Chapter 101: Chapter 101
“But what about the Seventh Young Master? He’s probably with him by now…”
The adjutant opened his mouth as carefully as possible to avoid offending Myo Chae-gyeong. What she was saying now made no sense chronically or logically.
However.
“What does it matter? I just need to kill that bastard Jang I-seo first. Once he’s dead and gone, who would bother listening to the Seventh Young Master’s claims of innocence? Hohohoho!”
Myo Chae-gyeong laughed like a demon.
The adjutant realized anew.
Just what kind of person Myo Chae-gyeong was.
Someone who disrupted situations and fabricated answers to her liking. Someone who wouldn’t even care if someone raised an objection later, as long as the impact was minimal. A madwoman.
“I will personally go to the Maeng Family. I will deliver the grim news. How furious would the Third Elder be to learn that his son was kidnapped because of a mere adjutant? Hohohoho!”
Myo Chae-gyeong flashed a sinister smile and whipped around.
Her destination was the main headquarters.
Specifically, where the Third Elder, Maeng Cheol-yong, resided.
‘Jang I-seo… You will be buried in the Sea of Death with the Iron Horse Bandits. I will make it so.’
The moment a poison mushroom-like conspiracy began to bloom.
* * *
It had been quite some time since Jang I-seo left Cheonsan and raced eastward.
They had stopped at villages along the way to switch out exhausted horses and refill their waterskins before departing, twice.
By now, a glittering Milky Way illuminated the wasteland night.
The group had set up camp on a hill advantageous for spotting scouts.
The daytime heat had fled before the moon, and the air had turned cold.
It was the harsh environment unique to the north, where bitter cold and scorching heat coexisted within a single day.
And the chill in the air was matched by the atmosphere among them.
“Sleeping with the enemy. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to sleep properly, worried about getting stabbed in the back.”
Mao made no effort to hide his displeasure. It was understandable.
It was outrageous enough that Maeng Hwi had been kidnapped, but traveling with the culprits?
Moreover, these were the Iron Horse Bandits, the ones who had peddled Soul-Befuddling Powder.
There had been a huge scene when they found out at a village along the way.
But what could they do?
They were the ones who needed the Iron Horse Bandits.
“If you don’t like it, we can part ways here and go our separate routes.”
The man with rugged features snorted. It was Gwa-pyeong, the Iron Horse Bandit lieutenant.
“Hey, I told you to speak in our language!”
“This is our language, you idiot.”
“What, you punk? You just insulted me, didn’t you. Bring it.”
“I never turn down a fight that walks up to me. Come on, brat.”
They had been riding horses for hours, so they should have been exhausted. Both of them had remarkable stamina.
“Hey, Adjutant Jang. Stop those two. My stomach hurts. I couldn’t go today. Sheesh.”
Nobody asked. Nobody wanted to know. As Jang I-seo frowned, So-o offered an awkward greeting and slipped away.
Why was the man still wearing tinted glasses even at night?
Anyway.
“That’s enough.”
Jang I-seo parted the two men who were pressing their foreheads together in confrontation, pushing them apart.
“Unless you want to become their dinner, fight after we’re done with everything.”
Howwwwl!
The moment he finished speaking, a wolf’s howl echoed from the distance. Hawks circled overhead, waiting for an opportunity.
“Hmph.”
“Tch.”
Mao and Gwa-pyeong turned away from each other like sulking children.
“Jang I-seo. I’m against this. How can you trust that guy and follow him? What if he leads us into their den!”
What do you mean, what if? That’s exactly what we want.
“We need to go to that den. That’s the only way to find him.”
“I-is that what this was about?!”
What did he think it was? As Jang I-seo shook his head, Gwa-pyeong beside him chuckled.
“I can see your plight. Stuck serving a clueless young master like that. Why don’t you come over to our side instead? From what I saw earlier, you don’t seem to be treated particularly well.”
That was true, but choosing bandits over the Demonic Cult was a bit much. Jang I-seo exhaled lightly and spoke.
“Are we on the right path?”
“Seeing how suspicious you are, you’re a natural-born Demonic Cult man. Oh, do you dislike the term Demonic Cult? Anyway, don’t worry. Unlike you people, we always pay our debts when someone saves our lives.”
Glad to hear it.
“If you don’t plan to stand watch all night, sit down.”
Jang I-seo sat down first. Then he ignited the gathered branches with the Samadhi True Fire. FWOOSH!
“I heard about it, but it’s truly bizarre. Producing fire from your bare hands.”
Gwa-pyeong sat down, pretending to yield out of curiosity. Mao too reluctantly pushed out his lips and took a seat.
“Anyone can do it with enough study.”
“Can I learn it too?”
At Gwa-pyeong’s question, Jang I-seo studied him for a moment and nodded.
Though his techniques were Western in origin and rough, the principle of accumulating internal energy was the same.
With proper refinement, it would be possible.
“Probably.”
“Oh…”
Gwa-pyeong showed deep interest and produced a waterskin made of camel leather from his waist, offering it.
“Drink. The wasteland nights are cold. It’ll help you endure.”
Accepting it on impulse, Jang I-seo stared at it and sniffed. A potent alcoholic scent with a herb-like aroma rose from it.
“Is it alcohol?”
“It’s liquor made from mare’s milk. Drink too much and you’ll get an upset stomach, so don’t blame me for poisoning you. Just have a little.”
Gwa-pyeong laughed and gestured for him to try it.
Honestly, he didn’t need it to get through the night. When he was first-rate, defending against the cold and heat had been difficult, but now at the initial stage of the absolute realm, this was bearable.
Mao, brimming with yang energy, had long since thrown off his shirt complaining it was too hot.
