Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 276
Chapter Title: Kingmaker (5)
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The collaboration between the Red Dragon Hall and the Beggars' Sect wasn't easy.
No matter how much they swallowed their pride, the rift from over a century of enmity couldn't be shallow.
But in the end, they acknowledged each other.
"I don't know if you've been well."
"Not particularly. It's hard to get any sleep with ruffians loitering in my front yard."
"They might not just be loitering. They could be here to collect an old debt."
"One cannot move forward if they are buried in the past."
"But interest tends to accrue over time."
"So there's interest, is there?"
"Who knows? They might give you a discount if you offer to pay early."
"How much of a discount are they offering?"
"They're thinking about half, I hear."
"...That's quite a discount. Will there be anything left for them?"
"Our side is in a hurry, you see."
"May I ask why?"
"We must move quickly if we are to reclaim our lost fortune."
"I see."
"If you don't have money, paying with your body is also an option."
"..."
"Are you interested?"
"We cannot recognize you as the main family now. Too much time has passed for that."
"I understand."
"However, if the Beggars' Sect asks for help, we will not refuse."
"That is enough."
They had decided to let go of the past.
It was the moment a grudge over a century old finally faded.
Having orchestrated this reconciliation of the century, I could truly be called the dove of the martial world.
"Now, I will explain our plan for the future."
As I quickly laid out the plan, the two men's eyes widened in surprise.
"...You're insane."
"We can't make enemies just to become the Vice Lord, can we?"
"Once you become Vice Lord and start wielding the power of inspection, you'll make enemies everywhere anyway. If you don't like that, you'll have to live as a figurehead even after becoming Vice Lord."
"...You're not wrong."
"So, what will you do? Are you in?"
After a moment of thought, the Red Dragon Hall Master nodded with a look of resolve.
"...Understood."
"Excellent. Then, shake hands as a sign of our commitment."
*Flinch.*
"...Do we have to?"
"It's not like it's a woman's hand..."
"Good grief, have you ever seen such frustrating people? Don't you know unity is essential before undertaking a great task?"
"R-right."
*Clasp.*
Watching the two men awkwardly shake hands, I thought.
*'This election is won.'*
* * *
*Tweet, tweet, tweet. Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet!*
"Nine hundred and eighty-three!"
Which bastard was it?!
You wanna die?
"If you can't overlook a comrade's mistake, how can you watch each other's backs!"
Agh!
"Prepare for movement number eight!"
Agh!
"We will perform two thousand repetitions. How many?!"
Two thousand!
"Omit the last shout! Begin!"
*Tweet, tweet, tweet. Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet.*
*'They're doing well.'*
I sipped my tea as I looked down at the usual peaceful scene of the War Dragon Hall.
*Slurp.*
"Hall Master, the leader of the Two Immortals Gang has arrived."
"Let him in."
*Gleam.*
Yong Ma-san entered, his head reflecting the sunlight.
As he sat down, Maeran brought him tea.
"Thank you."
Yong Ma-san, a bald man with some manners, gave a small bow.
"N-no, not at all."
Maeran replied in a trembling voice.
I sensed something strange about this whole exchange.
Why was her voice trembling, and why was her face blushing?
*'Could it be?'*
This was a dead giveaway.
*'Did she catch a cold?'*
She was clearly sick.
I should probably have Cheong So-so take a look at her before it gets worse.
*'Ah.'*
Just then, the teacup in Yong Ma-san's hand caught my eye.
Because if a cold patient brewed the tea, there was a chance of infection.
"Wai—"
*Slurp.*
Just as I was about to stop him, Yong Ma-san drained the cup.
"Hmm? Did you have something to say?"
"..."
Well, he'll figure it out himself.
"I was just going to ask how things went."
"If it's about that, don't worry. We mobilized three hundred members, so the impact won't be small."
"Oh."
Three hundred was nearly all the Beggars' Sect members in Nine Dragons Fortress. It meant Yong Ma-san was not taking this matter lightly.
Seeing this, it's clear that bald men have drive.
