Kinds Of Power (2)

“…Senior.”

“Can you do it?”

Lee An, who was examining the list, asked in a trembling voice.

“Where did you get this…?”

“Where else? From the Mighty Tiger of course.”

“Of course, but we also searched the guild and found nothing related to this…”

Realizing something mid-sentence, Lee An’s eyes flashed.

“Could it be that young man who led the assault on the Mighty Tiger?”

“That’s right.”

Lee An didn’t have very favorable feelings toward Jin-hyeon.

Whatever the reason, in such a case the proper course would have been to contact the Investigation and Defense Court.

Though it focuses more on civil affairs than Murim ones, the Investigation and Defense Court was, from its founding, an organization responsible for maintaining order.

The Mighty Tiger had joined hands with powerful sects and committed all kinds of illegal acts.

The victims were not only the people of Murim. Ordinary merchants also had their families ruined or their guilds destroyed.

Naturally, the Investigation and Defense Court should have intervened. It was their duty.

But—

‘How shameful.’

With incidents happening this often, there’s no way the court’s field constables didn’t know.

Though they are a law enforcement body, Lee An knew well enough that many field constables took bribes.

They had been purging corrupt constables internally for the court’s honor, but before money, there are no saints.

If every constable had been clean and dutiful, they would’ve uncovered the Mighty Tiger’s crimes long ago.

‘We’ve brought this on ourselves. I’ve no right to resent that young man, not when our organization is like this.’

Lee An let out a long sigh.

“To be frank, the names written in this list are…”

“People not easily touched. I understand.”

“……”

“I know that, yet I came to you.”

The current head of the Sichuan branch of the Investigation and Defense Court and the deputy head who succeeded Seo Jong-dam were both greedy men.

No one could tell what they might do with this list. That was why Seo Jong-dam came to Lee An.

However, investigating those on the list without reporting it to his superiors would be an enormous burden for Lee An as well.

He could easily fall out of favor, or even face demotion for ignoring the reporting chain.

That was precisely why Seo Jong-dam had spent several days deliberating before finally seeking him out.

“You too have a family to protect. I know it’s not easy for you to move recklessly.”

“……”

“Still, can we really leave this as it is?”

“I truly appreciate that you came to me, but…”

Lee An spoke cautiously.

“The Main Office is sending a Martial Examiner soon. Wouldn’t it be best to hand this over to him?”

“Of course, it must go to the Martial Examiner. But if we keep this list and do nothing until he arrives, what will that mean?”

“It would mean only that you didn’t trust your superiors, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

“Even if we pretend this meeting never happened, it will still be a problem. Were I not part of the Heavenly Will Alliance’s service, perhaps it’d be different — but if we hold this list and hand it not to the Investigation and Defense Court but to the Martial Examiner instead, the name of Sichuan Investigation and Defense Court will fall to the ground.”

Seo Jong-dam’s eyes hardened.

“And most of all — now that the list is already in my hands, does it make sense to just sit and hesitate?”

If Seo Jong-dam were a man of mere stubbornness, he would never have become the Deputy Head of the Investigation and Defense Court.

He was a man who understood reason.

As Lee An had said, if the list were handed directly to the Martial Examiner, the court’s name might suffer, but the matter could be resolved smoothly.

However, Seo Jong-dam had a strong attachment to the Investigation and Defense Court.

Strictly speaking, the situation had deteriorated this far because the court had failed to function properly.

Even now, the court needed to act.

In short, Seo Jong-dam’s firmness came from his desire to protect the organization itself.

Lee An realized this as well.

“One day… Could you grant me just one day?”

Seo Jong-dam, who had been quietly looking at him, let out a sigh.

“Very well.”

“I apologize. It’s been a long time, and yet I’ve shown you a disappointing side of me.”

“I know you have your reasons. You’re not doing this because you wish to.”

“…Thank you.”

“May I give you one piece of advice before I go?”

“I will listen carefully.”

“Public order is the minimum value required to sustain a stable society. The Investigation and Defense Court exists for that minimum. It was created for the sake of the world.”

“……”

“I want you to live with pride — as the Chief Constable of the Investigation and Defense Court.”

Lee An lowered his head.

Seo Jong-dam rose from his seat.

“That young man who delivered it had said. If the Sichuan Branch of the Heavenly Will Alliance had been functioning properly, there would’ve been no reason for someone like him to rampage.”

“…!”

“A civilian is doing the work that should be yours. And he’s barely in his early twenties.”

Lee An clenched his teeth.

Seo Jong-dam turned to leave.

“I’ll be waiting for a good answer.”

Creak.

Without permission, the door opened on its own.

The woman looked at Jin-hyeon.

Seated by the window, sipping his drink, he gave off a strangely refined air.

It was dawn, and there weren’t many people in the streets.

The woman couldn’t tell what Jin-hyeon was looking at beyond the window.

But there was no meaning in wondering about such things. A puppet only needed to carry out its orders properly.

“A letter…”

“What a deep fate we share.”

“?”

Jin-hyeon spoke without turning his head.

“To meet three times before twenty-four hours has passed—such fate doesn’t come by often.”

“……”

“Did you bring the money?”

“Money?”

“Thanks to you, the house burned down completely. That house was under Patriarch Seol’s name. Your side should take responsibility.”

The woman silently walked up and placed a letter on the table.

“My lord wrote this letter personally. He will be waiting for you, so please go to him at once.”

Only then did Jin-hyeon turn his head to look at her.

The lamplight streaming in from outside was strong, casting deep shadows across her face.

The woman bowed her head.

“Then.”

“Where are you headed?”

“I have no obligation to tell you.”

“You’re leaving without an escort? What if you’re attacked on the road?”

