A bracelet strapped to the man’s wrist.
What is this doing here?
‘This is the bracelet from the original work.’
This bracelet is acquired during the early story of the original game.
Of course, I wasn’t startled by its so-called omnipotent abilities like improving blood circulation, emitting far infrared rays, or blocking electromagnetic waves.
If such an amazing item happened to fall into my hands, I’d simply shout, “What luck!” and pocket it without a second thought.
But this artifact is not just some simple item.
‘Why is an artifact of the Sichuan Tang Family in this man’s possession?’
Sichuan Tang Family.
A martial arts family representing the Sichuan Province.
Also known as the Sichuan Tang Sect, they are specialists in the areas of memorization and poisoning.
There are martial artists who mistakenly think it’s a two-character surname like Murong, but it is a lineage made up of the Tang family, not a clan of the Tang surname.
Sometimes this family is depicted as neither righteous nor evil, but as a neutral faction; however, the Sichuan Tang Family is undeniably a legitimate sect in this world.
So, why does a Joseon person have an artifact from the Sichuan Tang Family?
Moreover, there’s one major problem with this bracelet.
‘The woman who wore this bracelet was the villain.’
An artifact obtained after solving a case instigated by a villain character from the Sichuan Tang Family. That’s what this bracelet is all about.
It’s not an item a black-haired Joseon person should be wearing.
“Tang Family’s Bracelet of Remembrance.”
So-hee, upon hearing my surprised words, quietly stared at the dead man’s wrist from behind and named this unknown bracelet.
“Bracelet of Remembrance? The bracelet that doesn’t forget?”
Is that the name? I expected something like Tang Family whatnot or Tang Band or something.
“Uh-huh. The Sichuan Tang Family gives a Token of Gratitude to those they owe a debt to. The grade varies, but this is the highest grade. Yoon-ho, didn’t you know?”
All I knew about this bracelet was that it was a sign of Sichuan Tang Family members.
So, it seems like it’s basically an all-access VIP pass for the Sichuan Tang Family.
“I recognized it was a Sichuan Tang family item because of the image of the legendary Poison Bird engraved on it. There’s only one family in the Central Plains that uses such a notorious poisonous bird as their symbol.”
So-hee nodded slightly, as if she understood upon hearing ‘poison bird.’
“For the Bracelet of Remembrance to be given, a direct descendant of the Tang Family must have repaid a life debt to someone. Why does this man have it?”
So-hee’s voice held the same suspicion about the bracelet’s origin as mine.
“I’m curious about that too. A Joseon person possessing a Sichuan Tang Family bracelet.”
“It should have a name engraved on the back like the Token of Gratitude. Let’s check it.”
The Token of Gratitude usually has the name of the person the Sichuan Tang Family owes gratitude to inscribed on it. I pulled the bracelet off the man’s wrist and examined the back.
“……. There’s nothing written.”
The back of the bracelet had no name inscribed on it.
“That can’t be right.”
“Exactly.”
If it’s such a valuable Token of Gratitude, it would naturally have a name inscribed. But to find none?
Thinking of that character makes me uneasy.
“Yoon-ho, you should keep that.”
“Me?”
“If this man had some connection with the Tang Family, then telling them what happened today and returning the bracelet will earn you gratitude. Because the saying of the Sichuan Tang Family is…”
“The Sichuan Tang Family never forgets.”
“……. Right.”
A well-known saying from the Sichuan Tang Family in this world.
Because they often suffer unjust accusations due to relying heavily on poison and memorization, the previous head of the family reportedly set the saying so they wouldn’t forget either their debts of gratitude or their grudges.
It’s probably part of the reason they use the Token of Gratitude.
The protagonist also carries this bracelet to report to the Tang Family, not as a way to express gratitude, but as a way to tell them that one of their family members caused chaos and needs to be cleaned up.
“Then wouldn’t it be better for So-hee to keep it?”
“If I take it, it would raise suspicion, but if you have it, you could receive a great reward.”
So-hee shook her head and said.
Thinking about it, that makes sense. If an assassin shows up holding the bracelet, there’s bound to be suspicion.
On the other hand, if I present my story about how I came into possession of the bracelet, they’d likely welcome me as if I were a guest of honor.
‘There’s no way this bracelet belongs to that character.’
I was astonished when a game artifact appeared before me, but the chances of it belonging to that character are nonexistent.
That character wore the Bracelet of Remembrance until the end of the story.
If the dead man was given the bracelet for a life debt, then he wouldn’t have gone into the story without wearing it.
“Well then, I’ll keep it.”
It makes sense to think someone from the Tang Family repaid a life debt to a dead Joseon man and gave this bracelet as a token.
If the bracelet was truly given to the dead Joseon man from the Tang Family as a Token of Gratitude, then just having avenged and recovered the body would suffice for gratitude.
I packed the bracelet, as advised by So-hee.
—–
The sun sets quickly in the mountains.
After recovering the dead man’s body and hitting the road, it was soon nightfall, so we decided to camp in a suitable place.
“I can’t figure anything out from this box.”
I muttered to myself, looking at the open box.
The box that the man requested to take to Sichuan. It didn’t contain anything of note.
Just a book soaked in blood to the point where it’s hard to open and some trinkets that didn’t seem particularly valuable.
“I know a technique for restoring blood-soaked books. I’ll try to restore it when I get the chance.”
“Wow! You brought back firewood so quickly.”
So-hee’s voice startled me from behind for a moment.
She had said she was going to gather firewood and returned quickly.
“I’m used to camping.”
So-hee said while putting the firewood she brought into the campfire one by one.
Does So-hee seem worried? Her face, lit by the fire, looked unusually dark.
