Chapter 27: I Heard

TL: FoodieMonster007

A few days later, I officially became the Sanzu Hall Director.

Early that morning, martial artists from the Sanzu River Hall arrived at my residence. Special Investigator Seo Daeryong, the man who investigated the Demonic Army with me, led the group.

"We've come to escort you, Director."

"Detective Seo. So you've come."

"I volunteered."

This small, melancholic-looking man had actually played a large role in my appointment as the Sanzu Hall Director.

"Let's go."

I decided to bring Lee Ahn with me.

"Lee Ahn, you should come along. You need to learn how an organization is run."

"Thank you!"

Lee Ahn looked happy enough to fly, probably because she thought I would leave her behind again.

"This isn't for fun. Go and learn. Learn how an organization operates and how to treat your subordinates. Don't miss a single thing."

"……"

When we arrived at the Sanzu River Hall, all the investigators stood lined up at the entrance. It seemed this was their way of welcoming a new Director.

As I passed, they performed a clasped hands greeting in unison and shouted loudly.

"We greet the Director!"

I expected they wouldn't welcome my appointment. Their gazes, however, were more favorable than I had anticipated.

I quietly asked Seo Daeryong, who stood beside me.

"Did you tell them I'd cut their monthly salary if they didn't pretend to welcome me?"

"No."

"Then why is the atmosphere so good?"

Seo Daeryong lifted his foot and mimed stomping on the ground.

That gesture made me understand their hospitality. It was because of Godang, the First Captain of the Demonic Army. Godang had murdered the first investigator sent to the case and had injured another one.

I had smashed Godang's head in and killed him, which gave them satisfying revenge. My Heavenly Demon bloodline offset any resistance to my young age, and since I had killed a Demonic Army General, my martial arts skills were also proven.

"Would you like to say a few words?"

At Seo Daeryong's suggestion, I turned to face my new subordinates before entering the building.

I slowly looked at each of their faces and delivered a short message.

"I don't know if you'll be happier or more miserable with me as your Director, but one thing is certain. Your hearts will beat faster than before."

With only those words, I turned and walked into the building.

I could hear murmuring behind me. I didn't need to worry about how they interpreted my words. They would find out soon enough.

As Seo Daeryong guided me to the office and turned to leave, I stopped him.

"Detective Seo, did you ever think we'd meet again like this?"

"Honestly, I was very surprised."

"I came because I missed you, Detective Seo."

Seo Daeryong's expression didn't change at all, as if such flattery had no effect.

"Lee Ahn, you should avoid a blunt man like this. Life with him would be boring forever."

"He could be a genuine person, though," Lee Ahn said, defending Seo Daeryong.

"No, this friend is a watery soup with no substance."

This time, Seo Daeryong himself stepped in.

"I may not be a rich broth, but I'm not bland either."

"Oh, you've got a personality. You'll be needing that personality often from now on."

The quick-witted Seo Daeryong instantly understood my meaning.

"No. I'm a bland soup. Please don't look for me for dangerous tasks."

"I'm going to mix rice into that watery soup and add a ton of spicy seasoning."

Seo Daeryong took a step back. He only pretended to be scared, but Seo Daeryong is a brave man. I know that great courage and spirit reside within that small frame.

"Now, tell me about this hall. I don't know a thing."

As if he had been waiting for the question, Seo Daeryong began to explain.

"As you know, the Sanzu River Hall protects and enforces the rules and laws of our Cult. It handles various incidents within the cult and roots out corruption. The total number of personnel is one hundred, with thirty investigators and seventy enforcement martial artists."

The enforcement martial artists assisted investigators, acted as bodyguards, and arrested criminals.

"That's not as many as I thought."

"It's an organization that doesn't require large numbers."

The Sanzu River Hall was an authoritative organization that everyone feared. There were exceptions, like the Demonic Army, but most demonic practitioners were afraid of the Sanzu River Hall.

"Among the thirty investigators, there are five Special Investigators. The Special Investigators handle difficult and important cases, but you can consider them the same as regular investigators during normal times. The enforcement martial artists aren't assigned to specific investigators but are dispatched for support whenever needed."

After hearing the full explanation, I asked him a question.

"Detective Seo, what do you think is the biggest problem with the Sanzu River Hall?"

Seo Daeryong hesitated for a moment before he answered.

"No organization in our Cult can escape the influence of the Eight Demon Supremes."

