The Strategist's Bloodline
What did the Poison King just say? My mind went completely blank, refusing to process his words.
Out of nowhere, he said I resembled my maternal grandfather. And who was that?
Zhuge Jin...?
I couldn't utter a single word at the sudden mention of such a legendary figure.
Did I hear him wrong? I wished I had, but deep down, I knew I hadn't.
...But that makes it even worse.
...Zhuge Jin, of all people.
That was a name that should never have cropped up here.
Who was Zhuge Jin?
He was the current head of the Zhuge Clan and the chief strategist of the Martial Alliance.
A once-in-a-generation genius.
The most brilliant mind in the history of the Zhuge Clan.
The God of War.
He held countless titles, but if there was one that stood out above the rest...
The eyes and ears of the Sword Saint.
He was known as the very eyes and ears of the Sword Saint, Yu Cheongil.
While people praised Yu Cheongil as the greatest martial artist and hero for slaying the Heavenly Demon during the Great Orthodox-Demonic War,
when it came to the person who wielded the greatest influence on the battlefield, everyone pointed to someone else.
That person was Zhuge Jin.
None other than the World's Greatest, Yu Cheongil, had declared that the war against the Demonic Cult could not have been won without him.
Even the other heroes and the masters of the Heavens Beyond Heaven acknowledged this truth.
The Demonic Cult knew this as well, which was why their top target for assassination was Zhuge Jin, not Yu Cheongil.
There had been hundreds of attempts on his life.
It was a famous tale that the Demonic Cult had overextended themselves, sending four of their Guardians all at once just to eliminate him.
And the most shocking part?
He handled it all by himself.
It happened in the midst of the war.
At a time when all the elite masters of the Alliance were deployed elsewhere,
Zhuge Jin had faced three of the Guardians alone and defeated them—an exploit that went down in history.
His personal martial prowess was not particularly high.
Yet, relying solely on his brilliant intellect, he had overcome supreme masters.
That incident was the reason he came to be known as "Cheonli Jinan," the Thousand-League Clairvoyant.
A legendary strategist whose name would be etched in the history of the Central Plains.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Martial Alliance enjoyed its current golden age because of him.
Following Yu Cheongil's death, he was now the most influential figure in the Central Plains.
And that very Zhuge Jin...
"Is my maternal grandfather...?"
My grandfather?
Dumbfounded by this completely unprecedented revelation, I asked again. The Poison King's eyes widened slightly as he looked at me.
"...You did not know?"
"...This is the first time I've ever heard of it."
"...Hmm."
"..."
"..."
Silence stretched between us.
My mind had short-circuited, leaving me speechless,
while the Poison King seemed to be carefully choosing his words, looking troubled.
After a brief pause, the Poison King nodded at my dazed self.
"In that case, let us pretend you never heard it."
"...Do you really think that's possible?"
Are you out of your mind, old man?
I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. I had already heard everything. How was I supposed to just forget it?
Especially a bombshell like that.
"How troublesome."
Seeing that I wasn't going to let it slide easily, the Poison King let out a weary sigh.
"Lord Dang... Is it true that my maternal grandfather is Zhuge Jin... I mean, the Clan Leader of the Zhuge family?"
"..."
The Poison King remained silent. Was he still choosing his words? Or was he planning to stonewall me?
If it were the former, I could wait. But it felt more like the latter, which meant I needed to press him.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to ask again—
"Lord Da—"
"One request."
Before I could finish, the Poison King cut me off.
"I shall grant you one more request."
"...So suddenly?"
"Consider it an apology for my slip of the tongue and a gesture of goodwill toward Clan Leader Bang. I understand your curiosity, Young Master Bang, but I ask that you let this matter rest."
"..."
Stop asking and drop it. That was his clear implication.
For the legendary Poison King to lower himself like this, it must have been a massive slip of the tongue.
Which meant, without a doubt...
...Zhuge Jin really is my maternal grandfather.
