Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Truth
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I turned my head, and right away, a goatee came into view. It was Jo Un-chil, the owner of the gambling den.
What, I figured I'd at least say thanks for saving him...
"You lunatic, completely insane! Do you even realize what you've done!?"
...This reaction was a bit unexpected?
Normally, people say thanks for saving their life, right?
Well, sure, this was the guy who'd tried to rob the Nangong family in Hefei, so he wasn't exactly normal...
I just blinked in disbelief, but Jo Un-chil's reaction was something to behold.
He looked around wildly like a madman, then tore at his hair, or let out low growls while twisting his whole body.
What was this? Was he crazy?
Pure curiosity made me ask why, and he glared at me with bloodshot eyes.
"Why? Why are you doing this? You have no idea!?"
"Of course I don't, that's why I'm asking."
"......"
Jo Un-chil's jaw dropped at my response.
Soon, his face twisted like a vengeful spirit as he shouted.
"Do you know who you just killed? Sa Gong-chan, the Chasing Wind Sword, leader of the Heavenly Light Division—one of Tyrant Heaven Fortress's combat units!"
Hah, Chasing Wind Sword. A sword that pursues the wind?
A nickname way above his skill level.
I chuckled and shrugged, then realized I'd heard a word I couldn't just gloss over.
"...Huh? Heavenly Light Division? Leader?"
I looked at the middle-aged man lying dead with a dagger in his heart... Sa Gong-chan, was it?
That guy was really the leader?
No, why would a leader come all the way here?
Normally, they just sit back comfortably, nod their head, and dump all the annoying work on their subordinates, right?
Jo Un-chil bounced around like a fish out of water as he yelled at my shocked expression.
"That's right! You just killed Tyrant Heaven Fortress's division leader—in my place of business, no less! H-how... how are you going to take responsibility for this!?"
"Responsibility? Why should I?"
"W-what?"
I smirked at Jo Un-chil's stunned face.
His shamelessness in not even thanking me for saving his life... well, whatever.
I hadn't saved him out of the goodness of my heart anyway.
"But you saw me take out all six of those warriors who were about to kill you all by myself. Why act so bold? You sure I won't kill you too?"
"......"
At my icy tone, Jo Un-chil's face drained of color as reality hit him—something he'd forgotten in his rage.
Finally grasping the situation, huh.
I smiled in satisfaction and patted his shoulder.
"Don't freak out. I won't kill you."
"...What are you... I mean, who are you..."
Jo Un-chil gulped nervously at my smile.
I added to his unfinished words.
"But I do need to take you with me."
"...Pardon?"
I pressed his blood points.
With the guy slung over my shoulder in a deep sleep, I headed for the window when a voice called from behind.
"Um, excuse me! Sir Hero!"
"Hm? What?"
I turned, and Jo Un-chil's subordinates were fidgeting awkwardly.
No matter how I looked at it, they didn't seem ready to heroically charge in to save their kidnapped boss.
"What is it?"
"Uh... what should we do?"
...Why ask me?
I stared at them blankly in sheer absurdity.
But their faces looked desperate.
They had no clue how to handle this mess or what to do next.
These guys were truly just Jo Un-chil's lackeys.
With that fresh realization, I gave a casual reply.
"How should I know? Figure it out yourselves."
Then I hopped out the window.
Some cursing and commotion erupted behind me, but I ignored it.
Even if they'd only followed Jo Un-chil's orders, that didn't change the fact that they'd been complicit in his crimes.
Guys like that weren't worth saving.
Figuring they'd probably all get caught by Tyrant Heaven Fortress and either killed or thrown in prison, I bounded across rooftops and climbed into Go Heung's anxiously waiting carriage.
"Keep you waiting long?"
"You're here! I was waiting forever and thought something went wrong... Jo Un-chil?"
Go Heung's face lit up at my voice, but it turned to bewilderment when he saw Jo Un-chil slung over my shoulder.
"No way, why him...? Weren't you just going to grab some documents?"
"Well, things got a little complicated."
"...Somehow I feel scared to ask for details, but I have to anyway?"
"Looks like trouble's brewing soon, so let's get out of here first."
And so, we'd unintentionally kidnapped Jo Un-chil and returned to the Changcheon Daru.
*
"What!?"
"Ah, you scared me... Why yell all of a sudden?"
