Chapter 763: The Vacant Seat of the Alliance Leader.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 763: The Vacant Seat of the Alliance Leader.
"A sword... do you mean the Dragon Tail Soft Sword!?"
Upon hearing Sun-woo's words, Ha Su-ryeon asked back with a look of surprise.
"Oh, you knew about it?" Sun-woo asked, looking surprised himself.
"How could I not? The fact that you extorted the Dragon Tail Soft Sword from Lee Ye-seol is something everyone who's anyone knows by now."
"Was it really that famous?" Sun-woo asked, finding it unexpected.
He had assumed the sect would keep it quiet, considering how humiliating the incident was, but it seemed the word had spread to everyone who mattered.
"Of course! The Dragon Tail Soft Sword, one of the Six Great Treasures of the Murim, has reappeared. How could there not be rumors?"
"......I suppose that's true."
Sun-woo nodded in agreement. He hadn't given it much thought lately, but the Dragon Tail Soft Sword was indeed a peerless blade, the likes of which the world would never see again. It was more than worthy of being the talk of the town.
"And the fact that you blackmailed the Rising Stars to steal their money is famous, too."
"Blackmail? I merely received a small token of their sincerity."
Sun-woo continued with a shameless expression.
"I don't think the Rising Stars you fleeced would see it that way," Ha Su-ryeon retorted, looking exasperated.
He was a man who had extorted fifty thousand Nyang from the Rising Stars under the guise of mental health compensation and consolation fees. How could he possibly wrap that up as a "small token of sincerity"?
"Well, they can think whatever they want."
Sun-woo spoke as if it were of no consequence. He had already received the money, so what did it matter?
"You seem rational, Sun-woo, but sometimes you really just go off the rails."
Ha Su-ryeon shook her head from side to side.
"Anyway, I can introduce you to a blacksmith. But you won't be able to find a sword on par with the Dragon Tail Soft Sword. That blade is a masterpiece that can't be found anywhere else in the world."
"Can't it be repaired?"
"Repairing it would be even harder. No blacksmith would be able to replicate the unique functions of the Dragon Tail Soft Sword."
Ha Su-ryeon spoke in a firm tone. The Dragon Tail Soft Sword wasn't just a sturdy blade. It possessed a mystical ability to increase or decrease its length and thickness at will. It was highly unlikely that a blacksmith existed who could replicate such a feat.
"..........That's a problem."
Sun-woo frowned, looking troubled. Through his duel with Sword Man, he had once again realized the importance of a high-quality sword. Between two people of equal skill, the sword could be the deciding factor.
That was why he had intended to repair the Dragon Tail Soft Sword or find one equivalent to it. To him, the Dragon Tail Soft Sword was the most perfect weapon he could imagine.
But to hear that it couldn't be repaired and that an equivalent couldn't be found—how could he not be troubled?
"....Is there really no way?"
Sun-woo stared at Ha Su-ryeon with a desperate expression, asking if there was any feasible method.
"........Hmm...... It's simply impossible.... A sword that rivals one of the Six Great Treasures......"
Ha Su-ryeon shook her head. No matter how much she thought about it, it was impossible. There was a reason the Dragon Tail Soft Sword was called one of the Six Great Treasures of the Murim. It was because it stood at the very pinnacle of countless legendary blades. A replacement for such a thing could not be found easily.
"Sigh....."
Sun-woo let out a deep sigh. It seemed that finding a new sword would take much longer than he had anticipated.
*
Cheonmu Alliance Internal Conference Room
Numerous elders occupied the seats, their expressions grim. Not a single one of them opened their mouth. They simply maintained a heavy silence.
After some time had passed...
"Isn't the Great Matriarch being far too late?"
Finally, Lee Se-jin, the youngest among the elders, spoke up. He seemed puzzled that the person who had called the meeting was late.
"Great Matriarch!? Watch your tongue! How can you utter such nonsense toward the one who will soon become the Alliance Leader and inherit the glory of the Murim Alliance! Call her 'Young Lady' or 'Alliance Leader'!"
