Chapter 263: Chapter 263

After hearing the story, I was dumbfounded.

“……So.”

Apparently, Yaryul Geuk had gone after Ak Ju-pyeong whenever he had the chance and unilaterally challenged him to martial duels.

Even when Ak Ju-pyeong refused, he began the duel anyway, harassing him at all hours.

Well, this was……

“Are you, by any chance, insane?”

“……Eldest Senior Brother.”

Ah, I meant to think that only to myself, but it slipped out of my mouth. So what?

I patted Eun-ho on the shoulder, then looked back at Yaryul Geuk.

What are you going to do if you glare at me like that?

“Hey, do you want to fight? Lower your eyes while I am still speaking nicely……”

CRASH.

“Let us fight!”

Just look at that temper.

Yaryul Geuk sprang to his feet, huffing with rage.

Eun-ho sighed and pressed his numbing acupoint.

“Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the Academy has not said anything yet.”

Of course not. They must have seen my Senior Brother and Academy Head, Buk Won-pyeong, summon the Third Hall Master and thunder at him. From the standpoint of those beneath him, how could they step forward easily?

“Moreover, because the Third Hall Master had gone to the Black Thought Alliance as the delegation captain, it seems Ak Ju-pyeong reported it directly to his main family.”

“And?”

“That is all I know.”

“Hm…….”

I lightly kicked Yaryul Geuk, who had collapsed on the floor.

“Hey, can you not make peace already and get along?”

Then, unable to move his body, Yaryul Geuk growled instead and bared his sharp fangs.

……Was he some wild beast?

“I cannot live under the same sky as that bastard!”

“…….”

While I sighed at the sight of that untamable fellow—

“Tsk, tsk. Those who act as they please have short lives.”

Dang Seo-hui, who was sitting beside me and drinking Seven-Colored Flower tea, began picking up peanuts one by one and throwing them at him.

Excuse me, but I do not think you are one to say that……

“Graaah! Does this little shrimp want to die?”

Haa…… My head was truly spinning.

Yaryul Geuk glared at Dang Seo-hui with the face of a yaksha, but Dang Seo-hui simply continued throwing peanuts, using Yaryul Geuk’s face as her target.

“You are more of a little shrimp.”

“Let us fight!”

Stop. She is the White-Hand Divine Maiden, you idiot.

After letting out a small sigh, I asked again.

“Have you still not overcome it?”

“What?”

Yaryul Geuk glared at me as though he wanted to kill me.

I looked straight into his eyes.

“Your fear. I am asking whether you still have not overcome it.”

Yaryul Geuk’s face hardened.

Even as he took wounds, he barked like a wildcat and charged in the end because it was a desperate struggle not to be consumed by fear.

Fear accumulated over a long period could not be overcome in a single morning.

Each day that began with fear and helplessness was merely one more continuation of hell.

“I, Yaryul Jae, and the Sojeong Squad…… all lived each day while struggling desperately.”

I understood Yaryul Geuk’s feelings better than anyone.

He too was probably only thrashing desperately to keep himself from drowning in water that had risen all the way to his throat.

“…….”

Yaryul Geuk, who had been hissing like a wildcat, pressed his mouth shut.

“I…… cannot forgive it.”

“Yes. After being tormented to that extent, it would not be easy to forgive him. That is……”

“I cannot forgive myself for having done nothing but run away helplessly.”

“……Hm?”

Yaryul Geuk’s eyes had turned bloodshot.

It seemed he was desperately straining not to shed tears.

“I worked so hard…… to enter the Academy, yet in the end, I was so helpless that I let this chance pass by without even being able to run away. I cannot forgive that……!”

DRIP. DRIP.

In the end, thick tears fell from Yaryul Geuk’s eyes.

He did not say it aloud, but it seemed that, burdened by the sacrifices of his elder brothers, he had felt far greater guilt and responsibility than I had imagined.

“…….”

Moreover, considering that he had tried to give up on his own life at the end, an even greater sense of helplessness must have descended upon him.

“I…… despise myself.”

As he said, he was ugly and loathsome beyond measure.

Perhaps because, while living a second life, the sight of myself still unable to overcome fear overlapped with him, he appeared even more that way.

As I looked at him gritting his teeth and trembling, I fell briefly into thought.

CLACK.

All of a sudden, Dang Seo-hui rose from her seat, walked over to Yaryul Geuk, crouched beside him, and……

“……?”

……stroked his head.

“Everyone has times like that. Even so, there is no need to blame yourself.”

For some reason, Dang Seo-hui’s words seemed to pierce one corner of my heart.

“You must not hate even that version of yourself. You have to cherish it more and love it more.”

At the words that followed, something that had been stabbing my chest surged up through my throat.

Did Dang Seo-hui have such a side to her?

Then—

“……Especially when giving the Ak Clan an excuse is even more foolish.”

Without warning, Dang Seo-hui struck his head with the same hand that had been stroking it.

“You are foolish.”