*'The founder of Amazon was bald, too.'*
As I nodded for a moment, Yong Ma-san asked.
"Is this really okay?"
"What is?"
"Aren't we slandering the other Halls?"
"It's not slander."
"Then?"
"We're just reporting the facts."
That was right.
The key to this operation was rumors.
The goal was to spread rumors about the opposing candidates and their Halls throughout Nine Dragons Fortress to lower their approval ratings.
In truth, this plan wasn't 100% my idea.
*'...I will give you the weaknesses of the inner fortress martial artists.'*
*'When did you gather all this? And isn't that illegal surveillance in the first place?'*
I got the idea from the Red Dragon Hall Master's proposal.
Holding such a good hand, wasn't it only right to play it?
Of course, I couldn't just use any random piece of information.
Spreading a rumor that a Blue Dragon Hall elder has hemorrhoids wouldn't exactly tank his approval rating.
That's why, after thorough verification, I released information that was fatal to the candidates but whose disclosure served the public interest.
This way, even if we were caught spreading it, we could speak with confidence.
"Reporting the facts... Isn't that the same thing?"
"This guy doesn't get it."
He doesn't even know about freedom of the press... Tsk, tsk.
"What was the justification for the founding of Nine Dragons Fortress?"
"...I believe it was established to protect the people in place of a weakened nation."
"Right. So what happens if a member of that same Nine Dragons Fortress harms the people and steals what they have?"
"Well, of course, Nine Dragons Fortress would punish them, wouldn't it?"
"They might catch and punish a mere warrior. But what if it's the bloodline of a Hall Master? Or a direct disciple? Would a proper punishment really be carried out?"
"..."
"At most, they'd get a year or two of wall-gazing. Five years at the longest. And these bastards don't even go to the dungeons. They just stay at home."
Having worked for a long time in the Outer Hall, which acts as the police force of Nine Dragons Fortress, I knew this well.
No matter how many troublemakers we caught, their respective Halls would always take them away, claiming they would handle it internally.
In fact, it's absurd that Geum Jong-dae, who deceived dozens of women, including Myo Hyang, and turned them into courtesans, is still walking around freely.
Even after hearing the whole story, Yong Ma-san still seemed to have doubts, tilting his head.
"...So you're using this for the election? To punish them by making them lose the Vice Lord position?"
"It's not just about that."
"Then?"
"It's about changing the atmosphere. To make it so that those with power can't treat the powerless however they want."
"Through exposure, you mean?"
"Exactly. Things only change when those exposures pile up. Officials with intent will try to change things, and even those without will be too afraid of public scrutiny to cause trouble."
"Hmm..."
Yong Ma-san slowly nodded, as if he finally understood my intentions.
"I'm glad you understand."
"I have one last thing to ask."
"What is it?"
"Why on earth did you order us to expose that Geum Jong-dae's hobby is cross-dressing?"
"...Because it's funny?"
Well, tabloids count as press, too.
* * *
The next day.
The Gold Dragon Hall Master, who was campaigning as usual by throwing money around, sensed something was amiss.
*Murmur, murmur.*
The way the common people looked at the Gold Dragon Hall's procession was different from usual.
*Rustle.*
"It's number 3. Number 3!"
"Please remember number 3!"
Of course, that didn't stop them from taking the money the Gold Dragon Hall members were handing out.
It was just that the atmosphere was different.
"Hmm..."
This was Geum Geuk, who had broadened his horizons by traveling the world during his time as the successor.
There was no way he wouldn't sense the hostility in the people's eyes.
"What in the world..."
Just as he was about to order someone to find out what was going on.
"H-Hall Master!"
He saw his chief steward running from a distance.
Seeing him, Geum Geuk felt a chill run down his spine, a bad premonition.
"What is it?"
"S-something terrible has happened. Rumors are spreading, centered around Taeryong Road."
"What rumors!?"
"Well..."
The steward's eyes darted around nervously.
"Spit it out!"
Geum Geuk, feeling frustrated, shouted at once.
"Rumors have spread about the things the Second Young Master has done. It seems there are incidents we didn't even know about."
"..."
