Chapter 231

Chapter 231

Baengri Sega. Family Head’s office.

“Elder brother. How long will you only maintain this silence?”

“Didn’t Seon and San go missing!”

At the sight of Baengri Seong pounding his chest as if frustrated and raising his voice, Baengri Gang, who had been quietly handling affairs, raised his gaze. Baengri Gang looking at Baengri Seong with eyes containing a gloomy dark color.

“There’s no need to say again what I’ve heard several times.”

“……Several times you give strange answers, so that’s why. Elder brother. You say you have no intention of going to rescue them.”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Family Head during official business?”

“Is this official business?”

“It’s family affairs, so it can be called official business.”

“Ha, really.”

Baengri Seong, who spread his palm and tapped his knees as if his insides were bursting, shook his head repeatedly. For him, it was a situation he absolutely couldn’t understand.

‘How can he be so heartless?’

Baengri Seon and Baengri San went missing. Moreover, caught up in the Demonic Cult’s scheme.

For Baengri Sega, the family’s eldest son and Young Family Head disappeared simultaneously, and for Baengri Gang, two of his only three children became unable to know if they’re alive or dead. Naturally, Baengri Sega, which heard this news, was turned upside down.

Most of the family members agreed that family personnel should be dispatched to rescue those two. Those who can fight prepared their swords, and those who can’t fight stockpiled supplies in preparation for the coming search. Now only the Family Head’s decision remains.

If he just makes the decision, they can search. Plenty of personnel are prepared. The foundation of the world’s number one family isn’t that trivial.

“You say you won’t search, what on earth do you mean!”

What kind of talk is this?

“I mean exactly what I said. I won’t separately deploy personnel to search for Baengri Seon and Baengri San.”

“……Are you in your right mind?”

“Completely.”

“Let me hear the reason at least. What on earth is the reason?”

As Baengri Gang, who had been handling affairs with his gaze fixed on documents, continued speaking.

“If you ask for reasons, there are several. First, Baengri Seon.”

“Baengri Seon abandoned the main family’s duty.”

“Can you say he abandoned duty just because he didn’t learn martial arts?”

“It’s not just that. Have you forgotten whose position Young Family Head originally was?”

At Baengri Gang’s firm words, Baengri Seong closed his mouth. Because the facts were facts.

“Baengri Seon was scheduled to ascend to the Young Family Head position as the main family’s eldest son.”

“However, for the sole reason that he didn’t want to learn martial arts, he threw away the Young Family Head position and wandered the world alone. Even writing a pledge not to receive the main family’s support.”

“……That’s.”

“I can’t look after even someone who abandoned duty due to his wanderlust. Going so far as to write a pledge.”

No support because he won’t receive it. No support because he doesn’t fulfill duty.

Looking at Baengri Gang firmly maintaining that fact, Baengri Seong, who sighed, shook his head.

“How can a person be so heartless? Seon is elder brother’s son.”

“I am Baengri Sega’s Family Head before being Baengri Seon’s father. With so many family members’ lives at stake, can I judge so easily?”

“……Fine. Conceding a hundred times, let’s say Seon is like that. Then what about San? In San’s case, she didn’t abandon duty either. She’s the Young Family Head, so shouldn’t we rescue her?”

“We should.”

“Then…….”

“That’s only if we know where she is.”

Baengri Gang, who put down his documents and briefly closed and opened his tired eyes, directed his gaze to the map placed in the corner of the office.

“What are the search candidate locations?”

“……All of Central Plains.”

“That’s right. It would be all of Central Plains. How much effort do you think it takes to find someone teleported throughout Central Plains?”

“Even if the Demonic Cult deliberately employed schemes, finding people in one province isn’t easy. Yet searching all of Central Plains for people—it’s no different from finding a needle in a desert.”

Even mobilizing the family’s full power, the probability of finding them is doubtful whether it’s even one tenth, let alone one hundredth. After candidate locations are narrowed down, it’s not too late to deploy people.

Looking at Baengri Gang saying such things, Baengri Seong clenched his fist tightly. It was talk that absolutely wouldn’t be understood.

“I’m greatly disappointed in elder brother today. Does elder brother…… have no such thing as human heart?”

“A Family Head thinking of the family. I can understand that. I also know the fact that our family could falter at elder brother’s decision. But the ones kidnapped are none other than elder brother’s children!”

Don’t even lowly hedgehogs cherish their young?

“How many people in this household would hesitate if told they must risk their lives to save the Young Family Head? Without calculating gains and losses, you just need to say one word asking for help!”

At Baengri Gang, who shows absolutely no blood ties, Baengri Seong, who spat out words like hot flames, gritted his teeth and stood up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Since elder brother won’t search, I’ll at least try searching.”

“You’ll search all of Central Plains?”

“Even if there’s a one hundredth, one thousandth probability, I’ll search! What would be accomplished by just sitting here like this!”

“Do you plan to instigate the family members…….”

“Not needed!”

Baengri Seong confirmed closing the door with a kwang sound as he left, and Baengri Gang quietly closed his eyes. Something dark accumulating in the area of his heart.

“……No such thing as human heart, you say.”

Baengri Seong’s words are right. Regardless of whether they can be found or not, what can be done should be done.

