Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 50

Liquor continued to flow. The tavern’s other occupants remained prostrate on the floor, while only Pa Cheon, Jang Woong, Gwak-ju, and Shim Yeo-rang sat at the table. Jang Woong was drinking with a fervor that bordered on obsession, while Gwak-ju and Shim Yeo-rang wore expressions of embarrassment and unease. Despite Pa Cheon’s casual demeanor and the drinks he poured for them, they couldn’t recapture the easy familiarity they’d shown before learning his true identity.

“Gwak-ju!”

“Yes, Great Lord,” Gwak-ju responded, bowing deeply.

“You mentioned wanting to live like the elders, even for a single day?”

“Yes? I… this humble one was merely speaking…”

“If I were to grant you that wish, what would you do for me?”

“Yes?”

An uncontrollable excitement flickered across Gwak-ju’s face. It was said that life offered a few chances, but Gwak-ju had never truly believed it. The most he’d ever hoped for was the chance to charm a woman over drinks; anything more felt like a forbidden dream.

“Surely you don’t believe you can receive such a boon without offering something in return?”

“G-Great Lord…”

“Hahahaha. From this moment forward, Gwak-ju and Shim Yeo-rang will be reassigned. I will handle all the arrangements, so be prepared. Your task from now on is to investigate the corruption within the main branch, regardless of rank. Feel free to vent the frustrations you’ve held in your hearts. Anything is fair game. From embezzlement to abuse of power, or even looking into those who have been unfairly dismissed or demoted. Or, you can recommend those who are treated unfairly compared to their abilities. Don’t worry about anyone’s opinion and do what you believe is right. I will provide my full support…”

“Understood.”

Pa Cheon’s words reached the ears of those still kneeling in the tavern. By the end of the night, this news would likely spread throughout the entire Demonic Cult. Those with secrets to hide would avoid Gwak-ju and Shim Yeo-rang, while the more cunning might try to win them over. Either way, this was a shocking development. To elevate a mere low-ranking warrior from the outer branch to a position akin to a branch leader? Moreover, their role would hold more weight than even that of the elders.

“You two may leave now, and report to the Jonma Palace with your belongings by tomorrow morning…”

“Understood.”

The two carefully rose from their positions before Pa Cheon, bowing repeatedly. They still appeared bewildered, unable to fully grasp what was happening. They might even pinch their thighs as soon as they left to confirm it wasn’t a dream. Pa Cheon watched them depart, then turned his gaze to Jang Woong.

“Don’t you desire anything?”

“Hehe, I just need liquor.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s not difficult. Is there truly nothing else?”

“Yes.”

He was still speaking informally. If a drunkard steeped in alcohol was this docile, it would be considered a blessing.

[Do you truly have nothing to say to me?]

At Pa Cheon’s sudden telepathic message, Jang Woong stiffened and trembled. The trembling quickly subsided, but Pa Cheon didn’t miss it.

“Let’s go. Let’s move to my quarters and drink all night long.”

As Pa Cheon rose, Jang Woong followed, his expression unchanged, with only a hazy look in his eyes. He seemed genuinely pleased at the mention of liquor. As Pa Cheon and Jang Woong left the tavern, the people inside finally released a collective sigh of relief.

They slumped into their chairs, unable to believe what they had just witnessed and heard. The faces of those who had oppressed Jang Woong and spoken rudely to Pa Cheon were particularly grim, like people who had fallen into a latrine. One person stared intently at the door where Pa Cheon and Jang Woong had disappeared. His eyes trembled severely, filled with an inexplicable anxiety. He seemed very nervous, gulping down water. It was surprisingly Old Jang, the tavern’s proprietor, and it was rare to see him in such a state.

As Pa Cheon entered the inner chamber connected to the Jonma Palace, Gwangmajon and the others were waiting for him, welcoming him warmly. Pa Cheon had suddenly disappeared without a word, and while they knew nothing serious could have happened, as subordinates, they naturally worried about their lord’s safety.

When Pa Cheon brought in a large man, Gwangmajon and the others looked puzzled. However, no one questioned him. They simply brought in liquor at Pa Cheon’s command and sat around him.

“Now, tell me what you want to say.”

Pa Cheon was speaking to Jang Woong.

“Hehe, liquor. I’m happy as long as I have liquor.”

Jang Woong drooled as he reached for the liquor bottle, and Gwangmajon and the others looked at him, wondering what kind of person he was. Jang Woong’s hand, which touched the bottle, showed the typical tremors of an addict. The tremors soon stopped. It was because Pa Cheon had grabbed his hand.

