The Orthodox Faction Assembly had come to an end.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly curious about what had been discussed, but from my position, I had to know.
The results could throw off the schedule I had planned for the future.
And since the very prospect of my plans changing was a serious matter at this point—
I had to remember the information.
I asked Cheol Jiseon about what had happened while I was asleep.
“What happened?”
“…Uh, well….”
Cheol Jiseon hesitated briefly at my question, then soon began explaining things to me.
Naturally, the first thing the Alliance Leader had spoken about was the attack.
-Why had things turned out this way?
He began with the origin of the incident.
-What, exactly, had the Murim Alliance done?
What measures had the Murim Alliance taken between the beginning of the incident and its consequences?
-What are we going to do from now on?
Now that the incident had already occurred, how did they intend to deal with it going forward?
From the heated criticism of the Murim Alliance’s incompetence—
To the families of the victims.
The clans and sects that had suffered collateral damage because their reputations had been tarnished. Even the merchant groups that sponsored the Alliance.
The Murim Alliance had to present something definite in response.
Otherwise—
‘…Even if it doesn’t come to disbandment, they’ll be in serious trouble.’
If the Alliance were abolished right away, the cities protected by its forces could also fall into trouble.
If its branches disappeared, the clans or sects in charge of those areas would likely begin managing them instead.
But considering the expenses and manpower that would entail, they would not be able to withdraw so readily.
Since everyone else knew that as well, they couldn’t act rashly.
So, what conclusion had they reached?
First of all—
The Murim Alliance had decided to suspend the operation of the Divine Dragon Academy.
It had always been standard practice to suspend the academy after graduating a single class.
But after this incident, they couldn’t simply continue operating the Divine Dragon Academy.
Naturally, the people who had entrusted their own kin or descendants to the academy would not want that either.
Thus, the Divine Dragon Academy had decided to suspend its operations without graduating its current class.
When I heard that, the first thought that came to mind was—
‘It’s not being shut down?’
The Divine Dragon Academy was going on hiatus rather than being permanently closed.
I had naturally expected the Divine Dragon Academy to shut down because of this incident.
But contrary to my expectations, it seemed they intended only to suspend its operations.
Thinking about why they had made such a choice—
‘It’s probably because of that damn prestige.’
Because of the fame and honor the Divine Dragon Academy possessed.
In this world, where people believed that a martial artist was essentially a sword-bearer, the prestige of having graduated from the Divine Dragon Academy was considerable.
Connections that arose simply from being an alumnus.
The sense of belonging that came from those connections could help one’s kin rise to a high position in the future.
In other words—
Ultimately, they had merely postponed the academy’s closure for their own benefit.
The Murim Alliance knew that as well. That was why they had used the term “suspension.”
‘It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but… in the end.’
Whatever the case, the Divine Dragon Academy had suspended its operations.
And this was something that had not happened in my previous life.
‘Though the attack itself never happened back then.’
It was now impossible even to guess where things had first begun to diverge.
All I could do was nod.
If I tried to keep every single detail in my head, it would never end. I simply had to adapt to the changes.
Next came the punishment for the Great Demon who had attempted the attack.
The Murim Alliance officially announced that the identity of the person who had attacked the Divine Dragon Academy was the Black Dragon Sword.
People began to murmur.
Naturally.
The Black Dragon Sword was an unorthodox martial artist who had been executed by Wi Hyogun, the current Sword Venerable who had once been known as the Gale Sword of his generation.
The records stated that his head had already been severed and that he had died.
The Black Dragon Sword had been alive?
And not only had such a person survived—he had endured several decades before once again drawing his sword against the Orthodox Faction.
For those gathered here, it seemed to be a tremendously shocking story.
The fragile peace that could be maintained only because there was an Alliance—
And because the monsters known as the Three Venerables were members of the Orthodox Faction.
Had they truly not known that this peace could be shattered at any time?
It would be more accurate to say that they had been intoxicated by peace to that extent.
The Black Dragon Sword, currently imprisoned by the Alliance, was scheduled to be transferred to the Tang Clan afterward.
‘The Tang Clan?’
I had to frown when I heard that.
I found it suspicious that they were sending him to the Tang Clan instead of keeping him with the Alliance.
‘Why?’
