Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Strange Monk (1)
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"Please, eat."
Seok Yang-ho personally filled a glass with liquor and offered it to Gwang-u.
The table was laden with a veritable feast.
Not only meats from the fields but also from the sea and rivers filled it to the brim.
Yet for some reason, Gwang-u wasn't acting like his usual self.
Normally, regardless of who was watching, he would have shoved food into his mouth without a care, but now he was merely poking at it with his chopsticks.
He even sipped his liquor cautiously, nothing like his usual gusto.
Hahaha...
"You're surprisingly light eater for someone with such a sturdy build. Is the food not to your taste, perhaps?"
Seok Yang-ho, who had never seen Gwang-u eat before, chuckled as he spoke.
"Ah, no, sir. It's delicious. Th-the most delicious in the world."
Gwang-u stammered, his face flushing red.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
I shot Gwang-u a sidelong glare.
But his eyes, fixed on his bowl as he ate with his head down, were aimed elsewhere.
'Huh? Look at this guy.'
Gwang-u's gaze was directed behind the Seok family head.
Standing there was a short, pretty young woman.
It was the girl who had brought in the liquor.
"Eat plenty. You, go fetch what we've prepared."
"Yes, Father."
The short, pretty young woman stepped out and returned with a silk pouch.
"I've put in plenty, so I hope it pleases you. If not, just let me know."
I took the silk pouch and peered inside.
Neatly folded were four 50-nyang silver notes.
"Thank you."
It was far more than I'd expected, but I accepted without refusal.
"No, thank you. With my father's birthday approaching, important guests keep arriving, so I won't be able to stay with you two longer. I appreciate your understanding."
"Think nothing of it. Please, go ahead with your duties."
"My thanks. Until we meet again."
Seok Yang-ho refilled our glasses one last time before leaving the room with the young woman.
The moment the Seok family head left, Gwang-u poked my side.
"Hyung, did you see? Did you see?"
"See what?"
I responded indifferently, and Gwang-u's face turned even redder.
"Hyung, the prettiest girl in the world was right in front of you, and you didn't notice?"
"Who? The Seok family head's daughter?"
Gwang-u asked in surprise.
"That pretty girl is the family head's daughter?"
"What have you been listening to? Didn't you hear her call him 'Father'?"
Aah...
Gwang-u's mouth fell open wide, as if he'd just had a grand epiphany.
"So she's the family head's daughter. The world... has such a beautiful girl."
"Snap out of it. Eat up and let's get going."
Gwang-u, who had been spacing out, suddenly came to and began stuffing his face with food.
"Hyung, try this. It's amazing. This too. And this..."
"Eat quietly."
The elderly man entered a dark passageway and sat across from the young man.
"What happened?"
The young man explained the situation in a fluster.
"I don't know either. They left last night saying they'd fetch the tiger, and there's been no word since. But the tiger they were supposed to retrieve showed up at the Seok family this morning."
"Then where are those fools and what are they doing?"
"I don't know."
The elderly man glared at the young man, who had hung his head, then rose from his seat.
"You go patrol the village."
"Yes, sir."
The elderly man stepped outside and headed toward the river.
The villagers didn't know it, but Huanin County had a place where one could commission assassins.
It had been established here, in a village too small for larger ones, precisely because surveillance was lax and discovery unlikely.
The elderly man acted as the intermediary, passing commissions to the assassin gate.
But the whereabouts of the assassins tasked with the hit were unknown.
Fetching the tiger was meant to disguise themselves as its owners and infiltrate the Seok family.
Yet the tiger had already been delivered there.
By now, news of Seok Yang-ho's death should have spread through the village, but the Seok family was bustling with feast preparations.
'No idea how things are unfolding.'
As he walked toward the river, the elderly man suddenly realized something and turned back to the village.
He bought six catties of pork and returned to the riverbank, heading to a house perched on a low hill.
Suspecting the tiger's "owners" lived there, he figured there might be some trace.
The elderly man approached the house, scanning the surroundings carefully.
But there were no signs of the assassins anywhere.
'What in the ghost's lament is going on?'
Reaching the front gate, he announced his presence.
"Anyone home? Hello?"
A young man's voice replied from inside.
"The door's open—come in."
Opening the gate and entering, he saw the young man from before rising groggily from the porch.
He'd clearly just been napping.
'No wonder they struggled to find work, being so lazy... Still, catching that tiger proves they're skilled hunters at least.'
Tsking inwardly, the elderly man scanned the house as he walked toward the young man.
"What brings you here? Got some work for us?"
I welcomed the elderly man warmly.
Heh heh heh.
"Came to see those tiger hunters. Thought I'd hear how you caught it. Couldn't come empty-handed, so I brought some pork."
