Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Moving
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“Sob…”
The man known as the Bloodflame Sect Leader, tears streaming from his one remaining eye, picked up the brush.
The scabbed-over hole in the center of his forehead was quite a sight.
*Swish.*
The moment he affixed his seal to the contract, I snatched it and checked it over.
It was a contract for the ‘sale’ of the Jo Family Merchant Guild.
Why buy it instead of just taking it?
Isn't it obvious?
My position is an officer of the Outer Hall; in modern terms, an officer of a police agency that upholds the law. Someone like me can’t just go around seizing other people's property.
*Clink.*
Therefore, I paid the man ten silver taels as a ‘fair price’.
“Here, I’ve paid you in full, right? You know what happens if you try to say otherwise later, don’t you?”
“…I understand.”
“I understand?”
“K-heuk, I understand, sir.”
“By the way, what are you all going to do now? Things being as they are, you can’t go back to the Ten Demon Alliance, can you?”
This was the infamous Ten Demon Alliance.
There was no way these guys were their only spies.
They would surely find out soon that the Jo Family Merchant Guild, which they had funded, had been handed over to me. And when that happened…
‘The Ten Demon Alliance will think these guys ran off with the money.’
A perfect crime.
The Bloodflame Sect Leader answered with a groan.
“…I haven't thought about it yet, but since things have turned out this way, the Alliance will be after us, so we plan to run far away.”
“Right, right, good thinking. You must live the rest of your lives as good people, understand?”
“…”
As I nodded, the man stared at me blankly.
“What? Something else to say? Not enough travel money? Want another tael?”
“I'm grateful you spared our lives, but could you please release the restriction on us?”
“Ah, right.”
There was something I’d learned while dealing with these guys.
When a black steel nail, shot with ki, pierces or embeds itself in a body, the War King's Ki lingers inside. And that War King's Ki consumes the opponent's internal energy, growing larger.
I hadn't seen it myself so I couldn't be sure, but I suspected that if an opponent pierced by a nail were to ignore the War King's Ki and continue to circulate their energy, it might just explode inside them.
The problem was…
“Won’t it just go away on its own if you leave it be?”
I didn't know how to release it either.
I’d never had a chance to learn from anyone. In the first place, I was the only person in the world who had mastered the War King Arts.
Hearing my answer, the eleven members of the Bloodflame Sect gaped.
I offered them my deepest condolences.
“Still, your arms and legs are fine, right? Just run as hard as you can.”
“How can you say that!”
“What? You want me to just kill you now?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
The man calmed himself and began to explain in a composed manner.
The gist of it was simple.
With things as they were, it wouldn't be strange if the Ten Demon Alliance started their pursuit as early as tomorrow, and without their internal energy, it would be difficult to escape successfully.
I fully sympathized with their plight and conveyed my sincerest condolences.
“That’s too bad… Well, you can leave now. I’m tired from running around all night.”
“Please, I beg you! If you just hide us, we’ll do anything!”
“Why are you asking me? You should figure it out yourselves.”
“Th-then, please at least let us stay here! We will absolutely not step outside. We’ll even use a chamber pot and bury it ourselves!”
This was the warehouse at my house.
Since I was purchasing real estate from the Ten Demon Alliance, I had chosen this place to avoid prying eyes.
‘I don’t know when the War King's Ki will dissipate…’
A short-term stay might be one thing, but a long-term one would be a bit inconvenient for me, too.
“It’s not a house I live in alone, so…”
At that, the man quickly held out the ten taels he had just received.
“C-could this serve as payment for lodging? If it’s not enough, we’ll work to repay you!”
“Fine. Let’s do that. But you can only stay for exactly one month, alright? Any longer than that would be a bit of a burden for me.”
“Thank you! We are immensely grateful!”
Ten taels for a month.
So this was how the void left by Yong Ma-san was being filled.
* * *
The next day.
When I arrived at work late, all eyes in the First Squad were fixed on me.
“Hm? What’s wrong? You all look so grim. Like you haven’t slept a wink.”
Woo Je-jun suddenly approached and explained.
“We couldn’t go home last night because we were guarding Taeryong-ro all night.”
“Ah.”
Right. I forgot to tell them to go home.
