Chapter: 802
“It seems like we see each other often.”
A quiet room.
A place where the somewhat strong scent of tea permeates through the faint scent of wood.
In a neatly organized room that seemed to reveal the owner’s personality, an old man was looking at me.
Calm eyes that resemble a room.
The seemingly expressionless emotions seem to show humanity.
Feeling that, I smiled slightly and answered.
“That’s right. I think we’ll become attached if we keep doing this.”
“…”
The old man’s beard trembles slightly at my words.
“The Holy King. No, the Holy Dragon Lord.”
The changed title tickled my stomach uncomfortably.
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, call me the Silent Bookkeeper.”
“Mr. Silent Book.”
Now I was facing the great scholar Mukyeon, who had returned to the Alliance.
A pile of letters on a neatly organized desk.
Something vaguely resembling a Shaolin item can be seen through the gap.
‘That looks like Shaolin.’
It wasn’t the Daehwandan or Summoningdan, of course, but it seemed to be a lower-level item produced by Shaolin.
Even though it is a lower grade, it is an expensive item whose value cannot be ignored.
Did you pile them up like a mountain?
I can see that you haven’t eaten any of it.
In any case, it was clear that the Alliance was paying considerable attention to Mukyeon.
“The Holy King.”
“Yes.”
Among those things, Mukyeon speaks to me.
“I think it was your will that this old man did not participate in the test to select the Holy Dragon members today. I was asked to oversee it, so I thought it was right not to go. Was my judgment perhaps wrong?”
“No, you’re correct.”
“Thank you. Now, I would like to ask you a question.”
Thud.
After taking a sip of tea, Mukyeon puts down his teacup.
In the meantime, my eyes scanned the tea, and I sniffed its fragrance a little more deeply.
“How did this situation come about?”
“…”
“I heard that the Iron Dragon Lord and the applicant had a duel. The Iron Dragon Lord said that he did it because he was curious about the examination process and wanted to check it out for himself. Is that right?”
“…That’s correct.”
“I have confirmed it. I will discuss this matter with the Iron Dragon Lord in more detail. Next.”
Rustle.
Mukyeon picks up a letter that was on the table.
That was the so-called Gyeongwiseo (Chronicle Document) that I wrote myself.
“This is about the incident where the Golden Dragon Lord was ambushed and assaulted.”
“…”
This is also the reason why I am currently interviewing Mukyeon.
“Currently, the Golden Dragon Lord is unconscious, so neither side’s accounts have been confirmed. Therefore, all we can see are the statements of the Golden Dragon Lord’s subordinate who witnessed the situation and the report filed by the Holy Dragon Lord. That is why I am asking.”
Mukyeon’s gaze instantly darkens.
As I watch that, my throat moves without me realizing it. He is clearly an old man who has no reservations, but how can I feel so different just because his expression has changed?
“How did you do that?”
Gulp.
I took a deep breath as he asked with heavy eyes.
“I think I have written sufficiently about why that is the case.”
The whole situation was documented.
Immediately after I struck the Golden Dragon Lord, as expected, the Guardians and other martial artists arrived. I remembered the bloodied twin swords and the gazes of those who were watching me.
Eyes that were very wary.
I even noticed the nervous gestures, as if they were concerned I might cause a riot.
The Twin Swords are martial artists of considerable strength within the Alliance.
The fact that such a person was beaten by me and lost consciousness is also proof that there are few who could stop me should I choose to go wild.
Because of that, everyone was extremely tense and didn’t know what to do.
‘Take him away.’
Instead, I stretched out both arms and requested restraint.
Since I knew this would happen anyway, I didn’t plan on causing much of a scene.
“Holy Dragon Lord.”
“Yes, Mukyeon.”
“What you’re saying is that the Golden Dragon Lord attempted to falsely claim that Geommuhee used witchcraft during the duel with the Iron Dragon Lord and tried to spread a false rumor about illegal dealings between the Iron Dragon Lord and the Holy Dragon Lord. This means you’re saying it’s true.”
Rustle.
A letter is flipped over.
“Are you saying that you were unable to control your emotions after hearing that and resorted to violence?”
“That’s correct.”
It’s a clean, neat arrangement without any unnecessary details.
I thought I needed to provide additional explanations since it was written so roughly, but Mukyeon finished the judgment by pinpointing only the necessary parts.
However.
“I have confirmed everything as written, but the evidence is lacking.”
This report is written solely from my perspective.
As Mukyeon said, the credibility of my statement is weak.
There.
“This is an incident where a major general was attacked and fell. In such a situation, it is impossible to judge based on just the perpetrator’s perspective.”
“I understand.”
“So let me ask you again.”
Mukyeon puts the letter he was holding back down on the table.
“How did you do that?”
The same question was asked to me the first time.
“… Mukyeon. As I said before…”
“This is not a question about the report.”
“What then?”
“Holy Dragon Lord. Do you know why you are facing me?”
“That’s because the scribe called.”
“That’s right. This is the suppression department of the Guardians. Or rather, it’s not from within the Alliance. It was purely an exercise of my authority that I am here talking with you without restraints.”
He blatantly abused his power.
The way Mukyeon spoke like that seemed solid rather than shameless.
