Chapter 83

The information spilled by Shin Joo-tae caused quite a stir. It was no ordinary matter—it was related to outlaws, so it wasn’t strange that everyone was on edge.

It wasn’t just any clan either. The fact that spies had infiltrated two of the top three clans and one mid-tier clan sent shockwaves through the community. Honestly, it was a predictable outcome.

The problem was that the spy from the Mardan Clan got away.

While they successfully caught the spy in the brother clan, the one from the Mardan Clan vanished without a trace. The reason they couldn’t catch them was because Ha Yu-ri dismissed the tip as nonsense and ignored it.

As a result, the whereabouts of the Mardan Clan’s spy remain a mystery.

Naturally, negative comments about the Mardan Clan’s judgment started pouring in. Especially when compared to the Myth Clan, which quickly identified and dealt with their spy.

Of course, since the Mardan Clan is one of the top three clans, no one dared to say it outright. But it was like flipping over a perfectly good meal—people couldn’t help but talk behind their backs.

*BANG!*

This is exactly why Ha Yu-ri slammed her desk with both hands in her office.

“Aaaah!”

“M-Master! C-calm down…”

“Do I look calm to you?! Everyone’s comparing me to that Yoon Yeon woman!”

Ha Yu-ri’s aide was on the verge of losing it. While Ha Yu-ri occasionally had her hysterical moments, today was particularly intense.

“What?! Comparing me to the Myth Clan? Questioning my judgment as Clan Master? How dare they?!”

The aide stayed silent. They knew better than to try reasoning with Ha Yu-ri in this state.

After fuming for a while, Ha Yu-ri turned to the man and asked, “Huu… So… what about Lee Nam-in?”

“…We couldn’t catch him. I’m sorry.”

“You couldn’t catch him? Are you serious right now?!”

“….I’m sorry. The tracking team searched all the places he could’ve hidden, but they couldn’t find him. He probably got help from other outlaws…”

“Did I ask for excuses? This is going to ruin our clan’s reputation!”

The man bit back a curse. Strictly speaking, this mess was Ha Yu-ri’s fault for ignoring the Myth Clan’s advice. But thinking something and saying it out loud were two very different things.

All the man could do was stand there with his hands behind his back, bowing his head.

“Ha… Just get out for now.”

“Yes… understood.”

As soon as the man left the office, Ha Yu-ri hurled a glass bottle on her desk.

*CRASH!*

“…Yoon Yeon…!”

Ha Yu-ri was furious at being compared to none other than Yoon Yeon.

“Why does it have to be Yoon Yeon… that damn woman…!”

Truth be told, if it had been any other clan besides the Myth Clan, Ha Yu-ri might’ve listened to the advice about the spy. But hearing it from Yoon Yeon’s clan hurt her pride, and that was her biggest mistake.

“And… I never thought there’d actually be a spy…!”

She’d assumed the Myth Clan was just messing around when they sent the letter about a spy in her clan. But just a day after receiving the letter, Lee Nam-in disappeared, and the situation changed in an instant.

As soon as the Myth Clan’s announcement was proven true, the Mardan Clan was branded as the clan that couldn’t even catch one spy.

Not only were they being compared to the Myth Clan, another top-tier clan, but also to the mid-tier brother clan.

“From the training facility to Yoon Yeon… everything’s getting on my nerves. Ugh, nothing’s been going right lately, especially with the Japanese clan business. Sigh…”

Ha Yu-ri suppressed her anger and left the office.

*****

‘Damn it…’

As expected, returning to the Clan House meant facing an unpleasant reality.

“…Yoon Seong.”

“……”

Of course, I had nothing to say. Facing Seo Yoo-ju’s icy glare made me flinch involuntarily.

“Yoon Seong… say something.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“…Do you know how shocked I was? What if something happened to you while I was away?”

“…I have no excuse.”

I felt like an employee being scolded by their boss. All I could do was bow my head and apologize.

‘The timing couldn’t be worse.’

I returned to the Clan House just a day before Seo Yoo-ju came back. What perfect timing.

Yesterday, I got an earful from other clan members, and today, it’s Seo Yoo-ju’s turn.

I cautiously opened my mouth after gauging her expression.

“But… we formed an alliance with the Myth Clan…”

“…I never asked you to do that!”

‘Huh? What?’

It was the first time I’d seen Seo Yoo-ju this angry, and I couldn’t help but stop mid-sentence.

I’d expected some scolding, but this was the first time she’d lashed out at me directly, so I couldn’t help but panic.

“I clearly… clearly told you before I left that it was a bad idea! Alliances or whatever—if something happened, I wouldn’t be able to protect you!”

‘Damn it… what do I do?’

Seo Yoo-ju was firing off words like a machine gun, her voice filled with frustration. I felt like I had to do something.

“L-let’s calm down first…”

“How am I supposed to calm down?! What if something happened to you while you were in another clan?!”

“…I admit I was careless this time. But I was also careful about my safety…”

“No one knows what could happen! How can you say you were careful?!”

“…..”

“Sigh… let’s imagine this. What if the Myth Clan was suddenly attacked while you were staying there? What would you do then?”

“That’s…”

“The Myth Clan would obviously prioritize protecting their own members. What about you?”

I understood what Seo Yoo-ju was saying. I got why she was saying it. From her perspective, she was worried something might happen to me while she was away.

“…I was thoughtless, Yoo-ju.”

“…And what’s this?”

Seo Yoo-ju pulled out the Clone Clay.

