“It turns out our protagonist is investigating a murder case….”
Elder Oh couldn’t hide his surprise.
Well, it was only natural. It hadn’t even been twenty days since he had asked the author to write a new story. So it was expected that the new story would be somewhat similar to the previous ones.
But a brand-new plot and a new protagonist that he had never heard of?
“I guess the author’s pride wouldn’t allow anything less!”
Elder Oh imagined Kang Yoon-ho gripping his brush with fiery eyes, determined to acknowledge his skills no matter what.
Of course, it was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t a story about the Martial Arts World. However, the smile on Elder Oh’s face didn’t fade.
“Hehe. How interesting! Very interesting! Yes! If it’s a protagonist from the Jiegal Clan, then this is the kind of intensity we need!”
The Jiegal Clan was a powerful sect in the Martial Arts World that had produced many high-ranking officials.
A story involving both the Martial Arts World and the government? In the Nine Great Sects & One Alliance, there was no one more fitting for the protagonist than someone from the Jiegal Clan.
Elder Oh felt his aging heart, which had lost its zest over the years, begin to race again as he continued reading.
—–
“Onboard rebellion.”
“It wasn’t a ghost ship; it was a ship where an onboard rebellion had taken place. However, what surprised me even more was the identity of Jiegal Seol-rok.”
“A detective.”
“Everything he had done so far had been preparation for something like the ghost ship incident. I couldn’t help but be amazed that all his antics had actually been a form of training.”
“The landlord raised one side of his mouth in a smirk at our dumbfounded expressions and spoke again, shaking our minds.”
“[Bring the captain here. Officer Jung ordered the constables of Wuhan, and they should be able to catch him soon.]”
“[Captain? What are you talking about?]”
“[I don’t know how he made such a great item, but he’s really so foolish! When an onboard rebellion happens, the captain is always the first to die!]”
“Jiegal Seol-rok frowned at the two’s questions. He sighed softly, like a genius who was disappointed after seeing the harsh reality, as if he had been enjoying his own world.”
“Sadly, the detective seemed to have resigned to the fact that this was the reality he lived in, leading us somewhere with a slightly resigned expression.”
“Hehe. It’s always those who live in their own self-importance that skip the middle part and just state the conclusion. But speaking of the captain? What in the world is that supposed to mean?”
Elder Oh, who often smiled at such occurrences, followed Jiegal Seol-rok’s next movements.
“[Why did you bring me to the captain’s room?]”
“[Isn’t it interesting?]”
“[Huh?]”
“[The captain is at the center of the onboard rebellion.]”
“Officer Jung, as if to implore us to explain it properly, opened his mouth once more.”
“[What on earth do you mean? An onboard rebellion is happening, and you’re saying the captain is the culprit!?]”
“[It’s not right to conclude he’s the culprit. But it seems the captain was indeed at the center of it.]”
“[What do you mean?…]”
“[Can you explain it to us?]”
“The landlord nodded at the request despite seeming frustrated with the two. I hadn’t seen him for long, but I was certain he was pleased with this kind of behavior.”
“[The rebellion happened at night. The traces of those who died with a single strike in the captain’s quarters are the evidence. But there was still one problem. While it’s possible to kill everyone in the quarters at once, it’s not so easy to subdue one person in one go.]”
“[It wouldn’t be easy to take down the captain, now, would it?]”
“[Look behind you. Does it really look easy?]”
“Jiegal Seol-rok pointed at the door of the captain’s room with a lopsided grin, where something we hadn’t noticed was lying in wait.”
“[A bolt? Isn’t the size of the bolt huge enough to be a beam?]”
“[He placed three bolts to ensure the door couldn’t be opened at night. He had the last defense as a bolt on the door so that those inside wouldn’t have to talk to anyone with just their eyes visible through the window. This captain is definitely not someone to be respected.]”
“[What are you talking about?]”
“[Looking at the wear and tear on the bolts, it seems he was someone meticulous about security. If an incident occurred, numerous people would have had to go through a lot of trouble to breach this door. But look at the state of the bolts.]”
“[They’re perfectly intact….]”
“If an onboard rebellion had occurred, the door should have been broken and the bolts wouldn’t have remained intact. Only then did I realize something strange about the captain’s quarters.”