“Originally, this interview was supposed to be conducted by the Guardians themselves, not me. But I truly wanted to ask, so I made this arrangement.”
“Should I say thank you?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Alright.”
“His words were problematic and he assaulted me… I find this part strange.”
“If you don’t believe me, why not just impose a gold medal? Even then, my words won’t change.”
“It is forbidden to impose a medal on the Great Lord in the Alliance.”
“…Really?”
Was there something like that?
I thought it was a useless rule. Why not implement it?
‘If you just enforced that, it would be so easy to find the traitor. Tsk tsk.’
No wonder the maggots inside are overflowing.
“Then, you can’t trust my words… and there’s no evidence. What do you want to do?”
“Oh, it’s not that I don’t believe it.”
“Yes?”
“I keep saying this, but it’s a question of doubt. How could the Holy Dragon Lord make such a choice… That kind of thing.”
“That’s something I don’t quite understand. Everything regarding my choice is completely detailed in the report-.”
“I mention this because you don’t seem like someone who is easily emotional to me.”
Flinch. I hesitated for a moment at Mukyeon’s words. But I had to respond right away.
“Mr. Mukyeon, you seem to have misjudged me. I am quite a fiery person.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
What…?
“You are like a blazing flame, a powerful fire that can wipe out anything in front of you. But.”
Mukyeon’s gaze upon me remained heavy and indifferent. I found that more burdensome.
“It’s a flame that knows when to burn.”
“That’s a curious thing to say. What kind of flame knows when to burn?”
I couldn’t connect with what he said.
Fire is a disaster.
It is called a disaster because it cannot choose to extinguish itself or inflict destruction.
A flame that knows when to burn? What a contradictory statement.
“That’s why it’s even scarier. How frightening it is to be a flame that knows when it must burn.”
“… So is that what you, Mr. Mukyeon, are saying? Do you think I’m that scary?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure about that.”
Rustle. Mukyeon picks up one of the items in front of him and peels off its shell.
He pops it into his mouth and chews, the fragrant aroma instantly spreading around.
“If you want to be scary, you can certainly be that way. And, you are not someone who would recklessly cause trouble without thought. That’s how I see the Holy Dragon Lord.”
“You’re overestimating a guy who is just acting wildly without a thought.”
“Then it must be my fault. However, that’s how I perceive the Lord. I don’t believe the Lord would create such a situation without consideration.”
“…”
“That’s why I was curious. If there is friction between the different leaders within the Alliance, there’s no way you wouldn’t consider the problems that could arise.”
Although he is speaking his personal thoughts, Mukyeon’s voice is filled with conviction.
The more I listened, the more it felt awkward to respond.
“… This level of overestimation is absurd. What do you think of people?”
It seems like they’re just attributing countless meanings to a simple mistake.
It is as Mukyeon asserted.
At first, I expected to be thrown into an interrogation room and subjected to questioning by the Guardians.
Oh, of course…
‘I was thinking of using tricks from there to get to this point.’
I had not anticipated coming directly to Mukyeon instead of going to the interrogation room.
“I gather your thoughts are clear, but as you said, I’m not a very deep thinker.”
“Is that so? That’s quite disappointing.”
“…”
It was a tone of speech that was completely disbelieving.
Ugh.
Why the hell is he behaving like this with me?
There are two types of people who usually approach me. One of them is:
‘A person who complains no matter what I do.’
Most of the individuals who were lacking, like the Twin Swords or the Dao King I just met, fell into that category.
If not this.
‘A person who has bizarre expectations despite having done nothing.’
There were also some who excessively flattered me. The quiet individual before me seems to belong to this latter category.
To put it simply, he belongs to the more annoying type.
Since they overestimate me, they won’t let their guard down. These people aren’t even sure whether their expectations are correct, so they incessantly try to validate them.
Even if it’s bothersome, there are few who are as irritating as this.
It seems that this is occurring once again.
“I understand that you say you have no plans to act. I will also discuss the situation. Ultimately, I will make a decision after hearing about the Golden Dragon Lord and his subordinate.”
Even with a disbelieving gaze, his words contradicted what I sensed.
Only I was trapped in the depths of his pupils.
“However, even if the Holy Dragon Lord’s provided reasons are correct, this is clearly an assault violating the rules. Please bear that in mind.”
“I acknowledge that.”
“Depending on the circumstances, this could lead to the removal of your position… As you know, the current Martial Arts Alliance needs a Holy Dragon Lord. So, it probably won’t reach that extent.”
“Yes.”
As Mukyeon pointed out, I understand very well.
Thus, it isn’t that I have done anything wrong.
“If I were to insist on something, it would be regarding the conditions you put forth to take your position.”
Swish.
Mukyeon speaks while handing me a letter. When I received it, I found that it was an agreement I had drafted ages ago.
“I believe the part stating you receive support from two of the Alliance’s Swordmasters needs to be revised. Is that acceptable?”
“… Haha.” I let out a light laugh upon seeing that.
It was due to the absurdity of what he was bringing up now because of the incident. But it wasn’t just that.
‘This old man…?’
It felt impressive in an unexpected way. A blend of admiration within my laughter.
“How did you know?”
Upon hearing my question, Mukyeon smiled faintly.
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