Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Disciplinary Committee (1)
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During the break, why not stop by home? At Eon Yong-myeong's words, I mulled it over for a moment.
'...Home.'
In truth, the only place I truly thought of as home was Azure Bamboo Hall.
Strictly speaking, though, the Pearl Eon Family was home too.
'If Yong-myeong knew that the Pearl Eon Family came second to Azure Bamboo Hall in my mind, he'd be pretty bummed.'
That was my honest feeling.
I hadn't spent much time there at all.
And the only connections I'd formed, aside from Mother and Father, were with Chief Steward Gam Cheon-su, who'd passed down Regret to me.
"Hm."
As I quietly reflected on the Pearl Eon Family like that, it must have looked to Yong-myeong like I was frowning.
"...I didn't mean it was time for you to return to the family. As you said before, brother, we should leave that to the natural course of events."
He cautiously added,
"I was just suggesting it as a good place to temper yourself during the break. I didn't mean to pressure you."
With the academy under attack, I hadn't had time to think about it, but as Yong-myeong said, where to temper myself during the break was something I needed to consider carefully.
'In the original story, Jeonghyeon does visit the Pearl Eon Family during his first-year summer break.'
Jeonghyeon was originally supposed to enter Fate Plum Hall.
But he was rejected by his own sect, and his classmate Cheon Jang-ho was an orphan with no home or temple to go to.
So, with nowhere else to go, he followed Eon Yong-myeong's invitation to the family manor.
And there, Jeonghyeon witnesses the event where Yong-myeong is officially recognized as the provisional heir.
'That event is the decisive blow that sends the original Eon Yong-un down the path of the demonic arts.'
Of course, reality had already diverged completely from the original story.
Which meant there was no need to force the original plot onto real life.
Even so, ignoring the original flow entirely, the Pearl Eon Family didn't seem like a bad place to temper myself during the break.
'By now, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult must have their eyes on me.'
Unless they were fools, they'd be paying close attention to my future movements.
In that sense, the northern region with Eon Jeong-ung and Paeng Mu-hyeok was the perfect place for training.
They wouldn't even dream of attacking me there right now.
And even if something did happen, those two would at least hear me out.
There might be some family debate over my reinstatement, but I didn't care much—'If it happens, great; if not, whatever.'
'...I need to see Mother too.'
Plum Blossom Madam, my mother, had taken my side from the very moment I first possessed Eon Yong-un's body.
'That's what made it hard.'
I had no idea how to deal with a mother for the first time, so Father's gruff scoldings actually felt easier by comparison.
But I was the one who witnessed Uncle Kwon Young's final moments.
'Father probably talked about the Shanxi incident, but...'
He was the taciturn type, and he hadn't been at the scene where Uncle Kwon Young met his end, so it must have been just the broad strokes.
So, I felt a sense of responsibility to tell her what happened myself someday.
As that thought crossed my mind—that spending the summer break in Jinju wouldn't be bad—
"Nyam, if you're lookin' for a temberin' spot, why not Sacheon?"
Dang Ok-gi suddenly spoke up, distracted by the Sichuan chicken feet dish.
"...What'd you say?"
"Gulp. If goin' to Jinju don't sit right, Sacheon ain't bad neither. Clean water, nice mountains, and you're my friends, so anyone who wants can come special to the Dang family..."
Then, Jeogal Seolji slyly cut in on Dang Ok-gi's last words.
"That's right, Sacheon is great. Especially where our Jeogal family's branch castle is—it's so serene, perfect for recuperation or training. That's where I spent my childhood recovering from my blocked meridians. It's also where we still tend the mulberry trees left by our ancestor, Jeogal Wu-hou!"
Jeonghyeon perked up at Seolji's words and chimed in.
"Oh. You mean the mulberry trees of that Wu-hou, who symbolized poverty with his barren fields and mulberries alone, despite being below one and above ten thousand?"
"Yes, exactly."
Dang Ok-gi's face puffed up in annoyance.
"Seolji, you?!"
Nangong Yun slyly added,
"Nangong territory is fine too. It's not famous for its renowned martial artists for nothing. Especially our place in Anqing..."
But Yin Xia Lian cut off Nangong Yun.
"Especially! Hui Prefecture, the jewel of Jiangnan, is the best! Right, Ha-seong?"
