The Price of Saving the Patriarch
The moment Father rose from his sickbed, he convened a clan council.
More senior figures attended than ever before.
Because they all knew it—this meeting would determine the future direction of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
"Thank you all for gathering here," Father said calmly from the seat of honor.
His body was still gaunt, not yet fully recovered, but the fire in his eyes and the force of his presence were sharp enough that no one could possibly dismiss him.
"Patriarch, congratulations on your recovery."
"Heaven truly favored you."
"To think we would see you again like this..."
One by one, the clan's senior members who were friendly toward Father offered their words.
In contrast, the Elders' Council faction led by Yi Tae-gyeom looked distinctly displeased.
Of course they did.
One of them had finally managed to poison Father, only for all that effort to collapse in an instant.
From their side's point of view, they probably wanted to tear me apart for bringing back the cure.
"It was not heaven's favor," Father said. "The only reason my condition improved like this is because of the Young Lord."
As he said that, he turned to look at me.
I could feel every eye in the room converge at once.
"If not for the Medicine King Divine Pill that child brought me, I would not have overcome this illness even after several more years. I may very well have died as I was."
"The Young Lord has rendered an immense service."
"Indeed. There was a time when we truly wondered what would become of us..."
"The future of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect seems bright."
Once more, voices rose in my praise.
I inclined my head slightly in modest acknowledgment.
It sounded like flattery, but everything they were saying was true.
Father waited a moment, then spoke again.
"However, there were those who sought to hinder and kill that very Young Lord. I intend to bring that matter into the open."
...!
Shock spread across every face in an instant.
The words had come without warning, hitting the room like a blade thrust straight in.
One of the senior members asked haltingly, "W-what do you mean by that?"
"I heard the testimony of those who traveled with the Young Lord. During the journey to the Shanxi Yoo Family, the Green Forest bandits were clearly targeting him."
"But merely because there were Green Forest bandits there, can we truly say they were after the Young Lord?"
"Ordinarily, no. But it becomes a different matter if they had already been informed of the Young Lord's route and lay in wait for him. I confirmed with the three who accompanied him that the bandit chief said exactly that."
"Good heavens!"
"Let this serve as a warning. I do not know who the culprit is, but abandon any thought of laying hands on my son again. If such a thing happens once more, I will conduct a full investigation and drag out whoever is behind it."
Father's eyes burned with open fury as he spoke.
In truth, that was not all he wished to say.
He likely wanted to make public the fact that both father and son had been poisoned. He likely wanted to rebuke the Elders' Council for the way they had ignored him all this time.
And yet, he deliberately focused on what had happened to me.
That was no different from a declaration that, above all else, he would put me first.
Sensing that intent, I felt warmth spread quietly through my chest.
"There is something else I wish to say regarding the Young Lord."
"Is there more?"
"This time, I wish to discuss his reward. Through several missions, the Young Lord has not only elevated the clan's name, he has also saved my life. Even for the Young Lord, that is merit of the highest order."
"..."
"Therefore, I intend to reward him. I would like us all to discuss what form that reward should take."
Father truly was decisive now that he was off his sickbed.
I could only admire the way he acted without the slightest hesitation.
At his words, the senior members all fell into thought.
As Father had said, my merit was no ordinary thing.
It was obvious I had to be rewarded with something. The problem was deciding what.
"Does no one have any suggestions?"
"Well..."
"It seems not. Then I will present a proposal of my own. First, the Young Lord will continue to retain the authority of acting patriarch."
"You mean...?"
"It means that in times of need, that child's word will carry the same weight as mine. I intend to grant him all the rights I possess as Patriarch."
"My..."
"P-Patriarch, now that you have risen from your sickbed, is that not going too far?"
"If I had remained bedridden, it would naturally have stayed in his hands. To strip it away now would be absurd. On the contrary, I believe this is the right moment to strengthen his authority."
Father spoke crisply, as if to make it clear he would entertain no objection.
"In addition, I will bestow upon him the clan's sacred elixir, the Sword Soul Pill. It is compensation for yielding to me the Medicine King Divine Pill, which he could have taken for himself."
"But the Sword Soul Pill is one of only three treasures left in our sword clan..."
"Is that more important than the fact that it saved my life?"
At Father's cold voice, the senior member who had been about to protest hurriedly shut his mouth.
"N-no. Now that I think about it again, it seems entirely fitting."
"And with relations improving with the Shanxi Yoo Family, it has become easier to secure materials for spiritual medicines again."
"Exactly so. And lastly, I will place one martial unit under that child's command. I do not mean to grant him the position of unit leader, but rather the pure authority to move that unit without requiring my permission."
...!
The room erupted in murmurs no one could quite suppress.
Everyone was stunned by how radical the reward was.
But Father had once been the Patriarch who led the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect into prosperity.
