Monopolizing Fortunes (93)
Monopolizing Fortunes (93)
Namgung Seol-rin asked, as if muttering to herself.
"Why did you come down to the mortal world?"
"Huh?"
"Did you have some love triangle with the Jade Emperor and another god? Were you the Jade Emperor's wife, got caught cheating, and got kicked out?"
Do Tong-dal, unable to watch any longer, scolded her.
"What kind of nonsense are you rambling about?"
"The nonsense is that face. She was born between a human mother and a human father, same as me, right? So how is a face like that even possible? Hey, do you happen to have an older brother or a younger brother? If you do, introduce me...."
This time Do Tong-dal smacked Namgung Seol-rin on the back.
"Knock it off!"
"Ugh! I'm only saying this because it's so unfair!"
"You're plenty pretty yourself!"
"How can you say this face is pretty in front of that face?"
"Pfft!"
"Are you laughing at me?"
Ha Su-ran hastily waved her hands.
"No. You're the first woman I've met who talks this much after seeing my face."
"How do other women usually react?"
"Most of them go quiet. A few have fainted. That's why I can't take off my veil carelessly even in front of women."
"Then never take it off from now on. Not unless you want to send a whole crowd of women over a cliff. But...."
Namgung Seol-rin's gaze shifted to Do Tong-dal.
"You really never went looking for Strategist Ha?"
"You'd know that better than anyone."
"Well, there wasn't a single day you were out of my sight. How can that be? With a face like that?"
Ha Su-ran spoke.
"Actually, Do Tong-dal is the only man who never came looking for me after seeing my face."
"He's a fascinating guy in all sorts of ways."
"Maybe that's why I became more interested."
"Yes, go ahead and wag your tail. With that face, what couldn't you do?"
Namgung Seol-rin decided to give up. Even to another woman's eyes, Ha Su-ran's looks made everything forgivable.
Just then, a Northern Unorthodox Alliance warrior came running over.
"The Alliance Leader has awakened!"
They hurried to the room where the Alliance Leader was. He was sitting propped against the bed, drinking medicine.
"Alliance Leader!"
Having finished the medicine, the Alliance Leader slowly turned his head.
"Mm, you've come?"
The Alliance Leader looked calm, not like a man who had just been wandering at death's door. He was one of the three great heads of the unorthodox sects, but his appearance was as plain as the grandfather next door.
"How is your body?"
"Not worth making a fuss over. This fellow must be quite the renowned physician."
"He's someone Do Tong-dal brought."
"Do Tong-dal—you mean that Hangzhou thug you mentioned?"
The Alliance Leader's gaze rested on Do Tong-dal. The way he stared seemed to be sizing up what kind of man he was.
"Aren't you going to greet me?"
At the sudden remark, Do Tong-dal bowed his head.
"I'm Do Tong-dal."
"I am Hwangmi Dal, Alliance Leader of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance. In the martial world they call me the Heaven-Splitting Thunder Sword. For reference, Hwangmi is the surname and Dal is the given name. The surname is Hwang, and the name is Dal—not Mi-dal."
"An unusual surname."
"Strategist Ha, who never talks about men, has spoken of you quite a bit, so I was curious what you looked like. You're more ordinary than I expected."
"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"Why?"
"I have urgent business, so I need to be going."
"You're saying you have business more urgent than meeting me?"
Do Tong-dal, who had been staring blankly at Hwangmi Dal, spoke.
"Alliance Leader Hwangmi...."
"Just call me Alliance Leader."
"Collecting the protection fees in our territory is more urgent than meeting you, Alliance Leader."
"Are you mocking me?"
"I'm being faithful to my profession."
"If you were going to stay faithful to your profession in Hangzhou, why did you come here?"
"I was dragged here."
"So you came even though you didn't want to?"
"Yes."
"Should I take that to mean you wished I would die?"
"Interpreting it that way would make you stupid. Saying I had absolutely no interest in whether you lived or died would be roughly the right answer."
Hwangmi Dal looked at Ha Su-ran with his eyes while pointing his finger at Do Tong-dal.
"Is this the fellow you were talking about?"
Ha Su-ran answered like a sigh.
"Yes."
"You said he was clever?"