How on earth did this happen?
How could things have turned out this way?
What in the world did that crazy old man do in his youth?
For Zhuge Jin to be my maternal grandfather, my mother had to be a member of the Zhuge Clan—and a direct descendant of the Clan Leader, at that.
How did a guy like my father seduce a woman like that...? Ah.
I wondered how my father could have pulled it off, but the answer came to me with hilarious ease.
His cheat-code face.
A ridiculously handsome face could solve almost anything.
Since he was a man who practically lived off his looks, it was entirely plausible.
But putting that aside for now...
A request, huh?
Right now, I needed to focus on the Poison King's offer.
He said he would grant me a request to make up for his slip of the tongue.
I wondered...
"How far can this request go...?"
What were the limits? That was what I wanted to know.
Hearing my question, the Poison King narrowed his eyes slightly.
Why was he looking at me like that?
[He is dumbfounded that you are already calculating your profit margins in a situation like this, you rascal.]
Yu Cheongil, realizing my confusion, answered in his place.
Ah, was that it...?
Hey, a man's gotta look out for himself.
The bombshell news could wait.
If an opportunity to gain something presented itself, shouldn't I seize it?
That was my logic. You have to take what you can get.
After a brief silence, the Poison King spoke.
"I shall grant a request that is slightly below the level of the rewards I previously mentioned."
"Hmm."
That wasn't bad at all. Even if it wasn't on the level of a top-tier weapon, getting something of that caliber just for keeping my mouth shut was a great deal.
If I have to make a request here...
What should I ask for? As I pondered, a thought suddenly struck me.
Ah.
It flashed through my mind.
I actually had something I needed to ask of the Poison King anyway. This was the perfect chance to use it.
I spoke to him immediately.
"Lord Dang. I actually had something to discuss with you. May I make my request now?"
"What is it?"
"This was the main reason I wanted to speak with you in private after the banquet..."
That was why I had requested this private meeting. I had a lot to say, but this was the most important part.
The crucial point was this:
"To be precise, it is not a request for you, Lord Dang."
I paused.
"I have a favor to ask of Lady Dang Ye-ran."
My business was with Dang Ye-ran.
Upon hearing this, the Poison King's face visibly contorted.
I stepped out of the room after wrapping up our conversation.
Fortunately, the request itself wasn't complicated, so we finished quickly.
On top of that...
I got his approval.
I had secured the Poison King's permission. I had been stressing over how to handle this, but thanks to his slip of the tongue, everything fell into place easily.
"At this rate..."
Things might actually go smoothly. With that optimistic thought, I walked out with a relaxed expression.
[Huuuum...]
A sound echoed from above.
[Khuuum. Huuum?]
It was a deeply irritating sound.
[Huum... Huuum.]
"...What is it now?"
I finally snapped and asked. What was this old man's problem now?
As I sighed and questioned him, Yu Cheongil wore a strange expression. He stroked his chin, scanning me up and down as if inspecting a specimen.
[...Is this brat truly of Jin's bloodline?]
Ah.
So that was what this was about.
I suppose it made sense. Setting me aside, Yu Cheongil had been close to the man, so it must have seemed even more bizarre to him.
Then, he muttered,
[That fellow looks like shriveled tree bark. You do not resemble him in the slightest. You got incredibly lucky.]
"...Was that what was bothering you?"
I couldn't help but feel dumbfounded by his words. I wondered why he was staring so intently, and it turned out to be that?
[This is a matter of grave importance, child! It is only because you have never seen his face. The man is so gaunt and skeletal...]
"Hey, his grandson is standing right in front of you. That's a bit harsh."
[Oh? Are you taking his side now just because he is your grandfather?]
"No, I just said it. I've never even met the guy anyway."
It was the first time in my life I had ever heard of this connection. I had been shocked in the moment, but I didn't feel any deep emotional bond.
[Why? It is the secret of your birth, after all.]