Geum Geuk squeezed his eyes shut.
* * *
"I hear the elders of the Blue Dragon Hall are frequenting gambling dens?"
"And when they're done gambling, they go to the courtesan houses for a wild time. I heard they only like young courtesans and won't let anyone over twenty near them."
"It's the end of days. The end of days. Why on earth would those renowned elders do such things... Tsk, tsk."
"Well, the elders were born men, so it's not exactly wrong for them to desire women."
"Did you hear a warrior from the Gray Dragon Hall beat up the owner of that tavern over there? The owner was beaten so badly he's now bedridden with chronic ailments."
"Tch, this damn Nine Dragons Fortress. He committed such an act, but because he's the Hall Master's cousin, he got away with just wall-gazing."
"Hah, I thought the Gray Dragon Hall was different..."
These were the conversations flowing out of a tavern in the back alleys of Taeryong Road.
*'It worked perfectly.'*
Seeing that the rumors had spread properly, I was immensely satisfied.
And yet, the real bombshell was something else entirely.
"They say the Gold Dragon Hall Master's second son tricked women into becoming courtesans?"
"Is that all? I heard he even sold them off as concubines."
"What a complete scoundrel."
"And get this, they say his hobby is cross-dressing!"
"My goodness. What a freak."
Just like that, rumors of the crimes committed by Geum Jong-dae spread like wildfire.
It's an immutable law of the universe that spicy articles get the most clicks.
The entire Taeryong Road was buzzing with stories about Geum Jong-dae.
Of course, since the Gold Dragon Hall operated money-lending businesses with branches all over the world, there was more dirt on them.
Things like not informing a deceased client's children that they were holding their money, or charging exorbitant interest rates to those in desperate situations.
Nevertheless, the reason for targeting Geum Jong-dae was simple.
*'Farewell, Geum Jong-dae.'*
As Myo Hyang's husband, it was my duty to socially bury this perverted cross-dressing cosplayer.
Myo Hyang may have forgiven him, but I hadn't.
"Time to go."
Having confirmed the shift in public opinion and finished my drink, I was about to get up when a man burst in from outside the tavern and shouted.
"T-the Gold Dragon Hall Master just appeared in the plaza!"
"Eh, what's so surprising about that..."
"I'm telling you, he's beating the daylights out of Geum Jong-dae!"
"What?!"
"This is no time to be sitting around. We have to go see this now."
*Rush.*
Like residents of the martial world where entertainment is scarce, the people inside the tavern rushed out in a crowd.
"Hey! You have to pay your tabs!"
Leaving the owner's pitiful scream behind, I ran out to see the plaza filled with warriors of the Gold Dragon Hall.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
And in the middle of them all was the Gold Dragon Hall Master, beating Geum Jong-dae with an iron rod imbued with internal energy.
And then.
*Crack!*
*Thud.*
Hit somewhere vital, Geum Jong-dae lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Whoa..."
It was a beating that radiated a desperate desire to become the Vice Lord.
Moreover, this wasn't just a simple beating.
It was a beating that would shatter the future of Geum Jong-dae, the second young master of the Myriad Gold Bank.
Although he wasn't the successor, he was still of the Gold Dragon Hall's direct lineage—an heir from a conglomerate family, in modern terms.
The fact that he was beaten like a dog by his own father in front of a crowd would follow him for the rest of his life like a brand.
The Gold Dragon Hall Master, who had done this, raised his head and looked around.
"Everything is my fault for raising my son poorly. Our Gold Dragon Hall will not only provide appropriate compensation to those who were harmed, but we will also strive to do more to help the poor. And."
*Thump.*
He kicked Geum Jong-dae and continued.
"I will banish this wretch from Nine Dragons Fortress and ensure he never returns."
"..."
A silence fell over the crowd. That was how shocking the Gold Dragon Hall Master's declaration was.
"The things people do for power..."
I couldn't help but sigh at the heartlessness of abandoning even his own son.
Still.
*'It feels damn satisfying.'*
It felt like the cool, refreshing taste of a carbonated drink in my throat.