“Hehe, you can stop now. All sound waves have been blocked, and there are no living beings around. You are a very cautious fellow. You are still acting, even now. What is the reason you have endured such humiliation and clung to life?”

Gwangmajon and the others, unaware of the situation, simply stared blankly at Pa Cheon and the man named Jang Woong.

Gradually, Jang Woong’s eyes began to change. His unfocused pupils regained their vitality, and his somewhat foolish expression hardened. The hand that had been holding the liquor bottle relaxed. It was at that moment that Pa Cheon released his hand.

“I heard you are the Great Lord. Honestly, I… I can’t trust you, but I’m tired now.”

Pa Cheon didn’t interrupt him and waited for his next words.

“I heard the news. You killed all the elders?”

“So?”

“You made a mistake.”

“Huh?”

“The elders were not very helpful to the cult, but at least they were the only force that kept them in check…”

“Them?”

“Yes, them.”

“Tell me more. I heard that the elders were connected to outside forces?”

“The elders? Hahahaha.”

After laughing for a while, Jang Woong looked at Pa Cheon with a serious expression.

“May I ask who told you that, Great Lord?”

“Well, there’s no reason not to. It was Je Gal Cho Hong.”

“The strategist? … Hmm…”

His eyes were filled with despair. What on earth had happened to the Demonic Cult?

“What I’m about to tell you is something that only a very few people in the Demonic Cult are aware of, and there is probably no one else who has this level of certainty.”

Pa Cheon watched Jang Woong grab the liquor bottle, put it to his mouth without pouring it into a cup, and gulp it down. He became tense, realizing that the situation might be more serious than he had thought.

“Cough… The reason I’m living like this… is because of my fear of them. I haven’t found anything concrete yet, so I can’t be certain, but the Demonic Cult is already… has been in someone’s grasp for a long time.”

“What?”

“What?”

Pa Cheon wasn’t very surprised because he had expected it, but Gwangmajon and the others were greatly astonished.

“What is the basis for your thinking?”

When Pa Cheon calmly asked without showing any surprise, Jang Woong was inwardly surprised.

‘He’s an amazing person. Maybe he’s even more of a giant than I thought…’

“Honestly, there are no concrete clues…”

At those absurd words, the people in the room reacted with disbelief. It was a relief that no one cursed.

“However, there are many reasons why I think so, even without clues. It’s almost a certainty. Sometimes, circumstantial evidence can reveal a more solid truth than physical evidence. The first is the behavior of the Grand Master.”

As he reached for the liquor bottle again, Pa Cheon pushed it aside. It was an encouragement to explain quickly.

“When I was falsely accused and imprisoned for the rape of an elder’s granddaughter, the Grand Master secretly came to see me. He told me to wait a little longer. Once their momentum weakens, he would reinstate me. But he hasn’t looked for me or called me since then.”

“That reason alone is not convincing enough.”

“That was the first motive for my suspicion. The second is a signal that only the Grand Master and I know. It’s a word and two hand signals. I managed to get close to the Grand Master and secretly sent the signal. But… he didn’t react at all, as if he didn’t know anything.”

“Are you saying that the Grand Master is a fake?”

“It’s possible. The third is the reaction of the elders. For some reason, the chief elder began to openly oppose the Grand Master. He is not that kind of person. The two of them are like father and son, beyond their official master-servant relationship. Yet, they were trying to push out the Grand Master and put his chief disciple, Han Dang, in his place. It was obviously unreasonable, and everyone knew it.

In a sense, they were the most loyal people in the Demonic Cult. But to impeach the Grand Master without any special reason is impossible. There is no other explanation than that they also began to feel what I was feeling.”

“Hmm… Is that all?”

“And there is something decisive.”

“Decisive?”

“Actually, there is a fact that no one in the martial world or the cult knows. Originally, this was something that only the late former Maan Commander [Maan Commander: A high-ranking military position within the Demonic Cult] and the Grand Master knew… The Grand Master’s mother is still alive.”

“Really? But what does that have to do with your guess?”

“Once a year… on the twentieth day of the first month, the Grand Master would put aside all his work and take only me, the new Maan Commander, to visit her. But… that person didn’t even know what the twentieth day of the first month was, and he didn’t leave the main branch.”

“Isn’t it possible that you wouldn’t know that? If he moved secretly, you might not know…”

“That’s not true. Of course, it could have happened a few times. But I met the Grand Master directly on that day, so it’s definitely true.”

