Chapter: 819
“Holy King—!!!”
A wild scream ripples through the branch.
The amplified volume was quite loud, as if the voice itself had bet everything on this moment. Furthermore, the level of the one shouting was so profound that even the trees seemed to shake in response.
“… Ugh….”
“Grrr…!!”
The warriors guarding the branch were all swaying like drunken men.
At the Hwagyeong level? That was the roar of a figure nearly confirmed to be the next great master.
“Where are you-!”
The owner of Noh Ho.
For some reason, the Blue Dragon Commander Ilcheonggeom was unable to control his emotions and was openly expressing his fury.
“Gu Yangcheon-!”
He called out my name repeatedly, and because of this, everyone in the branch was starting to panic. Especially the branch manager, Mok Ri-seon, looked utterly flustered, his eyes twitching wildly.
Kuugugugug—!!
The gradually spreading aura began to weigh down on the area around the branch like a lead blanket. It seemed he had more energy than I thought.
“Ugh… Ugh…!!”
“Urgh!”
People were stumbling around, and now some were even retching. It was clear that if this continued, they’d be coughing up blood soon enough. I just happened to appear at that peak moment.
“What are you doing?”
As I emerged with a bewildered look on my face, Ilcheonggeom instantly spotted me and charged towards me.
He immediately grabbed me by the collar.
My body jolted from the shock. I looked at Ilcheonggeom with a puzzled expression.
“… Oh dear. Senior, why are you doing this?”
“This punk-!”
Ilcheonggeom shouted at me, his face twisted in outrage as if he could no longer contain himself.
“How dare you mock me? How dare you-!”
As he shouted angrily, Ilcheonggeom threw something at me. I looked up to see it was a letter.
This letter bore the seal of the Alliance, specifically one that Ilcheonggeom had received on the second day of his journey to Sacheon.
If memory serves correctly, it likely conveyed this:
“The Blue Dragon Commander must immediately lead his men back to the main headquarters.”
That’s what it seemed to mean.
Ilcheonggeom, upon receiving it, returned to the Alliance with a strange expression on his face.
He must have felt it was odd, but it bore the seal of Mukyeon. And it was also stamped with the direct seal from Mukyeon.
Once he saw this, there was nothing more he could do.
So Ilcheonggeom headed back to the Alliance.
Meanwhile, I continued on my journey to Sacheon.
Because of this, a time difference emerged between Ilcheonggeom and my arrival in Sacheon.
So,
Why was the returning Ilcheonggeom so furious? The reason was none other than this.
After receiving the letter and returning to the Alliance, Ilcheonggeom likely heard some news.
Namely, there was no record of such a letter being sent from Mukyeon.
Yes, the letter was fake.
Oh, not exactly fake.
“It’s a bit too much to call it fake.”
The seal is real, and that much is true… but anyway, thanks to that stunt, Ilcheonggeom experienced some serious annoyance. I guess this is why he was so angry.
“Senior, why are you doing this? Please calm down.”
I had to keep crafting a face that lamented my unfair treatment.
“Calm down? Calm down? Hah-!”
“Why is someone presumed dead suddenly appearing and acting like this?”
“Are you going to pretend not to know? Do you think I won’t recognize your handiwork?!”
“No, wait! What exactly do you mean?”
“You manipulated the organization’s seal and even forged false orders, and now you act innocent?”
Ilcheonggeom spat out those words while gnashing his teeth.
I clearly felt his rage and slightly cringed.
“Seal manipulation?”
“How far do you plan on shoving your hand into this? Do you really think I’m not aware of anything?”
“I’m genuinely starting to lose my mind here.”
I swatted his hand off my collar with a frustrated expression.
Crack—! Despite my grip, my uniform was in tatters now.
“What exactly are you talking about? Manipulation? Forgery? Why are you throwing accusations the moment you arrive—”
Are you being serious? I barely managed to swallow that insult.
Sure, I could have spat it out, but holding it in felt more crucial right now.
For some unknown reason, Ilcheonggeom was convinced I was the culprit behind all this.
But the vital point here is…
‘This punk’s quicker than he looks.’
In reality, I was the guilty one.
While I wasn’t the one who sent the letter and caused it to be received, I orchestrated the whole plan.
So, it was a tad unexpected.
‘I suspected it, but I didn’t expect this level of certainty.’
What made him so sure? How did he come to this conclusion?
I was somewhat curious about it.
“… Is this all chaos?”
I tried to soften my words, but Ilcheonggeom’s rage showed no signs of dying down.
If anything, it only seemed to intensify, his expression distorting even more with every word.
“No matter how much the Master Muk is on your side, this is a grave matter carried out in the main Alliance. You can’t just meddle in things flippantly!”
I nodded, holding back a snort.
I let one word slide.