I had been so preoccupied with taking… no, *purchasing* the Jo Family Merchant Guild from those guys.
“Ahem, my apologies. I was preoccupied with tracking the spies.”
“It’s alright, sir. More importantly, what happened?”
“I lost them. They got away on horseback…”
After all, real estate was more profitable than performance review scores.
“I see. What a shame.”
“Still, we rooted out the spies. I’m not too concerned.”
“You speak wisely, sir.”
Woo Je-jun nodded silently and continued.
“By the way, so this is what you meant when you said the mystery was solved.”
“Hm?”
“The spies. Who would have known that followers of the Ten Demon Alliance were involved in a case where a civilian died? If you hadn't stepped in personally, Squad Leader, we would have been completely unaware of their existence and treated it as a simple unexplained death.”
“Well, it’s basic stuff. If you work hard, Vice Leader, you’ll gain that kind of insight, too.”
“No, sir. I respect you, Squad Leader.”
After speaking, Woo Je-jun suddenly stood at attention.
“Everyone, attention! Salute our respected Squad Leader!”
“Nine! Dragons!”
“…At ease.”
*Thwack.*
The First Squad of the Outer Hall moved as one.
Seeing the respect-filled gazes in their eyes, for some reason, a corner of my heart began to prickle.
‘Why is this happening?’
Is this what they call a guilty conscience?
“Ugh…”
To feel a pang of guilt over something so trivial, it seemed my own training was still lacking.
My discomfort must have shown, as Woo Je-jun approached and asked.
“Are you unwell, sir? You don’t look well.”
“Ah, no. I’m just tired from running around all night.”
“Goodness! You mustn’t say that. Squad Leader, you will one day be responsible for the entire Outer Hall, so every drop of your blood and every strand of your hair is as precious as gold. Please go in and rest.”
“…Then, should I?”
“Yes. We will guard the headquarters, so please go inside.”
My heart was so uneasy I couldn’t stay any longer.
I wondered if I should start some mental training in preparation for future incidents like this.
‘Maybe I should visit the Shaolin Temple?’
The Adamantine Unmoving Heart Art seems like it would suit me well.
As I headed home again, this time Myo Hyang greeted me.
She looked to be in a good mood, as if something nice had happened.
I thought it was perfect timing.
“Oh? You’re back already?”
“Yeah, well, there wasn’t much to do.”
“Perfect timing. I’m going out for a bit, so please watch the house. If So-so calls for me, tell her I’ll be back in the evening.”
Lately, Myo Hyang had barely been able to go out, busy taking care of Cheong So-so, who was holed up in the apothecary.
At first, I wondered what kind of care was needed for her self-imposed, closed-door medicine-making, but it turned out to be surprisingly hands-on.
Unlike with men, Myo Hyang had to wash her clothes and undergarments, bring her water to wash with, and provide three meals a day. Sometimes, she even demanded sweets, claiming her blood sugar was low.
‘Is that what you call seclusion? Kids these days…’
It was a state of affairs that made me shake my head.
Moreover, she would surely get even busier now that she had to feed the eleven able-bodied men hiding in the warehouse.
And yet, Myo Hyang still found time to run her errands, which was amazing.
However.
“Nui, come here and talk to me for a bit.”
“If it’s not urgent, let’s talk later. I’m a bit busy today.”
“It has to be today. I have something important to tell you, Nui.”
There was something more important today.
Perhaps the most important crossroads of my life in the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“…Yes? S-suddenly?”
Myo Hyang’s face flushed as she walked over.
Her gait seemed reluctant but not entirely unwilling.
Women being led by a waiter at a nightclub looked just like that.
With a coy expression, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked.
“Wh-what did you want to talk about?”
“Ahem. Nui, you know I’m all alone in this world, right?”
“Yeees… I know.”
“So, I’ve always thought of you as family, Nui. No, more than family.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Look into my eyes. See if there’s an ounce of falsehood in them.”
“How can I tell just by looking at your eyes…”
“Trust me.”
As I gazed at her with eyes full of sincerity, her expression hardened slightly, and she nodded.
“Yes. I’ll trust you.”
I had just barely cleared one hurdle.
“Phew…”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself.
And now, I had to ask her a very big favor.
I tried my best to calm my trembling voice as I spoke.
