Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Oneness Pavilion, The Start of Change (1)
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Morning.
Oneness Pavilion's main gate.
Every member of the special task force dispatched to Oneness Pavilion had assembled, regardless of shift rotation.
"Captain! That uniform suits you perfectly!"
"You could get married in it."
Dressed in guard uniforms, they chattered noisily, teasing Life-Seizing Ghost Sword.
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword, who hadn't worn the special task force uniform in ages and seemed uncomfortable in it, tugged at the collar a few times before speaking.
"From now on, you'll all have to wear uniforms too."
His words sent shock through the group.
"No way!"
"Captain! You're serious?!"
To these men who had lived their entire lives as warriors, uniforms symbolized pure disgust.
"Quiet down, all of you."
They all glared at Life-Seizing Ghost Sword with faces full of complaint.
"You've all heard by now, but starting with official duties this morning, the seclusion order from the Eldest Young Master has been lifted."
These were men who had never felt any fondness for the Eldest Young Master to begin with.
"What does that have to do with us having to wear these uncomfortable uniforms...?"
"The Eldest Young Master has never done a damn thing to help my life."
"Maybe it's time to seriously request a transfer."
"Honestly, we've been sucking on the sweet honey of being stationed at Oneness Pavilion until now."
Their reactions were sullen, but Life-Seizing Ghost Sword ignored them and continued.
"The supreme operations council issued an emergency order for the normalization of Oneness Pavilion's functions, so naturally, we have to cooperate."
"What extra work do we have that you called everyone together for?"
"How long does this emergency order last?"
Questions flew from all directions.
"The emergency order will end the moment it's judged that Oneness Pavilion's functions have normalized. No telling when, but it won't be long."
A wave of cheer spread through the group, but Life-Seizing Ghost Sword smirked.
"No need to celebrate. The uniforms aren't because of the emergency order—they're because the Eldest Young Master's seclusion has ended."
Meaning they'd have to keep wearing them from now on.
Before the task force members could erupt in complaint, Life-Seizing Ghost Sword quickly added,
"That means the special task force at Oneness Pavilion, which has been temporary until now, will be reorganized accordingly."
"What does that mean?"
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword shrugged.
"I haven't received proper orders from the Elder Council yet, so I don't know the details."
The special task force was a separate organization under the direct command of the Elder Council, independent of the usual chain of command.
"But personnel additions will happen immediately, and I expect extra measures focused on vulnerable security points."
Everyone sighed.
"Good times are over."
"Not necessarily. They might send some useful hands our way."
"Yeah, right. Dream on. No greenhorns like that in this special task force."
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword raised his voice to regain attention.
"One thing's certain: now that seclusion is over, no security issues can arise at Oneness Pavilion."
They all shrugged at his words.
"Come on, what trouble's gonna happen here at Oneness Pavilion?"
"Even with the Eldest Young Master's seclusion lifted, it's not like this place is suddenly gonna be swarming."
"Isn't it just gonna make things annoying for us?"
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword ignored them and pressed on.
"If anyone asks, just say all visitors unrelated to emergency order duties will be received after construction ends."
One task force member blinked at that.
"What construction?"
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword pointed behind them.
Everyone turned to look.
"Huh...?"
"What the hell is all that?"
"What in the world is going on?"
An enormous crowd was approaching from down the main road.
Not just people—wagons piled high with materials stretched endlessly, drawing near.
'Get your heads in the game.'
As they all strained to gawk, Life-Seizing Ghost Sword sent a transmission to everyone.
'You want to be ignored by a bunch of construction laborers?'
No sooner had the message ended than the task force members snapped into orderly ranks, sharpening their postures.
They began subtly releasing their auras, and given their cultivation levels, the air turned fiercely intimidating.
The silk-robed group striding ahead at a brisk pace clearly faltered at the sight.
"Th-this is indeed Oneness Pavilion. It's an honor to meet the main house's formidable warriors."
The lead man dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief and approached Life-Seizing Ghost Sword with a deep bow.
"I'm Tak Mo, deputy head of the Sword Clan's Construction Division's Third Project Department. And this one here is..."
Life-Seizing Ghost Sword cut off his attempt to rattle off introductions.
"I'm the special task force captain under the Elder Council. No need to introduce yourselves to me."
Thoroughly cowed, they could only nod vigorously.
"The Eldest Young Master is waiting inside Oneness Pavilion. Follow me."
* * *
The young errand boy was sprinting toward Oneness Pavilion.
"Whoa! It's completely jammed...!"
The back road to Oneness Pavilion was packed solid with incoming and outgoing carriages—no room to step.
He quickly spun around and headed for the main road.
Normally, a mere errand boy like him could never use the main road.
But on a day like today, with an "URGENT" flag on his back, even he could run it.
"Make way! Urgent dispatch!"
But alas.
He'd barely squeezed through the carriages onto the main road when he saw laborers ripping up all the paving stones as they headed toward Oneness Pavilion.
They'd left one side untouched for traffic, but even that was clogged with material-laden wagons and hand carts.
