Tempest Aboard

Neung Je-gang had by now returned to the Martial Alliance and sat facing Go Won-gi in the Investigation Unit Chief’s office.

“So you’re saying this person is truly the murderer?”

Go Won-gi’s hand trembled as he held a small booklet.

“The face I saw was unmistakably his. Why? You look like you can’t believe it.”

“How can I believe it—that this gentleman is the killer?”

“Whoever he is, he must have been someone you found highly trustworthy. But the more trusted the person, the deadlier the betrayal. The Special Assault Corps members in Hanzhong died because they trusted him.”

“But even he wouldn’t have the ability to kill thirty men in a single exchange.”

“I know. I’ve already crossed blades with him once. He was about my level—or slightly above.”

“Your skill is on par with his?”

Go Won-gi’s eyes rounded. If Neung Je-gang’s words were true, the man stood above Go Won-gi himself.

“We fought while masking our true skill, so I can’t be certain. I was in a hurry, thinking I had to save Lady Go, and didn’t focus on a proper fight. He didn’t seem to be going all out, either. In any case, when Lady Go returns, ask her for details. She heard what I heard. Her testimony will sound more credible than mine, won’t it?”

“Ahem, hrm.”

Go Won-gi gave a needless cough. It was true—he didn’t fully trust Neung Je-gang’s report. He’d commissioned him, yes, but the conclusions were hard to swallow.

“There’s one more thing that defied expectations—the place where the Special Assault Corps died.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t they die in that guest hall?”

“I believed that too, because I’d been told they all died in one spot. But they died elsewhere and were carried there.”

Bang.

“Is that true?”

“In the safe house at Hanzhong, they received a sudden order and deployed somewhere. While scattered and in hiding, the killer struck. Since they were in hiding, they were likely alone or in pairs. So they were all killed by the method I tested on the Assassin Pavilion’s killers.”

“Ah—then…?”

“The killer’s aim was to divert the Investigation Unit’s attention.”

“Why? For what reason?”

“It’s simple if we consider what the Unit was focusing on at the time.”

“The… Necromancer Cult?”

Realization dawned on Go Won-gi; his pupils shook.

“So thirty of our Special Assault Corps were slaughtered just to misdirect us? To draw the Unit’s eyes away?”

“Likely. Their goal was to stop the Alliance from digging further into the Necromancer Cult. Hence such a baffling case. But they failed to foresee one thing: you left the Unit as-is and commissioned my master. I came in his stead, of course.”

“Heh-heh-heh! Then without knowing it, I threw a wrench in their plans.”

Go Won-gi laughed, satisfied that the commission he’d insisted on had hurt the enemy.

Neung Je-gang explained evenly.

“Exactly. Which is why they had no choice but to try to kill me. A bounty of one hundred thousand taels in gold went to the Assassin Pavilion.”

“Good heavens—one hundred thousand? They really put that on your head? That’s beyond top price. If I could, I’d try selling you myself.”

Go Won-gi smacked his lips.

“Ha! That shows how desperate they were. But I lived, and they failed—though one man did die.”

Gal Hwi-jeong’s death had been senseless—he’d thrown his life away by insisting on guiding them.

“After that—your daughter may have told you—I traced the one who hired the Assassin Pavilion, moving from the Pavilion to the Eastern Depot and then to Taepyeong Pavilion.”

“The Eastern Depot? My daughter said you lured her there to kill her.”

“Sprinkling tracking scent and barging in on her own—hard to call that ‘lured.’”

“Ah… my apologies. The girl’s immature. But why the Eastern Depot?”

‘Immature? She also lacks conscience, shame, and common sense…’

Neung Je-gang swallowed the thought and continued.

“When it comes to information, nothing beats the Eastern Depot. I rifled their records to find who could pay a lump-sum contract of a hundred thousand taels. If Lady Go got into trouble, it was because she charged in by smell alone.”

“Hrng.”

Go Won-gi winced despite himself—the ‘smell’ technique was one he had taught her.

“In any case, what I found was a merchants’ consortium in Henan called the Southern Traders’ League. They could produce a hundred thousand in gold quickly. And Taepyeong Pavilion was their regular meeting place. The proprietress, So-hee, seemed high in that organization. She had many guards, and their skill was no joke.”

“Good work. And thank you for saving my daughter.”

Go Won-gi cut him off, as if he had heard enough.

“But there’s a problem.”

Neung Je-gang’s face turned grave.

“Hm?”

Go Won-gi tensed. This was Secret Shadow speaking—someone of formidable ability.

