Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 282 – Entanglements (2)

Ssshhh ssshhh ssshhh ssshhh!

The True Chasing and Turning Sword of Six Offices Commander So Yerin surged with a momentum akin to a storm as it swirled.

Its power was so strong that Six Offices Commander Im Gyu-weol and the Bronze Men were all swept up by the sword energy and bounced away.

The face of Im Gyu-weol, who had been rejoicing just a moment ago that he was alive, was truly ‘miserable’.

As they were swept away by the sword energy, a coincidental event occurred.

The smoke door that had remained open now closed completely.

-Sssshh sssshh!

As the door fully vanished, the talisman held between the index and middle fingers,

-Crack!

Shattered and dispersed.

It clearly proved to be a single-use item.

Staring intently at the shattered talisman, Mok Gyeong-un slowly turned his head and spoke to Six Offices Commander So Yerin,

“…Wasn’t he your colleague?”

If she was the head of the Sixth Office, Im Gyu-weol was the head of the Fourth Office.

Although they were from different offices, they could be considered colleagues of the same rank in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he hadn’t expected her to suddenly unleash a sword stance at him.

To Mok Gyeong-un’s question, she replied,

“Better than things getting complicated.”

Six Offices Commander So Yerin also had an eye for the situation.

With two escaped prisoners clearly present, if he, the head in charge of the underground golden prison, were to escape, it was evident that things would get complicated.

Therefore, she unleashed the sword stance without a moment’s hesitation.

“Is it alright to say our interests aligned?”

“…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, So Yerin silently turned her head and looked at Nine Blood Sect’s Sixth Blood Saint Dam Baek-ha.

At this, Dam Baek-ha bowed to her with her hands clasped and said,

“You are indeed the one who carries his bloodline, correct?”

To this question, So Yerin briefly glanced around and finally nodded.

“That’s right.”

At her answer, the masked Thousand-men Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ma Ra-hyeon, who had been watching, exclaimed in astonishment.

From the beginning, Ma Ra-hyeon knew that his master, So Yerin, had joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard here to find someone.

However, he didn’t know that person was a prisoner locked in the underground golden prison.

Suddenly, Ma Ra-hyeon looked at Mok Gyeong-un with surprised eyes.

‘Then, were they indeed connected?’

If one of the two people Mok Gyeong-un had broken out was the person Six Offices Commander So Yerin had been searching for, it would be strange to say they had no connection.

Meanwhile, Dam Baek-ha knelt on one knee with reddened eyes and said,

-Thud!

“Aaah. I’ve been searching for so long.”

“Blood Demon. Please don’t do this.”

So Yerin tried to make her stand up.

However, Dam Baek-ha shook her head and refused.

“No. Young Miss, you are the only remaining true heir who can carry on the lineage of our sect. How can this subordinate not pay her respects?”

‘The true heir to carry on the sect?’

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un looked at them with bewilderment.

What was the relationship between these two?

Nine Blood Sect’s Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha had been searching for someone related to ‘that person’ who carried the blood of Jin Clan and So Clan.

In the midst of this, Mok Gyeong-un had intended to have the masked Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon Ra-hyeon meet Dam Baek-ha, thinking he might know something, but he suddenly realized that Six Offices Commander So Yerin was the So Clan Dam Baek-ha had been searching for.

However, for Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha, who was called a remnant of the Nine Blood Sect, to suddenly call So Yerin the ‘true heir to carry on the sect’…

‘Are Jin Clan and So Clan the family of the leaders from the destroyed Nine Blood Sect?’

It had to be that way for things to make some sense.

While sorting this out in his mind, So Yerin also knelt on one knee, met Dam Baek-ha’s gaze, and said,

“I don’t have the qualifications for that.”

“What do you mean you don’t have the qualifications? He was also the sect leader of our Nine Blood Sect. If you, who inherited his bloodline, don’t have the qualifications, then who does?”

“…”

At Dam Baek-ha’s words, Six Offices Commander So Yerin tightly shut her mouth.

