Chapter 483: What Comes When You Let Your Guard Down

TL: FoodieMonster007

It was a lesson from Hwi.

The moment you let your guard down, you die!

A simple truth from the era's greatest bodyguard. Geom Mugeuk knew how difficult it was to abide by that single line. The truths that were always hardest to keep were the simple ones.

"Ah! This is a big problem," Geom Mugeuk complained, though he wasn't entirely serious. "There are just too many moments in my life when I let my guard down. I play, I drink! My life even involves dancing!"

Though I said that, there were only two situations where I truly let my guard down.

"When I'm with my father, I'm the very definition of unguarded. Whether an assassin comes or not, my father will block them for me!"

In truth, I was tense even when I was with my father. It wasn't tension from a potential ambush, but because of my father himself. The better our relationship became, the more tense I grew. It meant it was about time for me to make a mistake.

The only time I completely relaxed was when I was inside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

Ah, that place was wonderful just to think about.

The comfort of lying on that hot, sandy beach. The sound of seagulls and waves, a single crab crawling across the sand. Of course, now another place had been added. Soaking in a hot spring surrounded by snow made me forget all the worries of the world.

Thinking of that place with assassins in mind reminded me of just how precious it was.

"Ah, even now as I'm listening to you, Uncle, I'm letting my guard down."

Hwi laughed. He had smiled faintly many times, but this was the first time he had laughed so pleasantly.

"You've let your guard down right now too, haven't you, Uncle?"

At that, Hwi readily nodded his head. "That's right. If I were ambushed at this moment, I would have died."

"We would have died together, then."

Then Hwi said carefully, "I would have died first."

This was something a true bodyguard would never want to see. Even if they saw all the horrific and terrifying things in the world, even if they saw a sword piercing their own heart, there was one thing they would never want to see.

The sight of the person they must protect dying.

Just as Lee Ahn had thrown her body in front of me, Hwi was also a man prepared to die first.

"Perhaps that is the only blessing given to a bodyguard."

What more needed to be said? He had already proven himself with his death.

I like this man who protected my father his entire life and stayed with him until death.

That's why I could make a promise.

In this life, that will never happen.

This was the reason I went through so much trouble to regress. That's why I will not let my guard down.

"Uncle."

"Yes, Young Cult Leader."

"I will be sure to take your words today to heart so I can say this to you. 'Thanks to what you told me, Uncle Hwi, I survived!'"

After I kill the Death King and return, I will be sure to tell him that. As if my sincerity had reached him, Hwi smiled.

"You must be tired. Please go in and rest."

"Yes, you should rest too, Uncle."

As I entered the building and walked down the corridor, I could see Hwi still standing in the courtyard through the window. He was looking up at the night sky, his face lost in thought.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen Hwi standing under the moonlight.

Geum Cheonbang arrived at Geom Mugeuk's residence. Lately, he hadn't been able to sleep at all, worried about his son. The fact that his son had hired assassins was a great shock to him. He could forgive other things, but he could never forgive having influenced his son to hire an assassin.

Of course, he did not know. That regardless of his son, the outcome was already decided. That from the beginning, they were nothing more than grass-eaters caught in a fight between beasts of prey.

He considered going to confront him. However, having left the dealings with him to his son until now, he felt burdened to meet him at this point. So, he decided that if he were to meet anyone, he would meet with Geom Mugeuk first and then decide.

I have to sort this out somehow.

Even if his son hired them because of that person's influence, he couldn't escape responsibility for this commission. This was the core of today's visit.

Does he really know who hired them?

When Geom Mugeuk came to see him, he seemed to know something. He had come to confirm it for certain. What if he knew? The reason he came alone without any subordinates was in case that was true.

If it doesn't work, I'll have to solve it with money.

He had yet to even greet the father and uncle of the man named Geom Yeon. He was curious about what kind of people they were.

When he knocked on the door, Hwi greeted him.

"How may I help you?"

"Are you perhaps Geom Yeon's father?"

"I'm not. I'm Yeon's uncle."

"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am the Golden Dragon Clan Patriarch."

He was a subordinate his daughter had brought. Strictly speaking, there was no need to be so polite. Yet the moment he saw Hwi, he found himself shrinking back.