"Yes."
"You said he had an excellent ability to read the board?"
"Yes."
"You said he had an outstanding ability to persuade people?"
"Yes."
"Looking at what?"
"If you spend a little more time with him...."
"I don't want to spend time with him."
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"The feeling is mutual, so we'll take the promised sword and be on our way. Goodbye, then."
"Wait! What promised sword?"
Hwangmi Dal looked at Ha Su-ran.
"I promised to give the Makya Blade as payment for treating you, Alliance Leader."
"What? Give away the Makya Blade?"
"Yes."
"That's out of the question! Absolutely not!"
"I already promised to give it."
"No matter what you promised, the Makya Blade cannot pass into another person's hands. Even if I die, that will never happen!"
"Are you saying the Makya Blade is more important than your life, Alliance Leader?"
"You, who know the Makya Blade better than anyone, can say such a thing? To me, the Makya Blade is not simply a sword!"
"I know! But to me, your life is far more important than the Makya Blade, Alliance Leader!"
"Was the Makya Blade truly the only thing that could move them?"
"Because it was the most valuable thing I had."
"It is not yours."
"Even so...."
"How could you promise to give away something that isn't yours as you pleased?"
"Because I had to do whatever it took to save you, Alliance Leader."
"The Makya Blade should not have been part of that 'whatever it took.'"
"But I already made the promise, so I have to keep it."
"It is your promise, not mine. The Makya Blade is mine, and I will never hand it over to anyone else."
"Are you going to make me into a liar?"
"If that's what it takes to keep the Makya Blade."
Ha Su-ran, who had been glaring at Hwangmi Dal, suddenly shouted.
"You're the one who told me to keep my word even at the cost of my life, old man!"
"I never taught you to stake something that isn't yours as payment!"
"You told me not to covet things outside myself!"
"The Makya Blade is not a thing outside myself—it is a part of me!"
"You sacrificed a part to save the whole!"
"The part that had to be sacrificed is as important as the whole! To me, the Makya Blade is no different from my life!"
Tears welled up in Ha Su-ran's eyes.
"So in the end, the Makya Blade is more important to you than I am?"
"I never said that."
"Your actions right now are saying it."
"......."
"I could give my own life to save you, old man, but you can't give up a single sword."
"The Makya Blade is...."
Do Tong-dal said to Namgung Seol-rin.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
"Are you going to keep watching this boring fight?"
"But what about the Makya Blade?"
"He says he won't give it."
"You want to give up? It's obviously our right—something we should receive."
"Forget it. What's so special about some sword?"
Hwangmi Dal burst out in anger.
"Some sword?! Apologize for that outrageous remark at once!"
Do Tong-dal shook his head from side to side.
"The one who farted is the one getting angry. Alliance Leader, if I don't take the Makya Blade as payment, then you still owe me your life. Is treating your lifesaver like this the mark of your character?"
"What do you know about me to run your mouth so carelessly?"
"If you value a single sword more than a woman you cherish like a daughter... then that's how I'll see you."
"You little—!"
Hwangmi Dal raised his hand as if to strike, but Do Tong-dal didn't so much as blink. Instead, Namgung Seol-rin half-drew her sword.
"Alliance Leader! Put that hand down!"
"And who are you?"
"I am Namgung Seol-rin."
"The daughter of the Namgung Clan?"
"That's right."
"Why is a daughter of the Namgung Clan running around with a Hangzhou thug?"
"That is none of your concern, Alliance Leader."
"Why does every person who shows up have such a rotten attitude?"
"You were the first to go against what is right, Alliance Leader."
"Enough!"
Do Tong-dal grabbed Namgung Seol-rin's wrist.
"You have no other business with us, right? We'll be leaving, so the two of you can keep fighting."
Do Tong-dal dragged Namgung Seol-rin out of the room.
"You really want to just leave like this?"
"The Alliance Leader says he won't give it. What choice do we have?"
"But we should find a way to take it! It's the Makya Blade, for heaven's sake!"
"I told you, I don't need some sword. So you drop your lingering attachment too."
There was no way her lingering attachment would drop that easily. The greatest blade of all time was, true to its name, a sword without equal before or since.