The journey to Sichuan was a long one.
And if they intended to torture him, it would be safer to do so at the Alliance.
Why go to the trouble of transporting him all that way? What did they intend to do with him at the Tang Clan?
The question crossed my mind, but—
The bigger problem arose here.
An assembly was not a place where the Alliance Leader simply spoke on his own. It was, by nature, a place where questions and answers were exchanged.
In a way, it could even be called a venue for debate.
And I was the one who had captured the Black Dragon Sword.
Those who wanted to know what had happened had apparently wanted to question me.
…The problem was that I had been sleeping with my head resting on my father’s shoulder at the time.
A scion of a prestigious family who came to an assembly and promptly slept through it—what kind of humiliating spectacle was that?
To make matters worse, I had no memory of waking up in the middle of it.
What had happened?
‘Was I unable to wake up because the backlash was too severe…?’
That was possible, but—
Cheol Jiseon then muttered something strange in a voice trembling with fear.
“…Your father… He was really scary.”
“What?”
“No…. Never mind.”
Cheol Jiseon’s shoulders trembled violently, as if he never wanted to remember it.
What had he seen to make him act like that?
Just as I was about to snap at Cheol Jiseon to either speak or keep quiet—
“…So, I answered the questions in your place while you slept.”
“…”
At Cheol Jiseon’s words, delivered with an expression of utter resignation, I was forced to close my mouth.
Only then did I understand why he had been glaring at me with that dying, resentful look on his face.
I had been sleeping when I was supposed to answer questions at the assembly.
And because they couldn’t wake me to ask what had happened—
They had questioned Cheol Jiseon, who had attended alongside me.
The heads of prestigious clans.
The sect leaders of famous sects.
The masters of the merchant groups that made up the Central Plains had bombarded Cheol Jiseon with questions.
And it meant that the timid Cheol Jiseon had found it extremely difficult to handle.
Especially since he was living under an assumed name despite possessing the surname Zhuge.
He must have been even more terrified.
“…You… did well.”
“…”
That was all I could say to him.
Cheol Jiseon still looked exhausted, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Even so, he shook his head repeatedly before continuing.
Many different subjects had been discussed.
After hearing all of them, however, I could say that only three things were truly important.
-The Divine Dragon Academy would suspend its operations for at least ten years.
-The Alliance considered the incident extremely serious and had declared war against the Unorthodox Faction.
And—
The most important matter.
Now that this incident had occurred, someone had to take responsibility.
Even if no one had technically committed a crime—
People needed someone to blame more than they needed the truth.
The matter could not end without someone accepting responsibility.
Therefore, the Alliance had found those who would take responsibility and announced their decisions.
First.
The sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect.
The Azure Sea One Sword had decided to take responsibility upon himself and step down from his position as sect leader.
Upon hearing that, I clenched my fists without realizing it.
Since the sect leader had caused the incident and was stepping down from his position—
It was no different from Mount Hua suffering a major blemish.
In my previous life, the Azure Sea One Sword had stepped down after falling into demonic ways.
This time, he had also relinquished his position as sect leader.
But the circumstances had taken an entirely different turn.
‘I never expected him to step down as sect leader.’
Since the person serving as the academy master had been the Azure Sea One Sword—
It seemed to mean that he was accepting responsibility.
But I couldn’t help feeling like shit about it.
‘Besides.’
That was not the only problem.
The Azure Sea One Sword stepping down as sect leader was already a serious matter.
But an even greater problem remained.
That was—
-Lakgeom Jang Cheon has also chosen to take responsibility and step down from his current position as Alliance Leader.
Lakgeom, who had sat as Alliance Leader and led the Alliance for more than a decade,
had decided to resign from his position just like the Azure Sea One Sword.
“…The Alliance Leader?”
The moment I heard that from Cheol Jiseon, my head whipped around.
Jang Cheon was quitting as Alliance Leader?
“What is that supposed to—”
“Even so, as soon as the Alliance Leader brought it up, everyone’s reaction was enormous.”
“Of course it was…!”
Jang Cheon stepping down as Alliance Leader was absolutely not a minor matter.
Taking responsibility and resigning?
That was possible.
It was possible, but if this happened, it meant that the Alliance Leader’s seat would become vacant.