Jang Woong had applied for an audience with the Grand Master several times and had finally been able to meet him. He should have left the main branch to meet his birth mother, but he had met with him instead.

From that moment on, Jang Woong began to be certain.

“Okay. Then who do you think they are?”

“I don’t know. One important fact is that their forces have infiltrated so secretly that it’s impossible to find out. Maybe even they don’t know each other.”

“Then… even the strategist might be their subordinate?”

“That’s not certain. It’s just that the elders definitely weren’t connected to outside forces.”

“Hehe, I thought it was a well-prepared meal, but it’s already been touched…”

Pa Cheon was smiling, as if he found it amusing.

“This is really interesting. There’s no place that hasn’t been poked around. Who is it this time?”

Seeing Pa Cheon’s intrigued expression, Gwangmajon said with a worried tone.

“L-Lord! It might be risky to leave only Mu Young and Dan Jang here.”

Pa Cheon was lost in thought. It was rare for him to show such a look, so they waited silently for his next words.

“That might be true. But if they already have us in their grasp, they won’t reveal themselves hastily. Moreover, they don’t think we know about it…”

“Could it be that they might think differently if they see this friend with you?”

“Maybe. Jang Woong!”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever told anyone that you know these facts?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Good. Until I give you a special order, you will act as you have been doing. I will restore your martial arts when the time is right.”

“Thank you, Great Lord.”

He was truly moved. Just meeting someone he could confide in about the doubts he had been suppressing was an unforgettable day for him, but now he was being told that he would regain his martial arts, which he thought he would never recover. For him, today was definitely a day to be remembered as a new beginning.

Even after Jang Woong left, they deliberated for a long time. Only they would know what was discussed.

Pa Cheon was left alone. He opened the window to clear his complicated mind. There was no special scenery because it was underground, but a small artificial garden was spread out before him. He couldn’t feel the vitality of life, and it was only enough to briefly wash away his gaze from the same barrenness.

‘Hehe, are these guys also from the Blood Demon Heaven? Or are they different? After the Southern Alliance, the Demonic Cult, and then the Martial Alliance? Surely the Martial Alliance will be fine. It feels bitter to be chasing after their tails. Well, it doesn’t matter who struck first. In the end, they will all be in my grasp… Until then, it’s okay to let them feel the illusion of being in control for a while. That way, the emptiness of loss will be even greater.’

★ Morning came. Although he had fallen asleep late at night, Pa Cheon woke up early and finished his early morning meal. He then received a visit from the strategist. She reported on the movements of the Demonic Cult subjugation forces dispatched to the four regions and the trends of the Martial Alliance branches, and she had Pa Cheon re-examine their attack dates. In addition, she reported on various miscellaneous affairs within the Demonic Cult and received approval, and she also spoke about the movements of the Martial Alliance, but there was nothing special.

About half an hour after she left, Gwangmajon burst into the room, unlike his usual self. As soon as he entered, he didn’t even greet Pa Cheon and blurted out the words he had been holding back, as if he was in a hurry.

“L-Lord!”

“What is it? And from now on, call me Great Lord here…”

“He’s… he’s dead.”

“Dead? Who? Calm down… Is Jang Woong dead?”

“Yes.”

Damn it! Pa Cheon’s face twisted severely, and his eyes were filled with anger. And the words that came out of his mouth!

“Bring the body.”

Jang Woong’s body was brutally mutilated. It wasn’t cleanly cut, but ragged like it had been sawed, and the only relatively intact part was his face. The strategist, Je Gal Cho Hong, had also rushed to the Jonma Palace after receiving the report. Pa Cheon looked at the strategist’s expression, just in case, but he couldn’t see anything unusual. As soon as she entered, she couldn’t bear to look at the gruesome corpse and turned her head away.

Gwangmajon was pacing back and forth in front of the body, examining the wounds, while Mu Youngjon and Dan Janghwa were looking at it with their arms crossed and expressionless faces, and So Gun was looking back and forth between Gwangmajon and the corpse with a curious expression.

“There are three techniques visible on the body.”

“What are they?”

“One is a saber technique. The area from the chest to the side is charred black, and judging by the damage to the cut skin, it’s a Yang Gang saber technique [Yang Gang saber technique: A powerful and aggressive style of swordsmanship]. It’s a wound inflicted by someone with at least four cycles of internal energy, but it was intentionally cut slowly. It must have been to inflict maximum pain. The second is a widespread wound on the back… This is a wheel.”

“A wheel?”

