Absolute Regression Chapter 576

576
It was an unexpected visit from my younger brother.

In fact, Yeon Baek-in had been worrying about his younger brother until just a moment ago. Should he really leave his younger brother to the man who came out of the underground, or should he step forward and resolve the matter himself?

But Yeon Baek-jin came first.

“It’s been a while.”

Yeon Baek-jin looked around the office. It felt awkward to see his brother after such a long time.

“Sit down.”

Two people sat across from each other at a reception table.

Yeon Baek-in poured cold tea from the teapot on the table into his cup and his brother’s cup.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Yeon Baek-jin was the first to speak.

“Who said that? The only way for unmanned people to resolve conflict is through dialogue and swords.”

Yeon Baek-in asked, fiddling with his teacup.

“So what did you bring?”

“It will depend on your brother’s answer.”

Yeon Baek-jin stared at his brother. Honestly, he wanted to ask this.

-Isn’t it all your fault?

The death of Teacher Im, and the death of Pyo-san. That’s why I wanted to shout like this.

-What on earth are you up to?

But Yeon Baek-jin tried to ask calmly.

“Did you know that the White Dragon Squad was infiltrated by the White Dragon Squad?”

I tried to ask indirectly, but Yeon Baek-in’s response was cold.

“Why are you suddenly interested in something unrelated? You weren’t interested at all.”

Yeon Baek-jin’s expression hardened.

‘Why wasn’t I interested in indifference?’

Why weren’t you interested, why were you pretending not to be interested, no one else may know, but you shouldn’t say things like that to your hyung.

“Answer the question first.”

“If that’s the case? Is the solution a knife?”

I expected a no. That you misunderstood everything. But my brother didn’t deny it. This nervous reaction could only mean one thing.

“I told you, from now on, don’t interfere in anything that is not your business.”

“How can you not get involved? It’s none of our business!”

“we?”

At that moment, Yeon Baek-jin realized from his brother’s bewildered reaction that he had been making a big mistake about one thing.

Yeon Baek-jin thought that his brother would feel sorry for him. For not fighting for power over his incompetent wife and for stepping down obediently.

But looking at his reaction now, it seems like he thought of himself as a spoiled brat who had no interest in anything.

Oh! Now that I think about it, we’ve never really talked about that. I thought you’d know.

“Leave the military.”

“what?”

“Go far away. I’ll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”

Yeon Baek-jin, who had been glaring at his brother for a moment, asked.

“If I don’t leave? Are you going to kill me?”

Since there was no obvious answer to the question of why he was saying such things, Yeon Baek-jin’s voice naturally became louder.

“Don’t be mistaken. This palace is not yours. It contains the hard work of your father all his life, and the dreams of countless officials.”

Hearing those words, Yeon Baek-in was able to realize one thing.

The reason I was worried about my brother until just now was not because I was worried that my brother would die. Rather, I was worried that the man who came out of the underground would solve the problem by saving my brother.

Yes, he was the kind of person who couldn’t even forgive his own younger brother if he touched something he had. He was a good person only when things were going well.

I actually knew that one day I would have to kill my brother.

The thought was hidden deep in my heart, like a lump of ice that would not easily melt.

It didn’t melt easily, but the ice was transparent so I could always see it. I just pretended I didn’t see it.

“You’re making me hot right now. Normally, I would have cooled down forever. I will never let you ruin the legacy that our father left behind.”

Yeon Baek-jin didn’t know. The one who had gotten hotter was Yeon Baek-in, and the ice that had hidden his murderous intent had all melted.

As the two people stared at each other in silence, in a tense atmosphere, there was a new visitor.

He was the swordsman who had just finished class.

The Sword King greeted Yeon Baek-jin happily.

“Oh, you are Yeon Daehyeop!”

On the other hand, Yeon Baek-jin saw his face for the first time today.

“This time, I was put in charge of the temporary instructor of the Baekryong class.”

Has there ever been a teacher like this in the military? There are so many teachers.

When Yeon Baek-jin looked at his brother again, Yeon Baek-in was just looking down at his teacup without saying a word.

Yeon Baek-jin left the office without saying goodbye. Then he glanced at the Sword King from the entrance.

‘But is there any reason for a teacher to come to your office? And a temporary teacher at that?’