He didn't single out the Sanzu River Hall, but his meaning was clear. The Eight Demon Supremes were the biggest problem.

"Are you also under their influence?"

"I am not. As I said, I'm a loner."

He meant that he had never gotten involved in the cult's politics for money or promotion.

"That's not to say I'm a man of great conviction. You can just think of me as a grumbling malcontent."

"That's why I like you. I don't like people who are too hung up on ideals either," I said, glancing at Lee Ahn.

"I like rational people. People who take care of themselves first."

Knowing I was talking about her, Lee Ahn just gave a faint smile.

My gaze returned to Seo Daeryong.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? That our Cult will never change. How about we start changing our Cult together, starting now?"

"What if you leave after igniting all that passion? Just as you arrived so suddenly."

"I suppose I'll have to leave when it's time to go."

"Then I, who burned with passion alongside you, will be left alone in the burnt ashes, won't I?"

"That's not my problem. Weren't you a loner anyway? So, what do you say? Are you in?"

At my shamelessness, Seo Daeryong let out a loud, deliberate sigh, but his answer was different from his actions.

"I'll do it."

"The reason?"

"Didn't you already show me the reason while handling the Demonic Army affair?"

"I'll be counting on you from now on."

"Yes. Leave it to me."

I cheerfully extended my hand, and Seo Daeryong grasped it firmly.

You ask what will happen to you when I leave? What do you think? You'll sit in my seat.

I was appointed with a better welcome than I expected. Now, I needed to make them clearly recognize the kind of person I am.

For that, I needed an example. A really vicious and bad one.

"Are there any recent cases related to the Eight Demon Supremes that I should look into again?"

The phrase 'look into again' was a roundabout way of saying 'unjustly handled'.

Seo Daeryong understood my meaning at once.

"Of course… there are."

The word 'of course' reiterated the problem with the Sanzu River Hall that Seo Daeryong had mentioned.

"Bring it to me."

A moment later, Seo Daeryong returned with a file.

After reviewing the case details, I let out a long sigh.

"You're doing this on purpose to get me killed, aren't you?"

Of all things, the case Seo Daeryong brought was related to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

"I didn't want to do this either, but… it's a recent case, and it fits what you described."

"But why did it have to be the Blood Heaven Blade Demon!"

Lee Ahn, who had been watching, quickly interjected.

"Young Master, you have to hold back this time. Elder Blade Demon must be on the verge of exploding."

I handed the file to Lee Ahn.

"The story written here is too unjust to be covered up for that reason. Lee Ahn, read it and see if you can still close it."

After reading the contents, Lee Ahn couldn't bring herself to close the file and sighed.

"I can't let this go."

I shot up from my chair.

"Let's go. If destiny calls, I must answer."

In truth, this wasn't destiny. It was just the inevitable consequence of an old man neglecting the trash around him.

Gwa Ju was drunk.

He drowned in a despair so deep that even alcohol couldn't help.

His son, a martial arts academy student, had been beaten by a group of friends. The boy had suffered a head injury and had not regained consciousness for ten days.

Jo Cheonbae, the owner of the Alluring Inn who knew his situation well, sat down in front of him.

"Is the rumor true? That those bastards were released?"

Gwa Ju downed his drink in one gulp after another.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

An investigator from the Sanzu River Hall had looked into the incident. He had assumed the culprits would be thrown in prison. Instead, the three of them were found not guilty and released. The incident was ruled an injury sustained during a friendly duel.

"It's all over. They say the father of the kid who led the whole thing is one of the Hundred Blade Ghosts."

The Hundred Blade Ghosts was the leader of a hundred blade demons.

"Oh no!" Jo Cheonbae lamented. If the other boy's father was a subordinate of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and one of the Hundred Blade Ghosts, then this was the end of the matter.

"The investigators at the Sanzu River Hall are all the same. Those bastards are the worst of them all."

"Shh! Lower your voice. What if someone hears you?" Jo Cheonbae glanced around and tried to calm him down.

"Let them hear! Tell those sons of bitches from the Sanzu River Hall to kill me first! Tell the Hundred Blade Ghosts to come and kill me himself!"

SLAM!

Gwa Ju slammed his hand on the table. A liquor bottle wobbled, but Jo Cheonbae quickly caught it.

"My friend! Please, hold it in."

"If my son doesn't wake up, my wife won't live out her natural life."

Jo Cheonbae knew that wasn't an exaggeration. Gwa Ju had only one son, and he had watched for a long time how much the couple doted on him.

