Chapter: 890
The blood in my head cools.
No, it wasn’t just my head; it felt like the blood in my entire body had turned cold.
“What do you mean…?”
Did I mishear that? No, it didn’t seem like I was mistaken.
Mrs. Mi’s expression confirmed it.
“You didn’t send me a letter?”
“No. I sent the letter.”
Mrs. Mi contradicts my statement. To be precise, she corrected it.
“It’s true that I sent you a letter… but when did you receive it?”
“I received it two days ago.”
“Two days…?”
Mrs. Mi’s eyes widen even further.
“Surely, you came here from Sacheon in just two days?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“More importantly…”
Crunch.
Suddenly, Mrs. Mi grabs my shoulder. I flinch at the unexpected touch.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“… Yes? Oh, yes.”
Her tone had even changed, adding to my surprise. Mrs. Mi seemed to realize her own slip and cleared her throat, reining in her voice and demeanor once again.
“… No matter how urgent things are, this isn’t good. If you travel that long distance so quickly, your body will suffer.”
“… I’m fine, really.”
In fact, it wasn’t particularly hard at all. My energy has increased, and I’ve found it easier to control. The explosive growth in power that was previously a struggle has been resolved.
Anyway.
“If you went all that way, what on earth did you experience? Are you really fine…”
“Mrs. Mi.”
I cut in. There were far more important matters at hand right now.
“Please finish what you were saying earlier. I’m truly fine.”
I might not grasp why I was so agitated, yet I took a deep breath and calmly continued.
“That you sent me a letter is correct, but the one I received isn’t a letter you sent.”
“… Right. That timing doesn’t add up. No matter how early it arrives, it should have gotten here today.”
“…”
Today, at the earliest.
But I received the letter the day before. After that, I set off immediately, and now here I am.
‘… What on earth happened?’
I frowned.
No matter how much I pondered, I couldn’t comprehend it.
‘The handwriting was perfect. The circumstances fit precisely.’
Everything seemed deliberately tailored for my confusion. The context and justification aligned beautifully, and even the handwriting matched.
But that was fake?
While my mind raced, Mrs. Mi reached toward me.
“Do you still have the letter you received?”
“Oh, yes.”
Yes, I had it. I quickly pulled it from my bosom and handed it to her.
She unfolded the letter and scrutinized it, her eyebrows knitting together.
“… Indeed. It’s easy to mistake it for the real thing.”
She admitted it herself. The handwriting, the seal, and even the paper she often used were identical.
“How…?”
What on earth happened? Both Mrs. Mi and I were puzzled.
‘Who would do something like this?’
What kind of person would pull a stunt like this on me?
And, who would have the audacity to execute such a scheme?
As I pondered that, I suddenly felt a chill prickle at the back of my neck.
“…!”
Though it’s the least pleasant assumption I could think of, it was also the most plausible at this moment.
I hope I’m wrong, but that possibility didn’t look promising.
So, I decided to ask Mrs. Mi first.
“… If I may ask, when did you learn that your father… the head of the household, was imprisoned?”
“It was three days ago.”
“… Three days ago.”
The timing of the imprisonment isn’t precisely clear. That simply marks when Mrs. Mi discovered the information.
What this indicates is that…
‘The letter received must have been dispatched a day or two prior.’
If so…
‘… It means someone sent the letter knowing my father would end up imprisoned.’
That’s the conclusion I reached.
‘This is a mess.’
That would mean the one who orchestrated it was a person from the Maeng.
I felt irritation bubble up. It’s bad enough that my father’s in this situation, but the fact that it’s the result of someone’s machinations makes it worse.
I forced myself to rein in my emotions and turned to Mrs. Mi.
“… First, please explain what happened in a bit more detail.”
For now, I needed to assess the situation.
After hearing the explanation, I rubbed my forehead.
The lines formed by my frown still lingered.
“Are you okay?”
Mrs. Mi asked, concerned. She made an effort to keep her expression in check as she withdrew her hand.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
In reality, I wasn’t fine, but I pretended to be. If I didn’t, I might just unleash some well-deserved curses in front of Mrs. Mi.
‘… So.’
Summarizing what I heard:
‘My father stormed Bonmyeong and attempted to kill Mukyeon.’
That was halted by the Sword Master and Dragon Lord, and as a result, he ended up imprisoned.
This information matched what I’d heard just before.
‘The reason behind it remains unclear… The trial is tomorrow?’