"Of course. Doesn't our Dongsaeng think so too?"
"Me? I'm not sure."
"Just nod in situations like this."
"You've already experienced it, haven't you, Eon Gongzi? Our Silver Radiance Merchant Group's hospitality?"
Suddenly, the table turned into a full-blown hometown boasting session.
"Everyone's suggestions are good, but how about visiting Jinju land? Please consider it seriously, brother."
"Sacheon!"
"Among them, the Jeogal family."
"Kyaaak!"
"...Anqing."
"Hui Prefecture!"
"...Jeonghyeon Dojang, I'm starting to get, uh, scared."
"Primeval Celestial Venerable. Indeed."
I tapped my chopsticks on the bowl to calm the chaos around me.
Clack clack clack!
"Let's eat. We need to think about how to use the break, but first, there's a mountain of urgent matters ahead. Eat up hearty. I'll consider all your suggestions positively."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Righteous Martial Academy, swept through by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, was buried under a mountain of tasks.
"From the administrative office. This is the dormitory reported for Azure Bamboo Hall cadets... Hm, seeing Cadet Eon Yong-un and Cadet Yin Xia Lian, the general affairs chief, it must be right?"
"Yes. I'm Eon Yong-un."
"But why is Cadet Nangong Yun here? Whatever, not important. As you know, the academy's outer walls are down."
"We need to stand guard."
"Quick on the uptake, as expected. Until the reinforcements from the Murim Alliance arrive, cadets must guard alongside the security department. Organize shifts immediately and send the first and second shifts to the former main gate position within one shichen."
The situation clearly showed we'd repelled the cultists, but we had to participate in security for any contingencies.
"And General Affairs Chief?"
"Yes."
"This isn't urgent right now. Just before break starts, please submit estimates for dormitory reconstruction. Of course, the sooner, the quicker we break ground."
We also had to compile and submit documents for dormitory rebuilding.
For Azure Bamboo Hall, we'd planned a new dormitory from the start and moved the plans to safety before the chaos.
So the second request barely counted as urgent.
But then another matter came directly to me.
"And this is a document sent personally to Cadet Eon Yong-un."
"...What's this?"
"A summons from the disciplinary committee."
Opening the sealed envelope with those words revealed instructions to prepare to address the listed charges at the main conference room tomorrow at noon, when the committee would convene.
"!"
My younger Eon brothers, checking the documents with me, immediately erupted.
"Everyone, even kids in the streets, knows brother fought the cult without regard for his life. How can the academy call him for this?"
Yong-myeong was first to rage.
Even Cheon Jang-ho, silently shoveling food like it was his last meal, added,
"People say shit like 'Is this words or a fart?' in times like this, but this is definitely a fart."
The others furrowed their brows and grumbled too.
"Even a light punishment would be excessive. This is truly unjust."
I stopped my fuming brothers and spoke.
"This person is just delivering orders from above. Why vent here? Enough with the shouting, everyone."
The administrative staffer scratched his head awkwardly.
"...Well. I'm just a grunt, so I don't know details, but I hear it's a procedural step to wrap up the unprecedented academy attack. Don't get too hung up on 'disciplinary committee.'"
"Yes. We've received the documents. With the academy in this state for the first time, you're busy too—thank you for running around. Please overlook my brothers' outbursts."
At my warm response,
The staffer brightened and replied,
"Everyone knows Cadet Eon Yong-un's merits are great. What trouble could there be? If there is, I'll rage with you!"
Watching me, my master at my waist chimed in mentally.
-My disciple, but every breath he exhales seems laced with politics. He should've entered government service, no matter how I look at it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day at noon.
As specified in the letter, the disciplinary committee convened.
But I wasn't the only one summoned.
Sister Kyung Hye had referred herself.
And cadets from Fragrant Orchid Hall for violating defense protocols were there too.
Representing Fragrant Orchid Hall's defense, Autonomy Council Chairman Mae Jin-ak approached me.
"...You've ended up in the disciplinary committee too."
"Yeah. Whatever."
"......"
"Anything else?"
"W-well, when our cadets were isolated."
"Yes."
"Thank... Ahem. Y-you showed great achievement?"
Having tangled with that Gongyun kid, I could spot Fragrant Orchid Hall traits.
'Grateful but embarrassed, so deflecting?'
But a thought flashed.