“Even if an incident occurred, the captain would have been able to hold out for a while. But if he opened the door quietly, it meant the captain was indeed at the heart of the rebellion.”
“[Someone could have lured him out and killed him first, right?]”
“Officer Jung’s point was valid, but Jiegal Seol-rok turned his head as if he found it ridiculous.”
“If a captain who gets drunk every night and passes out suddenly woke up, now that would be a miracle.”
“What does that even mean?”
“The captain’s logbook. There’s a very peculiar trace in those writings.”
“[It’s terrible handwriting. So what?]”
“Jiegal Seol-rok showed me the logbook written in a horrible scrawl, seemingly not expecting much from Officer Jung.”
“How does it look, Kang Yoon-ho?”
“Jiegal Seol-rok’s expression didn’t change much, but I could see something in him, with my ability to read people’s expressions honed from battle experiences.”
“It was a glimmer of expectation directed at me.”
“To ensure he wouldn’t be disappointed, I focused all my attention on the letters, and fortunately realized I was one of the few people who could answer his question.”
“He’s shaking while he writes. This symptom is….”
“[It’s Jusaengjeung (drunken illness)!]”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a symptom of those who can’t hold their liquor. But how did you know?!”
“Just basic deduction. Kang Yoon-ho.”
“As if finding another reason not to be disappointed in the world, he looked at me with one side of his mouth curved upwards.”
“Jiegal Seol-rok knows medicine too? His superhuman observance, his antics disguised as training, and an extensive amount of knowledge. What on earth is this!?”
“To have such vast knowledge to connect something from horrible handwriting to Jusaengjeung. No, this is something that can’t just be explained as knowledge.”
Elder Oh’s mouth gaped open.
“[The liquor bottles on the shelf, and that huge jar that he couldn’t even embrace with both hands belongs to the captain. Just by looking at the seal being ripped off, it’s plain to see. Hmm?]”
Suddenly, Jiegal Seol-rok thrust his hand into the liquor jar.
“[Sohyeop, what did you find?]”
“[Oh, it’s nothing. The captain is just a person who’s wrapped up in liquor. He can’t get through a day without drinking.]”
“[Are you saying his bad handwriting is just that simple? Isn’t it a stretch?]”
“[The unique aspect of the cup that the captain uses is that it has handles. Because of the symptoms of Jusaengjeung, he tends to drop the cup easily. There are traces of vomit and stomach acid all around the bed. It suggests he’s someone who drinks until he falls asleep.]”
“[Indeed……. ]”
“Where Jiegal Seol-rok was pointing, those very traces were evidently there. Though they had existed from the beginning, only he could see those traces.”
“So, you can tell what kind of person they are just by the traces in the room, not even by looking at them!?”
The more I saw, the more impressive our protagonist became. Elder Oh couldn’t contain his admiration.
“[There are signs of items being thrown around in the captain’s quarters. A drinking addiction, huh? Jusaengjeung has crept into his marrow and could easily provoke anger, so he must have thrown things at the crew.]”
“[Then he wouldn’t naturally be among the victims of the onboard rebellion?]”
“This dock is notorious for its strong currents and whirlpools; anyone who knows even a little about Wuhan wouldn’t dock here, and anyone unfamiliar with it would give up. Without a skilled captain, you can’t even dock a ship.”
“[Even so…]”
“Jiegal Seol-rok produced a compelling logic that could enlighten even a thick-headed fool.”
“[The captain was limping on his left leg.]”
“What does that mean?”
“[There are footprints in the room. He was wearing angular leather shoes and was dragging his left leg. I can’t tell if it’s congenital or acquired right now, but judging by the signs of the boat having been attacked by the crew, it’s likely acquired.]”
“[What does that have to do with anything right now?]”
“He was very cautious as well, but there’s blood on the left shoe’s sole. Footprints were there from disembarking from the ship.”
“[……!]”
——
“Jiegal Seol-rok pointed at the floor outside the captain’s quarters. A bloodstain that was hard to distinguish as a footprint if you didn’t look carefully enough. But listening to him, it was evidently the track of someone who was dragging a leg.”
“[He left the ship? There should definitely be footprints on the dock!]”
