Drip.
Cold sweat runs down his back.
His tightly clenched fists were filled with strength, trembling faintly.
This was proof that his body was extremely tense,
and Hwangbo Cheolwi himself was aware that he was nervous.
'...I can't look him in the eyes.'
The eyes of the man sitting cross-legged in front of him, looking at him.
Hwangbo Cheolwi dared not look.
This was Hwangbo Cheolwi, a blood relative of one of the most renowned families.
As that thought crossed his mind, Hwangbo Cheolwi had to erase the thought that surfaced in his head.
'...Even though it's all meaningless now.'
The world was wide, and in that world, the Hwangbo family name was immense,
but he realized he was too small to bear it.
It seemed it would take a long time to erase the thoughts ingrained in his body.
The dense aura of energy drifting within the narrow tent.
Under the heat that felt like it was crushing him.
Hwangbo Cheolwi thought about how he ended up here.
'Why did I come...?'
His original purpose was blurry,
but it was no different from coming to see him.
Hwangbo Cheolwi moved his stiff neck and forcibly looked at the person in front of him.
The one who crushed his brother, Hwangbo Cheok, who had seemed so strong and fierce, and made him kneel.
True Dragon, Gu Yangcheon.
The alias and name of the person he faced.
The sight he saw through the crack of the door.
Hwangbo Cheolwi knew.
That their eyes had met then.
And that Gu Yangcheon had smiled at him when their eyes met.
'Did this man really kill the Sixth Elder?'
He knew that Hwangbo Cheok had sent the Sixth Elder to Gu Yangcheon.
If he didn't like someone,
and if a problem arose in his path,
he was the kind of person who would eliminate them by any means necessary.
That was Hwangbo Cheok.
Hwangbo Cheolwi thought Gu Yangcheon had just been unlucky and fallen into that trap.
'...Is that really so?'
The doubt that arose alongside that thought was,
when Hwangbo Cheok showed his intention to deal with Gu Yangcheon by sending the Sixth Elder,
the subtle thought that sprang up within him.
That was the problem.
Could the Sixth Elder really do anything to Gu Yangcheon?
'...I thought it was a foolish doubt.'
The Sixth Elder was a martial artist of the Hwa Realm.
Having reached the Hwa Realm, given time, it wouldn't be difficult for him to rise to the ranks of the Central Plains' Top Hundred Masters.
In fact, it was because of such effort that the family had given him the position of elder.
In contrast, Gu Yangcheon was a rising star.
He had received the title of Dragon,
but he was merely a rookie martial artist who had just begun making a name for himself.
Yet, why did he harbor such a thought?
It was something he couldn't understand.
Why he had such a thought.
As he was repeating his doubts,
"I thought the Hwangbo family was mostly a place full of bear cubs,"
Hwangbo Cheolwi's back stiffened at Gu Yangcheon's voice.
"But it seems it's not entirely the case."
"...True Dragon."
Boom...!
Simultaneously with Hwangbo Cheolwi's words, the table next to him shattered and rolled across the floor.
Seeing the debris fall with a crunch, Hwangbo Cheolwi gulped down a dry breath.
"I don't really like being called by my alias. If you call me that again, the next one will be your jaw, alright?"
No matter how narrow the tent was, there was some distance between Gu Yangcheon and Hwangbo Cheolwi.
It wasn't a distance that could be reached just by standing still.
He must have made some move for this to happen,
but Hwangbo Cheolwi couldn't see how Gu Yangcheon moved at all.
'...Even though I was watching with both eyes, to think there's such a gap.'
He didn't know the exact details, but Gu Yangcheon was probably a couple of years younger than him.
If so, should he consider that a difference in talent?
The atmosphere emanating from Gu Yangcheon's body right now,
the gaze looking at him,
and even the faintly felt aura of a conqueror.
'...To call this talent, it's too terrifying.'
The visible level was too overwhelming to understand.
