“It’s a trap.”
Bisain’s expression grew cold. The opponent he resented even more than the Flame Heaven Twin Swords, who had tried to kill him, was none other than Strategist Hyeok.
“This is a trap devised by Strategist Hyeok. To lure you in and kill you.”
Geom Mugeuk thought that Bisain had seen correctly, but had gotten one thing wrong.
“It is indeed a trap, but it is not meant to kill me. They wouldn’t try to turn the main cult into an enemy at a time like this. Right now, they are hell-bent on killing you.”
Tu Wang was a clever man, and Strategist Hyeok moved beneath him. Precisely because he was clever, there were parts that were easy to predict. At the very least, it wasn’t a ploy to kill him.
“They are likely trying to send me back to the main cult.”
Having separated him from Bisain, their intention was to eventually kill Bisain.
“Will you still meet the Alliance Lord, knowing that?”
“I must meet him.”
“The Alliance Lord will not be fond of you.”
Bisain’s expression darkened. He had already been worried about how the Alliance Lord would react upon learning of this matter. But now, to think that Strategist Hyeok, who attended the Alliance Lord’s side, was the traitor.
“He will have sowed discord between the Alliance Lord and me to the point of no return.”
What exactly had Strategist Hyeok said about him? He didn’t even want to think about it.
But Geom Mugeuk was guessing differently.
“He wouldn’t have done that.”
Geom Mugeuk had anticipated something Bisain had not considered.
“On the contrary, he will have shown an attitude of caring for you the entire time. That you were getting close to me to dig something up—Strategist Hyeok will have kept taking your side.”
The words that snapped Bisain, who was blinking in confusion, awake.
“Because only then would your calling him a traitor produce the proper backlash.”
The moment he heard those words, Bisain felt something strike him deeply.
“Instead, he will not believe me.”
“He will think I have been bewitched by the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and am framing the Chief Strategist.”
A chill ran down Bisain’s spine. The more he heard, the more it seemed that was exactly how it would go. The thoughts of clever people always surpassed his expectations like this.
“Praise can sometimes be a more powerful form of discord.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, not only Bisain but also Goeak, who had been listening, let out a sigh of admiration.
‘What a terrifying person has become the Young Cult Leader.’
It was said that the current Heavenly Demon possessed talent that ranked among the greatest in history. Could even that Heavenly Demon have shown such bearing at a young age? He was certain the answer was no.
“What do you intend to do?”
“I must meet the Alliance Lord. Right now, I am the only one who knows that Strategist Hyeok has joined hands with hidden forces. My testimony is the sole evidence. If I cannot convince the Alliance Lord, not only your life but even your position as Young Alliance Lord will be in danger.”
Having barely survived, another crisis was now upon them.
Geom Mugeuk asked Bisain.
“Can you deliver a letter to the Alliance Lord without Strategist Hyeok’s knowledge?”
After a moment of thought, Bisain mentioned a person.
“I can deliver it through Illang.”
He was the person Bisain trusted most.
“You must not be discovered.”
“You can trust him.”
Geom Mugeuk immediately wrote two letters.
One was a reply to the letter that had arrived moments ago from the Four Paths Alliance. It was a response stating that he would personally visit the main bastion of the Four Paths Alliance to meet the Alliance Lord.
He gave that letter to a rider of the An Estate and told him to send it to the Four Paths Alliance.
The other letter was one to be delivered secretly to the Alliance Lord.
“You must deliver this letter to the Alliance Lord without Strategist Hyeok’s knowledge.”
“What does this one say?”
“I told him to meet with me alone outside instead of at the Four Paths Alliance. I wrote that if he refuses, I’ll kill you.”
“You… really!”
“A jest, a jest.”
“Even in jest, do not say such things. If you play around with the Alliance Lord as you do with me, you could end up dead.”
“I shall keep that in mind.”
Not that such a thing would happen, but if he failed to handle it properly, the Alliance Lord wouldn’t believe him. The Alliance Lord would try to send him back to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to separate him from Bisain. Should that come to pass, Bisain’s situation would grow difficult in many ways.
“Do you have a plan?”
At Bisain’s worried question, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“I shall give it thought from now on.”
About to ask what that meant, Bisain suddenly realized.
Were it him, he would still be worrying over whether to meet or not.
But Geom Mugeuk had already decided to meet and was now worrying over how to do it. It was precisely this that made him keep trusting him. It felt as if every plan was already in place.
Geom Mugeuk approached the bedside.
“Are you alright?”
He could tell it was not a question about his injured body. He must be asking if his heart was alright amidst this chaos.
What would have become of him if not for Geom Mugeuk? Could he have endured? As a martial artist, as the successor to the Four Paths Alliance, he didn’t want to say this but—
‘It’s alright because you are here.’
These were Bisain’s innermost thoughts, words he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
‘The Alliance Lord may not believe me. He will likely think he is being deceived by you. He may scold me for being a fool.’
Anyone in the Four Paths Alliance would think so. They wouldn’t think the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult approached with good intentions. That was why this battle was difficult.
