Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Signs of War Clouds (2)
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Among those whose stomachs churned upon hearing the verdict was So Yang-un.
"I object!"
He had come as an assistant to the Inspection Department and was now fuming that the man he had been eagerly waiting to take down had slipped away like a loach once again.
"This is a clear misjudgment!"
"What seems to be the problem, Hero So Yang?"
"How can someone who committed the grave crime of insubordination and injured others be declared innocent!"
Some biased assistants from the Inspection Department chimed in agreement.
"Right? He sent several people to the infirmary, and all he gets is a pay cut?"
"On top of that, the instructors who tried to stop him got severe punishments."
"The more vicious the offender, the harsher the penalty should be!"
As shouts erupted here and there, the elderly scholar from the Academic Affairs Office waved the paper listing the charges.
"We handled it strictly by the rules."
"Aren't the rules themselves flawed?"
In response to So Yang-un's rebuke, the scholar pulled out the thick Divine Martial Academy rulebook and flipped it open with a rustle.
"The crimes committed by an instructor under 'suspension' cannot be punished under academy rules."
"Why not?"
"During suspension, they are considered civilians."
"Ugh."
As gasps of astonishment spread, the explanation continued.
"That said, we couldn't just let someone who caused such an incident off the hook, so we scoured every law."
"Then."
"The issue is that this rulebook is based on precedents."
In short, it recorded what penalties were given for specific misdeeds, and similar cases received the same treatment.
"That's precisely the problem."
The scholar spoke in a weary tone.
"No matter how we looked, there was no precedent for taking a senior instructor hostage. Who in the world would take their superior hostage and swing them around like a weapon?"
Since it relied on actual cases, the flaw was that unprecedented, outlandish incidents made it hard to determine the severity of punishment.
"I find this frustrating too."
The scholar ground his teeth while flipping through the rulebook.
"Who would've thought someone would not only take a fellow instructor hostage but use them as a shield."
"Th-then, shouldn't we create a new rule and impose a severe punishment?"
Hear, hear! came the cries from the observers' seats.
"You're right."
But the scholar's voice remained weak.
"It's not that we haven't considered it."
But since he was a civilian.
"Besides, it wasn't a temporary instructor who stabbed the senior one. It was all of you present here."
That was true.
"While their internal energy was sealed, no less. If we apply the rules strictly, we'd have to hold all the instructors accountable for failing to control the sealed temporary instructor. Would that be alright?"
"......"
As the unexpected backlash hit, the instructors in the observers' seats fell silent.
Only So Yang-un pressed on with a desperate expression.
"Th-then, you're saying we're letting that slippery bastard walk away scot-free?"
"We can't do that. So we all racked our brains and found the most applicable rule we could."
The scholar slammed down the wooden gavel with a voice laced with malice.
"Temporary Instructor Chu Un-hwi! Guilty!"
The charge was.
"Destruction of property!"
"Destruction... of property?"
"Broadly speaking, instructors are academy property."
The scholar declared proudly.
"We hereby sentence him to ten days of house arrest and demand compensation!"
So Yang-un, whose face had been brightening, shrieked.
"Isn't that too lenient a punishment?"
"This is the maximum we can impose for property damage."
"I can't accept this! As an assistant and advisor to the Inspection Department, I absolutely refuse!"
The scholar waved his hand tiredly at So Yang-un, who kept bellowing.
"If you're dissatisfied, consult those two behind you."
Behind?
Turning his head, So Yang-un saw two large hands clamping down forcefully on his shoulders.
Looking back with trembling eyes, he saw the two men behind him grinning menacingly.
"You seem to have complaints about everything."
"Why? Spill all your grievances to me."
Baek Ri-seol-ho and Moyong Ju.
At the sight of their gleaming eyes, So Yang-un immediately backed down.
With the situation resolved simply, the Inspection Department scholar neatly concluded.
"This concludes the disciplinary proceedings!"
Nangong Mu-san frowned upon hearing the verdict.
'This is problematic.'
He had heard that Nangong Yun-ho relied on this man. Nangong Mu-san stopped a passing Academic Affairs scholar, thinking it would be best if this person received a heavy punishment and disappeared.
"Excuse me."
"Ah! Lord Nangong."
"I saw the verdict. Quite impressive. But I have one question."
"Please speak, Lord Nangong."
"How much is the fine?"
A dozen people had been carried out in the incident.
'It must be a hefty sum.'
If driving him away was difficult, extending goodwill when he was struggling with the fine seemed like a good idea.
Tossing a few coins to a poorly paid instructor wouldn't be hard.
But the response wasn't what he expected.
"The fine is 10 silver taels."
"...That's surprisingly small."
"People seem to cost less than property, apparently."
"......"
"The rule is not to change it if they recover fully."
"...I see. Understood."
It seemed bribing this man would have to wait for another opportunity.
"Whew."
A modest celebration was underway in Chu Un-hwi's room after the disciplinary hearing ended.
"I aged ten years."
Yeo Mae-hong patted her chest.