"Secret of my birth or not, it's pretty obvious our families aren't on good terms."
If Zhuge Jin really was my maternal grandfather, the fact that I was only finding out now spoke volumes.
The way the Poison King tried to hush it up immediately after letting it slip also pointed to that.
And most of all...
My father, who definitely knows about this, hasn't done a single thing?
Given his personality, he would have tried to leech off that connection a long time ago. The fact that he hadn't meant one thing.
It's either a trap, or he knows he'll get screwed if he tries.
It was obvious. They couldn't associate, so they didn't.
What difference would knowing this secret make now?
I decided it changed nothing.
Oh, wait.
Actually, there is one thing.
There was one puzzle piece that fit.
The Martial Alliance.
The reason I was able to join the Martial Alliance in the first place.
I had always wondered how my father had managed to pull the strings to get me in.
Could it be...?
Did he get help from that side? If so, it made perfect sense.
Out of the Five Great Families, the Zhuge Clan was the most closely tied to the Martial Alliance.
Of course...
Considering how I was treated there, maybe not.
If I had gone there with a recommendation from the Zhuge Clan,
I shouldn't have been treated like garbage.
Reflecting on the abuse I endured, it seemed unlikely.
Well, whatever the case...
Now I have something to ask my father.
I would have to ask him about this eventually.
Ugh, I hate this. I really don't want to talk to him.
Just a brief conversation with that man drained all my energy.
I wanted to avoid him as much as possible, but a matter of this scale left me with no choice.
Tsk.
As I clicked my tongue and prepared to walk away,
[By the way, child.]
Yu Cheongil spoke up.
"Yes?"
[Are you truly fine with this?]
"With what?"
[Using your request on such a thing.]
"Ah."
I smacked my lips slightly at his words. It had indeed been a golden opportunity.
"What else could I do? A good opportunity is meant to be used for things like this."
The best possible moment to cash in a favor.
During the brief window of time before the banquet started,
Yu Cheongil and Dok-jon had told me something.
It was about the Heavenly Demon's sword I had retrieved from the secret vault.
Though calling it a sword was a stretch, considering the hilt was shattered and only a fraction of the blade remained, but still.
They had told me something regarding it,
and I had just used my request to address that very issue.
Did I regret it?
Of course I did.
It's a massive, painful waste...
It made my skin crawl to think I had wasted a favor that could have benefited me directly on these two ghosts.
But it wasn't a total loss.
"You'd better not forget your promise."
[Indeed, do not fret.]
Yu Cheongil chuckled at my warning.
[I shall give you all the treasures hidden inside my snack pantry.]
Yu Cheongil's "snack pantry" back at the Cheongwol Gate.
He called it a pantry, but it was essentially a secret vault.
According to Dok-jon, there was a hidden space deeper inside.
Within it lay a vast fortune that Yu Cheongil had left behind.
He had promised to hand it all over to me if I granted this favor.
Yes.
I was completely blinded by greed.
[I can give you as much of that as you want, but... hmm.]
Yu Cheongil trailed off.
"What is it?"
What was the issue now? I asked him, feeling a sudden wave of anxiety.
[No, it is nothing major, but...]
"Yes?"
[Putting the matter of Jin aside.]
"Yes."
[Did you not go in there because you had other things to discuss with that Dang fellow? It felt like you came out rather quickly—]
I froze in my tracks.
"..."
Hearing his words, I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Ah. Crap."
Now that I thought about it, he was right. I had been so distracted by the Zhuge Jin bombshell that I hadn't brought up any of my actual business.
Not the rewards, not Dongnyong,
and certainly not the Patheongung.
Without asking a single thing I had set out to ask,
I had walked out after talking about nothing but my unexpected grandfather.
"Hahaha..."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
I turned back to look at the Poison King's office.
Was this really a coincidence? Did I just happen to walk out without saying what I wanted by sheer chance?
"...That sly old fox."
I highly doubted it.