In the dark Changcheon Daru, in that secret underground room.
I'd pinned the still-sleeping Jo Un-chil in a corner after pressing his blood points, then told Go Heung everything that happened at the gambling den.
From Tyrant Heaven Fortress sending men to silence Jo Un-chil, to me bursting in at that moment, killing their warriors, and dragging Jo Un-chil to safety.
But when I mentioned the warriors were from the Heavenly Light Division and their leader Sa Gong-chan, Go Heung suddenly bellowed.
"Why? Why yell? You think this is something we can just brush off like 'oh, okay then'?"
"...Not really a big deal, is it?"
Go Heung looked utterly flabbergasted at my response.
He sighed deeply, then explained step by step, like to a clueless child.
"That's the Heavenly Light Division leader. One of Tyrant Heaven Fortress's famed fifteen experts."
"Expert..."
To be called an expert, you needed a record of beating fifty foes at once, right?
Was that Sa Gong-chan guy one too?
The one who'd tried to run without even fighting?
Go Heung grilled me on Sa Gong-chan's physical features while I looked skeptical.
I described exactly what I'd seen, and he clenched his fist with a thrilled grin.
"That's him. Wow, that bastard's finally dead."
He acted like there was no better news in the world.
I'd vaguely guessed from how he murdered indiscriminately, even killing innocents, but he must've been a massive piece of trash.
I asked for details, and got a scathing rundown.
"Back when I was in the Heavenly Net Hall, he was the vice leader of the Heavenly Light Division. Total asshole. He had this elitist superiority complex, casually spouting crap like 'worthless peasants' all the time."
"Ah, I heard that too."
With the descriptions matching so perfectly, he really must've been the leader.
"But a whole division leader doing dirty work like that himself?"
"That's my second reason for hating him. The revolting prick thinks he's leading by example."
...Lead by example on something else, not slaughtering innocents. What a joke...
I shook my head in disbelief and turned toward Jo Un-chil, still pinned in the corner.
"Well, that's why I had to bring him along like this. He clearly knows something, and if I'd left him, Tyrant Heaven Fortress would've killed him for sure."
"If that's how it went down, no choice. Let's wake him up and find out what he knows."
"Yeah."
At Go Heung's request, I slapped Jo Un-chil's cheek to rouse him.
"Urgh... huh...?"
His fluttering eyelids slowly opened, and his dazed eyes scanned around before landing on me.
The haze cleared from his eyes, and they widened in shock.
"Huh!?"
Regaining consciousness, Jo Un-chil flailed like he was having a fit, then freaked out at the sight of me and Go Heung looking down at him.
For the record, both Go Heung and I had our faces completely covered.
No point showing our faces, right?
The expert on this stuff said so, so we followed.
"You're awake?"
"W-who are you guys? What the hell... where is this!?"
Hm, looks like Jo Un-chil, the big star of Hefei's gambling scene, wasn't fully awake yet.
I squatted down in front of him, met his eyes straight on, and laid out reality.
"You've been kidnapped."
"...!?"
Only then did the last memory before passing out hit him, and Jo Un-chil's face went pale.
"What do you want from me? Money?"
"If we wanted money, we'd have just grabbed some of those shiny trinkets in your room. Why drag you all the way here?"
"Th-then...?"
"Nothing much. Just want to know why the Heavenly Light Division tried to kill you."
"...!"
Jo Un-chil jolted in surprise at my words, then frantically shook his head.
"N-no! Absolutely not! If I talk, they'll come for me...!"
...This guy still seemed half-asleep.
"Get it together. You already forgot the leader himself showed up to kill you?"
"Th-that was...!"
Jo Un-chil was at a loss for words.
The blood-soaked gambling den must've finally come back to him.
"Got it now? Tyrant Heaven Fortress has already decided to kill you and your men. I got you out, but your subordinates? No idea. They might all be dead already."
Hearing my roundabout words, Jo Un-chil hung his head and ground his teeth.
"Shit, shit...!"
Curses poured nonstop from between his goatee.
He was probably regretting his collaboration with Tyrant Heaven Fortress right now, bitterly.
Too late for that, though.
His greedy life, his alliance with them—it was all his own choices. Who could he blame?
Go Heung and I silently watched Jo Un-chil for a while.
After a stretch of hanging his head and unleashing a torrent of creative curses, he finally calmed and lifted his gaze again.