Chapter: 841
Of course, I still couldn’t wrap my head around why Moon Do-hyuk was coming my way.
Honestly, I didn’t believe it.
‘Perhaps Ilcheonggeom might have pulled some meaningless trick.’
It could be that his intent was to use his own spies to shake things up on this side.
We’re talking double agent territory here.
No, if we’re making a case of Moon Do-hyuk, is he a triple agent…?
‘Anyway…’
As incomprehensible as Moon Do-hyuk’s choice was, it was simply impossible to trust him.
As I mentioned earlier, I couldn’t trust someone with a history of betrayal as extensive as his.
Maybe aware of my doubts, Moon Do-hyuk hid his trembling hands and spoke to me.
“If you wish, I’ll even put a taboo on it… Please, accept it.”
He would tattoo a taboo on his body. That wasn’t something you just tossed around lightly.
‘Even if I say all this, you won’t believe me anyway.’
I couldn’t just trust someone based on their words alone.
Even if that wasn’t the case, trusting this guy wasn’t on my agenda.
However.
‘What’s crucial here isn’t this guy’s humanity.’
It’s not about Moon Do-hyuk’s sincerity or fervor. Or his desperation.
Those were beyond the point to begin with.
The only thing to focus on with him here was one thing only.
‘It’s his value.’
Where, how, and in what way can he be used? Is he even useful at all?
That’s the sole thing I needed to evaluate, and my read on Moon Do-hyuk was.
‘Not bad.’
He wasn’t a bad card to hold. It felt like the perfect moment to use him as a discarded pawn.
‘Hmm.’
What to do, what to do…
I pondered briefly. What if this was one of Ilcheonggeom’s tricks…?
‘There are at most two ways to respond.’
It’s not that there’s none; it’s a manageable amount.
Then, conversely, if Moon Do-hyuk truly did betray Ilcheonggeom…
‘Using him as a dagger feels ambiguous.’
It would be impossible to deal a strong blow.
Plus, since I had already prepped something, it wasn’t even the right timing. I could bother him a bit, if anything.
‘Hmm.’
And so I mulled it over. It’s not about whether this guy’s a traitor or not.
‘Should I kill him or let him live?’
I was debating whether to get rid of him right here or not.
Killing him right now wouldn’t be an issue. There wouldn’t be any traces left, and nothing would change if he died.
Even when contemplating the variables, it was still the right call to just eliminate him.
‘So should I kill him?’
Shudder-!
Moon Do-hyuk shivered at the sight of me. He seemed to catch a whiff of my lethal aura.
“Y-Your Grace….”
Even thinking about saving him seemed pointless aside from irritating Ilcheonggeom further, so really, it was better to just get rid of him…
“Hmm.”
After contemplating, I nodded. I came to a conclusion.
Swish.
“Ah…!”
As I got to my feet, Moon Do-hyuk jumped back in fright.
He looked pretty pathetic. I shot him a pitying glance and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“T-that… please, just let me live…”
“What are you on about? Who’s going to kill you?”
“…Y-yes?”
“You asked for it.”
“Guh! Then…!”
“Stop making a fool of yourself and get up. I’m leaving now.”
Sure, there was definitely a risk involved, but I decided to humor him for now just to get a kick out of Ilcheonggeom. This much seemed permissible.
If things worsen later.
‘I can just kill them all.’
I had a sure solution in mind.
I stepped outside.
The lamps already illuminated the entire branch, and the soldiers were preparing to take their turns watching.
As the lord, I didn’t technically need to stand guard, but since I trained at night, I made it a habit to check in occasionally.
“Hey.”
“Oh, good job.”
The agents, upon seeing me, quickly bowed and showed their respects.
I’d like to tell them not to bother, but given the hierarchy, they had to maintain this much decorum.
Otherwise, they’d dare to slink up sometimes.
‘It gets annoying having to beat them all up.’
Sure, I could just step on them when they tried to rise, but the act of moving to do it was simply irksome.
As I wandered around the branch, doing my spot checks…
“Um, um… Your Majesty.”
“Why.”
Moon Do-hyuk, who trailed behind me, asked with an anxious voice.
“Where are you going now?”
He seemed unsettled, having no clue about our destination.
I chuckled and answered.
“Where am I going?”
“Yes.”
“Looking for a place to bury you.”
“…!!”
Moon Do-hyuk froze up, his body shaking. Fear glinted in his eyes.
Noticing this, I smirked and said, “Just kidding.”
“Ah…! Haha… No, just a joke!”
“By the way, I’m going to meet the Lord of the Blue Dragon now.”
“Aah, the Lord of the Blue Dragon… Yes?”
At my following words, Moon Do-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“What… do you mean?”
“Are you serious? I’m going to see the Ilcheong Sword, what else?”
“…Ah… No.”
“Don’t worry. I just have a couple of things to ask.”
“If you do… then why should I be coming along…?”
If there’s something to ask Ilcheonggeom, why am I being summoned along? Moon Do-hyuk seemed confused by this.
“What about that?”
I calmly replied to his question.
“I have something to ask you about you, so it’ll be more convenient if you come with me.”
“Yes…? What does that mean…!”
“Oh, stop digging for details! Are you going to stab my lips with a skewer to silence me? Neatly? It’s just because I have a purpose for you, so zip it and follow me.”
