Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: Kingmaker (7)
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The voting proceeded in a very solemn atmosphere.
Under the Grand Chancellor's overall supervision, the warriors of the Green Dragon Hall and the War Dragon Hall, who had not declared their candidacy, watched with glaring eyes, ensuring no one dared to act out of line.
The scholars of the Military Affairs Department were also incredibly busy.
As soon as a ballot box was filled, they would bring it over and immediately begin counting, allowing the results to be checked in real-time.
And the result was, of course.
“Look at that! The Hall Master is overwhelming them!”
A complete victory for the Red Dragon Hall Master.
It seemed his final strategy, the public pledges, had hit the mark, as from the moment a couple of hours had passed, he secured over 40% of the votes, surging into an overwhelming lead.
There was no need to see any more.
“Hm? Where are you going?”
The Red Dragon Hall Master asked as I ran into him on my way out.
“It's boring, so I'm going to grab a drink. Call me when it's over.”
“It’s not even over yet…?”
“My heartfelt congratulations on becoming the Vice Lord.”
At the mention of his victory, a grin split his face from ear to ear.
His trust in me had skyrocketed recently, to the point where he'd probably believe me if I told him a donkey was a thousand-mile horse.
“So, when should we set the wedding date?”
“…”
Well, there were some minor side effects.
After about two hours of drinking alone, I heard a massive roar.
Waaaaaah-!
It seemed the vote counting was complete.
As the nominal campaign manager, I couldn't just not show up, so I cleaned up my spot and headed to the polling station.
Just then, I saw the Grand Chancellor and the Red Dragon Hall Master standing face-to-face on the platform, as if the appointment ceremony was about to begin.
“I'll be in your care.”
“Don't you worry. I'll show you I haven't wasted all these years. Hehehe.”
Receiving the certificate of appointment from the Grand Chancellor, the Red Dragon Hall Master flashed a killer smile that looked like it could actually kill someone.
Waaaaah.
The warriors of the Red Dragon Hall rejoiced like children.
Although their appearances were a bit… ambiguous, preventing them from going out into the public where they might encounter voters, they had taken on all sorts of miscellaneous tasks instead.
Thus, they too could be called the primary contributors to this election's success.
As I was nodding at that thought, someone poked me in the back.
I turned around to see Jeok Hwa-ran approaching, her eyes welling with tears.
“Gaga. Thank you so much. If you hadn't helped, my grandfather would never have become the Vice Lord.”
“Stop. One more step and I don't know what I'll do. You know I'm capable of hitting women, right?”
“Tch.”
How dare she try to hug a married man.
She was a person you could never let your guard down around.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
As I glared at her, a round of applause erupted, and the Red Dragon Hall Master, who had been on the platform, began his speech.
The problem was.
“Truly, thank you so much for believing in this old man. From now on… I will work hard… clean and fair… For the future of Nine Dragons Fortress… The Ten Demon Alliance may be gone… but against the Lion's Alliance…”
It was too long.
‘Jeez, kids these days hate long speeches…’
Some people just get long-winded the moment they get their hands on a microphone.
Only after finishing his ten-minute-long, tedious speech did the Red Dragon Hall Master step down.
The citizens chanted his name.
Jeok Sa-jung-!
Jeok Sa-jung-!
“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
Watching him respond with teary eyes, I thought.
‘Since it's come to this, maybe I should start a political party?’
After all, I am a kingmaker.
* * *
A month after the typhoon-like election ended.
The prestige of the Red Dragon Hall Master, now the Vice Lord, was like that of a sea serpent ascending to the heavens.
During the Hall Masters' meeting, he threatened to actively use his inspection authority, and on the condition that the Red Dragon Hall would contribute half the funds, he secured a budget from the Grand Chancellor to open a soup kitchen called ‘Sa-jung's Place’.
Oh, by the way, I came up with the name for the soup kitchen. Since it was a friendly name that highlighted the Red Dragon Hall Master's own, it would be a great help in revamping his image going forward.
