Geom Mugeuk chose a table in the center of the tavern.
As they sat down together, Myeong Shin thought to himself that Geom Mugeuk must trust him.
'He's letting his guard down.'
In a suspicious situation, one would instinctively sit with their back to a wall.
But Geom Mugeuk sat in a place open on all sides.
Myeong Shin glanced around the tavern, looking at a few corner tables.
'In the end, it was a good choice.'
Because they had prepared several mechanisms in the walls, anticipating he would sit with his back to them.
But with Geom Mugeuk sitting in the middle, some of those mechanisms were rendered useless.
'Is it a coincidence?'
Surely he couldn't have known about those things in the wall and sat here because of it.
Geom Mugeuk looked at the innkeeper and said in a loud voice.
“Bring out your best wine and your finest dish.”
"Please wait just a moment!"
The innkeeper walked into the kitchen with a cheerful spring in his step.
“The atmosphere here is quite nice.”
Myeong Shin nodded at Geom Mugeuk's words.
The feeling of not wanting to bring the Young Cult Master here still lingered.
He wished he could just jump up and leave this place right now.
If he could say something urgent came up at the Demon Sect and leave, then he could carry out his mission, and Geom Mugeuk would live.
But that didn't happen.
“Are you still not feeling any better?”
“Don't try that ridiculous attempt to drive a wedge between us ever again.”
Although, from now on, he wouldn't be able to even if he wanted to.
Geom Mugeuk made it clear that he was speaking the truth to the very end.
“What I said is the truth. It was written in a Main Sect report.”
Myeong Shin stared out of the tavern with a stiff expression.
Did the Underworld Ledger really annihilate my family?
If that's true, shouldn't I be digging deeper into this instead of looking out the window?
If that's true, shouldn't I prevent this Young Cult Master from dying here? Shouldn't I instead help the Young Cult Master, fight alongside him, and avenge my family?
But just as he had always done, Myeong Shin was turning away from it again.
He was trying hard not to believe it.
Reminding himself of the possibility that this could be a wicked scheme by the Demon Sect.
'Am I perhaps afraid of him?'
His gaze turned to the innkeeper in the kitchen, the King of Assassins.
Am I afraid of death? Or am I afraid of my relationship with him shattering?
Just then, as if he had read his mind, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked.
“Are you afraid of change?”
“I understand you. It's not easy to break free from something that has captured you.”
Myeong Shin still didn't answer.
It occurred to him that what Geom Mugeuk said might be the right answer.
Just as he had never asked the King of Assassins why he saved him, had he not lived his life simply hoping it would flow on without any complex entanglements?
Just then, Myeong Shin's eyes met the innkeeper's as he brought over the wine.
“It's been a while. How long has it been?”
“It seems to be about three or four months.”
The sight of the King of Assassins with his good-natured smile was unfamiliar.
He had completely become the innkeeper of this tavern.
He had witnessed the King of Assassins on his assassination missions many times before.
And this was the first time he had seen him so immersed in a role.
'The Young Cult Master will die today, without a doubt.’
That wasn't all.
Myeong Shin's eyes caught the death traps hidden everywhere, and even the top-tier assassins waiting outside.
“Here, please have some wine first. The food will be out shortly.”
Geom Mugeuk offered the King of Assassins a drink.
“Before you go, have a drink from me.”
“Very well.”
The King of Assassins accepted the drink.
"How long have you been in this business?"
“A long time.”
"I knew it! The moment I first saw you, I had a feeling!"
Listening to their conversation, Myeong Shin was tense.
He couldn't tell when the King of Assassins would launch a surprise attack.
The King of Assassins' ambushes always defied his expectations.
Now? The moment he puts down the cup? Or the moment he puts it down and pours a drink for Geom Mugeuk?
He knew how fast the King of Assassins' moves were.
And he was here as well.
The moment of the ambush, he would also assist with a strike.
Could that young Young Cult Master possibly withstand a combined attack from the Underworld Ledger's number one and number two assassins?
Unaware of the perilous situation he was in, the Young Cult Master was carrying on a peaceful conversation.
“Since you've been in business for so long, you must have seen all sorts of things.”
“You could say that.”
Right now, Geom Mugeuk was full of openings.
But the King of Assassins wasn't attacking him.
He wasn't the type to miss an opportunity like this.
To savor this moment? Or to relish a more dramatic one? No, the King of Assassins had no such emotions.
That's why he was the greatest assassin.
'But why?'
Just then, Geom Mugeuk said something completely out of the blue to the King of Assassins.
“Since you're so experienced, innkeeper, I'd like to ask for your advice on a problem.”
Myeong Shin tensed slightly at Geom Mugeuk's words.
