Chapter 283
Chapter 283
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 78
>Chapter Title: Tangled Up (2)
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*Shwooooosh!*
A whirlwind erupted as Six Division Commander So Ye-rin unleashed her True Cyclone Sword Technique with the ferocity of a storm.
Its power was so overwhelming that it swept up Thousand Commander Im Gyu-wol and the other elites, sending them all flying.
Just moments ago, Im Gyu-wol had been rejoicing at having survived, but now his face was a picture of utter misery.
In that instant as they were caught in the sword's momentum, something unfortunate happened.
The smoke gate that hadn't fully closed slammed shut.
*Hiss...*
As the gate vanished completely, the protective treasure on his index and middle fingers,
*Crack!*
shattered and scattered into the air.
It proved without a doubt that the item could only be used once.
Mok Kyung-un stared blankly at the broken treasure before slowly turning his head toward Six Division Commander So Ye-rin.
“...Wasn't he your colleague?”
She was the head of the Six Divisions Office, while Im Gyu-wol headed the Death Squad Office.
They were from different branches but colleagues of equal rank in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He hadn't expected her to suddenly unleash a killing blow.
In response to Mok Kyung-un's question, she replied,
“Better than letting things get messy.”
Six Division Commander So Ye-rin wasn't oblivious.
With two escapees already here, if the head of the underground prison escaped too, complications were inevitable.
Without a moment's hesitation, that's why she'd struck.
“We can call it our interests aligning, right?”
“...”
At Mok Kyung-un's words, So Ye-rin silently turned to look at Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha of the Ghost Blood Cult.
Dam Baek-ha clasped her hands together in formal salute toward her.
“You truly carry that person's bloodline, don't you?”
So Ye-rin glanced around cautiously before finally nodding.
“Yes.”
Her answer drew an exclamation from the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon, who had been watching.
He'd known from the start that his mentor had joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find someone.
But he never imagined that person was a prisoner locked in the underground prison.
Mara Hyeon suddenly looked at Mok Kyung-un in surprise.
‘So they are connected after all?’
If one of the two people Mok Kyung-un had helped escape was the one So Ye-rin had been searching for, it would be odd to think the two had no ties.
Then Dam Baek-ha dropped to one knee, her eyes rimmed red as she spoke.
*Thud!*
“Ahhh... I've searched for so long.”
“Six Blood Saint, please don't.”
So Ye-rin tried to help her up.
But Dam Baek-ha shook her head, refusing.
“No. You are the last rightful heir who can carry on our cult's legacy. How could I not show proper respect?”
‘The rightful heir to carry on the cult?’
Mok Kyung-un looked at her puzzled.
What exactly was their relationship?
The Ghost Blood Cult's Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha had been searching for someone carrying the bloodline of "that person" from the Jin and So families.
In the midst of this, Mok Kyung-un had intended to introduce her to the masked Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon, thinking he might know something, only to realize that Six Division Commander So Ye-rin was the So family member Dam Baek-ha sought.
Yet for the Ghost Blood Cult remnant, the Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha, to suddenly call So Ye-rin the "rightful heir to the cult"...
‘Are the Jin and So families the lineage of the Ghost Blood Cult's leader, whose clan was wiped out?’
That would make the pieces fit.
As he sorted this out in his mind, So Ye-rin knelt on one knee as well, meeting Dam Baek-ha's gaze.
“I'm not qualified for that.”
“Qualified? That person was our cult's leader. If you, who carries his bloodline, aren't qualified, then who is?”
“...”
Six Division Commander So Ye-rin clamped her mouth shut.
She wore an expression of clear distress.
Dam Baek-ha prostrated herself fully.
*Thump!*
“This is all heaven's guidance. Please, take in this servant and the surviving cultists and rebuild our cult.”
“Six Blood Saint!”
So Ye-rin's distress deepened at her attitude.
It was clear that So Ye-rin was connected to the Ghost Blood Cult, believed to have been exterminated, given how far one of its executives was going.
But this wasn't the time for drawn-out conversations.
With the Infinite Prison collapsing, earthquakes had likely started, and the chaos would have spread. The entire palace was probably in uproar.
They needed to use this chance to escape the palace quickly.
Mok Kyung-un interjected politely.
“I don't know your connection, but congratulations on this heartfelt reunion. That said, lingering here will make escaping the palace difficult.”
“Escaping the palace?”
At his words, So Ye-rin turned, looking alternately at Mok Kyung-un and the old woman, Holy Fire Spirit Lord.
Then she asked Dam Baek-ha, who was still prostrated.
“Is this person from the cult too?”
“Ah! No. That young-looking old woman is someone he truly came to rescue.”
“He came to rescue this elder?”
Dam Baek-ha's words dispelled So Ye-rin's lingering doubts. Mok Kyung-un had no real ties to them.
It had all been coincidence—they'd met Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha in the Infinite Prison and escaped together.
Then Mok Kyung-un turned to the masked Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Commander Mara Hyeon.
“Mara Thousand Commander. You have that ready?”
At Mok Kyung-un's question, Mara Hyeon instinctively replied,
“Yes. It's prepared outside the warehouse.”
So Ye-rin cut in incredulously at his subordinate-like deference.