“Why. Are you worried it’s poisoned…”
Gulp, gulp.
Jang I-seo took two hearty swallows without hesitation before Gwa-pyeong could even finish.
“Kkeum…”
Sour. The alcohol wasn’t strong, but it was sour enough to make his brow furrow.
Seeing this, Gwa-pyeong was the one who was surprised.
“You drank it without any suspicion at all. What if it had been poisoned?”
“Weren’t you about to say it wasn’t?”
“Are you more naive than you look? How could you take my word for it?”
“If you were going to pull something, you’d have done it ages ago. There were plenty of chances to run along the way.”
“…Hey. Don’t you think you’re looking at the world too easily? Wasteland bandits are ruthless.”
He was boasting. Jang I-seo smirked.
Of course, it wasn’t blind trust. Jang I-seo’s life and profession weren’t that easy.
The wet opening showing signs of prior consumption, less than half the volume remaining, the leather waterskin showing no discoloration.
It was the result of synthesizing all of these observations.
And.
“You said you always pay your debts when someone saves your life.”
“W-well, that’s true. Ahem!”
Gwa-pyeong’s face flushed red.
Building rapport through empathy with an opponent was a spy’s fundamental skill.
He was slightly moved by the fact that Jang I-seo had trusted him.
‘Going along this easily, he doesn’t seem to be a bad guy by nature…’
Jang I-seo tilted his head. Compared to the things he had done and the label of bandit, Gwa-pyeong didn’t seem like a villain.
So why had he done such things?
“I’m Gwa-pyeong.”
Jang I-seo broke from his thoughts and turned his head. The man offered a grin and a greeting.
He had already heard the name.
But this time carried a different meaning.
If earlier it had been a name to remember before killing the man, now it was an introduction for reconciliation.
Gwa-pyeong immediately offered the liquor to Mao as well. Again, a gesture of reconciliation.
“If anything happened to that kid, I won’t let you off.”
“Heh, don’t worry. Nothing’s happened yet.”
“Tch. I’m Mao.”
Mao turned his head and accepted the greeting. Right at that moment, someone emerged from the darkness and spoke.
“I’m So-o. Proprietor of the Bumun Inn, as you know. Dear Iron Horse Bandit customers, sorry about earlier. So keep the snitching business a secret, will you? Haha!”
Having finished his business, he returned and took the remaining empty seat. Gwa-pyeong scowled and bristled.
“Hmph, a rat who threw away the very concept of honor!”
“Rat is a bit harsh. How about a crow?”
“What. You know our language too?”
“I’m a man of many talents.”
“Damn it.”
“Hey! Speak in our language, you bastards!”
“This is our language!”
“What, you bastard? You insulted me again, didn’t you. Bring it.”
What kind of comedy routine was this?
Jang I-seo spoke softly, acting as the mediator.
“I’m Jang I-seo.”
As if on cue, all three fell silent at once.
He hadn’t intended that.
However.
‘Tch.’
‘Hey, what kind of entertaining scheme are you cooking up this time?’
‘Anyway, I owe the man my life.’
Though their reasons differed, they all acknowledged that much.
Whether they realized it or not, Jang I-seo was rising above them.
In any case, the chilly atmosphere had improved considerably after the introductions.
And the flow of conversation was directed through Jang I-seo.
“How much do you know about our cult?”
An assertive question from the start.
The die had been cast, and they were now inevitably tied to the Iron Horse Bandits.
So he had to learn as much as possible through dialogue.
“Why, you want to establish a hierarchy? Cut it out if you’re trying to play superior. I have no intention of bowing my head to you people.”
But things weren’t smooth from the start. Gwa-pyeong’s tone soured, and he was on guard as if he had never warmed up at all.
However, this was exactly what Jang I-seo had intended.
“I’m simply curious. Who you are. Why you did such things. You don’t seem like someone who would act without reason.”
A masterful choice of words that deflated the agitated emotions.
“Th-that’s… ahem. Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Gwa-pyeong cleared his throat unnecessarily and spoke quickly to dispel his embarrassment.
“But even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. In your eyes, we’re nothing but crawling insects. The kind that get stepped on and crushed without the stepper even noticing.”
A subtle resentment lingered in Gwa-pyeong’s voice. But it wasn’t directed at the people present here.
It was closer to hatred toward the Demonic Cult, the organization that called itself the ruler of the north.
“You’ve suffered a lot, it seems.”
“Is there anyone in the north who hasn’t suffered at your hands? Everyone bows because they lack power, not because they want to.”
“So you spread Soul-Befuddling Powder through our cult and kidnapped people? Because of that resentment?”
“That’s…!”
Gwa-pyeong turned his head away as if he had no desire to answer further. Jang I-seo nodded as if he understood.
“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. But as you said, our cult has power. Enough to kill without even meaning to. But what if we deliberately set our sights on you?”
“Are you… threatening me right now?”
“I’m stating a fact. The boy you took happens to be someone you should never have touched.”
“What, is he the Cult Leader’s son or something? Heh.”
“Yes.”
“Wh-what?!”
Gwa-pyeong was so flustered that the Xiongnu language slipped out.
“His name is Maeng Hwi. The sixth son of the Cult Leader.”
Insane. No words would come out. His mouth just opened and closed like a goldfish.
‘Wait. That brat earlier definitely called him a kid… Then?!’
He started and pointed at Mao.
“Don’t tell me he is too?!”
Gwa-pyeong asked and immediately looked at Jang I-seo. But his eyes were as calm as a lake, and his mouth was shut tight like a rock.
If so…
“I’m screwed!”
He had stirred up far too massive a problem.