"Did I?"
"Of course. It was outright insubordination. You're incredibly lucky."
Unlike the ever-positive Yeo Mae-hong, Moyong Seon-ya looked deeply troubled.
"Luck, my foot."
"Why, sister?"
"When exactly did you plan this?"
"What are you talking about?"
- I'm just an innocent instructor.
He whistled innocently, but Moyong Seon-ya's piercing gaze didn't waver.
"Seriously."
Moyong Seon-ya, who had spoken with Jegal Tan before the incident blew up, would bet her entire fortune that this sly man had meticulously planned it from the start.
'If he'd told me beforehand, I wouldn't have worried so much.'
But right now, she was more curious about something else than interrogating him.
"How did you take down a senior instructor?"
"He shoved his face in, so I just."
"Lucky break."
"Pure luck."
"But is that all?"
A seasoned senior instructor wasn't that simple, as the words implied.
"Suppressing a renowned expert who's rolled through real battles isn't as easy as it sounds."
"True. And several other instructors were carried out too."
At this point, it was natural to suspect he had been hiding his martial prowess.
"I've been getting pointers from someone lately."
"From some famous master...? Ah!"
"Elder Wang-u!"
Chu Un-hwi grinned broadly at their sighs.
"Kunlun Sect techniques seem pretty useful?"
Munch munch.
Even watching him chew on the dried vegetables, Moyong Seon-ya couldn't shake her unease.
'Even Kunlun Sect arts—can someone get this strong so quickly?'
She was puzzled but felt it would be rude to press further.
Instead, she changed the subject.
Clink!
After clinking glasses, Moyong Seon-ya asked something else.
"What are you going to do now?"
"About what?"
"Sister, do you know something?"
Recalling the official notice delivered that morning, Moyong Seon-ya answered their questions.
"An official document will come down formally soon. It says to complete your rivers and lakes excursion within the next ten days and return."
"Within ten days?"
While Yeo Mae-hong was surprised, Chu Un-hwi remained nonchalant.
"The rivers and lakes are a hassle. I wish we'd head back to the academy sooner."
Does this guy like home? Or the academy?
Impossible to tell, thought Moyong Seon-ya as she shared what she knew.
"I heard it from my father, so it should be accurate. The demonic cult cleanup is wrapping up, so we can't keep dawdling."
"But how many students can complete a commission or earn merits within ten days."
Rivers and lakes excursion grades were crucial enough to decide a student's year.
"Competition will be fierce for a while."
"Yeah, coming back empty-handed means failing the promotion evaluation."
"We'll be busy too. Some idiots already short on manpower sent several to the infirmary."
Chu Un-hwi, on the receiving end of the glare, sipped his drink innocently.
"I'm under house arrest. Exclude me from what doesn't concern me."
What an infuriating guy.
The two thought.
"Did the talk go well?"
As the two left and Chu Un-hwi was sipping alone in the room.
Swish.
A gentle breeze stirred, and Wang-u stood before him.
"You've worked hard."
Seeing the old swordsman bow politely, Chu Un-hwi spun his glass on his fingertip and smirked.
"You worked hard too, old man. Drink?"
"Heh heh. I can never refuse liquor from my lord."
Pour.
In the silence, only the sound of filling glasses echoed.
"Pretty chaotic, huh?"
"Heh heh. The kids had some teaching potential."
Wang-u—no, Sima Baek—had been substitute teaching while Chu Un-hwi was confined.
"It's been ages since I handled fledglings directly."
"Don't get greedy. They're meant for the sunlight."
"Restraining ambition is its own ordeal. Especially Nangong and Baek students—their futures look even brighter."
"Right? I worked hard on those two."
"The shameless Nangong brats are drooling over them. What shall we do?"
"Dunno. Cut them down moderately?"
"......"
Sima Baek, staring silently at his glass, spoke up.
"But lord, aren't you possibly leaving soon?"
"...Yeah."
"If so, better not get too attached. Short goodbyes hurt less."
"I know."
"...Word from Dan-ya."
"!"
"They found traces of Jin Seol-hyang."
"Really?"
"Farther than expected, hard to track. So they checked through the child."
Flutter.
Sima Baek pulled a portrait from his bosom and handed it over.
"Jin Seol-hyang. Origin unknown. No known background."
"......"
"But from those close to her, we learned about her past."
- Seol-hyang (雪香).
Scent blooming from snowflakes.
"At least the name ties to seasons."
Faint memories surfaced at Sima Baek's words.
- I hate winter.
- But I like snow.
She had said that once, watching snowflakes fall in a hidden cave.
- Winter's cold, brings back painful memories.
Yet she smiled and added.
- But I love the pure scent of snowflakes.
As the vivid memory filled his mind, silencing him, Sima Baek cautiously asked.
"Lord. Is this woman her?"
"Yes. Or it should be."
"The portrait shouldn't be wrong."
Chu Un-hwi replied bitterly to Sima Baek.
"Truth is, I don't remember everything about her."