Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 64



Only Krnovel

64. I always have you (2)

If it’s the palace, it means someone from Beijing has come to visit. I quickly walked back to the upper chamber and could barely remember the Ubudo Eo-sa of the Taoist Temple. At Hyeong-tae-seong’s request, I sent a letter to the Ubudo Eo-sa of the Taoist Temple.

But if that were true, he would not have come with the Ministry of Taxation. If the Inspector General of the Ministry of Taxation, Ubu Do-o, had come to Muhan, he would have met Hyeong-tae-seong first and reported the corruption of the Ministry of Taxation, Jin Mu-byeok.

No matter how much I turned and twisted my thoughts, I couldn’t think of anyone who would come from the palace.

Even for me, who believed that I had to experience something to know it, the palace was a place I was reluctant to enter. I took a deep breath in front of the upper chamber and opened the door.

In the main room, a servant was already preparing tea to be served to the Minister of Taxation and the palace officials.

As soon as I entered, my eyes widened. I didn’t even notice the Minister of Justice. That was because next to him sat a stunningly beautiful woman with a sword strapped to her waist.

Her appearance, with her luxurious black dress and her hair tied up with a hairpin, was admirable. Most men could not help but imagine kissing her on their first meeting.

“The Whiyoung Group has grown quite a bit. To the point where I have to wait.”

“If you had given me a warning in advance, I would have been waiting.”

But I had no time to indulge in sentimentality before I had to deal with the Hojo Chamjeong. As expected, the Hojo Chamjeong seemed to have come to pick a fight.

“Is there anyone next to you… … .”

I trailed off. With that kind of appearance, I thought she was a princess. At the time, Princess Ju Eun-seol’s appearance was widely known as the “First Flower of the Central Plains.”

Of course, there are few people who have seen Joo Eun-seol’s face in person. Ordinary people do not have the opportunity to meet the royal family. Even I, a high-ranking official of the Daebang, have never seen it.

“Ah. Let me say hello. I am Admiral Lee Hwan of Dongchang.”

“……yes?”

I couldn’t help but ask back, not realizing that it was disrespectful to the palace staff. If they were my classmates, they were part of the palace’s special service, and they were all made up of eunuchs.

Jinmubyeok immediately frowned, but the person called Admiral Dongchang covered his mouth and laughed.

“Haha. It’s okay. As you can see, a lot of people get confused because of my appearance.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I apologized belatedly for my rudeness. Her voice and gestures were exactly like a woman’s, but it turned out she was a eunuch.

The moment I saw Yi-Hwan, goosebumps ran down my spine and arms as I thought about kissing him. Kissing a eunuch? What a horrible and terrifying thought. I don’t know about other people, but I like women more than men.

“So, what happened, Admiral Dongchang?”

I regained my senses and looked at Jinmubyeok. The eunuch’s appearance only swayed me for a moment. If he was an admiral’s classmate, he was definitely not someone to be ignored.

He was a fairly high-ranking person in the special forces agency, Dongchang. Since Dongchang was mainly responsible for reconnaissance and arrests, a sense of unease welled up deep inside him.

The answer came not from Jinmubyeok, but from Admiral Dongchang Lee Hwan.

“Let me explain.”

“yes.”

“Do you know the devil’s cult?”

I frowned at Lee Hwan’s words. The Demonic Cult. It was a group that was avoided even in the martial arts world, but the Imperial Palace was also one of the groups that made constant efforts to reject the Demonic Cult.

“I know. Didn’t it perish long ago?”

“That’s right. The palace and the martial arts world joined forces to drive out the Demonic Cult. That’s a historical fact that everyone knows.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This is an overview, and from now on it’s a secret. What do you think? Are you confident you can keep it?”

Lee Hwan smiled. It was a scary smile that made my heart and fists tremble at the same time.

Now, I don’t notice Lee Hwan’s appearance. No, to be honest, there is still some left. Anyway, it’s to the point where my admiral classmate says it’s a secret. I immediately shook my head.

“I’m confident I can keep it, but I won’t listen. Who would want to eavesdrop on my classmates’ secrets?”

