“A traitor……?”

Cho Igyeom somehow caught Seo Woojin’s murmur and responded.

“Yes——! A traitor——! What an ominous, wretched word, isn’t it? We ought to have managed things so no traitors arose in the first place, but as you know, things have been rather hectic lately, haven’t they? Regrettably, one after another, some who betrayed our Dark Alliance have cropped up.”

Cho Igyeom signaled to the back, and a handmaid brought over four books.

“These record their crimes and the evidence.”

Woon Seorin voiced her doubt.

“Is that a fair test?”

Cho Igyeom nodded.

“Fair, of course. This test is simple. You need only execute judgment on these traitors. Ah! And this time, you may receive assistance, specially. Meaning you can call upon the support of each clan.”

“What?”

“Ah! Our Young Master Seo may make use of any organization belonging to the Dark Alliance.”

Seo Woojin’s eyes narrowed. At first hearing, it sounded like consideration for his benefit.

“Hehe. So how, then, do we decide the outcome of this contest? We’ll consider everything.”

“Everything……?”

A bright smile spread across Cho Igyeom’s mouth.

“The number of warriors mobilized to execute the traitors! The time it takes to execute them! And even how much more you seize from them! We’ll weigh all of this to decide the outcome.”

Bang!

Woon Seorin struck the table and immediately voiced her objection.

“Nonsense! Who’s going to evaluate that?! It’s clearly not fair——!”

Tap!

Cho Igyeom snapped his fan shut and pointed it at Woon Seorin.

“Correct! Fairness! It must be fair! Which is why the evaluation will be conducted by selecting ten warriors from the lower organizations!”

“That’s absurd all the same! If they’re bought off——!”

“Then how about we do it this way? I select five. And the young lady selects five. Ah — and of course, we’ll assign each of them a watcher until the test is over.”

“But——!”

“Ahh. Yes. Even that wouldn’t be enough for you. The evaluators will see only the results of the test. Meaning it will be anonymous — who handled which clan won’t be known. How’s that? Still not enough?”

Woon Seorin’s brow furrowed. The proposal itself sounded plausible. The details would need adjusting, but concerns like bribery could be reduced.

‘Is the information fake? No. Clan Head Cho knows Cheongeum exists. He wouldn’t use false information that would be exposed quickly.’

This was not the time for lies.

Woon Seorin’s gaze went to Seo Woojin. He wore a serious expression, deep in thought about something.

‘Could this be a test designed with Young Master Seo’s disposition in mind?’

Seo Woojin was brilliant and reckless — but also a soft-hearted person. His unnecessary sense of justice was a problem too. Traitors or not, he wouldn’t easily bring himself to harsh action.

But only she and the Four Black Dragons knew that side of him. The others should have had no chance to gauge Seo Woojin’s disposition.

‘First, I need to check the contents.’

Woon Seorin pointed at the books placed on the table.

“Even among the same ‘traitors,’ there must surely be some with more favorable circumstances.”

“They’re all clans. The charge is the same too. Embezzlement. The punishment is likewise the same. Annihilation of the clan. And confiscation of assets. Ah — the scale of the clans might differ a bit. But we’ve matched them as closely in size as possible. Make up any slight difference with luck? The position of Dark Alliance Lord requires luck too, doesn’t it?”

Woon Seorin nodded slightly. There was, after all, no reason to speak lies that would be exposed quickly.

“How will you distribute those books?”

“Hehe. What would you like? Would you like to draw first? Or draw last?”

He handed the choice to Seo Woojin. Seo Woojin let out a quiet sigh and took the book on the far right. The rest then each took a book of their own.

“Are we finished now?”

At Cheon Suryeon’s question, Cho Igyeom nodded.

“We’re finished. Exchanging a word of encouragement with one another…… doesn’t appeal to you, does it? Haha. Those who wish to leave may do so. Ah, and the young lady had best coordinate the details with me, yes?”

Woon Seorin was curious about the book’s contents, but nodded for now.

“Let’s do that.”

Seo Woojin exchanged a look with Woon Seorin and stepped outside.

‘Annihilation, huh……’

He didn’t know how great the embezzlement had been, but whether it warranted a punishment like annihilating the clan — that he couldn’t say. Even the number of warriors he ought to bring along was ambiguous. In the end, the only ones he could trust were the Four Black Dragons, weren’t they?

He was struggling to suppress a rising sigh when——

Someone spoke to him.

“Might we talk a moment?”

