The Trap of Desire
"You wicked things! How dare you attempt such filthy acts upon an unmarried man!"
Every time O Jayeon and Baek Yujon swung their arms, the government slaves were shoved back with a thud, collapsing one after another.
"Ugh!"
"—!!"
Each of them was a human weapon, a successful graduate of the military examinations. A mere commoner couldn't hope to win against them, even if dozens swarmed at once. And that was even more true when trapped inside the narrow confines of a room.
'I did ask them to just give them a good scare and not kill them…'
Both of them were exercising great restraint. O Jayeon and Baek Yujon were filled with murderous intent, yet the fact that they limited themselves to beating and kicking showed just how exceptional they were as warriors.
"Argh!!"
"P-please, spare m—aaargh!!"
And it showed just how obediently they were following my instructions.
'This one is a bit better.'
I gently pulled those among the government slaves who had committed relatively minor crimes toward the safer side.
'You, go over there.'
I shoved the ones with worse crimes toward the dangerous side.
"Argh!"
Breaking a few bones was a small price to pay. It would be far worse if they were punished according to state law.
The situation itself was resolved in an instant. The government slaves and the clerks all lay on the floor, clutching their bodies and groaning.
"Did you think you could get away with such filthy deeds!" O Jayeon struck the clerk's head.
"P-please, spare me…."
"Do not worry. So that you are not the only ones who feel wronged, your masters shall soon suffer as well…!"
Baek Yujon said nothing. "…." Instead, she radiated deep contempt.
I bowed my head to the two warriors who had acted for my sake. "I am grateful, my ladies. If not for the two of you, I surely would have suffered a terrible fate."
Human affairs are like billiards. Since one cannot do everything in this world alone, one must use others. However, it is also impossible to move every person in the world exactly as one desires. Not only the King of Joseon, but even the Emperor sitting in Beijing cannot move all the people of this world by himself. Therefore, one must command others. Like a billiard ball hitting another to move it.
But people are different from billiard balls, which can simply be gathered and put away after the game ends. One must provide appropriate compensation to those who have moved as instructed. The rush of adrenaline after a fight, the lingering anger, and the murderous intent they suppressed for my sake—if I do not properly vent all of that, those intense emotions will condense and I won't know where they might be directed.
Therefore, I must bestow a reward.
"Master Han…."
"…."
The desires of the two floated up. The problem was that there was still work to be done before that.
"It is not over yet. We must go to the Pyeong-an Gamyeong immediately."
If I postpone the settlement, I will have to provide an even greater reward to match. Every time this happens, I think: it would have been nice if I had been given the martial prowess to cut through everything myself as a special perk.
However. In the end, I had no choice but to do my best for myself with what I had.
Inside the Pyeong-an Gamyeong, Kim Muga was pouring alcohol down her throat with her clothes all disheveled.
'Damn it….'
Her body was burning. She kept trying to soothe it herself, but no matter what she did, it wouldn't subside. Kim Muga was originally quite lustful. She enjoyed keeping gisaengs and had taken concubines. But lately, the intensity had been increasing. At this rate, she felt like she might cross a line she shouldn't.
"Is your body still so hot?"
A voice as cunning as a snake tickled her ears. It was, in fact, a snake. A large boa constrictor, the likes of which only appeared in old legends, was coiled around the beam, sticking its long neck out downward.
"…Get lost."
"Why are you so hostile toward your servant, my lord?"
"When did I ever say I would use you, Isa?"
The giant snake hissed. It was a laugh. "Did you not decide to use me? Did you not rise to this position with my help?"
"…."
"Governor of Pyeong-an. Isn't it a sweet position? Wasn't it what you wanted?"
"…You mere creature."
Hiss. "Your insides are aching, aren't they? You want to hold a man, but buying a prostitute who spreads her legs for money has become boring."
Hiss-hiss.
"Do not worry. I have already sent someone to bring him. The man you wanted. The gisaeng you had your eye on, Seonwol."
"…Seonwol!?"
The snake bobbed its head up and down. 'The man I saw during the day… was it really Seonwol…!'
A man who was once famous as the finest gisaeng in Pyeongyang. Even Kim Muga, who was the County Magistrate of Gasan-gun at the time and not yet the Pyeong-an Governor, knew of his reputation. And just seeing him from afar a few times had been enough to be bewitched by his beauty.
"Do not worry, he will be here soon. Nicely tied up."
The snake laughed. "When he arrives, indulge in him as your heart desires. Violate him. Pour out your carnal desires, surrender your body to the ecstasy, and fall into depravity."
