Chapter 105
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 105
Chapter 105. Man-gyeol's Decision (6)
Looking at him, Eun Seo-ho said, “You look like you don't believe it.”
Eun Seo-ho handed him a letter.
“Read it.”
After reading the letter, he was shocked and looked up.
It said that Man-gyeol had discovered that this disease was man-made.
It said that Man-gyeol had discovered that the disease was man-made.
“Submit the report as is. They worked hard, so they will tell you to stop sending reports, and that will be proof that they are going to wipe this place off the map.”
“....”
“Why? Are you not sure? You seemed so confident just a moment ago....”
Eun Seo-ho's words sounded like mockery.
He replied.
“I will prove to you how righteous they are.”
* *
I watched as the disciple of the Hyeongmun sect in front of me put the report I had written into a bamboo tube.
I felt confused.
I disliked both the Martial Alliance, who had persuaded the author to do this, and the author, who had done this for his own gain.
That aside, what exactly does the author think is just about the Martial Alliance that makes him so confident?
Well...
To those who don't know the truth, the Martial Alliance must seem just.
After parting ways with him, Man-gyeol and I returned to the Hyungmun Sect's quarters.
“What are you going to do?”
As soon as we entered the quarters, Man-gyeol asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Isn't it dangerous to let them know that I revealed that the illness these people suffered from was man-made?”
I just learned from the letter in the bamboo tube that the Martial Alliance is behind this.
So your concern is not unfounded.
“That's true. But I have a good idea.”
“...?”
I called out to Geum-ryeong, who was hiding in my sleeve.
“Geum-ryeong.”
“Koo!”
“You have a job to do. Deliver this letter to Pal-gap, and deliver this letter to my father.”
“Koo.”
“If you do a good job, I'll give you a silver coin.”
“Koo!”
As expected, the silver coin had a powerful effect.
With the letter for my father tied to his tail and the letter for Pal-gap tied to his legs, he disappeared through the window in an instant.
He really is fast.
But I wonder if he'll get rounder if he eats too much silver.
That would be cute in its own way, though...
.
.
.
And a few days later.
There was a bamboo tube in the hole in the tree.
It was a reply.
The disciple said to me with a triumphant look on his face.
“I'll show you that you were wrong!”
He took out the letter from the bamboo tube and opened it proudly.
I just smiled as I watched him.
The disciple's eyes wavered.
“Why?”
“This can't be...”
“It seems that things didn't go well.”
He dropped the letter, and I picked it up and read it.
[Thank you for your hard work. You don't need to send any more reports. Wait within the sect.]
It was just as I expected.
“No, it can't be... This can't be...”
He denied the reality of the situation and looked up at me.
“That doesn't mean the Martial Alliance isn't just!”
“That's true. But you'll soon realize that.”
I smiled and said.
“Go inside. The night wind is cold.”
After parting with him, I headed toward the Sect Leader.
The medicine made by Man-gyeol was very effective, and the Sect Leader, the law enforcers, and the gatekeepers had already gotten up from their seats.
As a result, there are currently no sick people in the Hyungmun Sect.
“You're here, Master Xing and Master Dae.”
I quickly waved my hand at the Sect Leader's words.
“Just call me Mister.”
“How can I do that?”
“Sect Leader...”
“So you're on your way back from meeting that pitiful disciple?”
He was asking about the person who had spread the disease here and reported the situation.
As he was a disciple of this place, it was the Sect Leader's responsibility to deal with him.
That was why I had informed the Sect Leader about him.
“It was as I expected. But... he denied reality until the very end...”
“I see.”
He stroked his beard and looked disappointed.
“How will you punish him?”
The Sect Leader thought for a moment and replied.
“First, we must protect that child.”
“You're not just going to leave him alone?”
“Whether he is good or bad, guilty or innocent, he is still a disciple of our sect. Therefore, we must protect him.”
I thought I understood why the Martial Alliance chose our sect among so many other sects to do this.
It was probably because of this.
I remembered what Captain Namgung Kang of the Baekcheon Trading Company had said to me before I died.
“And I don't like your useless righteousness. I don't want your standards of good to raise the bar for everyone else. That's why you bother me.”
It was clear that the Martial Alliance was wary of raising the standard of “goodness.”
Why on earth did the Martial Alliance want to lower the standard of goodness?
* * *
Fifty people headed toward Hyungmun Mountain.
The leader of the group, Captain Cheong Song, was extremely perplexed.
He had received an order from the leader of the Martial Alliance.
He was to set fire to the Hyeongmun Sect to prevent the epidemic from spreading further.
“There is an epidemic in the Hyeongmun Sect on Hyeongmun Mountain, and it is said to be fatal to those who have mastered martial arts.”
“...”
“I heard that everyone has already died from the disease. However, if left unattended, there is a risk that the disease will spread, so go and clean up the mess.”
“Yes, sir.”
However, the order he received separately was slightly different.
“If there are any survivors, they must be killed on the spot.”
“...”
“If you make a mistake, the martial arts world will collapse.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
It bothered him to kill people who were still alive, especially martial artists from the same sect as him.
However, it was a deadly epidemic for those who had trained in martial arts.
It meant that the few must be sacrificed for the greater good.
He made up his mind, but...
“Did you hear? About the Hyungmun sect.”
“Oh! I heard that martial artists caught a contagious disease. Are they okay?”
“They're completely cured.”
“Really?”
“Man-gyeol made a special medicine, and they took it and were completely cured.”
Wherever they went, there were rumors that the contagious disease spreading among the Hyeongmun sect had been cured.
The problem arose when they arrived at Uichang.
The epidemic had already disappeared, and the place was bustling with martial artists.
The road leading to Hyeongmun Mountain was already blocked by people.
