Chapter 43
Translator: uly
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Black-Haired Duo of Chilgok County - 2
"Over here!! There's a murderous barbarian!!"
How did they know.
It wasn't that I hadn't been worried. If I went around calling her 'Ok-bun' in Chilgok County, someone might hear and report it to the Gap-su Merchant Group.
But it seems the real problem was that The Heavenly Killing Star was suspiciously at the inn yesterday. I never imagined someone would suspect her of being yesterday's assassin from the merchant group.
"Over here!! It's this wench!!!"
The bald, pot-bellied man pointed at us to the warriors at the inn's entrance.
What do I do.
I looked at The Heavenly Killing Star first. Her eyes had sharpened to the point of killing intent, and her face had returned to its usual expressionless state.
The feeling of being slightly rounder after a big meal was gone, replaced by the sense she was ready to emit murderous aura at any moment.
Her hand reaching under the table was probably to pull out a weapon hidden on her body.
That's dangerous.
"I'll handle this, so don't draw your sword," I immediately stopped her in Korean.
"How?"
"Is your face right now the face of Ok-bun from the acrobatic troupe?"
No time for detailed explanations. I just needed the essential information.
"No. A different face."
That's a relief, at least.
But the situation was still far from reassuring.
After all, a woman with black hair and red eyes in this world meant only The Heavenly Killing Star.
"Then it's fine. Don't draw your sword. This big brother doesn't want to see his little sister spill blood. I'll definitely handle it."
Seeing blood here would be problematic.
I don't know The Heavenly Killing Star's exact current state. But one thing is certain.
Years from now, The Heavenly Killing Star becomes a murder-crazed woman.
I don't know the process that leads to that.
I can only act based on the martial arts common sense and settings I know. And one of the settings I know for The Heavenly Killing Star from martial arts stories is that once she starts killing, she can't control herself.
The Heavenly Killing Star seeing blood now could be like touching the detonator of a bomb.
If I were a martial arts master, it wouldn't matter if the bomb went off or not, but I'm just a sturdy ordinary person.
"What are these wenches babbling about? Come here!"
I ignored what the pot-bellied man was saying and looked at The Heavenly Killing Star.
The Heavenly Killing Star had a doubtful look in her eyes, wondering how a guy like me could possibly resolve this situation.
"Trust me," I said with a confident face and voice.
There was a chance The Heavenly Killing Star could control her killing intent even if she killed here. I might not die immediately either. But the aftermath was also a problem.
For The Heavenly Killing Star, escaping safely would be the end of it, but as her ordinary companion, I would surely be caught even if I ran. And I'd likely receive The Heavenly Killing Star's punishment in her place.
I don't want to experience that.
"Are these the people?"
The warriors from the Gap-su Merchant Group crowded in front of us. The intimidation was palpable as they collectively surrounded us, swords drawn.
"Greetings. I am Kang Yun-ho, a storyteller from Joseon. What seems to be the matter?"
I stood up and greeted them as if I hadn't just heard the word 'murderer', acting perfectly natural.
"A storyteller? Ah! The storyteller who was at the Merchant Group Leader's 60th birthday banquet."
"Yes. I believe I've seen you a few times coming and going, warrior."
I hadn't looked at the warriors closely, but their faces seemed familiar, like ones I'd seen in passing.
"Right. I've seen you a few times too. That's why I'm even more disappointed now."
The warrior glared at me as he spoke.
"Disappointed, you say?"
"There's a limit to repaying kindness with enmity. How dare you be in cahoots with the assassin who killed the Merchant Group Leader!"
The warrior captain drew his sword and pointed it at my neck.
Lately, I've been getting swords at my neck quite often.
It's not that I'm flustered by a sword at my neck, it's just absurd. Even if this is the martial world, do ordinary civilians get swords at their necks this often? Or is my luck just bad.
If I had drawn a sword and been countered, it would be less unfair, but even when I stay still, swords keep coming to my neck. It's so unfair I should just learn martial arts.
I glanced sideways at The Heavenly Killing Star; her hand was subtly moving under the table again.
"I'll handle it, so please just stay still."
I spoke while looking at the warrior, loud enough for The Heavenly Killing Star to hear.
"What are you saying!"
The warrior, perhaps not understanding Korean, pressed his sword closer to my neck.
"I got excited and Korean came out. My apologies. But an assassin, you say? Who are you referring to?"
I slightly pulled my neck back to increase the distance from the sword and spoke in a puzzled tone.
"That wench over there! Isn't she the wench who assassinated the Merchant Group Leader! Now that I look, it's right! Black hair and red eyes! Exactly the description we heard!"
Other warriors also began to surround The Heavenly Killing Star.
