Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: An Elaborate Deception
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“Y-You’re the Third Young Master?”
*Swish.*
“...!”
The answer to Kim San's startled voice came from the side.
Wang Cheon's sword.
“Dropping the honorifics, are we? How about I freeze you solid and stick you in a coffin?”
“...Y-You mean, the Third Young Master?”
With Wang Cheon's sword and his exceptional talent for threats, Kim San's tone changed in an instant.
*That guy... It's natural for an adult to speak informally to a child, so why is he glaring at me like that over something so trivial?*
“Wang Cheon, put it away.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Neung Un-bi's calm command, Wang Cheon immediately sheathed his sword.
With that, he had firmly established his identity to the two of them.
“Why don't you two leave us for a bit?”
“What? Why would you say that? These are dangerous bastards who held a sword to our lord's throat.”
“...”
*You're more dangerous.*
“If anything happens, I'll call for you again.”
“...What? We have to leave?”
*Everything I'm about to say is a lie. It's better if you two don't hear it.*
“Leave. That's an order.”
“...Damn it, understood.”
Expressing his unruly loyalty, Wang Cheon didn't forget to add a threat even as he complied.
“Hey, you. This sword is confiscated. Got it?”
“Ah, I understand.”
Facing Wang Cheon's killing intent, Kim San nodded in agreement.
What choice did he have?
That was the Demonic Cult for you. A name that could make anyone shrink back in fear.
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung gave Neung Un-bi a worried look before glaring menacingly at Kim San and Shin Ye-rang and leaving the room.
*Gurgle.*
Neung Un-bi, who had already taken the seat of honor, filled their cups.
“Let's have a drink first.”
“...”
He spoke to them informally, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Of course, they were much older than him, but he held their lives in his hands. Besides, weren't they friends, when you got down to it?
“Drink up. It'll warm you from the inside.”
“...Yes.”
The two of them drained their cups in one go and looked cautiously at Neung Un-bi.
“Now, I believe it's been proven that I have no reason to lie.”
“Indeed.”
“Let me clear up your curiosity first. How I know about you two, as well as Cheok Wol-rin.”
“...”
“It was...”
Neung Un-bi began to spin his tale with the heart of a grandfather telling old stories to his young grandchildren.
Well, he didn't have to go as far back as when tigers used to smoke.
Thirty years ago. Not long before Cheok Wol-rin died.
“You two must know. The fact that assassinating Jeon Il-cheok was Cheok Wol-rin's final mission.”
“That's right.”
“And after that, his whereabouts became unknown.”
“...Th-That's right. How do you know that?”
“I'm telling you now.”
“...Yes.”
The slightest narrowing of his eyes was enough to make Kim San and Shin Ye-rang deferential.
It was only natural.
How could he not know his own friends?
No matter how skilled they were, how could they compare to the name of the Demonic Cult Leader, a man even the Central Plains watched with caution?
And he was that man's third disciple.
Thanks to Wang Cheon shouting for so long about how he might one day lead the Demonic Cult, their intimidation was natural, as was their caution, lest they displease such a person.
Also... it didn't feel half bad.
Isn't it always more fun to tease your closest friends?
Of course, they had no way of knowing he was inwardly gloating.
“Back then, after parting with you, Cheok Wol-rin was ambushed by a certain faction on his way back.”
“What?”
“You know how it was. He had many enemies. He was constantly being pursued.”
“That's true, but...”
“And by a stroke of luck, he happened to meet my master, who was in the Central Plains.”
“The Leader of the Demonic Cult!”
“Yes.”
“...”
“My master wasn't in a good situation at the time, either. He had suffered considerable injuries after fighting a master from the Central Plains.”
“Ah... is that so?”
“It was then that a man named Cheok Wol-rin saved my master.”
“So that's how they met...”
Kim San and Shin Ye-rang nodded with grave expressions.
Of course, it was all a barefaced lie.
But what could they possibly know? They knew nothing about the Demonic Cult, let alone its leader.
“My master commented that he was a man of not only extremely outstanding martial arts, but also of excellent character.”
“...He wasn't that...”
“You don't believe me?”
“I-I believe you, Third Young Master.”
“Then why do you keep interrupting? If a master's eyes saw it that way, then that's how it was. What do you two know so much about him?”
“I apologize.”
“Tsk!”
“...”
Although they prided themselves on knowing Cheok Wol-rin better than anyone, they had no choice but to accept it.
The situation demanded it.
“Though it was a short time, my master was so taken with Cheok Wol-rin that he treated him as an honored guest and tried to recruit him several times.”
“...”
“I hear he even offered him a position second only to one man and above all others.”
“H-He went that far?”
“You believe me, right?”
“I believe you.”
“Good. That's the right attitude. In any case, faced with such hospitality, Cheok Wol-rin couldn't help but open his heart, and it seems the two of them talked a great deal. They even exchanged their martial arts...”
“Even their martial arts?”
“Yes, the Three Nothings Footwork you know.”
“Th-The Three Nothings Footwork!”
“Is that all? This too...”
As Neung Un-bi casually waved his hand, Kim San's eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“H-How do you know that sword path...”
Neung Un-bi just grinned.
What he had traced with his hand was the basic path of three sword techniques.
Flash (閃), as swift as a beam of light; Chaos (亂), as bewildering as a shower of petals; and Ruin (破), seeking to destroy all.
The Three Battles Sword, which followed the Three Nothings Footwork.
“Those were the two martial arts he demonstrated while sparring with my master.”
“...S-Sparring? He sparred with the Leader of the Demonic Cult?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, it's just... he wasn't a martial artist of that caliber...”
“He was!”
