Chapter 116

Chapter 116

The execution grounds.

“Daeju. What are you doing?”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not the Daeju anymore.”

As I watched the alliance members busily moving about preparing for the trial, Moyong Hyeyeon had appeared beside me at some point and asked. I chuckled softly and answered lightly. Her eyebrows twitched slightly at my response.

“I’m disappointed. Daeju. To me, you will always be the Daeju.”

“You said you’d ask for a position at Uicheonmun when I retired, but have you changed your mind now?”

“Then I’ll switch to calling you Munju-nim.”

“Forget it. I’m not even part of the Murim Alliance anymore.”

“Affiliation isn’t that important…”

“It is important. Very much so.”

When I pressed down on the grumbling Moyong Hyeyeon’s crown after so long, she shrank her neck and looked up at me.

“I was just thinking for a moment.”

“Thinking… about what? What are you thinking about at this point?”

“About how to break through this situation.”

“Haven’t you already thought it through?”

“I have.”

“Then why…”

“I was checking to see if there were any mistakes. Because I cannot afford to fail.”

Competent. Flawless. Completely unpredictable.

That’s how those around me praise me, but in reality, everything I do falls within the realm of improvisation. It’s closer to quick thinking, really.

These are schemes I put forward because they can’t be solved through straightforward methods. I’m just desperately searching for a way out—nothing more, nothing less.

That’s why even after making plans, I have no choice but to keep checking them. If I don’t, they’ll surely collapse.

Even if it looks perfect, it isn’t perfect. I’m just acting like it is.

That’s all I can do.

“It will go well.”

“Saying it will go well—I appreciate even just the words.”

“I’m not saying it will go well. I’m saying it is going well.”

I laughed off Moyong Hyeyeon’s confident statement, but she looked directly at me with eyes filled with firm resolve.

“It’s not because the Daeju never shows failure… It’s not like that. If I may say this, didn’t you mess up a lot back when you were in the corps?”

“Well… yeah.”

I did mess up a lot.

“There were many failed missions, many times you nearly died. And there were those who… unavoidably died.”

At the faces that surfaced from those words, I quietly stroked the end of my sword hilt. But Moyong Hyeyeon didn’t stop speaking.

“Still, even though you failed countless times, there’s one reason I’m certain it will go well.”

“What’s that?”

“Isn’t it simple?”

Even if things go wrong once or twice, you won’t give up and will find a way out.

Thud!

With a faint smile, Moyong Hyeyeon lightly bumped her fist against mine and stood up.

“I should get back to my main job. It seems the judges have arrived.”

“Go ahead.”

“Yes. And.”

Moyong Hyeyeon, who had been standing and looking down at me for a moment, asked.

“How much should I collect for the welcome ceremony fee?”

“Welcome ceremony?”

“Isn’t it customary? After the great war, the seniors buy drinks.”

“I’m not a Muryeon Hall senior, you see. So Daeju-nim, who is from Muryeon Hall, should treat us.”

At Moyong Hyeyeon’s rarely mischievous smile, I let out a hollow laugh and opened the pouch hanging at my waist slightly. A light pouch without much inside.

“…What about the other guys?”

“The ones whose affiliation was Muryeon Hall ran away.”

“Rotten bastards. They’re only thinking about fleecing their former superior.”

“Because they’re guys the Daeju taught.”

I chuckled and handed over the pouch. Moyong Hyeyeon took it with a bright smile.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Yeah.”

A moment later, watching the direction Moyong Hyeyeon walked, I quietly narrowed my eyes.

“The three-sided trial hasn’t happened in a while. Has it been 30 years?”

“Be quiet. You’re always so noisy.”

“Shut up, Sword Emperor.”

In the distance, beyond Moyong Hyeyeon, familiar faces were walking toward us.

“Your face is noisy. Be quiet.”

“For the Sword Empress to master the language of dogs, the previous Sword Pavilion masters would shed tears.”

“Hehe, you two always get along so well.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Alliance Leader.”

The judges of the three-sided trial and the pinnacle of the Murim Alliance.