He was the type who usually dealt only with the Seven Masters. He mainly discussed matters related to his teachers with the Seven Masters, especially with Giseok, who was like an underling.

But now was not the time to discuss that, so I just left.

As I walked, I thought of the advice from Geommugeuk.

‘It can’t be solved through conversation. Damn it!’

As he left, Geomwang sat down in the seat where Yeon Baekjin had been sitting.

He poured himself a kettle and drank the cold tea, speaking nonchalantly.

“I will make sure that your brother is never seen again.”

Yeon Baek-in was shocked because he took it to mean that he would kill his younger brother.

Then the Sword King laughed playfully.

“Be honest. Were you a little excited a little while ago?”

Knowing that it was the Sword King’s prank, Yeon Baek-in turned his displeased gaze out the window. He was not someone he could be angry at anyway, and this man was someone who would normally pull off such pranks without hesitation.

Yeon Baek-in changed the subject while looking away.

“Did you do well in class?”

Yeonbaek-in knew that this man had come up to find that devil. Since he had said that he would become the Baekryong-ban instructor, there would be a devil more terrifying than that ghost in the Baekryong-ban.

The Sword King said with a big smile.

“The class is so much fun.”

Yeonbaek could feel that this man was the most excited he had ever been since he had met him.

“Who is that devil?”

“It’s better not to know. You must have a lot on your mind already.”

In fact, Yeon Baek-in’s worries are over. All that remains is how to tell him.

Yeon Baek-in expressed his feelings with these words.

“… … I was excited.”

He lowered his head and could not look the Sword King in the face. He knew very well what he had just said.

The voice of the Sword King is heard at that moment.

“You want to have both. You want to be the older brother who wants to kill his younger brother, but you also want to be the older brother who has some conscience.”

Yeon Baek-in, who was hit hard, couldn’t refute it. Because it was true. It wasn’t because of greed, but because he wanted to look like he had no choice but to kill.

“Raise your head.”

Yeonbaek-in raised his head and looked at the Sword King.

“That’s worse than being a shameless villain. It’s being a villain while protecting your own heart.”

After the Sword King drank all the tea he had been drinking, he stood up from his seat.

“A wicked person goes on his way while being cursed at.”

* * *

When Ki-seok was called and entered the office, Yeon-baek-in was looking out the window with his back turned.

“Did you call?”

Even at my greeting, he just looked out the window without saying a word.

It was Ki-seok who had been supporting Yeon Baek-in for a long time. I could guess what this silence meant in a situation like today.

Ki-seok asked cautiously.

“Have you finally made a decision?”

Indeed, Yeonbaek-in slowly nodded his head.

It was the decision that Ki-seok had been hoping for. The person who was the biggest obstacle in this matter was Yeon Baek-jin. Because of that, even Pyo-san, who was his subordinate, died.

Now Yeonbaek-in had no worries, no excuses, and no explanations.

“Send word to the White Tigers.”

Yes, if you have already decided to walk the path of a wicked person.

“Send them to the best so they don’t fail.”

* * *

The first time the Sword King left his office was in the martial arts training hall of the military.

He was performing martial arts alone in the training ground where all the officials had left.

The swordsman was barefoot and holding a wooden sword.

The martial arts that Geommu-geuk displayed were the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. It was different from what the Sword King had previously taught.

He was unfolding the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique, which he had reinterpreted based on the teachings of the Sword King.

If the previous martial arts of the Sword King had hidden extreme strength within the flexibility and softness of water, the martial arts being displayed now were the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique interpreted based on the wind.

The wooden sword of the slow-moving sword dance became faster. The calm breeze that shook the reeds became a gust of wind that went up the valley, and soon became a typhoon that swept through the surroundings.

The Sword King felt free from the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique that the Sword Dance Theater performed. It was a wild freedom that blew gently and then suddenly swirled around, blowing as it pleased.

When Geommugeuk finished all three movements, the Sword King walked towards him.

“Is it rebellion?”

You said you didn’t do as you were taught.

“I learned all this from my teacher.”

This was originally said about reinterpreting and teaching the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. Because it was reinterpreted again.

As if they had been waiting to show it to him, the Geommu Theater was not surprised at all by his appearance.

“You were waiting to show me?”

And he didn’t hide that fact.

“Because only you, teacher, can figure this out.”