“Why are there so many people here?”
One of them answered Cheong-song's question.
“It seems that you haven't heard the rumors yet.”
“Rumors? Are you talking about the rumors that the martial artists of the Hyungmun Sect were infected with the epidemic but have been cured?”
“That's right. That's why Man-gyeol is distributing medicine that he made himself for the other martial artists.”
“...”
Cheong-song's mission had to be carried out in secret.
Now it was no longer possible to keep it a secret.
He reported this news to his superiors, and soon a letter arrived from them.
It was an order to return.
.
.
.
Before returning tomorrow, they stopped at an inn to get some rest.
While eating dinner at the restaurant on the first floor, they talked about this and that.
“It's a good thing.”
“He recovered before we arrived.”
Cheong-song nodded at his subordinates' words. To be honest, he felt a little uneasy about it.
No matter how noble the cause, he had wielded his sword against a sick man.
On the way here, he was overcome with self-loathing, wondering if this was why he had trained in martial arts.
After finishing their meal, the subordinates returned to their rooms one by one.
At that moment, a group of people entered the inn.
It seemed that ordinary people were reluctant to enter an inn where there were many people carrying swords.
However, now that most of them had gone to their rooms, they seemed to have come to the dining room.
They ate dumplings and other foods while conversing.
“So, did Man-gyeol realize it right away? That someone from the Hyungmun sect deliberately spread the contagious disease?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“It's a good thing we have medicine.”
“You made the medicine quickly. That's why everyone recovered in the middle of this month and started martial arts training.”
Listening to their conversation, Cheong-song realized that something was wrong.
He had received orders from the Alliance Leader in the middle of this month.
Therefore, when he received the order, there was no contagious disease in the Hyeongmun Sect.
“Then why did the Alliance Leader do that?”
* * *
I secretly observed Dae-ju Cheong-song's expression.
His eyes were filled with confusion.
Of course, that was intentional, so the plan was a success.
In my previous life, a few days after the arson attack on the Martial Alliance headquarters in Koo-shi, something happened that caused an uproar in the martial arts world.
It was the news of the suicide of the Captain of Cheongsong.
It was a commotion for a while as he left a will saying that he was atoning for his past mistakes and dedicating his life to the souls of the dead.
From various sources, I heard that the Captain of Cheongsong was very proud of being a member of the Martial Alliance.
Such a man took his own life.
I didn't know why he did it at that moment, but when I put the pieces together, I understood.
He was the one who burned down the Hyeongmun sect.
And at that time, he didn't know the truth.
Later, when he learned the truth, he was tormented by pain and guilt, and eventually committed suicide.
He was a renowned martial artist throughout the martial arts world and one of the pillars supporting the Martial Alliance.
I decided to create a crack in that pillar.
So I mobilized Pal-gap and two bodyguards to carry out this plan.
And it seems that the plan was successful.
.
.
.
On the way from the inn to the Hyung sect, I expressed my gratitude to Pal-gap and the bodyguards.
“Thank you for all your hard work.”
“Not at all.”
“You worked much harder, young master.”
“Koo...”
“Geum-ryeong also worked hard.”
“Koo!”
I chuckled. In the letter I sent through Geum-ryung, I asked her to spread the word.
The rumor quickly spread.
And when word got out that medicine was being distributed, warriors from all over the country gathered.
Even the Martial Alliance couldn't handle the Hyeongmun Sect with its countless warriors, so they ordered Cheong-song and his men to return.
Elder Man-gyeol must be working hard to make the medicine.
And the disciples of the Hyeongmun Sect must also be busy welcoming the warriors who are gathering.
Still, it's better than being burned alive.
It was time to return to the Hyeongmun Sect. I was curious to see the expression on the mouse who trusted the cat.
* * *
It was late at night.
Joon, a disciple of the Hyeongmun Sect, headed to the place where he had left his report.
While he was busy welcoming and guiding the numerous warriors who had gathered at the sect, someone had slipped a note into his sleeve.
The note said that he would be given the promised reward, but not to tell anyone, and to come to the place where he had left the report at the end of the night (between 9 and 11 p.m.).
Ji-woon rejoiced at the note.
He thought that he would finally be able to leave this narrow place and go out into the wide world.
He wanted to show this letter to Eun Seo-ho, who had mocked him.
Look!
The Martial Alliance is a place of justice after all!
They didn't forget the reward they promised.
However, he couldn't ruin everything at the last minute, so he didn't tell anyone and headed into the forest.
Joo-woon soon arrived at the tree next to the rock.
He put his hand inside a hole in the tree, just in case. He felt something.
He pulled his hand out.
“...!”
He was startled. In his hand was the silver coin.
“What is this?”
Then he heard someone's voice behind him.
“Do you like the amount? That's your fare to the underworld.”
“...!”
Joon hurriedly turned around.
Someone dressed in black was looking at him with a sword in his hand.
“Who are you?”
“I came to give you the reward I promised you.”
But something was wrong.
Money for the afterlife? And what was that killing intent he felt?
“The Martial Alliance promised me the position of Captain.”
“Did you think you could become captain with your skills? You're stupid.”
His tone was full of ridicule.
“You don't even have the skills to become a regular member of the Martial Alliance, let alone a captain. You're dreaming.”
“What do you mean...”
“You don't know that the martial arts of the Hyungmun sect are not about individual strength, but the power of the group. You've been taught wrong.”
He raised his sword.
“From the beginning, the only reward promised to you was death.”
Ji-woon suppressed his fear and drew his sword.
“Consider yourself lucky. Thanks to the way things turned out, you won't be burned alive, but will die by my sword.”
The man's figure disappeared in an instant, and by the time Ji-woon realized what was happening, the man's sword was already aimed at his heart.
Clang!