Chapter 191 :

<A Messenger from the Past>

Step, step.

The two highest-ranking figures in the Martial Alliance were leaving the academy and heading back to headquarters.

Their unseen guards discreetly released concealed force, making people instinctively avoid the street the two men were walking down.

Thanks to them, the pair could walk comfortably without interruption.

"What did you think?"

Jegal Somyeong asked.

Had Hyeok Mugang not been chattering away with endless questions whenever Jin Sowoon came up?

"Hmm…"

Hyeok Mugang walked several more steps without answering before slowly opening his mouth.

"He was an interesting boy."

"Interesting?"

Hyeok Mugang, who had been deep in thought, looked at Jegal Somyeong and smiled.

"I could never quite grasp it from your accounts alone, Chief Strategist… But after meeting him in person, there is one thing I now know for certain."

"What is it?"

"Just how hard you have worked to keep me from stealing Jin Sowoon away from you."

Jegal Somyeong's face crumpled like a sheet of paper.

"Have we not already settled that matter?"

Hyeok Mugang chuckled and stroked his beard.

"A joke. Just a joke."

"…"

"But putting that aside, he certainly has many fascinating qualities. What particularly struck me…"

Hyeok Mugang gave Jegal Somyeong a meaningful smile.

"Was how brazenly he put on an act with the Murim Alliance Leader and Chief Strategist right before him."

As expected, the alliance leader had known.

When it came to the schemes and machinations of the murky political world, was he not a step ahead of Jegal Somyeong himself?

Hyeok Mugang raised his eyebrows as though he truly was impressed.

"Still, had it not been for the circumstances, he might actually have fooled me."

"He is an exceedingly audacious little bastard."

At the chief strategist's agreement, Hyeok Mugang closed his eyes as though picturing something.

"That is why I am truly, truly… looking forward to it."

Then his eyes opened, their corners curving like crescent moons.

"The Martial Alliance that he and the rising stars of this generation will lead."

"…"

At Hyeok Mugang's words, deep furrows formed between Jegal Somyeong's brows.

Why had he mentioned Jin Sowoon separately from the rising stars?

The rising stars of the current generation included Yong Soa and the other members of the Dragon-Phoenix Association, as well as the Seven Stars of the generation above them.

Yet Jin Sowoon's talent could hardly be called exceptional compared with any of them.

"Are you not… getting a little too invested in Jin Sowoon?"

Hyeok Mugang nodded at the reasonable question.

"I suppose it could seem that way."

"That would not be particularly good for Jin Sowoon either."

After a moment's consideration, Hyeok Mugang asked Jegal Somyeong a question.

"…How far do you think Jin Sowoon will go, Chief Strategist?"

The unexpected and peculiar question left Jegal Somyeong at a loss for words.

It was not that he had failed to understand it.

He had simply never seriously pictured the answer before.

"Well… I intended to entrust Simhyeon Pavilion to him."

"Not the Intelligence Department?"

"As you have seen, the boy has a keen eye for people's schemes. There could hardly be a better playground than Simhyeon Pavilion for him to run wild in."

Hyeok Mugang nodded, then continued questioning him.

"Do you think he will stop there?"

"…"

He could not answer the second question.

When he had first met Jin Sowoon at the Iron Sword Sect, he had judged him to be a potentially useful employee for the Intelligence Department. When he saw him pass the official examination, he had thought the boy could eventually be entrusted with either Simhyeon Pavilion or the Intelligence Department.

He had assumed Jin Sowoon would be more than satisfied with that, both for his own sake and for his sect's.

The standing and significance of the Intelligence Department and Simhyeon Pavilion made those positions virtually the highest that countless martial artists throughout the murim world could hope to attain.

But now, if someone asked whether Jin Sowoon would truly be satisfied with that…

"As I thought, you cannot answer."

"…"

Hyeok Mugang was right.

He simply could not gauge it.

"Then how far do you think that brat will go, Alliance Leader?"

Hyeok Mugang raised the bundle in his hand to eye level.

"Well, I cannot say for certain either…"

Screee—

At the cry of a hawk ringing through the sky, Hyeok Mugang looked up.

Was it a coincidence that a hawk had appeared at such a fitting moment?

"He did not strike me as a bird that would enter a cage."

Jegal Somyeong found himself nodding at Hyeok Mugang's words.

"And above all, the boy seemed to think very little of power. Almost as though it were a mere tool."

"What do you…"

Hyeok Mugang suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

"About Daoist Myeonghyeon…"

"Why bring him up all of a sudden…?"

