Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 32
>Chapter Title: Recruiting Manpower (1)
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The next day, early in the morning.
“In that case, take care, Young Master.”
“Hahaha. Thank you for your hard work, Branch Leader. A new official document regarding the academy should come down in a few days, so just hold on until then.”
“W-What choice do I have? Hahaha!”
After Il-mok and Branch Leader Go Cha-hyeon, who had grown closer through their exchange of hospitality, finished their farewells.
“Hyah!”
Gwan Mu-yeol spurred the horse, and the carriage departed from Go Cha-hyeon toward Hwa-jeong County.
Watching the departing carriage from the village entrance, Branch Leader Go Cha-hyeon thought.
‘…It feels like I forgot to mention something.’
The Branch Leader had been so flustered by Il-mok’s not-quite-a-threat threat that his mind had been elsewhere.
And soon realizing what he had forgotten, the Branch Leader shrugged lightly.
‘Hm. They’re the disciple of His Exalted One and the escorts he assigned, so there shouldn’t be any major issues.’
* * *
After receiving a pleasant welcome in Go Cha-hyeon, unlike two days ago, I was traveling leisurely in the carriage.
“Young Master, it’s time for your lightness skill training.”
The escort warriors, not wanting to see me slacking, spoke up.
“Aigoo, this is tough. The muscles I injured yesterday haven’t fully healed yet; my whole body’s aching.”
“It didn’t seem that bad.”
“Actually, I once badly strained my muscles blocking Eldest Senior Brother’s rampage, and it looks like it’s flared up again. Hahaha. I thought someone would watch over me, but it didn’t work out.”
“…….”
When I brought up nearly dying to yesterday’s rampaging Branch Leader, the escort warriors fell silent like they’d eaten honey.
Thanks to that, after dozing off halfway and riding comfortably in the carriage for a while.
“Young Master.”
Before I could respond to Escort Warrior Jang Hoe’s call with a sigh as I woke.
“You can’t come out of the carriage.”
“???”
“Bandits are approaching.”
“!?”
Wearing an incredulous expression, I pulled back the carriage curtain and looked outside.
Sure enough, a group kicking up sandstorms was visible, just as Gwan Mu-yeol said.
It was an utterly absurd situation.
‘Bandits in Shin-gang daring to target the Heavenly Demon’s disciple?’
It was madmen charging at even madder men.
And before long, I realized why this was happening.
‘Right. We’re hiding our identities right now.’
The carriage we were riding had no flags or insignia related to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It wasn’t intentional, but we’d accidentally set a trap.
Realizing that far, I gazed at the approaching bandits with a complex, subtle expression.
“They’re coming to die on their own feet.”
* * *
For some reason, the two escort warriors neither sped up the carriage to flee nor attacked the bandits until they fully closed in.
“Are you deliberately waiting for the bandits?”
When I asked out of curiosity, Gwan Mu-yeol replied in his curt tone.
“We’re waiting for them to get closer.”
“Is that necessary?”
It was ambiguous to say it was for my protection. Even if those two stepped in, Jin Ha-yeon would remain, and if my safety was paramount, fleeing would’ve been the right call from the start.
My question was resolved by Gwan Mu-yeol and Jang Hoe’s answers.
“These scum dared commit evil in the Divine Cult’s territory, so we won’t let a single one escape alive.”
“When they get close, we’ll ambush and sever the legs of all the horses they’re riding. Then slaughter them all so they can’t flee.”
“…….”
From the moment they spotted the bandit gang, they hadn’t pondered how to deal with them but how to kill every last one without missing any.
‘Crazy.’
Was it because of demonic arts and cult indoctrination that they felt no aversion to killing?
‘No, even in the Central Plains, martial artists were similar.’
Back when I worked as a waiter, Uncle Tae-hyeon often told me. Martial artists were terrifying folk who’d draw weapons at the slightest offense, so be careful.
Neigh!!
While lost in such thoughts, the bandits drew ever closer by the second.
Around twenty of them rode about a dozen horses.
Perhaps because horses were expensive, only two rode alone, while the rest paired up.
Neigh!!
They finally halted in a circle around the carriage, about thirty feet away.
The sturdy-looking middle-aged man who seemed their leader simply stood with arms crossed, glaring at us, while the man who stopped beside him drew his saber and shouted.
