“Master Kang, I hope you will become the Constable Ho Pil to catch the Shadowless Thief.”
Constable Jung said apologetically, feeling very sorry for the difficult request.
“Me, become the Constable Ho Pil to capture the Shadowless Thief?”
“As you know, the Constables don’t hesitate to get involved with the martial artists.”
“Yeah. I understand.”
The martial arts level of the Constables is not high.
If they had high martial arts skills, they wouldn’t be living off a meager salary from such a job in the first place.
“The higher-ups are saying to try and capture him, but what can the Constables really do to catch a thief who is elusive and has mastered martial arts?”
Constable Jung sighed quietly, expressing his frustration.
“What does your suggestion for me to become a Constable have to do with that?”
“As the officials were brainstorming for any way to catch him, it seems the story of Master Kang came up.”
“My story?”
“You directly defeated the Unnamed Postmaster and solved the ghost ship case. You handled a situation involving martial artists that the Constables were all reluctant to deal with, quite perfectly.”
I wondered why they brought up the Constable suggestion; it seems someone must have heard rumors about how my reputation as a famous Constable spread due to the ghost ship incident.
“I was just lucky.”
“Even if the fortune-telling Constables say today’s luck is favorable, they still shy away from getting involved with martial artists.”
“Haha….”
“Plus, Master Kang is a close friend of Author Ho Pil. You must understand the mindset of the Shadowless Thief from the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. There’s no better candidate than you.”
Since they don’t have a capable person internally to catch the Shadowless Thief, they want to recruit a suitable outsider.
Being a Constable isn’t a bad position.
Unlike the positions that are appointed through civil service exams, this is a job that has a nominal salary, but at times, it can also be a job where you get to enjoy life with some extra rewards.
If it had been a year ago, I would have nodded without a second thought.
“Thank you for seeing me in a good light. However, as you know, I am exceptionally busy, so the Constable offer…”
“The higher-ups said if you accept, they will provide various tax exemptions and administrative conveniences you’ll need for your business.”
“…I am listening very positively.”
You definitely should have told me about the benefits first.
“Also, if you become a Constable, there would be significant advantages personally for you, Master Kang from Joseon.”
“Another advantage?”
“A Constable is a position that lives off the state’s salary. It is a status guaranteed by the country. Once the Shadowless Thief incident is resolved, even if you just maintain your status, people won’t look down on Master Kang as a barbarian.”
Constable Jung informed me that once the Shadowless Thief incident is over, I can keep the Constable position without having to actually work.
It’s quite an alluring condition. Indeed, having a public status would make it difficult for barbarians to look down on me.
I lifted my head and looked to Im Ha-yeon, who was peeking over Constable Jung’s shoulder and listening to our conversation.
When our eyes met, she nodded at me. Does Miss Ha-yeon also think it’s a good deal?
Yeah. From the standpoint of helping the Shadowless Thief, if I were to become a Constable chasing the Shadowless Thief, I’d gain massive benefits.
There’s no reason to refuse.
“I’ll give it a try.”
—
“Ha ha ha! Good thinking! I feel like I’ve gained an army of ten thousand!”
As I went to the government office to become a Constable, the Head of the Right Guards welcomed me with a hearty laugh.
“Do you think someone like this barbarian can sit in such an important position?”
“A son-in-law of the Zhuge family is called a barbarian? Who said that! If it burdens you, a mere act will suffice. Do you need any special training to catch the Shadowless Thief?”
I’m currently living under the same roof as the Shadowless Thief, so there’s no need for training.
If I merely refuse, I might seem lacking in will, so maybe I should come up with a decent excuse.
“Actually, when I was in Joseon, I used to follow the activities of those known as famous Constables.”
“Oh? Really?”
The Head of the Right Guards seemed very intrigued by my statement of having the same job in Joseon and looked at me with wide, astonished eyes, stroking his beard.
“I used to follow around a person called Jeonil and Gonan, recording their words and actions.”
The folks who frequently appear on TV!
“I see, you were more of a clerk type.”
“I wasn’t even close to their glory, but since I followed their actions and recorded them (said in records), people even called me the ‘Narrative Tracker’ (seongrokheomju).”
I often hunted for materials on the internet and wrote things online, so that much is true.
“You were called the Narrative Tracker? Indeed! That’s how you solved the ghost ship case!”
The Head of the Right Guards suddenly seemed to realize something, clapping his hands loudly.
“Having spent so long with them, I guess I subconsciously developed a similar way of thinking when encountering cases.”
