Even with my eyes open, it’s the same.
Tang Gunak looked up, his face tired. “What about the others?” he asked, his voice quiet.
Im So-byeong nodded slightly. “They’ve all gone back to their rooms for now.” He paused, then added, “What else could they do?”
Tang Gunak sighed, a long, heavy sound that filled the silent tea room. The air felt thick with unspoken worry. Baek Cheon’s news had been like a sudden clap of thunder. They were already struggling with so many problems, mountains of them, but this news of betrayal made everything else seem small and unimportant.
The meeting had become impossible after that. The mood was too heavy, too uncertain. They had stopped it, saying they would continue later, but everyone knew it was just a way to escape the heavy feeling in the room.
“Betrayal, you say….”
Tang Gunak muttered quietly, then promptly clamped his mouth shut. He glanced subtly at Hyun Jong.
You could easily see the worry in his eyes, even without asking. It wasn’t difficult to guess what he was thinking.
“What is your opinion, Military Advisor?”
“Hmm.”
Im So-byeong, who was sitting across the tea table from Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak, clicked his tongue and tapped his cheek with the end of his fan.
“It’s… plausible.”
“……”
“Frankly, there’s no other possibility.”
“Is there truly no chance that Wiped-Out Evil was secretly raising troops separately?”
“If Jang Il-so had that much power, he wouldn’t have bothered forming a coalition like the Four Evil Alliance in the first place. The Myriad Man Manor would simply have unified the Unorthodox Faction.”
“……”
“And if Jang Il-so succeeded in raising that many people after the Four Evil Alliance was formed?”
Im So-byeong shrugged.
“Then what’s there to worry about? We should run to Hubei right away and beg for our lives.”
A sigh escaped Tang Gunak’s lips before he could stop it.
“Don’t even joke about such things. We might take it lightly.”
“But others might not, you mean. I’ll be careful.”
Tang Gunak rubbed his eyes, which were stiff with fatigue, and asked,
“But realistically, who could be betraying us?”
“Do you want me to list the possible sects?”
“……No.”
Hearing it would only deepen unnecessary suspicions.
The enemies were growing stronger day by day, and they were already struggling just to keep them in check. And now, they had to be wary not only of external enemies but also of internal betrayal.
The whole situation gave rise to a single doubt in Tang Gunak’s mind.
‘Can we really win?’
Perhaps Tang Gunak himself was the one who had underestimated Jang Il-so the most, even while worrying about his existence.
He had never once imagined that the Cheonwu Alliance and the Nine Great Sects would be driven to this point.
“……What are those fellows doing now?”
“They haven’t moved since occupying a few manors on the outskirts of Hubei.”
Tang Gunak nodded slowly. They probably needed to sort things out internally as well.
“Alliance Leader.”
Called by Tang Gunak, Hyun Jong turned his gaze silently.
“What are you thinking about?”
“……Clan Leader.”
“Yes.”
“……Betrayal means people who used to be good are now doing what Jang Il-so wants, right?”
Tang Gunak frowned slightly. Why was he suddenly bringing up such an obvious point?
“I suppose so.”
“Why?”
“……Pardon?”
“Why would they make such a choice?”
Tang Gunak was momentarily speechless. Hyun Jong said quietly,
“Back then, we had the upper hand. If they hadn’t sided with the Four Evil Alliance, the Unorthodox Faction wouldn’t have won. So why did they make that choice? It’s not as if they succumbed to them when we were faltering. What reason could they have to bow their heads to the enemy, even when they were in a clearly advantageous position?”
Tang Gunak’s face hardened involuntarily.
He hadn’t considered this point. The very fact that there could be a traitor was so shocking that he had become fixated on it.
“Justification….”
He was right.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason to betray them. What could those with such great power possibly lack that would make them side with the Four Evil Alliance?
“……Perhaps Wiped-Out Evil made some tempting promise? Like handing over Gangbuk….”
At that, Im So-byeong chuckled.