“Hand over everything you’ve got! If you do, we’ll spare your lives!”
Right after the man’s shout, a momentary silence fell.
And just before the two escort warriors moved to ambush and slaughter the horses as they’d said.
“Wait!”
I hurriedly shouted, poking my face out from the carriage entrance.
The two escort warriors, gripping their spear and saber to swing, looked at me in bewilderment.
The bandits threatening us also fixed their gazes on me.
I knew full well. If I’d just stayed put in the carriage, the escort warriors would’ve cleaned up these bandits soon enough.
These were escorts assigned by Master himself; no way they’d fall to mere bandits.
Still, I stepped in for a few reasons.
The most naive and foolish was not wanting to witness twenty-odd humans getting massacred.
The calculating reason was that killing the horses would be a waste. Horses were pricey even in modern times, but in this era, used for far more purposes, they were vital resources.
Of course, risking danger to save a bit of coin was idiotic, but there was a reason for that too.
‘No killing intent.’
It didn’t suit bandits demanding money.
Perhaps from experiences with Master or Eldest Senior Brother, I was sensitive to killing intent beyond my level.
But I sensed none from these guys. Or they could be greenhorns too weak to even emit it.
‘Either way, they’re not even a morning warmup for the escort warriors.’
With that thought, I looked at the man in the center who seemed their leader.
‘As expected.’
The leader wore a familiar expression to me, arms still crossed.
An expression anyone often makes. The specific one when forced into an unwanted task.
Confirming that much, I issued an order to the escort warriors ready to swing their weapons.
“Can you subdue them without killing if possible?”
“Is that necessary?”
“I need to check something, and killing the horses would be a waste, no?”
Did my words provoke the bandits?
“These bastards want to die!”
A few dismounted, pride wounded, weapons in hand as they charged.
“Whew.”
“We’ll try, but if they resist fiercely, we can’t help it.”
The two escort warriors sighed once, then leaped toward them with lightness skills.
Clang!!
“!?”
Had they not anticipated the escort warriors’ skills?
Shock filled the bandits’ eyes as their weapons were severed in a single exchange by the swung saber and spear.
Thud!
The flustered bandits’ torsos were boldly struck by the escort warriors.
Watching the struck bandits fly like a comic book scene, I wondered if they were really trying to spare them.
‘They’re genuinely just trying to keep them alive.’
As I watched the flying bandits with an incredulous look.
“How dare you!!”
“We won’t let you!!”
More bandits charged at the two escort warriors.
Boom!!
They flew back even faster than they’d charged, far away.
The absurd scene continued for a moment.
“Fall back!!”
The boss, who’d stepped back with arms crossed, shouted that, drew his crescent blade, leaped from his horse, and flew straight at Jang Hoe.
Clang!!
“Hoh.”
Jang Hoe, clashing blade with spear, muttered in interest. A single exchange, but unlike the other bandits, he hadn’t been flung away.
Clang!
Clang!
Afterward, the bandit boss and Jang Hoe exchanged blows with spear and crescent blade.
Gwan Mu-yeol blocked other bandits from interfering, standing guard like a protector.
Then, Jang Hoe, facing the boss, said as if realizing something.
“I suspected, but you lot are from the military.”
“!!!”
Shock appeared on the bandits’ faces at Jang Hoe’s words, and the boss grimaced, shouting.
“And you’re filthy Demonic Cult bastards!”
Only then did the bandits seem to grasp why the escort warriors were so skilled, their expressions hardening.
But the one whose face hardened most was someone else.
“What did you just say?”
He’d dared blaspheme their faith before fanatical believers.
“The fun’s over. Die.”
As enraged Jang Hoe swung his spear in earnest, the bandit boss fell into dire straits instantly.
Clang!
He desperately blocked several times, but ultimately, the bandit boss’s crescent blade flew upward.
Swoosh!
In that instant, Jang Hoe’s spear thrust toward the bandit boss’s heart.
“Don’t kill him!”
I shouted in surprise, and Jang Hoe clicked his tongue, “Tch,” altering the spear’s path.
Thud!
Striking the bandit boss’s torso instead of the spearhead, Jang Hoe closed in and sealed his acupoints to subdue him.
Right after the boss was subdued, the bandits showed an unexpected reaction.
