Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Lord of the Black Dragon Society, Yonggak
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After Wi-ak finished his meal and left, Gwiyeong departed the guest hall and entered the White Serpent Guild’s office.
She sat alone in a chair, lost in thought.
This very moment could be the opportunity of a lifetime.
She was pondering whether she had made the right decision.
As she did, Gale Blade, who had regained consciousness at some point, spoke to her.
[You seem to be bothered by what that Hegemon Lord said.]
“Gale Blade…!”
Hearing the voice, she immediately turned her head to look at her weapon.
It had kept its eye closed since the battle with Yonggak, but now it was open, glowing with a red light.
“Are you alright?! Did you overexert yourself or…?”
At Gwiyeong’s urgent question, Gale Blade chuckled and replied.
[Heh heh, you must have missed me. Yes, I’m fine. It seems I lost a bit of control since it’s been a while since I used my power.]
At Gale Blade’s response, Gwiyeong realized she had spoken a bit rashly.
“No, well. Um. It’s good that you’re fine. You’re my weapon, after all. If something were to happen to you, it would be a flaw in my combat ability…”
[You don’t need to explain it all. In any case, I understand you were desperately waiting and worrying about me.]
“No, it wasn’t quite like that…!”
It was the first time she had experienced this kind of atmosphere, and Gwiyeong replied with a slightly flushed face.
[It’s written all over your face, so don’t bother trying to say more. It looks like you were about to go crazy with worry over me.]
“I was not! I was not! You’re just my weapon, nothing more, nothing less!”
Gwiyeong herself didn’t know why she was acting this way.
Having never made a friend, the very act of worrying about someone else felt incredibly awkward.
[Alright, alright. I get it, so cool your head.]
The more nonchalantly Gale Blade acted, the hotter Gwiyeong’s face grew.
“You, you…!”
She tried to hide her true feelings, but it was no use.
Regardless, Gale Blade raised his doubts about Wi-ak, whom they had met earlier.
[Anyway, is this really okay? To just accept that Hegemon Lord’s proposal like this.]
Hearing the question, Gwiyeong cleared her throat, regained her composure, and answered.
“Ahem, hem. Well, there are parts that bother me too, but since he said he’d take care of the Lord of the Black Dragon Society, I had no choice.”
[Hmm.]
Gwiyeong narrowed her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips as she spoke in a suggestive tone.
“It wouldn’t have been a problem if someone hadn’t taken all my power and been defeated.”
[Ahem. I couldn’t control it since it’s been too long since I used my strength. Besides, the power you gave me was also insufficient.]
“Don’t tell me you’re making a pathetic excuse? The great Gale Blade?”
As Gwiyeong teased him with a playful expression, Gale Blade had no choice but to admit it.
[Fine, my skills were lacking. Happy?]
Though it was a sullen reply, hearing his declaration of defeat, Gwiyeong chuckled and responded.
“Well, I understand. Graciously accepting a subordinate’s mistake is the role of a proper superior, after all.”
[What are you talking about now?]
“Whatever, so what do you think?”
Having won, Gwiyeong teased him and quickly changed the subject, giving him no time to respond.
Gale Blade also felt a little disgruntled but returned to the main topic.
[That man clearly has some other ulterior motive. To be honest, following his words seems like too great a risk.]
“Well, that’s true. But the law of the dark path is to use each other if there’s something to be gained.”
Hearing her words, Gale Blade asked with a somewhat questioning look.
[Then what part of you is he trying to use?]
“That is…”
Ostensibly, he wanted her power as an ally, but for that, the Hegemon Lord’s sincerity was excessive.
“Since the Lord of the Black Dragon Society was bound to become his enemy anyway, I think that might be it. You could think of it as him helping me with my business on the side.”
[I don’t know how wonderful it would be if everything in the world worked out so conveniently.]
Gwiyeong hadn’t dismissed her suspicions either, just like Gale Blade, so she nodded her head.
“I have no intention of letting my guard down.”
[A good stance. There is no one in this world truly worthy of trust.]
Gwiyeong subtly turned her head and looked at Gale Blade with a bitter gaze.
She knew all too well the sentiment behind his words that there was no one to trust.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Gwiyeong agreed with his words, yet a strange emotion welled up inside her.
***
Yonggak returned to the Black Dragon Pavilion without having properly settled things with Gwiyeong.
As he appeared, the warriors guarding the main gate greeted him with loud voices and threw the gates wide open.
“Lord! You have returned!!!”
“We greet the Lord of the Black Dragon Society!!”
At his appearance, numerous warriors of the Black Dragon Society lined up on both sides and bowed their heads.
Unlike places like the Black Ghost Guild or the White Serpent Guild, the scale of the buildings and manor was immense, and the number of warriors was overwhelmingly large.
What stood out most was the Black Dragon Pavilion where Yonggak resided, decorated with a black dragon on the roof in an intimidating posture, as if its mouth were open.
“””We greet the Lord!”””
The warriors lined up on both sides greeted Yonggak with voices full of spirit.
Soon after, he entered the main hall and looked at his seven children who were waiting for him.
The sight of them standing in line with the executives, led by the eldest son, showed how strictly Yonggak treated his children.
“You have returned, Father.”
Yonggak’s eldest son, Yong-ok, bowed his head first in greeting, and Yonggak glanced at him.
His eldest son, who particularly resembled him, had sharp eyes and a sturdy build.
However, his disappointing talent in martial arts always weighed on Yonggak’s mind.
It was like a small black stain on a white sculpture; everything else was to his liking, but that one small thing prevented him from feeling any affection.
If he had only one child and Yonggak’s character were better, he would have fully embraced him as his child even if that one aspect was not to his liking.