No matter how low the probability, if there’s possibility, attempting it is right. Moreover, he himself roughly guesses where they flew to, so all the more so. 

‘If that happens, can I control myself?’

Those children are the last legacy his wife left. The children he deliberately distanced himself from because he became Family Head.

Once he starts searching, he can’t stop. The moment he grasps the thread of hope, he won’t try to let go of that thread. Even if it means he must invade the Demonic Cult, he would take all the family members.

If that happens, Baengri Sega is finished. Due to his one foolish decision, the family line continued for hundreds of years would be severed.

Can he accept that?

‘……Is it ultimately an excuse?’

Baengri Seon and Baengri San disappeared simultaneously. Moreover, by Demonic Cult followers.

Baengri Gang, who knows what this situation means, felt the cold table’s touch while calming his heart.

Just as Baengri Gang was lifting documents to handle the next affairs.

“Family Head. Someone wishing to meet the Family Head has come.”

A voice reached him.

“……I’m not in the mood to receive guests now, so tell them to come again tomorrow.”

“The thing is…….”

At the attendant’s voice trailing off, Baengri Gang, who sensed a strange tone, looked at the document he was handling then set it aside and quietly opened his mouth.

“Seeing you hesitate, they must be a guest you can’t carelessly tell to return. Who came? The Alliance Leader? Or the Sadoryeon Lord?”

This incident’s missing persons exceed three hundred combining Murim Alliance and Sadoryeon. It wouldn’t be strange if either of the two great powers came seeking cooperation.

“Tell me. I need to prepare accordingly.”

At Baengri Gang’s firm voice, the attendant, who had been hesitating, let out a small sigh beyond the paper door. And the words that flowed out.

“The Young Master…… Baengri Un Young Master has come.”

“……What.”

“Are you visiting your hometown?”

While wearing a bamboo hat and riding in the carriage, at the voice heard, I turned my gaze to the side. A man staring intently at me as if asking to be a conversation partner on this lonely journey.

“Why do you think so?”

“Well, if you’re looking at the passing scenery with such a longing-filled expression, what else could it be? At first glance, there’s no sad air, so it’s not like you were rejected either.”

“How about it? Am I wrong?”

“You’re right.”

At the man’s appearance puffing his chest as if asking if his guess wasn’t correct, I smiled bitterly and nodded. Then the man, whose nose grew higher, chattered on.

“I knew it. Your eyes are full of longing. How many years has it been since you returned? Three years? Or five years?”

“In years, it would be about seventeen years.”

“……Seventeen years? You’re returning after quite a long time. Were you driven out of your house or something?”

“Similar. Due to a small difference of opinion. I left home on my own feet.”

“Aha…….”

Looking at the man closing his mouth while trailing off, apparently thinking it was a heavier situation than he thought, I chuckled and turned my gaze. The scenery visible beyond the wide-open carriage wall was quite awkward.

‘Seventeen years?’

Since leaving home, I haven’t once turned my steps this way.

At first, it was because of anger. I was angry at Father, who didn’t even try to search for those who killed my mother, so I didn’t turn my steps this way. The fact that there were suspicious aspects to that death also became an excuse.

After some time passed and I learned the full story, another reason grabbed my ankles. I had already become someone ‘receiving attention.’ I feared that if I happened to contact the main family, the other Baengri Sega members would fall into danger.

‘Thinking about it now, it was meaningless.’

What was I afraid of? Since things would turn out like this anyway. Or should I be relieved that it at least delayed the progression of events this much?

“We’ve arrived.”

At the bittersweet feeling, just as I was sitting quietly with my mouth shut, the carriage stopped. Soon the man, who got off the carriage and waved his hand.

“I’m going north. Where is the Sir going?”

“I need to go south.”

“I see. Well, what can I say. I hope your seventeen-year homecoming remains as a good memory.”

A good memory.

“……Thank you for thinking so.”

Looking at the man disappearing with a grin, I also smiled bitterly and moved my steps.

Streets in my memory. However, streets no longer completely the same as before, I pass through and move my steps. Many things remaining as they were in memory, disappeared things, things that came to be—many chaotic market streets.

‘Was it this road?’

Retracing my memory, I walked straight along the streets. Crossing the street thick with food scents, crossing the chaotic market selling various accessories and ornaments, heading toward the place at the end of the main street.

My steps become heavy as if someone grabbed my ankles. Seventeen years of time become shackles pressing down on my shoulders. Stale feelings ask whether you coming here now will be acceptable, like that.

There’s no time to delay. The shackles aren’t as heavy as before. What must be done is only one thing.

“Wait, stop.”

While looking up at the plaque with dragon-serpent vigorous calligraphy said to have been commissioned from a famous calligrapher, at the familiar voice, I exhaled deeply and quietly took one step forward. And at that moment, martial artists shooting momentum toward me.

“This is Baengri Sega. State your purpose of visit……?”

“Purpose of visit.”

At the martial artists’ voice, I briefly murmured then smiled bitterly and removed my bamboo hat. Then the martial artists widening their eyes.

“Do I need a purpose to come to my own home?”

“Please tell the Family Head.”

That his son who left home seventeen years ago has returned.