The carriage sped towards the Unorthodox Alliance.
Bi Sa-in silently gazed out the window, thinking about the mastermind behind this incident.
An enemy plotting a conspiracy against the entire Martial World, how grand.
Looking back at the history of the Martial World, it seems that once every few generations, someone who causes such a huge incident appears.
Normally, they would have continued their plotting.
But it was exposed because of one person.
Of all times, they had to start their plot in an era where that person exists.
Bi Sa-in's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk, who was sitting opposite him.
Geom Mugeuk had his eyes closed.
Even while talking with him, the moment there was a slight pause, he would murmur some formula and immerse himself in training.
He seemed like a man bursting with talent, but on this occasion, Bi Sa-in realized he was a man bursting with effort.
Bi Sa-in's gaze shifted to the seat beside Geom Mugeuk.
The Sun Moon Sword box he had given as a gift was propped up next to him.
Even though he was told to put it in the carriage's luggage compartment, he had stubbornly insisted on keeping it by his side like a child.
Just then, the carriage jolted and shook violently.
People's rears lifted, and the sword box placed beside them also flew up.
It seemed like the box would crash to the floor, but it hovered in mid-air before gently returning to its place.
Geom Mugeuk had protected the sword box by controlling it with his energy.
Bi Sa-in thought he was circulating his energy or sleeping, but even in this situation, he was paying attention to the sword box.
“I appreciate you cherishing my gift, but wouldn't it be more convenient to discard the box and just carry the sword?”
At that, Geom Mugeuk replied with his eyes still closed.
“Because I'm going to give the sword as a gift. Wouldn't it be better to give it in its sword box?”
Since it was the official box for the Sun Moon Sword, the sun and moon were handsomely engraved on it.
“Who are you giving it to that you're so concerned?”
“I'm going to give it to my heart.”
When Bi Sa-in looked at him with an expression that asked what kind of joke this was, Geom Mugeuk opened his eyes.
“There is someone as important as my own heart. Do you think I would give such a precious sword to just anyone?”
The image of him sincerely caring for someone suited him, but on the other hand, Geom Mugeuk was also a person who could give off this kind of impression.
“Because you seem like the type of person who would give a treasured sword to a stranger on the street.”
“You've got me wrong. I hate losing out. If I were to give a sword to a stranger, it would be because I was aiming for something they possess that's ten times more valuable.”
“Then what are you aiming for by giving it to that 'heart'?”
“The heart is an exception. Because even if I'm not aiming for anything, they are someone who would give me everything they have.”
At those words, Bi Sa-in wondered who he would give a gift to, if it were him.
No one came to mind.
If he had to choose, he thought he might give it to the First Wolf of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.
Come to think of it, he realized he didn't have a friend to whom he could readily give such a precious gift.
The Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect shouldn't end up being my only friend.
Bi Sa-in looked at Geom Mugeuk again.
Instead of his usual playful demeanor, Geom Mugeuk was gazing at the passing scenery with a calm, deep look in his eyes.
Just as Bi Sa-in turned his head to the opposite window, Geom Mugeuk spoke up unexpectedly.
“My Demonic Path, and your Unorthodox Path, we both have a long way to go. If it's built wrong, we build it again. If a better idea comes along, we tear it down and build it again. So let's not be in too much of a hurry.”
“Why are you suddenly saying such things?”
“It just came to mind. I've found that if I think 'I'll say it later,' I end up forgetting and never saying it. So these days, I try to say whatever comes to mind.”
“So that's why you talk so much.”
“Isn't a talkative Young Cult Master better? Better than a silent Young Cult Master whose thoughts you can't read?”
“The problem is that even though you're a chatterbox, I still can't read your thoughts.”
Geom Mugeuk gave an enigmatic smile and looked out the window again.
Bi Sa-in would never know.
How lonely his life was before his regression.
How precious this talkative life feels to him.
“What did the Flowing Sword Sect Master confess?”
Geom Mugeuk had guessed that the Flowing Sword Sect Master, Taejo, had confessed something.
“He said the person who arranged the job of acquiring children from the Flying Sword Sect was the former Black Dragon Division Lord, Pyo Gi-gwang.”
Pyo Gi-gwang.
A person not in Geom Mugeuk's memories.
He was likely a figure used as an expendable pawn and then discarded.
“About a decade ago, he suffered a severe injury and stepped down from his position as the Black Dragon Division Lord. Since then, he has been living like a wreck of a man.”
“So someone recruited him.”
“It seems so. Judging by the fact that various interests were provided to the Flying Sword Sect, the person behind Division Lord Pyo must be an individual with power.”
Geom Mugeuk had expected as much.
“It might even be someone you know well.”
Bi Sa-in agreed with Geom Mugeuk's words.
If it was a person of power within the Unorthodox Alliance, there was no way he wouldn't know them.
The problem was who it was.
“Why did he say they needed the children?”
Bi Sa-in hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to answer the question.
