The Price of Refusal
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
At the words I couldn't help but spit out, the Poison King's brow furrowed.
Even as the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake.
'Damn it.'
It was so absurd that I had let it slip without thinking.
But seriously, wasn't this just too bizarre?
'An engagement? What kind of crazy talk is this?'
Aside from the talk about my moniker, this was the most flabbergasting thing I had heard recently.
“Bullshit?”
The Poison King repeated my words, his discomfort plain to see.
“Well, isn't it? An engagement, of all things.”
Even seeing his reaction, I couldn't stop myself.
Asking me to get engaged to his daughter...
'Means he wants me to get engaged to Dang Ye-ran.'
Who could possibly stay calm after hearing that?
I heatedly threw the words back at the Poison King, but...
“Indeed,” he replied.
The Poison King simply nodded, confirming my suspicion.
“……You're serious?”
“I am. That is my additional condition.”
“Me, engaging Lady Dang?”
“Yes.”
“……Why?”
“Hmm?”
“Why would you want that?”
Even if she hadn't been raised as his favorite, Dang Ye-ran was still the Poison King's daughter.
Though she had been treated poorly and the Dang Clan's general perception of her wasn't great...
She was still a direct descendant of the Dang family, and her treatment was bound to change after the recent incident.
'Since she beat Dongnyong like a dog.'
She had transformed from a quiet, troublemaking girl of the Dang family into another genius who defeated her own brother, one of the Seven Great Talents.
For now, they were keeping it quiet because of the attack on the Poison King, but it was obvious that things would get noisy once this matter was resolved.
Even setting that aside.
'Dang Ye-ran is highly valuable.'
Dang Ye-ran herself held significant utility within the Dang Clan.
'Especially when you consider the political weight of an engagement.'
A relationship bound by betrothal.
It was the simplest and most reliable way to forge an unbreakable alliance with another great family.
Prestigious clans often used this method to expand their influence.
'If anything, the Moyong Clan was the anomaly.'
It was absurd for the Moyong Clan to try and arrange a marriage with the penniless Bang family.
Normally, in the Five Great Clans, direct descendants—excluding the successor—were used as political pawns to expand the clan's power.
“So why me...?”
Why was he trying to tie such a valuable and important pawn to me?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't understand.
Right then.
[That fellow is quite sharp.]
Yoo Chun-gil said, looking at the Poison King.
[His judgment is remarkably swift. I know not of his skills as a martial artist, but as a clan leader, he is a hundred times better than that foolish Gyeon.]
It was rare for Yoo Chun-gil to praise anyone.
As I watched the Poison King, he spoke.
“What is the issue?”
The Poison King asked, as if my reaction was the strange one.
“Young Hero Bang, did you not say you believe you will become the World's Greatest in the future? Weighing that, I thought this condition would be of the greatest benefit to you.”
“…….”
I frowned as I listened to his explanation.
Only then did I realize what the Poison King was aiming for.
'This old man.'
Was this what he meant when he said he had finished deliberating?
'He placed me on the scales.'
He weighed me in his mind, and this was the result of his calculations?
'……That damn value.'
It was about the "value" Yoo Chun-gil had mentioned.
And how I appeared in the eyes of the Poison King.
Did the Poison King truly judge my value to be that of a future World's Greatest?
Was that why he was trying to bind me to his daughter?
If so, the value the Poison King placed on me was indeed high, but...
'……Is he testing me?'
It was a possibility.
Perhaps he was trying to gauge my reaction for some other scheme, but it didn't feel like that either.
His eyes were filled with genuine sincerity, as if he truly intended to engage me to Dang Ye-ran.
I pondered.
'If he's serious, I have nothing to lose.'
The terms were good. Just by accepting the engagement, I could obtain absurd rewards.
Even looking at the engagement itself, it was a favorable deal.
A direct descendant of one of the Five Great Clans.
She was around my age, had a pretty face without any flaws, and her personality wasn't bad either.
Marrying Dang Ye-ran would make me a member of a prestigious clan, allowing me to live a much easier life, but...
“……I am sorry.”
I had to politely decline the Poison King's offer.
“…….”
Upon hearing my refusal, the Poison King's expression shifted ever so slightly before he spoke.
“What is your reason?”
“There are several complex reasons, but the most fundamental one is... I do not wish to be bound to anyone right now.”
“Hmm?”
Even after hearing my answer, the Poison King's expression didn't change much.
Of course, that didn't mean my answer would change.
“Do you have any other conditions?”
Engagement, my foot.
'Getting entangled any further right now will only lead to a headache.'
I knew the Poison King viewed me favorably, but that was only because of the persona Yoo Chun-gil had helped me build.
And even if that weren't the case...
'I have too much to do to tie myself down.'
An engagement with the Dang Clan might indeed be a significant turning point in my life.
But at this moment, it was merely an ambiguous option.
“……Is that so?”
“Yes. I am deeply grateful that you think so highly of me, but unfortunately...”
“I understand.”
“……Pardon?”
“I said, I understand.”
Making my mental preparation to decline further look foolish, the Poison King calmly accepted my refusal.
What was that?
'Was he just testing the waters?'
But who would use their own daughter's engagement as a mere probe? That didn't seem likely.
As if he truly had no lingering regrets, the Poison King averted his gaze.