Upon hearing those words, Gye Sang-deuk glared at him with sharp eyes and raised his voice. It was Joo So-yang who had elevated her prestige by publicly announcing Lee Jae-won's atrocities to the world. Once the official procedures were completed, it was only a matter of time before she seized full power and became the leader of the Cheonmu Alliance.
So why use a ridiculous title like "Great Matriarch" for her? That title was a shameful one, forever linked to the high traitor Lee Jae-won. It was not a name to be spoken lightly.
"..........I made a mistake. I apologize."
Hearing the scolding, Lee Se-jin immediately backed down and apologized. He didn't want to provoke Gye Sang-deuk's foul temper any further.
"Hmph!"
Gye Sang-deuk accepted the apology with a dissatisfied look and huffed, turning his head away. He had intended to give him a proper earful, but the immediate apology had left him with nothing more to say.
"......Regardless, the Young Lady is very late."
Lee Se-jin continued with a calm expression.
"She'll be here when she gets here! Why are you so impatient!?"
"......It has already been half a Shijin."
"She must have a reason! Do you take the Young Lady for someone so ill-mannered that she would be late for no reason at all?"
"It's not that... but......"
"Then shut your mouth and wait! How dare you find fault with the Young Lady!"
Gye Sang-deuk snorted roughly. Soon, sharp glares began to pour in from all directions. Everyone seemed to be of one mind with Gye Sang-deuk.
'A bunch of doting old fools.'
Feeling those gazes, Lee Se-jin scowled. It seemed he had no allies in this conference room. He kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to open it only to be pelted with more criticism.
A heavy silence once again descended upon the room.
After a while...
Creeeeeak.
The doors to the conference room slowly began to open. The elders' eyes all converged on the entrance.
There, they saw a noblewoman of radiant beauty.
It was Joo So-yang. The "Young Lady" the elders had been so anxiously waiting for.
"I'm sorry...... Uncles... I'm very late, aren't I?"
Joo So-yang spoke with a dejected expression as she entered the room.
"We just arrived ourselves!"
"That's right! Please, do not give it a second thought!"
Seeing her dejected look, the elders rushed to comfort her. Their hearts felt as if they were breaking just seeing her look so downcast.
Lee Se-jin watched them with a look of pathetic disbelief. The elders hadn't changed at all. Despite waiting for half a Shijin, they were acting subservient just because Joo So-yang looked a little sad. How could he not look at them with pity?
"Thank you for understanding, Uncles."
Receiving their fervent comfort, Joo So-yang spoke with a soft smile. Seeing that smile, the elders began to beam with warmth. They looked completely different from their usual strict, dogmatic, and stubborn selves.
Tap, tap.
After finishing her thanks, Joo So-yang walked briskly across the room.
Thud.
She sat down directly in the seat of honor.
"Since I'm late, I'll get straight to the main point."
She spoke, her eyes sparkling like beautiful obsidian. The elders focused intently on her every word.
"I'm sure you're all curious. You want to know how the situation progressed and how it was all resolved."
Joo So-yang continued in a calm tone. Currently, all the elders knew was that Lee Jae-won had been moved to a safe house. They had heard nothing since then.
"I'll start with the conclusion........ Lee Jae-won is dead."
Joo So-yang spoke with an incredibly heavy expression.
".............."
"............."
Hearing her words, the elders fell into a complex silence. They knew his condition had been critical.
At the hands of the Sword God, his face had been shredded until the raw, red flesh was exposed, his limbs had been twisted into grotesque angles, and his phallus had been completely crushed. He had suffered injuries so severe that it wouldn't have been strange for him to die at any moment.
Thus, they had subconsciously left open the possibility of his death. However, hearing the news of his passing made their feelings complicated. Only a few days ago, he was the leader of the Cheonmu Alliance, commanding the world with absolute power. To think that such a man had died in such a miserable state felt truly strange.
".........Did you kill him, Young Lady?"
Lee Se-jin finally spoke up. He was curious about who had delivered the final blow.
Shake, shake.
Joo So-yang shook her head at his question.
"No, I didn't kill him."
"Then, was it the Sword God!?"
