Chapter 273
Chapter 273
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 273
Chapter Title: Kingmaker (2)
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Even after I used my full strength to escape Jeok Hwa-ran's clutches with a form-shifting technique, the Red Dragon, Gray Dragon, Gold Dragon, and Blue Dragon Halls continued to send people.
“Hall Master! Lady Jeok insists on seeing you today.”
“If I can't bring you back today, Hall Master, I'm a dead man. So please...”
“Hall Master! Just a moment, it'll only take a moment!”
“We would be grateful if you could spare some time.”
“The Hall Master's orders are not to let anyone through!”
“War Dragons!”
“Hey! I told you not to climb the wall!”
“Ahem! Don't you know who I am? I'm the commander of the Blood Oath Corps.”
Thanks to them, the warriors of the War Dragon Hall were engaged in a fierce defense game against the visitors.
What's more, they weren't just visiting.
“Hmm...”
“What's wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Well, the Gray Dragon Hall cut this month's cart payment in half. The Ten Thousand Gold Bank added a hundred silver nyang on top of the interest, and the Red Dragon Hall sent a detailed map of the Western Reaches as a gift.”
“...”
Since I refused to meet them, they had started showering Myo Hyang with gifts.
“And yesterday, the Blue Dragon Hall donated a whole bunch of rare medicinal herbs to So-so's clinic, you know?”
“...They're targeting the wrong person.”
As they say, only those who've given bribes know how to give them. It seemed the Blue Dragon Hall had no idea who they should be bribing.
In any case, the actions of these four halls were causing me considerable displeasure.
“Tsk, tsk. What do they take this election for...? Return everything you received. Tell So-so to send her gifts back too.”
“What? All of it?”
“Yes. We can't accept gifts with such obvious intentions, can we?”
I, for one, spent my past life in democratic South Korea. There was no way I could tell the employees of the West Heaven Merchant Guild to vote for a specific candidate.
In truth, I could just say I'd support them and let it slide, but if they ended up losing the election, it would just make things awkward for everyone.
“Still, the map is a bit of a shame, isn't it? It's hard to find a detailed map that accurate...”
“We can just copy it and return the original, can't we?”
“...You're a genius, sir.”
Well, something like this wouldn't leave a trace.
If we just denied it, we wouldn't get caught.
Anyway, as the pressure continued day by day, an individual arrived whom the gate guards could not stop.
“H-Hall Master. We have a problem.”
“What is it now?”
“Well... the Blue Dragon Hall Master is here.”
“...Damn it.”
It was none other than Dan Un's master and the unofficial third-in-command of Nine Dragons Fortress, the Blue Dragon Hall Master.
“Hall Master, what brings you all the way here...?”
“Hall Master Jin seemed busy, so I came in person.”
Known for his fair and meticulous nature in all matters, he was famous for not meeting people privately.
For such a person to come and see me...
‘He must really want to become the Vice Lord.’
It meant he too was unable to escape the sweet illusion of power.
It wasn't a meeting I was looking forward to, but what could I do when he'd come in person?
I had to treat him as a guest.
“Ahem, Maeran! Bring some Dragon Well tea.”
“Yes, Hall Master.”
The handmaiden exclusively assigned to the War King's Hall, personally selected and trained by Myo Hyang, hurried outside.
“...”
“...”
With just the two of us, an awkward silence filled the air.
It was only natural.
The Blue Dragon Hall Master and I had practically no private interactions.
The only connection we had, that rascal Dan Un, was away with the Honam Defense Force.
As I was killing time by counting numbers in my head, the Blue Dragon Hall Master spoke.
“...I heard you met Un.”
“Yes, it seems a letter arrived.”
“We exchange letters regularly. So, how did he seem?”
“He looked healthy. It seems he's also diligently carrying out his duties as the Defense Force Commander.”
Just then, Maeran brought the tea.
The Blue Dragon Hall Master, seemingly pleased with the aroma, took a sip and nodded slightly.
“A worthy rival is no different from a good friend who helps you grow.”
“I think so too.”
“I hear it was a draw this time?”
