Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Truth
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What on earth did you do to be this late?”
The moment I stepped inside, my master’s sharp voice struck my ears.
Taking in Hwa-ryeon’s wary glance, I figured it was for the best and sat down right away to explain what had happened the night before.
First, I showed them the gambling den’s ledger I’d carefully tucked away, proving Hall Master Im’s innocence. Namgoong-hyeon looked especially relieved and pleased.
“That’s great. Now I have something to say to the hall master’s wife.”
“Right? Oh, and... the next part is a bit of an issue, though...”
“The next part? What...?”
I went on to tell them about the massacre Sa Gong-chan, the Heavenly Light Leader, had unleashed at the gambling den, and his attempt at silencing everyone through murder.
Everyone listening flew into a rage.
“Such despicable scum...!”
“How could a person...”
“Those aren’t warriors! They’re harmful beasts!”
Chu Ha-ryeong’s final words especially resonated with me.
Harmful beasts... A perfect way to put it.
“Don’t worry. No one will get hurt by them anymore.”
“Huh? What do you mean... no way?”
I nodded at Hwa-ryeon, who stared at me with wide eyes.
“I killed them all, so they won’t be pulling any more stunts.”
Harmful beasts need to be culled early.
“......”
“......”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Before long, Namgoong-hyeon cautiously asked a question.
“So... you’re saying you took down the Heavenly Light Leader?”
“Yeah, and his five underlings too. The gambling den was left in such a gruesome state that word will probably spread through Hefei by the end of the day.”
“......”
Even with my firm declaration, a subtle look of disbelief lingered on Namgoong-hyeon’s face.
Our young clan heir had never seen me fight, so I couldn’t fault her reaction.
The rest of the group simply nodded without much comment.
“So, what happened next?”
“They kidnapped Jo Un-chil and took him away. If I’d left him be, his body would’ve turned up in some back alley. That’s what kept me so late—interrogating the bastard.”
At my words, Hwa-ryeon’s face fully returned to normal.
This time, her anger seemed truly quelled.
As I inwardly sighed in relief, Namgoong-hyeon’s heavy voice reached me.
“...Then, could you tell us? About the interrogation.”
“Oh, sure.”
I spilled everything I’d learned from the interrogation.
That the procession’s intel had leaked from Jo Un-chil.
That the hall master’s assassination and the warehouse fire shared the same goal as the procession’s failure.
And that I still didn’t know what that true goal was.
“Why are they so obsessed with weakening the Namgoong Clan’s forces? What do you think?”
At my question, Namgoong-hyeon shook her head, looking even more frustrated than I did.
“...I have no idea. If it was just to drive us out of Hefei, they wouldn’t have gone to such convoluted lengths. What could their aim possibly be...”
“Lady...”
Chu Ha-ryeong comforted the distressed Namgoong-hyeon.
The mood stayed grim for a while until a sudden sound broke the tension.
*Grrrooowl*
“...Huh?”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the source.
It was coming from Chu Ha-ryeong’s stomach.
“Eek...”
Her face flushed bright red as she desperately clutched her belly.
Ah, so that’s where the growl came from?
Seeing how mortified Chu Ha-ryeong was, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Pffft... hahaha...”
“Don’t laugh!”
“S-Sorry... khh.”
I turned away from her outburst and stifled my laughter.
Glancing back at Chu Ha-ryeong, she was glaring at me with what she probably thought was a fierce look.
That only made me want to laugh harder, so I desperately turned my head away.
Don’t laugh. You can’t laugh. If you do, she’ll sulk for three days.
*Clap clap*
Lady Seol clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention to break the tense standoff between me and Chu Ha-ryeong.
“Perfect timing—my stomach’s rumbling too. Shall we continue the rest over breakfast?”
Her response subtly conveyed that Chu Ha-ryeong’s stomach growl wasn’t something to be ashamed of—a truly warm and mature way to handle it.
Thanks to her, the near-exploding Chu Ha-ryeong regained her composure, and the rest of us, who’d been steeped in gravity, could at least approach breakfast with a bit of ease.
Of course, that atmosphere was soon shattered by the arrival of an unwelcome guest.
“Young clan heir.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Right after breakfast ended, Namgoong-hyeon asked the frantic maidservant who had approached, her face puzzled.
The maidservant’s reply made everyone’s expressions harden.
“L-Lady Ji-hyeon has arrived unannounced. The clan head requests the young heir in the main hall...”
Ji-hyeon.
The woman who’d tried to cover up Hall Master Dam’s death as suicide—the one highly likely to be in league with Tyrant Heaven Fortress’s schemes—had come to the Namgoong Clan herself.
No matter how I thought about it, she couldn’t be here with good intentions.