I actually enjoy mysteries and scientific investigation shows.
“The Narrative Tracker! I’m curious to see how things go in Joseon. This badge will be proof of your Constable identity! Carry it by your waist, and those with crimes will run away! Even the innocent will lower their heads!”
The Head of the Right Guards handed me the badge symbolizing the Constable.
“Thank you. Do I handle my own work then?”
“Do as you like. If you need assistance, you can bring along some Constables to help you.”
“I had some helpers during the last ghost ship case; I hope they can join me.”
“Hmm, very well. Since the higher-ups also gave their approval, if you want, I can temporarily hire them as Constables. But!”
“But?”
I wonder if he’s going to say I need to verify them or something. That would be a bit troublesome.
What will he say? As I looked at him with a somewhat anxious expression, the Head of the Right Guards awkwardly cleared his throat and continued.
“Ahem. The temporary Constable salary will need to come from you.”
So, it’s not that Constables’ salaries are not meager.
“Haha. Of course.”
“Do well, famous Constable from Joseon! If you resolve this matter well, reports might actually go up to the court. Who knows, the Emperor might even grant you an official position! Ha ha ha!”
The Emperor? After exchanging laughter over the silly talk, I nodded in agreement when the Head of the Right Guards told me to send his regards to the Man Geum Battlefield and the Zhuge family before leaving the office.
—
“Now, we shall commence Im Ha-yeon’s Constable appointment ceremony.”
In the guest room of the Yungi Inn.
I stood in front of Im Ha-yeon with a solemn expression as if I were an official appointing a low-level official, unfurling some papers.
“Huh! Do I really have to do this?”
“Thanks to you, crossing the Yangtze River went so smoothly. You can now expand your operational range south of the Yangtze.”
We are now south of Wuhan, near Dong-ho.
Normally, I’d have to be cautious of prying eyes, but showing my badge made it easy to take the boats operated by the government office.
“Are we also going to do Constable work?”
Miss Zhuge asked curiously.
“You will only need to help when it’s crucial. We’re only planning to do minimal investigative probing anyway.”
“Have we already visited all the places where the fake Shadowless Thief was said to have struck?”
“When we went to the places it was said the Shadowless Thief raided, most were just nonsense. A thief appeared, so they claimed it was the Shadowless Thief who raided them.”
Being active here and there, rumors about the elusive righteous thief are usually made like this. I shared the details of today’s investigation with both women.
“Is it really just nonsense about the fake Shadowless Thief?”
“Tomorrow, we’ll check the places where the black paper crane was reportedly found. We’ll be traveling by carriage, so both ladies should move together with me.”
I chose to narrow down the options today just to move together with them both tomorrow, so we only need to be busier tomorrow.
“Do you think we can catch the fake Shadowless Thief?”
Miss Zhuge asked me, looking uncertain.
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t catch them. We just need to uncover the truth.”
“Huh? It doesn’t matter if we can’t catch them?”
Im Ha-yeon looked at me incredulously at my response.
“Our goal is primarily to spread the fame of the Shadowless Thief. So, my job is not to catch the Shadowless Thief, but to disclose the misdeeds of the fake one.”
“Certainly, it would be enough if we could clear my name from the bad rumors. But wouldn’t that just get you into unnecessary trouble?”
Im Ha-yeon looked up at me with a concerned expression.
“After all, a public official’s job isn’t to genuinely solve matters but rather to pretend to do so. The higher-ups don’t expect much of me anyway.”
Even the famous Constable couldn’t resolve it. We did everything we could. Now, we just let everyone fend for themselves.
It was a clever way to navigate functioning as a proper official.
“Y-You know the psychology of officials well, Master Kang.”
“Haha. It’s because I’ve received this badge and restraints.”
I chuckled and placed the badge and restraints on the table.
“Did you learn how to use the restraints at the government office?”
Is it because I hope to never touch them in my lifetime? Im Ha-yeon stared for a moment at the restraints I had set down before asking me.
“I just brought the restraints since I didn’t have time.”
“What do you think would happen if the fake gets tied up and then escapes?”
“I-I’ve heard that Constables should be good at tying things up.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure I can manage without formal training.”
Why do they all look at me with such untrustworthy expressions? I mean, it’s not like I’ve never tied a person up.
“Here you go.”
Im Ha-yeon approached me silently and extended her wrists in front of me.
“Huh?”
“Did you just come back without helping? Let me help.”