'Advice on a problem? What on earth is he going to say?'
The words were not just strange; they were shocking to Myeong Shin.
“Someone found out late in life who their enemy was. But it turned out to be a person they'd known for a long time. What should one do in that situation?”
Myeong Shin never imagined he would say such a thing to the tavern innkeeper.
'Could it be? Did he figure out the innkeeper's identity?'
No. If he had, shouldn't he have avoided saying such things?
The words truly defied common sense, leaving Myeong Shin confused.
The King of Assassins said to Geom Mugeuk.
“The nature of the relationship would be important.”
“One side is using the other, and the other side misunderstands them to be their savior.”
At that, the King of Assassins immediately frowned.
“An enemy, and they used them too? What a truly wicked person. If it were me, I would definitely get revenge. If I lacked the strength, I'd hire an assassin to do it.”
Myeong Shin thought both Geom Mugeuk, who asked the question, and the King of Assassins, who casually mentioned assassins in his reply, were incredible.
And he was surprised at how natural the King of Assassins' answer was.
Could he answer so confidently about taking revenge if he had something on his conscience? The claim that his family was wiped out by the Underworld Ledger must be the Young Cult Master's attempt to sow discord.
But what if the Young Cult Master's words are true?
Could it be that the King of Assassins has forgotten even the fact that he's using me?
Of course, it was likely just a faithful answer to the question, but right now, Myeong Shin's mind was so complex that a single poke in one spot would make ten parts of him twist.
He still couldn't tell which side was the truth.
"Well then, please drink.”
As the King of Assassins returned to the kitchen, Myeong Shin looked at Geom Mugeuk and spoke.
“Why are you telling that story to him?”
“Shouldn't I ask a third party for an objective judgment?”
“But your own words are already not objective.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at Myeong Shin.
“I understand. You've only known me for a few days, but you've spent decades with him.”
Geom Mugeuk drank the wine.
Myeong Shin watched him, tense.
Is there poison in that wine?
Without any suspicion, Geom Mugeuk drained the cup.
"But a few days can sometimes overcome decades. This side is the truth, and that side is a lie. A lie, even if built up for a hundred years, is worth less than a single night of truth.”
He had to admit at least one thing.
“You are truly persistent.”
"I admit it. Perhaps it is because I am this persistent that I was able to accomplish the things in your report.”
Myeong Shin's eyes trembled.
As he watched Geom Mugeuk speak, his instincts kept screaming.
That man is telling the truth.
You've lived your whole life as an assassin trusting these instincts, so why don't you believe them now?
“And as I said before, this is also a way of protecting myself. Even if you don't believe me in the end, I can console myself by saying I tried this hard. I am a persistent person, and at the same time, I am this selfish.”
In the meantime, the King of Assassins finished preparing the side dish and brought it over.
Geom Mugeuk picked up his chopsticks and tasted the dish.
“Delicious! My eyes did not deceive me!”
“I'm glad it suits your taste.”
“Come, have another drink.”
“I really shouldn't.”
Watching Geom Mugeuk progressively letting his guard down with the innkeeper, Myeong Shin grew anxious.
I have to make a decision quickly.
Should I trust the Young Cult Master? Or not?
So, will I help the Young Cult Master? Or not?
The Young Cult Master's life and death, as well as his own, hinged on this decision.
If I trust the Young Cult Master?
I might end up dying.
The King of Assassins would not let me live.
But couldn't I save that Young Cult Master?
If I'm luckier, couldn't I succeed in my revenge and live as a decent assassin taking on one-coin contracts?
Just then, a telepathic message from the King of Assassins reached Myeong Shin.
—There is someone protecting him.
The reason why the King of Assassins hadn't ambushed the vulnerable Young Cult Master was revealed in that moment.
—His stealth is extraordinary.
It was a skill that even Myeong Shin, the second-in-command of the Underworld Ledger, had not detected.
—We must dispose of him first.
And at that same moment, a telepathic message from Hwi reached Geom Mugeuk.
—He has noticed my presence.
He had realized that his opponent was aware of his presence.
From the beginning, Geom Mugeuk had known the innkeeper was the King of Assassins.
He was the only one who would be waiting for him at a place Myeong Shin led him to.
Geom Mugeuk took something from his robes and placed it in front of Myeong Shin.
It was the single coin he had offered earlier.
Myeong Shin saw the coin, and so did the King of Assassins.
Myeong Shin felt that the moment had come to confront the problem he faced.
Whether it was truth or a lie.
More important than the result was the act of asking.
Myeong Shin, who had been staring down at the coin, finally opened his mouth.
“Innkeeper, I have something I'd like to ask you as well.”
