Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 49

The atmosphere in the main office turned icy.

Tae-Gyeong’s face showed bewilderment.

“W-What are you talking about?”

Crack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong crushed the teacup. Even though he broke it with his bare hands, his hand didn’t have a single scratch.

At the threatening action, Tae-Gyeong involuntarily swallowed.

“At first, I was a bit puzzled.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his hand.

Clatter.

The broken teacup shards fell to the floor.

“Usually, when planting a spy in another organization, three rules are followed. First, an inconspicuous location. Second, an inconspicuous position. Third, an inconspicuous personality.”

Tae-Gyeong’s eyes wavered.

He was a man who had trained himself to maintain his composure even if lightning struck before his eyes. But now, he couldn’t.

The eldest son was openly calling him a spy. The eldest son’s gaze was as intense as lightning and as hot as lava.

It was hard to tell if it was murderous intent or dignity. The moment the teacup broke, Tae-Gyeong’s composure also shattered. And Yeon Ho-Jeong’s murderous intent seeped into the cracks of his broken mind at the opportune moment.

“First-class spies thoroughly follow those rules. People don’t suspect those who are inconspicuous. Countless organizations in the Jianghu [the martial arts world] have met their demise because of such spies.”

“……!!”

“But top-tier spies are different.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed to himself with his thumb.

“Spies classified as top-tier show a completely opposite pattern from other spies. They have conspicuous personalities, hold conspicuous positions, and loiter in conspicuous places.”

“……!!”

“Someone anyone would suspect when something happens, but also someone who has many ways to avoid suspicion. They know that once they avoid the arrow of suspicion, they will never be caught.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

Tae-Gyeong couldn’t smile back.

“But you’re unique. You’re not first-class, but it’s also ambiguous to classify you as top-tier. You don’t have a conspicuous personality, but you’re working in a key position within the organization.”

“E-Eldest Young Master! If you’re misunderstanding me as a spy…”

“Misunderstanding? It’s a certainty.”

“……!”

“At first, I was also puzzled. No matter how I looked at it, you didn’t seem to be from the Myeong family, so where could you be from? Were there other guys trying to devour the main family besides the Myeong family?”

Tae-Gyeong unconsciously gripped his thigh.

‘Myeong family? What’s the Myeong family? Were they also targeting this place?!’

Even in a critical moment, he stored new information. When escape was successful, he instinctively remembered the information to pass on to his allies.

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“Didn’t the Moyong family head tell you? That they joined hands with the Myeong family?”

“……?!”

“Your skills are quite refined. It seems like you’re a spy they’ve raised with great care. Even if you’re caught, it’s easy to cut ties and pretend you don’t know, right?”

“……!!”

“The Moyong family… how interesting. Backstabbing after backstabbing? In the end, the main family was just looking after the public sentiment, unaware of the battleground of demons.”

Now, Yeon Ho-Jeong could deduce what had happened in the past.

Both the Moyong family and the Myeong family targeted the Yeon family.

They weren’t targeting it separately. The Yeon family was not a family that one organization could swallow. Especially if it was one of the Seven Great Families with many enemies.

So, the Myeong family and the Moyong family joined hands. They planned to bring down the Yeon family and split Gangso Province in half.

In the past, Yeon-wi had opposed the business proposal to the end.

That’s why the Myeong family stepped in. If it was a family that couldn’t be swayed, they would sweep it away with force and then take it over. It was the most barbaric yet effective choice.

What was surprising was the Moyong family’s choice.

The fact that the Myeong family was annihilated without a trace was likely the work of the Moyong family.

A family that had achieved the glory of being called the number one family in the world with a short history.

Of course, it would have been difficult to bury them with the Moyong family’s power alone. However, it was certain that the Moyong family played a leading role. Otherwise, the Moyong family wouldn’t have been called the number one family in the world.

In the end, everyone was deceived by the Moyong family.

“That’s how the world is. Even if you divide and evaluate it by colors like black and white, it’s all the same in the end. The good guys get taken advantage of, and the bad guys get rich.”

“…….”

“Looking at that, isn’t the Moyong family head really amazing? You don’t seem like a good guy either, so what kind of trust did you give to such a guy that you’re risking your life like this?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

“Why? Did he say he’d let you look down on the world by his side when he takes over the world in the future?”

Cold sweat trickled down Tae-Gyeong’s neck.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about, Eldest Young Master…”

“I thought so.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong glared at Tae-Gyeong and shouted.

“Hu-gae!”

Swoosh.

In an instant, Tae-Gyeong was startled.

He didn’t know when he had arrived. Ga Deuk-Sang was standing with his arms crossed in the corner of the main office, right in front of the shadowed bookshelf.

“Tsk, I didn’t want to get involved in someone else’s family feud.”

Ga Deuk-Sang’s gaze, as he glared at Tae-Gyeong, was also extremely cold.

“Your actions are so despicable. I’ve lost all desire to receive the commission fee.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong held out his hand. Ga Deuk-Sang handed him a neatly folded letter.

Tae-Gyeong’s eyes widened.

‘How did he get that?!’

That letter was a letter sent to the Moyong family through the Tongcheon Group.

The problem was that it wasn’t sent in the name of the Yeon family. Having served as the head of the Yeon family for quite some time, he had also made some members of the Tongcheon Group his own people.

“It was written in code. It was quite complex, but it wasn’t difficult to decipher.”

Tae-Gyeong felt his vision darkening.

Even if it was someone else, the Beggars’ Union would be able to decipher the code quickly. The larger the scale of an organization that handles information, the higher the level of codebreakers they would have.