“I… I’m pretty good at tying.”
“Hmm. Such confidence. But if you’re too cocky, you might lose a captured thief. I could escape in no time without using my martial arts.”
“You’ll regret it, though?”
Are you sure about that?
“Who do you think I am?”
With a confident smirk, Im Ha-yeon gave me a playful smile.
It’s probably not baseless confidence. After all, she’s learned the martial arts of the Shadowless Thief, so she must be knowledgeable about escape methods.
Meanwhile, I’m a newbie Constable who’s never bound a criminal. I haven’t even received proper training in fastening techniques.
From her perspective, this probably presents an opportunity to teach me about the importance of binding techniques.
But here’s the thing. Im Ha-yeon.
It’s true I’ve never tied up a criminal before. But it’s not like I’ve never tied up a person, you know?
“Fine. Don’t regret it.”
I tautened the restraints for a split second.
A year ago.
It’s time for the Joseon brother, who was embroiled in agony, tying up his sensual childhood friend, to spring into action.
“Hey, wait! What are you doing?!”
In a breath, I secured her arms. Then carefully pushed Im Ha-yeon onto the bed.
“I didn’t ask for this.”
With practiced skill, I immobilized her by bending her knees down.
“Eek! T-This tickles! Th-this feels… s-so lewd!”
“It’s a standard binding act. If you want, I can release you immediately.”
To be fair, I don’t actually know what a standard binding act is. I learned everything from So-hee.
Given the situation, some physical contact is inevitable, but isn’t this pretty normal?
“No… uh, that… pl-please don’t stop! Do it more!”
Maybe because her lips touched the bed. Im Ha-yeon murmured in a voice barely loud enough for me to hear.
“I’ll bind you immediately.”
“Why… why are you so skilled?!”
“Master Kang! After Ha-yeon sister is done, let me try too!”
Huh?
—
“Ughh! Please untie me quickly…”
I have triumphed.
With her face buried in the bed, Im Ha-yeon shot me an annoyed glare as a single tear glimmered in her other eye.
“You said you could untie yourself.”
What a sight. It’s almost a waste to sip on cheap tea while watching.
Not that I have that kind of preference, but watching two women helplessly bound is more enjoyable than I initially thought.
Im Ha-yeon’s arms and legs were tightly bound behind her, and with each struggle, the strap connecting her limbs emphasized her silhouette even more.
So-hee. Big brother shows off his skill after a long while, huh?
It wasn’t as fast as when I was tying you up every day for your life, but since I was merely tying her limbs, my skills didn’t seem to have diminished.
Since So-hee came to mind, I think I’ll write another letter when I return to the mansion.
“I’m defeated. Please untie me quickly! Zhuge So-ja is suffering, too.”
“Hehe. For some reason, it feels quite comforting, like being in a closet.”
“Huh…?”
I thought it was odd that Miss Zhuge didn’t resist much, but isn’t she being a bit too comfortable?
Im Ha-yeon’s face showed a mix of confusion as she looked at Miss Zhuge’s relaxed expression.
Maybe I should untie them now. Just as I reached for my teacup to stand up, the door to the guest room swung open.
“Club Leader! Is everything alright with your lodging…? Huh?!”
Ah.
The innkeeper of the branch at 3, looking horrified, locked eyes with me.
“Seems like you have quite the hobby, Club Leader…”
Oh, please. You have a painful expression trying to come to terms with this.
“I was just practicing my binding techniques…”
“I understand. There are times you just want to bind your wife and run away, right?”
That’s not it.
While the willingness to empathize is generally good service, there’s no need to go that far.
“Constable Ho Pil! It’s a big deal! Huh?!”
Why does Constable Jung come now?
“Um, well… I was practicing binding techniques.”
I desperately squeezed out excuses to clear the misunderstanding between the two women.
Both women buried their faces into the bed, like an ostrich hiding their head in the sand.
I need to handle this urgently.
I quickly covered the two women’s less-than-decent appearance with a blanket and stepped outside with the two who had come to check on me.
“As expected of a famous Constable! I’ve never seen such binding techniques! Is that how the binding techniques are in Joseon? I’ve never heard or seen anything like that!”
The Aesuaemu is a unique custom of Joseon, primarily done in the bedroom…
“What’s going on?”
I asked Constable Jung with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.
What on earth brought him here?
Only then did Constable Jung seem to recall the purpose of his visit, startlingly exclaiming.
“My God! It’s bad! The Shadowless Thief has killed someone!”