Sword Emperor and Sword Empress. And Sword Saint.

All of the Ten Heavens of the Righteous Path gathered in the Murim Alliance.

“You’ve prepared quite a bit.”

Sitting on the hastily assembled judge’s seat with a cold expression, scanning the surroundings, Baek Rigang turned his gaze at the suddenly heard voice. He frowned slightly as he looked to the side. The Sword Saint was already looking at him with a smiling face.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about your son. The former Changcheon Corps Commander.”

“Even when I heard the story, I wondered if it would work out this well, but there are no gaps. Hehe.”

At the Sword Saint’s jovial laughter, Baek Rigang grimaced slightly and quietly turned his gaze to look at Baek Riyun.

‘No gaps, he says.’

An unparalleled genius. The talent who would elevate the Baek Ri Family to the greatest family under heaven.

That’s the kind of modifier that followed young Baek Riyun. His intellect, his ability to grasp the big picture, his exceptional talent in managing people—and on top of all that, even his martial arts talent was outstanding.

No gaps. He’d heard that phrase many times. Indeed, the tasks Baek Riyun handled often succeeded without a hitch.

Was it really because there were no gaps?

‘That can’t be.’

Baek Riyun’s greatest strength isn’t his vision or his talent.

It’s simply that when others think “this is enough,” he takes one more step. That he doesn’t set a limit on what’s “the end.”

That’s all.

“It seems to be starting.”

Baek Rigang, who had been looking at his son’s face that had changed so much in just a few years, turned his gaze at the voice he heard. The figure of Jegal Hwi quietly ascending the platform.

“May I begin the trial?”

“Begin.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the Alliance Leader’s permission was given, Jegal Hwi bowed his head and unfolded a bamboo scroll.

“There are two conditions for passing the trial. First, that the merit Muryeon Hall member Seonwoo Gang established is greater than the crime he committed. Second, that the benefit gained from pardoning him is greater than the benefit gained from not pardoning him.”

“Mm.”

The Sword Saint nodded calmly at the familiar content. And Jegal Hwi’s statement continued.

“Seonwoo Gang’s crimes are as follows.”

“First, the crime of infiltrating Muryeon Hall as a spy and attempting to harm the Murim Alliance.”

“Second, the crime of being discovered and lowering the Murim Alliance’s prestige.”

“Third, the crime of applying to the Martial Force Corps but failing to fulfill his duty as a Muryeon Hall member who should have become the Murim Alliance’s strength.”

That is all.

“Mm.”

After Jegal Hwi finished listing Seonwoo Gang’s crimes, Sword Empress Cheon Seoryeong, who had been making contemplative sounds, placed her hand on the table.

“That sounds strange, Deputy Military Strategist.”

“Please ask.”

“You’re saying being caught is a crime? It sounds like if he hadn’t been caught, it wouldn’t be a crime.”

“That’s not it.”

“But didn’t you just say being discovered was a crime?”

“I said the crime of lowering the Murim Alliance’s prestige by being discovered.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“It’s completely different. This is ultimately a crime derived from one crime.”

Jegal Hwi took a breath and continued.

“Strictly speaking, Seonwoo Gang’s only crime is infiltrating the Murim Alliance as a spy. As everyone acknowledged at the previous punishment ceremony, there’s no evidence yet that Seonwoo Gang leaked information, and he never intentionally caused damage to the Murim Alliance.”

“However, the results that arose from Seonwoo Gang’s discovery are not just one.”

The act of spying isn’t directed at alliance members but at the alliance itself.

Then we should assess the damage the alliance suffered. Seonwoo Gang committed one crime, but the damage the alliance suffered—or might have suffered—totals three.

“This is the basis for calculating Seonwoo Gang’s crimes. Any objections?”

“I see. No.”

Confirming that the convinced Cheon Seoryeong leaned back, Jegal Hwi breathed an internal sigh of relief and continued.

“On the other hand, his merits are as follows.”

“The merit of going outside during third-year practicum and handling miscellaneous duties at the Murim Alliance branch for two weeks.”