Turning his head, it was the Woon Clan’s candidate, Yoon Seobaek. His face was expressionless, but his eyes held an indiscernible hostility.

Seo Woojin wasn’t particularly inclined, but he had no real grounds to refuse.

“Shall we go to my quarters?”

“No. Just over there.”

The spot Yoon Seobaek indicated was a secluded corner behind the hall. Seo Woojin followed him without protest.

Tap.

Stopping, Yoon Seobaek scanned the surroundings for any presence, then glared at Seo Woojin.

“Withdraw.”

And then, an abrupt proposal. No — should it be called a threat? Seo Woojin frowned.

“What do you mean by that?”

Yoon Seobaek sighed and shook his head.

“You may have driven off the Crazed Fiend, but without Seorin and the Four Black Dragons’ help, it would have been impossible.”

“And?”

“We have no need for a leader who can only stand with the help of others. Such a person tends to make life hard for those around him.”

Seo Woojin scratched his cheek, at a loss.

“Saying that kind of thing now won’t——”

“Do you have any idea what hardships Seorin has endured because of you?”

“……?”

“That girl is surely enduring words she shouldn’t have to hear today too — because of you.”

He was probably referring to the borrowing of the Woon Clan’s Black Scale Unit. Seo Woojin wanted to ask what she’d gone through, but held back. Even if he heard the circumstances, he wanted to hear them from the person herself.

Seo Woojin sighed and shook his head.

“First, I’m curious about something.”

“What?”

“How you would have dealt with the Crazed Fiend.”

“If it were me——!”

Yoon Seobaek tried to retort, but Seo Woojin didn’t stop.

“Right now, are you worried about Woon Seorin, or worried about the Dark Path? No. No. Setting all of that aside for a moment.”

Seo Woojin took a step toward him.

“Do you truly have the standing to be this insolent with me?”

At the spirit Seo Woojin radiated, Yoon Seobaek’s breath caught for a moment. Seo Woojin brushed past him and whispered.

“You ought to know. What it means — that I drove off the Crazed Fiend.”

Cold sweat ran down the side of Yoon Seobaek’s face.

“I’ll let this insolence slide, out of consideration for Lady Woon.”

And leaving him behind, he walked on. Until Seo Woojin disappeared, Yoon Seobaek couldn’t say a word. He could only fight with everything he had to calm his trembling body against an inexplicable fear.

Back at his quarters, Seo Woojin flopped down flat onto the bed.

“So that works.”

One of the things his grandfather had emphasized was winning without fighting. And for that, bluff and bravado were more important than anything.

He hadn’t wanted to draw out a long exchange, so he’d deliberately displayed killing intent and come on strong. He hadn’t expected it to work so smoothly.

‘Is this the Crazed Fiend’s influence too?’

The battle with him had unquestionably left a mark on Seo Woojin. He couldn’t yet pin down exactly what it was, but it felt like some instinct he’d lived without knowing had awakened.

Continuing his thoughts, Seo Woojin soon shook his head. He picked up the book and opened it.

“Ningbo?”

The clan was located in Ningbo. About three hundred li southeast of Hangzhou. Not terribly far, but not close enough to reach in one go either.

‘Do I have to ride a horse? I haven’t ridden much, so it’s a bit uncomfortable.’

Fretting over pointless worries, he kept reading.

‘The Clear Water Baek Clan. A pretty honest-sounding name, for a clan that committed embezzlement.’

The contents were nothing remarkable. The taxes paid by clans and sects belonging to the Dark Alliance were fixed. One-tenth of profits. A tax that was neither too much nor too little — quite reasonable. But the Baek Clan had falsified their profits and paid less. The evidence for it was laid out in a long list that followed.

“Hmm……”

There was one immediate question. Ningbo was a port city. If they ran businesses, wealth would surely never be in short supply. Why go out of their way to commit something as risky as embezzlement?

Was it simply greed? Or did they think that, with no Dark Alliance Lord around right now, they wouldn’t be caught?

And the second feeling that arose was hesitation.

‘I have to annihilate this clan……’

Bluff and bravado didn’t work on something like this. It would’ve been an easier resolution if they’d been thoroughly wicked villains, but——

“Haah……”

In the end, he had to go and judge for himself. Sitting here agonizing wouldn’t produce an answer.

“It’s Woon Seorin.”

Just as he’d more or less reached a conclusion, Woon Seorin arrived.

“Come in.”

A moment later, Woon Seorin came inside.