“A righteous sect betraying for the sake of the Unorthodox Faction’s word? That’s a story that wouldn’t even appear in a children’s book.”
That was true as well. The more he thought about it, the more lost he felt.
‘Like a ghost.’
It feels real, but we can’t find any proof.
“Just what….”
Im So-byeong, who had been pondering for a long time, scratched his head as if annoyed.
“Where is the Strategist right now? I feel like we need to hear the opinion of the most insane fellow at this point.”
“……”
Tang Gunak and Hyun Jong exchanged glances without realizing it.
“……Betrayal, you say.”
Moyong Wi-gyeong murmured as if in a daze. Then, Jegal Ja-in asked,
“Do you believe those words?”
“I don’t want to believe them… but can we really afford not to?”
“Even so, betrayal….”
The faces of the two men were grave as they spoke. Jongri Gok, who had been watching them, quietly set down the teacup he was holding. And then, incongruously, he chuckled.
They had come to sit in his residence as soon as the meeting broke up.
Even if they weren’t particularly close to Jongnam, they probably thought it was better than the awkward Cheonwu Alliance.
Or perhaps, because they had never done anything independently, they needed someone to give them instructions.
“What do you think, Sect Leader?”
As expected, Jegal Ja-in cautiously asked Jongri Gok.
“Before that… there’s something I want to confirm.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Did they really exist?”
“……Pardon?”
Jegal Ja-in stared at Jongri Gok, dumbfounded, as if asking what he meant.
“Those who stood in your way. I’m asking if they really existed.”
A moment later, Jegal Ja-in’s face flushed red.
“Sect Leader!”
“Don’t get excited. It’s just a confirmation. I won’t blame you even if the two of you colluded. It’s a better situation now, after all. Then at least it doesn’t mean that the Four Evil Alliance has an additional unknown force.”
Jegal Ja-in bit his lip.
“There is not a single lie in what I said.”
“Hmm.”
Jongri Gok let out a low groan.
So, in the end, there really was a traitor.
At that moment, Moyong Wi-gyeong opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m foolish, but I don’t understand this whole situation.”
“……What do you mean?”
“Just because unidentified enemies appeared doesn’t necessarily mean they’re traitors. It could be a third force we don’t know about that’s attached itself to them.”
Zegal Jarin sighed deeply. “If that were the case, there would have been no need to hide their identities. But we clearly saw them trying to conceal who they were.”
“No, but still…”
Jongri Gok brought the teacup to his lips again, thinking that further discussion would only be theoretical and a repetition of the same points.
“I have one more question.”, Jongri Gok said.
“Yes, Leader Gok.”, Zegal Jarin replied.
“How did you fight them?”, Jongri Gok asked.
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I heard that you withdrew without significant losses on either side. If a full-scale battle had occurred, it wouldn’t have ended that way. How many actually crossed swords?”
Zegal Jarin’s face stiffened slightly. “That is…” He hesitated, glancing at Jongri Gok, before reluctantly answering, “Ten… no, it wouldn’t even be ten.”
Jongri Gok’s hand, which had been reaching for the teacup, stopped abruptly. “Ten?”
“…Yes.”
“The number of people was over a hundred, and the actual combatants were less than ten. And yet, Leader Jarin, you were certain that they were all masters?”
“That is…”
Moyong Wi-gyeong quickly interjected, “Didn’t you feel their aura? The presence that comes from those who have properly learned martial arts. They had that.”
Jongri Gok’s lips twisted slightly. “So, you’re saying it just seemed that way based on visual estimation.”
“Ah, no, that’s not quite…”, Moyong Wi-gyeong stammered, trying to explain. But Zegal Jarin kept his mouth shut, saying nothing.
Now Jongri Gok could roughly guess the situation. ‘Reasonable,’ Jongri Gok thought. It made sense that they only fought a few enemies.
It wasn’t a lie that the enemies were strong. But what they had properly confirmed was only about ten people. It meant that even if the others behind those ten were just pretending to be strong, there was no way to confirm it.
