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“You can do it, right, Chun-sik?”
“……”
Jang Chun-sik stared at Yeon Mujin with a strange expression.
“Captain Yeon, as a retainer it’s awkward to say this, but are you mad?”
“I’m perfectly sane.”
“That doesn’t sound like something a perfectly sane person would say.”
Yeon Mujin’s eyebrows twitched.
Jang Chun-sik didn’t notice.
It was unbecoming of a former Cocoon Silkworm Clan leader. Instead, he poured out everything he’d been holding in.
“How can you keep starting trouble without rest? Storming Solitary Cloud Manor wasn’t a month ago—it was just yesterday! The first thing you tell me when you get back is—what? Steal a carriage? From Solitary Cloud Manor? A person should know when to stick their neck out and when to keep their head down! If you keep acting like a reckless fool every other day, you won’t live to old age!”
“Is that so.”
“Not ‘is that so’—do you know how worried I’ve been because of you? Even this time. Because you left without a word, how much worry did the Manor Lord and I have about you…uh? Wait. Captain, what are you doing? Captain? Captain Yeon? For now, put that club down…”
“I had one misapprehension.”
“What are you talking about, Captain Yeon?”
“Chun-sik, you were always the sort who only listened when hit. Sorry. I was being too restrained. I’ll return you to your original state.”
“Aaah! Captain, stop! Have mercy!”
Before the reprimand could even finish, Jang Chun-sik dropped to his knees and obeyed Yeon Mujin’s command.
“Chun-sik.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Yeon Mujin slung his club over his shoulder, squatted before Jang Chun-sik, and spoke.
To an outsider, he looked exactly like a thug extorting protection money.
“Any objections to what I said?”
“None. I will follow orders.”
“You don’t want to live as a fugitive like this, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then shut up and listen to me.”
“……”
Kneeling, Jang Chun-sik cursed Yeon Mujin a thousand ways in his head.
What on earth did stealing a carriage from Solitary Cloud Manor have to do with ending a life on the run?
Because of this martial contest, the atmosphere at Solitary Cloud Manor would obviously be tense. According to the informant’s report, it was a frozen surface where even the slightest sound could cost you your head.
And yet he was telling him to steal a carriage at a time like this? Is he crazy?
“Chun-sik. Once this is done, Solitary Cloud Manor will collapse. That means you’ll be free too.”
“Captain, with all due respect, does that freedom include enjoying freedom in the afterlife with your head severed?”
“If that’s what you want, I could arrange that right now.”
Jang Chun-sik muttered inside.
Yeon Mujin, you son of a—.
“At least can you tell me what I’m supposed to be stealing?”
Yeon Mujin stared intently and said bluntly.
“The thing you’re to steal is the corpse of Bukgung Bi-beom.”
“…You’re joking, right?”
“I’m joking.”
“Ha ha. You make jokes that sound like you’re serious.”
“It could also be real.”
Crazy bastard.
Is that even something to say?
“But look, if it’s a carriage that Solitary Cloud Manor treats with such importance, won’t the Lonely Claw Troops be guarding it? Among our men, we don’t have the manpower to handle them. I think we’ll need the cooperation of the External Protection Troops’ warriors…”
“The External Protection Troops have other duties.”
“…Uh, so you’re saying I should seize a carriage guarded by Lonely Claw Troops with no warriors of my own, relying solely on our Cocoon Silkworm Clan…”
“So you finally understand.”
‘Understand? Are you kidding me right now.’
“What did you just say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Don’t argue with me; just do it. It’s your job now.”
Jang Chun-sik whimpered like a mourning bird and withdrew.
“Captain, are you back!”
The mood among the Flying Swallow Manor’s External Protection Troops was elated.
They’d all heard about what Yeon Mujin had done at Solitary Cloud Manor.
The carefully arranged martial contest had collapsed, and the Hwangbo and Jegal families had turned their backs on Solitary Cloud Manor.
From their perspective, it was nothing but good news.