“Yes, it has at least 10 teeth, and it’s about a foot in size. The opponent repeatedly slashed him with it, and even though they could have cut him, they didn’t cut through the bones. The third is the technique that decisively caused his death, which is similar to a thunderclap.”

“A thunderclap?”

“That’s right. It’s similar to the sword explosion technique if it were done with a sword, but it was done with a palm technique. They unleashed a palm strike centered on the Mingmen acupoint [Mingmen acupoint: A vital point on the lower back], and his body exploded at that moment. The level of internal energy is at least six cycles.”

“Six cycles?”

“Yes.”

At Gwangmajon’s words, questions arose simultaneously among the people in the room.

“Strategist!”

“Yes, Great Lord.”

“Are there any masters with more than six cycles of internal energy in the Demonic Cult?”

“There shouldn’t be anyone except the Grand Master.”

“Then, the Grand Master, who has entered seclusion, couldn’t have done it, so it must be the work of an outsider?”

When Pa Cheon looked at the strategist, Je Gal Cho Hong, again, she seemed flustered by Pa Cheon’s words.

“That’s impossible. It’s impossible for an outsider to enter the cult.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“That’s… if an outsider had entered, there would have been traces of it, and the main branch would have been exposed to the outside, but there are no signs of that anywhere.”

“If what the strategist says is true, then it’s not an outsider? Then, there’s a master among the insiders who is that powerful, and that person, who is just a drunkard, carried out this tragedy with two powerful subordinates? Something doesn’t make sense. What do you think, strategist? What was the culprit aiming for when they committed this murder?”

“I… I don’t know either.”

Je Gal Cho Hong seemed very flustered by Pa Cheon’s persistent questions, and even her veil was trembling slightly, indicating that her heart was in turmoil.

“It’s a strange thing. Strategist, aren’t you surprised that I knew Jang Woong? Moreover, turning your head away when you saw the body seems a bit awkward for a strategist of the Demonic Cult…”

“What… what do you mean?”

“No, it’s just something I said. Anyway, should we find the culprit? Or should we just leave it alone? It’s like they’re playing hide-and-seek. Should we just ignore it and leave it alone? What do you think, strategist?”

“Of course, we must find the culprit.”

“Then, you will be in charge of investigating this matter.”

“Yes?”

“Why, what is it?”

“Ah. No, I will do it.”

Pa Cheon, who was watching the body being removed, stopped them for a moment as if he had thought of something. Pa Cheon approached the body and opened his pupils, staring intently. Pa Cheon’s eyes were shining brightly. They seemed to turn into burning bloodshot eyes, but gradually turned golden.

“Done.”

As soon as Pa Cheon said those words, the warriors of the Thousand Man Unit carried Jang Woong’s body out.

“What… what did you do?”

“Hehe, there is a martial art among the ones I know that can read the last image captured in the pupils of a corpse. I just tried it out.”

“Yes?… It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a martial art?”

“That’s right. It’s such an ancient martial art.”

“Well, if there’s nothing else, you can go now.”

“Yes, Great Lord.”

Je Gal Cho Hong bowed to Pa Cheon and disappeared outside.

[Hey, Lord! It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a martial art?]

[Surely, Gwangmajon, you don’t believe that there is such a martial art?]

[Yes? Then why?]

[Hehe, because I was bored…]

Gwangmajon, who was tilting his head, had an expression that Pa Cheon seemed strange, and Pa Cheon had a meaningful look in his eyes.

Soon after, Gwak-ju and Shim Yeo-rang came to the Jonma Palace. They had already heard about Jang Woong’s death, so their faces were not very bright. Pa Cheon briefly mentioned what they should do in the future and told them to request support from the Thousand Man Unit if necessary. On their faces as they left, there was a sense of mission, a burning loyalty, and even a vague hostility towards an unknown enemy.

★ “What are you planning to do?”

“I’m revising all the plans. Only So Gun and I will go to Gaebong, and Gwangmajon will stay here. And for the time being, I will travel between the Martial Alliance and the Demonic Cult on the Golden Eagle.”

“…”

“Gwangmajon, from now on, you will closely observe the strategist’s actions. Even if you see something suspicious, don’t try to dig too deeply, just observe.”

“Understood.”

“Mu Youngjon and Dan Janghwa will secretly protect Gwak-ju and identify those who approach them… Perhaps they will find a clue.”

“Understood!”

“Everyone be careful. You must not let your guard down for even a moment. Especially one of the culprits might be similar to or even better than Mu Youngjon. And if the Grand Master is involved, you could be in danger. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”

“It seems like we need to move things forward.”