"No! Warrior! She's my little sister from my hometown. An assassin? That can't be."
"Ok-bun from the acrobatic troupe! Are you just going to keep sitting there like that? Or will you draw your sword?"
The warrior captain ignored my words and prodded The Heavenly Killing Star with his sword.
The situation isn't good. At this rate, blood will be spilled eventually.
"Wait a moment!"
I squeezed myself between The Heavenly Killing Star and the sword.
"Are you protecting the assassin because you're in cahoots?"
"No! My little sister from my hometown can't speak the Central Plains language properly! She doesn't understand what you're saying right now!"
"What?"
"You suddenly thrust a sword like that, so the kid is scared stiff now, isn't she!"
I calmly packaged The Heavenly Killing Star, who was prepared to draw her sword at any moment, as a woman frozen in fear, unable to do anything.
Looking at The Heavenly Killing Star, she was staring at me with an expressionless face. Good. Just keep that expressionless face.
I'll do the packaging.
"Don't lie! This wench is Ok-bun from the acrobatic troupe. I heard that kid spoke the Central Plains language well too!"
"I heard it too! That barbarian brat was calling that barbarian wench Ok-bun!"
A customer nearby who was watching the incident with interest gave testimony.
Ha. They're really something. They can't just stay quiet. They're even giving testimony over there. I guess blood is thicker than water, so they'd side with a Central Plains person over a barbarian.
Right. We are outsiders. Barbarians.
"So it seems the wench's name really is Ok-bun. You really were in cahoots with the assassin!"
The warrior captain looked at me with a triumphant face.
It's because of bastards like him that I planned ahead.
"It's true that my little sister from my hometown's name is Ok-bun. But Ok-bun is an assassin?"
First, let's break the logic starting with the name Ok-bun.
"Red eyes, black hair, and the name Ok-bun—how many more assassins with that description could there be?"
"The name Ok-bun is a common name in Joseon. In my neighborhood, there were three Ok-buns, and in the next neighborhood, there were five. If you shout 'Ok-bun-ah!' in the marketplace, more people would turn around than there are warriors here!"
"What do you mean it's a commonly used name! Don't lie!"
How can a person's name be Cheon Ok-bun? What kind of meaning is that, you racist bastard.
"No. Warrior, think about it. I haven't traveled the Central Plains much, but the name 'Soso' is as common here as 'Ok-bun' is for us."
"Soso?"
"Yes. Soso. Just look at the martial families. Zhuge Soso, Tang Soso, Murong Soso, Namgung Soso, Peng Soso, Huangfu Soso. Just call out 'Soso-ya!' and at least five or six young ladies from martial families would turn their heads, wouldn't they?"
"Th-that's true."
If I lined up all the 'Sosos' I've seen in martial arts stories on a training ground, I could probably make them run a lap or two as a basic warm-up. It's that common a name.
The captain also nodded at the analogy. Thank you, all you Sosos.
I glanced sideways; the other warriors also seemed somewhat convinced. Stage one cleared.
"I get that Ok-bun is a common name in Joseon! However! This child has red eyes and black hair! It's exactly the same as the assassin's description."
How many people in the world have black hair and red eyes and are named Ok-bun?
Exactly one.
"In Joseon, there are also people with colorful eye colors, not just black, like red. What you're doing now, warrior, is the equivalent of drawing your sword in the Central Plains based on the characteristics of having red eyes and being named Soso."
How would guys who've never even been to Joseon verify the truth of that?
I looked at the warrior, then shifted my gaze to The Heavenly Killing Star. Her face was definitely expressionless, but with my packaging, she also looked somewhat frightened.
"No, that's..."
"And look at this neck."
I lifted my head to show my neck.
"Your neck?"
"At the Gap-su Merchant Group, I almost had my neck sliced by an assassin. Luckily, other warriors chased the assassin away, so it was a close call."
"Huh? I heard about that too. That one of the performers discovered an assassin and almost died."
A warrior nearby testified in support of my words. Thank you. This world isn't completely harsh yet.
"That was me. So, warrior, think about it. Let's say, as you claim, I was in cahoots with the assassin. Then, logically, if the assassin saw me, he should have just ignored me and run. Why would he have tried to kill me?"
"That makes sense."
The warrior captain agreed. I quickly scanned the area around the inn.
Inside the inn, I could see customers watching from afar to see what would unfold, and the innkeeper, clicking his abacus as he watched us, ready to claim damages if property was destroyed.
Among them, I focused on the innkeeper. The man looking at us with an anxious face. The martial arts story innkeeper who always has incidents happen and has to restore things with blood and tears because no one compensates him.
