Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Justice (2)
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The expressions on the faces of those looking at Jegal Hyeon, who had barged in out of nowhere, varied wildly.
Some were flustered, others wore intrigued looks, and there were even those grinding their teeth and glaring at him.
This was undoubtedly because, despite the common title of Chief Strategist that usually referred to him, people in their circles called him by different names.
To some, he was the young master of the house; to others, a rude punk. But there was one thing everyone agreed on, albeit with different connotations.
A genius.
A being beyond the heavens, far surpassing the comprehension of mere mortals.
That was likely why all these people understood him in such different ways.
"Permission to enter this place surely wasn't granted to you."
The Leader of the Heavenly Mechanism Hall fixed him with a sharp glare. It stemmed from his longstanding discomfort with Jegal Hyeon, whom he saw as unpredictable and prone to mischief.
It was also a reaction born from fear of the incomprehensible.
His mind simply couldn't grasp even the slightest bit about the man before him.
"Ah, my apologies. It seems there was a place in the alliance even the Chief Strategist himself couldn't set foot in."
Jegal Hyeon wore a mocking smile.
In principle, there was no area within the Murim Alliance that required special permission for him to enter. Everyone knew that.
But his calm gaze, as if daring them to try kicking him out, irked the Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader.
"Even if you have the right, isn't this against propriety? Can the Chief Strategist just burst into a meeting and disrupt the proceedings?"
"By 'propriety,' do you mean the 'righteousness' that's already fallen so far it's not even a shadow of itself? I truly have no idea what propriety one must uphold atop such an utterly ugly 'Righteous Path.'"
'This guy's definitely onto something.'
The Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader sensed an ominous pressure as he watched Jegal Hyeon pointedly jab at him with such conviction.
But throwing a tantrum now would only prove the man right.
As he pondered his next words, Jegal Hyeon continued with a brazen expression.
"For you blind fools who can't even infer a bird from its wings, I've brought proof myself."
With that, he pulled a bundle of documents from his bosom and spread them across the table.
"These are merely a portion of the Demonic Cult's directives found in the Secret Selection Hall Leader's quarters."
The Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader sprang up first in shock, rushing over to frantically check the papers. His face drained of color.
"No, this can't be. The Secret Selection Hall Leader's quarters? There's no way these came from there."
"And how would you know that, Hall Leader?"
Self-inflicted entanglement. His words clearly implied he knew something about the ties between the Secret Selection Hall Leader and the Demonic Cult.
"You're right. These weren't found in the Hall Leader's quarters. Surprisingly, they were tucked away in the Heavenly Mechanism Hall's secret chamber."
Now that all secrets were laid bare, the Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader finally realized it. He'd been dancing in the palm of this man's hand all along.
"The formation incorporating the principles of the Infinite Hexagon and the Nine Palaces Illusory Array was quite intriguing. Well, it was developed by the Secret Selection Hall Leader himself, from the Zhuge Family."
"I heard even the Zhuge Family head would need at least a week just to analyze that formation. How did you unravel it in mere days?"
"Ah, you didn't know? I was the first to think of applying Infinite Hexagon theory to architecture. It was written when I was just twelve, so I won't claim it's masterful or anything."
Not only had he grasped a theory known as the pinnacle of obscurity at age twelve, but he'd even thought to fuse it with another discipline.
Everyone here, who had believed themselves beyond mortals, now felt a wall before this boy not even in his thirties.
"So, what's the verdict?"
Those who had forgotten this gathering was for Yi Sowol's judgment snapped back to reality at his words.
"Ah, right, we need to deliver the verdict."
"But this is..."
"Isn't the evidence overwhelmingly compelling?"
The heated arguments over one man's crimes from moments ago vanished. Now, they whispered among themselves, holding their tongues.
Anyone could see the Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader and Secret Selection Hall Leader were guilty.
Yet, perhaps due to their positions, no one raised their voice.
Except one.
"Yi Sowol, the Sword Dragon, has been proven innocent. However, new culprits have emerged, so we'll shift the judgment. Escort warriors, seize the Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader and imprison him at once!"
"By your command!"
At the Alliance Leader's shout, warriors waiting outside rushed in and restrained the Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader. There were surely others manipulated by the Secret Selection Hall Leader.
With irrefutable proof in the Alliance Leader's hands, the alliance's shadows would be uprooted and burned to ash.
Not a single one spared.
"You arrived right on time without issue. I'm grateful."
"Thank you. I can't even imagine what would've happened without you, Brother Jegal."