"...No choice."
He plunged into the construction zone where laborers were working.
"Urgent dispatch!"
The site, with hundreds shoveling and pickaxing, was perilously chaotic, but delivering the urgent dispatch was a critical mission.
"Hey! Watch it!"
"S-sorry! Urgent dispatch!"
He never stopped for a second.
Dodging one close call after another, the boy, with no gap left to run, decided to leap over a pile of discarded stones.
"...?!"
But the instant his foot slammed the top, the unstably stacked stones began to collapse.
"Whoa!"
Losing balance and sliding, the boy curled up and squeezed his eyes shut.
But the expected impact never came.
He found himself standing on his own feet, his collar gripped from behind.
"Th-thanks...!"
Glancing back on instinct, the boy jolted in surprise.
"Hmm. Curling up in that split second was good."
The one who had snatched him midair with one hand was a beautiful girl who looked just a couple years older than him.
A shortsword hung at her waist, marking her as no ordinary maid.
"But you have to keep your eyes open until the very last moment to react and cushion the impact."
Dressed in neat maid attire, she raised a hand to acknowledge the surrounding laborers' applause.
"Thank you, beautiful maid lady!"
At the boy's sudden flattery, she widened her eyes, then covered her mouth and laughed.
"Hee hee! All the maids of Oneness Pavilion are stunning, but Ilryeong here is the fairest among them."
Blushing at the boy stealing glances, she shoved his back.
"Now go! That's an urgent dispatch—fulfill your duty!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
He thanked her profusely and dashed off again.
Moments later, he spotted another maid in the same outfit as the one who'd just called herself Ilryeong.
She was raising her voice at someone who looked like the site supervisor, clearly displeased about something.
"These paving stones—are their colors not subtly off?!"
"But this is within the acceptable range per work guidelines..."
"Are you daring to apply the standards of some shabby roadside to Oneness Pavilion's main thoroughfare?!"
"N-no, that's not—!"
'Her voice sounds like that beautiful maid from before...'
As he glanced her way while passing, the boy whipped around.
'Huh?!'
Sensing his stare, the maid shot him a fierce glare.
"Errand boy! Do you need something from me?!"
"N-no! Sorry!"
He hurried away.
But he kept looking back—she looked exactly like the maid who had saved him moments ago.
Shortly after, he was running alongside the towering, dilapidated walls of Oneness Pavilion.
The wall stretched endlessly, teeming with laborers along its length.
"Clear out all the weathered tiles! No—replace the whole section!"
Foremen bustled about issuing orders, and the laborers' hands moved even faster.
"Tear down that wall section entirely! Better to rebuild it!"
One foreman patrolled the top, issuing warnings too.
"If you fall inside the wall, do not go into the woods! Don't even try circling around! Grab the rope they'll lower and climb up calmly!"
Carts shuttled nonstop along the base of Oneness Pavilion's walls.
One area plastered limewash, another cut stone blocks, yet another sorted tiles by type.
'There it is...!'
At last, the boy spotted a large tent flying the banner "Joint Maintenance, Site Command Headquarters."
"You lot need to cooperate properly, don't you?!"
"Why haven't the materials that were 'arriving soon' shown up yet?!"
But the tent entrance swarmed with staff.
"Ur, urgent dispatch!"
He shouted, but unlike the laborers, the frantically busy staff ignored him entirely.
No helping it—he wormed his way through the crowd.
"Urgent dispatch, excuse me—ugh! Sorry, ngh...! J-just passing through."
As the sweat-drenched boy squeezed past, the staff scowled and grumbled.
"What, every dispatch reaching Oneness Pavilion under emergency orders is 'urgent'—why make such a fuss?"
"Pah, if a kid like you carries an 'urgent' dispatch, then I'm on a 'top priority' mission."
The boy finally yelled.
"This dispatch comes straight from the Chief Housekeeper himself!"
At "Chief Housekeeper," the staff turned away as if nothing had happened.
Thus, the boy barely poked his head through the human wall.
But the next instant, he froze in place.
A beauty of chilling allure stood there.
"Can we complete maintenance on zones Gap, Eul, and Byung by midday?"
Her golden gaze turned their way, and the silk-robed site chief broke into a cold sweat as he replied.
"W-we'll make it happen somehow!"
"Even with me and the maids away, there must not be a single lapse."
"Of course!"
Though her eyes weren't on him, the boy still felt a chill run down his spine.
"Hm? Urgent dispatch?"
A sudden voice from beside made him jump.
Seeing the face of the maid who'd spoken to him, he startled again.
"Eek?!"
"Eek?! Scaring at a person's face—what rudeness!"
There stood a maid identical to the two he'd seen before.
"S-sorry!"
After all the ordeal, he finally delivered the dispatch to Oneness Pavilion's Head Maid.
"An urgent dispatch from the Chief Housekeeper!"
As the Head Maid signed the receipt, the third identical maid asked,
"Are they finally coming...?"
The Head Maid smiled.
"Yes. Your handmaids have finally arrived."