That too wasn’t much different from the word I picked up in the Maeng.
The real concern was…
“The current head of the household is Elder Lee.”
“Right.”
When my father’s circumstances changed and he could no longer conduct the household’s affairs, Elder Lee stepped up to take over.
This was hardly surprising.
‘It’s a fitting position for a proxy, after all.’
The director can’t operate from the family’s main location, and the head must attend the trial.
Yet…
‘I was in Sacheon and I’m not even the Sogaju.’
Hence, the individual who was most suited to step in as a proxy was Elder Lee.
“… So where is Elder Lee right now?”
“If it’s Elder Lee, then he should be outside for a moment…”
Just as Mrs. Mi was about to continue speaking…
-That little guy really can eat a lot.
The voice of Elder Lee reached us from outside.
Looks like he arrived just on time.
I quickly stood and headed outside.
“Elder… Huh?”
“Hmm?”
As usual, a towering figure appeared—Elder Lee.
“Uh.”
And perched upon that elder’s shoulders was—
“It’s Dad.”
It was Ddoldol.
“…”
“Hello.”
The little one greeted me with a bright smile, waving his hand. He was holding a ridiculous number of skewers.
He still looked exactly like he did in my childhood.
Or maybe more accurately…
“… Why are you up there?”
“Huh? Grandfather told me to ride.”
“Grandfather.”
The word unmistakably referred to someone without needing to glance in their direction.
“Right, I told you that.”
“That’s correct. You told me to ride.”
“…”
He was even grabbing onto Elder Lee’s hair with one hand.
Exhale
I let out a sigh as soon as I saw that.
“Are you not coming down soon?”
“Why… why not!”
“Why not?”
As I glared at him, Ddoldol flinched.
Then he hunched down and hid behind Elder Lee.
What is this kid doing?
I tried to grab him and yank him off, but before I could, Mrs. Mi got there first.
I had never seen Mrs. Mi move that fast in my entire life.
She approached the elder and reached out toward Ddoldol.
At that moment, Ddoldol jumped into her arms as if he had been waiting for it.
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes, Grandma.”
‘Grandma…’
How should I handle that bizarre choice of words? And what about how comfortably he was nestled in her arms?
‘A monster is being cuddled by a human.’
On top of that, he was batting his eyelashes gently.
If anyone happened to witness this, it would be the shock of a lifetime.
“Don’t say anything too harsh.”
“… Yes?”
“Letting little ones act cute when they’re young is the right thing to do.”
Mrs. Mi said something unexpectedly serious, her expression turning slightly melancholic.
“I regret not having known that… I hope you won’t have the same feeling.”
“… No.”
What does that even mean? If someone saw me, it would seem like I was trying to instruct Ddoldol on behavior.
I was about to say something incredulous, but…
“But how did you end up here? You were supposed to be in Sacheon.”
Elder Lee interrupted, cutting me off.
“… The situation became strange, so I rushed over.”
“Oh.”
Elder Lee was beginning to understand my explanation.
“I see you got the news.”
“Yes…”
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing that, Elder Lee had a strange expression. Then he gave me a light tap on the shoulder.
What’s going on?
“The old man must have been mistaken.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems you’ve grown up more than I thought.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
That was downright absurd. What does being ‘grown up’ even mean? I was completely lost, so I asked him again.
“Immediately upon hearing the news, I expected you would charge into the Murim Alliance and cause mayhem.”
Huh…?
I flinched at Elder Lee’s words.
“Seeing that you came straight here means you’ve matured somewhat… Why’s your face like that?”
“… No, it’s just that…”
Elder Lee’s brow furrowed as he examined my reaction.
“… Yangcheon, is it possible that…”
“It was not total chaos.”
“… You went there and back.”
Elder Lee’s expression shifted to one of astonishment. Followed by a semi-worried question.
“… You didn’t get into any trouble, did you?”
“It wasn’t trouble… just situations.”
I mumbled that as I awkwardly avoided eye contact.
“I ended up sparring with the Sword Master and burned the floor a bit.”
“-If that’s not mishap, what is?”
Elder Lee stammered, suppressing an exasperated breath.
“What? You fought the Sword Master?”
Mrs. Mi reacted even more intensely than Elder Lee.
“Fighting with the Sword Master? That old man… how could he fight with a child…!”
“… The head of Baekhwa. Calling the Sword Master a fraud—how could you…”
“Are you injured? Do you have any injuries?”