She had an expression as if she was in a difficult position.

To her, Dam Baek-ha even prostrated herself and said,

-Bam!

“This is all the guidance of the heavens. Please take in this subordinate and the surviving sect members and revive our Nine Blood Sect.”

“Blood Demon!”

At her attitude, So Yerin couldn’t help but feel even more embarrassed.

Seeing the executive of the Nine Blood Sect go this far, it seemed certain that So Yerin was indeed connected to the Nine Blood Sect, which was known to have been destroyed.

However, now was not the time to continue this conversation.

With the underground golden prison collapsing, earthquakes must have occurred, and the situation must have escalated, causing chaos throughout the imperial palace.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, they had to quickly escape the imperial palace.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un interjected and politely said,

“I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have, but it seems you’ve had a moving reunion, so congratulations. However, if we spend more time here, it will become difficult to leave the imperial palace.”

“Leave the imperial palace?”

At these words, So Yerin turned her head and alternately looked at Mok Gyeong-un and the old woman Holy Fire Priestess.

Then she asked the prostrating Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha,

“Is this person also from the Blood Sect?”

“Ah! No. That young old woman is the one I truly came to save.”

“You came to save that elder?”

Due to Dam Baek-ha’s words, So Yerin had been doubtful until just now, but she realized that Mok Gyeong-un had nothing to do with them.

It seemed he had met Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha by pure coincidence in the underground golden prison and came out together.

Meanwhile, Mok Gyeong-un spoke to the masked Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon Ra-hyeon,

“Commander Ma Ra-hyeon. Did you prepare that?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Ma Ra-hyeon instinctively replied,

“Yes. It’s prepared outside the warehouse.”

Seeing him respectfully answer as if he were a subordinate, So Yerin intervened in a tone of incomprehension,

“Commander Ma Ra-hyeon. Since when have you been helping him?”

He was a disciple to whom she had imparted martial arts and was like her right-hand man.

Seeing him behave as if he were loyal to Mok Gyeong-un was utterly unacceptable.

The Ma Ra-hyeon she knew would never submit to anyone.

“Did Mok Gyeong-un know your weakness?”

“Officer So… That’s…”

Ma Ra-hyeon was flustered and at a loss for words.

Due to the evil energy, he had naturally developed loyalty to Mok Gyeong-un, but Six Offices Commander So Yerin was his master, mentor, and superior.

She was such a special existence to him that it was difficult to endure her interrogation.

Then Mok Gyeong-un intervened,

“Don’t press him too hard. I merely helped Commander Ma Ra-hyeon, who was addicted to Poison Gu and caught by a weakness, that’s all.”

“What? Poison Gu? What do you mean by that?”

She asked in surprise, looking at Mok Gyeong-un.

To this, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged and replied,

“Exactly what I said. The Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo had addicted Commander Ma Ra-hyeon here to Poison Gu and had been continuously blackmailing him. Isn’t that right?”

“…That’s correct.”

Ma Ra-hyeon answered with difficulty.

There was no falsehood in what was said regarding this matter.

At this, So Yerin spoke in dismay,

“Commander Ma Ra-hyeon. Why didn’t you tell me…”

“It’s not that I couldn’t tell you. They said that if you get addicted to Poison Gu, you’ll be bound by a prohibition, and just mentioning it would cost you your life. I can’t believe you didn’t know until now. You weren’t attentive enough to your subordinate.”

“…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sarcastic words, So Yerin bit her lip hard.

She was inwardly angry but couldn’t say anything.

She had a firm belief that she must protect her people no matter what.

However, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of self-reproach upon realizing that she had been unaware until now that her right-hand man had been addicted to Poison Gu.

So Yerin looked at Ma Ra-hyeon and spoke with difficulty,

“Commander Ma Ra-hyeon… I…”

“Officer So… It’s alright. It was truly an unavoidable situation. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to trouble you.”

“How could that be troublesome? I didn’t even know you were in such a painful situation…”

Seeing her eyes redden, Ma Ra-hyeon hurriedly waved his hands.

