Chapter 304
Chapter 304
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 304
Chapter Title: Unexpected Conclusion
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The market street to the north of the inn.
Do Geom, who had visited the Danri Clan, sat alone on the first floor, nursing his cup of liquor. Due to the pouring rain, he was the inn's only guest.
How much time had passed as he ignored the irritated glare of the page boy—who clearly wanted to close up early on a day like this—and continued drinking?
Someone entered the inn.
A man in icy blue robes, carrying a single longsword at his side, sat down directly across from the waiter.
Were they acquaintances? Do Geom neither looked at the blue-robed man nor said a word, simply tilting his cup in silence.
The blue-robed man glanced at the page boy.
"Bring another cup here."
"......Yes."
"Hey, you."
"Yes?"
"Lighten up that sour face of yours. Before your head rolls."
"......Yes!"
The page boy scurried inside in a panic. The blue-robed man turned to Do Geom with a cold smile and asked,
"How did it go?"
"I agreed to give them an answer."
"By when?"
"No deadline was set."
"Aren't you being a bit too lax?"
Clunk.
Do Geom set down his cup and stared at the blue-robed man. Deep within his heavy, sunken pupils, a flash of killing intent flickered and vanished.
But the blue-robed man didn't so much as blink.
"Don't forget what our lord expects from us. Things aren't so lenient that we can afford to weigh every little detail."
"Should I have just charged in swinging my sword wildly? Is that what you're saying?"
"You should have prepared meticulously in advance to force them into accepting a duel."
Just then, the page boy returned with the cup, interrupting the conversation. The blue-robed man poured his own liquor and continued.
"Why did you let the Kangdong Sword live?"
"There was no need to kill him."
"Killing him would have had a greater impact."
"Stop deluding yourself that you're always right. And I don't want to see that face anymore, so get lost."
The blue-robed man laughed instead of taking offense at Do Geom's icy demeanor.
"Don't forget who's in charge. The moment you do, you and I could become enemies."
"Would you believe me if I said that's exactly what I want?"
"Oh ho."
The blue-robed man shrugged, drained another cup, and stood up.
Clunk!
"I'll be watching to see how well you handle it, so do your best. Farewell."
The blue-robed man left the inn.
Do Geom still didn't even glance at him.
* * *
Once outside, the blue-robed man's leisurely demeanor from inside vanished, replaced by fury blazing in his eyes.
"What an unlucky bastard."
"Why do you say that, sir?"
A black-robed man who had been waiting outside asked.
As the blue-robed man headed south along the market street, he replied,
"He's still stuck in the past. If he keeps acting like that, I'll have to make him realize soon enough that I'm not the man I used to be."
"It must be a huge blow to his pride. He probably assumed he'd be the leader for sure. Please endure it, Former Lord."
Splat.
The blue-robed man suddenly stopped in his tracks. Then, without warning, he backhanded the black-robed man viciously across the cheek.
Slap!
"Ugh!"
The black-robed man tumbled backward.
"Are you lecturing me right now?"
"S-Sorry! I just......"
Thud!
"Kuh!"
The black-robed man took a kick to the chest and sprawled out again.
"If you ever spout nonsense like that again, your head will fly."
The blue-robed man resumed walking. Then, his shoulder lightly bumped into some people coming from the opposite direction.
Twitch.
Already seething from Do Geom, the blue-robed man grabbed the man's shoulder, yanked him close, and smashed an elbow into his jaw.
Thud!
"Urk!"
The victim groaned and collapsed backward.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
His companions drew their swords in unison.
The blue-robed man instantly recognized them.
'The Danri Clan?'
They were all unmistakably clad in the Danri Clan's uniforms.
At that moment, a young man stepped forward.
The blue-robed man recognized him at a glance. It was none other than the Danri Clan's eldest son, Danri Mok.
Danri Mok glanced at the fallen warrior, then fixed the blue-robed man with a cold stare and spoke.
"Are you picking a fight on purpose?"
The blue-robed man was slightly surprised inwardly, but he replied in an arrogant tone.
"I'm alone, and you've got a group. To anyone watching, it looks like you're the ones starting trouble."
"That guy deliberately shoved his shoulder into me! That's why we collided!"
The fallen warrior shouted as he stood up.
Danri Mok asked,
"Is that true?"
"Beaten dogs always make pathetic excuses. I've never had to stoop to that."
"Hey! Watch your mouth!"
Another warrior stepped forward with a shout, but Danri Mok held him back and continued.
"Apologize to this man. Do that, and we'll call it even."
Snicker.
"Why should I apologize? Does a prestigious clan like yours get to act so recklessly?"
It was a remark that properly provoked Danri Mok and the others.
But Danri Mok remained cautious. He had already sensed that the blue-robed man was a master.
Regardless of the atmosphere, the fact that he was acting this way despite knowing who they were meant he was confident in his skills.
That said, he couldn't back down either.
If he retreated now after such blatant mockery, it would tarnish the clan's reputation and authority, even if his own pride was set aside.