“Rotten.”
Ignoring everything I said, Elder Lee burst into a tirade. So yes, I had toughened my patience for so long.
“… Madam, I’m perfectly fine. See? I’m unscathed. It was just a minor skirmish.”
“So you’re saying arguing led to burning the floor?”
“…”
I lightly overlooked Elder Lee’s comments.
“Are you absolutely certain you’re okay?”
“Yes.”
I affirmed with sincerity. Despite my skirmish with the Sword Master, there weren’t any lingering effects.
After all…
‘Neither of us fought like we meant to kill each other.’
It was a rendezvous, not an earnest duel.
Had either of us truly been trying…
‘The Murim Alliance should have been in ruins by now.’
Given our standing, it could have easily turned into chaos.
But the fact that the Alliance was still intact meant that we both held back during our fight.
I shifted my gaze toward Mrs. Mi, who was still skeptical, then turned to Elder Lee.
“So, I’ve heard the trial is tomorrow. Is that right?”
“Yep, they said tomorrow.”
“I also heard that Elder Lee will be attending as the head representative. What should I prepare?”
“Huh?”
Elder Lee tilted his head at my question.
Then, seemingly puzzled, he responded.
“What do you mean by prepare?”
“… Yes?”
“What is there to plan for?”
“No, if you’re going to attend, you must have some kind of strategy in mind.”
“Not really.”
“…”
My head began to ache.
“… Why?”
“Why do you ask? Because there’s no need.”
“What kind of situation would prompt that lack of necessity…?”
“Old Master advised against worrying.” “…!”
I fell silent at Elder Lee’s counter.
“Old Master instructed me to remain calm and avoid taking unnecessary actions. And thus, I shall adhere to those words.”
“But…”
“If you went to Bonmyeong, Yangcheon, I imagine you heard something from the old head. Am I right?”
“… That’s right.”
“What did he say?”
I recalled my father’s words from the Murim Alliance.
“Did he say he was fine?”
I didn’t exactly remember if he asked me not to worry or if he said he was okay.
The specifics weren’t paramount; what mattered was the intent behind them.
“… He mentioned he was okay and told me to look after Mrs. Mi.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Mi, who was beside me, flinched.
“Really?”
Conversely, Elder Lee began to chuckle.
“It seems this time he spoke unusually clearly.”
‘That guy.’
It was the first time I’d heard Elder Lee refer to my father in such a manner.
“If Old Master claims it’s fine, then let it be so. Therefore, Yangcheon, think the same and keep your peace. Everything has its purpose.”
“… What if there’s no purpose?”
“Even if that were the case, it’s none of your concern to intervene.”
Elder Lee’s expression shifted to one of seriousness.
“It means you, not even being a Sogaju, have no role in this.”
“…”
I bit my lip, unable to argue against his words.
“So, you keep to your own duties. Leave this matter to the old master and me.”
What I needed to do.
As I pondered that, my nose crinkled in thought.
‘Something that has to be done.’
I shifted my gaze to Mrs. Mi’s hands. In her grip was the letter I had handed her.
What I ought to do now.
No matter how I looked at it, this seemed to be it.
Not just that, I’d even copied Mrs. Mi’s handwriting and the clan’s seal.
‘It seems like I have to track down that bastard who got involved in this.’
My eyes gleamed with determination as I thought that.
I wouldn’t find a conclusion through solitary musings.
So, there was but one way forward.
‘I’ll use the smartest person I know.’
I had to pay a visit to Zhuge Hyuk.
*
“The King has arrived in Hanam.”
A veiled woman, a dancer, speaks while looking at someone’s back.
At her words, the man who was adjusting his clothing slightly turned his head.
A smile graced the man’s lips, and his eyes glimmered red like blood.
“Earlier than expected. Did you acquire anything else from Sacheon?”
The Blood Demon chuckled.
With each laugh, the dancer trembled ever so slightly.
“It’s not bad. In fact, it’s an improvement.”
The Blood Demon nodded, fixing his attire.
Then, he took a moment to catch his breath.
The whole image felt as if he were caught in a state of excitement.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“That means….”
The Blood Demon turned to the dancer and said, “The time has come. For now, let’s retrieve what we need first.”
With a smile, the Blood Demon said this and, as soon as the words left his mouth, he transformed into red smoke and vanished.
“…”
The dancer, witnessing this, bowed her head respectfully as if paying homage.
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