"He'll wake up."

"If he doesn't, I'll kill that bastard, and then I'll kill myself."

At that very moment, a voice came from behind them.

"And you think you can kill him?"

The two men turned their heads. Three young men stood at the entrance of the tavern.

"Who are you?"

The young man in the center, who had just spoken with a voice full of ridicule, was Yang Ho, the one who had led the assault.

"Who do you think you are, old man, talking about killing someone's precious son?"

Gwa Ju shot up from his seat.

"You! You!"

Faced with Yang Ho so unexpectedly, he was shocked and flustered, but he soon roared.

"You, you bastard. Because of you, right now… Give me back my son! Give him back!"

His emotions were so intense he didn't even know what he was saying, but Yang Ho was indifferent.

"You bastard! We haven't heard a single word of apology from you!"

At that, Yang Ho stepped forward and bowed his head politely.

"I'm sorry. I've truly committed a crime worthy of death. It will never happen again. There? I definitely apologized. So you should stop calling me a bastard, old man."

"What? What did you just say?"

"I'm not your kid, am I?"

The two thugs with him snickered, and Yang Ho also struggled to hold back his laughter.

Drunk and enraged, Gwa Ju couldn't hold back and tried to draw his sword, but Jo Cheonbae rushed over and desperately stopped him.

"Endure it. Endure it! For your family's sake, just endure it!"

If Gwa Ju drew his sword here, Yang Ho would obviously kill him. Gwa Ju was a low-ranking martial artist from an external sect, while Yang Ho, though young, had been properly trained in martial arts since childhood.

"Old man, are you crazy? You told me to apologize, and when I do, you try to kill me."

Yang Ho could have just left, but he seemed to have come with a purpose, as he continued to provoke Gwa Ju.

"Wow, you have no conscience. Go on, kill me. Kill me if you can."

How could a human be so shameless? Gwa Ju wanted to stab the bastard right then and there.

But he couldn't. He couldn't win, and even if he did kill Yang Ho, it would create an even bigger problem. That would be the end of everything. Not just himself, but his unconscious son and his grief-stricken wife would all be murdered by Yang Ho's father.

"You all should get going too. Go on."

Jo Cheonbae tried to send Yang Ho and his friends away, but Yang Ho acted as if he had abandoned his humanity.

"I was wondering who our Dong-yi took after to be such a coward. Turns out it was his father."

In that instant, Gwa Ju lost his reason.

Gwa Ju drew his sword. As if waiting for it, Yang Ho's fist flew.

The punch struck Gwa Ju in the face, sending him crashing into a table before he collapsed.

"That guy definitely drew his sword first!" the two thugs behind Yang Ho shouted like witnesses.

Yang Ho rushed forward and began to beat Gwa Ju.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"A mere warehouse guard dares to report me to the Sanzu River Hall?"

This was the reason the punk hadn't left. His father had severely scolded him for being reported to the Sanzu River Hall, and unable to contain his anger, he had come to take it out on Gwa Ju.

Only after landing his fill of punches did Yang Ho get off Gwa Ju's body.

"This is all your fault. I told him to go home and steal some money, but he said he couldn't because his father earned it through blood and sweat. That idiot, acting all righteous. Am I the only trash here? So how could I not hit him? This is all your responsibility. Got it?"

"…You confessed with your own mouth!"

Gwa Ju's lips were split and blood trickled from a cut under his torn eye, but in that moment, he found a glimmer of hope.

"What confession?"

"Everyone here heard it! Why you beat my son. You confessed that it wasn't a duel, but an assault."

Yang Ho glared fiercely at the surroundings.

"Well? Is there anyone here who heard what I said?"

Several other customers were there, but no one dared to step forward. Even the tavern owner, Jo Cheonbae, couldn't intervene. The moment he did, he would not only have to close his business, but his very life would be in danger. It was the same for the other customers.

"Nobody heard anything, they say. Hehehe."

At Yang Ho's laughter, Gwa Ju finally shed the tears he had been holding back.

"Ugh… sob!"

He couldn't bear the injustice. The reality that he could do nothing while the one who put his son in a coma mocked him was too devastating. He was ashamed as a father and felt so sorry. He didn't want to cry, but the tears kept flowing.

"A grown man crying like a baby. It's really like father, like son. Hahaha."

The thugs who came with Yang Ho also cackled and laughed.

It was at that very moment. From the second floor of the tavern, a young man's voice rang out clearly.

"I heard."