NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 80: Even if I become a predictable person someday.
The hastily formed trio headed to the Pungryu tavern.
Ian and Seo Dae-ryong were quite drunk, but the moment the leader of the Pungcheon cult turned the table over, they sobered up as if it were a lie.
When in my life will I ever see the leader of the Pungcheon cult turn the table over in front of the demons? I sat my grandchildren on my lap and started telling them a story that sounded like a lie, saying, “When I was young, this old man said this.”
The common sentiment among the three was that they couldn’t just let a day like this pass.
Before leaving for Magachon, Jangho entrusted Mannyeonhancheol to Gwak Bangju, the person in charge of the iron room of the main school and known as a divine hand.
Kwak Bang-ju was very happy, saying that it had been a long time since he had properly let go, and since he was someone who rarely expressed his emotions, the three of them realized once again how great a gift they had received.
Three people entered the Magachon Pungryu Tavern.
“Only three people came today.”
Jo Chun-bae welcomed them warmly.
“As of today, the trio has been formed.”
Ian added to Seo Dae-ryong’s joke.
“We might become a group of autographs soon.”
Ian smiled and said to Jo Chun-bae, who said he didn’t know English.
“Please give me some alcohol first.”
Three people sat on this floor, where they always sat.
The drinking party started with Jang-ho’s half-joking, half-serious remark.
“I feel sad sometimes.”
“why?”
“You two are the heart and the right arm, but I am still nothing?”
Although he said it as a joke, it sounded disappointing.
Then Ian smiled and said,
“Wouldn’t that make it even more amazing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“As you said, it is neither your heart nor your right arm, yet you always call your lord, right?”
Jang-ho opened his eyes wide, as if he had never thought about it from that perspective.
“Things like the right arm and the heart are just jokes, but your trust in the Demon Lord is real. I can tell just by looking into your eyes.”
“Is that so?”
“yes!”
“Our gentleman seems to be able to make people feel good.”
This time, Ian asked, “Is that so?” and Jang-ho answered with a big “yes” just like Ian. The three of them laughed together.
Then suddenly Ian thought of the man in chains. He was the one who couldn’t be left out of the drinking party today.
“Who was that person just now?”
“He seemed like an extraordinary person.”
Jang Ho emphasized Seo Dae Ryong’s answer once again.
“No matter how important or outstanding someone is, I won’t let them be treated carelessly.”
He made it clear that he intended to keep the Chained Man in check.
“Thank you for stepping up for me earlier.”
Seo Dae-ryong expressed his gratitude. It was because Jang-ho had stepped forward when the chained man had earlier pressured him about what he would do if someone tried to take his right arm.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t step forward for Inspector Seo. I’m serious. I’m just saying I’m lining up to be your right-hand man.”
Ian and Seo Dae-ryong looked at him in surprise.
“Your Majesty the King… … .”
Seo Dae-ryong was about to say something when Jang-ho cut him off.
“Please don’t say that you can give in. I don’t think the position of the right-hand man of the Duke of Li is one that can be easily given up.”
“No, I was going to tell you that I would not yield even to Your Majesty the King.”
“Yes? Then why did you say you would yield earlier?”
“It was a lie. I just felt like the atmosphere was flowing and it wasn’t a situation where I could step forward. To be honest, I can’t give in. I absolutely wouldn’t.”
Seo Dae-ryong revealed his true feelings. It wasn’t just because he was drunk. There was something he wanted to say to Ian and Jang-ho at least once.
“My predecessor at Hwangcheon-gak was killed by the previous Demon Lord, and I was obsessed with revenge. I even memorized all the personal details of the Demon Lords. But that was all. I couldn’t come forward and say something to reinvestigate, and I just burned with revenge in my heart.”
Seo Dae-ryong drank his wine. Jang-ho silently filled his glass.