Because of the incidents involving Wang Ga-hwa and Jeong Yeo-gwang, the External Protection Troops all held ill feelings toward Solitary Cloud Manor.
“We heard you won at Solitary Cloud Manor this time.”
“As expected, you are the Captain.”
“We should have seen the look on Solitary Cloud Manor’s faces when they were humbled.”
“The day our Flying Swallow Manor suppresses Solitary Cloud Manor and rises is not far off!”
The External Protection Troop members took turns speaking.
A rival’s failure meant their victory; the Captain’s prowess was the troop’s prowess.
Yeon Mujin grinned as he listened to the praise.
“Have you been training well while I was away?”
“Of course!”
“Not a single day missed!”
Yeon Mujin nodded at the two commanders’ boastful claims and said, “Let’s check.”
Yeon Mujin always tested their skill the same way.
Yu Se-gwang brought the iron claws—training weapons now pitted with nicks and scratches, proof they didn’t take training lightly.
“Not needed.”
“What?”
But Yeon Mujin refused the iron claws.
“Seo Nak-il, Yang Gwan-wol, Yu Se-gwang.”
At their captain’s summons, the three answered loudly.
“Yes!”
“All three of you, draw your weapons.”
“What?”
Ignoring their stunned looks, Yeon Mujin drew his sword.
A warrior drawing a sword wasn’t unusual, but the External Protection Troop members felt an inexplicable chill.
‘Come to think of it, have I ever seen the Captain draw his sword?’
When instructing training, Yeon Mujin was one of two things: he’d either beat them with his fists, or he’d beat them with iron-plate gauntlets. He’d never once drawn a sword lightly.
He had drawn it only twice in front of them: once to cut Jeong Yeo-gwang’s throat, and once to sever the neck of the Great Thief Guest, Gu Ma-cheon, at Namsa Lake.
Realizing that sent a chill crawling down their spines.
Yeon Mujin’s swordplay targeted Yang Gwan-wol.
Yang Gwan-wol hailed from the Yang family; his sobriquet was Centre Beam Divine Blade. A Yang family warrior bested by a nameless wanderer would be a stain on the family’s honor.
But Yang Gwan-wol did not act arrogantly; he drew his blade cautiously. Here, in the External Protection Troops, neither age nor origin mattered. Wasn’t that what the Captain had taught them?
Chaaang!
Yeon Mujin’s first strike.
They had sparred with Yeon Mujin countless times. Fighting him meant facing a succession of irregular attacks—he might aim for the chest, then the lower body, or come low then aim high. But not today.
Yeon Mujin’s stance was orthodox, mid-level form. He extended his sword in a straight line. The speed was moderate; the trajectory plain. Anyone could see it was a stroke that could be blocked.
‘Oh no…!’
To Yang Gwan-wol, however, it wasn’t like that. He couldn’t block it, couldn’t dodge it, couldn’t parry it. No matter what he tried, he had the instinct he couldn’t escape that sword line.
This was no mere spar.
There was something in the Captain’s eyes that was not the will to practice.
‘Certain kill.’
Within the short sweep, Yang Gwan-wol sensed death.
Shaaang!
It was Seo Nak-il who saved him.
Yang Gwan-wol sank down like a stunned man.
“What the hell are you doing, you idiot!”
Such a stupid reaction—he was sure to be yelled at by the Captain. At least he should compose himself and show the deputy’s dignity…
‘…!’
When Yeon Mujin adjusted his stance, Seo Nak-il’s reaction matched Yang Gwan-wol’s.
Overpowered by that gaze, the moment Yeon Mujin’s sword slanted down, Seo Nak-il squeezed his eyes shut.
“Deputy Captain!”
Next was Yu Se-gwang. Seo Nak-il’s collapse led naturally to Yu Se-gwang rushing in and being floored as if pulled by a current.
“Next three.”
Yeon Mujin faced the troop members in groups of three.
Not a single person could withstand even a second under his blade.