“That first.”

The moment she entered, she asked for the book. Seo Woojin handed it over without protest, and Woon Seorin carefully read through the contents.

“Hah……”

And a sigh escaped her too.

“The information isn’t wrong. Our Military Advisor’s Hall had also been tracking corruption and disloyal movements.”

“Does that mean there’s no trap in the test itself?”

“Probably not. The Baek Clan itself isn’t a particularly special clan, either. No — actually, it might be special.”

“Might be special?”

Woon Seorin set the book down and looked at Seo Woojin.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That the Dark Path is being sickened by factional strife.”

Seo Woojin tilted his head. Why bring that up now, all of a sudden? The answer came right away.

“There are places that don’t take part in that strife. Cowards who can’t pick a side and merely test the waters. Or those who hold to a middle path, judging that there’s no great cause in factional strife.”

“The neutral faction?”

“Yes. The Baek Clan is one of the neutrals. And they’re closer to the latter type.”

According to Woon Seorin’s explanation, the Baek Clan’s head was said to be a man of unbending, upright character. A Dark Path warrior, yes, but one who loathed cowardly, filthy deeds.

“Then it’s strange. For a man like that to embezzle.”

“I don’t understand it either. I saw him a few years ago and haven’t since, but he didn’t seem like someone who’d change easily……”

Seo Woojin shook his head.

“In the end, wouldn’t it be faster to go and judge for myself?”

Woon Seorin stared at Seo Woojin quietly for a moment. Seo Woojin frowned.

“What is it this time. You seem to look at me like that whenever something displeases you or makes you anxious.”

Woon Seorin’s brow twitched. He seemed to have struck rather close to the mark. She gave a small cough and replied curtly.

“Since we don’t know what they’ve prepared, a full re-investigation of the Baek Clan will be necessary. What worries me here is……”

“What worries you?”

“If they turn out to have some plausible circumstances behind it. Can you still execute judgment on them, Young Master Seo?”

This time it was Seo Woojin who was struck close to the mark. He stroked his chin, deep in serious thought.

“Hmm……”

But the moment he hesitated, it was already lost. Woon Seorin shook her head and pressed her fingers to her forehead.

“This time you can move the Dark Alliance’s combat units. Bring them along.”

Seo Woojin avoided her eyes and spoke carefully.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve already decided who to bring.”

“Decided?”

“Muk-yeong. I’ll only bring Muk-yeong.”

At the unexpected words, Woon Seorin’s brow furrowed.

“Muk-yeong? But Muk-yeong is……”

“We can communicate — I can pick up sign language on the way. And more than anything, isn’t Muk-yeong skilled at gathering information?”

Woon Seorin let out a sigh.

“Do you know why Clan Head Cho accepted the assistance of combat units this time?”

“There was a reason?”

“Do you know the common trait of people who’ve done bad things? Ah — assuming they’re fairly clever and have some scale to them.”

Seo Woojin tilted his head.

“Well. Is there one?”

“They’re always gripped by anxiety. And they account for the worst. Do you know what that means?”

“That there’ll be resistance?”

Woon Seorin nodded deeply.

“That’s it. Marching up out of nowhere and declaring ‘you’re traitors who committed corruption, so I’ll execute judgment on you!’ — there’s no way they’ll simply submit to that. That’s why Cho Igyeom said it — that this test weighs everything. The number of warriors mobilized, the time it takes, and so on.”

Seo Woojin thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“I still think it’s better to go with Muk-yeong. Marching up in a big group would only create tension. And if everything’s being weighed, isn’t a smaller number mobilized more advantageous?”

Woon Seorin looked at Seo Woojin with a suspicious eye.

“So we’re back to the beginning. Can you execute judgment on them? I’m telling you to mobilize the combat units because I believe you can’t. So that if you can’t do it with your own hands, it can be done by another’s.”

Seo Woojin answered firmly.

“If their crime is clear and they truly did harm the Dark Path’s interests, I’ll act without hesitation.”

“If——!!”

“Which is why I’ll go and judge first.”

Seo Woojin smiled.

“What kind of clan the Baek Clan is.”

At his resolute attitude, Woon Seorin had no choice but to hold her tongue in the end. Her trust in Seo Woojin — who had produced the first round’s result — had risen too, no doubt.

Woon Seorin sighed and shook her head.

“So. When will you set out?”

Seo Woojin’s smile deepened.

“Right now.”

(End of Chapter 23)