Episode 207
“Let me explain briefly again. The date is one month later. “We will hold the secret martial arts competition that was suspended due to the civil war.”
“······.”
“The leader of the faction that produced the winner of the competition will be able to receive the support of the palace lord. “Everyone knows what that means without having to explain it.”
A strange heat filled the room.
Although all five children of the Beast Palace were not speaking, their excitement was conveyed through the atmosphere.
The white-haired old man, a soldier of the Beast Palace, continued speaking while waving the fan in his hand.
“Of course, there shouldn’t be any kind of argument until the competition is over. This is an issue that all five factions agree on. I hope you don’t forget that factions that break their agreements become common enemies.”
Although I was saying this with a lot of weight, it wasn’t a promise that would be perfectly kept anyway.
Everyone gathered here was well aware of that fact.
The military warning is only a minimum safety measure to ensure that the event proceeds safely.
Behind-the-scenes conflicts and checks would continue to take place both before the competition began and while it was in progress.
“Finally, if the Sichuan branch leader wins the competition, the Beast Palace and the Murim Alliance will sign a treaty stipulating that they will not invade each other’s territory for the next ten years.”
The eyes of everyone in the room were focused on me.
I didn’t really react to the outpouring of attention.
I just nodded with a calm expression.
A detailed discussion followed.
The heads of the five factions and the twelve elders raised their hands one after another, asked questions, and presented their opinions.
The discussion, which lasted about an hour, was concluded.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”
As I was leaving the separate room and returning to my dorm, a large man approached me and started talking to me.
The bald head shining under the sunlight stole all eyes.
‘The first son of the Beast Palace Lord.’
A middle-aged man, Prince I, had a fierce smile on his lips.
I asked him with a questioning look on my face.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“Everything happens. There are a lot of things I want to ask. “There are a lot of listening ears here, so let’s move on.”
Even though I hadn’t given consent yet, it seemed like he didn’t have my intention in mind as he suddenly asked me to move to another position.
I felt like I had a general idea of what kind of personality Confucius had.
At that time, a man with a small build suddenly came between me and the worker.
“You still have the habit of making decisions without listening to the other person’s answer. older brother.”
“······What’s going on?”
“Why are you asking such an obvious thing?”
It was a face I had seen once before.
The man, Prince Lee, quietly looked back at me and said.
“I’m sorry. Since my brother was born as a warrior, he is a bit clumsy when it comes to dealing with others. “Even if it’s embarrassing, I hope you understand.”
“Huh. “You have the guts to mock me to my face.”
“Isn’t it true?”
“If you have anything to do with the Sacheon branch manager, please wait your turn. “I was the one who made contact first.”
“It is up to the Sacheon branch manager to decide who to talk to first, not you. “Isn’t that right?”
“······.”
“Sacheon Branch Manager. Wouldn’t you like to leave this rude older brother behind and talk to me in a nice atmosphere? Let’s prepare the best dancers and famous liquor in Namman. “How is it?”
I, who had been watching the brothers’ fight with interest, scratched my cheek with a troubled expression at this Confucius’ invitation.
According to the original plan, there should not have been any involvement with the leaders of the five factions.
However, when it came time to participate in the bimu competition, that plan was virtually in vain.
‘Now that the situation has come to this, it is inevitable that there will be friction with the five factions. In that case, at least…’
The moment I was trying to organize my thoughts and come up with an answer.
A woman’s bright voice pierced my ears.
“Should we really call them brothers? It’s fast too. “I never thought I would have approached the Sacheon branch manager.”
The woman’s identity was Woo Hwa-yeon, the fifth child of the Lord Beast and his only female companion.
He looked quite young compared to his other siblings, which made me think he was a late-born child.
“This and this, I can’t keep up with the action skills of my brothers.”
“Sacheon Branch Manager. “Don’t you have something to talk about with me?”
The two men who appeared later were also the children of the Beast Palace Lord.
I suddenly found myself surrounded by the leaders of five factions and burst out laughing.
In front of the palace lord and elders, he acted as if he had no particular interest in me, but as soon as I left the private room, he started competing to make contact with me.
‘I can clearly see what’s inside.’
The feeling was similar to when I was courted countless times by leading figures of the Murim Alliance.
After recalling the events that occurred during the Yongbong branch meeting, I looked around at the leaders of the five factions with a relaxed expression and said,
“I never thought that the five of you would show this much interest in me.”
“Let the Sacheon branch manager decide for himself. “Who should I talk to first?”
At Confucius’ question, the remaining four disciples all fell silent.
I pretended to clear my throat once to get their attention, then looked back at the man with hair reminiscent of a lion’s mane and answered.
“Of course, you should visit each person in order, starting with the person who recommended you first. “Wouldn’t that be more equitable?”
