Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Riddle is Solved
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#091: The Riddle is Solved
The next day.
When I woke up, Myo Hyang was preparing breakfast. Her face was flushed, as if she was in a good mood.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Ugh, doesn’t feel like I slept at all.”
“Of course not. You drank so much.”
“Huh?”
At her words, I looked around. In one corner, an empty bamboo leaf liquor jug was rolling around.
What the. It wasn't a dream?
“You must have been tired from the long journey. You passed out while drinking. It was quite a struggle to move you to the bed, you know.”
I'm not a lightweight, but to get blackout drunk after just a few drinks…
It seems the fatigue from the two-thousand-li journey had built up without me realizing.
“...Nothing happened yesterday, right?”
I asked just in case, and Myo Hyang answered with a small smile.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
I felt a sense of relief at her answer, but also a great deal of disappointment.
I guess I need to start seriously trying to get married.
Myo Hyang smiled slyly and placed a bowl in front of me.
It was steaming dumpling soup.
As she sat across from me, my gaze was involuntarily drawn somewhere.
“Hmm? Is there something you want to say? Your gaze suddenly turned strange...”
“Ah, no. Let's eat.”
“Hehe, okay. Yong Ma-san said he couldn't make it today, so it'll just be the two of us. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks. I'll enjoy the meal.”
Myo Hyang's unusually kind demeanor kept reminding me of the dream I had last night.
To the point where the dumplings floating in the soup started to look like something else.
After a breakfast I barely tasted, I headed to work.
The ruffians of Black Serpent Road immediately bowed a full ninety degrees upon seeing me.
“You all staying out of trouble?”
“Hehe, of course, sir!”
“If I hear anything strange, you'll be the first ones I deal with, so don't ever let your guard down.”
“We'll take it to heart!”
In truth, since their main income came from gambling dens and brothels, you couldn't exactly say they were living honest lives.
But as long as they didn't harm ordinary citizens, I could let that much slide.
It's better to have visible thugs I can control than some ambiguous characters running around.
And if things really go south, I can crush them immediately.
As I left Black Serpent Road, I ran into the residents of the Outer Fortress.
Perhaps because they hadn't seen me in a while, children ran up and chattered away, and I answered each one.
It was a bit of a hassle, but I'm not some baseball player; I can handle this level of fan service.
This way, the children of Nine Dragons Fortress will grow up to be proper, upstanding kids instead of turning to the dark side.
After that, when I reached the marketplace, merchants flocked to me, offering all sorts of gifts.
I repeatedly refused, but perhaps because it had been a while, they practically forced the items into my hands.
With no choice, I carried the pile of things into headquarters, where a squad member popped out.
“Nine Dragons!”
I handed the items I'd received to the squad member, and he expertly placed them in a corner of the headquarters.
“Distribute these when you go on patrol later.”
“Yes, sir!”
The truth is, I gave most of these gifts to the poor residents of the Outer Fortress.
It was too much to use or eat by myself, and if I were to sell it, I'd have to go back to the marketplace. I couldn't very well sell it back to the person who gave it to me, could I?
As I went and sat down, Woo Je-jun approached.
“You're here, sir?”
“Yeah. Anything happen?”
“No, nothing major. First, ten days ago...”
He began to report on the events that had occurred.
There had been a few incidents, but most were minor, and Woo Je-jun had handled anything that could have become a major issue.
“Good work.”
“Not at all, sir.”
He's as reliable as ever.
On the other hand.
“Uhehe. And so that Yehwa bitch...”
Seeing Yang Gang spouting lewd jokes in a corner of the training grounds made me shake my head.
If it weren't for his contribution in saving everyone at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, I would have gifted him a termination notice.
The only silver lining is that Dang Jin-hyeong, Dang Pal, and Yu So-pyeong have been behaving themselves.
Just as I was worrying about the future of the Outer Hall, a squad member ran in.
“There's been a murder at the East Gate!”
At the news, Woo Je-jun quickly stood up and began commanding the first squad.
“First platoon, depart immediately and block public access. Second platoon, with me to the scene. Third and fourth platoons, remain on standby at headquarters.”
His excellent response made the corners of my mouth lift unconsciously.
The old saying that there are no incompetent soldiers under a great commander is certainly true.
“Well then, I'll be going.”
Woo Je-jun bowed his head and dashed out of the headquarters.
With half the personnel gone in an instant, the headquarters felt empty.
It can't be helped.
With Woo Je-jun gone, I have no choice but to guard the headquarters myself.
“I'll be meditating for a bit, so if the Vice Hall Master comes, wake me up—I mean, let me know.”
*Zzz.*
* * *
“Squad Leader. Squad Leader.”
“Uh, yeah?”
“My apologies. The sun is setting, but you were still sleeping... I mean, meditating...”
“The sun's already set?”
At his words, I looked out the window and saw the sunset glowing.
I slept in the morning, and now it's already early evening...
It seems the fatigue from the long journey hasn't worn off yet.
This is all the fault of the Nine Dragons Fortress leadership for sending me on such a long business trip.
‘What is the Emperor doing! He needs to create a Department of Labor.’
That's the only way to improve human rights in the martial world.
“Ahem, I was so focused on refining my martial arts that I lost track of time.”
I was about to get up when I noticed many squad members were still there.
Seeing them here long after quitting time suggested something was up.
“Why haven't you gone home? Get going.”
“Ah, it's because of the murder case from this morning, sir.”