“No matter how much I dislike how things are going, you can’t mix personal feelings into a mission.”
And then I jumped on that second sentence.
“Personal feelings? Who?”
Ilcheonggeom, who had been ramping up his tirade, suddenly seemed to choke on his words.
“I wonder who’s talking to whom.”
“… this guy.”
“Are you kidding me? Let’s ignore that for now, Senior.”
In truth, I had no intention of brushing it aside. It was just too easy to get him tangled up in words, so why skip that opportunity?
But, I was just pretending to ignore it because I had something better in mind.
“Do you have any proof that I did this?”
“…”
Upon being asked, he fell silent. Naturally, it made sense; how could there be any evidence?
It wasn’t like I’d leave something that careless behind.
Hence, I could respond even more easily.
“Personal feelings? Sure, since you know, let’s just say it plainly—I don’t really like you at all, Senior.”
I didn’t just dislike him a little.
Enough to want him gone.
“But frankly, it looks like you’re not too fond of me either. Am I wrong?”
“…”
“Since you haven’t replied, I’ll take that as an affirmation… Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me. We don’t need to be amicable, do we? However…”
I tapped Ilcheonggeom’s collar lightly with my fingers.
“I get that you’re feeling offended by the strange things happening to you. I do feel for you there, but…”
At the same time, I locked eyes with Ilcheonggeom and continued speaking.
“If you go about this without any evidence, it’ll be a problem. There are so many eyes on us. As you said, we came here to do important work.”
I let my gaze drop slightly as I spoke.
I could see Ilcheonggeom trembling.
It appeared he wanted to draw his sword at any second. His fighting spirit was subtly creeping in.
I ended up chuckling at that sight.
“So for now, just take a breath and chill. Unless you plan on drawing your sword right this moment.”
If you feel so inclined, draw it. Let’s see how that plays out in front of everyone.
I effortlessly positioned this, breaking his pride a little while I was at it. Unintentionally proving that I hit a nerve, the veins in Ilcheonggeom’s forehead bulged visibly.
Now that I pushed him this far, would he really be able to endure?
I was certain I already knew the answer deep inside me. Ilcheonggeom would surely endure the situation.
Crack.
To confirm, he gritted his teeth, holding back his emotions.
He was overly cautious.
It was a bit surprising to see him react so emotionally, but he would avoid falling into such an obvious trap.
Thus, it had to be crafted with care.
He mustn’t think of himself as prey.
Instead, I need him to see himself as the predator. I shouldn’t be the one to catch him. I needed to position him to be the one catching me.
Everything from the start until now had been a setup for that very moment.
Ilcheonggeom was making puzzling expressions, managing to suppress himself and inching closer to me.
He didn’t shy away.
“… Don’t get the wrong idea; this isn’t a matter I’m going to just overlook.”
“Oh yes, I know that very well.”
“No matter how much you fight against me, the outcome won’t change. The moment you return to the main headquarters…”
Kkkrrr.
I could hear the grinding of teeth resonating crystal clear in my ears.
“Together with the Golden Dragon Lord’s matters, every secret you’ve dealt with shall be exposed.”
I felt his resolve not to brush this lightly.
After hearing this, I nodded slightly and replied.
“Yes. I’ll be looking forward to that. So for now, please proceed with your tasks. Your Excellency, the Blue Dragon Lord.”
With my words, the Blue Dragon Lord, who had been holding back his ire, spun around.
The direction was where the branch manager was stationed.
“All right, men!”
Ilcheonggeom commanded the Cheongryongdae.
“Since we’ve arrived at our destination, let’s commence the search immediately, ensuring our previously laid plans remain intact.”
Thud!
They commenced their mission without even taking a break upon their arrival. Even at that order, the agents responded robustly and without hesitation.
They seriously looked disciplined. Spotting this, I asked Ilcheonggeom.
“Mind if I pass over the intel I’ve gathered? If you need it—”
“No need. I will obtain the details directly from the branch manager.”
“Oh, understood.”
Before I realized it, the tone of my speech had reverted to its original form. I pondered what the point was in reverting after all this informal banter that had been going on until now. It was quite beyond me.
Ilcheonggeom, who had brushed off the conversation, strode off to converse with the branch manager.
We’re working together on a mission, so it would’ve helped to share some intel… Tsk tsk.
‘I knew he wouldn’t listen anyway.’
I smiled and turned my back.
As I did, the members of the Blue Dragon seemed to shrink slightly. But one of them immediately began to move. As Ilcheonggeom said, it seemed they had already prepared a plan.
Watching them, I recalled Ilcheonggeom’s words.
—As soon as you return to the main headquarters… Together with the workings of the Golden Dragon Lord, every secret you’ve handled will be scrutinized.
There was no evidence, but it felt like something was off.