“Boss!!”
Without anyone leading, the bandits who hadn’t fallen yet charged Jang Hoe all at once.
Bandits with loyalty. An utterly absurd sight.
Boom!
“Guh….”
As recompense for their loyalty, the bandits flew scattering again.
* * *
The acupoint-sealed bandits knelt in a line on the ground.
I approached the boss among them, who wore a resolute face.
“So, why’s a former military man like you playing bandit here?”
“…….”
He kept his mouth shut with a resolute expression, as if possessed by the loyal Guan Yu upholding some code.
Fortunately, Jang Hoe resolved my doubt in his stead.
“They’re probably deserters, Young Master. I heard there used to be many bandits and brigands from Shin-gang, but after our Divine Cult took root here, their numbers plummeted. Most active bandits and brigands now are either Central Plains fugitives for major crimes or deserters like these.”
Hit the mark, the boss grimaced and shouted.
“Filthy Demonic Cult scum, you dare insult me!”
As the boss insulted the Cult again, killing intent flickered in Jang Hoe and Gwan Mu-yeol’s eyes.
“We’ll have to cut that tongue to teach manners.”
As the two warriors drew weapons, I intervened.
“Stop.”
But blindly saying to spare him wouldn’t fly.
“Killing them outright is too light a punishment. They need to pay properly, right?”
My words worked; the two paused drawing weapons, crossed arms, and watched me.
I turned to the bandit gang and asked.
“I’ll ask again. Why are deserters playing bandit here? If you don’t answer properly, I’ll start cutting heads one by one.”
Since these bandits overflowed with un-bandit-like loyalty, I tried a threat that might not work.
My hunch was right.
The boss ground his teeth but recited their tale to save his brothers.
Once heard, it was a commonplace story.
The bandit boss, from commoner origins, had served in the military for over twenty years, rising to the rank of Baekho (Hundred Household) at Jeong 6-pin.
Then, a year ago, a man at least ten years his junior became his superior, Jeong Cheon-ho (Right Thousand Household).
Naturally, the kid was from a notable family, and they clashed constantly.
The young superior, annoyed by the boss’s constant nagging, eventually framed him.
Accused of embezzling military rations.
The boss faced execution, but these bandits here, who’d followed him for over a decade, sneaked out at night, rescued him, stole horses, and attempted desertion together.
After hearing the predictable tale, I asked again.
“After escaping with such hardship, why resort to banditry? Selling just these horses here would more than suffice for a fresh start.”
At my question, the bandit boss bellowed in fury.
“It’s because of you bastards!! You filthy Demonic Cult scum!!”
“What nonsense is that? Because of us?”
“We fled here because returning to the Central Plains meant certain pursuit as deserters, but nowhere would take us! Every village we approached chased us out like plague ghosts! If not for your Demonic Cult brainwashing, what else?!”
Answering his furious shout was Jang Hoe, with a sly smile.
“Spouting whatever from that loose mouth. We merely helped Shin-gang’s common folk. If you hadn’t tormented them, would this have happened?”
Jang Hoe’s following explanation was simple.
The imperial court occasionally dispatched troops to absorb Shin-gang into the Central Plains, massacring locals in resistance each time. The Cult had fought alongside Shin-gang residents.
It stopped after Master ascended as Heavenly Demon, but it happened sporadically until decades ago.
Listening, it evoked modern tales of Uyghur oppression in Xinjiang.
‘Same as ever, past or present.’
Having grasped the situation, I asked finally.
“So, how many innocent commoners have you killed while banditry till now?”
At my question, the boss replied with wounded pride.
“We only did it to keep my brothers, who risked lives to save me, from starving. We merely subdued resisters, never killed! So end this humiliation and kill me! Spare my brothers, kill only me!”
“Boss!!”
“No, Boss! I’ll die! You must live!!”
Suddenly, they staged a scene straight out of a historical drama.
‘Put on quite the show.’
Dumbfounded, I chuckled dryly and spoke.
“Kill? Why would I kill you?”
These were ex-military. They practiced not demonic arts but regular martial arts, and thus knew some literacy.
“Commit a crime, pay the price, right? No money, so you’ll pay with your bodies.”
It meant perfect manpower had rolled in for the project I’d planned in Go Cha-hyeon.