“…”
As my annoyance seeped into my tone, Moon Do-hyuk finally closed his mouth.
Once it quieted down, I let out a sigh.
Feeling a bit of hesitation from him, I turned to speak again.
“Just a heads-up. There’s no escape route left. If you’re going to stick around, do it properly. If you start acting like you’re roaming around, I won’t let it slide. You get that?”
“Understood… understood….”
With a look filled with urgency, Moon Do-hyuk’s face went pale at the warning mixed with an undercurrent of threat.
I was serious. If he continued to be bothersome, I’d make sure to put an end to him.
After finishing my rounds and getting to the last agent, I asked.
“Where’s the deputy commander?”
The only one missing was Dang So-yeol.
The agent who heard my question stood straight and responded.
“The deputy commander is currently at the western quarters.”
“West? If we’re talking west…”
I checked the position and tilted my head.
“That’s towards Cheongryongdae. What’s going on over there?”
I hadn’t heard anything that warranted a visit.
Wondering about it, the agent gave me a perplexed expression.
“Um… well… it seems there’s been a problem regarding information gathering with the Blue Dragons…”
“Hmm?”
What does that even mean? There’s an issue now?
“So, he was called over without even informing me?”
“That’s correct. The commander said since the lord is away, he’ll handle things personally…”
“Then, shouldn’t he have informed me immediately upon arrival? Why do I have to find out by asking you? It’s far too late—don’t you think?”
“…I-I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it. Is that how you conduct your business?”
It wasn’t just him. The others did the same thing. Oh, this was really irritating now.
“…No, I’m truly sorry.”
“You should gather everyone, including yourself, right in front of my residence. If even one person is absent, they’re dead meat. Got it?”
“…C-chung…!”
I scolded him while he looked completely pale with panic.
Even though it hadn’t been long since its establishment, this reporting system couldn’t be this haphazard.
‘I tried to ease things a little.’
It was unacceptable for them to reach the level of total disregarding it.
‘Just summoned to Cheongryongdae? Sounds good.’
I figured I should catch him while I had the chance and hear him out.
I immediately dragged Moon Do-hyuk toward the quarters where the Cheongryongdae were staying.
Upon my arrival, the members of the Blue Dragon Corps looked shocked to see me. Even though they promptly greeted me, a vague discontent flashed across their faces.
This hadn’t just happened—it had become a regular occurrence, so I usually ignored it.
“Hey, you over there.”
This time, I had something I needed, so I pointed at one of them.
“…Are you talking to me?”
The one singled out looked back, uncertain if I meant him.
“Yes, that’s you. Come here.”
“…”
His face was a mirror of reluctance and displeasure.
I was already on edge, and seeing that scowl ticked me off even more.
“Are you going to keep that sour expression? Should I rough it up myself to set you straight?”
Suppressing my rage, I spat this out, and the agent swallowed down his anxieties, trying to iron out his expression.
“I came to see the Lord of the Blue Dragon, and I heard our unit leader was here as well. Where might he be?”
The agent’s eyes narrowed slightly at my question, as if he had some knowledge.
“Um… he’s currently speaking with our platoon leader inside…”
“Got it.”
“Uh, um… just a moment…!”
The agent hurriedly tried to hold me back, but I had already started stepping into the door.
As I entered the quarters of the Blue Dragon…
—This is…!
—Discipline is…!
—How dare you… insult the lord…!
I could hear voices buzzing in my ears. The words radiated from the center of the quarters.
From the tone of the voices, it didn’t sound like a friendly conversation at all.
Those who spoke…
‘Our unit leader, perhaps?’
One voice seemed to belong to our unit leader. The question was—who was the other?
I drew closer to eavesdrop, and the conversation became clearer.
—I had no idea you could be this incompetent. What’ll you do with all that rigidity?
This was the first time hearing a voice with such a sarcastic tone.
—…What does this have to do with flexibility…?!
The captain raised his voice, seeming angry from the retort.
—The Seongryongdae are not subordinates of the Cheongryongdae. This was clearly the Cheongryongdae providing support, so don’t speak carelessly!
—Ha. Are you trying to teach me now? Me?!
Oh, look at this.
Listening to the exchange, the air felt like it was going awry fast.
Interesting. I perked up my ears and hurried my steps.
—I’m not teaching you; I’m simply offering a legitimate suggestion as fellow unit leaders…
—Hahaha. Fellow? That’s ridiculous. Where on earth do you conjure such nonsense?
The tone was laced with sheer incredulity.
Upon hearing that, I expedited my pace.
—You were nothing noteworthy while you were with the Red Dragon Corps, and now that you’ve strapped on that captain’s armband you think we’re somehow equal? That’s stretching it!
—Captain Jin…! What kind of nonsense is that? Titles are something recognized by the Maeng!
—Just because you share the same title doesn’t mean you’re on the same level. Don’t put on airs about it!
As my feet touched the floor, the first sight was a large room.
Several figures were aligned before a blushing captain.
It was easy to spot the voice owner; I didn’t need to look for long.
Before the beet-red-faced unit leader stood an insufferable expression.
There was no doubt that was him.
“To even dare say this place is on par with the abominable nest you’ve formed is a disgrace to us…”
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
The guy turned around at my call.
“Um…?”
As soon as he recognized my face, his eyes widened.
Boom-!
“Ugh!”
The punch that followed crushed the jackass’s jawbone.
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