First of all, it seemed urgent to figure out what Jin Geum-ryeon had gone through at the Martial Alliance and why he had done what he did. It was obvious that the Martial Alliance would try to tear Jin Geum-ryeon down first, but still, shouldn’t they know the facts?
At the mention of the Martial Alliance, Chun-wol and Seo-mok widened their eyes and looked back and forth between Ak Mujin and Jin Geum-ryeon. Jin Geum-ryeon had a calm face as if it was no big deal.
“…Three years ago, the Martial Alliance did put Jin Lord Ryeon on the wanted list. At the time, the Demonic Cult also tried to find out what was going on in the Martial Alliance. However, they only obtained superficial information that the Martial Alliance Lord was seriously injured, and that dozens of members were also injured.”
Chun-wol said. As she carefully looked at Jin Geum-ryeon, he hesitated for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
“It’s nothing. At the time, I was escorting Young master Ak to the Martial Alliance, and because of that, a minor misunderstanding arose and things got a little bigger. In the process, my enemy was also revealed.”
“‘An enemy was revealed’…?”
Everyone’s attention was focused on the word ‘enemy’. Ak Mujin, as the original author, already knew this, but Chun-wol and Seo-mok had only met him a couple of times, so there was no way they could know this. It was no wonder they were surprised.
In any case, Ak Mujin, who knew everything about Jin Geum-ryeon, also thought that the story was seriously twisted when he thought that he had found and repaid another enemy besides himself, and his head began to throb.
“When I was young, my parents were chased by both a Martial Clan and the Demonic Cult before they died.”
As he said that, Jin Geum-ryeon looked at Ak Mujin once. Ak Mujin felt the gaze, but just looked ahead. At this remark, Seo-mok also seemed to have remembered something, widening her eyes and looking back and forth between Ak Mujin and Jin Geum-ryeon.
“If it’s Jin… that…?”
Seo-mok looked at Ak Mujin with wide eyes. Ak Mujin glared at her, as if telling her to be quiet, and thanks to that, Seo-mok closed her mouth for the time being, but she looked confused.
Jin Geum-ryeon, who was looking at them, slowly continued.
“Until now, I couldn’t figure out exactly which Martial Clan it was… but thankfully, as soon as the Martial Alliance Lord saw me, he was so eager to catch me that he couldn’t even hide his anxiety.”
“So, did you harm the Martial Alliance Lord in the process? Come to think of it, I think I heard that the Alliance Lord was changing.”
Chun-wol, who had been listening to the story quietly, asked. Perhaps because she had been collecting information for a long time, she couldn’t stand hearing these inside stories. But unlike Ak Mujin’s guess, Jin Geum-ryeon lightly shook his head.
“It is true that I injured him, but I have not yet ended the long-standing grudge. Isn’t the Martial Alliance Lord’s head still intact?”
Jin Geum-ryeon had a bright smile on his face as he said that.
Ak Mujin was inwardly surprised to see that. Until just before he parted ways with him, he had never killed anyone. Frankly, even when he heard the news that he was slaughtering the Demonic Cult, it felt like a somewhat absurd story. But for Jin Geum-ryeon, who had been like that, to talk about murder without any hesitation like this. He took a sip of tea to moisten his dry mouth.
“At the time, I didn’t know that the Martial Alliance Lord was my enemy, so it was a mistake. Young master Ak mentioned Namgung Cheon, but later, Namgung Cheon, who came to me, told me. That the Alliance Lord, the father of the young master, had framed me as an internal conspirator of the Demonic Cult because of such circumstances. He apologized.”
Seo-mok became lost in thought. When she thought of Jin Geum-ryeon’s surname and his parents who were chased by the Namgung Clan and the Demonic Cult, no matter how she thought about it, wasn’t it the story of Namgung Cheon and Jin Sang-aeng? At the time, the child had disappeared, so even within the Demonic Cult, search parties were dispatched to search here and there, but that child had grown up and appeared like this.
As the person who had killed Namgung Cheon with her own hands, it was impossible not to feel a little chilled. At the time, he was just a small child, but Jin Geum-ryeon, whom she met again, was undoubtedly a great master with an unusual aura in every way. If Seo-mok crossed swords with him, she would definitely be knocked down without being able to withstand even 10 stances.
Ak Mujin, who noticed this, looked at Seo-mok and gestured not to show it, and Seo-mok also understood properly and lowered her eyes and gulped down the tea.
Jin Geum-ryeon smiled slightly as he looked at that.
“But… if things could be resolved with an apology, why wouldn’t all the grievances in the Martial World find their place and wander around?”
Anyway, now that things had gone this far, it wouldn’t be strange if Jin Geum-ryeon took revenge at any time. Ak Mujin frowned and looked down at the teacup.