"I hear Jin Sowoon gave him a severe beating."

Jegal Somyeong's brow instantly twisted.

"What? What are you talking about…?"

"Unlike the other elders, Daoist Myeonghyeon remains in seclusion, does he not? Apparently, it is because the bruises on his face have yet to fade."

"…That lunatic…"

However much he disliked the man, and however satisfying the news was, to think the boy had beaten up an elder of the Council of Elders.

While Jegal Somyeong stood there looking stunned, Hyeok Mugang continued.

"That, along with the act he put on before me just now… suggests that power is not something the boy admires and longs to obtain."

Jegal Somyeong tilted his head.

"Does it not simply mean he is insane?"

Hyeok Mugang shook his head with a gentle smile.

"Is it not fascinating? He thinks little of power, yet he never relinquishes the power he already holds."

For a moment, his eyes shone with clarity.

"In the end, it means power is merely a tool for accomplishing whatever it is he wishes to do."

Jegal Somyeong had never tried to interpret someone's intentions in that way, so he carefully considered Hyeok Mugang's words.

Watching the chief strategist sink into thought, Hyeok Mugang murmured.

"And what the boy does with the power he works so hard to retain is, ultimately, save someone…"

Hyeok Mugang paused, an inexplicable anticipation settling over his face.

"Is he not a truly remarkable boy?"

"…You are making quite a leap, Alliance Leader."

Jegal Somyeong thought there was some truth to his words, but he could not readily take them to heart.

Was it because he had witnessed far too many of Jin Sowoon's insane antics?

Hyeok Mugang continued in a firm voice.

"That is why I thought he should be considered separately from the other rising stars. And personally, I am a little curious."

"About what?"

"What kind of leader he might become if given sufficient strength and power."

"…"

Jegal Somyeong pressed his lips firmly together, unable to answer.

If the people of the alliance learned that such words had come from the alliance leader himself, they would never let it pass.

"…"

Hyeok Mugang nodded as though he understood.

Then he changed the subject.

"In any case, his accomplishments were far greater than expected. I scarcely know what to do about it. The young cult leader of the Blood Cult…"

"What else can we do? Though I do wonder why such a clever brat waited until the end to mention his greatest achievement."

"As ever, you are not being honest, Chief Strategist."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

"The corners of your mouth keep twitching."

Jegal Somyeong shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"Let us commend his achievements together once the matter in Sichuan has concluded."

"Is that all?"

It seemed the alliance leader had truly taken a liking to Jin Sowoon.

In the end, Jegal Somyeong explained the specifics of what he had been considering.

"…I intend to direct the purchases of our branches in Anhui Province to the Taeul Sect's Daecheon Merchant Guild. That should go a long way toward helping the guild establish itself."

Only then did Hyeok Mugang nod in satisfaction.

"That is excellent. If anyone complains, send them to me."

"That will not be necessary. Do you think I cannot handle even that much?"

Hyeok Mugang grinned at the grumbling Jegal Somyeong.

The two walked side by side like an elderly couple worrying about their grandson's future.

After leaving the academy director's office, I started toward the dormitory, then changed direction.

I did not have any particular destination in mind.

I simply did not want to return to the dormitory just yet.

As I slowly followed the walking path encircling the academy grounds, the rich scent of greenery filled my lungs.

I drew in the energy sense I normally kept spread wide and relaxed my body.

After walking for a while, I gradually began to feel that I had returned to everyday life.

Unfamiliar mountain birds called from here and there, and small wild animals darted out from unexpected places and bounded between the trees.

It was so peaceful here that I could scarcely believe I had been caught up in a nerve-racking chase and battle only a few days earlier.

From those exchanging affectionate words along the path to those discussing swordsmanship in the clearings.

The academy students were enjoying their ordinary lives.

The fact that events in Sichuan had not affected them was evidence that those events had not escalated into a "blood incident" as they had in my previous life.

For some reason, a strange flutter stirred in my chest.

'I really changed it…'

Of course, I had changed many things before this.

But most had concerned me personally, or, at most, the people around me and my sect.

This was the first time I had actually prevented something that would have developed into a devastating war.

Although I had changed and prepared many things in my own way for the Righteous-Demonic War, I had always thought those efforts might fail to bear fruit.

As countless events throughout history had shown, one person's actions could not stop the mighty flow of the Yangtze River.

Even with those doubts, I had continued struggling to change things.

Because I believed it was the only way to erase the guilt-ridden nightmares I had endured in my previous life.

And my reckless journey to Sichuan had changed history for the first time.

…

True to the utter bastards they were, every answer they gave was as crude as could be.

