Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 2
>Chapter Title: Timber Sword Manor (1)
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Mok Kyung-un, who had unwound the bandages, looked at his upper body reflected in the copper mirror.
There were traces of stab wounds from a sword on his left chest and abdomen.
‘A scar?’
Normally, even serious wounds wouldn’t leave scars.
Yet the wound from that man’s black sword had remained as a scar intact.
It seemed like it would last a lifetime.
‘Well... no helping it.’
He had to be satisfied with just surviving.
He himself had thought he’d die from a wound like that.
But contrary to expectations, he had survived.
He had known he had exceptional recovery ability to begin with, but this was beyond imagination—a tenaciously resilient life force.
‘Does this mean not to come there yet?’
Good.
At the very least, if he had to hear Grandfather’s nagging, he wanted to get revenge first.
That way, it wouldn’t feel so unjust.
‘Revenge...’
Thinking of revenge made him feel lucky.
Who could have known there was someone in the world with the exact same face as him?
Thanks to that, he could launder his identity.
‘Should I call it good luck?’
Since the condemned prisoner’s identity had been killed off, there wouldn’t be any wanted posters claiming he had escaped.
In fact, rather than worrying about wanted posters from the authorities, he had something else in mind.
‘Now they’ll believe I’m dead, right?’
The black-sworded middle-aged man he had encountered while tracking the enemy’s traces.
That man had appeared to kill him.
But if it was discovered that he was still alive, he would undoubtedly appear again.
‘......Martial arts.’
He had experienced it clearly.
That man was a monster like none he had ever encountered in his life.
It seemed impossible to face him without learning martial arts.
In that sense, it was heavenly luck.
The guy with the same face as him was the third young master of Timber Sword Manor, a martial clan.
He could fool that guy and the world by pretending to be Timber Sword Manor’s third young master instead of the Sickle Murder Ghost, and moreover, an opportunity to learn martial arts had opened up.
‘The opportunity has opened, but...’
There was just one problem.
As Mok Kyung-un put on his robe, he glanced at the dark silhouette standing outside the door.
It was the man Gam Escort had assigned to monitor him.
Because of that, he was confined to the annex, unable to move except when going to the outhouse.
‘Annoying.’
The situation was far from easy.
This was practically imprisonment.
Though they had made a deal, Gam Escort clearly didn’t trust him at all.
He probably never would.
After all, he had boldly killed the ‘real’ one right in front of them, so it was only natural.
‘What to do?’
If he stayed put, he’d just be toyed with like this.
The chance to learn martial arts might never come.
It was a dilemma where he could do nothing.
Yet despite that, Mok Kyung-un wore a calm expression and let out a smirk.
- Knock knock!
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Young master. I’ve brought lunch.”
Soon the door opened, and a female servant entered with a tray of food.
It was stir-fried beef with eggplant, mung bean sprouts, and rice.
As always, the female servant placed the tray on the round table by the window.
She glanced at Mok Kyung-un as he buttoned his robe and sat in the chair.
‘He’s so handsome.’
Among Timber Sword Manor’s four young masters, Mok Kyung-un’s beauty was by far the best.
The female servants competed to bring his meals just to see his face.
Such small pleasures were necessary, after all.
However,
‘Huh?’
The female servant slightly furrowed her brow.
The slight smile on his face was no different from Mok Kyung-un’s usual.
Yet there was a strange sense of incongruity.
‘What is it?’
Something felt different.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what.
Puzzled inwardly, the female servant was about to pick up the tray and leave when,
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
“The stir-fried beef with eggplant.”
“Yes.”
“Next time, could you make the beef a bit less cooked?”
“But if it’s undercooked, there’ll be blood...”
“Beef is tender when undercooked, and having a bit of blood makes it tasty.”
With those words, he smiled faintly.
The moment she saw the smile, a chill ran down the female servant’s spine.
She knew why she felt the incongruity.
His lips were smiling, but his eyes were staring at her without the slightest movement.
Her body felt rigid.
“Is there a problem?”
“W-Well...”
Once gripped by fear, it was hard to respond.
It was right then.
