I showed Hano the letter and documents I received. Since the Iron Blood Clan attacked the Hongseong Clan, there was a list of places attacked by the new forces of Shinhakryeon and other unidentified powers, along with various monster hunters.
“Yuhajeong… Isn’t this the place that Taegondan attacked not too long ago?”
Taegondan is a group of monster hunters that operate without concern for anything. They claim they attacked Yuhajeong to catch the bandits there, but according to Hao-mun’s investigation, their real goal was not to eliminate the bandits but to completely burn down the area where the bandits were holed up.
“If it were just a simple removal of bandits, there would be no reason to torch the whole Yuhajeong area.”
“…But when you fight, you could end up using fire…”
“Don’t you think Taegondan is too strong compared to the bandits for that? And I found out they were commissioned for this job.”
“Who commissioned them?”
“Normally, monster hunters don’t ask questions when they get paid. They only said it was an ordinary-looking man.”
Jegeol Sohee fell silent. As I pointed out a few more places, Hongryeon tilted her head.
“I know about Yulpapmun too… But they’re righteous, right? Could it be that the righteous are involved with them?”
“Hano found out that Yulpapmun attacked Seokhwanji, located in the central Empire, took down the evil monster called Gyeyeonggak, and completely destroyed the area because a merchant who runs a store at the edge of the South Sea commissioned them to take revenge for the subordinates lost to Gyeyeonggak.”
This isn’t particularly unusual. There are indeed people who commission jobs like this.
As everyone looked on, I presented another document.
“However, Hao-mun investigated and found that the store that merchant is said to operate exists only on paper. Yulpapmun didn’t pay much attention to that, and they didn’t think much of the job since it was about catching a monster. After all, capturing a strong monster would boost the sect’s reputation, and the commission fee was reasonable, so it makes sense.”
“……”
“So I looked for the merchant who supposedly made the commission. But… I couldn’t find any trace of him either. Not even through Hao-mun’s tracking.”
Silence fell over the group. The Sword Saint slowly broke the silence.
“Seokhwanji was a place where energy gathered?”
“It hasn’t been confirmed, but investigations suggest so. Of course, it’s not like Hongseongsan with massive energy accumulation. After it was destroyed, there’s information that energy went berserk, leading to a surge of monsters appearing in that area.”
“Is it because Yulpapmun caught the giant monster at Seokhwanji, Gyeyeonggak?”
Just like when a tiger disappears, a fox becomes the master of the forest; when a strong monster vanishes, it’s natural for other monsters to try to take its place.
It’s just business.
But this case is a bit different.
After all, there’s nothing to eat there, so why would the evil monsters gather?
They gathered for one reason only: because the energy went berserk and chaos was unleashed.
“…This is a report of the opinions and investigations from the dark faction.”
In Jegeol Sohee’s eyes, there was distrust as she read other materials aside from what was previously mentioned.
The fact that the dark faction had figured out things that the Murim Alliance and the Open couldn’t grasp seemed to annoy her quite a bit.
“I’m not trying to criticize the orthodox faction’s information power and judgment. It’s just that only Hano from Hao-mun spoke to me and figured it out.”
“And how do you know that?”
Well, we predicted that would happen in our script! But saying that would be meaningless, so I turned my gaze to the Sword Saint and Hongryeon.
“I have quite a deep relationship with Hongseong. So, touching Hongseong is like touching me.”
I took a sip of tea.
“I’m not the kind of gentleman to laugh it off when something precious is attacked. That’s why I investigated.”
“…..”
“Pretty hard, I might add.”
The Sword Saint, Hongryeon, and Chaejin said they trusted my words, but since the source of information was from the dark faction, it was hard for Jegeol Sohee to fully believe it.
Also, having learned about the dangers of the Iron Blood Clan from their recent encounter, she calmly stated that a new investigation would be necessary.
“If what Yu Seonsaeng said is true, and their goal is indeed to make the energy go berserk… then sending the disciples from Hongseong Mountain to the Murim Alliance wouldn’t be wise.”
“You can investigate separately if you wish.”
“Yes, I intend to find out through the Open.”
She was resolute, and Chuyoung didn’t really try to stop her. But it didn’t matter; they’d find out anyway.
“And if that’s true… then Hongseong Mountain is a well-known place where a lot of energy gathers… so it’s important to protect this place.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then the branch of the Murim Alliance… it would be wise to set it up.”
Without sending Hongseong’s disciples to the Murim Alliance, we were now able to establish a branch of the Murim Alliance in Seomhwa Village.
If all goes well, the strong members of the Murim Alliance might even stay here.
Jegeol Sohee placed her hand on her forehead and sighed heavily.
“I thought they were just simple enemies, but it turns out they’re capable of such great harm… and I missed this…”
Seeing Jegeol Sohee’s pride clearly hurt, I chuckled and said,
“The Murim Alliance is a group that acts for virtue and the stability of the world. They must have a lot to do, and naturally, it’s impossible to engage with everything in the world.”