“There’s no option to not listen, unfortunately. I asked if you could keep it, not if you would listen.”

Yi-hwan’s smile grew stronger. The air in the room seemed to be getting colder. The wind coming in from the outside seemed like a cold blade cutting through my body without mercy.

“… … I guess I have to protect it.”

“Okay. These days, the movements of the remnants of the Demonic Cult have been detected in various places in the Central Plains.”

The secret came right in without giving me time to catch my breath. I took a deep breath as soon as I heard it.

At the moment when I was thinking the same thing, I felt like my thoughts were confirmed when I heard it from someone else. And if it came from the mouth of my admiral classmate who was in charge of information, it could be considered official.

“That’s surprising. Wasn’t the Demonic Cult completely destroyed?”

“Yes. It is said that a hundred years ago, they were all killed after a hundred days of imprisonment on Mount Sipmandae. However, it seems that some descendants survived.”

“Is that so?”

My anxiety grew even more. Yes, it was good to have confirmation that the Demonic Cult was moving. But why were you telling me about it?

“But you have this look in your eyes that says, ‘Why are you telling me that?’”

“You’re quick-witted.”

No matter how quick-witted a merchant may be, he could not keep up with a eunuch whose job was to read the mood.

“That’s because you are suspected of being a spy of the Demonic Cult.”

“……her.”

I screamed in astonishment as I could, but inside I was incredibly embarrassed.

The first thing that came to mind was that someone had reported me for using the magic. However, no one was around when I used the magic. I checked and used it repeatedly, so it was certain. Then, was it Moon Il-ji? Was Moon Il-ji pretending not to recognize the magic just a momentary act of wit? All sorts of thoughts quickly passed through my mind.

“Me?”

I tried to express my frustration and bewilderment as much as possible by pointing my finger at myself. However, it seemed like it had no effect on Lee Hwan, whose eyes were squinted as he tried to smile.

“yes.”

“What is the basis for this?”

“Someone reported it.”

“Who is that?”

“Of course I can’t tell you.”

“There is no basis for this.”

A little confidence returned to my speech. If there is no basis, there is no need to be afraid. It is true that I have magic, but I am not a spy of the Demonic Cult.

“I only have a suspicion.”

“Shall I hear what your suspicions are?”

“First, the epidemic that spread from Infinity. According to the investigation by the alumni, trace amounts of magic were found at the origin of the epidemic.”

Lee Hwan continued speaking.

“Who will benefit the most from the infinite money epidemic?”

“Has anyone benefited?”

“You’re here. You’ve earned a reputation as the God of Hubei.”

I laughed out loud. He was an admiral and all, it was just ridiculous.

“I was just trying to save someone.”

“I have a suspicion that he intentionally spread the magic and then cured himself with the magic.”

That was a stinging remark, because it was half true. It was true that I had cured people with magic.

“Second, the buying and selling of the Nokrim Twelve Forms. After buying and selling, the Demonic Cult may have intentionally released the Nokrim Dojo to raise the price of the Nokrim Twelve Forms.”

“It’s a guess that leaves out a lot of the intermediate steps.”

“Anyway, isn’t it strange, if not crazy, that a new group like Whiyoungsangdan only handles and sells the Nokrim Sip-2-shik? Even if they handle a lot of items and make a living, it won’t be enough.”

Yi Hwan smiled. Now, he didn’t feel his heart pounding even when he kept looking at that face. It wasn’t just because he knew he was a eunuch. It was because the smile on that pale, pretty face was incredibly cool.

“Then it makes sense that the Whiyoungsangdan convinced the Black Dragon Gate to some extent. For a master of the Demonic Cult, erasing even one Black Dragon Wall is no easy task.”

“This is not just speculation, it’s beyond the realm of imagination.”

“Then let me ask you. Why did you think of buying the Nokrim Twelve, which no one was interested in? And even at the risk of the top company’s life? Isn’t it because you have some kind of confidence?”

Those words left me speechless.

“You wouldn’t say you knew the future, would you?”

Yi-hwan clearly seemed to be laughing at me. Yi-hwan certainly wouldn’t have brought his precious body here because of such a simple guess.

