Ch 351 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Kang Po Kwei - 4 "Eom as the culprit?" When I pointed out the suspect, Eom, the bastard, was brought before me with a bewildered expression. "What nonsense! Me, the culprit? Do you have any evidence?" Oh yes, that's why I've been running around all day. Did you know? When criminals are first named as the suspects, they love to repeat that age-old line, asking if there's any evidence. "Evidence? There's plenty." "W-what did you say?" I sneered and pulled out the vault's lock found at the crime scene from my robe. This lock hid a crucial secret that Lim Ha Yeon had discovered. "Although there are signs that the lock was tampered with in an attempt to hide the fact, the inner mechanisms were still intact. The vault was opened with a key." "Opened with the vault's key?" One of the household members murmured in surprise, grasping the implication of my words. "There are two people responsible for the keys to the mansion's vault room: the victim, Jipjuin, and Jeongsilbuin. I heard that both of them always carry it with them." "Then isn't there a more perfect suspect than me here? Everyone knows Jeongsilbuin had a motive!" The suspect pointed accusatorily at Jeongsilbuin, forgetting any courtesy toward the main wife. "Right. Come to think of it, didn’t they say things got rough at night, and their relationship soured?" "Recently, didn’t they fight because another concubine was brought in without any consultation?" "See? Did you hear that?" Eom spoke to me with puffed-up pride as if he had written an epic drama where he wasn't the villain. "You scoundrels! Do you really suspect me?" On the other hand, Jeongsilbuin, who was suddenly accused of being the culprit, turned red and protested her innocence to the household members. It was a valid point. In fact, the investigation by the officers had Jeongsilbuin on the list of suspects. In terms of motive, she ranked higher than Eom. However, "Jeongsilbuin is not the culprit." "Not?" "This case revolves around a theft that led to a murder. A wife with equivalent rights in managing property, enough to carry the vault's key, wouldn’t have a reason to commit theft leading to murder." While she might have a motive for murder, it wasn't relevant to this incident. "Then what reason is there to suspect me?" Eom, seemingly troubled by the failure of his reversal act, spoke to me with a deeply furrowed brow. "If you concocted a plan, you should have perfected it completely." I spoke to Eom dismissively. "What?" "The origami crane from Mu Yeong Shin Tu. Amidst a sea of lies, the genuine article indicated you as the culprit." "If the crane is genuine, doesn’t that mean Mu Yeong Shin Tu is responsible?" I already explained why it couldn't be Mu Yeong Shin Tu. Are you perhaps the type who skips the explanation pages and only checks who the real culprit was at the end? I glared coldly at the bastard Eom. "I have a friend who works with the Po Kwei at the magistrate’s office. Meaning someone who could tamper with evidence from the Mu Yeong Shin Tu case." Where did the crane come from? It wasn’t hard to conclude. If it wasn’t I, the only place one could obtain the origami crane from Mu Yeong Shin Tu was the office investigating the case. Asking around with the constables made it not difficult to trace back to a Po Kwei who was involved with him. "How did you know that?! No, I mean, it’s true I have a friend, but what does that prove? Anyone could have a connection with someone at the mansion!" That’s a fair point. There could be other ways to access the evidence. However. "It was a left-handed sword." "What?" "The weapon that killed Jipjuin. It was wielded with the left hand." I have numerous reasons to name you as the suspect. "How could you know that?" "Didn’t you leave plenty of evidence yourself? You stabbed Jipjuin, unable even to open a closed steel door with his wounded body, several times. Didn’t you think we’d notice that? Eom, why don’t you show us your left hand?" "Gah!" Eom tried to hide his bandaged left hand by shielding it behind him, but it only worked against him. "The left hand is injured!" "There's blood seeping through!" For behind him were the witnesses from the household. "Those who aren’t accustomed to handling knives often injure themselves like that while stabbing someone." Not knowing how much force to use when stabbing, one might slip and cut themselves on the blade. For someone who enjoys detective stories, that knowledge is as familiar as knowing that poison smells like almonds. "It was an accidental wound