The beast mocked the human. "Falling is, unexpectedly, a pleasant thing."
"You animal…!"
Thump. A bundle wrapped in a blanket fell in front of the door.
"Ah, it seems he has arrived." Isa climbed back up to the beam.
"My lord."
"…!"
At the sound of the man's tearful voice, Kim Muga's chest trembled violently. Lust boiled within her body.
"My lord, what is the meaning of this? Why have you brought this lowly one in such a coercive manner?"
Isa whispered from above. "How is it? Isn't he perfect to consume?"
"I…."
"My lord!" Seonwol sobbed. "Please tell me, tell me that you were not the one who ordered me to be brought here…!"
'I…!'
Pyeong-an Governor Kim Muga was defeated by her desire. "…Come in here."
"My lord!"
"The night is lonely. You must soothe me."
Isa laughed from the beam. "That is right, my lord. The desire you—"
Isa hurriedly tried to pull its long body away. But it was too late. Baek Yujon leaped onto the beam in an instant, grabbed the snake's body, and swung her sword.
"Sssscreeeech!!" The snake shrieked. A large snake tail was severed and fell to the floor. The demon tried to flee.
"Do you think I will let you escape!!"
Even though it was difficult to grab because of its cylindrical shape, Baek Yujon's grip strength was powerful enough to ignore that. The sword flashed twice more. Each time, the giant snake was sliced into pieces and fell below.
"Th-this is…."
"Governor."
"!!"
Kim Muga shuddered. While she was distracted by the fight on the ceiling, Han Sujin had entered the room and approached her. A sweet scent wafted over. The gisaeng smiled softly.
"My lord, you intended to violate this lowly man."
"I, I…."
A pathetic excuse came to mind. That she had only been bewitched by a demon. Kim Muga herself knew how pathetic that was.
"Before we continue, I have one question."
Continue? "My lord, have you violated any other men besides me until now?"
"No! I have spent thousands of gold in the pleasure quarters, but I have never done such a thing—no, even the attempt to violate you—"
"Shh." His finger touched Kim Muga's lips. As if silencing a child.
"Do not worry too much, my lord." He smiled brightly. "The fact that you intended to violate me will be kept silent by myself, Investigator O Jayeon, and Commander Baek Yujon."
He specifically mentioned all three names. So that Kim Muga wouldn't even think of the method of killing them to silence them.
'I've been caught in a trap.'
Kim Muga's body trembled again. This time with fear. What if she had answered differently at that moment? If she had been asked if she was the one who sent the order to kidnap him, and she had said no, what would have happened? What if she had resisted the temptation to the end?
'It was a trap.'
Perhaps the man in front of her was a far more dangerous monster than the snake that had been enticing her until just a moment ago.
"Wh-what do you hope to gain by threatening me?"
"Threatening? How could this lowly one threaten a lord who is like the heavens? And…." Han Sujin gave a bitter smile.
"This lowly one has always wanted only one thing."
Truly. Without a single lie.
"It is merely to safely greet the next day."
And the day after that. If possible, the next week, the next month, the next season. The life of an orphan man with no one to rely on was just like that.
"Do not worry too much, my lord. How often would this lowly one and a lord like you be at odds?"
Han Sujin's hand cupped her cheek. "First, would you not tell me everything honestly? How such a demon came to reside within the Gamyeong?"
"Ah, ahhh…." Kim Muga trembled in fear. But in the end, she spilled all the information Han Sujin wanted.
"You are a good girl, my lord."
Everything. Honestly. She had become a good child.
When we finished the questioning and stepped out of the Gamyeong, the night had completely deepened. Still, torches were lit along the main street of Pyeongyang, serving the same role as modern streetlights.
"Investigator O, Commander Baek, thanks to you two, I was not disgraced, and the work was completed safely. I am grateful."
Baek Yujon looked unconvinced. "…How did you know?"
"I was lucky. When I bowed to the Governor, I made eye contact with the snake hiding in the corner of the ceiling."
It was a lie. In reality, I knew because I saw her desire.
"And while I wasn't actually certain that people would come to catch me, I said so because I was afraid."
Again, in reality, I knew because I saw her desire.
"Hmm…." Baek Yujon seemed to believe half of my explanation and doubt the other half. It was fortunate that it wasn't complete suspicion, at least.
"My two ladies."
Now. It was time to bestow the overdue reward.
"Tonight, this lowly one will show you two a delightful spectacle."
I grabbed the sleeves of the women who were taller than me. I pulled them along.
"Let us go. To the gisaeng house."