"I would like to see Geom Yeon's father."

"Please wait a moment. I will go inside and ask."

"Please do."

Since a Clan Patriarch had come to visit, shouldn't he have been let inside unconditionally? Was he going to be sent away if the man was sleeping? While he was having these thoughts, Hwi came out again.

"Please come in."

Hwi guided him to Geom Woojin. "The Patriarch of the Golden Dragon Clan has arrived."

"Show him in."

Geum Cheonbang entered the room. Hwi followed him in. Right now, he was here not as a bodyguard, but as an uncle.

Geom Woojin, who had been standing by the window, turned and looked at Geum Cheonbang. The moment their eyes met, every hair on Geum Cheonbang's body stood on end. He felt a presence that was incomparable to the pressure he had felt from Hwi earlier.

"I am Geum Cheonbang, leader of the clan."

Geum Cheonbang offered a clasped hands greeting, more polite than his usual one. Although he had the cover identity of the Western Blade Sect Patriarch, Geom Woojin introduced himself like this.

"I am Yeon's father."

Geum Cheonbang had seen countless people while leading the Trading Company, but he had never met someone who gave off such a powerful feeling.

"Regrettably, something happened at our main house recently that should not have. I apologize for that." He apologized first, then asked about his well-being. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine."

"Do you have any idea who might be responsible?"

"I do not."

He couldn't learn anything from the short answers, so he tried to discern the man's true intentions from his expression. However, far from discerning his intentions, he found himself lowering his head and avoiding his gaze when their eyes met.

He's not an easy opponent.

His son, Geom Yeon, was the same. They were no ordinary father and son.

Did these people really come as my daughter's subordinates?

An awkward silence flowed. He was skilled at leading conversations from having met many people, but strangely, his lips wouldn't part. He hadn't found out anything. At this rate, it felt like he would be asked to leave at any moment.

Then, he suddenly remembered what Geom Mugeuk had said to him.

"Your son recommended that I visit his father and ask for advice."

"Me?" Geom Woojin looked like he was hearing it for the first time.

"He told me to visit you and learn how to be a parent who can win against their child. He said you were the best in that field."

Only then did a strange smile appear on Geom Woojin's face. "How can one win against their child?"

After a brief pause, Geom Woojin answered. "I am losing too."

Hwi slightly bowed his head. He couldn't dare show himself smiling at the Cult Leader's words. A declaration of defeat from the Cult Leader? It was a joking answer, but Hwi knew it wasn't entirely a joke. The Cult Leader had been losing well lately, he had even lost at fishing.

Seeing Hwi smiling with his head bowed, Geom Woojin asked him, "What are your thoughts?"

"How would I, who has no children, know?"

"That's why I'm asking."

It sounded as if he meant that having children actually makes it harder to find the answer. Hwi was flustered by the unexpected question, but how could he give a careless answer when the Cult Leader was asking?

"I don't know about the matter of winning or losing against a child. However, I have heard this said before."

The question was from the Cult Leader, but the answer was directed at Geum Cheonbang. It was a message he needed to hear.

"A child grows up watching their parents' actions, not their words."

Geum Cheonbang's heart grew heavy. How could he not understand the meaning behind those words? If you cannot win against your child, it means you cannot win against yourself. In that regard, Geum Cheonbang was deeply ashamed.

His son was answering the question of what he had shown him with the belief that there was nothing money couldn't solve.

Geom Woojin said to Geum Cheonbang, "So it seems."

"Thank you for your valuable words."

He couldn't confirm whether they knew about his son's commission or not. However, that didn't mean today's visit was only filled with regret for raising his son poorly.

As he bowed and was about to turn away, Geom Woojin said something unexpected. "It seems my son saw you all in a good light."

"!"

To Geum Cheonbang, those words sounded like this.

My son wishes to give you a chance to be forgiven.

The moment he heard those words, he felt a small breathing hole open up in his stuffy, constricted heart. He prayed that was what it meant.

Geum Cheonbang bowed his head slightly in another greeting and then left the place.

Geom Woojin spoke to Hwi, who had returned after seeing him off. "Do you have a hidden child somewhere?"