“Cuisine is the head chef’s domain, young master.”
Mok Kyung-un turned his head toward the door.
Gam Escort was entering through the open door.
He shook his head disapprovingly, then waved his hand at the female servant, shooing her away.
She bowed her head quickly and hurried out.
- Thud!
After closing the door, Gam Escort approached Mok Kyung-un and said,
“I warned you not to do anything flashy.”
Mok Kyung-un scooped up some rice with his chopsticks and replied,
“Asking for the beef to be less cooked—is that flashy?”
“You are Mok Kyung-un, not a condemned prisoner.”
“The paper Gam Escort gave me to memorize didn’t say what kind of meat the ‘real’ one preferred.”
Mok Kyung-un rebutted calmly.
‘This bastard.’
Gam Escort’s expression hardened fiercely at his attitude.
It wasn’t wrong per se, but the constant backtalk was irritating.
And chewing rice while annoying him was grating too.
Gam Escort sat across from him and said,
“Seeing you talk like that, I guess you’ve memorized everything I told you to study?”
“Yes. Nothing special.”
“Nothing special? Ha! Then what’s the eldest young master’s name?”
“Mok Young-ho. Age twenty. Has a mole on his left cheek, frequents brothels every other day, obsessed with wine and women. The most incompetent of the four brothers, yet greedy and tyrannical.”
‘......’
Gam Escort’s eyebrow twitched up.
It was accurate, not a single word off.
The real young master had written the information sheet himself, so it was candid from his perspective.
“......And the second young master?”
“Mok Eun-pyeong. Age eighteen. Droopy eyes like Great Madam Seok. Sly and cunning. A scum who’d do anything to become family head.”
Mok Kyung-un recited it exactly as written.
The forceful handwriting conveyed intense dislike.
‘If only he were an idiot, it’d be easier.’
Gam Escort clicked his tongue inwardly.
As expected, the sly one had memorized it all.
No need to check further.
“Shall I tell you about the fourth young master too? Or the real Mok Kyung-un’s habits...”
“Enough. That’s sufficient.”
“Then, since I haven’t finished eating yet, may I continue?”
“Hmph. Listen while you eat.”
“Understood.”
Gam Escort stood, turned toward the window with hands behind his back, and spoke.
“You’ve memorized the information sheet, but you’ll hardly meet anyone else in this household.”
“.......Why is that?”
“No matter how much you look like the young master, a long tail gets stepped on. We just won’t create such opportunities.”
“So I’m supposed to stay cooped up inside forever?”
“You catch on quick.”
“Then it looks no different from being a body double.”
“You chose to be a puppet instead of a body double. You picked that path yourself, so just do as you’re told.”
Gam Escort nailed it down firmly.
To ensure this sly one couldn’t entertain other thoughts.
“Just do as I’m told, got it.”
“That’s right.”
“No other information I need to know?”
“None.”
At Gam Escort’s final words, Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed as he used his chopsticks.
He had been given info to memorize to avoid easy exposure—habits and personal details—but nothing else.
Especially the most crucial information.
‘He’s not telling me why they needed a body double.’
Of course, he had guessed they might not tell him.
Through this, Mok Kyung-un confirmed one fact.
‘Even facing a dangerous situation requiring a body double, they plan to let it be.’
Otherwise, there’d be no reason not to tell him.
He had swallowed the poison pill, and with the ‘real Mok Kyung-un’ dead, he was the only substitute for now—but apparently not.
They probably had another hidden card.
The corner of Mok Kyung-un’s mouth curled slyly as he pondered.
‘They’re planning to switch sides.’
* * *
- Thud!
After closing the door, Gam Escort said to the sharp-eyed middle-aged man guarding outside,
“Make sure he absolutely can’t escape. And if anyone comes looking, use the excuse that he’s unwell to keep him from meeting others.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll be out briefly.”
As he moved to leave, the middle-aged man whispered,
“Senior brother. But do we really need to switch sides?”
“Hm?”
“We fed him the poison pill anyway. Why not just use that fake? After all, we chose the third young master because...”
“He’s not the type.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean he’s not easy to control.”
