Darkness Within Darkness (5)
“What?”
Damak couldn’t process what he’d just heard and asked again, while the subordinate delivering the report replied with evident tension.
“W-well, you see. That Jin Sowoon guy started a brawl at the Hwangsa Gate’s quarters...”
Is he insane?
“A brawl?”
“Yes, well, it started with the Hwangsa Gate warriors, and then the onlookers from other sects jumped in too, so...”
“Is he fucking crazy?!”
“R-right? No sane person would...”
“That’s not a brawl—that’s a goddamn war!”
The subordinate, who had been cursing Jin Sowoon alongside him, suddenly realized the tirade was directed at him and snapped to attention.
“S-sorry, sir.”
Damak didn’t even glance at him as he asked, “So, what were the casualties?”
“A few from Hwangsa Gate took heavy wounds, but no deaths.”
“...”
Damak’s face hardened as he listened to the report. No deaths on Hwangsa Gate’s side? Then that meant...
It had only been yesterday that he’d received orders to keep an eye on Jin Sowoon.
“...Is the Black Flame Dragon dead?”
Regrettable, but unavoidable. If he’d stirred up chaos in the heart of enemy territory relying on his overinflated skills, getting beaten to death was just karma.
At that moment, the subordinate, who’d been gauging Damak’s mood, cautiously continued.
“N-no, the Black Flame Dragon didn’t die.”
“...What? How?”
Hwangsa Gate was a faction strong enough to lead one axis during the formation of the Four Black Alliances. With not just them but even the surrounding onlookers piling on, how had Jin Sowoon survived?
Just as Damak’s expression twisted in a mix of admiration and disbelief—
“The Blood Battle Elder took him away.”
“Ah, I see.”
Now the picture was clear. Unable to shed his typical Baekdo arrogance, he’d acted on some flimsy pretext, gotten in over his head, and the Blood Battle Elder had stepped in to save him. Jin Sowoon might not realize it, but the elder’s role was more protector in the guise of a watcher.
Damak’s head throbbed again.
“I told him not to cause trouble.”
He’d held faint hopes because Chaseokdu always rambled about the Black Flame Dragon when drunk. But his actions were nothing more than those of a typical Baekdo sect disciple that Damak despised—no better, no worse. If anything, his reckless display in the enemy’s midst was downright disappointing.
In the end, Jin Sowoon was just a lucky punk who’d been overhyped.
Tap, tap.
As Damak drummed his fingers on the desk to collect his thoughts, the subordinate got to the point.
“Jin Sowoon’s antics have the Four Black Alliances’ members voicing their discontent.”
The guy marked as the culprit was brazenly wandering around, picking fights under the guise of investigation. It’d be weirder if they didn’t demand his head on a pike.
“Hmm...”
“What should we do? Let them vent?”
Sacrificing the envoy delegation as an offering would quiet things down inside the alliances. Plus, with Jin Sowoon sparking the fights himself, they had the perfect excuse—he’d died “unexpectedly”—and the Murim Alliance wouldn’t dare move rashly.
But...
“Stop them. Tell everyone that anyone acting recklessly will face exemplary punishment.”
The hesitant subordinate bowed his head at Damak’s words.
“...I’ll relay that.”
Once the subordinate left, a heavy sigh settled over the room with just Damak and Gun Yuhyeon remaining.
“What the hell are we supposed to do...”
Gun Yuhyeon, who’d been watching Damak’s expression, asked carefully, “Will it be okay? The backlash from the people won’t be light.”
“...What choice do we have? For now, we follow the alliance leader’s orders.”
Gun Yuhyeon smiled faintly at the grumbling Damak.
“You really don’t like Jin Gongja, do you?”
Damak snorted and shot back immediately, “I’ve never met anyone so brazen in my life.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to build a good relationship? War would hit us hard.”
Damak stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
“...I’m not afraid, but we should still be cautious.”
He was revealing his true feelings, ones he hid from everyone except Chaseokdu. In this Four Black Alliances that could never be a true sanctuary for him, Gun Yuhyeon was the one friend he could confide in.
As if understanding, a faint smile played on Gun Yuhyeon’s lips.
“War only demands sacrifice from everyone. You know that better than anyone, Dam Strategist.”
Damak nodded gravely.
“No one knows it better. But I also know that avoiding it out of fear gets us nowhere.”
“True enough.”
“Besides, I doubt he’ll find the beast we’ve been unable to track all this time.”
Gun Yuhyeon pondered Damak’s firm words before speaking.
“Hmm... Having faced him myself, I think he just might.”
Gun Yuhyeon rarely acknowledged opponents easily. Having secured dominance in the Four Black Alliances despite unfavorable odds, mediocrity didn’t impress him. For him to recognize Jin Sowoon...
Damak frowned unwittingly.
“What makes you say that?”
Gun Yuhyeon lifted the teacup before him.