"It's too much of a waste to give up like this... You're smart. Can't you figure something out?"
"Seol-rin."
"Yeah?"
"Should I go alone?"
"No."
"Then stop yapping and follow me."
"Are you leaving now?"
The physician in black, who had followed them at some point, asked that. And there was one more person who had followed.
"Do Tong-dal! Do Tong-dal!"
Ha Su-ran, calling Do Tong-dal repeatedly, blocked their path.
"Are you really going to leave just like this?"
"My business here is finished."
"But you should at least accept my apology...."
"In the end it was a lie, but it wasn't intentional, so I'll forgive you."
"Just like that?"
Do Tong-dal shrugged.
"I don't know how to forgive in a complicated way."
Ha Su-ran's eyes were already bloodshot, and fresh tears seemed about to fall.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."
Ha Su-ran, forcing out the words in a trembling voice, finally let the tears stream down. The tears flowing beneath her veil would run down her chin and soak her chest.
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"This probably isn't the first time in your life you've been disappointed by someone, and it probably won't be the last. Want me to tell you how to feel less betrayed?"
Ha Su-ran sniffled and asked.
"What is it?"
"Don't expect too much from that person."
"You mean the bigger the expectation, the bigger the disappointment? That's too simple."
"Most truths are simple."
"Are you really going to leave like this?"
"I don't want to get tangled up with the Alliance Leader."
Ha Su-ran let out a deep sigh.
"He's not a bad person. Even though he lives in the dark path, he doesn't tolerate evil deeds. To me, he's like a father."
"I'm not saying the Alliance Leader is bad. He's just the type of person who wears people out."
"Huh?"
"If he finds a talented person he likes, he's the type who wouldn't hesitate to visit them three times to recruit them, right?"
"How did you know that?"
"I read it in his eyes the first time he saw me."
"Is that why you treated him so brusquely?"
"I hate being worn out. Maybe not getting the Makya Blade was for the best. If I'd taken it, he would've used it as an excuse to come find me. Anyway, this wasn't your fault, Strategist Ha, so don't let it weigh on you."
No matter how much Do Tong-dal said that, her guilt had no way of fading.
"There will come a day when I make up for this mistake."
"I'll look forward to it."
Namgung Seol-rin took Ha Su-ran's hand. There was no longer any hostility in her eyes.
"Strategist Ha."
"Yes."
"When you come, if you can bring the Makya Blade, make sure you bring it."
"You burn victim! Hurry up!"
Do Tong-dal, Namgung Seol-rin, and the physician in black boarded a carriage and left the estate. Ha Su-ran, who had stood there blankly watching them go, quietly clenched her fist and went back inside.
Hwangmi Dal was looking at the Makya Blade lying on the table.
"Are you checking to make sure Do Tong-dal didn't take it?"
"No, I just... wanted to look at it."
She placed a round bronze plaque on the table. It was the identity plaque proving she was the strategist of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance. Hwangmi Dal looked at Ha Su-ran with puzzled eyes.
"As of today, I, Ha Su-ran, am no longer the strategist of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance."
"What do you mean by that?"
"How could someone who couldn't even keep a promise made with her own mouth serve as the strategist of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance?"
"Nonsense! Wasn't it a promise you had no choice but to break because of me?"
"I expected your opposition, Alliance Leader. I know how much you treasure that Makya Blade. Even the story behind it. But I thought I could persuade you. I believed that you—no, that old man—would cherish me more than the Makya Blade. But I was wrong."
"How could I cherish the Makya Blade more than you? I only did it because if I endured a moment of blame, I could keep the Makya Blade!"
"To you it may be a moment of blame, but to me it's a shame that makes living itself humiliating. Do Tong-dal didn't blame me even as he left. Instead, he even comforted me, telling me not to be too disappointed. A thug from the Underworld, a man who seems like he'd do any filthy thing for money—yet to him, people come before things outside himself."
The more Ha Su-ran spoke, the smaller Hwangmi Dal felt himself becoming.
"I'm truly grateful for all the kindness you've shown me. If you hadn't taken me in when I was ten, I would probably be living a miserable life. Please forgive me for leaving without repaying that ocean-deep kindness."
"Leaving?"
* * *