Chapter 80: Even if I Someday Become Predictable

TL: FoodieMonster007

The hastily formed trio headed for the Alluring Inn.

Lee Ahn and Seo Daeryong had been drunk, but they sobered up instantly when the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader flipped the table.

They knew they would never again see the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader flip a table before the Demon Supremes. It was an unbelievable story they could tell their grandchildren, starting with, "Listen here, back in my day…"

The three shared a thought. A day like this couldn't just end.

Before going to the Demon Village, Jang Ho gave the Millennial Cold Iron to Chief Gwak. Chief Gwak, known as the Divine Hand, was the head of the Cult's smithy.

Chief Gwak was overjoyed and said he could finally stretch his skills. He rarely showed emotion, so the three realized just how great their gift was.

The three entered the Alluring Inn in the Demon Village.

Jo Cheonbae greeted them warmly. "Only the three of you today."

Seo Daeryong joked, "As of today, we've formed a trio."

Lee Ahn added, "It might become a quartet soon."

Lee Ahn smiled at the confused Jo Cheonbae. "Bring us some drinks first."

The three sat at their usual table on the second floor.

Jang Ho began the drinking session with half-joking, half-serious words.

"I feel a little left out sometimes."

"……"

"You two are the heart and the right arm, but I'm still nothing, right?" Jang Ho said it jokingly, but his voice held a hint of disappointment.

Lee Ahn smiled. "Doesn't that make it even more amazing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like you said, you're neither the heart nor the right arm, yet you always call the Young Lord 'my lord,' don't you?"

Jang Ho's eyes widened. He had never considered it that way before.

"The 'right arm' and 'heart' stuff is just a joke, but the Young Lord's trust in you, the Demonic Army General, is real. I can tell just by looking at his eyes."

"Is that so?"

"……"

"Our dear martial artist here is very good at making people feel better."

Lee Ahn asked, "Am I?"

Jang Ho replied with a loud "Yes!" just as she had. The three laughed together.

Lee Ahn suddenly thought of the man in shackles. They had to talk about him today.

"Who do you think that man from earlier was?"

Seo Daeryong answered, "He seemed like no ordinary person."

Jang Ho emphasized his point. "No matter how important or skilled he is, I won't let him act recklessly."

Jang Ho made it clear he would keep the man in shackles in check.

"Thank you for stepping in for me earlier," Seo Daeryong said. He was grateful because Jang Ho had intervened when the man in shackles pressed him about the right arm position.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't step in for you, Detective Seo. I was serious. About being in line for the right arm position."

Lee Ahn and Seo Daeryong stared at Jang Ho in surprise.

Seo Daeryong started, "Since you're General Jang…" but Jang Ho cut him off.

"Please don't say you'll yield. I don't think the Second Young Lord's right arm is a position to be given up so easily."

"No, I was going to say that I wouldn't yield, even to you, General Jang."

"What? Then why did you say you would yield earlier?"

"That was a lie. The atmosphere wasn't right for me to step up. Honestly, I can't yield. I absolutely won't."

Seo Daeryong revealed his true feelings, and not just because of the alcohol. He had always wanted to say this to Lee Ahn and Jang Ho.

"My predecessor at the Sanzu River Hall was killed by the former Demonic Army General, and I was obsessed with revenge. I even memorized the personal details of everyone in the Demonic Army, but that was all. I couldn't bring myself to demand a reinvestigation, so I just let my desire for vengeance burn inside me."

Seo Daeryong drank. Jang Ho silently refilled his cup.

"Pathetic, isn't it? But I had to do that just to endure. If the Director hadn't come as a temporary investigator, I probably would've spent my whole life blaming myself, living in darkness. Do you know what the Director tells me most often these days? She asks why I've become so much brighter. So, do you think I'd give up her right arm position so easily? I wouldn't yield even to the Lord, and my martial arts skills are improving every day."

Seo Daeryong let out a deep breath after venting his feelings.

Jang Ho looked like he was about to speak but just smiled pleasantly instead. Seo Daeryong found the rough man's occasional grin both unfamiliar and cool. He wished he could smile like that.

Seo Daeryong told the other two, "Let's keep having these get-togethers. Please!"

The three talked late into the night.

They discussed Geom Mugeuk and the man in shackles. They also talked about the Demon Supremes and their own work.

It was a pleasant session where they could say anything on their minds without crossing lines. They felt a vague trust that they could speak freely. They could open up more without Geom Mugeuk present.

Lee Ahn raised her cup. "I'm so glad we got together today." The two men toasted her enthusiastically.

After the session ended, the three went outside and stood side-by-side before the inn.

Seo Daeryong looked at the distant Headquarters building. "Many people's fates are probably changing tonight, right? Or maybe they've already changed."

Lee Ahn nodded. "We just have to believe in the fate that guides those fates."

The Second Young Lord, until the very end? These people were also sincere to the last.

The man in shackles came to see me as dawn was breaking.

I had only ever seen him shackled by the Echoing Thunder Bell, so seeing him in my residence felt completely new.

I checked his ankles before even greeting him.

"Are your ankles alright?"

His voice was low and calm. "You continue to defy my expectations, Second Young Lord."

I gave him a questioning look.

"I mean, I didn't expect you to check my ankles as your first greeting."

"It's more important than a greeting."

"My ankles are fine. It may not be a profound martial art, but I am a martial artist."

"Can you tell me what martial arts you practice? I'd like to know your exact skill level."

"I once mastered the Myeongin Gwonbeop up to the seventh stage."