As Hwangbo Cheolwi kept swallowing dry saliva and began to watch his footing,
Gu Yangcheon asked Hwangbo Cheolwi.
"Why did you come here?"
"...Well."
"Make it brief. I'm a bit busy right now."
The noisy sounds,
seeing the people moving busily. It was somewhat expected. "...Are you leaving?"
"Going back. I can't stay holed up here forever."
Even though he said it was a good thing, it seemed something was bothering him,
as Gu Yangcheon's expression wasn't very good.
"So, I asked why you came." ""
"Is it because I beat up your brother?"
"...!"
At the casually thrown words, Hwangbo Cheolwi momentarily gasped.
He hadn't expected him to say it so openly.
After spitting out the words, Gu Yangcheon looked Hwangbo Cheolwi up and down.
As if he were appraising him.
"It doesn't seem like you came to hold me accountable out of brotherly loyalty."
Hold him accountable?
After witnessing with his own eyes how Hwangbo Cheok was dealt with.
He couldn't hold Gu Yangcheon accountable with words.
"...I didn't come with that intention."
"Of course. If that were the case, it would have been faster to report it to the family earlier."
Hwangbo Cheok was threatened by Gu Yangcheon of the Gu family.
Moreover, it seemed he had been subjected to some unknown scheme.
Sending just these two lines to the family would have been enough.
Then Hwangbo Cheok's standing would plummet to that of a fool who was defeated and threatened by a rising star,
but things would be easily resolved.
Whatever anyone says, the Hwangbo family was a renowned family.
But Hwangbo Cheolwi didn't do that.
Even while watching his brother being defeated,
and seeing him pathetically captured and threatened by Gu Yangcheon,
he only watched.
Why was that?
'...Why.'
Why did he feel a sense of satisfaction inside while watching Hwangbo Cheok collapse?
He didn't know.
"Hey. Snap out of it."
"...!"
"Why do you bastards always think about something else when you're in front of me? Do I look easy to deal with?"
"...N-No. Not at all."
Was there anyone in the world who would think Gu Yangcheon was easy to deal with?
Even from his perspective, it wouldn't be easy.
"So, I asked why you came."
"...I came to ask True Dragon—no, Young Master Gu something."
"You spoke informally before, why are you suddenly being polite? It gives me goosebumps."
*Tch,*
That's because I'm afraid of getting beaten by you, you bastard....
Hwangbo Cheolwi couldn't bring himself to say the words that came to mind.
Because if he did, he felt like he'd really get beaten up.
Feeling the cold sweat running down his back,
Hwangbo Cheolwi asked Gu Yangcheon.
"...Why didn't you capture me?"
That day.
Even while making eye contact with him.
He could have easily captured and dealt with him too.
The reason he left him alone until now.
Hwangbo Cheolwi wanted to know about this.
Then.
Ha—.
Gu Yangcheon let out a short laugh. What was so funny?
"If I let you go quietly, you should be thankful. Did you come all the way here to ask why I let you go?"
"...I felt like I needed to know."
"No, that's not it."
"What...?"
Gu Yangcheon's posture leaned forward slightly.
Did something catch his interest?
Or if not, what could it mean?
To Hwangbo Cheolwi, who was filled with panic,
Gu Yangcheon slowly opened his mouth.
"It's not that you want to know the reason. You came here expecting something, didn't you?"
"Right?"
The words spoken in a small voice
changed like a dagger and pierced deeply into Hwangbo Cheolwi's chest.
The deeply embedded dagger felt like it reached his heart.
"Don't use shallow tricks and speak properly. I have a personality that finds such things annoying. It's a bit irritating."
At Gu Yangcheon's following words, Hwangbo Cheolwi didn't know what to say.
'Since when was it.'
Finding a crack.
The Hwangbo bloodline, which he had thought was so noble and supreme,
the time he realized it wasn't actually that noble.
Believing in this blood and acting like some big shot while ignoring others,
became embarrassing.
Since when was it?
He couldn't remember well.