The middle-aged man snorted inwardly at Gam Escort’s words.
A mere condemned prisoner like him was just a commoner without martial arts.
It was ridiculous that his senior brother was overreacting like this.
Having retired from the front lines to bodyguard duty had dulled his edge.
If he was that bothersome, just beat him down and educate him properly.
But no matter his thoughts, he couldn’t talk back to his senior brother.
“Understood.”
“Watch him closely. If he tries anything unnecessary, subdue him with Capturing Hand. I permit some pain, as long as it’s not the face.”
“Oh? Really?”
“It might even be better for him. Anyway, guard him well.”
“Understood.”
The middle-aged man’s lips curved in satisfaction.
* * *
About an hour after Gam Escort left.
The closed door opened.
The middle-aged man guarding it blocked Mok Kyung-un, who was trying to step out.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Just stepping out for a bit.”
“Outhouse?”
“No. Thought I’d look around outside the annex. I need conversation practice anyway—want to come?”
Mok Kyung-un spoke casually.
Absurd, the middle-aged man shook his head.
Gam Escort had just left, and he was already trying to sneak out?
The middle-aged man said coldly,
“If you don’t want to see something ugly, get back inside now.”
“You’re Go Chan, right? If we both keep quiet, nothing will happen...”
Before Mok Kyung-un could finish,
- Whish whish whish!
The middle-aged man—no, Go Chan—grabbed Mok Kyung-un’s wrist with swift hand movements and twisted it behind his back.
It was a Capturing Hand technique.
As his senior brother said, not quite external arts, but with unusual muscle density, it was easier to break joints than strike.
‘Not bad.’
Using Capturing Hand after so long, his senses hadn’t dulled.
Twisting the guy’s arm improved his mood, and he whispered in Mok Kyung-un’s ear,
“You seem to have forgotten your place. You’re not the real Mok Kyung-un. Don’t provoke me; it won’t end well.”
- Grip!
He twisted the wrist harder.
No matter the muscles, a dislocated joint would hurt.
“Now get back inside and stay put.”
Go Chan warned in a low voice.
He thought this would make him obediently retreat, but,
“What if I don’t want to?”
“What?”
Exasperated, Go Chan snorted.
Heard he was clever, but this was insane.
If he wouldn’t go nicely, no choice.
“Foolish punk.”
Go Chan struck Mok Kyung-un’s nape with a hand blade infused with internal energy.
- Thwack!
This force should knock him out, muscles or not.
But something was off.
It felt like striking a wooden pillar.
‘What?’
He thought he’d collapse, yet he stood firm, unscathed.
Did he not infuse enough energy? As he tried again, Mok Kyung-un’s voice came.
“Definitely weaker than Gam Escort.”
‘This bastard?’
He seemed to feel no pain at all.
Otherwise, how could he speak so calmly after a nape strike?
Feeling uneasy, Go Chan twisted the wrist harder to slam him down.
But,
- Grip!
No matter how hard he twisted, it didn’t budge.
No—the guy was straightening his twisted wrist and elbow.
‘W-What the...’
Flustered, Go Chan drew up his energy to maximum.
He didn’t care if the punk got hurt.
Subdue first.
But,
‘Huh?’
The moment he tried to channel energy, his body floated up with a whoosh.
Then he was slammed face-down in front of the guy.
- Thud!
“Guh!”
Luckily, not too hard.
He quickly arched his back to rise, but Mok Kyung-un grabbed his throat with his right hand.
- Grip!
“Gek!”
The grip strength was so immense it felt like his neck would snap any second.
Go Chan’s eyes trembled, veins bulging.
He desperately grabbed the hand to pry it off.
But it wouldn’t budge.
‘W-What the hell is this bastard? How does he have this strength...’
In martial terms, he was at second-rate level.
His strength was double that of an average adult male, no exaggeration.
Yet he couldn’t withstand this punk’s single hand—one without martial arts.
“Gack.”
He was suffocating.
His face felt like it would burst.
Writhing in agony, he suddenly noticed the guy’s face.
‘Smiling?’
His lips curved to his ears.
It was the innocent face of a child playing with a toy.
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