Chapter 76
Chapter 76
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Nine Elders - Mission, Intelligence (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Let's request assistance from the Alliance.”
Those were Jegal San's words.
It was the first opinion voiced the moment Dang Hwa-seo confirmed Seon-u's deception.
Dang Hwa-seo nodded, and Namgung Jincheon expressed agreement.
But that didn't settle everything.
“Then what about Seon-u's mother?”
The one who spoke was Mok Ri-won, and the response came from Namgung Jincheon.
“That's likely a lie too.”
“It's more likely to be true. From what I've observed while watching the child, no other sorcery was cast on him. I circulated my qi through his body, and there was no trace of corpse poison either. If that's the case, it means he's being blackmailed, and the most plausible leverage would be his mother's life, wouldn't it?”
This differed from the earlier debate.
This time, Mok Ri-won defended Seon-u with solid evidence, evidence convincing enough for the other squad members.
Of course, it was logical conviction.
Mok Ri-won's words still lacked reason.
Namgung Jincheon was the one to point that out again.
“We still don't know the enemy's forces.”
“But if Seon-u's mother is in danger, ignoring it would be wrong!”
“It's dangerous and irrational.”
“Are you saying we should prioritize reason over the life of a commoner?”
“Then are you saying we should sacrifice the lives of everyone here for that commoner's life?”
Namgung Jincheon's words halted Mok Ri-won in his tracks.
Hesitation appeared on his face.
“That's…”
“Consultation, sure. But that doesn't mean charging into danger like moths to a flame.”
Namgung Jincheon continued, his face twisted in frustration.
“Remember your position. Remember how we're perceived. We cannot fail. The Dragon-Phoenix Squad is the face of the Orthodox Murim in this war, so we must always show success. It's not just about honor—it's tied to morale.”
Namgung Jincheon was irritated.
That was the simple truth.
He still believed they should have kept the boy bound.
Namgung Jincheon's quirk, 'Control Freak,' had been triggered.
Born under the Emperor Star, he was innately someone who could only relax with everything under his feet, harboring a deep aversion to uncertainty.
“Silent Dragon, we didn't encounter this brat on a casual outing. We captured him during a mission. Know the difference. A mission isn't something you can handle recklessly.”
Namgung Jincheon wasn't ignorant of consultation.
He knew why the Orthodox Murim was called the White Dao.
But even so, if prioritizing consultation always led to hopeful outcomes, who in the world would commit evil?
Why would the righteous suffer?
That was why reason was necessary.
Namgung Jincheon was a man who valued the bigger picture over the matter at hand.
He believed that reason must precede principle for justice to stand firm.
Mok Ri-won met Namgung Jincheon's gaze.
He acknowledged the validity of his words.
Yet he did not yield.
“Then I'll go alone.”
“…What?”
“The Sword Dragon's words are justified. Rushing there now to save Seon-u's mother is my selfish desire. Dragging the squad into it would indeed be a nuisance.”
Mok Ri-won's fists clenched tight.
“…So I'll go alone. I beg you. I cannot ignore this.”
He bowed his head in earnest plea.
Namgung Jincheon widened his eyes and retorted.
“Impossible. If you go alone and get caught, won't the Demonic Cult notice the Alliance's offensive?”
“Then I'll make sure they can't escape. Even if my body is pierced by blades, I'll endure.”
“That's exactly what makes it irrational.”
Namgung Jincheon's expression grew fiercer.
Fierce enough to seem like he might draw his sword at any moment.
“Don't throw a tantrum. If you die, the squad loses over thirty percent of its strength. It's not just a loss of power—it's a blow to our symbolic presence. What could possibly justify this?”
Mok Ri-won stood his ground against him.
“Someone has to follow that irrationality.”
Namgung Jincheon froze.
Mok Ri-won pressed on forcefully.
“The Sword Dragon is right. I understand that. You see far ahead and grasp the greater good. But tell me this: if everyone in the world only looks to the greater good and ignores what's right in front of them, who will save them?”
That was Mok Ri-won's view.
Principle and reason were different concepts, neither wrong.
Thus, one should not cling to just one side.
Namgung Jincheon was rational.
His argument was rational too.
However, justice could not be complete with that alone.
Namgung Jincheon's reason could not save the oppressed weak.
Mok Ri-won hated that.
If everyone in the world pursued only reason, he himself would never have seen the light of day.
“Someone must be irrational. Someone must leap to save the weak before their eyes. Only then can more people smile.”
Mok Ri-won lived thanks to Mok Seon-o's righteousness.
He was saved by that foolish righteousness that turned from countless negative possibilities in the future to simply save the child before him.
Having been saved that way, how could he pursue reason now?
How could he ignore others to safeguard his own life?
“So I must follow the irrationality. Only a fool like me can take on that role.”
Mok Ri-won smiled bitterly.
At that demeanor, Namgung Jincheon could only clench his fists.
That was when Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward.
“Enough.”
Her voice was cold as frost.