“The merit of showing excellent performance as the academy’s representative and raising the Murim Alliance’s prestige.”

“The merit of regularly counseling fellow students and boosting the morale of academy members.”

“…Are you serious?”

You call that kind of thing merit?

As soon as Jegal Hwi finished speaking, Baek Rigang, who reflexively questioned it, twitched one eyebrow. But regardless of Baek Rigang’s attitude, Jegal Hwi continued.

“There’s still one more left.”

“What is it? If it’s at the same level as what you’ve listed so far, there’s no need to see this trial through.”

“It’s not, so you needn’t worry. Then, the last one.”

Jegal Hwi, who had lowered his gaze slightly, slowly read the phrase written on the bamboo scroll.

“The merit of blocking the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons of several hundred demons, including a great yokai heading toward Akyang, alongside his peers, and annihilating them without significant casualties.”

The moment Jegal Hwi’s words echoed.

“Mm…!”

The surroundings fell into shock.

“Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?”

“Isn’t Akyang quite a large city? There should be quite a few sects stationed there, so how…”

“So that wasn’t just a rumor? Really?”

“Everyone, quiet.”

The Sword Saint, who had quietly silenced the murmuring crowd with his internal energy, looked at Jegal Hwi with intrigued eyes while clasping his hands together.

“I still don’t quite understand, so please explain that part in more detail, Deputy Military Strategist.”

“Of course.”

A look that says ‘Go ahead and try.’

Knowing the time had come, Jegal Hwi took a breath and quickly continued.

“Sixteen Muryeon Hall members went to Uicheonmun in Hwayonghyeon for their fourth-year training. You’re aware of this, aren’t you?”

“Of course. They made such a fuss about it throughout the great war.”

“After finishing their training, when they briefly stopped by Akyang for some business, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons attacked.”

“I remember receiving that report. But weren’t there other sects there?”

“Yes. Normally, that would be the case, but Akyang’s special circumstances became an issue.”

“Special circumstances?”

“The special circumstance of being adjacent to Dongjeongho.”

“Ah—!”

At Jegal Hwi’s words, several people well-versed in current affairs exclaimed. But Jegal Hwi didn’t stop and continued.

“Dongjeongho is a center of entertainment, and due to the city’s nature of having many high officials and nobles coming and going, the imperial court’s restrictions are quite severe. Therefore, establishing sect headquarters within Akyang is prohibited.”

“I know.”

“Surrounding sects periodically patrol inside Akyang, and when problems occur in Akyang, they send messenger birds to call reinforcements from their main sect—that’s how they occupy Akyang.”

“During that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons incident, it was apparently impossible to send messenger birds. For some reason, none of the messenger birds sent arrived.”

Baek Rigang frowned at the strange and ominous occurrence.

“If the messenger birds didn’t arrive, they couldn’t alert anyone about the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.”

“Yes.”

“So when the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons attacked, the Muryeon Hall members who were there fought back.”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s…”

Baek Rigang, who had sighed briefly, quietly stroked his sword hilt with cold eyes. He had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“That’s quite a significant merit.”

Akyang has many people.

In a way, Akyang has more people than even Sangsan. Sangsan is merely notable for being the location of the Murim Alliance’s main headquarters and having considerable logistics traffic, but Akyang is one of the central logistics hubs of southern Central Plains.

“Yokai feed on fear and grow.”

“If Akyang had been breached, and if the yokai there had consumed enough fear, another Demon Realm in the Human World might have been born.”

“That’s not wrong.”

“From what I hear, the merit outweighs the fault. What do the other two think?”

What do they think?

At Cheon Seoryeong’s question, Baek Rigang, who had been thinking briefly, quietly opened his mouth. Seeing this, Cheon Seoryeong nodded her head. She naturally thought he would have the same opinion as her.

And then.

“The merit…”

The next moment, as Baek Rigang opened his mouth.

“Did not exceed the fault.”

“…What did you say?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Cheon Seoryeong looked at Baek Rigang with disbelieving eyes.

“That level is not sufficient.”