The Weight of a Favor
“I see. I heard you worked with Dan Bul-wi last time. Are you planning to bring the great Dan Bul-wi along again?”
“No. Even if you offered him any condition, he would refuse. He’s far too busy these days.”
Dan Bul-wi was currently teaching the Jin-chil-sang-do-beop to the Hyangju of the Six Gates. With Dan Yeop now serving as a constable, there was no chance Haomun would spare him.
“Hmm! Can you handle this matter alone, Constable Dan?”
“I’ll have to try my best. This time, I also have a few questions. I came here after receiving a report of a kidnapping case at the Jangan County Office. I’d like to hear the full details of the incident.”
The gazes of the row managers turned toward Na Bu-gang.
His calm voice echoed through the room.
“……In the end, everyone except me was dragged away by the Naphae Gate.”
When the long story finally ended, Dan Yeop asked, “Did they call themselves the Naphae Gate?”
“That’s what they said.”
“What about the Eunwol Room? Did they ever mention the danger posed by the Naphae Gate?”
“No. Until the Naphae Gate stormed in and started robbing us, we didn’t even know such a group existed.”
“What does the Cheongsu Province side say?”
“They only said they could trade if the Naphae Gate permitted it.”
“In that case, have you tried negotiating directly with the Naphae Gate? You could trade with them instead of going through the Eunwol Room, couldn’t you?”
“They wouldn’t even listen. They simply said that since the guild master had ignored them, they would make him pay a proper price.”
“Hmm.”
Dan Yeop felt something strange in Na Bu-gang’s words.
‘Why does it feel like the Naphae Gate stepped in just to obstruct things?’
If they wanted to exercise their rights, they could have become the contracting party instead of resorting to kidnapping.
Since the Eunwol Room had stepped back, they could simply take their place.
‘Yet they deliberately shattered the board and kidnapped the guild master of the Jinbo Merchant Guild, their future source of money?’
For one of the two major factions representing Namun Fortress alongside the Cheongran Gate, something about it felt off.
At that moment, footsteps sounded from outside, followed by a voice.
“Chief Manager! Captain So Gang-mu has returned with the recruited rogues!”
The row managers shot to their feet and rushed outside.
Dan Yeop followed them out of curiosity.
Fifty rogues stood scattered across the front courtyard.
Most were men, but seven of them were women.
So Gang-mu, captain of the Jinbo Merchant Guild’s escort unit, clasped his hands respectfully toward Chief Manager Yoo Man-seok.
“Chief Manager, as you requested, I have recruited fifty skilled individuals.”
Yoo Man-seok nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Well done. We depart tomorrow morning, so take them to the guest quarters to rest.”
“Understood.”
So Gang-mu soon led the rogues deeper into the compound.
Right after they disappeared, Dan Yeop asked Yoo Man-seok, “That’s quite a large number of rogues. How many escort warriors is the guild sending?”
“Five will accompany Investigator Shin Woo as his personal guards.”
“……”
Dan Yeop was slightly surprised by how few escort warriors the guild was sending.
At this rate, it looked like they were sending only rogues to rescue their own guild master.
Of course, rogues worked for the money they received.
But expecting the same loyalty from them as from the guild’s own warriors was unrealistic.
In the worst case, they could turn into bandits, steal the goods, and flee.
‘I thought they’d at least match half the number…’
Fifty rogues and only five escort warriors. It was almost absurd.
As Dan Yeop stood lost in thought, Yoo Man-seok’s voice reached his ears.
“Captain So Gang-mu possesses martial prowess equal to a hundred men. He will command the rogues well.”
“If we depart tomorrow morning, what time should I arrive?”
“We plan to leave at the beginning of the Hour of the Snake (7 a.m.), so please be here no later than then.”
“Understood. Then I’ll take my leave.”
A short while later, as Dan Yeop was crossing the front courtyard, someone called out from behind.
“Dan Yeop!”
It was Na Bu-gang.
Dan Yeop turned around with an indifferent tone. “Young Master Na, did you have something to say?”
“Thank you. I thought you would refuse to help us.”
“I only came because Magistrate Jo ordered me to investigate.”
“Still, I wondered if you might turn it down.”
“I am a constable. There’s no way I would. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
As Dan Yeop turned to leave, Na Bu-gang hurriedly spoke.
“Please save my father.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Now you’re the only person I can trust.”
Sensing something odd, Dan Yeop stared directly at him.
“What do you mean?”
“Doesn’t it seem strange that they’re only sending rogues to rescue the guild master?”
“Well, I’m not familiar with the guild’s internal affairs.”
“I requested more escort warriors, but they ignored me. All of my father’s close aides have been sent on business trips for the past month.”
“And your point is?”
“I know it’s shameless, but no matter what happens, please save my father.”
“I will simply do my duty as a constable of the Jangan County Office. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Dan Yeop spun on his heel and left without looking back.
Na Geum-ryeong approached her brother, who stood frozen in place.
“Did you tell him?”
“He said he would only do what a constable should do.”
“This won’t do. I’ll have to go with you tomorrow.”
“I’m going. There’s no need for you to come too.”
“There’s no one we can trust. Two are better than one. I’m going too. Don’t try to stop me.”
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Na Bu-gang’s lips.
He was worried about his sister, but her words made sense.
In just one night, everything had changed.
Their mother insisted the chief manager would never betray their father, yet there were far too many suspicious circumstances to believe that.
‘Sigh… How did things come to this?’
When he thought about how the current state of the Jinbo Merchant Guild must look in Dan Yeop’s eyes, the shame made him want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Then Na Geum-ryeong spoke.