But when I thought about it, my answer was no different from theirs.

Because I simply wanted to live.

Because I wanted to enjoy the peace of the past that would never return.

That was all.

None of us had been promised wealth or glory after the war.

If we were lucky, we would survive until the end of the Righteous-Demonic War. If we were unlucky, we could die as soon as tomorrow.

Just a shitty life.

The fact that I had prevented that was meaningful enough for me.

'From now on… I will have to keep erasing the history that is yet to come.'

I did not know how many times I could do it.

Stopping the current of the Yangtze River alone would surely be impossible.

But if I thought of it as repaying, with hefty interest, the debt I owed my sect and those damned bastards from my previous life, any thought of backing down vanished, even if the task was impossible.

"Whew…"

As I sifted through old memories, the faces of the Sojeong Unit members surfaced one by one.

They all came from different backgrounds and held different social standings, but they had one thing in common.

The history known as the "Sichuan Blood Incident" would now be erased from the world.

It would probably be recorded as just another of the Martial Alliance's many political enemies appearing and disappearing, as always.

Because of that, no one would know about the "Sichuan Blood Incident."

There would be no record of how many people had been saved or how many sacrifices had been prevented.

No one would praise me for what I had done.

Even so.

'It feels pretty good.'

The corners of my mouth lifted without my realizing it.

Because of this, innocent civilians would continue living their peaceful lives, and a little less of the martial artists' blood would flow in Sichuan.

And perhaps there would be fewer pointless deaths among those like the Sojeong Unit, who fought their enemies through sheer numbers.

'If that happens, I could not ask for more.'

During the Righteous-Demonic War in my previous life.

After losing two members of the Sojeong Unit to the Blood Demon Unit's storm of attacks, I had been overcome with emptiness and asked the others why we were fighting.

[Peace in the murim world? What a load of bullshit! I just want to laze around and collect my monthly pay like before!]

[Ah, I miss Jeonghyang at Hongwol Pavilion. She says she likes that I am a member of the Martial Alliance.]

[This bastard owes me money. But he says he will pay me back once we return to the Martial Alliance.]

They utterly despised anyone who was better off than us.

In particular, they loathed the elites who had graduated from the Martial Academy.

To bastards who had clawed their way up from the bottom with nothing to rely on, promising young talents from respectable sects could hardly look appealing.

Moreover, academy graduates started out as captains. For the Sojeong Unit members, having to bow and scrape before some fresh-faced brat regardless of how many years they had served was infuriating.

"They would all be dumbfounded if they saw me now, representing the academy. Heh."

For some reason, imagining the Sojeong Unit bastards looking as though they had swallowed shit improved my mood even further.

With my thoughts more or less in order, I turned toward the dormitory.

I had already replenished the internal energy in my dantian during my stay in Chengdu, but only rest could relieve the fatigue that had accumulated on the journey to Sichuan and back.

As I slowly looked around the academy grounds on my way to the dormitory—

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

I heard a series of rather heavy blows.

'What is that?'

When I extended the energy sense I had drawn back, I detected martial artists between the buildings.

Turning my head to look into the alley, I saw four or five people who appeared to belong to the Five Great Families standing around as though keeping watch.

And in the middle of them, two people were tangled together on the ground.

Looking a little more closely—

'…They are not grappling.'

One of them was taking a one-sided beating.

The smaller student, whose affiliation I could not identify, was trying to fight back somehow, but the larger opponent was toying with him.

However much this place professed to uphold the righteous faction's ideals, it was full of hot-blooded martial artists. It was only natural that fights would be an everyday occurrence.

When I had first joined the Sojeong Unit, I had gotten into arguments and fights with its members several times myself.

Even so, to see something like this on the very day I returned from working my ass off to save people in Sichuan…

Well, it was hardly pleasant.

'How dare these bastards do this where I can see them?'

It was time to deliver justice and restore my ruined mood.

And on top of that, they were cowardly ganging up on someone right in front of me, a man who could not tolerate injustice?

Crack, crack.

"Hey, you bastards…"

Just as I loosened my fingers and started to step inside—

The smaller student grabbed the larger one's hand.

Whoosh. Whump—thud!

And hurled him onto the hard ground.

"…!"

I could only gape in astonishment.

It was not so much the smaller student's prowess that stunned me as the martial art he had used.

"What the hell?"

The Flowing Cloud Divine Art, which I had learned from Yaryul Jae of the Sojeong Unit in my previous life and put to good use in this one.

He had just performed its Lotus Flower technique.

'Why am I seeing that here?'