And when he thought of such a brother as shameful,
when he wondered if this was okay,
his wavering reason gradually crumbled, becoming debris that piled up neatly in one corner.
"So tell me clearly."
Gu Yangcheon drove the final dagger into Hwangbo Cheolwi.
"'My brother looks like fucking shit, so since it's come to this, please help me take over.' Say that."
The sullenly spat, unrefined words were unbelievably heavy.
"It's weird to say that to me, but isn't that what you really want to say?"
He wanted to say no right away.
The battle for the position of Young Patriarch among the blood relatives had been going on for years,
and Hwangbo Cheolwi had long since dropped out of the competition.
He was somewhat talented, but not outstanding compared to his other blood relatives,
let alone did he have the justification of being the firstborn.
He didn't even have supporting forces, so his situation wasn't good.
In this situation, how could he harbor such a thought?
However, as soon as he thought about it,
Hwangbo Cheolwi opened his mouth to Gu Yangcheon.
"...Is there something you can help me with?"
His voice came out as if he were trembling,
but the words were precise.
"Hmm..."
Hearing this, Gu Yangcheon looked at Hwangbo Cheolwi with a subtle expression.
To Hwangbo Cheolwi, it felt
as if he was placed on a scale,
and on the opposite side of the scale,
Hwangbo Cheok was on it, looking down at him.
He had no regrets about the words he spat out.
He didn't know why,
but in the way Gu Yangcheon looked at him,
there was at least no hostility like when he looked at his brother.
Is it soybean paste that tastes like shit, or shit that tastes like soybean paste?
That is the question.
It might seem like a terrible story,
but that was the thought that came to mind after sending Hwangbo Cheolwi back.
Hwangbo Cheolwi was the soybean paste that tasted like shit.
And Hwangbo Cheok was the shit that tasted like soybean paste.
No matter who he chose, it wasn't going to be good.
'If I have to choose, it's better to have soybean paste even if it tastes like shit.'
If he had to be specific, Hwangbo Cheolwi was better.
He was planning to use Hwangbo Cheok and then throw him away from the start.
That's why he had placed a restriction and inserted demonic energy into him.
So he could dispose of him at any time.
'That guy Hwangbo Cheolwi was a bit different from expected, though.'
I don't know him well.
Just that he's a blood relative of the Hwangbo family.
Seeing as I didn't really know him in my past life, it means he didn't make a name for himself,
which meant he couldn't stand out,
so he probably wasn't a great figure.
'Patriarch, huh.'
That guy and this guy.
I don't know why they are so desperate for the position of Patriarch.
How heavy and annoying it is.
Not to mention how irritating the position is.
'They don't know how to be thankful for having a choice.'
Being able to choose this or that is such a good thing.
Those guys will never know.
'First, I'll have to think about the Hwangbo guys separately later.'
I acted like I could do something for Hwangbo Cheolwi,
but I didn't really have any great abilities, so I didn't have much to offer.
To put a single blood relative on the Patriarch's seat just by making up my mind,
I would need at least that much backing.
'If I reach the level of the Three Venerables, maybe.'
Sima Oje, the master of his faction and the center of the Evil Sect,
or reaching the level of the Three Venerables, known as Cheonoecheon, would be a different story.
This meant it was impossible right now.
'I can give some moderate help, though.'
This was also a matter for later.
'I hope that fatso Hwangbo takes good care of Mok-gwon.'
To both Hwangbo Cheok and Hwangbo Cheolwi,
I had vaguely mentioned Mok-gwon, so they would accommodate him.
Checking up on a former subordinate at this point was somewhat funny.
It was useless benevolence, so it made me feel bloated, but
'I have to do it when it comes to mind, or I'll forget later.'
I couldn't go around looking for them one by one every day saying I'd help.
Doing it once in a while when I saw their faces was all I could do.
Other than that, it was too much for me... It was hard.
"Young Master, the preparations are complete."
"Got it."
I was stretching my body after a day had passed.
