Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Chapter 33. The Evil Faction Alliance Lord

Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee were apprehended by the warriors of the Evil Faction Alliance who appeared on the scene.

The two did not resist.

They were transported to the Silent Dragon Hall, which corresponded to the alliance’s administrative body, and were immediately interrogated.

To the clerk of Silent Dragon Hall, who asked for the details of the incident with a business-like attitude, Eon Mi-hee calmly explained the situation.

On the other hand, Lee Byeok hardly opened his mouth. Even if he did, he didn't know what to say.

Despite Eon Mi-hee’s efforts, the clerk left without giving any clear answer.

Afterward, the two were confined in a room, and the procedures regarding their punishment proceeded swiftly.

Late at night, the individuals involved in the incident were urgently summoned and gathered in the meeting room of Silent Dragon Hall.

“Have a seat, young masters.”

When Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee followed the guide into the meeting room, a group of people were gathered there.

A long table was placed in the center.

However, the seat of honor at the very end was empty. The one who spoke with a heavy voice was a middle-aged man sitting to its immediate right.

Thunderclap Single Sword, Maeng Jong-su.

Unlike his alias, he had a refined impression. He was a master from the Black Heaven Gang and the Hall Leader of the Evil Faction Alliance’s Silent Dragon Hall, overseeing all administrative duties and procedures within the alliance.

With the Evil Faction Alliance Lord having disappeared from the official stage, he was also in charge of virtually all major and minor affairs within the alliance.

On the left side of the table sat two middle-aged men.

They were Mosan of the Seven Poisons Sect and Ak Du-pyeong of the Black Strength Sect, representing the disciples who had been beaten by Lee Byeok.

On the right side, there was a familiar face.

Ji Soyak, the representative of the Rogues’ Guild, gave a slight smiling glance when her eyes met Lee Byeok’s.

It seemed she was trying to reassure them.

Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee sat down.

Just then, the room shook.

Ak Du-pyeong of the Black Strength Sect had slammed his fist on the table. His contorted face and glared eyes looked at Lee Byeok as if to kill him.

“Do you know your crime! Do you think you can get away with putting my sect’s disciples in such a state?!!”

“Great Warrior Ak, please calm yourself. It is not too late to punish the criminals after determining the rights and wrongs.”

Maeng Jong-su calmly received his words.

“Hmph, rights and wrongs! How can you say such a thing after seeing the state of my sect’s disciples?!”

Lee Byeok felt a sense of incongruity.

Just then, Ji Soyak opened her mouth.

“Well, I wonder. If we are to follow the order of events, I heard it was your side that first drew a blade on my disciple.”

“Nonsense! How can you believe those words?! It's obvious the two of them colluded and cut themselves!!”

“…If you say so, then there were also no witnesses who saw our Young Master harming your disciples.”

“It’s just that the circumstances point to it. When the warriors arrived, the only ones at the scene were your injured and fallen disciples, my disciple, and our Young Master who was standing perfectly fine. No one saw the crucial moment, did they?”

“In the first place, the incident occurred near our Rogues’ Guild’s quarters. Why were your disciples there? Fundamentally, we need to clarify the sequence of events—”

“You lowly wench with an open mouth!”

Ak Du-pyeong struck the table once more. His face turned red and purple as he emanated a ferocious aura.

For a moment, Ji Soyak’s complexion turned slightly pale. Lacking in martial arts, it was not easy for her to withstand Ak Du-pyeong’s aura.

However, with as calm a face as possible, Ji Soyak continued.

“Great Warrior, your words are harsh. May I take your current statement as an insult to my sect?”

Ak Du-pyeong flinched.

No one in the current Jianghu could carelessly disregard the Rogues’ Guild.

An organization with the largest scale and corresponding information network across both the Righteous and Evil Factions.

Although the Black Strength Sect was a powerhouse that held a part of the Guangxi region and a mid-tier sect in the Evil Faction Alliance, it was not of a scale comparable to the Rogues’ Guild.

“…Ha! Do you think our Black Strength Sect cares about some marketplace trash?! My stomach churns seeing you worthless bitches run your mouths just because you have numbers!”

Ji Soyak’s thoughts raced.

He might seem simple-minded and lacking, but to come out meant he had something to rely on.

Just then, another middle-aged man who had been silent opened his mouth. It was Mosan, the representative of the Seven Poisons Sect.

“There is something that concerns me. Strictly speaking, the Rogues’ Guild is only in an alliance with our Evil Faction Alliance. Fundamentally, are they not an external force?”

“If you put it that way, yes.”