“He was?”
“My master said he was that strong. He couldn't stop praising him... You don't believe me?”
“I-I do, right? I believe you. After all, whose word is it...”
“He said it then. That it was a martial art he had no intention of passing down to a disciple, but he was glad to at least leave it to a great man like my master. Thanks to him, I was able to learn it. I guess you could say I'm his successor in a way? Well, he's like another master to me.”
The lies flowed out so smoothly.
It was difficult at first, but as he went on, one lie gave birth to another, and another, and another... until Cheok Wol-rin had become a complete legend.
The two of them clearly looked skeptical, but what could they do when the Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult said it was so?
“Then? What about the stories about us?”
“My master said that Cheok Wol-rin once spoke of someone very close to him. A friend who was like life itself...”
“Ah...”
“But he said he didn't mention anything else.”
“I see. Until the very end... he didn't tell anyone...”
“It seems my master didn't press for details. He said he couldn't pry into the personal affairs of a man like Cheok Wol-rin. Besides, since he was a figure from the Central Plains, there was no particular reason for them to be entangled. Unless a war broke out.”
“Hmm...”
Their faces were extremely dark as they nodded again.
They were probably thinking of their dead friend.
Even though he was standing right in front of them, alive and well...
*Honestly, people are so needlessly sentimental. Are they still thinking about someone who died thirty years ago?*
*This makes me feel bad for lying.*
A slight sense of guilt rose in him, along with a strong desire to ask about 'him', but he decided to bury the question. What they had been doing was something that should never be revealed to anyone.
And seeing as they still had the Jojungdo hanging, they must be continuing to move forward.
Towards the utopia they dreamed of.
He in the light, and the two of them in the shadows, endlessly.
“By the way, how did you know about the Jochungdo? Did he perhaps tell you the meaning it holds?”
“Hmm?”
Neung Un-bi was flustered by Kim San's sudden question.
“It's just strange. Ever since we lost contact ten years ago...”
“Yeodo!”
“...Ah!”
Shin Ye-rang shouted sharply at Kim San, who was muttering to himself, cutting him off.
As Shin Ye-rang shook her head with a stern expression, a look of realization flashed in Kim San's eyes.
*What was that?*
*And what's this about losing contact ten years ago?*
*Could something have happened to him?*
“I apologize. This is a matter we cannot reveal...”
“Ah, well...”
Neung Un-bi waved his hand dismissively, but the words 'ten years ago' kept echoing in his mind.
Something must have happened...
He couldn't ask why, which only made him more frustrated.
It felt like he was suffering in silence.
“It seems something unpleasant happened?”
“Please forgive us for being unable to speak of it.”
“...”
All emotion vanished from Shin Ye-rang's eyes.
He knew she wouldn't talk even with a knife to her throat. That's the kind of person she was.
In other words, something definitely happened.
Ten years ago... what on earth happened?
Seeing that Kim San and Shin Ye-rang were still active meant their organization hadn't collapsed.
That would mean 'he' was safe... hmm.
Just as his questions deepened, Shin Ye-rang changed the subject.
“But you still haven't answered Kim San's question.”
“Hmm...”
“About whether he told you the meaning of the Jochungdo.”
“Ah! That...?”
“...”
“Actually, Cheok Wol-rin supposedly told my master. He said that since fate had brought them together, he had nothing to give, but if he went to Anbok's art shop, found the Jochungdo, asked about a man named Jahong, and mentioned his name, he would receive help. As long as it wasn't a matter that threatened the security of the Central Plains.”
“The Sword Fanatic said that?”
“So I was told.”
“...”
Shin Ye-rang stared at him as if she found it hard to believe, but Neung Un-bi just smiled.
He felt like if he made any other expression, he'd give himself away.
“Hoo, I see.”
“That's how it was.”
“So, what kind of help do you need?”
“Hmm... I need some new identities.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard there's no one as talented as you in this field.”
“...”
“He said that forging identities was nothing for you, that your skills were the best under heaven. That you could perfectly create everything from identification tags to personal histories? I heard they're so good no one ever gets caught. And that you're both tight-lipped.”
A heavy silence fell.
To break the awkwardness, Neung Un-bi subtly pushed a money pouch forward.
“As for payment...”
“That won't be necessary.”
“...”
“If he said that, then we must believe it. He wasn't the type to speak of such things to just anyone... Besides, since you know the Three Nothings Footwork and the Three Battles Sword, how could we doubt your connection to him?”
“...”
“However, this will be a one-time affair.”
“I understand.”
Neung Un-bi nodded at Shin Ye-rang's words.
He knew she wasn't agreeing to his request because of her connection to Cheok Wol-rin.
Of course, that was the reason on the surface.
But in reality, it was her own way out.
She must have judged that his request wouldn't harm their organization, and by granting it, she intended to escape this situation.
Once the job was done, they would likely vanish without a trace.
But it didn't matter. If he found 'him', he could meet them again.
And then, it would be easier than now. Perhaps they could even be close again, like in the old days.
Because when they met again, he would be with 'him'.
It was a brief reunion, but for now, he had to be satisfied with this...
“How many will you need?”
“Hmm... well.”
As Neung Un-bi held up three fingers, Shin Ye-rang gave a faint smile and picked up the money pouch.
“Although this is based on friendship, I will accept payment for the work you've commissioned. It keeps things clean. This should be more than enough for three.”
“Uh... about thirty.”
“...”
“Thirty-two, to be exact.”
“...”
“Is that possible? It's urgent...”
“...”
Shin Ye-rang, who had been staring blankly as Neung Un-bi spoke his three sentences, said very seriously.
“We'll need more money...”