……Of course.

After being struck by that sudden blow, Yaryul Geuk’s face turned wildcat-like again.

“Who are you calling a fool? You are more of a fool!”

“I am not. I have already proven myself as a member of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. Can you enter the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly?”

“……Let us fight!”

Yaryul Geuk writhed on the floor in excitement, and Dang Seo-hui struck him once more on the back of the head before returning to her seat.

At their noisy voices, I pressed my temples and engraved patience into my heart.

Eun-ho also sighed and spoke to me.

“For now, since Yaryul Geuk has entered the Representative Delegation, the Ak Clan will be cautious even if they move.”

“……That does not mean we can place someone who does no work into the Representative Delegation.”

I nudged Yaryul Geuk with the tip of my foot.

“I will acknowledge fights conducted through formal martial duel challenges. But other ambushes or cheating will not be permitted.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

I added calmly.

“That is as far as I can protect you. Do not look down on one of the Five Great Clans. There is certainly a reason their underlying strength has endured for five hundred years.”

I had said this much, so I hoped he would please understand.

Then the fellow stopped moving and stared up at me.

“Protect…… me?”

Instead of answering, I kicked him once more and turned away.

What a troublesome fellow.

Eun-ho looked down at Yaryul Geuk, then asked me in puzzlement.

“What do you intend to do?”

“I will have to speak with him first.”

“……With Ak Ju-pyeong? Eldest Senior Brother, Ak Ju-pyeong hates you even more than he hates Yaryul Geuk.”

I smiled faintly at Eun-ho.

“Why would I speak to such a small fry? I should speak to someone higher than him.”

“What?”

For whatever reason, our relationship had been good for a while.

I wondered whether this matter would sour it.

“……Even so, it is better than letting that fellow die.”

The face of the one who would be saddened if Yaryul Geuk died came to mind.

I would rather watch that fellow grin and boast of his martial arts than see him sink into gloom because his younger brother had died.

“Well, I will have to try.”

I looked again at Yaryul Geuk, who had become Dang Seo-hui’s peanut target once more.

He had an expression that showed he had no idea what was going on.

Do not look at me like that. I do not understand myself either.

Ak Byeong-bi tried his utmost to calm his emotions.

Only recently had he begun meeting the Grand Strategist often, but even so, for Ak Byeong-bi, who held the post of Third Hall Master of the Execution Pavilion, meeting the head of Mantongbu was an exceedingly burdensome matter.

“Hoo…… A private audience……”

He knew why he had been asked to meet separately.

From the moment he had been appointed as delegation captain, the intention had already been plainly visible.

“It must certainly be related to Jin So-un.”

He knew it was meant for him to investigate closely the suspicious conduct Jin So-un had shown until now, and he also knew that he was the right person for the task.

But had he not already conveyed the results of his investigation together with the delegation report?

By speaking sufficiently of Jin So-un’s merits, he had expressed that the suspicion of him being a Black Path spy could be withdrawn. Yet the meticulous Jegal So-myeong had surely arranged this meeting in order to hear his opinion directly from his own mouth.

“As expected, the Grand Strategist is the Grand Strategist……”

As if to make a mockery of the rumors that he had obtained his position through the backing of the Jegal Clan, Jegal So-myeong was currently managing the Murim Alliance splendidly.

Had the retired seniors of the Execution Pavilion not said that, because of the influence of rising martial sects and clans, the Murim Alliance would have overturned several times already if not for him?

The fact that the current Murim Alliance Leader, Hyeok Mu-gang, had been able to remain Alliance Leader for nearly twenty years was due in no small part to the merit of Jegal So-myeong, who had occupied the position of head of Mantongbu for that same length of time.

Soon, the door opened, and Jegal So-myeong leisurely walked in.

“My apologies for making a busy man wait.”

As Jegal So-myeong entered the private chamber, there was somehow a smile at the corner of his mouth.

“What kind of tea do you like?”

“I am fine with anything.”

“Is that so? The Junshan Yinzhen that came in this time was quite good.”

Seeing Jegal So-myeong preparing the tea himself, Ak Byeong-bi tried to spring to his feet.

“Ah, I will……”

“That is fine. I called out a busy man, so it is only natural that I do this much.”

At the sight of the Grand Strategist humming as he prepared the tea, Ak Byeong-bi drew the string of his tension tauter than ever.

Showing leisure in order to make the other person lower their guard.

This was a method commonly used in the Execution Pavilion when interrogating people.

A moment later, two steaming teacups were placed before them.

“Go on, drink.”

While Jegal So-myeong slowly drank his tea and savored its fragrance, Ak Byeong-bi did not touch his cup.

Jegal So-myeong, who had been leisurely observing him, set down his teacup.

“Why? Is the tea not to your liking?”

“No.”

“Then why do you not drink it?”

“…….”

Their gazes met briefly in the air.

Ak Byeong-bi’s mind turned as he tried to grasp Jegal So-myeong’s intent.