“Still, you are a friend who knows the law. “If I had been tempted by the news that I was preparing for Dancer and Myeongju and decided to follow her second son, I would have been disappointed.”
Confucius said, nodding his head with a satisfied expression.
I clicked my tongue and glanced sideways at him.
‘It’s because I’m so clueless.’
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It didn’t really matter whether he was disappointed in me or not.
“I’m sorry, but the first person I thought of visiting was not Prince I.”
“What does that mean? “It was clear just now…”
“In fact, just before leaving the private room, the Four Confucius first gave me a message and made an invitation.”
Of course, it was a lie to say that I was advised to do so.
Master Shi, who looked slightly surprised, soon raised the corners of his mouth.
If he wasn’t an idiot, he would have figured out our intentions.
“It’s just as the Sacheon branch manager said.”
“······.”
“If we were to consider fairness, I would be the first person to have a conversation with the Sacheon branch manager. “Brother, you will have to make concessions here.”
“······good night.”
Perhaps because his feelings were hurt, the worker turned around and left the scene.
Woo Hwayeon, who was staring at the back with a bright smile, took a step back and said.
“Then my turn will be fourth. “I will be waiting for the time when Sohyup comes to visit.”
“I won’t make you wait long.”
Unlike Woo Hwa-yeon, who resigned obediently, the third child, Woo Gyeong-gon, clearly showed his discomfort.
He seemed quite displeased at having been pushed to the last place.
Still, he didn’t say anything out loud, and he seemed to have decided that there was no good point in having a conflict with me.
“this. “He said he was in a hurry, but he ended up losing the player to his older brother and younger brother.”
“sorry. “He took great care in recommending it to me.”
“It’s okay. “I will send someone to contact you soon.”
This Confucius, who said goodbye to me with a mysterious smile on his face, left.
I opened my mouth, looking at the only disciple left by my side.
“There are many things I would like to ask Confucius.”
“Me too. What I’m going to say from now on won’t be good for others to hear. “Let’s move to my residence first.”
I left Damro (湛盧) at the lodgings to meet the beast palace lord, but I didn’t feel any sense of crisis.
Because I was confident that no one would harm me, at least until the martial arts competition started.
If I died or got seriously injured, there was a high possibility that the bet would be lost.
That kind of ending was something none of the Beast Palace Lord’s five children would have wanted.
The master who was walking ahead opened the door of the small stone building located at the back of the main castle and said.
“Be careful. “There are traps set up here and there to chase away intruders.”
“Are you saying you set up a trap in your residence?”
“It’s not that surprising. There must be one or two people aiming for my neck. “If you just do exactly what I tell you, there won’t be a dangerous situation.”
“All right.”
* * *
The moment the engineer moving across the hallway pulled the switch hidden inside the wall, something surprising happened.
Okay!
The engine mechanism was activated and the path to the underground was opened.
I thought it seemed too simple for a place where the Beast Lord’s child lived, but it turned out that the entire first floor was nothing more than an entrance.
As I entered the underground space through the stairs, I looked a little surprised.
It was a much larger and more comfortable space than I expected.
Expensive night pearls were nailed to the ceiling at regular intervals.
‘It’s not that dark for an underground space. ‘Seeing as the air is not stuffy, it seems like there is good ventilation.’
There was no way to estimate how much money and manpower had been poured into creating this large space.
The soldier, who briefly explained my identity to the warriors stationed throughout the place, led me to a room that I assumed was a reception room.
“Sit down first.”
After offering a seat, he called his wife and ordered him to serve drinks and food, which he did and stretched out.
I looked around with my eyes and spoke with admiration.
“It’s a nice place.”
“It was used as a residence by the 12th palace lord. It is said that at that time, the situation in the South was so chaotic that it could not be compared to now. “To the extent that the palace owner was threatened with assassination every day.”
The teacher answered in a proud voice, picked up the kettle placed in the center of the table and poured water into a glass.
Then, he pushed the glass like a top.
The glass slid down the edge of the round table and stopped exactly in front of me.
Not only did the glass fall over, not a single drop of water splashed out.
It was exquisite control of power and use of internal power.
“I’ll ask you straight.”
The messenger’s eyes suddenly became sharper.
The heavy force emanating from his body engulfed the entire room.
“How much do you know?”
“I know everything.”
“entire?”
“Isn’t Confucius also guessing to some extent?”
“Well, ever since I heard that the Murim Alliance had sent an envoy, I thought something was going wrong.”
“Don’t worry too much. “I have no intention of going around talking about the fact that Master Shi received support from the Demon Clan Lord.”
“It’s a good thing to hear. But you probably already told your father the truth, right?”
“yes.”
“This feels like a trap I can’t escape.”
martial arts,