“...”
He seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.
‘This little punk...’
Or perhaps he'd omitted the part where he knelt before a pepper bomb when writing his letter.
I wanted to refute him, but...
“Don't be too disheartened. Even I couldn't guarantee a victory against Un right now. Speaking of which, isn't he truly a martial talent blessed by the heavens? Well, the same could be said for you, of course.”
Faced with his overflowing pride in his disciple, I couldn't bring myself to speak.
“Yes...”
I gave a vague reply, and he nodded in satisfaction. It seemed he was about to get to the main point.
“Do you have any idea why I've come here?”
“My answer will be the same.”
“That you won't get involved?”
“If it were just me, perhaps. But I will not order the people of my merchant guild to support a specific candidate. Doing so would only bring shame to my master, who recommended this election system in the first place.”
Hearing my answer, the Blue Dragon Hall Master grinned and said.
“That's exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean that I'm satisfied as long as you don't make a statement supporting any other candidates.”
He rose from his seat and continued.
“A manly and fair decision. Just like you, Hall Master Jin. Though it is a somewhat regrettable one. Opportunities like this don't come around often. As the head of a hall, shouldn't you consider various things?”
“Ah...”
“This is just some advice from a senior Hall Master. If you like it, keep it. If not, forget it.”
Having said his piece, he left the War King's Hall.
*Slurp.*
I drank my tea alone, savoring the lingering impression he had left.
* * *
The next day.
Perhaps because the rumor that the Blue Dragon Hall Master had visited had spread, the other three Hall Masters began to visit in turn.
“The moment I become Vice Lord, the West Heaven Merchant Guild will have a monopoly on all the iron in the Western Reaches!”
“Hey, stop talking nonsense. What monopoly? It's not like you have a monopoly on production in the first place.”
First, there was the Gray Dragon Hall Master, who offered such ridiculous terms.
“Don't you want to be rich?”
“...I have as much money as I need. Though perhaps not as much as you, Hall Master.”
Then there was the Gold Dragon Hall Master, who tried to push his way through with money.
“For someone who abandoned Hwa-ran, you seem to be doing well.”
“I didn't.”
And finally, the Red Dragon Hall Master, who tried to persuade me with threats disguised as familiarity.
“I will never give an order to vote for a specific candidate.”
I repeated the same answer I had given the Blue Dragon Hall Master, and the three Hall Masters each reacted differently.
The Gray Dragon Hall Master didn't hide his disappointment.
“To think you'd do this to me, of all people.”
“What relationship do we have?”
“Aren't we family!”
“Cut the crap and get out of here. Maeran, bring some salt!”
“Yes!”
He seemed a little sulky, but he was famous for not holding grudges, so I wasn't too worried.
‘He'll probably get over it if I send him a few bottles of liquor later.’
If that didn't work, I could just set aside a day and give him a tour of the mines.
The Gold Dragon Hall Master, on the other hand, had a slightly more rational reaction.
“To not order them who to vote for... I don't understand. This isn't the decision of a merchant.”
“I'm not a merchant, I'm a martial artist.”
“...I forgot.”
“Hey, have you forgotten that I risked my life to save you when you were about to die, Hall Master? It hasn't even been that long...”
“Whoa, I've just been so busy.”
“To forget the favor of having your life saved, no matter how busy you are. Tsk, tsk, I'm disappointed.”
“...”
I seized on his slip-up and laid into him, and the Gold Dragon Hall Master retreated without being able to say a word.
Lastly, the Red Dragon Hall Master showed a different reaction from the previous two.
“I knew it.”
He nodded as if it were only natural.
“You're not surprised?”
“There's no way you, his disciple, would go against the will of your master, the Fortress Lord.”
“I usually only listen to half of what my master says and believe half of that...”
Honestly, besides martial arts, my master's reliability converged on zero percent.
“Keke, you have a funny way of joking. Everyone knows the bond between you two is incomparably deep.”
“...”
It seemed a strange rumor had spread.
“I didn't come here to use your influence.”
“Then why?”
The Red Dragon Hall Master tapped his own head and continued.