Then he suddenly opened his mouth.

“……Jin So-un is not a Black Path spy.”

“Hm?”

Jegal So-myeong looked surprised.

Ak Byeong-bi clenched his fists tightly.

The best way to overcome this sort of psychological stratagem was to break through head-on.

With unwavering eyes, he stared at the Grand Strategist.

“While accompanying the delegation to the Black Thought Alliance, I observed Jin So-un from the closest position without missing a single moment. That child certainly has insolent and delinquent sides, but to conclude from that that his will lies with the Black Path would, I believe, be no different from trampling a fine sprout that could become a great tree of the Orthodox Path Murim.”

Jegal So-myeong, who had silently listened to Ak Byeong-bi, tilted his head.

He had merely intended to counsel him before a personnel evaluation, yet unexpected words were pouring from his mouth.

Seemingly intrigued, Jegal So-myeong stroked the teacup with his fingers.

“Hmm…… A tree that will become a great tree…… Do you truly think so?”

“Of course, I believe there will be many difficulties. He lacks both innate talent and a reliable background.”

Ak Byeong-bi shook his head, then took a breath and spoke firmly.

“However, that child certainly possesses the vessel to become a great tree of the Orthodox Path Murim.”

“Hmm……?”

As Jegal So-myeong listened to Ak Byeong-bi, he sank briefly into thought.

The Third Hall Master of the Execution Pavilion was famous in both the Black Path Murim and the Orthodox Path Murim.

He was as upright as bamboo, unmoved by temptation, and without an opening.

He did have a strong affection for his clan, but among those active in the Murim Alliance, who did not?

Was that not precisely why they struggled to enter the Murim Alliance by taking the absurd Murim Regular Exam or the Academy’s examinations?

In the end, what mattered was whether one balanced it properly and became useful to the Murim Alliance, or whether one merely sought one’s own benefit like a parasite.

That was why Jegal So-myeong had deliberately sent him as captain of this delegation.

He wanted to see how a man who fiercely hated and loathed the Black Path would handle a situation involving negotiation with the Black Path.

From the position of Great Hall Master onward, what was required was not merely the ability to handle the duties inherent to the post, but the ability to see the greater picture.

Yet in a setting meant to evaluate that ability, the first thing he offered was praise of Jin So-un.

It was both unexpected and amusing, so Jegal So-myeong continued listening in silence.

“The greatest obstacle to the advancement of one who has nothing is not his shameful flaws or his past. More often, it is the gaze of those who envy him. For that reason, I believe the Execution Pavilion and the Execution Pavilion must not become the crooked weapons of such people and bring down a bird trying to soar high.”

Jegal So-myeong nodded.

“Of course. That is true. But what if the affairs of one’s own sect or clan are involved? Could you maintain your composure then as well?”

The words pierced deeply into Ak Byeong-bi’s heart.

He answered calmly to the remark that pointed at his own past.

“I am ashamed. If you tell me to take responsibility, I will accept any responsibility.”

“Tsk, tsk. That is enough. How many people in the Murim Alliance do not pursue personal interests to that extent? Do not think of slipping away for no reason and shoving the work onto someone else.”

Jegal So-myeong, who had refreshed the atmosphere with a playful joke, continued speaking.

“In any case, what you are saying is that Jin So-un is not a spy, and that there is no possibility he will become one in the future. Is that right?”

Ak Byeong-bi immediately nodded.

“Jin So-un holds the spirit of the Orthodox Path Murim more uprightly than anyone, and he is a person who does not hesitate to put chivalrous righteousness into practice.”

“Hmm…….”

A brief silence flowed.

“Heh heh heh.”

In an instant, laughter slipped from Jegal So-myeong’s mouth.

“That is a tale I would hardly believe came from the mouth of the Third Hall Master of the Execution Pavilion.”

At the sound of laughter filling the private chamber, Ak Byeong-bi’s face flushed red.

“Very well. I have learned everything I needed to know. You may return now.”

After Ak Byeong-bi left, Jegal So-myeong sat alone and murmured.

“He turns one who bore a grudge into an ally. Is his vessel truly that large? Or has upright bamboo become a reed?”

The smile did not leave Jegal So-myeong’s lips as he drank his tea.

After returning to the Third Hall of the Execution Pavilion, Ak Byeong-bi collapsed into his seat from exhaustion and let out a long sigh.

“This is difficult.”

Just as he began thinking that it would be easier to bring in and investigate a hundred people suspected of being spies—

“Hall Master, a guest has come.”

“A guest?”

“Yes. It is Young Master Ak Ju-pyeong.”

Ak Byeong-bi tilted his head briefly, then called out.

“Show him in.”

“Yes.”

A moment later.

Ak Ju-pyeong entered, limping ever so slightly on one foot.

“Uncle……!”

The moment Ak Byeong-bi saw Ak Ju-pyeong’s face, looking as though he might burst into tears at any moment, his own face hardened.