“I’m worried my thoughts from gambling with him might just scramble your head.”
“I’ll filter it myself. Speak freely.”
“Mm...”
Gun Yuhyeon paused, took a sip, then continued.
“He strikes me as someone who makes results happen, no matter what. It’s just that his methods rub others the wrong way.”
The Black Flame Dragon, Jin Sowoon. A jagged stone of a man, no doubt.
But.
“Still, he undeniably achieves what he sets out for.”
He was special, exceptional.
Damak shook his head as he listened quietly.
“Rub the wrong way... Doesn’t that mean he’s the dangerous type who solves one problem by creating a bigger one?”
“Kekeke... Fair point. If I’d known how he won that bet from the start, I’d have been pretty pissed too.”
Silence hung between them briefly.
Then Damak stood decisively.
“I need to meet the Black Flame Dragon. If this keeps up, even if he finds the beast, it might spark war.”
Gun Yuhyeon nodded.
“We can’t let that tragedy happen.”
The Four Black Alliances had just taken its first shaky steps. It couldn’t crumble now.
Damak strode toward the door.
“Oh, right!”
He turned back as if remembering something.
“...What about my comrades’ families?”
A shadow fell over Gun Yuhyeon’s face. He clenched his fists, shame evident.
“We’re searching everywhere, but no traces anywhere.”
“I see...”
“Don’t worry. We won’t give up.”
Damak forced a smile at the reassurance.
“I feel like I keep owing you.”
Gun Yuhyeon, hiding his gloom, shook his head self-deprecatingly.
“This is all I can do anyway.”
As I’d expected, investigations got much easier starting the next day.
The Hwangsa Gate’s Bae Hwanjang, whom I hadn’t met the day before, showed up at my lodgings with a face full of grievances.
What’re you gonna do if you don’t like it, huh?
“What were you doing at the time of the crime?”
Grind. “Jin Sowoon, one day I’ll chew you up and spit you out.”
“Sure, sure. Just answer for now.”
“...I called in some gisaeng at the brothel and had a little banquet with my subordinates.”
A banquet was plenty, and gisaeng on top? These guys really knew how to party.
“You partied hard while your sect leader was getting murdered.”
Grind.
After grilling the subordinates who’d attended the banquet one by one and sending an errand boy to verify at the brothel, Bae Hwanjang’s absence from the scene was confirmed.
Next, in the same manner: Sarong Gate’s deputy leader Gal Munjeong and his men; Mado Gate’s Mae Bongshik and his guards; Blood Sword Gate’s Do Bongsu and his sworn brothers. All investigated.
During which I got eight death threats and eighteen vows to burn Tae-eul Gate to the ground.
But the culprit remained elusive.
“That concludes the investigation. You can go.”
As Do Bongsu and his foul-mouthed sworn brother left the interrogation room amid curses—
The Red Phoenix Ring vibrated faintly.
Hm?
Very subtle, but a tiny energy seeped into my body through it.
I’d thought it only reacted to demonic qi... but black path martial arts too?
As I pondered the sudden development, Blood Battle spoke up.
“It’s miraculous that investigations are going smoothly as you predicted, but with no culprit in sight, what now?”
I’d grown used to his snark by now and replied nonchalantly.
“I never thought we’d catch the killer with this formality.”
“What?”
So innocent despite his looks.
“Would someone who openly commits murder show up for this?”
“Then?”
I grinned at Blood Battle.
“I’m waiting for the culprit’s next move.”
“Next move?”
Schemer’s sense the public mood keenly. They craft pretexts, incite the masses, and reap the benefits.
That’s their specialty.
This incident had set the stage perfectly. Gu Gyeak’s death had inflamed tensions, and my “investigation” antics had the Four Black Alliances boiling.
A golden opportunity for the hidden culprit. An temptation too sweet to ignore.
“The culprit will definitely make their next move.”
“...”
As Blood Battle scowled, an errand boy approached.
“Jin Shi-ju, a man named Damak is here.”
Hm, about time.
I nodded immediately.
“I’ll go see him.”
Damak was a chicken-or-egg dilemma for me right now.
Thinking of the future righteous-demonic war, it’d help if he operated as the Four Black Alliances’ chief strategist.
But as the Murim Alliance’s direct counterpart, he was a tough opponent at present.
For some reason, he seemed to harbor hatred toward the Murim Alliance—no, all of Baekdo.
Not a good sign.
Plus, from how he’d smoothed over my mess and mobilized the alliances’ members on the surface, he already controlled a good chunk of them.
His genius strategy from my past life shone just as brightly now.
Unlike his usual demeanor, Damak approached me with quick steps.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He seemed irked by a situation slipping his control.
I shrugged.
“As you see, investigating.”
“Not trying to die?”
His sharp gaze felt even fiercer today. No wonder—I’d thrown a wrench in his gradual takeover.
I must look like the devil to him.