from yesterday! And even if I were left-handed, how would a bastard like me obtain the keys to the vault room?" "The source of the key was left at the crime scene." The critical hint which led me to name you the criminal, it was left there. "What?!" His eyes widened as if they couldn’t possibly open any further. Shall I deliver the final blow now? I employed my skills in reenactment, sensing all eyes drawn toward me, to explain why the bastard was the culprit and I began the final reconstruction of events. "Though the culprit managed to murder the victim, it was impromptu, and thus, he was incredibly flustered! The countless footfalls hesitantly imprinted in front of the victim at the crime scene were evident proof of that! But those footprints held a peculiar direction!" "Direction?" "The directions of the toes in those footprints strangely didn’t point toward either the deceased victim or the vault." The tracks all pointed in an unexpected direction. "Stop it!" The suspect shouted at me with a face gone pale. "Looks like you’ve figured it out. The culprit was looking toward the door while pacing. The iron door, which had been closed until now as if he were conversing with someone standing there." Last night. It wasn’t just the murderer and the victim who were at the crime scene. There was an observer who stood by the door and passively watched the man’s crime. "I said stop!" “There was someone there. Someone who could stealthily take the key from the victim asleep beside them and hand it over, the accomplice who closed the iron door when the house owner tried to escape.” "No way..." I began walking slowly towards the spot where everyone was staring in shock. Last night, it was revealed that Jipjuin had been with a woman and had met the culprit in the vault room, where he eventually died. So, the person who handed over the key last night was... "Isn't that right, So Sil Bu In?" The mistress of the victim. She had been the passive observer of the entire incident. "......" So Sil Bu In trembled slightly as she lowered her gaze. "Mother! Please, say nothing!" In response to her son's words, So Sil Bu In closed her eyes, as if practicing silent meditation. If she won't answer, there are other ways. "Officers, search the mistress's room immediately." I commanded the officers for the final conclusion. "Bloodstained shoes and the missing jewelry have been found!" "H-how? This is a false accusation! It's a false accusation!" The only false accusation was the one you tried to pin on Ha Yeon So Jeo. I actually asked Ha Yeon So Jeo to help find evidence of your guilt. Thanks to that, I spoke with certainty. So Sil Bu In opened her tightly shut eyes at the officer's words and looked at me as if she had made a decision. "So, it wasn’t by chance that the famed Po Kwei solved the Ghost Ship case after all." "Mother! Ugh! All because of you!!! You barbarian bastard!" The murderous intent from the enraged killer pressed sharply on my nape. "Kyaaa!" "Watch out!" When I turned around, the blood-stained dagger was already close. A weapon the suspect had failed to dispose of. "It’s amusing to hear a beast who defies heavenly principles and common morality talk about barbarians." Did I look like someone to be trifled with? I've lived a life far from being complacent enough to be unnerved by the blade of a novice cutting himself. I seized the dagger with my right hand. The startled culprit watched. This would be the first and last time you'd encounter skin untouched by a blade. With my left hand infused with inner strength, I grabbed his collar and slammed him onto the ground. "Ugh!" "Kang Po Kwei!" "Secure the culprits and prepare to take them away." Case closed. You little rascal. ——————— "How could you do this! Bu Gun raised you like his own!" Jeongsilbuin shouted at Eom, the culprit, in fury. "Ha! That man who treated my mother like a cheap courtesan calling me his own?" "Bu Gun may have indulged at night, but he did not treat your mother as a courtesan!" "Seeing my mother's injuries increase day after day, you dare say such things?" "....... It's all my fault. A foolish mother hoping her son could start anew led to this mess. Please, let my life be enough..." "Mother!" Although she might seem like she was putting on an act of a mother concerned for her son, it was likely that the motive for murder lay with So Sil Bu In. Originally, the plan might have only been to hand over the vault key to her son, but in the moment, she ended up closing the iron door instead. If things had been normal, she might have tried to stop the situation