“As commissioned, I could say my task is done: I’ve told you the killer’s identity. But something keeps snagging at me.”

“What is it…?”

“Not long ago, two Necromancer Cult branches in Hunan Province were found and wiped out, correct?”

“H-how do you know that? We didn’t publicize it.”

Go Won-gi felt, keenly, how the Alliance’s information was leaking outward.

“I heard it at Taepyeong Pavilion—listening to the proprietress and someone else. The strange thing was how calmly they spoke, as if those two sites had nothing to do with them.”

“…?”

Go Won-gi could only listen quietly—in truth, he didn’t quite grasp what Neung Je-gang meant.

“Don’t you see? Why would members of the Necromancer Cult stay unruffled while their branch sites were smashed by the Alliance?”

“Ah—are you saying those two sites were decoys set up by the Cult itself?”

“It isn’t certain. But it’s possible. If the Investigation Unit had drawn near their true base, the Necromancer Cult is exactly the sort to offer up such sacrifices without a qualm.”

“Damn it! Then we killed innocents?”

Go Won-gi clutched his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“What?”

“Those two places were surely still connected to the Cult. There’s a difference between cultists and common folk—you would have seen that as you attacked. It’s just that those sites weren’t important to the Cult—places they could discard anytime.”

“I see. Then the one who brought us that intel is suspect.”

At last, Go Won-gi’s thoughts began to turn properly.

“And there’s another suspicious point—more serious.”

“What is it? I’m listening.”

He didn’t take Neung Je-gang’s words lightly; they clearly had grounds.

“When I struck at the killer, his response was irrational. If I charged you, Chief, intent on killing you, what would you do?”

“What else? Do my utmost to block—and kill you if I had the chance.”

“Exactly. Anyone attacked with lethal intent fights back with all they have. He didn’t. Moreover, though he wore a veil to prevent recognition, even after realizing I’d glimpsed the face under it, he didn’t chase to silence me. As if he wanted someone to see that face.”

“Then…?”

Understanding brightened Go Won-gi’s expression.

“Right. The face I saw might be a fake. Someone wanted me to see it, to frame that person as the killer.”

“That’s it. Do you know why I couldn’t easily believe that the man you named was the murderer?”

“I couldn’t say. I don’t even know who he is.”

“Because fifty years ago, in the Necromancer Cult’s blood calamity, he earned the greatest merit. Thanks to him, the Cult was destroyed then. Such a man can’t be one of them.”

“I see. So the Cult might be using slander to force him out of the Alliance. In that case, there’s a way forward.”

“What is it?”

“Investigate both the man with that face and the person who would benefit most from his downfall. When someone frames another, someone usually gains. If there’s no gain, there’s no reason to stir up trouble. One of the two will surely tie back to the Cult.”

“That makes sense. Thank you—for thinking that far.”

“It’s nothing. In any case, I’ve finished my assignment. I’ll return to Kuaiji Mountain.”

“What?”

Go Won-gi stared in surprise.

“You asked me to find the killer; I have.”

“But we still don’t know exactly who he is.”

“Asking me to go that far is a bit much, isn’t it? You might as well ask me to hunt him down and kill him.”

“Well… if a contract killing were possible, I’d prefer that…”

Go Won-gi stole a glance. The desire was plain as day.

“If you commission that, I’ll kill both of them. Then no headaches, and the case is resolved—yes?”

“Urgh…”

“My work ends here. If you want more, fulfill everything you promised—and then come to Kuaiji Mountain with a new commission.”

Neung Je-gang cut it off coolly.

Go Won-gi started to say more, then closed his mouth.

“Very well. Until next time.”

“Will there be a next time?”

“Heh-heh. You’ve got something riding with me, don’t you?”

“Didn’t you pass that to the Beggar’s Sect?”

“I did—but I’m in the middle. Their news comes to me.”

“…”

Neung Je-gang said nothing. He had the feeling that seeing Go Won-gi again would mean another headache.

“Fine. Next time, I hope we meet with news that father and daughter Dam have been found.”

“We certainly will. I guarantee it. The Beggar’s Sect isn’t just any group.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Safe travels.”

As he left Go Won-gi’s office, Neung Je-gang tilted his head. Something felt off in the way Go Won-gi boasted he would find Dam Ja-cheon and his daughter. Even for the Beggar’s Sect, finding people who disappeared over a decade ago was no simple task.

“I’ll learn why, eventually.”

Having settled the Martial Alliance’s headache—for now—Neung Je-gang set off toward Kuaiji Mountain.