Even though they knew each other’s true identities, Geommugeuk treated him as a teacher, and Geomwang treated him as an official.

The Sword King’s gaze turned to Geommugeuk’s bare feet. He said that bare feet were good, but Geommugeuk was probably the only one who actually practiced it.

“Isn’t it good to practice barefoot?”

It wasn’t just because I felt the energy of the ground. The feeling of stepping on the dharma was so vivid that I could more accurately determine the position of my feet.

“Show me the herbivore you showed me earlier, once again.”

Geommu-geuk showed him the three styles of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique that he had reinterpreted. After seeing everything, the Sword King extended his hand.

“wooden sword!”

Geommugeuk turned the wooden sword around and handed the handle over to him respectfully, as if he was handing over a real sword.

The Sword King, who received the wooden sword, recreated the beginning of the Sword Dance.

Just by seeing it with his own eyes once, he also made the martial arts reinterpreted by Geommu-geuk his own. Reinterpreting one martial art, and then reinterpreting it again. It was something that could be done because the two of them were at the same level.

Then, all of a sudden, the Sword King made a surprise attack towards the Sword Dance Theater.

Oh my god!

The Sword King’s wooden sword tore through the air and flew towards Geommu-geuk. It wasn’t any other martial art. It was the first form of the Yellow Dragon Sword Technique. And Geommu-geuk displayed the martial art just as he had interpreted it.

In an instant, three gusts of wind followed, and the strong wind turned into a gust and created a typhoon.

Whoaah, as the rising dust settled, two figures came into view. It was the sword dance that had dodged all of the terrifying attacks.

“Oh my, this damn dust.”

The Sword King waved his hand.

Both of them acted as if the surprise attack a moment ago had never happened. They didn’t ask why it had happened, and they didn’t apologize.

“Isn’t yours better?”

The Sword King honestly admitted that the Sword Dance Theater’s reinterpretation was more complete.

Then Geommugeuk sighed.

“It’s better, so why are you sighing?”

“That’s why I didn’t rest.”

“then?”

“I habitually sigh when I see someone cooler than me.”

He said it as a joke, but he was serious. A person of the Sword King’s level does not easily admit his own shortcomings. However, the Sword King admitted his shortcomings without a moment’s hesitation.

“Why are you suddenly being so affectionate?”

“Aren’t I a shield?”

It means that there is someone who needs to be protected.

“I’ll flatter you even if I have to. The reason why mine is better is because I reinterpreted it based on something much better.”

The gaze of the Sword King, who was staring intently at the sword dance, deepened.

“I think I understand a little bit.”

Although the words were not related, Geommu-geuk could guess what he meant by those words. Didn’t he mean that he knew why the organization’s work was always blocked by the leader of the Demonic Cult?

“You are supposed to be a shield, but what are the women you are supposed to protect doing here?”

“The shield also needs some rest. When I actually tried it, it turned out that not just anyone can wield a shield.”

It’s hard enough just to act as a shield with words. It’s hard for Ian, for Uncle Whee, for his bodyguards. I realized once again how hard it must have been.

“Shields are not at all suited to a worrier like me.”

Then the Sword King asked directly.

“What is your relationship with this woman named Ian?”

“He is like my heart.”

The swordsman was puzzled by the honest answer.

“Can I honestly tell you about this huge weakness?”

“She is not my weakness, she is the weakness of my enemies.”

“What does that mean?”

“If you touch her, you will die the most miserable death in the world at my hands. So, you must resist the urge to touch her. It is a weak point that distracts the enemies’ nerves.”

The Sword King laughed loudly and cheerfully.

“It was a refreshing sophistry.”

The Sword King walked back along the path he had been on. Looking at the shoes dangling from his waist, Sword Master asked.

“Why don’t you kill me?”

Clearly, he had revealed himself as a criminal in order to kill himself.

“Why are you putting it off?”

The Sword King paused for a moment and looked up at the sky. It seemed as if he was looking for the answer in that sky.

Geommugeuk also looked up at the sky.

The two of them looked up at the sky for a long time.

“What did you ask?”

“What did I ask you? Oh, why don’t you kill me?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been outside and gotten some fresh air.”

The Sword King continued to walk with a trembling gait as he added:

“There are too many petty people in this martial arts world.”