The Kirin of the Hengshan Sect (2)
The Kirin of the Hengshan Sect (2)
The world was vast, and the government's reach could not extend everywhere.
The people of the martial world disliked being bound by the government, yet they always coveted its power and authority.
At times their interests aligned. In regions beyond the government's grasp or in private affairs, there was nowhere the Murim Alliance's hand did not reach. The Crimson Ring Sect was one of the sects born from this collusion, officially sanctioned by the government to maintain public order and to collect and remit the village's taxes on its behalf.
Venerable Geumbok had spread several such sects across the region to expand his influence, but then one day, out of nowhere, a madman wielding an axe appeared, killed the Crimson Ring Sect's leader, married his daughter, and boldly inherited the sect.
"From Venerable Geumbok's perspective, this whole situation is a disgrace. The sect leader he entrusted with the task couldn't even win over the hearts of a tiny village like this, so he wallowed in corruption, and now his head is hung in the marketplace for all to curse. If he kills you as things stand, he becomes the only villain. It's hard to imagine he'd send a master to kill you."
"So he's calling someone through his Murim Alliance connections, is he?"
Sannyeo nodded and said.
"Yeah. They said they've come to investigate. From now on, they'll thoroughly examine the account books and try to pin even your predecessor's crimes on you. Since the investigation is being carried out in the name of the Murim Alliance, the authority of that name guarantees its credibility. Even if a rumor just spreads that you're a vicious bastard committing the same corruption and tarnishing the sect's name, Venerable Geumbok can save face."
"I see."
I nodded readily, but my mind was far from at ease. In fact, a cold sweat was running down my back. The thought of them inspecting the account books left me with no confidence at all that I would escape unscathed.
I had left all the bookkeeping to Seon-go, but no matter how long she had been keeping the sect's ledgers here, could she really overcome those vicious bastards from the Murim Alliance who had spent their lives on nothing but these kinds of investigations?
"...Then, are we done for?"
Sannyeo coolly shook her head at my question and said.
"Docheol. Why are you already showing such a dejected expression? You're a great hero, aren't you? You should step forward confidently."
I wanted to be confident too. But my opponents weren't sword-wielding warriors—they were tax office clerks coming to investigate with documents in hand. How exactly was I supposed to be confident?
This wasn't something I could handle with my own abilities, so I had no idea what attitude to take. Was it really right to bet everything solely on Seon-go's document-forging skills?
I glanced at Seon-go, who was sitting quietly beside me. Unlike me, who couldn't hide my unease, the woman in charge of the ledgers was smiling with a completely composed expression.
"....What, you're okay?"
Had hearing the Murim Alliance was coming made her lose touch with reality? Seeing my puzzled expression, Seon-go squeezed my hand and said.
"Don't worry. I worked hard on preparing the ledgers. We won't get caught. Actually, this isn't the first or second time there's been an investigation like this."
Come to think of it, that made sense. If even the nearby bandit gangs knew the Crimson Ring Sect was rotten, there must have been previous investigations. The fact that they had weathered all of them and were still going strong meant she had to be a master at forging documents and destroying evidence.
In any case, since I knew absolutely nothing about this stuff, I had no choice but to trust the oddly composed Sannyeo and the brimming-with-confidence Seon-go.
"If you don't open this door at once, I will break it down! I am the Kirin of Hengshan Sect! I have come to investigate you in the name of the Murim Alliance!"
The madwoman who called herself the Kirin of Hengshan Sect was now shouting at the top of her lungs, channeling her inner energy as if she would truly smash the main gate. Her aura was so intense that Seon-go, who had no martial training, jumped in fright and dropped her pastry, while the servant trembled as if he had heard a beast's roar.
Sannyeo said with a startled expression.
"Oh my, at this level, she's at least a first-rate master. As expected, if she's an investigator dealing with sect corruption, even a low-ranking one would have considerable skill."
If she was first-rate, our plan to smash the investigator's head and flee was now impossible. With my skills, which were barely considered second-rate, even if I swung my axe, that bitch's counterattack would be faster.
The servant's legs were trembling, and Seon-go, uneasy, clutched my arm tightly. Amidst all this, Sannyeo, with a composed face, shook her manacles and said.
"Then, I'll hide since it would be trouble if I ran into those people."
"....You'll come if it gets dangerous, right?"
At those words, Sannyeo stared at me. Then she smiled with her eyes and said.
"We'll see."
'Fucking bitch.'
Sannyeo ignored my silent cursing and swiftly disappeared into a gap between the buildings.