‘Even so, I will not doubt you.’
Because he couldn’t move forward while harboring doubt. This doubt wouldn’t be of Geom Mugeuk, but ultimately of himself. It would lead to self-reproach for failing to see a person for who they truly were.
It was because of this that Bisain could answer thus.
“I am fine.”
Of course, there was someone in this room who was not fine.
Goeak, who had been listening to the two’s conversation, cut in.
“I am grateful that you saved me, and that gratitude stands. But don’t forget that I am watching you.”
Those were words he should have been saying to him. To take good care of Bisain, and that he was watching.
“Both of you, tend to your wounds first. The time to fight again is approaching.”
* * *
Strategist Hyeok’s expression was stiff as he walked toward the Alliance Lord’s manor.
The Flame Heaven Twin Swords’ surprise attack on the An Estate and their failure to kill Bisain had been an unexpected turn of events.
‘So it has come to this.’
Had Bisain died at the An Estate, the Alliance Lord would certainly have suspected Geom Mugeuk. They had been together right until his death—how could he not be suspicious? The crisis with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would have escalated and relations grown strained, but he and Hwang Seokgyeong would have naturally slipped away from behind this incident.
But now, he had to make the Alliance Lord send Geom Mugeuk back to the Demonic Cult. In that process, his own loyalty would be tested as well.
Of course, he was confident he could handle it. This matter would be handled as Bisain having fallen into Geom Mugeuk’s scheme.
‘Young Alliance Lord, you are finished anyway.’
Before entering the Alliance Lord’s manor, Strategist Hyeok stopped briefly in the corridor and looked at the steel wolves.
That these wolves stopped intruders was naught but a legend. He had been coming and going as he pleased, yet the steel wolves merely watched.
Strategist Hyeok thought that when Tu Wang became the new Alliance Lord, he would get rid of these chunks of scrap metal first.
Strategist Hyeok entered the Alliance Lord’s manor.
The Alliance Lord of the Four Paths Alliance, Baek Jagang, stood with his hands behind his back before a window overlooking the main compound behind the Taesa Hall.
“The Young Cult Leader of the Divine Cult has sent a reply saying he will come to meet the Alliance Lord.”
Despite Strategist Hyeok’s report, Baek Jagang gave no answer.
“The Young Alliance Lord appears to be with the Young Cult Leader.”
A cold aura emanated from Baek Jagang.
“He’s doing pointless things.”
He had disliked it from the moment the message came that he was consorting with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and would feign death. Had Strategist Hyeok not told him to trust the Young Alliance Lord, he would never have permitted it.
“What if?”
Strategist Hyeok guessed what the Alliance Lord was worried about.
“Had the Young Alliance Lord died, the Young Cult Leader would not have dared reply that he would seek an audience with the Alliance Lord.”
Baek Jagang slowly nodded, and Strategist Hyeok’s report continued.
“The surprise attack on the An Estate is still under investigation. Everyone who knew the location of the An Estate is being thoroughly investigated without exception. It will soon be revealed who leaked the information.”
He intended to eliminate his political enemies by entangling them in this affair. Falsified evidence had already been prepared for the occasion.
Though he showed no emotion outwardly, Baek Jagang was furious.
A secret had been breached, and someone had tried to kill the Young Alliance Lord of the Four Paths Alliance. Someone had dared draw their sword against the Four Paths Alliance.
The worse situation was this.
“Is there a possibility this is the Young Cult Leader’s doing?”
If so, it meant Bisain was being used by Geom Mugeuk.
“The Young Alliance Lord is a wise man. He would never be easily done in by the Young Cult Leader.”
Just as Geom Mugeuk had predicted, he was defending himself by showing complete faith in Bisain.
Baek Jagang interpreted Strategist Hyeok’s attitude politically—as a young Chief Strategist planning for his future. When Bisain became Alliance Lord, he would no doubt wish to remain Chief Strategist.
“The Young Alliance Lord is likely obtaining something by using the Young Cult Leader.”
“And not the other way around?”
After a brief pause, Strategist Hyeok spoke.
“Please trust the Young Alliance Lord.”
Bisain would swing an axe to kill him, but in the end, he would shoot himself in the foot. Because he would try to push someone who supported him this loyally into the position of a traitor.
“See to it carefully.”
“Do not worry, Alliance Lord. I shall take my leave now.”
From the place where Strategist Hyeok had withdrawn, a report came from a concealed person.
“Illang requests an audience.”
He was Ingung, the captain of the Alliance Lord’s guard.
“Illang? Let him in.”
“He desires a secret, private audience with no one informed.”
The situation was taking an unusual turn. Anyone else would have suspected this sudden request. But Baek Jagang knew. He knew how deeply loyal Illang was to the Alliance.
“Bring him to the training ground.”
* * *
Illang entered the Alliance Lord’s private training ground.
Outsiders could absolutely not enter this place without permission. Apart from Baek Jagang, only Ingung, the captain of the Alliance Lord’s guard, could come and go.
Baek Jagang was wiping an iron dummy in the training ground with a cloth.