Just as many parents love their children even if they don’t grow up entirely according to their wishes.
But he was different.
As someone who held immense authority in the ruthless world of the dark path, he wished for his children to resemble him and possess overwhelming talent in martial arts.
Appearance, wisdom, talent, and eloquence.
Yonggak, who wanted perfection in every aspect, found his children to be incredibly pathetic.
“Tsk, did I not tell you to call me the Lord of the Black Dragon Society, not Father?”
He clicked his tongue and ignored his eldest son’s greeting.
“…My apologies, Lord.”
He recalled Gwiyeong, who had shown tremendous combat talent at a young age.
“Useless fool.”
Leaving those words behind, Yonggak headed to the main hall without a single word of greeting to his children.
The Black Dragon Society executives who were watching from the side showed no particular reaction, neither sneering nor offering comfort, but this very indifference was what hurt Yonggak’s children the most.
Soon, the executives quietly followed behind the Lord of the Black Dragon Society.
Yong-ok, who had been humiliated in front of his younger siblings and the Black Dragon Society warriors, tried his best to maintain his composure, but the twitching of his lips and eyebrows revealed that he couldn’t completely hide it.
Inwardly, he couldn’t help but be furious at his father’s treatment.
‘Damn it.’
But fearing he would be scolded by Yonggak for being late to the meeting if he just stood there, Yong-ok hurried towards the main hall.
A short while later, a silent atmosphere flowed through the main hall where the Lord of the Black Dragon Society, his children, and the executives had gathered.
Normally, a good mood would have formed as the Lord had visited the Black Ghost Guild to achieve his goal, but seeing Yonggak’s expression and behavior, they knew it had not ended well.
While everyone remained silent, Yonggak spoke first.
“All executives except the chief steward, leave for a moment. I have something to say to my children.”
Knowing what those words meant, the executives quickly rose from their seats and left the main hall.
Once only Yonggak and his children remained, he spoke in an irritated voice.
“You are all trash. Trash that’s worse than vermin, despite inheriting my blood.”
Though they heard the harsh insult, Yonggak’s children could do nothing but bow their heads and endure their father’s verbal abuse.
“Today, I fought with a guild master named Gwiyeong. She reached the pinnacle before the age of thirty. Moreover, she has no great background or master. But what are you?”
Yonggak lashed out at his children with a look and tone of incomprehension.
“You lot have consumed elixirs and received the martial arts manuals I bestowed. You even had tutors. And yet, is that all you can manage? The eldest is already fifteen, yet he can’t even properly handle sword ki. What do you plan to do?!”
*Crash—*
He violently threw the scabbard that was on his armrest at his eldest son, Yong-ok.
He threw it with such force that the scabbard shattered, and Yonggak’s children, who were watching, squeezed their eyes shut in fear.
Yong-ok also flinched, but unlike his siblings, he looked at his father with eyes filled with defiance and answered.
“…My apologies, Father.”
Naturally, Yonggak was not one to stand by and watch such an insolent gaze.
“Ha, how absurd. Can’t you look straight ahead! How dare you! Have you grown up a little and now you see nothing?!”
Yonggak berated Yong-ok with a voice full of anger.
In truth, he was angry because things hadn’t gone his way, but he was misdirecting that anger towards his children.
It was a common occurrence in a troubled family household.
“Come here.”
Even though Yonggak called, Yong-ok did not move.
“Now!”
Only then did Yong-ok rise from his seat and stand before his father.
“Chief Steward.”
At his words, the chief steward standing beside him brought a wooden sword.
“Kneel.”
“…”
“Do you not hear my words?!”
“Father.”
Despite the fierce roar, Yong-ok asked Yonggak with a look mixed with fear and defiance.
“What are we… what are we to you, Father? Why must you go this far…?”
*Thwack—*
Yonggak struck Yong-ok’s head with the wooden sword he was holding.
It happened in an instant, and Yong-ok collapsed to the floor.
“How dare you talk back…”
*Thwack!*
“To your father!”
*Thwack!*
“Talk back!”
*Thwack—*
He released his pent-up frustration by beating his son.
Yong-ok, who was being beaten, rolled on the floor and cried out with a face full of resentment.
“What! What did I do so wrong for you to do this!”
“What?”
Yong-ok had always silently endured whatever Yonggak said, but for some reason, he couldn’t bear it today.
“What did I do so wrong for you to do this?! What did I do so wrong for you to treat me this way! I did everything you told me to do! Martial arts! I train every day! But what am I supposed to do if I can’t get it! I am trying my best!”
He gasped for breath, rebelling against his father for the first time.
Yonggak heard his words and, after a moment of stunned silence, replied to his son.
“That’s the problem.”
“…Pardon?”
“The very existence of you lot, who inherited my blood and yet can only do that much, is what’s wrong. You worthless trash. You’re worse than vermin. That’s what you are.”
The moment they heard those words, the hearts of Yong-ok and his siblings shattered.
That moment of having your very existence denied by the one who created you is so miserable.
“Yong-ok, you need some mental discipline! How dare you talk back to your father?! I will make an example of you and punish you severely so that your younger siblings do not follow your lead!”
As his words ended, Black Dragon Society warriors who were outside the main hall entered, grabbed the agitated Yong-ok’s arms, and dragged him out.
He simply stared at his father with a dazed expression, not saying a word.
“Tsk. All of you, get out.”
Yonggak clicked his tongue and drove his children out.
Terrified of their father’s words, the children quickly got up and left the main hall.
Yong-ok and his siblings, who had been kicked out, all harbored the same thought.
‘Father does not love us.’
Yonggak did not yet know.
That what is as tragic as a child abandoned by their parents…
Is none other than a parent abandoned by their child.