A chill of anger etched her face.
“If you're just going to bicker, stop.”
She wasn't truly angry.
She was simply declaring as squad leader that she would tolerate no more.
Even the oblivious Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon understood that much and stepped back.
Dang Hwa-seo pressed the bridge of her nose wearily, as if fatigued.
‘I knew this would happen someday…’
Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon stood at polar opposites in every way.
Such clashes were thus foreseeable.
She just hadn't expected it at this moment, over this issue.
Amid the pressure weighing on her shoulders, unfortunately, as the one in command during the mission, the final decision rested with her.
“I've heard both of your opinions fully.”
The squad members' gazes turned to Dang Hwa-seo.
She continued, still pondering what to do.
“Honestly, I don't think you'll follow my words just because I'm the squad leader. No, if you would, you'd have listened long ago.”
The two men who had just been arguing shrank back at her words.
The other three didn't look so proud either.
“First, we'll wake the brat. Then we'll ask: whether his mother is truly captured, and what conditions the enemy proposed.”
A squad leader must be the most rational.
Dang Hwa-seo never forgot that.
But that didn't mean she sided with Namgung Jincheon.
“Once we confirm all the facts, I'll leave it to each of your discretion.”
She intended to respect the squad members' choices.
“I'll take responsibility.”
For a squad leader, responsibility was virtue enough.
*
The story from the awakened Seon-u could be summed up in one line.
-Bring the squad members to the manor's back gate, and they'll release my mother.
This time, it was undoubtedly trustworthy.
After all, Jegal San had personally measured Seon-u's pulse to verify the truth.
What followed was the squad members' choices.
Two paths lay before them.
One was to step forward and save Seon-u's mother, whose life might be in immediate peril; the other was to hold position until reinforcements from the Alliance arrived.
“We've sent an express message to the Alliance. Reinforcements should arrive in about three days. Those who think we should go right away, gather in the manor's courtyard in one hour.”
With that, the squad members dispersed.
Mok Ri-won appeared in the courtyard without the slightest hesitation.
Even though an hour hadn't passed yet.
‘I know it's selfish.’
Yet he couldn't give up.
Mok Ri-won had a line he could never compromise on as a righteous wanderer.
It was a line he wouldn't abandon even if no other squad members came and he lost his life.
Mok Ri-won closed his eyes gently and waited for time to pass.
It was then that Seon-u approached him.
“…Great hero.”
Seon-u was now calling Mok Ri-won 'great hero.'
Half guilt, half gratitude for the man who had consistently believed in him from start to finish.
Mok Ri-won softened his expression at the boy's voice and said,
“Ah, why aren't you resting longer?”
His smiling face was free of wrinkles.
As if reassuring the boy that there was nothing to worry about.
But how could it be so?
Seon-u had overheard the squad members' conversation.
He knew this man might be heading into mortal danger because of him.
Seon-u felt his heart pounding.
His body reacted first to the guilt and anxiety.
‘…This won't do.’
Seon-u squeezed his eyes shut.
“You don't have to go.”
“Hm?”
“You don't have to go into danger because of me. It might hinder catching the demons.”
Mok Ri-won's eyes widened.
Seon-u didn't see it.
His head was bowed low.
“G-Great hero, you might become the greatest under heaven. I heard! You defeated the Sword Dragon at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament and won. It was so overwhelming that maybe no one in this generation can beat you.”
Rumors about the Silent Dragon Mok Ri-won had spread far and wide.
How many more people would he save in this war?
Seon-u understood.
That was precisely why such a man needed to look further ahead.
To save more people, he needed to be cautious.
“I-I'm sorry. For troubling you needlessly…”
No reply came.
Seon-u's heart grew heavier.
Mok Ri-won's response came only after a long while, as the pounding began.
By then, Mok Ri-won stood before him.
“Why say such things?”
At the gentle voice, Seon-u raised his head.
Mok Ri-won was smiling.
“Why do you think I'll lose?”
It could be called confidence, or perhaps bravado.
Seon-u's lips trembled for a moment before he answered.
“…The demon looked really strong.”
“Did I look weak?”
Seon-u shook his head.
“N-No, but…”
“Then no need to worry.”
Seon-u felt at a loss for words.
Mok Ri-won was putting him in such a spot.
Mok Ri-won knew it too.
So without further delay, he said,
“Dispel your worries. My going there is purely my own stubbornness.”
Mok Ri-won's hand rested on Seon-u's shoulder.
A gentle touch, mindful of the boy's injuries.
“I'm a man who can only wield his sword to help others, so I'm simply seeking a place to use it.”
It was a message to Seon-u, and to himself as well.
As if reaffirming what his sword was for, he rolled the words in his mouth before smiling and saying,
“Do you understand?”
“What…?”
“My sword.”
Mok Ri-won met Seon-u's eyes.
To the boy with a blank, dazed expression, he said,
“My sword has been for people like you since the moment I first gripped it.”
He recalled why he had learned the sword.
There was no hesitation in that memory.