“It’s pathetic, isn’t it? But I had to endure it that way. If you hadn’t come as a temporary investigator back then, I would have lived my whole life blaming myself and being dark and depressed. Do you know what I hear the most from you these days? Why have you become so cheerful? But would I give up my position as his right-hand man so easily? Even the King wouldn’t yield. And my martial arts skills are improving every day.”
Seo Dae-ryong, who had been pouring out his words as if venting his frustrations, let out a deep breath.
Jang-ho, who seemed like he was going to say something, just smiled pleasantly. Seo Dae-ryong felt that this rough man’s occasional grin was very strange and cool. He always thought that he wanted to laugh like that too.
Seo Dae-ryong spoke to the two people.
“Let’s continue this meeting. Please!”
The three of them talked about many things until late that day.
We talked about the sword dance, we talked about the chained man, we talked about the demons, and we talked about our own work.
It was a pleasant drinking party where you could say whatever you wanted to say without crossing the line, and so you had a vague belief that you could say anything here. Since there was no sword play, you could open up your heart more freely.
“I’m so glad we met today.”
As Ian raised his glass, the two men toasted vigorously.
After the drinking party, the three people came out and stood side by side in front of the bar.
Seo Dae-ryong said, looking at the main building in the distance.
“The fate of many people will change tonight. Or perhaps it has already changed.”
Ian nodded and accepted his words.
“We just have to trust in the destiny that leads us to those destinies.”
A person who is a scientist to the end? There were people here who were sincere to the end.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
* * *
As dawn began to break, the chained man came to me.
It was so refreshing to see him in my living quarters after always seeing him chained up next to the thunder bell.
I checked his ankles before I even said hello.
“Is your ankle okay?”
“The scholar always defies my expectations.”
His voice was soft and calm.
I looked up at him with a face that asked, “What does that mean?”
“I didn’t know you would look at my ankles on our first meeting.”
“Because it’s more important than greetings.”
“My ankle is fine. I may not have any great martial arts skills, but I am a martial artist.”
“Can you tell me what kind of martial arts it is? I want to know exactly what the skill level is.”
“I once mastered the martial arts of a famous person to the point of being called Chilseong.”
“Ah, that’s a good technique.”
“Do you know the method of martial arts?”
“Isn’t this the Dokmunmugyong of the martial arts master Yang Seong, one of the nineteen martial arts outside the wall?”
“How do you know that?”
“I am interested in a lot of different things.”
Fortunately, the man’s ankle was fine. He straightened his back and stood up, and the man said,
“My name is Gowol (孤月).”
It was finally the moment when I learned the name of the man in chains.
The name Gowol, which means a lonely and desolate moon, suited his mood well.
“Gowol. That’s a good name.”
“thank you.”
My gaze and Go-wol’s gaze intertwined in the air. His clear eyes were visible through the hair that was flowing down. Just as it started when our eyes met in the beginning, I didn’t need to say anything else to him.
“From now on, please be my soldier.”
Go-wol responded calmly to my suggestion, which might have seemed sudden.
“Later, when you become the Heavenly Demon, I will become the commander-in-chief of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Can you entrust me with such an important task?”
“I will take over when I have played a big role in becoming a Heavenly Horse. It is not something I will assign to you, you will have to step up on your own.”
After pointing out the exact point, he added a joke.
“Still, it would be easier to become the Demonic Cult’s General than my right-hand man.”
Gowol smiled faintly.
“I saw it earlier, that’s what it was like.”
As I suggested, Gowol didn’t hesitate either. He knelt down and bowed formally.
“Although I am a lacking person, if you accept me as a soldier, I will serve you with all my loyalty. I swear to the gods of heaven and earth with my life and honor.”
I also formally accepted him.
“Unmanned Go-wol, from this moment on, I will appoint you as my general. Please lead me well.”
I believe in the passion in his clear eyes more than in words. I believe in my destiny that brought him to me.
“Please speak comfortably from now on.”
“I guess so.”