In any case, according to a survey by the Hao Gallup, these actions greatly boosted his approval rating as Vice Lord.
“Hehehehe! To think my approval rating is over eighty percent. This is why people get into politics. Isn't that right?”
“Kikikik, congratulations, Hall Master.”
“Kukuku, serving food isn't as easy as it looks. If you give too much, the people behind won't get any, but if you give too little, your heart feels heavy… Anyway, it’s harder than going out on a kill.”
“Heh heh heh, hunting down criminals is at least manageable. Beating them up and throwing them into forced labor camps is also quite entertaining.”
“…”
Well, something about the atmosphere and their actions didn't quite match, but I was glad they were adapting well.
Furthermore, the Red Dragon Hall Master kept all his promised conditions.
A considerable amount of wealth was sent from the Red Dragon Hall to the War King Gate, he conceded a larger share in their joint liquor distribution business, and he promised unconditional cooperation in future ventures.
That wasn't all.
He also dispatched experts to investigate the treasure map, which was arguably the most important condition.
Of course, it would be fastest if I went to find it myself, but… this treasure map was not something to be taken lightly.
It was a map of death, riddled with countless traps.
It was so dangerous that dark, clandestine organizations aiming to overthrow the martial world often used these maps as a means to deplete the strength of martial artists.
At the very least, it was safer to know where the traps were, what form they took, and what kind they were before going.
And when it came to investigating such matters, the foremost group of experts in the martial world was the Red Dragon Hall.
‘I’ve entrusted them with the job, so that's settled…’
As I was waiting for the results with a much lighter heart, the warrior in charge of the main gate ran over to inform me of a summons from the Lord's Hall.
“Hall Master, the Lord is looking for you.”
“Ah, hell…”
Can't they just let me rest?
* * *
“You’re here?”
“How come you don't have a drink with you today?”
“I was waiting for you to arrive.”
“Pardon?”
He wasn't the kind of person to show such consideration.
Still suspicious, I sat down, and my master used Void Manifestation to bring over a liquor jar.
Srrk.
He swung a small dagger in his hand, slicing off the top of the jar in a single motion.
“…”
Despite not using a single shred of true qi, the cut surface was as smooth as a mirror.
It was a feat that seemed like the Unity of Sword and Self…
‘Wait a minute?’
This old man isn't a swordsman, is he?
“D-do you happen to know how to use a sword?”
“I do.”
My master answered nonchalantly to my trembling question, which had suddenly occurred to me.
“But why didn't you ever mention it?”
“You never asked.”
“…”
My master gave his characteristic mocking smile.
“My studies were insufficient, so I didn't achieve greatness, but the swordsmanship of our Bukgung family is worthy of being ranked among the divine arts.”
“H-how can that be?”
A martial lineage that branched from a single root was bound to take a similar form.
That was why the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes served as the initial training for the War King Arts, and why the Black Dragon Hand, which emits Scorching Yang Energy, was created based on the energy-exploding War King Arts.
The probability of a divine art-level swordsmanship suddenly emerging from a martial lineage focused on fist and palm arts was about the same as a virgin giving birth.
To this question, my master answered simply.
“I picked it up.”
“…Where?”
“On Mount Zhongnan.”
“How?”
“It was buried beneath a burned-down Daoist temple.”
“No.”
We have a word for that: theft.
To hear him speak of our Bukgung family's swordsmanship as a divine art after that, it made me wonder if his sense of morality was perhaps on the moon.
“…What will you do if the descendants of Zhongnan find out?”
“If they don't find out, there's no problem.”
“And if by some chance they do?”
“What are they going to do about it?”
“…”
As I clutched my head, which was starting to spin, my master tilted the liquor jar and poured me a drink.
A clear, elegant fragrance instantly filled the air.
It was a familiar scent.
“Is this the liquor brewed by the previous Lord?”
“It is.”
“Didn't you say you'd finished it all?”