'No, if grateful, at least say 'thank you' properly.'
That he uttered such words from his lofty Fragrant Orchid Hall mouth showed great courage and progress.
'But that's your issue.'
I inwardly resented Mae Jin-ak for not even saying thanks straight.
How pampered must he be?
Even before me—a fallen but still eldest son of a famed house—he acted like this. I could imagine how he treated inferiors.
Come to think of it, in the original, Fragrant Orchid Hall guys mistreated laborers, leaking the outpost to the cult.
'Do they think we're just nice guys smiling all the time?'
Fragrant Orchid Hall has a long way to go.
...Of course, I just played dumb and changed the subject.
"Yes. A moment of enlightenment came suddenly."
"...Ahem."
Then, Professor Moyong Lin entered with the academy operations committee members.
With Sister Kyung Hye referred, the most neutral Professor Moyong Lin was presiding.
"We now open the academy disciplinary committee. Sister Kyung Hye, please step forward."
The interrogation began with Sister Kyung Hye first, as Professor Moyong Lin announced.
"...Thus, Cadet Eon Yong-un's actions stemmed from my permission, so any fault lies with me."
Sister Kyung Hye used her chance to claim all my actions before and after the cult attack were on her orders.
So my turn that followed was quite brief.
"Cadet Eon Yong-un stands here for exceeding permitted bounds during the infiltration of the Ho-won Iron Forge, venturing dangerously into enemy lines. Correct?"
"Yes."
"You must explain, but in Sister Kyung Hye's prior statement, along with context, your claim that 'not checking the tunnel would be riskier' was noted."
Professor Moyong Lin paused briefly to breathe.
I briefly thought that was my cue to speak.
No.
She caught her breath and continued without missing a beat.
"While disregarding personal safety and acting on your own judgment violates academy rules, there's no need to belabor how many lives that saved. Insisting on discipline under principles for such meritorious service is outdated and contrary to the Righteous Martial Academy's banner. Thus, I, as chair, deem this matter unworthy of discussion and propose skipping it, seeking Cadet Eon Yong-un's agreement. Do you agree?"
-...Didn't they say this professor is neutral?
Master asked incredulously in my mind.
I was just as baffled.
This felt less like judging my fault and more like scrutinizing whoever raised the issue.
Is this allowed? I glanced up at Professor Moyong Lin, but her expression was as impassive as ever.
Confident in her ruling.
"...I agree."
"Any committee members object?"
"......"
"Then, we skip this matter."
Unlike the kids' worries, my turn ended swiftly.
Next were the Fragrant Orchid Hall cadets.
Autonomy Council Chairman Mae Jin-ak represented them.
"It's true cadets under the third platoon violated defense rules and rioted, but we ask the committee recognize it stemmed from desire to protect the academy. Seeing seniors' dorms—imbued with their spirits—burn drove them to it. With leniency, Fragrant Orchid Hall cadets will use this as a mirror for self-reflection."
I couldn't help a hollow laugh.
'Stumbles over thanks but spits eloquence like that.'
Meanwhile, the committee recessed briefly to decide.
"We now announce the committee's decisions."
When Professor Moyong Lin and the operations committee returned,
"This committee acknowledges all established merits great and small amid the unprecedented demonic raid on the academy, but to learn from events as cautionary tales, we rule as follows: For Kyung Hye, who self-referred, a three-month pay cut."
The decisions flowed from Professor Moyong Lin's mouth.
"Professor Nangong Jeong-ho, who led Fragrant Orchid Platoon Three, receives three months' suspension. Fragrant Orchid Hall cadets are ordered to complete reoccurrence prevention training."
Yet the punishments for the rioting Fragrant Orchid folks felt awfully light.
'Three months for Professor Nangong Jeong-ho, and training for the cadets?'
This was practically symbolic.
I wasn't alone; Master fumed too.
-Is there such a feather duster? Their riot nearly collapsed the entire defense! They talked military law, but just 'prevention training'? If that's punishment, they shouldn't have dragged Yong-un here! Argh!!!
'Yeah, too lenient.'
As I agreed with Master,
Professor Moyong Lin continued.
"The reoccurrence prevention training will be organized under the Magic Defense Association's lead, with instructor... Magic Defense Association Director and the one who led the academy to victory through keen decisions in this cult raid incident, Cadet Eon Yong-un."