“Dan Yeop wouldn’t side with the chief manager, right?”
“He’s not that kind of person.”
“But isn’t that how Haomun people usually act? They betray for money, stab you in the back over women…”
“He said he came as a constable.”
“That’s even scarier. How can you trust a constable?”
Na Bu-gang glared at his overly suspicious sister before simply walking away.
Episode 107. Why Did Someone With That Face Become a Rogue?
That night.
Seonpyeong-bang.
Son-taek annex.
Dan Yeop stared at the travel bag sitting on the table for a long time.
A round trip to Baekwol Kingdom would take a full month.
Considering the clothes and rations he would need, a travel bag was essential.
“Besides, leaving this behind makes me uneasy.”
Inside the bag was the Geumruokui, a treasure of the Taego Order.
While it wouldn’t catch anyone’s eye, if the annex caught fire, it could burn.
In the end, he began stuffing clothes into the bag.
He also packed his inkstone and brush case at the end.
The bag quickly swelled since he wasn’t using the Mahadam.
He briefly considered putting everything in the Mahadam, but shook the thought away.
If he were traveling alone, maybe.
But while staying with others, he couldn’t use the Mahadam.
“Still, I should fill the Mahadam with plenty of rations and alcohol.”
He could take them out when no one was around or when he was alone.
Even if someone saw, they wouldn’t suspect him for eating.
“They’d just think I got it from somewhere.”
With that in mind, Dan Yeop picked up the bag and headed to the main house.
Seeing that the lights were still on, he explained the situation to Yoo Hwa-young, who handed him the storeroom key.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
The storeroom was packed with rice, flour, jerky, and even the Baekwol Myeongju and grape wine that Son Yu-baek treasured.
Dan Yeop took a small amount of jerky and grape wine.
There weren’t many bottles of Baekwol Myeongju, so he didn’t even glance at them.
It seemed Son Ji-heon and he had nearly emptied the stock a few months ago, and they had been slowly replenishing it.
Strangely, even after packing a decent amount, the travel bag still looked half-empty.
“This thing is something else.”
Later, once he had money, he would buy a ton of food and fill it properly.
After leaving the storeroom, Dan Yeop returned the key and went back to the annex to sleep.
The next morning.
Dongsi Daean-bang.
Jinbo Merchant Guild.
When Dan Yeop arrived at the Jinbo Merchant Guild, the main gate was wide open.
As he stepped into the courtyard, he clicked his tongue inwardly.
Fifty rogue escorts, five guild escort warriors, two carriages, and around sixty horses completely filled the yard.
A short while later, Shin Woo—the person in charge of the investigation team—So Gang-mu, Na Bu-gang, and Na Geum-ryeong came out.
At Shin Woo’s gesture, the escort warriors went around distributing horses to the rogue escorts.
Dan Yeop received one as well.
The two carriages loaded with cooking ingredients had the cooks climb aboard.
Once preparations were complete, Shin Woo and Captain So Gang-mu led the five escort warriors to the front.
Dan Yeop naturally blended in among the rogues.
To prevent any accidents, the investigation team moved slowly while exiting Chang’an Castle.
The strikingly handsome Dan Yeop drew people’s attention wherever he went.
Some showed him favor, while others frowned.
For ordinary people, it took time to decide whether they liked or disliked him, but with Dan Yeop, most made up their minds at first sight.
It was the same now.
The moment they saw him, one rogue spat on the ground, while another offered a gentle smile.
Won Beom, the Ghost Blade in his early twenties, was the latter.
He approached Dan Yeop’s side and spoke as if in passing.
“Little brother, my name is Won Beom. I don’t think I saw you at the lodging last night. Did you stay out?”
“I’m Dan Yeop. I have a rented room nearby, so I slept there.”
“Oh! You must have been in Chang’an Castle for quite a while if you managed to rent a place. I only arrived five days ago and have been staying at an inn. Where are you from? I came from Sannam Province.”
“I’m from Gwannaedo. I lived outside the castle for a while before moving inside last summer.”
“I see. Since this is fate, let’s get along well. How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“What? You’re much younger than me. I’m twenty-three. Call me big brother from now on. Sound good?”
Won Beom winked playfully.
Dan Yeop liked his bold personality and nodded readily.
“I will, big brother.”
“Hahaha! I already like this job. I met a likable little brother right from the start. With this many rogues, this should be as easy as lying down and eating tiger meat, right?”
“They say the Naphae Gate is quite large, so it probably won’t be that simple.”
“They’re just barbarians. I heard the people there still run around naked. Once we show up, they’ll be so shocked they’ll hand over Na Jin-geum, the guild master, immediately.”
“I hope so too.”
Dan Yeop, who had fought a bloody battle against the experts of Baeksa Valley last year, didn’t say much.
Seeing once was better than hearing a hundred times.
At that moment, a woman in her twenties who had been listening to their conversation casually cut in.
“If you underestimate the people of Baekwol Kingdom, you’ll regret it. Haven’t you heard that even the Oak Sword Faction doesn’t show off their strength there?”
Won Beom, whose mood had soured at the interruption, smiled brightly the moment he saw the woman’s beautiful face.
“I’m Won Beom. You seem to know a lot about Baekwol Kingdom?”
The woman smiled sweetly and replied, “I’m Seo Hwa. I’m from Geomnam Province and have been to Baekwol Kingdom a few times. By the way, no one walks around naked there.”
“Ah! So you’re the famous Beautiful Fox I’ve heard so much about. I’ve been wanting to meet you. It’s a pleasure.”
“I was curious about the Ghost Blade as well. Nice to meet you.”
For a moment, the two of them—