“It’s not far.”

“If I don’t go to the meeting place, you’ll fail your mission once again.”

The woman flinched slightly, but that was all.

Jin-hyeon thought her face resembled a mask.

And yet, compared to when they first and second met—when she had shown many expressions—she now seemed more human.

Then, it had been an iron mask, yet now, it was wooden. The mask had grown thinner.

He wondered if that emptiness was closer to her true self.

“These are all the orders I received. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

Well, look at that.

If he truly wanted to meet him, he would’ve arranged for her to bring him safely. Yet she’d been told to come alone.

‘He wouldn’t have placed assassins nearby.’

That would’ve been possible before the house burned.

The best option would be to have the list handed directly to him. Handling things after that would be the most ideal.

The next best option would be to kill him first. If they killed him and altered the scene immediately, they would have a pretext to search his residence. Of course, that could only be a last resort.

But now that the house had burned down, sending assassins would only draw suspicion from the Main Office’s Martial Examiner, and worst of all, they’d lose any chance of retrieving the list.

‘To send her without guards… even in this situation? If he meant to kill me, he wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.’

Jin-hyeon’s lips curved upward.

‘Ah. So it wasn’t him.’

Gwan Hong wasn’t the one who sent the assassins. The likelihood was high that it was someone else.

From Gwan Hong’s point of view, the fact that the target was still alive could only mean either another official who took bribes hadn’t sent assassins, or that he was the only one who took the money.

Naturally, he wouldn’t assume the latter. That was why he thought Jin-hyeon was safe.

‘If words fail, he’ll start acting recklessly. But until then, he’ll play the scholar.’

There was nothing he could be sure of.

But there was one thing he could tell.

‘The cleanup is sloppy.’

If another official’s faction kidnapped him halfway, Gwan Hong would be robbed blind.

He hadn’t considered that. He was too sure that he’d concealed himself completely.

‘Hall Master Gwan, who would dance a sword dance on such a half-baked stage?’

After organizing his thoughts, Jin-hyeon spoke to the woman.

“I’ll see you again later.”

The woman silently closed the door and left.

Jin-hyeon unfolded the letter, checked its contents, then tucked it into his robe and moved.

Drip, drop.

The few scattered raindrops suddenly turned into a downpour.

Swaaah—

It was past the Hour of the Ox¹, and a cold dawn rain was falling.

Even as she walked under the rain, the woman felt nothing.

The slight chill raised goosebumps on her skin, but that was all.

Following a familiar path, she entered a small house on the outskirts of the county, not far from the branch office.

Creak.

She opened the gate and stepped inside, her clothes soaked through.

The room was plain. There was only a bed and a single chair.

Dropping into the chair, she leaned back and stared up at the ceiling.

‘I’m tired.’

Being busy wasn’t the hard part. If anything, it was good as it kept her from thinking.

What made her weary was the emptiness.

She had no hobbies and earned little money.

She had a house, but it was merely one among the many owned by Gwan Hong and not truly hers.

She had lived her life owning nothing.

No, she had lived believing that losing things was natural since the day she was born.

She had lived like a stray kitten, and at twelve was sold to a brothel, fated to receive men within a year.

It was Gwan Hong who bought her for two nyang, saying her frame was useful.

It was only two nyang, but it was the first time anyone had ever spent money for her.

That memory remains vivid even now. She had been truly grateful to Gwan Hong.

But life afterward was just as harsh.

Gwan Hong selected useful children and trained them in secret.

Looking back, it wasn’t even proper martial training, and the conditions were dreadful.

Gwan Hong had money, but he wasn’t a rich magnate.

More than twenty children died from the brutal training.

She barely survived, and at seventeen, she was first assigned to handle corpses.

Four years passed like that.

She handled corpses, seduced men, carried out assassinations, and committed theft and arson.

A cleaner who did whatever she was ordered. That was her life.

But lately, she had begun to question her life.

‘Isn’t this enough?’

The debt she owed Gwan Hong, the two nyang.

The martial arts she learned weren’t good, and half her meals had to be hunted during training.

Even the other half weren’t of decent quality.

All things considered, it felt like she had long repaid her debt.

“…Haven’t I done enough of my part by now?”

At that moment—

“Is that really so?”

Startled, the woman backed up against the wall.

A man suddenly emerged from the shadows beside the door.

His tight black clothing clung to his body. Though half his face was covered, his glinting eyes revealed his identity.

“Abyss Kill?!”

Srrrk.

He wasn’t alone.

Shadows flickered beyond the window and door. There were at least seven of them.

The woman glared at Abyss Kill.

“You.”

“You said you’ve done your duty?”

“!”

“Since when do tools have thoughts? If the Hall Master heard what you just muttered, he’d be deeply disappointed.”

The woman felt danger creeping in.

Abyss Kill was an assassin skilled in stealth and assassination.

In a daylight brawl she might barely win, but if ambushed, she had no chance.

‘Even so!’

‘I didn’t even notice him entering my own house?!’

Carelessness aside, it seemed Abyss Kill’s skill was far greater than she’d thought.

“What are you doing here?”

“When an assassin reveals himself, there’s only one reason.”

“…Did the Hall Master send you?”

“Why carry a blade that can’t even cut through bone, even after sharpening? Better to dispose of it quickly and buy a new one, don’t you think?”

Damn it, of all people to send, it had to be this bastard!

The woman stared into Abyss Kill’s eyes.

They were the sharp eyes of an assassin.

But in them, she recalled the gaze of an old, lecherous patron she had once seen at the brothel in her youth.

Eyes clouded, crawling with desire.

Chring!

Drawing a dagger from her breast, the woman leapt toward Abyss Kill.