Chapter 129
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: Proper Education (4)
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- Do you hear me, Master?
“I hear you.”
- Ha Yu-ri has been taken to the palace.
“I know. I just read about it.”
This is something...
The fact that Ha Yu-ri, suspected of drug trafficking, had been hauled off to the palace was special news among special news.
It was only natural that it would be plastered across every news outlet, and the public's attention pouring in was a perfectly predictable result.
After all, she was one of the three great clan masters.
People always harbored a deep-seated inferiority complex toward commoners who rose to such high positions.
It was human nature to desperately try to tear down anyone who outshone you.
The current situation left me rather flustered instead.
Because the reputations of the Madan Clan and Ha Yu-ri had plummeted far faster than I'd anticipated.
It was the same during that Lawless spy incident before, and their reputation wasn't all that great to begin with.
The truth hadn't come out yet—it was just that Ha Yu-ri had been taken to the palace—but public opinion had already accepted it as fact that she'd been using and distributing drugs.
Well, from my position, that's a good thing.
In a frame job like this, the one who struck first held a real advantage.
Slapping on the false accusation was easy, but shaking it off was a whole different story.
By now, Ha Yu-ri must have realized someone was gunning for her.
But with searches and investigations piling on, uncovering her enemies wouldn't be easy.
Unless she had capable hands and feet to act on her behalf...
Tough luck for Ha Yu-ri, but I'd already gotten to Park Chan-seok, the one who could have served as her hands and feet.
“...Guess I’ll have to drop by.”
- Master, you don’t mean...
“Yeah. I’m going to see Ha Yu-ri.”
- Isn’t that dangerous? You going to the palace now to visit her...
“I know. It’ll let her know I’m the one behind this.”
- .... Then why?
“.......”
I’d been mulling this over ever since learning about the existence of World Eaters.
To fend them off later, creating Transcendents was a given.
It was something the people of Eras absolutely had to achieve to survive.
But would one Transcendent be enough?
I don’t know what the threat is exactly, but the more powerhouses on my side, the better.
Originally, I hadn’t planned to get deeply involved whether Ha Yu-ri got executed for the drug charges or faced some other punishment.
I just wanted to sideline her enough that she wouldn’t threaten me or Seo Yu-ju.
Of course, that mindset hadn’t completely changed even now, but I was willing to give Ha Yu-ri a shot.
Though that shot came with the condition of her abandoning every shred of her pride.
- Master, why?
I answered Ruska’s puzzled question.
“Eh, just thought I’d toss her a tiny opportunity.”
After contacting the palace ahead of time and getting permission, I visited.
With my guard, Wi Ho-yeon, of course.
I’d have preferred leaving her behind, but she’d stubbornly insisted on coming along.
I hadn’t expected anyone from Eternity to come greet a mere regular clan member like me, but I was wrong.
Chief Secretary Ray Hakter himself emerged to meet me.
Well... doesn’t look like a warm welcome.
“Hahaha, good to see you, Lee Yun-seong. It’s been a while.”
“...Good to see you too, Ray Hakter. I hope you’ve been well.”
Unlike my personal aversion to him, I plastered on the biggest smile I could and welcomed him.
“Haha, well now... I heard you’re here to see Ha Yu-ri, currently detained in the palace on drug trafficking charges.”
Ha... sharp as ever.
This guy was always a handful.
“Yes, actually, I have a business proposal for the Madan Clan. It was important enough that I had no choice but to come to the palace in these circumstances.”
“Aha... I see. In that case, what do you say? I have something brief to discuss with you as well—mind if we talk alone first?”
...His non-aggressive approach told me one thing.
Ray Hakter had suspicions, but no hard evidence against me.
If he did, he wouldn’t bother with all this rigmarole.
...Or maybe he does and this is just a ploy.
“Of course. How could I refuse the Chief Secretary’s invitation? Haha, it’s an honor.”
I followed Ray Hakter to what looked like a reception room.
“Hm... Before we talk, I’m sorry, but your guard...”
Wi Ho-yeon caught on quick and spoke up before stepping back.
“...Lee Yun-seong. I’ll wait outside.”
Once Wi Ho-yeon was gone, Ray Hakter tapped the table a few times with his finger before speaking.
“...Lee Yun-seong.”
“Yes, go ahead, Ray Hakter.”
“...I’ll be direct. Was this your doing?”
As expected, he suspected me.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
I’d half-expected him to suspect me to some degree.
Right after that Silan incident, his reaction in the carriage to the palace had tipped me off.
Though the Silan matter and this one weren’t connected.