It was a compliment on how well he had answered the earlier question. Hwi simply smiled without a word. After looking out the window with Geom Woojin for a moment, Hwi spoke carefully.

"The assassin behind this does not seem to be an ordinary person."

Geom Woojin silently nodded his head.

Hwi knew. He knew that even though the Cult Leader seemed carefree, he was aware of many things. He was receiving reports from the Head Strategist every time. He had a full grasp of which assassins were moving and how. He also knew that the best of the best were on the move.

However, even knowing that, the Cult Leader was only watching.

What did the Young Cult Leader look like in the Cult Leader's eyes?

He was probably seeing something deeper, something he himself could not see. Because he couldn't see that far, because of that.

"I have a request, Cult Leader."

Geom Woojin looked at Hwi for a moment with a surprised expression. "Have you ever asked me for anything?"

Hwi answered Geom Woojin's question politely. "This is the first time."

"What is your request?"

"These are words I dare not say. Please forgive my rudeness."

Geom Woojin quietly waited for Hwi's words.

"I would like to act as the Young Cult Leader's bodyguard, just for a while."

He was none other than the Heavenly Demon's bodyguard. He was someone who could not take his eyes off the Heavenly Demon for even a single moment. He was someone who, even if the Heavenly Demon was eating here and the Young Cult Leader was meeting his death over there, was not supposed to go to him.

He had truly lived with that mindset, yet now he was making such a request.

Geom Woojin spoke firmly to Hwi. "I refuse."

Hwi bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, Cult Leader. I apologize for my unnecessary words. I will gladly accept the punishment for this great disrespect."

Then, unexpected words flowed out. "Hwi, I command you."

"Yes, Cult Leader." Hwi tensed, bringing his hands together in a sharp clasped hands greeting. It had been a very long time since he had received a formal command.

"Until this matter is concluded, you are to act as the Young Cult Leader's bodyguard."

Surprised, Hwi looked at Geom Woojin.

Geom Woojin looked into his eyes and said, "It's the first request you've made in your entire life. I can't let you use it on something as trivial as protecting my son."

"!"

"Save it, and make a request for your own sake later."

Hwi looked at Geom Woojin with a fervent gaze, then answered more forcefully than ever before. "I accept the Cult Leader's command!"

"You're going to be my bodyguard from now on, Uncle?" I was startled by Hwi's words.

"It is the Cult Leader's command."

"Father suddenly gave such a command? That can't be right. You know it too, Uncle, don't you? He's not the type to throw his son off a cliff and put a net down below."

I stared at Hwi. "You offered to protect me, didn't you?"

"No. It was the Cult Leader's command."

He wasn't a man skilled at lying, so I could tell from his voice and his eyes. Hwi had volunteered for this. I wondered what he was so worried about under the moonlight that day. He was worried about me.

"If it wasn't a command, I would never have left the Cult Leader's side." Hwi denied it to the end. He was trying to make it seem like my father had done this out of concern for me.

"There is no need to be conscious of me. From now on, I will be a person who is with you, Young Cult Leader, yet also not here."

Of course, that would be the case. The number of people who could find a hidden Hwi could be counted on one hand.

I wonder if the Death King will notice.

Then, I suddenly remembered what my father had said.

"If you're going to put Hwi at the forefront, you take responsibility and protect him."

The reason my father sent Hwi to me was partly to protect me, but also because he believed that I would protect Hwi. Hwi might only be thinking of protecting me, but we have to protect each other.

"Uncle, I'll be in your care from now on."

"I'll be in your care as well."

Of course, a joke couldn't be left out of this situation. I threw both my hands up and rejoiced.

"Then from now on, I'll let my guard down without a care!"

It was right at that moment, as Hwi was smiling. Our gazes turned to the door at the same time. Hwi demonstrated what the best concealment technique of the era looked like and vanished without a sound.

Soon after, the sound of knocking came from the main gate. When I opened the door, Myeongjin was standing there, to my surprise.

He spoke with transparent eyes that revealed none of his inner thoughts. "I may not have ten million taels, but I have enough money to buy a drink. What do you say? Will you have a drink with me?"

You were right, Uncle. The moment you let your guard down, an assassin comes to visit.