“Mara Thousand Commander. Since when have you been helping him?”
He was her disciple, whom she'd taught martial arts to, and her right-hand deputy.
She couldn't comprehend him acting as if he were pledging loyalty to Mok Kyung-un.
The Mara Hyeon she knew would never bow to anyone.
“Has Mok Kyung-un got some leverage over you?”
“Six Division Commander... That's...”
Mara Hyeon faltered awkwardly.
The demonic energy had naturally instilled loyalty toward Mok Kyung-un, but So Ye-rin was his mentor, teacher, and superior.
Her interrogation was hard to withstand because of their special bond.
Mok Kyung-un stepped in.
“Please don't press him too hard. I just helped Mara Thousand Commander, who was poisoned with gu toxin and blackmailed.”
“What? Gu toxin? What do you mean?”
She stared at Mok Kyung-un in shock.
He shrugged casually.
“Just what I said. Commanding Adjutant Sang Ik-seo poisoned Mara Thousand Commander here with gu toxin and kept blackmailing him. Isn't that right?”
“...Yes.”
Mara Hyeon answered with difficulty.
It was the truth, at least regarding that.
So Ye-rin said in bewilderment,
“Mara Thousand Commander. Why didn't you tell me...”
“It wasn't that I couldn't speak. They said mentioning the gu toxin would trigger a restriction and kill me. You've been careless with your subordinate until now.”
“...”
She bit her lip hard at Mok Kyung-un's barbed remark.
She was inwardly furious but had no retort.
She prided herself on protecting her people above all.
Yet she'd been oblivious to her right-hand man being poisoned with gu toxin. Self-reproach was inevitable.
So Ye-rin looked at Mara Hyeon and forced her mouth open.
“Mara Thousand Commander... I...”
“Six Division Commander... It's fine. Truly unavoidable. I wanted to tell you but didn't want to burden you.”
“How could that be a burden? I didn't even know you were suffering...”
Mara Hyeon waved his hands frantically at her reddening eyes.
Her self-blame pained him.
“Absolutely no fault lies with you, Six Division Commander. This was all my carelessness.”
After staring at him, So Ye-rin swallowed dryly.
“...Are you okay now?”
Mara Hyeon hesitated for a split second but replied without pause.
“Yes. If Mok Young Master here hadn't helped, I'd be dead.”
In truth, the male gu parasite still lingered in his body.
The controller had simply shifted from Commanding Adjutant Sang Ik-seo to Mok Kyung-un.
There was a restriction against speaking of it, but Mara Hyeon couldn't worry his mentor and lied.
Better than dragging her down.
“Really?”
“Yes. And thanks to Mok Young Master, we have evidence of the assassination plot Commanding Adjutant Sang Ik-seo was planning. It's in the office there.”
“...”
So Ye-rin silently turned to Mok Kyung-un at Mara Hyeon's words.
If true, she owed him gratitude.
She glanced at Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha too.
Intentionally or not, because of him, she'd confirmed and rescued the Six Blood Saint she'd sought.
Even her connected disciple Joo Un-hyang had nearly been trapped in the Infinite Prison forever, only saved by Mok Kyung-un.
All told, she was in his debt everywhere.
Six Division Commander So Ye-rin clasped her hands in a formal salute toward Mok Kyung-un.
“Miss?”
“Six Division Commander?”
Ignoring Mara Hyeon and Dam Baek-ha's confusion, So Ye-rin spoke politely.
“Mok Young Master... I thank you.”
‘!?’
Mok Kyung-un's eyes gleamed at her demeanor.
He'd worried things might get messier, but her expressing thanks was unexpected.
She seemed proud, yet quick to acknowledge favors.
‘Not that I did anything particularly deserving.’
They were just byproducts of handling his own business.
But no reason to refuse thanks offered.
Mok Kyung-un returned the salute courteously.
“I didn't do it on purpose.”
“Even so, it doesn't erase the debts I owe you. I will repay them.”
Mok Kyung-un chuckled inwardly at her words.
She spoke of repaying debts with the resolve of avenging an enemy.
Clearly, she couldn't tolerate owing him.
But it gave him a good card.
With Holy Fire Spirit Lord safely out of the underground prison, the remaining issue was escaping the palace.
Her help would come in handy.
Mok Kyung-un smiled and said,
“Since you insist on repaying, how about helping us escape the palace?”
Six Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha chimed in eagerly.
“Miss. Why not escape with them now? For rebuilding the cult...”
“Six Blood Saint. I'm sorry.”
“What?”
“As I said, I lack that qualification you speak of.”
“Miss... How can you keep saying...”
“I apologize. And I still have duties in the palace.”
“What?”
Dam Baek-ha frowned at the unexpected refusal.
She'd assumed So Ye-rin would join them—at least to leave together, if not for rebuilding the cult.
“...Why stay in a place like this?”
“That's...”
So Ye-rin hesitated, glancing at the unconscious Joo Un-hyang.
They had a pact.
[So what do you want?]
[...I'll overthrow this rotten country from the inside.]
[Joo Un-hyang... Do you know what you're saying? That's...]
[Yes. This is treason.]
[!!!!!!]