The servant came and told me.
"Can we go right away?"
"Yes. We've contacted the Alliance side, so you can transfer to a carriage there."
"We can just go. They're so annoying."
I had to stop by the Martial Alliance at the frontline branch in the middle and go through the verification process.
Annoyingly, I had to do it since I was technically part of the Righteous Faction.
*Tsk, tsk.*
Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I asked the person next to me.
"Do you guys have to do it too?"
"We already did."
It was Murong Hui-a, her face covered with a veil.
"You already did?"
"For us, it's over once we deliver the message."
"...What a dirty world."
The Murong family was one of the Four Great Families, and they had status.
Unlike himself from the Gu family, for Murong Hui-a, just her name and a letter were enough.
They say connections are the best.
Truly a dirty world.
"Then does she not have to do it either?"
.
...
.
..
I asked that toward Nangong Bi-a, who was walking this way in a daze.
When Nangong Bi-a walked over, Murong Hui-a flinched and her shoulders trembled at the sight.
"...The Geommuhui doesn't have its own people attached, so she'll probably have to go herself."
"This is annoying again. They do things so weirdly."
As I was grumbling,
Nangong Bi-a approached and casually rested her chin on my shoulder.
In the past, I was slightly shorter, so it would have been convenient to rest it,
but now I was a bit taller than Nangong Bi-a, so it must have been somewhat uncomfortable,
but Nangong Bi-a didn't seem to care about that as she occasionally rested her chin like this.
"Did you sleep badly?"
To my question, Nangong Bi-a answered by turning her head side to side.
"But why do you look so sleepy?"
"...I'm... tired."
"What do you mean you're tired after sleeping well? If you're sleepy, go and sleep."
"...Yeah."
At my words, Nangong Bi-a moved,
then suddenly shifted her gaze to look at Murong Hui-a.
Murong Hui-a, who met Nangong Bi-a's eyes, quietly looked at her,
and Murong Hui-a also didn't avoid it, exchanging glances.
Since they kept doing that for longer than I expected, I was wondering why they were acting like this,
when Murong Hui-a snorted and returned to where the other Murong family members were.
Watching that, Nangong Bi-a slightly clenched her fist and whispered to me.
"...I won."
"...Huh?"
Won what?
A staring contest...?
It seemed they had some weird fight,
but Nangong Bi-a's reaction was so unusual that I decided not to ask.
Originally, this wasn't the only thing I had to pay attention to.
"I wasn't going to use my vacation days...!"
It was because of Gu Huibi, who was receiving a send-off among the other Sword Unit members over there.
Her constant whining while receiving the send-off was giving me a headache.
Seeing that, I let out a deep sigh, approached her, and said.
"Stop whining. Didn't you say you wanted to go together sometime?"
"Only the younger sibling needs to go... Why are you dragging me along!"
"Did I say let's go together? Your father called you. No really, how can the eldest daughter scheme to avoid going?"
Gu Huibi, who hadn't received a return order,
had to return to the Gu family with me for no other reason than
the fact that I picked up the return order that had fallen among the letters for Gu Huibi was the cause.
'Where is she trying to run off to?'
I thought she might hate going to the family so much that she wouldn't even follow a return order,
but considering Madam Mi's personality, I figured that could be possible.
Because the only person who could catch Gu Huibi like a mouse was her.
Even so, her dawdling like that was endlessly frustrating.
"Ah, let's just go quickly!"
In the end, it was only after I approached and personally dragged Gu Huibi along
that we were able to depart for the Gu family.
For reference, Gu Jeol-yeop was in charge of the carriage this time as well.
Gu Jeol-yeop, who was preparing to drive the carriage on his own without being told, looked reliable for the first time in a while.
'It would be so nice if he was that quick with other things too. I should put him through the wringer once and make him do it later.'
"Ugh...!?"
I saw Gu Jeol-yeop feeling a sudden chill and looking around.
He was a guy with good intuition for these kinds of things, anyway.