Jegeol Sohee slightly nodded. She seemed quite fatigued after our brief conversation, and I stood up from my seat.
She slightly nodded her head. She seemed rather tired after just a brief chat, and I got up from my seat.
“It seems I’ve taken too long. Well then, I’ll be heading back. Once the investigation results are in, we can meet again, Chaejin. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I returned to the inn after descending from Hongseongsan. I wondered if Ryuhyun had relayed the message correctly, as the martial artists of the Murim Alliance were drinking at the inn.
Seeing this, I turned to Chaejin, who had joined me today.
“Care for a drink? I have some work left to do, so I can’t have too much…”
Chaejin hadn’t said a word until we reached the bottom of the mountain. I thought she might have something on her mind, so I made the offer…
She hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking up.
“Drinking together is one thing, but… you mentioned something earlier.”
“Earlier?”
“Yes. You said the Hongseong clan is precious to you…”
“That’s right.”
“…Then our Moonjeong is…”
“Hahaha. So that’s why you’ve been so quiet since earlier. Was that what was bothering you?”
Chaejin puffed her cheeks slightly, and I poked her cheek with my finger to let the air out.
“Of course, you and Moonjeong are precious too. If someone were to touch either of you, even though I have no real power, I would put everything on the line to smash them. Haha. It feels a bit strange for someone much weaker than you, like me, to say such things.”
“…Hah.”
Only then did a smile finally appear on Chaejin’s face.
“Should we just have a little bit to drink?”
“I told you. I have work to do.”
“Tsk.”
Chaejin puffed her cheeks again, but the anxiety she had earlier was nowhere to be seen.
After having a drink with Chaejin and sending her back to her room, I started on the tasks I hadn’t finished. Organizing work, sorting out investments in other regions, and checking documents to benefit from the upcoming trade with the North.
As I was busy with my work and turned my head toward the window to enjoy some fresh air, I was suddenly startled.
“Whoah! When did you get here?”
“Oh! Did I surprise you? That wasn’t my intention.”
There stood the red-haired beauty, Hongryeon, leaning against the window and gazing at me softly.
“You could have said something when you arrived.”
“I liked how focused you were. I didn’t want to interrupt. Ah, can I come in?”
“Of course.”
Hongryeon gracefully hopped through the window and casually surveyed the room. She always did that whenever she entered my office.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“I’ll make it for you. You seem busy.”
“I’m not too busy to have a cup of tea.”
I had to treat her properly, so I seated Hongryeon and prepared tea and snacks right away.
With a bright smile, she took the tea I offered and started sipping.
She started sipping the tea I gave her.
“But can I really come out like this?”
“Yes. The Master is meditating with Ryuhyun.”
“But still, as a guest…”
“It seems they have something specific to discuss.”
Well, that’s settled.
I sipped the tea with Hongryeon, and for a moment, silence lingered.
“…About the things investigated through Hao-mun.”
“Um? Ah, the information that the Iron Blood Clan is targeting places imbued with energy? I’m sorry I didn’t mention it earlier. I planned to tell you later…”
“Oh. No, you probably had your reasons. That’s not the issue.”
Hongryeon carefully spoke while sipping her tea.
“The cost… would have been quite substantial, right?”
Of course, it wasn’t trivial.
No matter how close I was with Hano, understanding the movements of the Iron Blood Clan along with the state of the world required using the resources of Hao-mun.
“That’s correct.”
“…Why didn’t you say anything? The Iron Blood Clan is an enemy of Hongseong.”
“I did say it. They are my enemies.”
For the sake of our scenario, the Iron Blood Clan definitely needed to be dealt with.
And one of the reasons I came here was to eliminate them.
So, securing those funds was also my job.
I didn’t want to burden Hongseong with it.
Hongryeon stared at me without saying a word. I smiled and shook my head at her.
“Money is meant to be spent; what’s the big deal if it’s used where it’s needed? If using it can ensure the safety of Hongseong and eliminate my enemies, that’s a win-win, right? And I also stood to gain something during that investigation.”
“…Really. How much effort are you putting in that we don’t know about?”
Hongryeon stood up from her seat and approached me. Her hand began to caress my cheek.
“You always overdo it.”
“It’s not overdoing it. Plus, I enjoy what I’m doing, so don’t worry too much.”
This is something I, we wanted to do anyway.
They say those who know can’t enjoy as much as those who love, and those who love can’t enjoy as much as those who truly revel in it.
I have become one who enjoys, so how could I say this is difficult?
At my words, Hongryeon’s face turned bright red.
“Ah. Are you disappointed for not saying anything? Haha. If so, I’m sorry…”
“…That’s not possible.”
Hongryeon tightened her grip on my cheek.
“I could never be disappointed in you…”