“I need you to hold the deed to a house in your name.”
That was it.
My position was Squad Leader of the Outer Hall.
My salary was fixed, so my assets had to match it.
That’s why I was keeping the huge sum of three thousand five hundred taels under my bed instead of depositing it somewhere.
In a situation like this, me becoming the owner of a three-thousand-tael mansion?
‘Just the thought of it is horrifying…’
Not only would I be subjected to all sorts of internal investigations, but I’d also be dragged before the Disciplinary Corps to have my loyalties vetted and see if I was a traitor.
It was a problem that could get my head chopped off if I wasn’t careful.
Therefore, I came up with an idea.
To acquire the merchant guild under someone else’s name.
At first, I considered asking the Black Dragon Hall, but I was reluctant to entrust money to such a bunch of beggars.
That’s why I decided to acquire the Jo Family Merchant Guild in Myo Hyang’s name.
Of course, entrusting the title was not an easy decision.
There was no guarantee she wouldn’t sell the house behind my back and run away.
But.
I trusted Myo Hyang.
Because I thought if there was anyone in this barren martial world I could call family, it was her.
If Myo Hyang refused, I would have no choice but to dispose of the Jo Family Merchant Guild for a pittance through illicit channels.
*Gulp.*
I watched her, tense with anticipation.
She stared at me, her face frozen cold, and then…
*Pow!*
She threw a punch at me.
“Ugh!”
It didn’t hurt, but the suddenness of it startled me.
Indeed, Director Apcheon’s words that an unseen punch is the most threatening were not wrong.
When I looked at her, full of bewilderment, she was fuming.
“Y-you jerk!”
* * *
As I took the barrage of Myo-Myo punches, I thought.
Seriously, is just asking to borrow her name something to get this angry about?
This was a world without a real-name property system, let alone a comprehensive real estate tax.
However, as the one asking the favor, I couldn’t judge her rashly.
Besides, I was the one in need, not her.
I quietly took the punches, waiting for her mood to improve.
Only after a while did she calm down and ask.
“Why the house deed, all of a sudden?”
“Ah, well…”
I told her the truth about what had happened yesterday.
Since I was entrusting her with a mansion worth over three thousand taels, she needed to know what she was getting into.
After listening for a long time, Myo Hyang quietly nodded.
“I can certainly understand.”
“Right? So please, Nui, help me out.”
“Hmm, but isn’t it too big of a deal? I’ve never handled something like that before…”
“Huh? Handled what?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just meant… its value is so great that it’s burdensome.”
“Aha.”
That was understandable.
In modern terms, it was like suddenly becoming the owner of a building worth three to four billion won.
After pondering for a moment, Myo Hyang spoke with a determined expression.
“Alright.”
“Really?! Wow! Thank you, Nui!”
“But, there’s a condition.”
“A c-condition? Between us?”
When I retorted, she raised her eyes and asked.
“What kind of relationship do we have?”
“We’re family.”
To my answer, Myo Hyang replied with an ambiguous expression, something between a smile and not a smile.
“That’s why there’s a condition. Don’t you know that important transactions like this need to be even clearer between family?”
Seriously, why was she spouting lines that sounded like they were from the modern world?
“Alright. Name it. I’ll agree to it as long as it’s reasonable.”
“Let’s live there for just three years.”
“…Huh?”
“You were planning to sell the Jo Family Merchant Guild right away, weren’t you, Squad Leader?”
“That was the plan.”
It was the only way I could leave the Nine Dragons Fortress.
“The land prices in the Outer Fortress are on the rise right now. If you sell it in three years, you could get not three thousand, but four thousand taels for it.”
“How do you know that, Nui?”
“That’s not what’s important right now, is it?”
She was right. What was important now was whether she would grant my request or not.
As if reading my mind, Myo Hyang asked with a slightly haughty attitude.
“What will you do? If you accept the condition, I’ll lend you my name, even if it means taking on an ‘enormous risk’.”
It wasn’t *that* risky, though…
I considered the condition she had proposed.
‘Right, the more money, the better.’
It wasn’t a bad condition.
She wasn’t asking for a share of the profit or any money.
When I thought about it, this was all for my own good.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“A wise decision. Hehe.”
The move was decided.