And if that happened, they would have to elect a new Alliance Leader.
That would make things considerably more complicated.
In the previous life I had experienced, the Alliance Leader had been Jang Cheon.
And the person who had taken the position immediately after the Blood Calamity ended had been none other than Wi Seol-Ah.
But now, if Jang Cheon stepped down as Alliance Leader—
‘Who will become the next Alliance Leader?’
The next Alliance Leader absolutely had to be chosen.
The Murim Alliance was known as the symbol of the Orthodox Faction.
Its leader’s seat could not be left vacant.
“Ha…”
The situation was becoming far too complicated.
The Alliance Leader’s position was going to be vacant.
This was a development I had never anticipated.
******************
The sun had already begun to set.
Dragging along my exhausted mind, I headed to an inn.
It was the place Madam Mi had mentioned beforehand.
Most likely, everyone from the Gu family would be gathered there.
The streets of Henan felt more crowded than on any other day I had seen recently.
They were so packed that it was difficult even to take a step, but—
After leaping across the rooftops several times, I was fortunately able to reach my destination in comfort.
There were actually few people around the inn.
Madam Mi had apparently rented out the entire establishment.
That must have been why.
Just before I opened the door after arriving at the inn—
“Y-Yangcheon.”
Cheol Jiseon, who was riding on my back, called out to me urgently.
“What?”
“Can I really go in…?”
“They said it was fine. Then it should be fine.”
“B-But still….”
Cheol Jiseon spoke to me anxiously.
The reason was that he had been invited to join us for the meal.
He had said that his family wasn’t coming anyway, and I also felt sorry for dragging him around everywhere.
So I had decided I should at least feed him.
I remembered the strangely pleased smile Madam Mi had worn when I asked whether it would be all right for me to eat with a friend.
“W-Will it really be all right? Someone like me….”
“What wouldn’t be all right? Stop whining and come with me.”
“Gah…!”
After saying that, I threw Cheol Jiseon off my back.
We had arrived, so he could walk on his own.
Leaving Cheol Jiseon behind as he rubbed his backside, I opened the inn’s door first.
As the door opened, the ornate interior came into view.
Inn interiors were all more or less like this, but perhaps because there were so few people inside—
It seemed even more striking.
When I entered, someone came to greet me.
“Oh! It’s been a while.”
A burly man approached with a hearty laugh.
It was the First Elder, Gu Ryun.
Like Madam Mi and Gu Hui-bi, he was a face I had not seen in several months.
For some reason, seeing him felt especially welcome.
“It’s been a while, First Elder.”
“Have you been well?”
Ha-ha-ha!
The First Elder laughed heartily and slapped me repeatedly on the back.
…It still hurt like hell.
It was meant as a sign of affection, but this old man’s hands were still brutally heavy.
“Oh-ho. Yangcheon.”
“…Yes.”
When I answered while suppressing the pain, the First Elder gave me a grotesque smile.
“You’ve grown sturdier since I last saw you. I like it very much.”
As he said that, he showed off the muscles on his forearm.
The muscle expanded until the martial uniform he was wearing looked pitiful.
It looked as if it would burst if someone merely poked it.
“It seems you’ve been well, First Elder.”
“Ha-ha-ha! I’m always doing well! You seem to have been doing exceptionally well yourself, Yangcheon. I heard you even received a new nickname. What was it? Soeom—”
“Oh, I’m hungry.”
I hurried past him before he could say anything strange.
I had no desire to hear it.
-Hm? Who are you?
-Ah…. Greetings, sir. I’m Cheol Jiseon of the Cheol family….
-Ah, so you’re the friend of our Yangcheon. But how can a young man be so frail? That upper arm of yours—
-What? Uh…. Wait! Aaargh!
Cheol Jiseon’s scream rang out as the First Elder grabbed him afterward.
I ignored it.
‘I’ll remember you as a noble sacrifice.’
After offering Cheol Jiseon my condolences, I headed toward where the Gu family members were gathered.
Creak.
When I opened another door and entered, I saw a large number of familiar faces, including Madam Mi and my father.
“Hm?”
These were all people I naturally expected to be present, since this was a family meal.
And yet—
“…What?”
Someone I had never imagined was sitting there with them.