Public opinion was not on the barbarian's side.
But if that innkeeper reacted, I might be able to turn public opinion to my side.
Then let's try it.
I took a deep breath to speak loudly and clearly, as I do when working as a storyteller.
"I am!!! The person who even attended the funeral for several days and received a gift from the bereaved family, saying thank you!!! And you say I'm in cahoots with the assassin? Moreover, the assassin who should have killed the Merchant Group Leader and fled is still in Chilgok County? Do you think that makes any sense!!!"
I shouted loud enough to shake the inn.
"Y-you, why are you suddenly shouting?"
"Because it's unfair! I finally met my little sister from my hometown after a long time, my little sister who can't speak the Central Plains language is scared stiff, I almost died at the hands of an assassin, and you warriors are accusing me of being in cahoots!! This situation!! It's so unfair!"
"Stop before you break something! What are you doing, threatening a living person! Hey! You guys, try to stop them too!"
The innkeeper, who had been listening to my logic, quickly tried to dissuade the situation. If a fight broke out and the inn's property was damaged, the one at a loss would be the innkeeper.
"Ooooh. The Gap-su Merchant Group is threatening a living person."
"Hey! That storyteller has only been working in Chilgok County for a few days, how could he be in cahoots with an assassin!"
"Is the Gap-su Merchant Group trying to shed blood using an innocent person during mourning?"
Whether they were regulars of the inn or not, they all started jeering at the innkeeper's words.
"No, that's really. Ha! Fine. Your words do seem to have some merit, so come with us to the Gap-su Merchant Group. I'll take you without drawing my sword."
The warrior captain, flustered by the sudden shift in public opinion, tried to negotiate with me.
When it was to your advantage, you drew your sword, but now that it's unfavorable, you're trying to negotiate? Where do you get off.
"Are we criminals? We have to go all the way there? Just have the warriors stay here and send one person to bring anyone from the acrobatic troupe. They can see if her face looks exactly like the assassin's or not."
The Heavenly Killing Star's Disguise Art and Bone Shrinking Skill were at an incredible level, even by my standards as an avid martial arts story reader.
They seemed to be at a level only rivaled by legendary thieves like Shin Tu, sometimes called the treasure goblin of martial arts stories. However, if we were dragged to the Gap-su Merchant Group and interrogated, her identity could be exposed. In times like this, you have to throw a tantrum.
"Ahem. Fine! Then let's do that."
The warrior captain agreed and instructed one warrior to go to the Gap-su Merchant Group.
-----
"No way! How could this friend be on the assassin's side? He's someone who drank and joked with us, there must be a misunderstanding. This woman is also a different person from Ok-bun."
The one summoned was the acrobatic troupe uncle I had a drinking contest with at night. He looked haggard from being interrogated about the assassination, but he still actively defended me.
"It seems there was a misunderstanding. We'll be going now."
Finally, perhaps thinking it was a misunderstanding, the warrior captain glared once at the bald, pot-bellied man who had reported us and left.
"No, please be careful on your way."
I didn't show any sign of having overcome a crisis and saw them off at the inn's entrance.
They left without apologizing in the end. Dirty martial artists.
After seeing off the warriors, I let out a sigh of relief and went up to the second floor with The Heavenly Killing Star.
I'm exhausted. Once I get inside the room, I just want to rest on the bed.
As we arrived at the room door, The Heavenly Killing Star, who was ahead, turned around and looked at me.
"Why did you help me?"
The Heavenly Killing Star looked up at me with an expressionless face.
Because if you snap, I'm screwed.
"Why, you ask? So-hee. When your little sister is in danger, of course her big brother should step forward."
"I didn't need your help. Those guys are no match for me."
That's probably true. If The Heavenly Killing Star is a tiger, those guys wouldn't even be rabbits.
The problem is, even if a tiger fights a rabbit, the bug next to it gets trampled and dies.
"So-hee. I don't know how you've lived until now. But I can't just stand by and watch my little sister commit murder right before my eyes."
"You're the one who almost got hurt."
"If getting a little hurt stops you from committing murder, I'd do it anytime."
If a little scratch can stop a bomb from exploding, you have to do it.
The Heavenly Killing Star listened to my words, and her pupils wavered slightly.
Why? Are you frustrated because it seems like I'll keep you from killing people?
The Heavenly Killing Star suddenly bowed her head deeply in front of me and mumbled something.
"Tha..."
"Huh?"
"......nks"
Thanks for what? I don't like ancient language stuff either.
Bang! Cheon So-hee just said her piece and went into the room.
What the.....
Hey! Why did you lock the door?
I paid double for this room, so why are you locking it!
I need to get in! You just go away!
I want to rest too!