"Ah, that's a fine fist art."

"You know of Myeongin Gwonbeop?"

"Isn't it the unique martial art of Yang Seong, the Fist Master, one of the Nineteen Masters of the Outer Regions?"

"How do you know even that?"

"I'm interested in all sorts of things."

Fortunately, his ankles were fine. As I straightened up, the man spoke.

"My name is Go Wol."

I finally learned the name of the man in shackles.

Go Wol. The name meant a lonely, solitary moon and suited his aura well.

"Go Wol. It's a good name."

"Thank you."

My gaze met Go Wol's. I could see his clear eyes through his long, flowing hair. Just as it all began with our eyes meeting, no other words were needed between us.

"From now on, be my strategist."

Go Wol calmly replied to my abrupt offer.

"When you become the Heavenly Demon, I'll become the Head Strategist of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Can you entrust such a heavy responsibility to me?"

"You'll take on that role after you play a major part in my becoming the Heavenly Demon. It's not something I'll give you, but something you must earn yourself."

I made that point clear, then added a joke.

"Still, it'll be easier to become the Demonic Cult's Head Strategist than to become my right arm."

Go Wol smiled faintly. "I saw that earlier."

My offer was direct, and Go Wol did not hesitate. He knelt and formally paid his respects.

"I am a man of many shortcomings, but if you accept me as your strategist, I will serve you with all my loyalty. I swear it on my life and honor, before the gods of heaven and earth."

I formally accepted him.

"Go Wol, from this moment on, I appoint you as my Head Strategist. Please guide me well."

I trust the passion in his clear eyes more than words. I trust the fate that brought him before me.

"From now on, please speak comfortably with me."

"I will."

Welcoming Go Wol was a special moment. I was finally free from the burden of handling everything alone.

I took Go Wol's hand and helped him to his feet.

"First, focus on recovering your health."

"I'm fine."

"There's no need to rush. I'll need you ten, twenty, even thirty years from now. During that time, we may have to wage war with the Murim Alliance or appease the Evil Alliance. A rebellion could break out, or a powerful enemy might attack us. I wasn't looking for an advisor for just today, but for someone who will face all those things with me in the future."

A strange light flickered in Go Wol's eyes for a moment.

"To think that far ahead… You truly are an unpredictable person, Second Young Lord."

"I may be unpredictable now, but the future me might become all too predictable. That won't mean my subordinates' lives will be any less precious. You have to help me now, and you'll have to help me then, too. We have a very long road ahead of us."

"I will keep that in mind."

Go Wol then asked me a question.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Ask as many as you like."

"What will you do if you find a strategist more brilliant than me in the future?"

"You'll become his Vice-Strategist and help me. How's that? Is my answer acceptable?"

"It is."

"Won't you be disappointed? If I bring someone else and say, 'From today, this person is my strategist'?"

"I didn't come to you to build a friendship, Second Young Lord. That means you don't need to get close to me. So, if that situation arises, I must accept it unconditionally. If I can't even make such an obvious choice, then I'd be an idiot or a villain to remain your strategist. You must be decisive. For your sake, Young Lord, and for mine."

Go Wol's insight was extraordinary. He knew that sentiment would ultimately ruin their relationship.

"To be honest, you're so brilliant, Second Young Lord, that I wonder if you even need me."

"A person can't be brilliant all the time, right? I'll make mistakes, and so will you, but the chances of us both making a mistake at the same time are small, aren't they? So let's discuss things and move forward together."

"Just what kind of life have you lived, Second Young Lord?"

How could I explain that life to him? Instead of talking about myself, I relayed words Sama Myeong once told me.

"A strategist I respect once said, 'A good strategist is one who is smarter than the opposing strategist.'"

"Is my opponent the Murim Alliance's strategist? Or is it that respected strategist?"

"Both."

Go Wol would guess. He would know the respected strategist I mentioned was our Cult's Head Strategist, Sama Myeong. He would also know I meant for him to become a strategist who could surpass Sama Myeong.

"There is something you must do now. Create an intelligence organization and seize control of all information in the Central Plains. Your goal is to create an organization superior to the All-Knowing Hall."

"……"

"Is that a task you can agree to so easily?"

Go Wol's eyes filled with confidence as he asked, "Isn't that why you went to such lengths to bring me here?"

A few days passed.

Go Wol spent a few days recuperating. I didn't arrange separate quarters for him. For now, he decided to stay in a guest room at my residence.

He was up early again today, just as he had been since the first day.

"You're awake?"

"Did you sleep well?"

"I slept well."

"What brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Here, take this money first." I handed Go Wol the bundle of bank notes I had found on the battlefield.

"You'll need money to build the organization, so use this."

Go Wol showed no surprise, even after confirming the enormous sum of one million taels.

"What will you do if I take this money and run?"

"I'll have to send people to catch you."

"And then?"

"I'll melt down the fan and throwing knife you're probably making and forge them back into shackles. Then I'll have to show you to the person I hate the most. You'll have to act all mysterious then, too."

Go Wol couldn't hold back a small laugh at my joke.

"Let's go. We're eating out today."

We went into the Demon Village, where I saw the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sitting on the second floor of the Alluring Inn.

"The owner here said the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader has already come by himself twice. It seems he wants to see you. What do you think? Do you want to meet him?"

There was no other reason for the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader to come eat here twice.

"Yes, I wanted to meet him as well."

My problem was solved, but they still had issues to resolve. That was right. You can fight with a burden on your back, but you should fight without a burden on your heart.

We slowly walked to the second floor.