“I don’t know where you got this… but if you used it to trick Ho-yeon and sneak out, what were you thinking?”

Honestly, I had no excuse.





Yesterday, after returning to the Clan House, I felt really sorry for Wi Ho-yeon and apologized to her. From her perspective, she must have been really shocked to find out that the person she was escorting was a clone.

Still, she seemed relieved that I was safe, but from my perspective, I couldn’t help but feel very sorry for her.

“And what exactly did you do? The announcement made by the Myth Clan this time, was it your work, Yoon Seong?”

Of course, I expected Seo Yoo-ju to ask about this. The problem is, I can’t tell her everything.

I don’t know if she’ll believe me, but I have no choice but to lie to her.

“…It’s not my work. I just happened to be able to help the Myth Clan a little. In return, I asked for an alliance.”

I had already discussed this with Yoon Yeon. At the time, Yoon Yeon was puzzled as to why I didn’t reveal that I had uncovered the spy. After all, it was essentially my doing, and revealing this fact could increase my value and the value of the Eternity Clan on the continent.

‘Increasing value is good. But the moment it’s revealed, I can’t shake off others’ suspicions.’

Yoon Yeon knows my abilities, so it’s fine, but others would naturally have questions.

This time, it’s officially announced that the Myth Clan resolved the issue. From my perspective, there are definitely regrets, but I judged this to be the right decision.

‘And… I might get retaliated against by that Execution Society or whatever they’re called.’

As long as I don’t have the power to protect myself, I have no intention of revealing my abilities.

‘Standing out is a no-go. And it’s better to make excuses to Seo Yoo-ju this way…’

“….Hoo… I understand for now. But this doesn’t mean you did well. This time, it’s just that the result was good, and you must understand that you can’t do this again.”

“….Yes, I understand. I’m really sorry about this, Yoo-ju.”

‘I’m screwed.’

After resolving the Myth Clan issue, being scolded all day yesterday and today in this situation made me feel mentally exhausted.

After a while of scolding, Seo Yoo-ju seemed to notice the fatigue on my face and stopped.

“….Anyway, don’t do this again. I’ll return this item to you, as it’s Yoon Seong’s personal property. We’ll discuss announcing the alliance with the Myth Clan later. You look tired, so rest today.”

“…Yes, Yoo-ju.”

As soon as I left Seo Yoo-ju’s office, I saw Wi Ho-yeon waiting outside.

“…Lee Yun-seong. Are you okay? You look very tired…”

“Ah… I’m fine, Ho-yeon. More than that… I’m really sorry about this.”

“…No. More than me… I think the Clan Master is really angry…”

‘Damn it…’

“She definitely seems very angry. But I deserved the reprimand for this.”

“…Yes, you went too far this time, Lee Yun-seong.”

“…..”

“Lee Yun-seong. I believe you won’t do this again.”

“Haha…”

I could only give an awkward smile at Wi Ho-yeon’s words. When I went down to the first floor with Ho-yeon, I saw the faces of the clan members I hadn’t seen in a while.

“Brother! What did Yoo-ju noona say?”

“What did she say… I got scolded, of course.”

“Hey, you deserve to be scolded, you bad guy.”

Kang I-seo still seemed to be holding a grudge.

She seemed a bit better than yesterday, but it would take some time for her anger to fully subside. Yesterday, Hyeon-jin had to calm her down, so this reaction was actually mild.

“Damn bastard…”

“Noona, don’t be too harsh. Brother must have had his reasons…”

“Hey, don’t defend him. No matter what, this time was too much! If you cover for him, this guy will do it again!”

“I-seo unni, I understand how you feel… but Yoon-seong oppa has apologized enough, so maybe it’s time to let it go…”

“Ugh… damn it!”

Normally, I would have teased or mocked Kang I-seo’s irritation, but I wasn’t so clueless as to do that in this situation.

‘If I do that now, she’ll explode.’

The best option was to just shut up and show that I was reflecting.

After a while of my silence, Kang I-seo spoke to me.

“Hey, do you really want to join the Myth Clan or something?”

“…I did something that could be misunderstood, but that’s not it.”

“Can I really believe that? Honestly, it’s hard to believe after this.”

Seeing Kang I-seo’s slightly uneasy expression, it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to convince her easily this time. Not just her, but others seemed to misunderstand as well.

I had no choice but to explain urgently. I could handle the scolding, but if this misunderstanding wasn’t cleared up, it could become a problem.

“The reason I went to the Myth Clan this time… was to secure an alliance. I told you before, I have no intention of joining the Myth Clan.”

“Damn it, forget about alliances and all that. From your perspective, it might make sense, but from our perspective, it’s hard not to think that way.”

“I… I’m really sorry this time. But I really have no intention of transferring to the Myth Clan, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“…Ugh, whatever. Just don’t do this again, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

“…Okay.”

“Ugh… you never miss a chance to cover your ass.”

“…..”

Honestly, even I thought I was being a bit shameless.

“Brother, but how did the alliance with the Myth Clan happen?”

“Ah… I helped the Myth Clan a little… and somehow ended up forming an alliance. Well, it’s beneficial for our clan. It’s an alliance with one of the top three clans, after all.”

“…But the announcement made by the Myth Clan this time didn’t mention anything about an alliance.”

“We postponed the announcement period. It’ll probably be announced in about a month.”

The reason for setting the announcement period to about a month later was simple. To avoid being entangled with the spy issue, of course.