But Zegal Jarin didn’t bother trying to fight the enemy while accepting losses. There would have been two reasons.
One, even if they defeated those unknown figures, if their own sacrifices were great, the main force would inevitably be defeated anyway. And the other, more decisive reason was that they weren’t willing to risk their lives against opponents whose identities they didn’t even know.
‘Betrayal, is it…?’ Jongri Gok suppressed the laughter that was about to escape.
In this situation, no matter who those people were, wasn’t it difficult to ignore the idea of a traitor? Because betrayal wouldn’t only be actively wielding a sword. From Beobjeong’s perspective, who might be extremely angry and upset, who would be the real traitor?
“Leader Gok.”, Zegal Jarin said.
At the sound of the voice, Jongri Gok stopped his worrying thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on such things. He said in a calm voice, “Then… this makes things too wide open.”
“You mean…”
“I mean, if there’s only the will, it’s not difficult. If you can secure about a hundred people and about ten masters, anyone could have been there. For example…” Jongri Gok gave a strange smile.
“Those who are currently within the walls and whose identities cannot be confirmed.”
Zegal Jarin’s face hardened. “Leader Gok!”
“Or those who are in the distant frontier and known not to be involved in the affairs of the Central Plains.”
This time, Moyong Wi-gyeong’s face turned slightly pale. “Leader Gok, what you’re saying now is…”
“Or else,” Jongri Gok said calmly. “Could it not be the one sitting in front of you right now?”
Jongri Gok, staring at the two men who had lost their words as if their mouths had frozen, let out a small laugh. “What I mean is, with such conditions, identification is impossible. Anyone can be a traitor.”
“That… that’s true.”
“Then how on earth should we deal with it…”
“Well.”, Jongri Gok sighed and downed his tea in one gulp.
“It might be a slightly funny story, but I am someone who knows Hwasan and the Cheonwoo Alliance quite well.”
“Yes, Leader Gok.”
“The Cheonwoo Alliance… no, the Hwasan sect usually doesn’t act logically in such cases.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know if it’s a problem with the people or a problem with the sect.”
Jongri Gok turned his gaze. Hwasan stood towering beyond the window, almost overwhelmingly so. He stared at it intently before letting out a snort.
The sunset was a fiery red, like spilled paint across the sky, making the mountains glow.
Chung Myung’s face, sitting at the entrance of Hwasan’s North Peak, also gradually turned red as he watched the sunset.
From behind Chung Myung, who was silently watching the setting sun without moving, came a presence. “So, you were here.”, Baek Cheon said.
Chung Myung turned around without a word.
Baek Cheon approached, shaking his head and sighing heavily. He sat down next to Chung Myung with a weary look. “A Hwasan person climbs the mountain whenever they have a chance. There’s no one in the world who likes climbing mountains as much as you do. How do you come here whenever you have time? You’ll have to go down soon anyway.”
Chung Myung asked, “What’s wrong?”
Baek Cheon answered, looking only at the sky Chung Myung was watching, without giving him his gaze. “Do I need a reason to come? I just came up here to avoid some glares.”
At those words, Chung Myung laughed, dumbfounded. “So, you’re aware that you’re receiving glares.”
“I know what’s going on.”
“I thought you wouldn’t know.”
This time, Baek Cheon let out a faint laugh.
Baek Cheon is not a traitor. He only mentioned the possibility of a traitor. But people don’t like it when you force them to see a truth they want to ignore. They get angry at the person who points it out. Eventually, the atmosphere will soon change once they accept reality, but for a while, they will have to endure uncomfortable gazes.
“So, you ran away?”, Chung Myung asked.
“Well, rather than running away… I just avoided it for a while.”
“Why especially here?”
“Hmm. I just had that thought.”
Baek Cheon, who had stopped talking for a moment, turned his gaze to Chung Myung. A smile was on his lips. “I was thinking that you must have been receiving these gazes until now.”
The sunset was rapidly turning darker and deeper red. A long shadow fell over Chung Myung’s face.