It was fine by me if he let it slide easily, but a lingering sense of unease remained.
'To give up so easily.'
Could there be something more to this? Even as I pondered...
“In that case, it will be somewhat difficult to accept the terms you desire, Young Master Bang.”
At his subsequent words, I couldn't help but click my tongue inwardly.
'Ah, damn it.'
Looking at the Poison King's attitude and words, I realized it.
'The upper hand has shifted.'
By rejecting the engagement, the leverage in the negotiation had slipped slightly to the Poison King.
This was bad. I had to stay sharp from here on out.
'Was this old man's engagement talk just bait?'
Did he use the concept of engagement just to gain the upper hand?
The suspicion crossed my mind. If that was true, he was a truly cunning old man.
'To think he would even use his own daughter.'
I focused my mind.
I faced the Poison King, determined not to back down even a single step.
And so, the negotiation began.
By the time my conversation with the Poison King concluded, the sun was already setting.
We had talked for at least two hours. And the result?
“Ah, damn it all.”
I spat out a curse as I stepped out of the residence.
I couldn't help it.
“……He didn't leave a single opening.”
One side was determined to squeeze out as much as possible.
The other was fighting to protect what was theirs.
But looking at the outcome...
“I barely got anything out of him.”
It was safe to say the Poison King had won this round.
“Ah... If not for that initial slip-up, I could have squeezed out more.”
It was incredibly frustrating. As I bit my nails in vexation...
[That is why you should not have wavered from the start. Had you simply accepted it on the spot, everything would have turned out well.]
Yoo Chun-gil spoke to me, sounding exasperated.
Hearing that, I let out a hollow laugh.
“You make it sound so easy since it's not your life. An engagement isn't some trivial joke. How could I just agree to it so easily?”
[She seemed decent enough. Is she not a fine young lady, even in your eyes?]
“……That's a completely different matter.”
No matter how fine Dang Ye-ran was, an engagement was a different story.
Although refusing it had made the negotiation difficult...
'Not right now.'
An engagement was absolutely out of the question.
Maybe someday, but right now, I had no intention of binding myself to anyone.
That was why it felt so regrettable.
'……What a waste.'
To think he would bring up an engagement.
Because I rejected it, the moral high ground had shifted to the Poison King.
As a result, the negotiation didn't go the way I wanted.
'I did manage to secure the reward for the request and a few other things, but...'
The most important thing I had aimed for was the deal involving the Rain of Flowers Filling the Sky.
'It's disappointing.'
The rewards I obtained through it were lower than I had anticipated.
'Not exclusive trading rights, but preferential trading rights.'
I had demanded a monopoly on low-tier armaments.
But in the end, I only got preferential trading rights.
Well, this wasn't terrible. Getting preferential rights was still something.
The problem was...
'……The first issue was the real problem.'
I had demanded preferential trading rights for the Cheolgang, but what I got instead was...
'Simple trading rights.'
Just the right to trade with the Cheolgang.
This wasn't bad either.
The Cheolgang wasn't a place that easily opened its doors to trade.
Just being able to trade with them was a great boon for the Cheongwol Gate.
'But it's still disappointing.'
Still, it was a shame. If I had pushed a bit harder, I could have gotten something better.
It was frustrating that I couldn't.
'Though I should be glad to have gotten even this.'
It was by no means a small gain.
I decided to focus on that.
Besides that...
'Regarding the Heaven-Destroying Palace...'
I had also heard a bit of what the Poison King had gathered about the Heaven-Destroying Palace.
He said Ma Hyeok-chang was someone he had personally killed in the last war.
The fact that such a man had appeared alive was one thing.
But the betrayal of those the Poison King trusted most within the Dang Clan was also a major issue.
So, he had been searching the clan's surroundings and associates to root out the spies.
'But when they were caught, they either committed suicide... or had already vanished?'
This meant even the Poison King hadn't gathered much harvest.
'Just what kind of place is the Heaven-Destroying Palace?'
What kind of bastards were they to plant spies deep within the Dang Clan?
And what was their true objective?
'It doesn't seem like they came just to see me.'
They must have had another goal...
'Perhaps the Poison King himself was the target.'
That was highly possible.
'But I shouldn't jump to conclusions.'
Since nothing was confirmed yet, hasty judgments were dangerous.
If even the great Poison King struggled to catch their tail, I had far too little information to make a call.
The amount of information was simply insufficient for me to judge.
'At the very least, they are definitely an unusual group.'
The way they mentioned Yoo Chun-gil, the hidden motives I sensed—they practically reeked of danger.
'I really don't want to get involved with them...'
But looking at the situation, it seemed I was already entangled, which was incredibly frustrating.
“Damn it...”
Nothing was going my way. Scratching the back of my head with a sigh, I continued walking.
[Found you.]
An familiar voice echoed.
It was the voice of the Dok-jon.
“Elder. You're—”
Hearing him, I immediately turned toward the Dok-jon.
“……Oh.”
[Tsk tsk...]
My eyes widened as I took in the Dok-jon's state.
“……Elder.”
The Dok-jon was translucent.
Originally, only his feet had been slightly transparent, but now his entire body was fading.
Which meant...
“Are you leaving?”
It meant the Dok-jon was departing.
To be more precise...
'Ascension.'
It meant he was finally passing on.