"It wasn't the Sword God either....... The one who killed him was Uncle Un."
".....Hero Yoon!?"
Lee Se-jin looked bewildered. It didn't make sense. Hadn't Yoon Je-gyeom promised to protect Lee Jae-won safely? So how could Lee Jae-won have met his end at the hands of such a man?
"...I will...... tell you everything."
At his question, Joo So-yang began to speak in a calm tone. She then slowly and minutely detailed everything that had happened.
Arriving at the safe house protected by a formation. Cutting off Lee Jae-won's legs so he couldn't escape. Yoon Je-gyeom betraying her and trying to smuggle Lee Jae-won away. The Sword God, having realized the betrayal, pursuing him. And finally, the moment when Yoon Je-gyeom struck first, plunging a sword into Lee Jae-won's heart just as he was about to be killed.
".................."
The elders' expressions became heavier than ever before. Lee Jae-won's death was one thing, but Yoon Je-gyeom's betrayal was a massive shock. Yoon Je-gyeom had been a spiritual pillar for the elders. To think that he had betrayed them—confusion, shock, a sense of betrayal, anger, pity, and regret all swirled within them, throwing their hearts into turmoil.
They could understand his motive. It was surely for revenge for his granddaughter. But they could not forgive him. To think that a man who had made a name for himself as a luminary of the Orthodox Faction had planned to defect to the Demonic Cult—and that he had done so while even wounding the precious Joo So-yang.
"....That godforsaken bastard."
Gye Sang-deuk, who had been silent, spat out a curse. He looked furious.
"He died a selfish man to the very end."
"Wait, Elder Gye! How can you say such harsh words!?"
Lee Se-jin asked back, looking flustered. He also fully recognized that Yoon Je-gyeom had not made the right choice. But even so, he understood why the man felt he had no choice but to betray them.
" I could say much worse! That son of a bitch!"
Gye Sang-deuk cursed even more violently.
"Elder!"
"Am I wrong?"
Gye Sang-deuk glared at Lee Se-jin with burning eyes and raised his voice.
"He betrayed the Young Lady at a crucial moment and tried to take Lee Jae-won away. All because of his own selfishness! How can I not call him a dog?"
"But Hero Yoon had a... grudge... against Lee Jae-won......"
"Is he the only one with a grudge against Lee Jae-won?"
Gye Sang-deuk continued with a cold expression.
"Fine, let's say for the sake of argument that he could take him away. But to think of defecting to the Demonic Cult? That is an act that deserves every bit of scorn! How could he even think of joining hands with those demons who have ravaged the Murim for centuries, all because of a personal grudge!"
Gye Sang-deuk began to roar at the top of his lungs. Emotional as he was, even he could understand the betrayal itself. He was also a grandfather with a granddaughter he cherished dearly. But Yoon's actions after the betrayal were the worst possible moves, deserving of nothing but contempt. For a luminary of the Orthodox Faction to defect to the Demonic Cult—how could he make such a terrible choice?
The Demonic Cult had invaded the Central Plains for centuries, committing murder, pillaging, rape, torture, and massacres. It was a place composed only of heartless demons. To think of defecting to such a place was preposterous.
"................."
Lee Se-jin fell silent. He realized that Gye Sang-deuk's words were not wrong.
"And above all, that bastard hurt the Young Lady! How can I not curse him!?"
"He's right! To actually cut the Young Lady! Is he insane!?"
"He must have lost his mind! To leave a scar on our Young Lady's jade-like body!"
"If he were before me now, I would have taken his head myself!"
Soon, the other elders joined Gye Sang-deuk, shouting in anger. The fact that he had wounded Joo So-yang was simply unforgivable.
"........I'm fine, Uncles..... It's already in the past. And I understand how Uncle Un felt."
Watching them, Joo So-yang finally spoke. She felt the need to calm them down to some extent.
"And more importantly, I don't think Uncle Un's betrayal is what matters right now."
Joo So-yang continued with a grave expression.
"What's important now is who we will seat in the now-vacant position of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader."
Joo So-yang's eyes began to sparkle like starlight, as if she were harboring a hidden scheme.