“So-hee, do you have any worries?”
“……. No.”
I felt hesitation from So-hee for a moment.
‘We’re not in a perfectly trusting relationship.’
Neither of us, including me, tend to express our inner thoughts easily.
In So-hee’s heart, I’m probably more of a being to protect rather than a dependable older brother.
It’s hard to express our true feelings because we don’t share an equal relationship, and one cannot show weakness to someone they want to protect.
Even if a place for me has formed in So-hee’s heart, a line surely still exists.
‘I can’t keep accompanying her on assassination missions.’
Continuing to accompany her on assassination missions puts me in danger due to her activation of the Heavenly Killing Star powers.
‘To ensure she feels secure, I need to be seen as a dependable older brother.’
Since I’m now marked with the lingering scent of the assassination tasks, it’s impossible to escape.
If she has no intention of parting ways, then the relationship needs to evolve to one where she can leave her post with peace of mind for a long time.
“Being in the mountains reminds me of the time I went to the valley with So-hee.”
I cast a nostalgic glance at So-hee and spoke.
I thought it was time to use some sentimental past story to build trust again.
“Did you go to the valley before?”
So-hee, seeming to momentarily forget her worries, focused on what I said.
At first, she would show suspicious and distrustful looks whenever I mentioned the past, but now she seems to listen carefully to fabricated tales of the past.
I began to recount stories of the times when I was a reliable older brother to So-hee and where we shared words like “Welcome back” after completing long missions.
Cheon So-hee silently gazed at the crackling embers of the campfire as she listened to Yoon-ho.
“I tried to impress So-hee with my swimming but ended up swept away in a rapid current… Luckily, there was a martial artist watching over me, or it could have been a disaster.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It was. I thought I was really going to drown. Back then, So-hee, you came close, worried, asking if I was okay. Haha. A thrilling memory, but looking back, it’s all a treasure now.”
Yoon-ho shared childhood memories with a cheerful tone.
He folded those recalled memories neatly and tucked them into the fog of memory. Yet, once again, memories resisted surfacing.
‘It would be nice if even one came back to me.’
So-hee buried her head into her knees, deep in thought. Excluding the day he first bound her, she still couldn’t recall childhood memories.
“Back then, so-hee…”
“Also, we caught little minnows together…”
After a long time, Yoon-ho spoke of cherished memories, his face nostalgic.
His past held a version of himself as a child. At the end of his longing, there was So-hee.
But that “her” wasn’t herself.
She felt his gaze as he looked fondly at her, but that affectionate gaze didn’t see her.
What he gazed upon was his past self.
What he missed wasn’t her but his 10-year-younger self.
Cheon So-hee found that fact oddly displeasing and bit her lower lip in secret.
“Yoon-ho.”
Cheon So-hee called him softly.
“Uh-huh?”
He finally broke away from the past and looked at her now.
“Let’s talk about future plans.”
“Head of the Family? Didn’t you already plan that before we set out?”
The man questioned with an incredulous tone.
No, this won’t do. If this goes on, we’ll delve back into past stories.
This was a memory she wished to recall every day for ten years, yet recently, for some reason, she felt a strange heaviness when he spoke of his past.
“After the Head of the Family tasks. Will Yoon-ho continue as a mediator?”
“After the Head of the Family work, I want to write a book.”
“A book?”
“I want to make money as a mediator and write novels to get famous.”
Yoon-ho began to share everything related to books with Cheon So-hee.
From his struggles in writing to his discrepancies between what he wanted to write and what’s popular. Fears of whether his story about the barbarians would sell. Yet, his determination to try again was evident.
All of it was new to her.
While she was living to survive, he was living toward the future.
Cheon So-hee thought Yoon-ho suddenly shone brightly.
Unlike herself.
That feeling was somewhat painful, and So-hee attempted to bury her face in her knees.
“And I want to be a dependable older brother for So-hee if my book succeeds.”
So-hee was taken aback, diverting her gaze from the campfire to Yoon-ho.
“To me?”
“Yeah. I want to be a brother you can trust and lean on, one you can share your worries with…”
Yoon-ho looked at So-hee with an expression filled with consideration.
I told him it was okay, but it seems he couldn’t hide his feelings.
How much does he truly know?
My secrets. My worries. My future. The concerns I’ve never confessed to anyone.
“……. I’ll tell you someday.”
But now was not the time.
Yet, someday, I want to share.
So-hee’s heart warmed at his kind gaze, and she once again buried her head in her knees.
Just as she needed him, she wished to be there alongside him in the future he dreamed of.
Earlier, she had lowered her head to hide her bitten lip, but now she bent it down to conceal the smile that slipped out.
So-hee and I arrived in Daeheung County.
Finding the Head of the Family was not hard. The stature of the Head of the Family in Daeheung County was common knowledge even to the local kids.
“Lord Seong Se-hwi is asking for the mediator to arrive first.”
While waiting at the inn after sending word to the Head of the Family, a servant came to fetch me.
“I can’t go alone; I have companions.”
“Please stay here, and when the guests arrive, we will guide you.”
“Yoon-ho.”
So-hee looked at me with concern in her eyes.
“So-hee, just trust your older brother this time.”
“……. Okay, I’ll trust you.”
Was what I said yesterday effective? So-hee absentmindedly adjusted my clothing and stepped aside.
“Please follow me.”
I followed the servant towards the Head of the Family.
This time’s task for the Head of the Family.
For the successful execution of both the mediator job and assassination mission, certain tasks need to be done.
To achieve that, I might even have to deceive the requester, Seong Se-hwi himself.
‘Let’s just make a fool out of a young master.’
It’s been a while since I got to act.
