signboard above the main gate bore the four boldly engraved characters: Myriad Dragon Escort Agency.
And deep within the headquarters of the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency, Escort Chief Yi Gunbaek sat face-to-face with one man.
Unlike the noisy clamor outside, the room was utterly silent.
Neither man spoke first.
After a long silence, the man bowed his head deeply and spoke.
"My apologies, Chief. I never imagined the capital branch would be turned into a wasteland by just two men."
Yi Gunbaek nodded.
He himself hadn't known, so how could the others have?
"What did you say their identities were?"
"They call themselves the Light Heaven Swordless and Bang Jongdae, disciple of the Justice Alliance Leader."
"......Not the sort to be trifled with lightly."
"I have no face left."
The Light Heaven Swordless was a master who had dropped from the heavens.
He had first appeared at the Justice Alliance branch on Qingcheng Mountain, instantly spotting and capturing a spy who had cultivated demonic arts.
Not only had he saved the life of the Namgung Clan's sole precious golden bough, but he had also personally caught a spy no one else could find. In truth, it was right to see the Namgung Clan and the Light Heaven Swordless bound by deep ties of debt and enmity.
Moreover, he was the direct disciple of the Crimson Night Sword Sovereign, one of the Ten Great Masters said to reach the heavens with his sword.
At first, it was just rampant rumors, but at this martial conference, his true skill had been revealed to the world.
He had consecutively defeated the young geniuses from each sect—without even drawing his sword.
No wonder even the famously strict Emei Sect leader, Mistress Moonlit Snow Seo Jeong-ah, had watched the youth's spar and praised his martial talent as peerless under heaven.
Yi Gunbaek let out a sigh and muttered.
"Mess with the wrong people, and we could make enemies of the Namgung Clan and a Sword Sovereign."
"But if we just sit idle in this situation, it would ruin the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency's reputation, wouldn't it?"
"What reputation is there left to protect here?"
The rumors about the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency had already spread throughout the capital.
The fact that a branch of one of the Ten Great Escort Agencies had been trashed by just two men was the talk of every inn and teahouse.
If they at least had some justification on their side, it might be different, but because of the karma piled up by Chief Escort Leader Nam Hyuk, many were instead praising Cheongun—the one who had razed them—as a true hero.
Yi Gunbaek himself had no idea his subordinates had dared to act behind his back like that.
"Getting trashed by just two men isn't the issue. The real problem is that the capital branch has been exposed for defying headquarters' policies, acting on their own whims, lining their pockets, and sucking the blood of the common folk all this time."
"That's true, but..."
"Quiet. From now on, manage them strictly to prevent any recurrence. If you see similar behavior, crack down hard immediately."
"Yes, Chief. Then what shall we do about those two?"
Yi Gunbaek pondered deeply, then scowled and spoke.
"What did they say they wanted?"
"Even I don't know for sure. They just spouted nonsense..."
"Tell me in detail."
The reporting man cautiously added a line.
"He suddenly declared that from now on, he himself is the Chief Escort Leader of the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency."
"What...? Was this all a ploy to aim for the Chief Escort Leader position from the start?"
"Given the opponent's not your average madman... We can't know his true intentions clearly, but we can't rule out the possibility."
Yi Gunbaek thought for a moment, then let out a burst of admiration.
"If that's truly the reason, it might actually be fortunate."
"Pardon?"
The man blinked stupidly.
A madman trashes an entire branch, and it's fortunate?
Had the Chief gone mad alongside him?
As such thoughts crossed his mind, Yi Gunbaek continued.
"The Chief Escort Leader is the face of the agency. If a warrior with that kind of background and skill steps up himself to take the role and raise the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency's name, shouldn't we be grateful?"
"Pardon? Chief, how can you say that when we don't even know if he wants the Chief Escort Leader spot or something higher?"
"If he wants a position, we just give it to him."
"...You're thinking of giving him even the Vice Chief position if he asks?"
"That wouldn't be bad either."
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious."
Yi Gunbaek affirmed firmly.
Better to seat a somewhat mad but capable man than let incompetents occupy the spots.
Besides, he wasn't completely insane.
Stripping away the excess, wasn't it true that the boy Cheongun had stepped up in righteous fury against the agency's bloodsucking ways toward the common folk?
After a moment's thought, Yi Gunbaek issued orders to the man.
"For now, I need to meet the boy in person. Prepare to depart immediately."
Meanwhile.
"Agh..."
Wails echoed through the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency's capital branch.
Most were men beaten by Cheongun, tied up with fishing line and thrashed, or struck by the prayer beads Bang Jongdae had flung.
Because Cheongun and Bang Jongdae had held back appropriately.
They groaned as they barely dragged their bodies to gather in the central training ground of the compound.
Cheongun sat in the chair at the head of the training ground and addressed them.
"Everyone here?"
Cheongun fiddled with the gold escort plaque pinned to his chest.
It was the Myriad Dragon gold plaque he'd ripped from Nam Hyuk.
"Now, pay your respects. I'm the Chief Escort Leader."
"......"
A chilling silence fell at Cheongun's words.
All present only glanced at each other, none daring to respond first.
"No reply?"
"......"
"Are you ignoring me now? Daring to slight your Chief Escort Leader?"
"......"
The silence persisted.
Then, Bang Jongdae, who had been watching with hearty chuckles from the side, snapped his fingers.