“Wouldn’t my death be good for you, Dam Strategist?”
“Don’t make me laugh...”
That’s why I wanted to know: Was he an enemy of the Murim Alliance now, or a potential ally later?
If the former, better to eliminate him despite the pity; if the latter, I had to keep him alive and help him seize the alliances.
I provoked him deliberately.
“Aren’t you with the war faction, Dam Strategist?”
“Not fearing war means I want it?”
“Fair enough.”
At my calm response, Damak pressed his temple to maintain composure and murmured.
“What the hell are you thinking? The Hwangsa Gate mess, summoning sect leaders for ‘investigation.’ Do you know what results from this?”
“I expected it.”
Damak’s eyes widened.
“Seriously... Do you want to die here?”
I met his gaze steadily.
“One question.”
My shift in tone calmed his eyes too.
I didn’t avert my gaze.
“Why do you hate the Murim Alliance?”
Silence stretched.
Damak stepped back defensively.
“...I’m the Four Black Alliances’ chief strategist. Of course I hate the Murim Alliance.”
Doubtful. Knowing how he’d scrambled for the Alliance’s survival in my past life, I couldn’t buy it easily.
He wasn’t the type to scheme for glory alone.
I leaned in as he retreated.
“Someone who truly hates the Murim Alliance wouldn’t pretend to be war faction. They’d just wait for war to erupt.”
“...!”
“Raising your voice and throwing bluffs—it’s deliberate, to make the war faction think you’re one of them, right?”
Damak glared murderously, brow furrowed.
“...You’re misunderstanding. Everything I did was sincere. I’m fine with war against the Murim Alliance if needed. And I’m confident we’d win.”
Of course. The genius tactician who’d gripped the Demonic Cult’s coattails with a near-doomed Alliance unit.
But politically, I had the edge.
“If you really were that way, you wouldn’t clean up this mess. You’d let it be. Once black path warriors tear the envoys apart in rage, war with the Murim Alliance becomes inevitable.”
“...Didn’t think it might be because of the alliance leader’s orders?”
His brow smoothed as he glared stoically again.
“I hate hypocritical Baekdo Murim. The Murim Alliance, preaching justice with words, even more. If you were truly righteous as you claim, my master and comrades wouldn’t have died...”
He stopped abruptly, rubbed his face, and added.
“...If the day comes when the Murim Alliance falls, I’ll be there, smiling.”
A glimpse of the hatred’s source...
‘Master and comrades...’
Deeper than I thought.
I nodded lightly.
“I see.”
“Got any excuses...?”
“None.”
“...”
No one knew the Murim Alliance’s inner workings or Baekdo’s hypocrisy better than me.
So nothing more to say.
“Whatever happened to you, the Murim Alliance is surely at fault. No excuses or apologies from me will change that.”
His face crumpled at the unexpected reply.
I pressed on, ignoring it.
“I know how the Murim Alliance operates, how unjust it is. My excuses wouldn’t heal your wounds anyway.”
“...”
I bowed my head slightly toward him.
“But I do want to say I’m sorry.”
Not my doing, nor anyone close to me. But whatever it was, it’d involve the scum I despised most.
Still, as a Murim Alliance member, I offered sincere remorse and apology, however small the comfort.
Whether it landed or not...
“...”
Damak’s twisted expression eased.
“...It’s not your fault, so no need for apologies.”
He stood, clearly done facing me.
“Stop causing trouble. Any more incidents, and you might not keep your head.”
As he turned to leave, I called out.
“Dam Strategist. For safety, bolster your guards.”
“What’s that...?”
“If the beast wants war, you—controlling the Four Black Alliances—are a thorn in their side. They’ll reach out.”
“...I handle my own affairs.”
“One more thing. Do you know a Gun Yuhyeon from Cheon-gwan Gate?”
“...I do.”
“What’s he like? Trustworthy?”
“What’re you getting at?”
“First time hearing of Cheon-gwan Gate.”
Damak frowned.
“Cheon-gwan Gate is a small sect in the South Sea. Nearly a century of history, a reputable black path faction.”
“Trustworthy?”
“...Suspecting Gun Yuhyeon?”
“No. Thinking of asking for help, so I wanted your opinion first.”
“A faction and man of integrity. They joined black path ranks after boldly dealing with pirates raiding nearby fishing villages, only to be shunned by the Murim Alliance.”
“Hm... Makes sense.”
Damak eyed me sharply as always.
“Don’t burden Cheon-gwan Gate or Gun Yuhyeon. They’re in a precarious spot to carry your baggage.”
Hm... But if he’s that reliable, I can’t not borrow his brain.
I saw him off without replying.
Damak seemed about to say more but shrugged irritably and left my room.
And the next morning.
Do Bongsu was found dead in the Blood Sword Gate’s quarters.
And on the corpse: black hair needles, commonly used by the Tang Clan.