“[If you want to disembark without attracting attention, this dock would be a suitable choice. The problem is that the cargo had to be unloaded unnoticed by the dockworkers. It had rained two days ago, so the sandy ground would be wet.]”
“[Cargo?]”
“There were blood trails that flowed along the wooden box. That box is not around now. If he was trying to unload items without alerting anyone about the onboard rebellion, he would have needed a wagon. They’d need some way to not get the wagon wheels stuck in the wet river sand.”
“[What do you mean?]”
“A big wooden board. When I looked before getting on the ship, I saw the sand being pressed down in the middle of the beach. They probably tried to get the wagon in as much as possible, but thought it was no good and moved it by hand instead.”
“[……!]”
“Whoa. It wasn’t the ghost that made it so there were no footprints! It must have been the wooden board!”
Now I understood why he had been looking around so closely before stepping onto the boat. The wooden board distributes weight. It was only natural that no footprints would be left around the ship.
“Officer Jung, are you thinking of looking for the captain now?”
“W-well, of course.”
As Jiegal Seol-rok’s words ended, Officer Jung and Nak Po-gwa nodded their heads, looking at him as if they were seeing a person more mysterious than a ghost ship.
“Someone with Jusaengjeung will definitely search for liquor. They’ll probably look for a big tavern or an inn. Since they’d need to dock a cart, they’ll look for places where they can park. They should be able to find him soon.”
——————
“Let’s go have breakfast.”
The landlord’s steps into the inn were remarkably light. If I hadn’t seen that horrific scene just moments ago, I might have thought Jiegal Seol-rok had just experienced something very delightful.
“Even after seeing that kind of scene, your stomach is still fine.”
“Aren’t you the one eating well, Kang Yoon-ho, and saying that to me?”
“I’m just a guy who has been through the battlefield. A meal is also a battle for a soldier.”
“For me, this is a battle.”
“Is that so?”
“What battle? It’s just fun, so I’m just off to have fun.”
Before I could even say anything, a huge shadow appeared and jabbed the landlord.
“Who is it?”
“A mere pawn caught by this monster.”
A man taller than most, perhaps a head and a half, but his impression seemed honest, sneered as he set down some food.
“Huh?”
“Just get it; I’ll figure it out. Who is this child? You’re not telling me he’s a friend?”
“He could be a friend.”
“Bwahahaha! That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all year!”
“…….”
The man was holding his belly, laughing, but Jiegal Seol-rok didn’t flinch at all.
“Okay, okay! Anyway, I’ll give this request my special attention.”
“Just make sure to do it.”
“By the way, who was that person?”
When I cautiously asked about the identity of the vanished man, Jiegal Seol-rok revealed his shocking identity as if it were nothing.
“The Hawoong Clan’s fragrance master.”
“Huh?”
“He owes me a personal favor, so he does my requests for free since then.”
“What in the world….”
“The child of the righteous faction ended up creating a debt with a fragrance master from the Hawoong Clan. What on earth is he doing?”
If it’s the righteous faction, they seek openness, not those shady Hawoong guys. There’s surely a part where it could be questioned, but Elder Oh couldn’t shake off the feeling that it suited Jiegal Seol-rok perfectly.
“You have a face full of curiosity. Anyway, let me eat first. The fragrance master owns this inn, so the food is really good.”
“No wonder the shrimp seemed super fresh! The gambas taste exquisite.”
——————
“I had a ton of questions to ask Jiegal Sohyeop, but I wasn’t fool enough to ask about someone else’s information recklessly in the den of the Hawoong Clan.”
“Once I get back to the mansion, I’ll ask him. I resolved, and upon arriving at the mansion, there was an unexpected guest guarding the door.”
“Officer Jung?”
“Officer Jung, has the search already begun? Looks like the constables of Wuhan aren’t completely incompetent.”
“I found it…”
I instinctively sensed that something was off seeing Officer Jung’s slumped shoulders.
“That’s a relief. Where is he now?”
“The constables and Ho Pil, who went to work this morning, have all been mobilized, as well as those who worked overnight. Following the detective’s lead, it was easy to find. The problem is…”
“What’s the problem?”
“The captain has been found dead.”