What if this incident was unrelated to that certain organization that had infiltrated the Demon Sect and the Martial Alliance, and was truly a secret organization within the Unorthodox Alliance? It would mean revealing the Unorthodox Alliance's secrets to the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master.
“Did he say they were creating a secret organization or something?”
Bi Sa-in flinched.
He was so perceptive that it was impossible to deceive him even if one wanted to.
“That's right.”
Bi Sa-in answered honestly.
Geom Mugeuk was reading Bi Sa-in's worries accurately.
“Are you worried that this secret organization might be unrelated to the one I mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“Even if that's the case, if it's a secret organization being prepared without your knowledge, isn't that a problematic organization? You'll gain an advantage by leaking information to me. So think of it in a positive light.”
Normally, Geom Mugeuk could have gotten angry, asking if he intended to hide information after he had come all the way to the Unorthodox Alliance to help, and Bi Sa-in would have had nothing to say.
But Geom Mugeuk was looking at the situation with consideration for him, his counterpart.
“If it truly bothers you, handle that part secretly. Let me know if you need help.”
He was still making him the protagonist.
Yes, if he had intended to calculate benefits and play tricks on a person like Geom Mugeuk, he shouldn't have brought him in the first place.
“No, I will share all information, so please help me.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled.
It was the same smile he had shown when he dealt with Taejo publicly.
You're doing well.
It was a smile that seemed to say just that.
Whether he knew his feelings or not, Geom Mugeuk began to narrow down the masterminds of this incident.
“If a secret organization is actually being formed within the Alliance, who would be in a position to know?”
“Most information finds its way to me. But if it's something progressing without my knowledge, it must be something led by the Alliance Leader and the Grand Strategist.”
The two most difficult people to deal with in the Unorthodox Alliance were mentioned.
Are they connected to the mastermind?
Geom Mugeuk first excluded one person.
The Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
He was someone killed by Hwa Mugi before the regression, so there's no way they're on the same side.
“What kind of person is the Grand Strategist?”
“He is a man of incredibly strong loyalty to the Alliance Leader. If you suspect the Grand Strategist, I want to tell you that it's a waste of time. His loyalty is not only to the Alliance Leader but also deeply to the Unorthodox Alliance itself.”
One can never know a person's heart, but for now, if he excluded the Grand Strategist as Bi Sa-in said...
“Who else could there be?”
“What do you mean, 'who else'?”
“Isn't it possible that someone proceeded with this without those two knowing?”
If it was something carried out without the Unorthodox Alliance Leader or the Grand Strategist's knowledge, then this incident could be called treason.
In that case, the possibility that it's the work of those people Geom Mugeuk mentioned would be high.
“If they have enough power to grant favors to the Flowing Sword Sect, they could be at the level of a Pavilion Lord or Division Lord. They could also be an Elder.”
“Let's keep various possibilities open and think about it.”
“First, I'll secretly investigate Division Lord Pyo.”
At Bi Sa-in's words, Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“There's no time for that. By the time we arrive at the Unorthodox Alliance, the mastermind will also know that the Yellow Dragon Escort Master is dead and even the Flowing Sword Sect Master has been taken to the Unorthodox Alliance. The person behind this will think that not only can they no longer get the children, but their own identity might be revealed.”
He was right.
Investigating secretly would only give the opponent time to prepare.
“Let's confront this head-on. The martial skills of those active in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, the Martial Alliance, and the Wind Heaven Sect were nearly at the level of a Demon Sovereign. Their methods of infiltration were also not ordinary. If we don't push them with a swift and decisive attack, they will cut their tails and disappear.”
Bi Sa-in also agreed with Geom Mugeuk's words.
But there was a problem.
“Capturing Division Lord Pyo and investigating him is not a difficult task. However, there's something that bothers me. The Flowing Sword Sect Master said that when he confessed, Division Lord Pyo told him this: that the fate of the Unorthodox Alliance rested on the secret organization he was creating. If he truly believes he is carrying out a secret mission for the sake of the Alliance, he won't confess easily. He might even commit suicide.”
That wasn't the only worry.
Bi Sa-in had one more concern.
“The mastermind who ordered this might kill Division Lord Pyo to cut off their loose ends.”
Geom Mugeuk had a solution to that concern.
It was an unimaginable method.
“Then let's kill him first.”
“What?”
Bi Sa-in's eyes widened as he stared at Geom Mugeuk, but he continued to speak words that were just as incomprehensible.
“Let's cut off that tail and take it for ourselves.”
*
“Just how long are you going to live like that?”
At someone's shout, the noisy surroundings fell silent.
Everyone's gaze turned to the two people in the banquet hall.
“I used to respect you once, but why have you become so broken?”
Pyo Gi-gwang was, once again, boasting to the martial artists gathered in the banquet hall about his heroic deeds from when he was a Division Lord.
Was it because he got too carried away while drunk? Someone had stepped forward to scold him.
“Aren't you ashamed in front of your juniors?”
The opponent was none other than a martial artist who had been his subordinate in the Black Dragon Division.
As he said, he was a man who had followed his orders well.