“I came to use your head.”
As I frowned at his unexpected answer, he sneered and continued.
“I understand the concept of an 'election' came from your head. Is that correct?”
“...That is correct.”
“Then you must also know how to win one.”
“...”
As expected, information wasn't something just anyone could handle.
It takes an extraordinary mind to combine hundreds, thousands of facts and produce the fruit of intelligence.
Just like now.
“...You are sharp indeed.”
“Kekeke, I knew it.”
“However.”
Of course, that didn't mean I had a reason to help him.
“Why should I help you, Hall Master?”
“...If my grandson-in-law won't help me, who will?”
“I'm not.”
Didn't you give up on that?
As I stared at him in disbelief, the Red Dragon Hall Master gave his characteristic murderous grin.
“It was a joke, you brat. How can one lead a hall with personal feelings in mind?”
“...”
“The Vice Lord is given the authority to appoint the head of the Disciplinary Corps. Do you know what this means?”
“Doesn't it mean handing over the power of inspection, one of the Fortress Lord's three great powers?”
“And who do you think would do that best?”
“...You, Hall Master.”
When it came to the power of inspection alone, there was no one better than the Red Dragon Hall Master.
Although the Red Dragon Hall couldn't gather information from a wide area due to its small number of members, each individual's ability was outstanding, making them renowned as the best in the martial world for acquiring deep intelligence.
If the Red Dragon Hall Master started wielding the Disciplinary Corps, many heads would roll.
In other words, as long as the Red Dragon Hall Master didn't become corrupt, there was a high chance Nine Dragons Fortress would become clean.
However.
“As I understand it, the role of the Vice Lord isn't simply inspection.”
The Vice Lord is a position that holds the fortress together in place of the master who has left for the front lines.
Therefore, it is a position that requires the respect and trust of everyone.
That must be why my master recommended an election.
In that respect, the Red Dragon Hall Master was not suited for the position of Vice Lord.
Regardless of his personal character and abilities, it was because the Red Dragon Hall's public image was not good.
“That is why I came to you. Isn't there a way to solve it?”
“...I don't have that kind of ability.”
It's not like I'm some kind of kingmaker.
“Make me the Vice Lord, and I'll give you Hwa-ran.”
“I have absolutely no need for her.”
“...”
But the Red Dragon Hall Master did not give up.
“For five years... no, for the entire period I am Vice Lord, I promise my unconditional cooperation.”
“If it's information... I can just use the Beggars' Sect, can't I? I happen to have them in my debt.”
He tried to lure me with information as bait.
“I will support you as the next Fortress Lord.”
“My master... isn't even fifty yet. He'll probably live for another fifty years. Can you even stay alive that long?”
“You brat!”
He also threw out empty promises about the distant future.
“Money...”
“I probably have more money.”
“...I will give you the weaknesses of the inner fortress warriors.”
“When did you gather something like that? And isn't that illegal surveillance in the first place?”
He even started throwing out bait indiscriminately.
“Just help me out, you brat!”
In the end, he appealed to my sentiment.
‘Looks like he's out of cards.’
In truth, I had been thinking of helping him for a while now.
He and I were practically partners, after all.
I was also close with the Jeok Il, Yi, and Sam brothers.
Above all.
‘An election campaign... If I, the former class president of Myeon-dong Elementary School, Grade 6, Class 11, don't step up, who will?’
It seemed like it would be fun.
The reason I dragged it out this long, despite all that, was simple.
‘A manly and fair decision. Just like you, Hall Master Jin. Though it is a somewhat regrettable one. Opportunities like this don't come around often. As the head of a hall, shouldn't you consider various things?’
It was to follow the Blue Dragon Hall Master's advice and squeeze out as much as I could while I had the chance.
Of course, as a man's man, I couldn't be satisfied with just this.
“If you agree to do one more thing on top of those conditions, I will help you.”
I was ‘still hungry’, so I added one more condition.
“...What is it?”
“A treasure hunt.”
Because it was time to find the legacy of Bukgung Chusan, the Flying Fox, the Greatest Saber of All Time.