or at least prevent it from becoming the worst-case scenario. Once the situation had settled, I approached Ha Yeon So Jeo and Je Gal So Jeo, who were standing in a corner. "Quite impressive how you deduced all that from just a footprint." "When I lifted my head to match the footprint, I saw the faces of the two people outside the door. That's when it clicked who could steal the key and who that person trusted the most." Jeongsilbuin's children were all married, and the woman who slept with the man last night was a concubine. Did the concubine have children? There was a bastard, and he was left-handed. Does he have a connection with a Po Kwei? While Ha Yeon So Jeo searched for evidence, I looked for a witness. Through the process, everything fell into place. "Prince Kang, you're amazing!" "Haha. Without the two of you, I wouldn’t have discovered anything at all." I didn't perform any superhuman deduction. Ha Yeon So Jeo and Je Gal So Jeo found crucial evidence and narrowed down the materials compiled by the officers in an instant. All I did was find the final piece of the puzzle. "In the end, it was you who found the culprit." "Indeed, Prince Kang." Even so, their compliments were slightly embarrassing. "Kang Po Kwei! We’re ready to escort the culprits!" "Maintain a minimum guard while escorting them, and gather the officers around here." Managing to reign in my flattered grin, I gave orders to the officers. "Yes? What is going on?" "We need to go capture the last accomplice, don’t we?" Let’s finish this up. —– "They say Kang Po Kwei captured Mu Yeong Shin Tu!" "They say it was a fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu!" "Same difference, it’s a thief after all!" "It’s clear now it wasn’t luck that he solved the Ghost Ship case!" The news of apprehending the fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu within a day of becoming Po Kwei began spreading beyond the office to the populace. "Kwahaha! Look who it is! Isn’t it the famed Kang Po Kwei making waves in the office! Come, have a seat!" I visited the office, where Chong Po Du was located, following the news of capturing an accomplice. "I heard you thoroughly rooted out the fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu." I personally bound the captured Po Kwei who handed over the origami crane on the day of the case. Although I handed over the interrogation to experts, as it wasn’t my forte. "It was thanks to you! Who could’ve guessed he’d sell the collected evidence like the origami crane! After interrogating him, we managed to catch the fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu!" The Po Kwei wasn’t the only one who sold the crane — it seems there was quite some demand for it besides thieves, considering it's a legendary artifact unique to the righteous. "To think they’d use Mu Yeong Shin Tu’s origami crane to evade capture. Truly an outrageous idea." "It’s the first time since I started that we caught so many thieves at once! The officials are in high spirits too, so when the Mu Yeong Shin Tu case wraps up, they’re sure to highly commend your contribution!" Impersonating someone else’s title in the martial arts world is a serious crime. Initially, I worried about causing issues with Do Mun, but since even the thieves were impersonating him, I felt relieved. In the end, I not only cleared the false allegations against Mu Yeong Shin Tu but also boosted my own reputation. “Now that the fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu deal is entirely settled, we can focus solely on the real one.” From now on, I’ll move subtly and let my partner receive any transferred intelligence. “Well… hahaha…” Chong Po Du laughed awkwardly as if he had more to say. “Is there a problem?” “The Po Kwei who sold the crane, well… he mentioned something strange.” "Something strange?" "He claims he was merely acting as an intermediary to pay off a debt. At first, he sold a few to collectors. But apparently, someone else introduced him to the thief." An entirely unexpected story tumbled from Chong Po Du's mouth. "Someone introduced him? What do you mean by that?" "I’m not entirely sure myself. He says someone from the gambling den made him do it in exchange for clearing his gambling debts. Isn’t that just a ridiculous excuse?" Wait. Suddenly, a blow struck the back of my neck like a hammer. Why was there an attempt to falsely accuse Mu Yeong Shin Tu? Why smear the name of Mu Yeong Shin Tu? A fake Mu Yeong Shin Tu. Gambling dens and gambling debts. There was only one conclusion to draw from this. 'Do Mun is on the move again.'