Ashamed in front of my juniors? About what? What's so shameful about telling some old stories while drunk?
He wanted to yell. ‘How much I dedicated myself to the Alliance! And you people can't even listen to a story like this?’ But he couldn't bring himself to say the words.
The eyes of those around him were all looking at him with pity.
Because this wasn't the first time they had seen him like this.
Pyo Gi-gwang staggered as he walked out of the place.
He wasn't that drunk, but he staggered on purpose.
He felt that if he didn't, he would feel even more pathetic.
In the past, he had truly acted like a wreck.
But recently, he had been acting out his old life as a wreck.
To show that he was still a useless person.
But after experiencing something like today, his heart sank coldly.
At the very least, he hadn't intended to receive such reprimands and humiliation from a former subordinate.
If he had been a real wreck, he would have smashed a bottle and shouted.
But now, he was just turning away with a bitter heart.
‘Even if my martial arts were the same as before, would you have been able to act like this?’
As long as this thought crossed his mind, his bitterness could only deepen.
It was then that he turned onto a quiet path.
Suddenly, a masked man blocked his path.
Before he could even ask who it was, the masked man drew his sword and rushed at him.
He tried to draw his sword to block, but the opponent's movements were too fast. 'So this is how I die!' Just as despair washed over him.
Clang!
Someone stepped in front of Pyo Gi-gwang and blocked the opponent's attack.
The masked man, having failed in his surprise attack, instantly fled the scene.
The man who blocked the attack turned towards Pyo Gi-gwang.
When he confirmed the identity of the person who had saved him, Pyo Gi-gwang was startled.
“Young Alliance Leader?”
A few martial artists from the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Alliance leaped in pursuit of the fleeing masked man.
“Are you alright?”
“Thanks to you, I'm alive.”
“I'm glad I wasn't too late.”
Pyo Gi-gwang was inwardly surprised and puzzled.
“Why is the Young Alliance Leader here?”
“I didn't save you by chance while passing by, Division Lord Pyo. I was on my way to see you.”
“Me?”
For Pyo Gi-gwang, this was truly unexpected.
Just then, the members of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Alliance who had pursued the masked man returned.
“We lost him. His lightness arts were incredible.”
But Pyo Gi-gwang didn't know.
That the number of martial artists who gave chase had increased by one on their return.
The masked man who had attacked Pyo Gi-gwang earlier was Geom Mugeuk.
He had pretended to flee, changed into the uniform of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Alliance, and returned with them.
Of course, Pyo Gi-gwang had no way of knowing this fact now.
He was wondering why Bi Sa-in had come to find him.
“Who was that person who tried to kill you, Division Lord?”
Pyo Gi-gwang shook his head.
“I don't know either.”
One thing was certain: they had undoubtedly tried to kill him.
The sword that had flown towards him earlier had been filled with killing intent and had aimed precisely for his heart.
If it hadn't been for Bi Sa-in, he would be dead.
“Why did you come to see me?”
“While investigating the incident where the Black Snake Gang kidnapped children and handed them over to the Flowing Sword Sect, your name came up, Division Lord Pyo."
"I also heard that you asked the Flowing Sword Sect Master to procure the children. He said it was to create a secret organization, is that true?”
Pyo Gi-gwang was flustered.
He never imagined Bi Sa-in would suddenly seek him out and ask about such things.
Indeed, Bi Sa-in was, just as Geom Mugeuk had said, not wasting time and confronting the issue head-on.
“It seems the assassin earlier was sent to kill you and destroy the evidence because I found out about this matter, Division Lord Pyo.”
Bi Sa-in intentionally emphasized the words 'kill you and destroy the evidence.' Geom Mugeuk's plan was to stage it as if the ones who gave Pyo Gi-gwang the job were trying to kill him, in order to get his confession.
“What kind of secret organization are you building? What is happening without my knowledge?”
Pyo Gi-gwang said nothing.
He didn't suspect at all that this attack was orchestrated by the Young Alliance Leader.
There was no reason for him to do such a thing.
And crucially, Pyo Gi-gwang had always anticipated a moment like this.
‘If the secret mission is leaked, they will try to eliminate me. That day has finally come.’
A sacrifice for the great cause.
Because of that, he felt that what was meant to happen had finally happened.
“I know you are someone who has dedicated himself to this Alliance, Division Lord Pyo. And that you are not someone who deserves this kind of treatment. So please, allow me to protect you.”
Pyo Gi-gwang had resolved to sacrifice himself for the Unorthodox Alliance, so he simply lowered his head and gave no answer.
“I understand. I will withdraw for now. Instead, I will assign one of my subordinates to you as a guard.”
“Don't sacrifice your subordinate for nothing.”
“If you are concerned about that, then please tell my subordinate everything.”
Bi Sa-in turned to his subordinate and said, “Protect Division Lord Pyo well.”
“I will accept the order.”
The person who accepted the order and stepped forward was Geom Mugeuk.
It was the moment an operation began to catch the tail that didn't even know which body it was attached to, and find that body.
“I will protect you.”