The Heavenly Mechanism Hall Leader confessed that he'd embezzled alliance funds at the Secret Selection Hall Leader's behest and had no choice but to obey.
Of course, that didn't make his crimes light, so he was stripped of duty and imprisoned.
Others tangled in the mess were still being investigated in the meeting hall.
"You've done me a great favor."
"Just repaying the debt I owe you, Brother."
His words were as curt as ever, but somehow, a faint warmth seeped through.
Even his stiff expression seemed a touch softer.
"That aside, Brother, you look quite different now, don't you?"
Jegal Hyeon quickly noticed my changed appearance due to Shedding Mortality and stared at my face.
"I suspected you'd reached rejuvenation like a supreme master, but seeing you've undergone Shedding Mortality and absorbed years into yourself... quite the peculiar matter."
"You can tell just by looking?"
"Hm? Of course. I can't comprehend how mere mortals grasp the world just by looking with their eyes. If one truly peers into all things, nothing remains hidden."
I, one such mortal, couldn't understand him, but had I ever tried?
Whenever dealing with him, I just accepted it as always.
"Did you uncover the Secret Selection Hall Leader's secrets the same way?"
"Ah, that's thanks to you, Brother. I had suspicions before, but lacked the means to make mortals understand. So, I took this chance to sneak into the Heavenly Mechanism Hall recklessly."
In short, he had doubts, but my eliminating the Secret Selection Hall Leader provided the evidence.
A concise, clear answer worthy of his brilliance.
"More curiously, how did you know the Secret Selection Hall Leader was a spy?"
"Connections to the Four Black Alliances. Through him..."
"That's not the plausible excuse I want to hear."
As I met his gaze squarely, Jegal Hyeon's eyes deepened further. It felt like he'd seen through me.
He probably didn't care about my ties to the Four Black Alliances leader either.
Precisely, it was how I could act without a shred of doubt amid this tangled web of secrets, schemes, and maneuvers.
One truth that pierced the core.
That I'd regressed.
"...I can't tell you now."
But I couldn't just confess outright.
Someday, I might reveal the truth to him, but not yet.
Revealing my past life to someone who grasped truths from a single word was too risky.
"Fair enough. I asked expecting no answer anyway, so I don't need a clear one."
"Then why ask, knowing no reply would come?"
"The void and nothingness differ, after all. Even an absent answer holds its own meaning. For instance, from our exchange just now, I can infer your secret eludes even my grasp, beyond mortal ken."
True to his word, despite my silence, he acted as if he'd heard the answer.
He'd even edged close to the truth.
He couldn't have guessed at reincarnation or regression, but the essence was right.
It was truly incomprehensible otherwise.
"Really, nothing stays hidden from you."
"Didn't I say? Peering into all things leaves nothing concealed. Yet I couldn't fully unravel your secret, so no need to worry."
With that, he stopped walking. Looking around, we'd arrived at the alliance's training grounds.
"To commemorate our reunion after so long, shall we cross swords?"
So that was his aim.
"Fine by me. I've been cooped up in prison and wanted to stretch anyway."
"If a realm-transcended master like you uses sword aura, it'll ruin the fun. How about pure swordsmanship, no internal energy?"
"Just what I hoped for."
I assumed my stance toward him. Even in my past life, we'd always sparred upon meeting.
We found swords more comfortable than words, understanding each other through them.
Time and lives passed wouldn't change that.
Paht!
I thrust my sword—devoid of energy—straight at him.
Chaeng! Chaechaeng! Chaeng!
My strokes, sometimes rigid, sometimes fluid, shifted relentlessly, tenaciously probing Jegal Hyeon's gaps.
Yet unlike before, he calmly parried every one.
Now he could match me without holding back.
Kang!
The thought crossed my mind just as an unexpected counter broke my chain of attacks.
"I didn't idle away the last half-year either."
It was a strike I'd shown him before. Or rather, similar, but somehow different.
The eerie sword felt too formless to have come from him.
If mere mimicry, it should adhere to some structure.
"You grasped the essence in that short time."
Far from perfect, yet it held something transcending principles.
The moment this unparalleled genius, who rearranged forms and corrected techniques, stepped into creating from nothing.
A tingling ran through my fingertips.
Still aimed at the void, but a step forward nonetheless.
My heart raced with anticipation for what monster would emerge.
Chaeng!
"Too early to be impressed."
His eyes read everything; his sword altered form each instant. Perhaps he'd surpass even my past life's realm.
Cracks were forming in the shell he'd never broken before.
Amazed by his growth, I clashed swords until sunset.
Embracing old memories within each strike.