It was not ordinary iron. Mixed with ten-thousand-year cold iron, this was a special thing that could not be cut by sword qi or sword gang, made solely for the Alliance Lord.
Countless sword marks were etched upon it. From faint, shallow traces to deep, heavy scars.
Baek Jagang knew well when and how each of the countless sword marks on the iron dummy had been made. What technique had carved it, what mindset had been behind it.
The very fact that he remembered each and every one allowed one to guess at the depth of his training.
It was now an iron dummy he could slash apart with a single stroke, but he did not. Because he wished to pass it down to Bisain just as it was.
“This humble one greets the Alliance Lord.”
“It has been a while. Have you been well?”
Baek Jagang welcomed him gladly. It was clear whom he disliked and whom he liked. Illang belonged in the domain of those he liked.
“You asked to see me separately?”
“Yes, the Young Alliance Lord sent a letter asking that it be delivered only to the Alliance Lord.”
Illang was tense. He could sense it. If he made the slightest misstep today, he would not only fall out of the Alliance Lord’s favor but might lose his life.
“Does that mean you are not to deliver it to Strategist Hyeok either?”
Because all letters entering the Alliance passed through the Chief Strategist.
“He said to deliver it especially without Strategist Hyeok knowing.”
Baek Jagang’s expression grew subtle. When asked for a secret meeting, he had thought it unlikely, but it truly was because of Strategist Hyeok.
“Did he give any reason?”
“No, he only said to make sure it reached the Alliance Lord.”
Illang took the letter from his breast and offered it to the Alliance Lord.
Having checked the letter’s contents, Baek Jagang was startled. It was the first time Illang had seen the Alliance Lord so surprised.
Baek Jagang raised his head and looked at Illang.
“Do you know what is written here? It says that Strategist Hyeok is involved in this affair, and that the attack on the An Estate was his doing as well. The Young Cult Leader says he will meet me personally to explain.”
“!”
At the unexpected words, Illang was also startled. He had never imagined that the letter he delivered would contain such content.
“Do you think so as well?”
Baek Jagang fixed his gaze on Illang. Illang knew how well those small eyes could read a person’s heart. The Alliance Lord was someone who could tell whether his counterpart spoke truth or lies uncannily well.
Should he deny the words of the leader he served, or deny the chief strategist who served the leader of the Sado Alliance?
“I believe that once a subordinate begins to judge the one he serves, he can no longer protect him properly.”
It was the best answer Illang could come up with.
At that, Baek Jagang asked again.
“What sort of person was the Demonic Cult’s young cult leader, as you saw him?”
He had avoided answering once, so there was no escaping now.
Illang answered honestly.
“He was an extraordinary man.”
“Do you think the young alliance leader was bewitched by him?”
Illang hesitated for a moment before answering. He wanted to say no, but—
“Yes. The young alliance leader was bewitched.”
He wanted to add something on Bisa-in’s behalf, but no words came to mind. That the young cult leader had not seemed so bad? That because the young cult leader had saved Bisa-in, he could be trusted?
No. To the Sado Alliance Leader he knew, such an answer would only do more harm than good.
“And I understand why the young alliance leader was bewitched.”
He had answered the question honestly, and the Sado Alliance Leader would make the judgment himself.
“You may withdraw.”
After offering a courteous bow, Illang left the place. He was not certain. Had he truly answered properly? Had his words harmed Bisa-in?
After Illang withdrew, the Sado Alliance Leader asked the empty air.
“What do you think?”
Then Ingung’s answer came.
“There are many things I cannot understand. I believe it would be best if you did not meet him.”
“Then should we inform Strategist Hyeok of this matter?”
Ingung could not answer easily. It was a question of whom he trusted more.
“I cannot believe that Strategist Hyeok is a traitor.”
And that he had even tried to kill the young alliance leader? No matter how he thought about it, he could not believe it. On the other hand, the young alliance leader had fallen for the Demonic Cult’s young cult leader? That, too, was hard to believe, but still—perhaps?
Baek Jagang, meanwhile, had yet to reach any conclusion. A fierce glint flowed from his small eyes.
“So aren’t you curious? He asks to meet me, knowing full well we would never believe him? Just what is that fellow thinking?”
Having served the Sado Alliance Leader for a long time, Ingung could tell. Baek Jagang had already become intrigued by Geom Mugeuk, as if thinking, “Look at this little rascal.” Illang’s words—that he understood why he had been bewitched—had been decisive.
If Baek Jagang had made up his mind to meet him, then what he had to do was this.
“I will choose a new meeting place and send word.”
Because they, not the other side, had to control the situation.
Baek Jagang silently nodded, then looked at the iron man dummy standing in the training ground.
Over the iron man dummy, the figure of a man overlapped. The person best suited to this expressionless iron man dummy was none other than the Heavenly Demon, Geom Ujin.
He was the person Baek Jagang acknowledged most, and at the same time, the person he hated most. More than anything, he hated that arrogant gaze that seemed to look down on people.
‘Let’s see just what sort of crop you’ve raised.’
Absolute Regression, Chapter 361