The servant, shaking like a palsied old man, cried out in a pitiful voice.
"S-Sect Leader? Wh-what should we do? If we leave it like this, isn't the whole sect going to be destroyed?"
"I will count to three from now on! If you don't open the door by the time I count to three, I'll show you the essence of the Hengshan Sword Technique right here!"
The Kirin of Hengshan Sect shrieked like a mad dog, her voice raw and sharp. For someone who trains in martial arts, she had no restraint whatsoever. It seemed the Hengshan Sect was quite a terrifying place.
"What the fuck kind of sect is the Hengshan Sect? Is it just a gathering of crazy bastards? Open the door quickly, for fuck's sake. This is killing me."
"Yes! Sect Leader!"
While the servant ran, I channeled my inner energy and shouted to the person on the other side of the main gate.
"I'm opening it now, so wait!"
I looked beside me and saw Seon-go, who had said she was fine, trembling with a pale face. I held her and said.
"It's okay. You said you weren't scared?"
"....W-when I hear such threats, it does feel a little scary."
I stroked her hair and thought.
'If I were fated to die here, I would have died long ago.'
'I don't know what kind of bitch this Kirin of Hengshan is, but she won't take my head so easily.'
*****
When I carried Seon-go on my back and walked to the main gate, the person I saw there was a woman of considerable maturity.
"Move aside."
"Ugh!"
As soon as the servant opened the door, she shoved him and the door aside with a loud 'Peok!' Not even glancing at the fallen servant, she surveyed the surroundings, then fixed me with a sharp glare and said.
"Are you the sect leader of this Crimson Ring Sect?"
I nodded, still holding Seon-go.
"Yeah. I'm Sect Leader Docheol. The one I'm carrying on my back here is my wife, Seon-go."
Investigator Im Seo-ryeon's face twisted. Her slightly upturned eyes and sharp features gave her a distinctly fox-like appearance. At the same time, even through her tightly bound clothes, the swell of her breasts was prominent, and with every movement, her hips swayed, flaunting a voluptuous figure.
One peculiar thing was that her hair was closer to brown than black, and she seemed unconcerned even as I glanced at it.
"Yeah? Do you realize you are currently under investigation by the Murim Alliance?"
It wasn't my job to appease them. If they were going to find fault and kill me anyway, they'd kill me even if I licked that bitch's shoes. What was the point of trying to look good?
Here, there were Seon-go and the servants. All of them had taken a liking to me after seeing the guts I had when I axed the previous sect leader to death, and they relied on me because they believed I could handle anything.
I tilted my head and replied.
"I'm not a criminal yet, you know. If you're going to make me kneel and interrogate me right away, why bother coming to investigate at all? You might as well just lop my head off with that Hengshan Sword Technique. If you want to investigate, I'll open the warehouse and let you examine the ledgers—check those first. If you find any crime afterwards, then I'll kneel, crawl on the ground, whatever you want."
Im Seo-ryeon scowled at my words and glared. Then, twitching her lips, she fingered the sword at her waist and said.
"If there is even the slightest guilt, your neck won't remain intact. No one who has fallen into the hands of the Kirin of Hengshan Sect has ever come out unscathed."
She spoke in an exceedingly vicious tone, then spun around. Behind her, a young martial artist was following.
He appeared to be a third-rate martial artist, his skill far below mine, his stance unrefined, and his face still bearing the traces of youth. I guessed he had barely passed twenty.
Im Seo-ryeon walked forward for a moment, then glanced back at me and glared at my wife on my back. When Seon-go met the investigator's eyes, she flinched and clung tightly to my neck, trying to escape her gaze.
Im Seo-ryeon saw this and curled her lips upward as she spoke.
"Hmph. Did you carry your woman here hoping to gain sympathy? Among those who tried to get something by flaunting marital affection like that, not one was a decent man. You would have been better off embracing her on your feet."
I kept silent for a moment at her words.
Im Seo-ryeon, probably thinking she had scored a hit, spoke in an even more gleeful tone.
"What's the matter? Did I strike a nerve?"
"....My wife cannot walk. But when the investigator arrived, I hurried to show our faces, so I carried her."
I said that and discreetly showed her injured ankle.
"Ah...."
Im Seo-ryeon froze at those words as if struck on the head.
After hesitating for a moment, she scratched her head in embarrassment, then turned away and said in a small voice.
"....We'll, we'll proceed with the investigation."
'What the hell is she doing?'
'This bitch.'