“So, if my thinking is correct, the current situation is that an external force has attacked the disciples within the alliance. Isn't this a matter that cannot be passed over with a simple internal punishment?”

It was a rather sharp point.

The Rogues’ Guild was originally an organization formed by those who were not martial artists, such as courtesans and escorts, but had one foot in the Murim, so its identity as a martial sect was weak.

For that reason, they placed great value on not being swayed by military force, and had formed an alliance with the Evil Faction Alliance rather than officially joining it.

But now, at this moment, Mosan of the Seven Poisons Sect had dug into the specialty of that position.

Maeng Jong-su nodded his head.

Ji Soyak’s brow slowly furrowed.

Maeng Jong-su replied with a smiling face.

“The circumstances of the incident have not yet been properly grasped, yet it seems that here, the punishment is already being carried out under the premise that our Young Master is the culprit.”

“Ahaha, as for me, I can only accept what I see. There are those who were harmed and those who were not, are there not?”

“…I will ask you directly.”

Ji Soyak’s gaze turned to Maeng Jong-su.

However, Maeng Jong-su just continued to smile.

“Hall Leader, do you have no intention of giving a fair judgment regarding our Rogues’ Guild?”

“Of course not. All judgments will be made through a fair and thorough investigation, without a single shred of doubt.”

‘They were in it together from the start.’

Maeng Jong-su, before being the Hall Leader of the Evil Faction Alliance’s Silent Dragon Hall, was from the Black Heaven Gang, and was siding with the Seven Poisons Sect and the Black Strength Sect, which were also Guangxi region factions.

He was blatantly protecting friendly forces and trying to drive out hostile or other third-party forces.

He was swallowing the Evil Faction Alliance.

“It doesn’t seem like a very good method. In the long run, I would have appreciated it if you had distinguished between public and private affairs…”

“Ahaha, what do you mean?”

Maeng Jong-su’s expression did not change. But soon, a cool shadow began to settle over his clear smile.

“But speaking of our private position, we are the ones who cannot understand the Rogues’ Guild's intentions.”

His voice became deliberately chilling.

“We courteously invited you to join us in our ‘new’ Evil Faction Alliance's cause, yet the response to that gesture was a mere branch manager.”

“On top of that, after experiencing such an unpleasant incident, is it not inevitable for us to think that you might have some other thoughts?”

“Pardon my presumption, but it seems the Rogues’ Guild still cannot see the future properly. How can you call yourselves the representative information organization of the Evil Faction like that?”

And Maeng Jong-su stopped talking.

For a brief moment, silence flowed in the meeting room. Nod, Maeng Jong-su bowed his head to Ji Soyak.

“Oh dear, I ended up talking about a private matter that has nothing to do with the current issue. Please forgive my rudeness.”

The Rogues’ Guild had long ago formed an ‘alliance’ with the Evil Faction Alliance.

However, the one who had stamped the seal at that time was the Evil Faction Alliance Lord, who was also the head of the Paewang Family.

In other words, the alliance between the Rogues’ Guild and the Evil Faction Alliance was, in a sense, an alliance with the Paewang Family.

It seemed the Black Heaven Gang did not like that part.

“For the future of our alliance and the Rogues’ Guild, a ‘good precedent’ is needed here.”

It seemed the decision had already been made.

They intended to make an example of them.

Ji Soyak turned her gaze to look at Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee. The coldly terrified Eon Mi-hee and the silent Lee Byeok.

They were children she had to protect.

Just then, Ji Soyak detected a ‘signal’. A unique signal system of the Rogues’ Guild that at first glance was just noise and could not be understood unless one listened carefully.

“…You are certainly not wrong.”

At last, Ji Soyak felt relieved.

“But there is one thing that the Hall Leader has overlooked. It seems you have not properly investigated our party.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Young Master Lee Byeok who is here, my disciple Mi-hee, and myself. There was one more person in the party dispatched from our main office besides the three of us.”

And the door to the meeting room opened.

A middle-aged man of small stature strode inside. Googlᴇ search NoveI[F]ire.net

At first glance, he seemed ordinary, but his sharp impression exuded an unapproachable aura.

It was Old Master Go.

“Who are you?! How dare you so carelessly—”

Maeng Jong-su was about to shout.

But the next moment, his mouth stopped.

Old Master Go was not alone. Behind him, another figure was about to enter in succession.

The figure’s head hit the doorframe.

“Aish, damn it. This damn door is still so damn low. Heave-ho.”

A huge figure, so large that he couldn't enter through the door, bent his waist and struggled to get inside.

Maeng Jong-su’s eyes widened as far as they could go. It was the same for Mosan and Ak Du-pyeong.