The Beggars’ Union was the pinnacle of the white-path information network. It was a massive group that possessed countless top-tier codebreakers.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook the letter.

“Stop with the pathetic act now. Aren’t your facial muscles paralyzed from hiding your true intentions all this time?”

That was true.

Now that even the coded letter had been discovered, there was no point in denying it. No, even without the letter, he had already failed to manage his expression properly in front of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

‘Damn it.’

Tae-Gyeong sighed.

“How did you know?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes sparkled. He was certain that he was a spy, but he hadn’t expected him to admit it so readily.

“How did I know what?”

“I’m curious about what motivated you to suspect me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong snorted.

“Do I really need to think about that? I’m not an idiot, I can tell just by looking.”

It was a statement that made most of the people living in the Jianghu look like idiots.

Tae-Gyeong smiled wryly.

“You don’t intend to tell me.”

Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. Even if he did, he didn’t have a trustworthy past to rely on.

“It’s more anticlimactic than I thought? I thought you’d deny it to the end.”

“Even if I denied it to the end, would you believe me?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s why I admitted it.”

It was a strange statement. At least, that’s how it sounded to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“I misjudged you. I thought you were just a clumsy warrior who was desperate to become the family head.”

“My acting worked well, then.”

“It was a great act. For me, who aims to be a strategist, to not see through the inner thoughts of a young man, it seems I still have a long way to go.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sensed a subtle pride in his voice.

‘As expected.’

Tae-Gyeong’s eyes deepened.

“You couldn’t have acted alone, so the family head must know as well.”

Even though he had served for several years, he unhesitatingly called him the family head. At least, his audacity was top-notch. Even for a spy, it wasn’t easy to be like this.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“My father doesn’t know.”

“Is there any need to lie in this situation?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Tae-Gyeong frowned.

‘The family head doesn’t know?’

He carefully examined Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

“…Is that true?”

“If you’ve caught a fish, you should start by scaling it, why waste time with jokes?”

“Why didn’t you tell him?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled coldly.

Seeing that smile, Tae-Gyeong suddenly realized.

“You… your ambition to become the family head was real!”

“I don’t think acting that isn’t genuine would work in front of someone who’s been a spy for nearly ten years.”

Tae-Gyeong sighed quietly.

“My arrogance is what brought things to this point. Even though I saw the essence, I was completely fooled by the packaged facade.”

Regardless of what help he received, Yeon Ho-Jeong was the main player in this. In other words, he had caught a spy and proven his abilities. The reason he hadn’t told anyone was probably for that reason.

As Tae-Gyeong sighed, he was also pleased.

‘You pathetic fool!’

The family head doesn’t know? Even if he knew, he could somehow get out of it, but if he didn’t know, it would be even easier. Tae-Gyeong couldn’t help but sneer inwardly at Yeon Ho-Jeong’s greed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong stood up from his seat.

“Thank you for being a stepping stone for my future.”

Tae-Gyeong glared at Yeon Ho-Jeong with venomous eyes.

“You’d better be careful. Greedy people always make mistakes in unexpected places.”

“Those who lack greed say that.”

“They say a dog is born under a tiger, and that saying is indeed true.”

“It doesn’t seem like something a spy like you should be saying.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong pointed to the door with his chin.

“Will you walk out on your own, or will you be dragged out?”

Shortly after, Tae-Gyeong was surrounded by warriors and headed to the prison.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was watching his back, said.

“Hu-gae.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell my father. We’ll take care of the rest, so he can enjoy his time.”

* * *

Creak!

The door to the solitary cell opened.

Thud!

Tae-Gyeong fell into the cell as if collapsing. It was a narrow room that was full when one person lay down.

The head of the law enforcement unit’s eyes were very fierce.

“I didn’t expect you to do this.”

Tae-Gyeong had his back turned as he entered. His appearance, only facing the wall, seemed detached.

“How dare you mock us with that brazen face?”

“…….”

“Do you have nothing to say!”

“…….”

Tae-Gyeong remained silent.

The head of the law enforcement unit, who was huffing and puffing, coldly threw out a word.

“You won’t die a peaceful death.”

The head of the law enforcement unit closed the cell door.

Clang!

The steel door made a violent sound as it shook.

Thus, Tae-Gyeong was left alone in the solitary cell, with only a faint moonlight entering.

“…….”

How much time had passed?

Tae-Gyeong, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, opened his mouth.

“Listener.”

Then, surprisingly, a voice was heard from outside the small window.

“Speaker.”

“…….”

“Hyuncheon, Hocheon.”

“Hocheon.”

Chirring.

A small, dark key came in through the small window.

It was too dark to know where it had fallen. Tae-Gyeong groped the floor and barely found the key.

‘Got it.’

From now on, it was easy. He used the key to feel the wall opposite the door.

‘Lower left point, up three, right two.’

No matter how well-made a prison was, there were always gaps between the stones.

But what Tae-Gyeong was looking for wasn’t just a simple gap. He had to find a steel hole where this small key would fit perfectly.

Click. Click, click.

It was dark, so it was hard to insert it properly.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He had practiced countless times when no one was watching, but when it came to the actual situation, it wasn’t as easy as before.

‘Hoo.’

He calmed his mind as much as possible and tried again.

After a while.

Whoosh.

Surprisingly, the center of the floor sank in.

Even though the ground had caved in, there was no sound. Tae-Gyeong cheered and entered the hole.

Swoosh.

After Tae-Gyeong entered, the floor returned to its original state.

Thus, the solitary cell was left empty.