"I'll have to regard your words as a clear challenge to our clan."
"So? What are you going to do about it?"
Shing.
Danri Mok drew his sword.
An even deeper sneer curled across the blue-robed man's lips.
It was right then.
Ssshh.
A figure appeared like a ghost.
Seeing him, Danri Mok's eyes widened slightly. The blue-robed man's gaze also shifted.
The man exuded the aura of a finely honed sword. He was the very warrior the clan head, Danri Jung-hui, had sent to protect Danri Mok.
He addressed Danri Mok.
"Leave this one to me, Young Master."
"Did Father send you?"
"Yes."
Danri Mok said no more and stepped back.
The man finally turned his gaze to the blue-robed man.
"For mocking our clan, you're deserving of death. But if you apologize now, the Young Master might mercifully forgive you. Will you?"
A tremendous pressure began to bind the blue-robed man's body, enough to disrupt the breathing of any ordinary person.
But the blue-robed man had no intention of yielding. He sneered again.
"How ridiculous. The great Danri Clan ganging up to bully a lone man like this."
"You're not worth talking to."
Shing.
The man drew his sword.
"Leave this scum to me, Young Master. Go take care of your business."
"......"
"As he said, if everyone stays here, it could lead to misunderstandings. Don't worry about me and go."
Danri Mok shook his head firmly. Then he said to the blue-robed man,
"We won't interfere."
"Can you promise that?"
"Of course."
"Well, in that case."
Shing.
The blue-robed man finally drew his sword.
Danri Mok and the warriors backed away, creating distance.
Meanwhile, someone was watching the scene.
* * *
'That bastard......'
Do Geom's eyes burned with anger as he stared at the blue-robed man.
The noise had pierced even the pattering rain, prompting him to step outside out of suspicion, only to witness this spectacle.
'Does he plan to get in my way?'
He had misunderstood the blue-robed man's intentions.
And rightly so—the blue-robed man had always viewed him with great displeasure and was the type to do anything to surpass him.
At that moment, the man who had been with the blue-robed man approached.
"Shouldn't you stop them? If things go wrong, it could ruin everything. Isn't carrying out the Lord's orders our top priority?"
"Why did it escalate to this point?"
"Well......"
"Answer me."
"Right after the two of you met at the inn, you seemed very angry. Then your shoulders bumped, and the quarrel started......"
"He didn't pick a fight on purpose knowing who they were?"
"No way that could be, right?"
"Enough. He's not the type to back down if I intervene, so go back."
"But......!"
"Do I need to say it twice?"
"......"
Do Geom turned his gaze back to the scene. Then his eyes locked directly with Danri Mok's, who was looking his way.
'Oh no......'
Do Geom's eyes twisted in dismay.
* * *
'Who is that guy?'
Danri Mok had been watching absentmindedly as the blue-robed man's companion headed toward the inn. When he recognized Do Geom conversing with him, his expression changed.
The suspicion he harbored on the way here had just become reality.
'So he wasn't alone after all. That means this one picked the fight on purpose with some agenda too.'
The thought made it impossible for him to stay put. Danri Mok stepped forward at once and called out to the man.
"Hold on!"
The man and the blue-robed man turned to him.
Danri Mok fixed the blue-robed man with a cold tone and continued.
"You're with that one?"
The man and the blue-robed man's gazes naturally shifted toward where Do Geom stood.
The blue-robed man's brow furrowed for a split second.
'Why the hell did that idiot crawl outside?'
Then the man asked Danri Mok,
"Who is that?"
"The one who came to our clan today requesting a duel."
Twitch.
The area around the man's eyes twitched once. If so, then as Danri Mok said, the two were definitely accomplices.
"So you came to our clan with impure intentions."
Sizzle.
Sword energy wrapped around the man's blade. The warriors who had backed away drew their swords again and closed in.
At that moment, Do Geom, who had been watching, turned and walked north along the market street.
The one thrown off balance was the blue-robed man.
'He's just leaving?'
* * *
The black-robed man chased after Do Geom.
"What are you doing just leaving like this!"
"Your brilliant Former Lord will handle it."
"If something happens to him because of this, none of us will be safe!"
"The one who messed up the mission is that idiot."
"......!"
"Provoking the Danri Clan like this means we can't carry out our task here anymore."
"Then where are you going?"
"I'll handle it myself, so decide. Follow me, or stick with that fool."
"......"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Do Geom vanished from sight.
The black-robed man looked around in dazed bewilderment, at a loss.
It was then.
"Uwaaak!"
The blue-robed man struck down one of the Danri Clan warriors blocking his path and leaped straight into the darkness.
The man who had faced him and the Danri Clan warriors all pursued the blue-robed man in unison.
'If that's how it's gonna be, why the hell did you start all that crap!'
Someone was flying toward the flustered black-robed man. It was Danri Mok.
'Damn it!'
Boom!
Kicking off the ground, the black-robed man soared into the air and shot off in the direction Do Geom had disappeared.
His choice was Do Geom, not the blue-robed man.