“I searched and found more.”
“You're lying…”
“It's true.”
“I'll believe you.”
“Just drink. This is a reward for handling the recent matter so well.”
“The recent matter?”
“Didn't you make the Vice Lord your man?”
“Did you perhaps start the election for that very reason?”
“Of course not.”
My master lifted the cup before him and downed the drink in one gulp.
“Excellent, as always.”
“…”
After drinking, he let out a breath with a satisfied smile.
“I truly created the position because it was a hassle. You just happened to intervene.”
“…And so?”
“It was a bit excessive. The Grand Chancellor was worried you would make enemies of the other Halls and tried to stop you. But I told him to wait and see.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought you'd do well. As expected, my prediction was flawless. You packaged and promoted the Red Dragon Hall Master, uncovered and publicized the other candidates' weaknesses, and gave the people hope in the form of promises. It was a scheme truly worthy of a descendant of the Bukgung family.”
“…”
I wondered if the image of the Bukgung family I knew was the same as the one my master envisioned, but getting an answer was more important, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Having become the Vice Lord, he will now actively support you.”
“We were already close, though…”
“Being close and being blood allies are two different things.”
“True… that's also true.”
As I nodded, another question came to mind.
“The other Halls might find out. I was careful, but nothing is perfect.”
“Just like I found out, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Don't worry about that. I've already erased all traces of your involvement.”
“…You're thorough.”
“It's because I have an excellent informant.”
A sudden question popped into my head.
‘Who on earth is this informant…?’
For all my faults, I was a transcendent master who had reached the Profound Realm (True). No matter how secretly the agents of the Information Pavilion moved, they couldn't have escaped my senses.
Furthermore, ever since I was caught setting fire to the Imperial Palace, I had made it a habit to deploy my Seventh Sense whenever I had a spare moment. If even I couldn't detect them, it meant a master of concealment on par with the Red Dragon Hall Master had been assigned to me…
“Who is it? That informant.”
As far as I knew, no such person existed in Nine Dragons Fortress.
“I'll introduce you later.”
“I'm curious. Just let me see their face.”
“Mujeon.”
A smile on his lips, my master looked straight at me.
He had never called me by my name before, so I was startled and met his gaze.
“What do you think will become of the world?”
An out-of-the-blue question.
I slowly recited what I had been thinking.
“Well… I suppose they'll all manage to live well enough, won't they? The Ten Demon Alliance is gone, and the North seems to be quiet these days.”
“The quiet beyond our borders is merely an illusion. The Western Regions, which had been suppressed by the Ten Demon Alliance, are rising again. The Japanese pirates in the south have already become a nuisance, and the North is only gathering its strength, not standing still.”
My master continued with a hardened expression.
“And most importantly, there's the Lion's Alliance, isn't there?”
“…Compared to our Nine Dragons Fortress, their objective strength is far inferior, and we've taken various measures, so I don't think there's anything to fear.”
Smirk.
“They are the ones who monopolize the land where the greatest wealth in the world is concentrated. And they've been squeezing the lifeblood out of the people for over a century. How much wealth do you think such bastards have accumulated?”
“…”
“Their martial lineage can also be called the greatest under heaven, so the power they've amassed is surely not small.”
“Ah…”
He wasn't wrong.
Although Sichuan was a wealthy land, it couldn't compare to Anhui and Jiangxi.
Moreover, as my master said, they were ruthless exploiters, so the wealth they had accumulated over the years must be enough to cover the world.
Just by releasing the money stored in their coffers, they could probably acquire enough elixirs to raise an entire division of soldiers.
‘They might have already secured it…’
“That is why you must seize control of Nine Dragons Fortress with one hand. Only by uniting the fortress's power under strong authority will you be able to fight the Lion's Alliance.”
“M-me? Not you, Master?”
Smirk.
My master smiled again.
“Because it seems like nothing major will happen while I'm still alive.”
“What.”
Isn't that just a bit too irresponsible?