A prayer bead shot from his fingertip, embedding into the forehead of a man at the far end who had muttered discontentedly, "Chief Escort Leader my ass..." with a sharp pop!
The man lost consciousness and toppled backward.
"Heh heh, show respect to the Chief Escort Leader."
Bang Jongdae said with a hearty laugh.
At that moment, a man sitting up front, gauging the mood, cautiously spoke.
"Everyone's here."
"Good. Then pay your respects."
"...Respects, you say?"
"Yeah. You— what's your name?"
"Jang Hyuk."
Cheongun nodded and said.
"I hear you lot have been messing with land deeds, sucking the common folk's blood dry. Families bankrupted because of you aren't just one or two. True?"
"N-Not everyone did that."
"Oh? Then who? Spill it."
"Pardon? You've already smashed Chief Escort Leader Nam Hyuk's teeth."
"I'm talking about his cronies. Don't wanna talk? And the Chief Escort Leader is me now, not that toothless bastard."
At those words, Jang Hyuk sweated profusely and made excuses.
"Ch-Chief Escort Leader, how could underlings like us have any power? The moment we commit insubordination, our fate is sealed, isn't it? We had no choice but to obey."
"That's a very reasonable point."
Cheongun nodded.
"Good. Chain of command— music to my ears."
"Th-Thank you for understanding."
"Then as Chief Escort Leader, here's my order: Rat them out right now. And smash their teeth."
"P-Pardon? What do you..."
"What? Don't know chain of command?"
"......"
"No reply again?"
"......"
"Fine. Let's all just die."
Cheongun shot to his feet.
He drew the Crimson Night Sword, pointing the tip skyward and wrapping the blade in thunder qi.
Krzzzzt—!
Sword qi laced with crackling lightning surged toward the heavens.
The air around it shimmered with such intense heat that waves of scorching energy radiated outward.
The escorts' eyes widened in shock.
Manifesting sword qi on this scale was astonishing enough, but seeing lightning coil around it was beyond belief.
Cheongun said regretfully.
"Alright, time to die."
As he slowly tilted the blade downward—
"Jang Hyuk, escort!"
Someone shouted.
"Heh heh."
Bang Jongdae chuckled and snapped his fingers.
—Crack!
"Argh!"
Jang Hyuk's teeth shattered from the sudden prayer bead, and he clutched his mouth, groaning.
But Cheongun didn't stop.
Not satisfied yet, the tip of his sword slowly turned toward them.
The escorts had now witnessed Cheongun's madness with their own eyes.
He was the type to follow through.
He'd absolutely do it.
Left like this, they'd be roasted crisp by that blue lightning.
Terrified, the escorts began blurting out whatever came to mind.
"This guy here was in on it too!"
"The Park escort next to me colluded with Jangyu Merchant Association to embezzle land near the south gate!"
"This bastard extorted protection money from commoners on the side!"
A bizarre scene of mutual accusations.
Each time, Bang Jongdae busily snapped his fingers, sending prayer beads to shatter the teeth of the accused.
In moments, screams mixed chaotically, and Cheongun, watching with satisfaction, withdrew his sword qi.
Among them, a few men had kept their teeth intact.
Cheongun looked at them and asked.
"What is an escort agency?"
One bald-headed man among them answered.
"A place that protects clients' goods and lives."
Cheongun nodded.
"Then what is an escort?"
"Those who protect clients and uphold faith."
"Right. Then what are those guys?"
"No idea."
"They're bandits. Not escorts, not merchants. Just thieves hiding behind an escort agency sign."
Cheongun clicked his tongue.
"Those who betray faith aren't human. Betray trust, and everything crumbles. Who'd entrust goods to an agency that's lost trust? Who'd buy from a lying merchant? In the end, what they did didn't just smash their own rice bowls—it shook the foundations of the entire Central Plains."
"I see."
"And I personally smashed those damn bastards' teeth. What does that make me?"
"Wh-What?"
Cheongun looked up at the sky.
"The savior of the entire Central Plains."
"......"
"So the Myriad Dragon Escort Agency owes me now, right?"
"S-Sounds like it."
"What's your name?"
"Yeon Baek."
"What did you think watching those guys' antics all this time?"
"Pathetic."
"Then why just watch all this time?"
"One word, and I went from escort to porter."
Is that so?
That changes things.
"Porter means baggage handler?"
"Yes, Chief Escort Leader."
"Then you're an Escort Leader starting now."
"Pardon? Escort Leader?"
"Yeah. That's two promotions from porter."
Gulp.
Yeon Baek swallowed hard at the sudden reversal of fortune.
"First order."
"What is it?"
"I've personally smashed the teeth of those trash bastards. You beat the ones with smashed teeth from now on."
"Kill them?"
"Don't kill them. Drag them around to those they fleeced, make them kowtow and apologize, then pay compensation."
"Understood."
"Any hidden escort notes or loot left in the vault after that, I'll handle personally as Chief Escort Leader."
"......"
Cheongun nodded.
There was no real need to go this far, but then again, there was no reason to raid the place to begin with.
But that's fine.
You make justification when there isn't any.
His pent-up frustration cleared, money gained, influence expanded.
This was true justice in action. Proper education. Righteousness and heroism. The way of the righteous hero who roots out evil and upholds good.
Cheongun turned his head.
Bang Jongdae was gleefully snapping fingers, shattering teeth with prayer beads.
Watching that, he looked up at the sky.
"It's summer."
"N-No, it's autumn..."
"Don't talk back."
"Ah, yes..."