Infinite Sanghoeju or Hojo Chamjeong, if you go up further, Jegal Se-ga would have joined in and moved Admiral Dongchang. It was clear that the conspiracy of the Demonic Cult was just a made-up charge. Because there was not a single thing in Lee Hwan’s words that could be called ‘true.’

But I couldn’t refute it. The unspeakable truth and lies were cleverly mixed together, making it difficult to filter them out.

It is true that he healed people with magic, and it is also true that he monopolized the Nokrim Twelve-Form because he knew the future. It is even possible that the Black Dragon Sect and the Demonic Cult are connected. After all, Moon Il-ji is lonely.

I ended up shrugging my shoulders at Hwan, who was staring at me intently.

“I don’t really have anything to say.”

“Are you admitting your guilt?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then I’m sorry for bothering you. I’ll search the Whiyoung Unit. All operations will be suspended while I search.”

“By what authority?”

In an instant, the sword was pulled out of Yi-Hwan’s scabbard. Even I, who was used to fast movements, could not keep up with it. Before I knew it, the cold blade was touching my neck.

‘… … What a great master.’

It is a place where there are many masters of the Imperial Palace, such as the Royal Guard and the Dongchang. If someone is in charge of the Admiral Dongchang, then that person is an incredible master.

“It’s your classmate’s authority. Are you dissatisfied?”

I couldn’t even swallow properly because my throat was rumbling and it felt like the blade was going to graze me.

“doesn’t exist.”

I managed to say in a choked voice.

Only then did Yi Hwan put away his sword. The coldness of the blade still lingered ominously on his neck, so he rubbed it with his hand.

At that moment, Lee Hwan leaned down towards me and whispered in my ear.

“Your classmates are in the dark. If you don’t want to end up in a back alley, you’d better watch your words and actions.”

“… …Keep that in mind.”

“I have no intention of being unreasonable. This is not the era where people were arrested and tortured to extract false confessions like in the old days.”

Fortunately, that was the case. And this statement made their purpose even more certain. Their goal was to search the upper level and stop the work. My being a spy of the Demonic Cult was just an excuse.

Anyway, it was still something to be afraid of. First, I thought I should go to the Black Dragon Gate and find out what happened to Loneliness. If the news spread that I used Loneliness at the Black Dragon Gate, I could be suspected as well. It was unfair, like the saying that a pear falls when a crow flies, but it was better to prevent misunderstandings in advance, just like the saying that you shouldn’t fix your hat under a plum tree.

So the search began. Eunuchs dressed in black came from somewhere and started digging through all sorts of documents and bamboo scrolls.

As I watched with my arms folded, the eunuchs were rather procrastinating. They even said that they couldn’t finish the search today and that they would come back tomorrow.

“That’s too bad.”

Lee Hwan smiled politely and stepped back, and Jin Mu-byeok remained silent for a while before clicking his tongue and speaking softly.

“That’s why I told you. If you show off too much, you’ll stand out.”

Jinmubyeok followed Hwan and left, and the Hwiyeongdan was in complete disarray. Naturally, this was because the eunuchs had no way of finishing their search and cleaning up.

“… …Your Majesty.”

Jo Chung-heon quietly joined me. The people from the Hwiyoungsangdan, who had no work to do, were also looking at me.

“Heh heh.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I’ve been subjected to this kind of nitpicking from the government many times in my past life. Of course, it was the first time I’d been subjected to it by a special agent, Dongchang.

“The number of moves.”

“yes.”

“Don’t come to work for the time being. And don’t forget everyone else. The eunuchs will be killing you for a while anyway.”

“Yes? Then… … .”

“Don’t worry, your salary will remain the same.”

The people above noticed what I said. I left those words behind and went straight into the upper room, closing the door.

The search was over, but the moonlight was already casting a dazzling light. I rested my elbows on the desk, rested my chin on it, and stared into the darkness.

This time, I wasn’t prepared, no, even if I had been prepared, I would have been hit, but next time, it would be different.

“You don’t know me yet.”

I will definitely pay it back.

That’s grace.

Whether it’s an enemy or not.