We headed straight for the main hall.
*
We arrived at the main hall fairly quickly, but aside from Namgoong-hyeon, the rest of us weren’t allowed inside.
We were outsiders, even if we were helping with clan affairs.
It was only natural.
Left with no choice, we waited outside the main hall for their talk to end.
“For Ji-hyeon to visit the clan in person... What could she want?”
“Who knows. But one thing’s certain—it’s definitely not good news.”
“...What do you mean?”
“If we knew, would we be standing around like this?”
My exchange with Chu Ha-ryeong didn’t last long.
Not even an hour later, a portly man in official robes strode out of the main hall, flanked by guards.
That must be Hefei’s Ji-hyeon.
His plump face screamed greed even at a glance.
Ji-hyeon didn’t spare us a look as he hurried out of the clan grounds.
Why’s he leaving so fast? What did they talk about?
Tilting my head in confusion as I glanced back at the main hall, Namgoong-hyeon emerged just then.
“......”
Her face was the darkest I’d ever seen.
I didn’t know the details yet, but it clearly hadn’t been good news.
“Everyone, the clan head wishes to meet with you.”
And now the clan head himself was requesting an audience.
This didn’t bode well.
We followed Namgoong-hyeon to the main hall’s office.
There sat the Namgoong clan head, looking as if he bore the weight of all the world’s worries, slumped powerlessly.
“Namgoong, my friend, what’s going on?”
“Ah, Lady Yeo. You’ve come.”
The clan head gave my master a strained smile before explaining why Ji-hyeon had visited.
“...A martial tournament? Did you just say martial tournament?”
“...Yes. Tyrant Heaven Fortress and our Namgoong Clan will compete to determine who handles security for Hefei—and by extension, Yeoju Prefecture.”
A martial tournament.
The moment I heard that, I pieced together the entire truth.
So that’s it. Tyrant Heaven Fortress’s true goal.
The convoluted schemes like sabotaging the procession,
The hall master’s assassination and warehouse fire to choke off the clan’s funds—all of it was for this.
To publicly defeat the Namgoong Clan, long-time hegemons of Anhui Province, in front of everyone, and seize their influence in Anhui entirely.
That was their real aim.
“...This is absurd.”
Meanwhile, my master couldn’t accept Ji-hyeon’s announcement at all.
“The Namgoong Clan has guarded this land for generations—how can they just decide this on their own...!”
Even as my master spoke, the clan head only pursed his lips with a grim expression.
Seeing his subordinate at a loss, my master seemed to have an idea and spoke up again.
“That’s right. Tell the branch governor. Surely the branch governor won’t tolerate this arbitrary...”
“...The branch governor has already approved it. He summoned me yesterday to berate me over Hefei’s situation, so it seems his heart lies with them now too.”
“W-What...?”
Tyrant Heaven Fortress’s scheme, plotted over an entire year, was flawlessly airtight.
This time, even my master was at a loss for words, and the office fell into silence.
After pondering for a moment, I directed a question at the clan head.
“Has anything been decided about the tournament rules?”
“No, not yet. They said to come to the prefectural office later to discuss with Tyrant Heaven Fortress.”
“Hmm...”
As I sank into thought upon hearing the clan head’s words, my master suddenly asked,
“Do you have some idea?”
“Less an idea and more... it’s just strange.”
“What is?”
To my master’s follow-up, I voiced my thoughts.
“Who do you think is the strongest Tyrant Heaven Fortress warrior currently in Hefei?”
“The Heavenly Light Leader, naturally.”
“But that Heavenly Light Leader died by my hand last night. Their top fighter’s gone, yet they’re pushing for this tournament so soon—it doesn’t add up.”
“Ah...”
At my words, the group let out gasps of realization.
This tournament was essentially one that would decide the Namgoong Clan’s survival.
Naturally, the clan head—the clan’s remaining powerhouse and strongest asset—would have to step up personally.
Tyrant Heaven Fortress surely knew that.
If this tournament was part of their plan, the Heavenly Light Leader had likely been their ace to face the clan head.
But he was dead.
So shouldn’t they have secured another fighter capable of matching the clan head before bringing up the tournament?
“Or do they have another hidden expert?”
Namgoong-hyeon immediately refuted my mutter.
“No, that’s unlikely. If someone on the Heavenly Light Leader’s level had entered Hefei, it wouldn’t be this quiet. Word would’ve spread long ago.”
“Then what the hell is it?”
Everyone fell deep into thought.
But amid that, one person couldn’t keep up.
“Wait, what are you talking about? The Heavenly Light Leader’s dead?”
“...Ah.”
Come to think of it, we hadn’t told the clan head anything yet?