That was why no one could stop him, even when he had only just risen from his sickbed and begun speaking like this.
His influence was fundamentally different from mine in my first life, when I had become Patriarch without any foundation at all.
He looked at me and asked, "Muyeol. What do you think? Is there a unit you would like to take?"
I thought for a moment before answering.
"I would like command of the Sayeongdae. If you would permit it."
At my words, several senior members' expressions hardened.
The Sayeongdae was not famous for overwhelming martial strength, but it was an intelligence unit that handled information.
And to hold full authority over that unit meant that from now on, I would be the first to review the information flowing into the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
That was an enormous power.
Since I answered without even the slightest hesitation, Father simply nodded.
"Of course. From now on, the reports of the leader of the Sayeongdae will come to you first."
"Patriarch!"
As if he could no longer restrain himself, Elder Council Head Yi Tae-gyeom finally raised his voice.
Father merely looked back at him with a frigid expression.
"Elder Council Head, is there a problem?"
"No matter what, giving him the Sayeongdae is excessive!"
"So long as he retains the qualification of acting patriarch, it was authority he could already exercise. There is nothing strange about formalizing it more clearly."
"But—"
"And he is the son who saved my dying life. I believe I can do at least this much for him. Do you disagree?"
Yi Tae-gyeom's words caught in his throat.
Of course they did.
If he pressed the issue any further, then the conversation would inevitably turn to Father's life—and the value of that life.
If he misspoke there, the political consequences would be severe.
That was why he could no longer run his mouth carelessly.
Seeing that, Father smiled faintly.
"It appears not. Then I will take it that there are no objections."
It felt wonderfully refreshing.
I had never expected Father to make that obnoxious Elder Council Head choke on his own words like this.
He could only do such a thing because there were still many who remembered what he had accomplished in his younger days.
Though he had been unable to wield it while bedridden, the authority he had built in those years was not something even the Elder Council Head could challenge so easily.
And on top of that, Father was a man who had only just returned from the brink of death.
If anyone pushed him too hard now, they risked being attacked by the senior figures of the patriarch's faction.
"Then we will conclude the clan council here. You have all done well."
With calm finality, Father declared the meeting closed.
The senior figures filed out of the council hall wearing complicated expressions of their own.
After everyone had left, I thanked Father.
"This couldn't have been easy. Thank you."
"No. In truth, this was something I could only do now, just after rising from my sickbed. I merely made the fullest use of that opportunity."
Right now, under the justification that I had saved the Patriarch's life, he could grant me as much as possible.
He had understood that, and so he had moved immediately.
"The one thing that concerns me is the pressure that will now be directed at you. Once you take charge of the Sayeongdae, everyone will watch you closely. But that also means everyone may become hostile to you."
"If that's all, then it's fine. I chose that side after considering everything."
"Then I am relieved."
Father nodded without even asking why.
That simple gesture made his trust in me unmistakably clear.
"I intend to do what I could not do while lying in bed. Do you know what that is?"
"To restore this clan's distorted structure to what it should be?"
"That's right. Too much power in the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect is concentrated in the hands of the elders. Many of the interests earned through the clan's strength are flowing not into the clan itself, but into their pockets."
Father let out a quiet sigh.
"So I intend to devote all my strength to correcting that. For now, I only just rose from my bed, so they cannot easily respond. But Yi Tae-gyeom is meticulous and cunning. He will certainly obstruct everything I try to do from this point on."
"Naturally. I think so as well."
If it was Yi Tae-gyeom, that outcome was all but certain.
As someone strongly suspected of being one of Black Night Castle's lackeys, he would throw everything he had into devouring this clan.
"Then we should cut off his arms and legs first."
"By using the Sayeongdae?"
"Yes. I will become your sword and deal with Yi Tae-gyeom's trusted men. We can begin by handling the elders of his faction."
And I possessed more than just the Sayeongdae's information network.
I also had knowledge of the future.
That meant I already knew where and how they were lining their pockets.
So long as I dealt with them one by one, reducing the influence of Yi Tae-gyeom's faction would be easy work.
"Still, it may be dangerous. They will not simply sit still and let it happen. I worry they may try to assassinate you again."
"That's fine. My guard is capable. And besides, I am no longer the man I used to be."
I thumped my chest confidently.
Then I said to Father, "In that case, I'll take my leave. Please take care of your health as well."
"Very well."
I parted from Father and returned to my residence.
Even as I walked, I was already deep in thought over what to strike first.
The best initial target would be someone easy to touch, while minimizing whatever damage might come back our way.
It did not take me long to think of the right person.
Wang Jin.
The uncle of Wang Ho, the chief administrator I had killed on the first day after returning to the past—and one of Yi Tae-gyeom's faction.
With the knowledge I possessed, I could drag him down without much difficulty.