“I didn’t know you had such circumstances. Indeed… it was a personal matter. I will also remain silent about the story that Lord Ryeon told me today.”
When Chun-wol spoke in a calm voice, Jin Geum-ryeon nodded his head once as if to thank her, showing a silent greeting. Ak Mujin kept fiddling with the innocent cup.
He didn’t know what to do in this situation. Jin Geum-ryeon’s revenge on the Martial Alliance Lord was a natural development that was also covered in the original work. But somehow, Ak Mujin felt uneasy about the fact that Jin Geum-ryeon had become unhesitant to kill people. Was it because he had been so tired of seeing the Demonic Cultists slaughtering innocent people? Of course, the Martial Alliance Lord and the Demonic Cultists cannot be said to be innocent…
In the meantime, Jin Geum-ryeon got up lightly from his seat as if he was about to leave right away and said.
“Speaking of the Martial Alliance, I just remembered that I have something to do. It’s not urgent, but I think it would be good to take care of things quickly in case that coward runs away with his tail between his legs.”
It was a sudden story. Ak Mujin looked up at him with surprised eyes.
“You’re going to… take revenge? Now?”
“Weren’t you annoyed that I was following you around? I’ll take a break for a while. It’ll be quick.”
No, what kind of revenge is this, like going to Kimbap Heaven to buy kimbap? Was this an action that could be done right away if you thought about it? Besides, how can the Lord of the Sandow Union, the leader of the unorthodox faction, go in and out of the Martial Alliance like a PC room?
Jin Geum-ryeon’s expression was not that of someone about to perform a great task, so the word ‘revenge’ was not a suitable situation. Besides, until a little while ago, he was anxious because he couldn’t follow Ak Mujin around, but could he change his mind so quickly and leave without any regrets?
Ak Mujin, who had become dumbfounded, was stunned for a while, and Jin Geum-ryeon left the room like someone who had completely emptied his mind.
In the end, the person who became anxious was Ak Mujin himself. He was still subtly wondering whether or not to interfere in Jin Geum-ryeon’s revenge, but if he was going to take the Martial Alliance Lord’s head right away, he had no choice but to follow him.
Ak Mujin hurriedly got up from his seat and chased after him. Then Seo-mok and Chun-wol grabbed him.
“Young master, Young master! We haven’t finished our conversation yet!”
Seo-mok said.
“Weren’t you going to discuss what to do in the future?”
Chun-wol also chimed in with Seo-mok. But Ak Mujin was so anxious that he stood at the doorway and said to them.
“Next time! I’ll send a Messenger hawk, so let’s meet again next time!”
Ak Mujin left only those words and quickly chased after Jin Geum-ryeon. Chun-wol and Seo-mok, who were left alone in the tea room, just looked at each other’s faces.
Jin Geum-ryeon was nowhere to be seen, as if he had already left the detached building. As Ak Mujin was looking around, a person came out of the tea room closest to the entrance. It was Cheong-aeng.
“Sir? Has the story already been concluded?”
“Where’s Jin Geum-ryeon?”
“Ah, Lord Ryeon left Master Ahn to me a little while ago and left.”
No way, already?!
Ak Mujin hurriedly made the hallway echo and went out to the entrance of the detached building.
“Hurry! You have to chase Jin Geum-ryeon!”
“…….”
Looking at Ak Mujin hurrying, Cheong-aeng turned his head to one side and made a small laugh. Ak Mujin, who was trying to put on his shoes in a hurry, looked at him once as if he didn’t know why he was laughing, and a burly man came out from behind him.
“Hehehe, it’s just as Lord Ryeon said.”
“…Isn’t that so?”
It was Jin Geum-ryeon. Ak Mujin, who confirmed his face, lost his strength and drooped his shoulders.
“You weren’t already gone…?”
“I was sure that you would come out like this.”
Jin Geum-ryeon stood in front of Ak Mujin with a smile. He still looked up at him with a dazed face, and then realized that he had been played by Jin Geum-ryeon’s prank and let out a sigh.
“Were you worried? About me? About the Martial Alliance Lord?”
“…If you go there, you’re bound to kill someone, so how can I stay still?”
“I’m a little sad that you’re not worried about me.”
At those words, Ak Mujin narrowed his eyes and glared at Jin Geum-ryeon. Jin Geum-ryeon still had a relaxed expression.
Yes. This is the face. The Jin Geum-ryeon that Ak Mujin created always had this face. Not whining like a puppy who needs to pee. Seeing Jin Geum-ryeon, who had returned to the way he knew things, Ak Mujin felt a sense of relief spreading in his heart.
“To be honest, I was going to secretly follow you if you didn’t come out, but it’s a good thing.”
“So you interfered with me?”
“It seems like Chun-wol’s tail has been stepped on. It’s better for us to get out first.”
Ak Mujin looked at him with wide eyes.