“A-A-Alliance Lord! W-why?!!”

“Why, what are you so surprised about? Did I come to a place I shouldn't have? Is that seat over there not my seat?”

The man’s fingertip pointed to the empty seat of honor. A seat that had been vacant for a very long time.

But the man walked around the room with a calm stride and sat there.

Of course, no one could raise an objection to that fact.

“Phew, this chair is also tight. I must have gained some weight.”

The man, the Evil Faction Alliance Lord, frowned and grumbled, but no one could react.

“…Alliance Lord, it has been a long time since I have seen you in such a setting. What brings you here?”

After a moment, Maeng Jong-su opened his mouth.

He was feigning composure, but he couldn't completely hide his agitation.

“Well, I didn't plan on coming out either. My, it’s been so noisy these past few days and an old man I know came to see me. My back hurts from coming out for a walk after a long time.”

Pat pat, the man tapped his back.

But his huge and solid physique, like a great mountain, seemed as if it would not even crack no matter what happened.

The Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s gaze swept across the room. Lee Byeok’s and the Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s eyes met directly.

At that moment, Lee Byeok felt a shock.

Lee Byeok, whose shock from the killing intent had not yet subsided, recalled an unexpected possibility from the Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s face, which felt familiar to the point of intimacy despite it being their first meeting.

The Evil Faction Alliance Lord smiled.

“What sin did that child commit?”

“H-he assaulted… our disciples…”

“T-they didn’t die, but…”

The voice of Ak Du-pyeong, who had been so imposing, was trembling uncontrollably. Even after so many years, he could not forget.

That overwhelming martial power.

“Hey you guys, for friends who call themselves the Evil Faction and revere strength. Aren't you ashamed of whining after five of you got beaten by one?”

Tsk, the Evil Faction Alliance Lord clicked his tongue.

“That’s enough, let’s stop here. My, why is there talk of external and internal forces over a fight between kids?”

“…Alliance Lord, with all due respect.”

Maeng Jong-su spoke again.

“The Rogues’ Guild may be an ally, but are they not strictly an external force? As the one responsible for the laws of this alliance—”

“Hey, Hall Leader Maeng.”

Thump, the Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s massive hand landed on Maeng Jong-su’s shoulder. Maeng Jong-su’s shoulder shook noticeably.

“You’ve become quite confident. It’s good to see.”

“Do I now look like a complete country bumpkin because I’ve been stuck in my vegetable patch digging up sweet potatoes for a few years?”

Sweat flowed down Maeng Jong-su’s forehead.

He finally realized to whom he was raising an objection. He had forgotten for a long time.

The Evil Faction Alliance Lord and the head of the Paewang Family.

And… among the many masters who belonged to the Evil Faction, the only one who was named among the Ten Great Masters of the World.

Iron Tower Overlord, Hyuk Gun-ak.

“Right, the law, the law. It’s important. Heum. Hey, you, the kid from the Rogues’ Guild? You said you were injured too?”

Suddenly, the Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s gaze turned to Eon Mi-hee. Eon Mi-hee reacted with a start.

“Hey, isn’t that friend Gongson Uk from the Dark Shadow Pavilion here in the alliance right now?”

“If it's poison. We can just ask him. If we have him examine that child's wound and confirm whether the paralysis poison is from the Seven Poisons Sect or not, won't we have our answer?”

The Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s gaze turned to Mosan of the Seven Poisons Sect. Mosan’s face turned pale. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Grin, the Evil Faction Alliance Lord smiled.

“Alright, let’s leave it at that.”

“…Alliance Lord. Even if that child was harmed by the Seven Poisons Sect’s poison, such things can happen during a fight—”

“Hey, Silent Dragon Hall Leader.”

The air in the room sank.

About three years ago, the Paewang Family had suddenly ceased its external activities, and the Evil Faction Alliance Lord had also effectively gone into seclusion.

All sorts of speculations were rampant in the world. Stories about the Evil Faction Alliance Lord being ambushed, or problems with the Paewang Family’s succession.

There must have been a reason.

But… one thing was certain.

The Evil Faction Alliance Lord’s own martial power was intact. From the presence that seemed to press down on the space itself, Maeng Jong-su felt a deep despair.

The Evil Faction was, in the end, a collection of power.

Any further objection was meaningless.

“Whether you use my seal without permission to gather the children, or if you cook up and eat the Evil Faction Alliance, I won’t mind. It’s something I entrusted to you anyway, and as long as the alliance keeps running, that’s all that matters.”

“But there are things in this world that should not be touched. Of course, you would have no way of knowing who that child is. That’s why I’ve dragged my old body here to draw the line for you, isn't it?”