The King of Assassins was perfectly playing the part of the innkeeper, but he was inwardly surprised by Myeong Shin's unplanned action.
“This humble person is quite popular today. Please, speak.”
“Innkeeper, do you have any friends?”
It was an abrupt question, but the King of Assassins was not surprised at all.
“I've been too busy making a living to have time for friends, but I do have one.”
“What kind of friend is he?”
“He's a soft-hearted and gullible friend who gets easily deceived by others, but he's a good friend nonetheless.”
He probably misunderstood.
Thinking he had said something unnecessary to the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master.
Or that he had been bewitched by him.
But for Myeong Shin, there was something more important than clearing up a misunderstanding.
"Innkeeper, have you ever deceived that friend?"
“What do you mean?”
"Didn't you say he was soft-hearted and gullible? Wouldn't you, the innkeeper, have unintentionally had opportunities to deceive him?"
"Well."
In that moment, as the King of Assassins was lost in thought.
Myeong Shin sent a telepathic message to the King of Assassins.
—Was it the Underworld Ledger that annihilated my family?
He knew it was not the right moment for this question, but if this moment passed, the question would become meaningless.
—A demon has taken root in your heart.
Myeong Shin asked again at the King of Assassins' reply.
—I asked.
Did the Underworld Ledger annihilate my family?
Having watched him for so long, Myeong Shin seemed to know a lot about him.
The answer he had expected, and dreaded, came back.
—Yes, the Underworld Ledger handled it.
Myeong Shin was surprised at himself for not being surprised by this terrible truth.
—As you know, it was just a job.
If not us, someone else would have taken it.
And don't forget.
It was I who saved you.
Surprisingly, what angered him in this moment was not what the Underworld Ledger had done.
It was because of the way he admitted this fact so honestly and confidently.
Is this something to be glossed over like this?
How little must he think of me.
But he soon understood the King of Assassins.
Because this was the kind of person he was.
A person with nothing on the inside.
“Why did you save me?”
He didn't use a telepathic message; he just asked.
It was the moment Myeong Shin made his choice clear.
The King of Assassins did not answer.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk answered for him.
“Don't search for meaning in it. Because that's something even he doesn't know.”
The gazes of the King of Assassins and Myeong Shin turned to Geom Mugeuk.
“It must have been the fickle heart of a little boy who came along on an assassination mission with his father. Sometimes killing an insect, sometimes saving it and putting it in a jar. Even if there was a meaning, how great could it have been?”
Geom Mugeuk's gaze turned to the King of Assassins.
“You don't know either, do you? You don't even remember, right?”
The very instant that question ended!
Shwaaaak!
The sound of wind tearing through the air.
Kaaang!
A sharp metallic sound burst out.
A steel needle, deflected from right in front of Geom Mugeuk, flew through the air and fell to the floor.
A sword, blocking Geom Mugeuk's face, was trembling faintly.
The one who blocked the King of Assassins' lightning-fast surprise attack was Hwi, who had revealed himself from his stealth.
The King of Assassins and Hwi looked at each other.
The King of Assassins was not surprised at all, as he had already sensed the hidden presence.
His expression suggested that this attack might have been intended to draw him out.
The assassin and the guard.
The meeting of the one who kills best in the Martial World and the one who protects best in the Martial World.
Among such contradictory meetings, these two existed at the opposite extremes.
“The Demon Cult Master's guard.”
The King of Assassins recognized Hwi's identity at once.
Because there could only be one guard with such skill.
“The rumors among the assassins are quite something.”
A strange glint of emotion flickered in the King of Assassins' eyes.
Even though his opponent had recognized him, Hwi only stared at him without a word.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to the King of Assassins in Hwi's stead.
“Can you still kill me now?”
Despite his first ambush failing, despite Myeong Shin knowing the truth, and despite seeing the head guard of the Heavenly Demon before him, the King of Assassins was not flustered at all.
The King of Assassins' eyes became transparent.
His killing intent was different from that of an ordinary assassin.
His killing intent, born without any emotion from the start, was as clean as snow and as clear as ice.
From this aura alone, one could feel it.
That no one could easily block the death this man delivered.
That this would be a very difficult fight.
Just then, as a taut tension filled the air, Myeong Shin picked up the single coin on the table and repeated the words the King of Assassins had said earlier.
“If it were me, I would definitely get revenge. If I lacked the strength, I'd hire an assassin to do it.”
The King of Assassins merely looked at him with those transparent eyes.
Myeong Shin slowly clenched the coin in his palm.
It was the moment he faced the life he had always avoided.
“You said this one-coin contract was to protect you? No. From now on, this contract is for me. Because with this one coin, I've commissioned myself for a contract.”