“That? Didn't the Vice Squad Leader go earlier?”
“It seems there's a problem at the scene. We don't know the details, but we were on standby at headquarters in case of an emergency.”
“Hmm...”
It's a murder that happened in the Outer Fortress, not the Inner Fortress. It's more likely an accident resulting from a dispute between residents than the work of a martial artist.
For the processing to be this delayed means something isn't going smoothly.
“Where is it?”
It looks like I'll have to step in.
“Are you planning to go, sir?”
“I'm the Squad Leader, after all. I can't just stand by while my men are struggling.”
“It might be better if you just stayed here...”
“...”
“No, that's not what I meant. Of course, we need you to step in, Squad Leader.”
I patted the awkwardly smiling squad member on the shoulder and leisurely headed out.
A short while later.
I arrived at the Jo Family Merchants, in front of the East Gate, where the murder had occurred.
Just as I'd heard at headquarters, the squad members were standing guard like an iron wall, indicating a problem.
“Nine Dragons!”
“At ease. Where's the Vice Squad Leader?”
“He's inside.”
Passing the squad members, I entered the merchant house and saw neatly organized goods.
It seemed to reflect the personality of the deceased owner of the Jo Family Merchants, Jo Il.
Further inside, a spacious inner courtyard and a large mansion came into view.
It looked like they had converted the part of the rectangular property facing the main street into a merchant house.
I'd passed by here many times, but I never imagined there was such a large mansion behind the shop.
‘To think that stubborn old man was this rich.’
To build and live in a mansion like this in front of the East Gate, where land is notoriously expensive. The old saying that you can't judge a book by its cover is really true.
As I entered the courtyard, Woo Je-jun hurried over.
“What brings you all the way out here, sir?”
“Why else? I heard things weren't going well, so I came to help.”
“...We would have been fine without your help, sir.”
“Are you looking down on me?”
“Of course not. Please, come in and take a look.”
Something felt off, but I ignored it and went inside to examine the scene and the body.
‘Cause of death is a stab wound to the thigh. The bruises all over were probably from resisting.’
With no emergency room, he probably died without any chance of treatment.
‘No murder weapon in sight... and footprints are meaningless here, where everyone wears the same kind of shoes.’
After checking the ground, I scanned the walls for any signs of someone climbing over.
And before long, I realized.
*Grumble.*
“Let's eat first.”
That I had skipped lunch.
A short while later.
We ate some simple food bought from a nearby shop and discussed the case with Woo Je-jun.
“So, it took this long because the family wouldn't consent to an autopsy?”
“Yes, they kept refusing, saying it would dishonor the deceased. It took half a day just to persuade them.”
“Hmm...”
It might seem strange to a modern person, but it's common in this era, where respect for the dead is paramount.
I mean, corpse-herding arts were created just to transport bodies from battlefields.
“You did well.”
In this situation, no one would have blamed him for giving up and coming back. In fact, some superiors might have thought it better to use that time for other tasks.
But Woo Je-jun, with his strong sense of duty, persuaded the family in the end.
The reason is simple.
‘Someone who has killed once will find it easier the second time.’
It was to prevent another murder.
“So where's the family now?”
“They said it was too painful to see the body, so I sent them elsewhere with Yang Gang and his group.”
I said after finishing my last bite.
“First, I need to meet the family. Where are they?”
“The married daughter's house happened to be nearby, so I sent them there.”
“I'll be quick. Have someone escort me.”
“I'll go with you, sir. I was thinking I needed to meet with the family anyway.”
“Then let's go.”
And so, I went with Woo Je-jun to find the deceased's family.
Two middle-aged sons and their families, the married daughter, and the deceased's wife.
The bereaved family looked at us, not hiding the sorrow in their eyes.
The married daughter raised her hand and asked.
“Have you caught the culprit?”
“Not yet. We're here to ask a few questions.”
The family seemed slightly disappointed that the culprit hadn't been caught. But I ignored that and questioned them thoroughly about the situation at the time.
The conclusion I reached.
‘There's nothing here.’
The elderly wife, over sixty, was resting in her room, and the two middle-aged sons were watching the shop.
The married daughter, needless to say, was at her own home.
As for the young children, they love to run around so much they didn't even know where they were when the incident occurred.
“Was there anyone who held a grudge against your father?”
“My father got into a fistfight with the old man from the Hwang Family Merchants a few days ago.”
“For what reason?”
“Ahem, my father intercepted a salt shipment meant for the Hwang Family Merchants...”
Once the eldest son broke the ice, testimonies poured out from all sides.
“He haggled down his tab at the Jumun Inn up ahead...”
“A tree branch from the Woohyang Tea House next door crossed into our property...”
“That guy from the Jeon family across the street...”
Listening to the endless stream of testimonies, I thought.
‘How on earth did this man live his life?’
A rich old man causing so much trouble everywhere.
Woo Je-jun came over and quietly shook his head.
Meaning he'd found nothing.
The old man had fought with many people, but he hadn't earned a grudge deep enough to lead to murder, so it was understandable.
As I was pondering, he spoke.
“It's getting late, so how about we head back for today? We'll probably find something tomorrow after we gather the neighbors and compare their stories.”
His tone was one of half-resignation.
But, who am I?
I'm a man who has read the entire Young Detective Kim XX series five times.
With that much reading, I could pass a detective certification exam with my eyes closed.
“It seems the Vice Squad Leader hasn't noticed.”
“Sir?”
“The riddle has already been solved.”