This moment of welcoming the new moon was special because it was the moment when I was free from the burden of having to handle everything on my own.
I took his hand and helped him up.
“First, you need to recover your health.”
“I am okay.”
“There’s no need to rush. I’ll still need you ten years from now, twenty years from now, thirty years from now. At some point during that time, we might have to go to war with the Murim Alliance, or appease the Sadomaeng. There might be a rebellion, or a powerful enemy might attack us. I’m not looking for someone to give me advice today, but someone who will work with me through all of that.”
For a moment, a strange light flashed across Gowol’s eyes.
“You even thought about that. Mr. Lee Gongja is truly an unpredictable person.”
“I may be unpredictable now, but I may become very predictable later. But then, the lives of my subordinates will not be insignificant. You need to help me now, but you need to help me then. We have a long way to go.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
This time, Gowol asked me.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Do as much as you want.”
“What will you do if you discover a soldier who is more powerful than me in the future?”
“Help me by becoming his lieutenant. How about it? Is my answer a pass?”
“You passed.”
“Wouldn’t it be disappointing? If I brought someone else and said, ‘From today on, this person is my soldier,’”
“I came to see you, Master Lee, not to build a friendship. It means that you don’t need to become close with me. So, when that situation comes, you must accept it unconditionally. If you can’t make that obvious choice? Then, I, as a soldier, am either a retard or a bad person. You must be firm. For your sake, and for my sake.”
Go-wol was certainly insightful. He knew that if you get caught up in love, you will end up ruining your relationship even more.
“Actually, since Mr. Lee Gongja is such a smart person, I wonder if he really needs me.”
“People can’t always be smart. You and I both make mistakes. But isn’t it less likely that we’ll both make mistakes at the same time? So let’s discuss it together.”
“What kind of life has Mr. Lee Gongja lived?”
How could I explain that life to him? Instead of my life, I told him what Sima Ming had said to me.
“A soldier I respect said this. A good soldier is one who is smarter than the enemy soldier.”
“Is my opponent a soldier of the Murim Alliance? Or is he that respected soldier?”
“both.”
Goyul will guess. The respected soldier I mentioned is Sima Ming, the commander-in-chief of the school. It means that he should become a soldier who surpasses him.
“You have a job to do from now on. Create an information organization and control all information in the Central Plains. The goal is to create an organization that is superior to Tongcheon-gak.”
“yes!”
“Is that something that can be answered so easily?”
Gowol asked back with a confident look.
“Isn’t that why you took the trouble to bring me here?”
* * *
A few days passed.
Go-wol spent a few days concentrating on recovering. He didn’t have a separate place to stay. He decided to stay in the guest room of my residence for the time being.
As usual from the first day, he woke up early today too.
“Are you awake?”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“I slept well.”
“What are you doing this morning?”
“Okay, take this money first.”
I handed him the bundle of vouchers I had found on the battlefield.
“We will need money to create an organization, so use this money.”
He wasn’t surprised even though he confirmed that it was a huge sum of money, one million nyang.
“What are you going to do if I run away with this money?”
“We have to release the person and catch him.”
“And then?”
“I’m going to melt down the debt and knife I’m making now and put the chains back on. Then I’m going to show Janelle to the person I hate the most. Even then, I have to act mysteriously well.”
He laughed out loud, as if he couldn’t resist this joke.
“Come on, let’s go out and eat today.”
When I came out to Magachon, I saw the leader of Pungcheon sitting on the second floor of the Pungryu Tavern.
“The owner of this place told me that the leader of the Pungcheon Church has already come here twice alone. I think he wants to see you. What do you think? Would you like to meet him?”
Otherwise, the leader of the Fengchun sect would not have come here to eat twice.
“Yes, I wanted to meet you anyway.”
My problem was solved, but they still had problems to solve. Yes, even if you fight with the burden on your back, you have to fight with the burden on your heart.
We walked slowly up this floor.