890 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Blood drained from my head. No, it felt as though the blood in my entire body ran cold. "What do you mean...?" Did I hear that wrong? No, it seemed I heard it correctly. Mrs. Mi's expression confirmed my thoughts. "You didn't send me a letter?" "No, I did send a letter." Mrs. Mi corrected me, rather mending her previous statement. "Indeed, I sent a letter to you... But when did you receive it?" "I got it two days ago." "Two days...?" Mrs. Mi's eyes widened. "Did you say... you came from Sichuan to here, in just two days?" "Yes." "..." "But more importantly right now..." Suddenly, Mrs. Mi grasped my shoulder tightly, causing me to flinch from her abrupt touch. "Are you alright?" "...Excuse me? Oh, yes." Even her change in tone startled me further. Perhaps realizing her slip, Mrs. Mi coughed to collect herself, reverting her tone and manner. "...No matter how urgent, you shouldn't push yourself that hard over such a long distance." "...It's manageable." In truth, it wasn't all that difficult. My energy had increased, making it easier to control. What used to be a problematic surge of power was now resolved. In any case. "To think you even visited the main sect... What exactly happened to you...? Are you really alright?" "Mrs. Mi." I interrupted her. There was something more pressing at hand. "Could you please continue what you were saying earlier? I am truly alright." For some reason, she was overly excited, but I managed to calm her and prompted her to resume. "You say you sent a letter, but the letter I received wasn’t actually from you, correct?" "...Indeed. Considering the timing, it doesn't add up. Even arriving early, it should have only reached today." "..." At its earliest, today. Yet, I received the letter the day before yesterday. Which means I set out as soon as I got it, leading to now. ‘...What is going on?’ I furrowed my brow in concentration. No matter how much I pondered, it didn't make sense. ‘The handwriting was perfect. The timing was spot on.’ Everything was crafted such that it was impossible for me not to mistake it. Circumstances, motives, and even the handwriting matched. But was it a fake? As uncertainty clouded my mind, Mrs. Mi stretched out a hand toward me. "Do you still have the letter you received?" "Ah, yes." Indeed, I had it. I hastily retrieved the letter from my coat and handed it to Mrs. Mi. She unfolded it and scrutinized it closely, her brow furrowing even more. "…Certainly. Enough for one to mistake." She acknowledged. The handwriting, the seal, even the usual paper she used—it was an impeccable match. "How..." How did this happen? Neither Mrs. Mi nor I could comprehend it. ‘Who could it be?’ Who had done this to me? And who was capable of such deception? As I racked my brain, considering every possibility, a sudden chill slithered up the back of my neck. "…!" The most detestable thought arose, one that now seemed the most likely. Though I hoped otherwise, it appeared unlikely. Thus, I asked Mrs. Mi, “...If I may inquire. When did you first learn that Father... that the lord had been imprisoned?” "Three days ago." "…Three days ago." The timing of the imprisonment seemed unclear. This was purely when Mrs. Mi learned of the information. What this meant was. ‘The received letter would’ve been sent a day or two earlier than that.’ This led to the conclusion that. ‘…Whoever orchestrated this expected Father’s imprisonment.’ A circumstance that boiled my blood. If this was true, then someone within the sect orchestrated this betrayal. Anger simmered within. Not just because Father was in such a state, but because someone’s machinations led to it. Suppressing my emotions, I said to Mrs. Mi, “…First, please explain in more detail how this all came to be.” Understanding the situation took precedence. ****************** After listening to the full explanation, I massaged my brow. I could feel the lines of my frown deepen. "Are you alright?" Mrs. Mi asked with concern. Striving to maintain my composure, I waved away her concern. "I'm fine." Truthfully, I wasn't at all fine, but I feigned it. Otherwise, I feared I’d unleash a torrent of curses in her presence. ‘…Let’s see.’ Summarizing what I had heard, ‘Father marched into the main faction, attempting to kill Muk Yeon.’ Both the Sword Saint and the Divine Dragon Lord intervened, leading to his imprisonment. This matched the information I had gathered earlier. ‘The reasons remain unknown… and the trial is tomorrow?’ This, too, aligned with what I learned from the faction. The issue was. "Is Elder Il Jang currently acting as head?" "Yes." With Father unable to fulfill his duties due to his situation, Elder Il Jang having stepped in was unsurprising. It wasn't an unfitting choice. ‘Given his position, it's suitable.’ The main house’s general couldn’t move, and the interim head was needed for the trial. Yet— ‘I was in Sichuan and not even the heir.’ Thus, Elder Il Jang, the next closest to the role, took over. “...So, where is Elder Il Jang now?” “If it's him, just outside for a moment…” As Mrs. Mi began to speak, -You sure eat a lot for a little guy. Elder Il Jang’s voice was heard from outside. It seemed he had arrived. I quickly rose and walked outside. "Elder Il… hmm?" "Hmm?" Standing there was the towering figure of Elder Il Jang as always, and, "Oh." On his shoulder, riding casually, “Daddy.” Was Doldol Yi. "..." “Hello.” The little one grinned brightly at me, waving a hand carrying all sorts of skewers. He looked just as he did in my childhood. But, setting that aside for now... "...Why are you sitting up there?" "Huh? Big Grandpa told me to." Big Grandpa. It was obvious who that referred to. "Yes, I told him to climb up." "That’s right. He said to do it." "..." Doldol Yi was even gripping Elder Il Jang’s hair with one hand. I sighed as soon as I saw his antics. "Aren’t you going to get down?" "Why?" "Why, you ask?" Upon glaring at him, Doldol Yi flinched. Then he curled up and hid behind Elder Il Jang. This little brat… I was about to pull him down, but Mrs. Mi moved before I could. I’d never seen her move so quickly in my life. She approached Elder Il Jang and reached out to Doldol Yi. And as if awaiting her gesture, Doldol Yi nestled into her arms. "Did you have a good trip?" "Yes, Grandma." 'Grandma…' What should I do about this peculiar choice of words? And how could he look so content snuggled there? 'A monster nestled in a human's arms, of all things.' What’s more, he was being coddled. Anyone witnessing this would be utterly shocked. "Don’t be too hard on him." "…Excuse me?" "When they’re young, it’s good to let them be spoiled." Mrs. Mi’s unexpected words were accompanied by a slightly wistful expression. "I didn’t realize it until it was too late, filled with regret… I hope you won’t feel the same." "…What do you mean." She was implying that I was too strict with Doldol Yi. It was so absurd I was about to protest, but— "But how come you’re here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Sichuan?" Elder Il Jang cut me off, prompting me to shift topics. "...Things got strange, so I rushed over." "Ah." At my response, Elder Il Jang seemed to understand. "So you caught wind of the situation." "Yes…" "Hmm." Elder Il Jang processed my words with a peculiar expression. Then he patted my shoulder a couple of times. What is this? "Looks like I misunderstood." "Misunderstood what?" "You seem to have matured more than I thought." "What do you mean by that…?" What a puzzling statement. What does he mean by maturity? I was curious, so I asked. "I half-expected you to storm into Martial Alliance as soon as you heard the news and create chaos." Huh...? His words caught me off guard. "Seeing that you came straight here, I guess you’ve grown wiser with age… Why are you making that face?" "...Well, it's because…" Upon seeing my reaction, Elder Il Jang’s brow furrowed. "...Yangcheon, did you perhaps." "It wasn’t exactly chaos." “…So you did go.” Elder Il Jang’s expression shifted to one of realization, followed by a somewhat hopeful inquiry. "...You didn’t get into any trouble, right?" "It wasn’t trouble per se…. More like." I sheepishly averted my eyes as I replied. "I fought the Sword Saint and burned a few floors." “-And that’s not trouble since when." Elder Il Jang sighed, about to continue, but— "What? You fought the Sword Saint?" Mrs. Mi reacted even more strongly. “You fought the Sword Saint… Are you saying that old man fought you? How could an elder fight a child…!” "…Baekhwa Merchant Guild Leader. Calling the Sword Saint an old monster... That’s a bit…." "What about injuries? You didn't get hurt, did you?" “Bloody hell.” Elder Il Jang ended up swearing, his words ignored. Understandable, given his temper. "…Mrs. Mi, I’m perfectly fine. Look, I’m not hurt at all, am I? It was just a minor dispute." "Yet you burned floors during the 'dispute'?" "..." I chose to ignore Elder Il Jang’s remark. "Are you truly alright?" "Yes." I meant it. The encounter with the Sword Saint left me unharmed. After all... ‘Neither of us fought with deadly intent.’ We both were just testing the waters, without committing fully to the fight. If we had been serious... ‘The sect would have already been in shambles.’ Given our levels of mastery, it would have been chaotic. The fact that the sect remained intact meant we both held back. Turning my gaze from Mrs. Mi, who still looked doubtful, to Elder Il Jang, I asked, “I heard the trial is tomorrow. Is that true?” “Yes, it’s set for tomorrow.” “I heard you’ll be attending as acting head. What’s the plan for dealing with it?” “Hm?” Elder Il Jang tilted his head at my question. Then spoke as if bemused by my words, “What plan?” “…Excuse me?” “Is there anything to plan for?” "Well, should you not have some strategy in mind if you’re attending?" "I don’t." "..." My head began to hurt. "Why not?" "Why plan when it isn’t necessary?" "What makes you so sure it won’t be necessary…?" “The former lord told me not to worry.”“…!” Elder Il Jang’s response silenced me. “The former lord said not to worry and told me to do nothing. So I’m simply following that advice." “However…" "If you visited the main sect, I presume the former lord also had something to say to you. Is that so?" “…Yes.” “What did he say?” I recalled my father’s words from the Martial Alliance. ‘He said it would be alright.’ Whether it was not to worry or that it would be alright, I couldn’t remember precisely. The exact words weren’t the main point. What mattered was the underlying meaning. “…He said he'd be fine and asked me to look after Mrs. Mi.” Mrs. Mi flinched at my words. “Did he?” Contrarily, Elder Il Jang smiled. “This time, that rascal spoke more clearly than usual.” Hearing the way he referred to my father was new to me. “If the former lord said it’s fine, then it truly is. So you should trust his intentions and stay calm. There must be a plan.” “…What if there isn’t a plan?” “Even then, it isn't your place to get involved.” Elder Il Jang’s expression grew momentarily stern. “It’s not a matter for you to involve yourself in, given that you aren’t in line to succeed.” "…" His words were irrefutable, leaving me biting my lip. “So, you should focus on what you need to do. Leave this matter to the former lord and me.” What I need to do. Thinking about it made me wrinkle my nose. ‘What I need to do.’ I shifted my gaze to Mrs. Mi's hand, which still held the letter I had given her. The task I needed to focus on at this moment. Surely, it was connected to that letter. Not only did it mimic Mrs. Mi’s handwriting and the seal of her merchant guild... ‘Finding the bastard involved in this.’ The thought gave a glint to my eye. Contemplating it alone wouldn’t lead to any answers. Therefore, there was only one course of action. ‘Utilize the smartest person I know.’ I needed to find Jegal Hyeok. ***************** "The Star King has arrived in Hanam." Moohee, a woman wearing a veil, spoke while facing someone's back. Upon hearing this, the man who was putting on his outer garment slightly turned his head. A smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed a blood-red. "He's faster than expected. Did he acquire something else from Sichuan?" The Blood Demon chuckled. His laughter caused Moohee's shoulders to quiver ever so slightly. "Not bad. Actually, it’s perfect." Nodding, the Blood Demon straightened his attire. Then he steadied his breathing. The way he poised himself suggested he felt a sense of excitement. "I'll be off for a bit." "Are you saying…" Looking at Moohee, the Blood Demon spoke. "The time has come. So, I must first retrieve what we need." With a smile, he said so, and as he did, he dissolved into a swirl of crimson smoke. "…" Observing this, Moohee bowed her head gently, as if in a respectful salute.