Ilcheonggeom’s reaction undeniably hinted that there was more to this.
If we returned to the Alliance like this, things could twist unexpectedly.
I sensed it, yet oddly enough, I wasn’t too worried.
‘That’s all irrelevant.’
Wouldn’t it be possible for Ilcheonggeom to calmly return to his former status?
In that sense, it was unfortunate for Ilcheonggeom; he wouldn’t achieve his desired outcome.
That’s the reality; Ilcheonggeom…
‘Because this would be the last.’
The Sacheon I had now arrived in would be the final chapter of his life.
“Is it really okay if I don’t send this?”
The moment I stepped into the lodging, I turned at this voice. The one who spoke was none other than Cheoljiseon.
He approached me, handing me something.
“What is it?”
As I took the item and posed the question, Cheoljiseon looked unsettled as he replied.
“I’m worried it’s about sharing intel with the Blue Dragons.”
I peeled off my training garb and relaxed just a touch.
A stifling atmosphere enveloped the room.
“You said you weren’t going to do it. Is that really so?”
“Oh, that? That’s right. They said they wouldn’t accept it.”
“…You said you weren’t going to share but didn’t organize it for two days?”
“Ah, that’s correct.”
Right, I had anticipated that Cheongryongdae would demand information sharing, so I took the time to prepare.
Of course, I was referring to Cheoljiseon, not myself.
Yet, he seemed puzzled as to why I was now refusing to send it.
“What can I do if they don’t want it? Deliberately giving it would be even stranger.”
It was nothing less than Ilcheonggeom’s refusal, so what was I supposed to do?
“But… then what’s your plan?”
“What plan?”
When I acted as if I had no idea what he was talking about, Cheoljiseon made a baffled expression and spoke.
“No, Gu Yangcheon, you aren’t trying to clear the misunderstanding that the Gyecheonmun Lord and the Demonic Cult are linked and handle it by dealing with Ilcheonggeom, right? To do that, you need to share some information.”
“Huh?”
I raised my brows slightly at this.
What on earth was he rambling about?
I spoke to Cheoljiseon, as if to call out the absurdity.
“This punk? After dabbling in a few bad tricks, he’s truly become a rotten one now.”
“…Huh?”
Cheoljiseon responded, clearly befuddled.
“What do you think of people? Linking them like that, you punk. Do you think Ilcheonggeom is some kind of straw sandal you can just tie up?”
“Oh, was that not it?”
“Absolutely not.”
Heavens, come on now.
I was at a loss for words of disbelief.
“Jiseon, you really need to talk properly.”
“Uh?”
“‘Clearing up a misunderstanding’ is completely the wrong narrative.”
I smiled brightly and patted Cheoljiseon on the shoulder.
“From the very beginning, the Gyecheonmun was in cahoots with the Demonic Cult.”
“Uh…?”
I continued to clarify to Cheoljiseon softly, as if correcting his misconceptions.
“Not only are those bad guys in league with the madmen of the Demonic Cult trying to turn the Central Plains into a raging inferno, but the branch manager here is also alongside Ilcheonggeom, right?”
“… What’s that…?”
Cheoljiseon seemed utterly lost, unable to process it.
I then spoke with sincere eyes.
This conviction carried not the slightest hint of doubt.
“So our aim is to punish those villains trying to meddle in the Murim Alliance under the banner of justice, right? Yet you want to link and deal with them? What kind of terrifying words are those? It’s as if… we’re the ones in the wrong.”
“…”
“We don’t have to intertwine with them. They’re already intertwined, aren’t they?”
I said with an amused grin.
At that, Cheoljiseon nodded, creaking as if his gears were breaking.
It seemed he was beginning to grasp the concept.
As expected, being clever, he caught on remarkably quickly.
“So…”
I finished getting dressed and continued.
“Just note that down. I’m off to meet one of those rotten villains, so please take care of what I requested.”
Cheoljiseon tried to say something, but I ignored him and got up.
I had spent the last three days preparing.
Now that the Blue Dragon Commander had arrived, it was time to set things in motion.
Clearing up the misunderstanding about Gyecheonmun?
Not a chance.
‘Why would I give up that valuable lead?’
On the contrary, this was a good thing. If you wish to use it, I’ll gladly hand it over.
And thus,
‘All troublesome matters ought to be dealt with in one go.’
I reflected on how busy those three days before the Blue Dragon Lord’s arrival had been.
With that on my mind, I had no intention of letting anything slide easily.
I checked the item I received from Cheoljiseon just before. A fine white powder had gathered in the cloth.
This was the key to making Ilcheonggeom mistake me for a predator…
It was a powdered root called Gyeonyeolcho.
The poison that I would consume ‘at the hands of Ilcheonggeom.’
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.