If you named the martial world’s most used weapon, it would be the sword. So the weapon most often faced is naturally the sword. Yet the External Protection Troop members had never seen a sword like Yeon Mujin’s: hollow-sounding, fierce, solitary, and calm.
For the first time, they realized a single sword could convey so many sensations.
Before long, Yeon Mujin defeated all the troop members with a single sword. No one was physically hurt, but the wounds to their pride stung deeper than any bruise.
“Getting tired of training?”
“No!”
“Isn’t it about time you’re bored? Every day you brawl among yourselves, and your Captain just beats you up and never properly teaches you anything.”
“No!”
Their answers were closer to snarls.
Yeon Mujin snorted and said, “Your training is over now.”
“…?”
The seated members exchanged glances, wondering what reckless thing their captain would say next.
As expected, an insane-sounding declaration came.
“Within three days, Solitary Cloud Manor’s Golden members will target our Flying Swallow Manor and launch a surprise attack.”
“…?”
“Their goal is the annihilation of me and you—the members of the External Protection Troops.”
“…!”
The word ‘annihilation’ fell like a stone.
“The enemy’s number is nineteen. We, on the other hand, are ten. That means each of you must face two Golden members. Can you do it?”
It was impossible.
Yeon Mujin sneered. “Of course you can’t. My estimate is that even two of you handling one Golden member would be strained. Excluding me, there are nine of you, so you might be able to handle about five members.”
It was a cold but realistic assessment.
“Do you understand what I mean? Your skills are still at the level that will trip you up.”
At the phrase ‘trip you up,’ some showed offended expressions, but Yeon Mujin’s next words silenced them.
“You will definitely die.”
He had just shown them death in advance.
“Are you prepared to risk your lives to defend Flying Swallow Manor?”
A brief silence fell.
But before it fully settled, one voice broke the hush.
“I’ll go no matter what!”
Yu Se-gwang answered, his head still smarting from where he’d been caught on Yeon Mujin’s sword hilt.
“I’m ready! I’ll follow the Captain to hell!”
His bold answer drew hesitant laughter.
“That guy is really…”
“Se-gwang, make sure you ask the Captain to adopt you as his son later.”
Yu Se-gwang looked as if he’d struck enlightenment and shouted toward Yeon Mujin, “Then will you accept me!”
“Get lost.”
Se-gwang instantly sulked.
The weight of Yeon Mujin’s declaration dimmed under Yu Se-gwang’s buffoonery.
“You say we might die? No—you say we’ll definitely die?”
“So is the Captain telling us to hold hands and go die together now? I can’t do that, though?”
Wei Gon-chan retorted.
He clearly remembered what Yeon Mujin had said when he founded the External Protection Troops.
—What if our skills fall short?
—Do you think I’d leave it like that?
Yeon Mujin had said that.
“You said if we followed you we’d become stronger. You said you’d make us the head of a dragon, not the head of a snake. The future of the External Protection Troops is to be the elite force of the world’s greatest Family Lord—does it make sense to run away out of fear of mere Golden members?”
Sparks flared in the others’ eyes. Those looks carried only one meaning.
‘Right. We’ve done everything you ordered, you damned Captain!’
Lips split, bodies bruised, bones broken.
The External Protection Troop members had done their utmost to carry out Yeon Mujin’s orders. They were proud, stubborn rascals.
“We endured that hellish training—now you’re telling us to run without fighting? I can’t accept that on principle.”
“Captain brought us here, so Captain should take responsibility. We will follow only the Captain.”
“Damn it, a man lives once—if not here, there’s nowhere left for us to go!”
Not a single person hesitated or fled.
Their eyes were full of stubborn will and deadly intent.
Their numerical disadvantage was twofold; their power difference, several times over.
So what of it? They would carry out their duty.
Their duty was to escort. An escort cannot run from the one it protects.
All the External Protection Troop members looked to Yeon Mujin.
Yeon Mujin met each gaze and spoke slowly, “Very well. Then I’ll tell you the one way you can survive.”
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