Aside from the drug link, anyway.
“...Well, no surprise you’d deny it. Wasn’t expecting otherwise.”
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about. What does any of this have to do with me?”
Ray Hakter sighed at my beaming expression and continued.
“Sigh... I figured you’d say that, so I’ll just ramble on alone from here.”
Basically, even if I denied it, he was proceeding on the assumption I was guilty.
In other words, he understood my answers were just evasion and would push ahead regardless.
“Not long ago, you were ambushed by Lawless members. And those Lawless were attacked by Eastern Alliance’s Yanagiya Riki while trying to kidnap you. Correct?”
I nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“...And then you were kidnapped by Yanagiya Riki’s Kotodzuke Clan.”
Up to here, all facts Ray Hakter would know.
“...From here, it’s just my guess. I don’t know how, but you managed to win over Eastern Alliance’s Yanagiya Riki.”
...He’s sharp.
This explained why the king forced the position of Chief Secretary on him despite his reluctance to work.
“And so you returned safely to Baronia. With drugs from Yanagiya Riki, that is.”
“You seem awfully interested in me.”
I figured Ray Hakter might have started paying attention to me around when Eternity began rising again, and my name kept popping up in promo logs and strategy guides.
“From my position, it’s only natural. Others might not know, but I’ve reviewed everything you’ve done since arriving in Eras.”
“.....”
“You have almost no combat power, yet you were part of the party that cleared the Tutorial in record time. When Incarnation Clan’s Joo Seung-hwan tried to harm you at the Training Facility, you turned him into a suspect for attempted murder of a trainee. Of course, that was his fault.”
I listened silently. He knew far more details about my exploits than I’d thought.
“Not long after joining Eternity Clan, it collapsed. Everyone thought you newbies would transfer out, but you and your colleagues were different. You rebuilt Eternity and discovered the Record Library.”
“.....”
“Knowing rare item prices would crash, you tipped off Myth Clan, and both Eternity and Myth reaped massive profits.”
“.....”
“And that’s not all. At Byun Kyung-baek’s estate, you sensed something off about the maid Sharis and passed the info to Myth Clan’s master. Why not report it to the palace yourself and let him take the credit?”
“Beats me.”
“...My guess is you wanted to stay low-key. You didn’t have the power to protect yourself or your clan yet.”
His insight was worlds apart from that drunken slob in the carriage.
Without ever watching me up close, he’d pierced through my actions and thoughts more accurately than those who had.
“Then you forged an alliance between Myth and Eternity. While staying with Myth, you rooted out a spy from the Execution Synod. Probably why the alliance happened.”
“......”
“...And now this. All in about a year since you arrived. Naturally, I’ve been keeping a close eye.”
I was genuinely impressed.
“Rumor even has it that Eternity’s real power isn’t the clan master anymore, but you—and it’s no joke.”
“...I’ve heard you out, Ray Hakter. Impressive, even if a few details are off. Mind if I ask one thing?”
“.....”
“Why tell me all this? Do you really need this formality?”
He had something he wanted from me.
Not to throw me in jail, but something the palace—or Ray Hakter personally—desired.
“Truth be told, for all my grand words, there’s nothing I can do to you. You left no evidence, and public opinion has already swung hard against Madan Clan.”
“Evidence? I have no idea what you mean. Once more, it wasn’t me.”
“You haven’t harmed Neutral Nation Baronia—quite the opposite; you’ve helped, directly or indirectly. So I don’t mind much that you targeted Madan Clan. Though I’m curious why.”
“......”
“However... If Madan disbands or Ha Yu-ri gets punished, it’s a huge loss of strength for Neutral Nation. We already took a massive hit from the fall of the previous three great clans.”
I understood what Ray Hakter wanted.
Neutral Nation doesn’t want to lose a weapon like Ha Yu-ri.
I got it. As he said, the deaths of Kang Sung-jun, Goo Yeon-jeong, and Hwang Tae-hoon had been devastating.
Losing another top clan master like Ha Yu-ri? They couldn’t just sit by.
In my fight with Ha Yu-ri, I’d won.
I’d come prepared and struck her vitals first; she’d had zero defenses.
She probably still couldn’t fathom that a fledgling like me would target her.
“I want just one thing, Lee Yun-seong. From Neutral Nation’s view, Ha Yu-ri is too valuable a weapon to lose like this. So I’d like to discuss it with you... What do you say?”
I smiled at Ray Hakter’s words. I’d planned to bring it up with the palace anyway.
“...No issue on my end. Truth is, I had something to say about that very matter.”