At the mention of pork, the door flew open and Gwang-u came rushing out.
"Thank you, sir!"
Heh heh...
"You're here too. So, how'd you catch that tiger?"
The elderly man handed over the pork and asked.
"Waited in a tree and jumped down to choke its neck."
Huh...
"Impressive. Tell me more."
I had no choice but to elaborate a bit on how we caught the tiger.
If he'd come empty-handed, I'd have brushed it off lazily, but with meat in tow, I had to show some appreciation.
"To catch a tiger, you need to know its usual paths. Most dig traps along them, but since it could appear anytime, we waited up in a tree instead. After days of that, it showed up, so I jumped down and choked it."
Most of my explanation was fabricated.
I had jumped from a tree to catch it, true—but only after days trekking through the mountains to track it first.
"I see. Must've been tough."
The elderly man, who had nodded admiringly throughout, apparently finished his business and took his leave.
"Well, see you around."
"Yes, take care."
After the elderly man left, a strange thought crossed my mind.
'Comes to hear about the tiger and even brings meat? Suspicious. Must have some other motive.'
It might be needless worry, but that old man reeked of suspicion.
"Hyung, let's grill meat for dinner."
"Sure."
There was nothing suspicious to find.
No traces of the assassins visiting that house.
He eyed the two young men, but their behavior was utterly natural.
They could be feigning it, but he detected no such cracks.
Besides, weren't they just hunters?
No matter how burly and strong, they couldn't handle five assassins.
'Where the hell did those guys go?'
If dead, there'd be bloodstains at least—and there were none.
"Unbelievable."
If he reported this to the Black Moon Gate, they'd send even more assassins.
And they'd grab the most suspicious—these young hunters—torture them. Obvious.
Guilty or not didn't matter.
They'd die anyway.
"What do you think the innkeeper wanted with you?"
"No idea."
"Fool. Think broader."
"Why should I?"
Tsk tsk...
Suddenly, the Great Heavenly Demon's chilling laughter echoed.
"Tonight will be a cruel one indeed."
"Damn it."
That held more terror than a simple promise to beat me to death.
Not just kill—but slowly, agonizingly.
I finally voiced the doubt gnawing at me.
"Related to the assassins?"
Kekeke... Kuhahaha!
The Great Heavenly Demon laughed heartily, as if spilling all his guts.
"Not entirely a fool, then. That rat came sniffing for his assassin comrades. Soon, more will come searching for their fellows."
Uwaaaah!
A roar born of rage burst from my mouth.
"What do you know?!"
My mouth denied it, but my mind swirled with dread that he might be right.
Savoring my unease, the Great Heavenly Demon kept mocking.
"Assassins never abandon a commission. Who'd hire one who quits midway? They'll come here seeking their comrades and finish the botched hit."
"Any way to stop them coming after me?"
"Yes. Annihilate the assassin gate."
In other words, no end until they're all dead.
Ah...
I was losing my mind.
The Seok family elder's birthday feast was held grandly.
The whole village buzzed from it.
But it meant nothing to me and Gwang-u.
After lunch, as Gwang-u napped, he suddenly bolted up and jumped into the river.
Startled by his movement, I woke and sat by the bank, watching him splash in.
Splash, splash...
Gwang-u was scrubbing his skin with stones.
"What're you doing?"
"Scrubbing off the grime, hyung."
It was the first time I'd seen him work so hard at it.
Usually, he'd just splash water and call it done.
"What's gotten into you?"
"Hyung, people gotta live clean."
Such words from him...? I doubted my ears.
But I quickly guessed why.
"Because of the Seok family head's daughter?"
"N-no, hyung!"
Gwang-u panicked, face beet red.
I was glad he was cleaning up, but pitying it was for a girl.
"You think you'll see her again?"
"How do you know, hyung? Could bump into her on the road."
Gwang-u even snapped at me.
Hahaha...
"Knew it was about her. Good luck."
We'd earned 200 nyang from the tiger—time to buy a boat.
Learn netting, and from spring to fall, we could catch and sell fish.
"Gonna head out for a bit."
"Where to, hyung?"
"Gonna look for a boat. Just scouting, so stay home."
"Bring back some meat, hyung."
Leaving the house, I followed the river downstream, eyeing the small boats moored along the bank.
The river was narrow, so no large vessels.
The occasional bigger ones were ferries for horses and people, not fishing boats.
And even those were modest compared to elsewhere.
I approached a fisherman mending nets by the bank.
"Looking to buy a fishing boat. Got any for sale?"
The fisherman chuckled and shook his head.
"Who'd sell their livelihood? Want one, have to build new. Head downstream—you'll find a repair yard. They build 'em there; ask around."
"Thanks."