His heart ached at the sight of her blaming herself.

“Absolutely… Absolutely none of this is your fault, Officer So. All of this happened due to my carelessness.”

At his words, So Yerin stared intently, swallowed dryly, and said,

“…Are you alright now?”

At this question, Ma Ra-hyeon hesitated for a moment but then answered without delay,

“I’m fine. If it weren’t for Young Master Mok’s help, I would have died.”

In fact, the parasitic male Poison Gu was still in his body.

And the one controlling that Poison Gu had merely changed from Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo to Mok Gyeong-un.

There was also a prohibition against speaking about this, but Ma Ra-hyeon, not wanting to worry his mentor So Yerin, lied.

It was better to do this than to hold her back.

“Is that true?”

“Yes, and thanks to Young Master Mok, I also secured evidence of the assassination plan that Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo was about to carry out. It’s in that place in the office.”

“…”

At Ma Ra-hyeon’s words, So Yerin silently turned her head and looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

If what Ma Ra-hyeon said was true, she should be grateful instead.

She glanced at Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha as well.

Whether intentional or not, thanks to him, she was able to confirm the survival and even save the Blood Demon she had been trying to rescue.

Furthermore, even the disciple Joo Woonhyang, who was connected to her, had almost been trapped in the underground golden prison and unable to escape, but Mok Gyeong-un had saved him.

Considering all this, she was entirely indebted to him.

At this, Six Offices Commander So Yerin clasped her hands together and bowed to Mok Gyeong-un.

“Young Miss?”

“Officer So?”

Ignoring the puzzled questions of Ma Ra-hyeon and Dam Baek-ha, So Yerin spoke in a respectful voice,

“Young Master Mok… I express my gratitude to you.”

‘!?’

At her attitude, a gleam flashed in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.

He had been worried that things might become more troublesome, but he hadn’t expected her to express gratitude to him.

She seemed to have quite a strong sense of pride, but surprisingly, she was quick to acknowledge.

‘Well, it’s not like I did anything particularly deserving of gratitude.’

They were merely byproducts that occurred in the process of resolving his own matters.

However, there was no reason to refuse when she was expressing gratitude.

Mok Gyeong-un also clasped his hands and bowed to her, replying as a formality,

“It wasn’t something I did intentionally.”

“Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that I owe you in many ways, Young Master Mok. Therefore, I will make sure to repay this debt.”

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled inwardly.

She said she would definitely repay the debt, but she was speaking with a determined voice as if she were going to take revenge on an enemy.

It seemed she couldn’t internally accept being indebted to him.

However, thanks to this, a good card had appeared.

Now that he had safely gotten Holy Fire Priestess out of the underground golden prison, the remaining concern was leaving the imperial palace.

It seemed he could also receive her help in this matter.

Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said to her,

“Since you say you will definitely repay the debt, I have a suggestion. How about helping us leave the imperial palace?”

At this, Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha also interjected as if it were a good opportunity,

“Young Miss. Why don’t we also leave the imperial palace with them this time? For the sake of rebuilding our sect…”

“Blood Demon. I’m sorry.”

“Pardon?”

“As I said before, I don’t have the qualifications you speak of.”

“Young Miss… Why do you keep saying that…”

“I apologize. And I still have things to do in the imperial palace.”

“What?”

Surprised by the unexpected refusal, Blood Demon Dam Baek-ha frowned.

She had thought So Yerin would certainly go with them, but she hadn’t expected her to suddenly refuse.

No, even if not rebuilding the Blood Sect, she had at least expected her to leave this place together.

“…Why do you want to stay in a place like this?”

“That’s…”

So Yerin hesitated and glanced at the unconscious Joo Woonhyang.

They had made a promise to each other.

[So what do you want?]

[…I will overturn this rotten nation from within.]

[Joo Woonhyang… Do you know what you’re trying to say now? That’s…]

[Yes, this is treason.]

[!!!!!!]