Chapter 71 - What Power Needs

"Sometimes a five-hundred-won tea that suits your taste is better than Longjing tea worth millions of won." "Now there's a saying to live by." Limon gave a soft chuckle, sat down, and picked up a piece of pork belly with his chopsticks. Then he poured himself a bowl of makgeolli, drained it in one go, and set down the empty bowl.

"All right, then. Tell me."

"Tell you what, sir?" "Why you're treating me so well. You want something, don't you?" "Heh-heh, why ask something so obvious? I only hope the Sword Lord, who'll soon be a pillar of the clan, will look kindly on me." "If that's all you've got to offer but flattery, I'll leave right now." "Oh, why won't you believe I'm sincere?" "Want me to sincerely tear your company apart?"

Limon smiled as he spoke, but there was no trace of amusement in his golden eyes. Wang Gi-neung flinched. Quick on the uptake, he could tell Limon meant it. His eyes darted about for a moment before he cleared his throat and finally spoke.

"Ahem. I hesitate to say this, sir, but not everyone in the Black Dragon Clan opposes the marriage between Your Highness and the Sword Lord." "Why not?" "Change brings opportunity, and when you do something, Sword Lord, you do it on a grand scale." Grinning, Wang explained that the Black Dragon Clan had already fallen so low that it could hardly revive itself, whatever it tried. In that respect, Li Qingyu's choice of Limon as her husband had been a brilliant move.

"There's no guarantee anything I do will revive the Black Dragon Clan." "Heh-heh, but there's no doubt you'll rise far above where you are now." "Hmm... So whether the clan prospers or falls, you know I'll eventually be central to it, and you want to get in my good graces early?" "Please think of it as an investment in the clan's future."

Wang spoke with the fervor of a loyal retainer for the ages. But the cunning gleam in his eyes marked him as anything but loyal. Limon studied him for a moment, then chuckled. "Trying to make connections isn't a bad idea, but don't you think a few pieces of meat and a bottle of makgeolli are a bit meager?" "Oh, please don't take me for a man with no sense of propriety. Of course I've prepared a separate gift."

As though he'd been waiting for the question, Wang swiftly produced a folder and presented it. Limon opened it, skimmed the documents inside, and narrowed his eyes. Spend three years at a village school, and even a dog learns to recite poetry. Paperwork was still foreign to him, but lately he'd been diligently reading Wei Ling's reports like homework, so he could at least grasp the gist. "What's this contract for?" "It's what you've been looking for, Sword Lord. You've only just established your company, and you need money, work, and a track record, don't you?" "Oh? So if I sign here, I can take on Black Dragon Construction's security and protection work as I please?" "Yes, sir. Put down whatever you like for the advance and expenses. I can get it approved without trouble—even ten times the amount, let alone two or three."

Standing behind Limon, Wei Ling's brow twitched. That was practically an open offer of a bribe. 'So that was why?' At the same time, she realized why Limon had been turning the Black Dragon Clan's subsidiaries upside down indiscriminately: to make men like Wang come forward, kneel of their own accord, and offer him bribes. 'What a schemer.' She regarded Limon coldly.

Of course, in the Black Dragon Clan, where plotting and intrigue were basic lessons, bribery was another excellent negotiating tool. By that measure, Limon's approach was masterful. With a little show of force, he'd gained work and funds to keep Guardian running, plus a supporter—three gains in one stroke. So Wei Ling held her tongue. She was Limon's attendant now. Whatever her personal feelings, her place was to help him, never to stand in his way.

"Can you just hand over work like this? I don't want complaints from the people already doing it." "Oh, that'll be fine, sir. The work in that contract was only being done by subcontractors and temporary staff anyway." Oblivious to Wei Ling's thoughts, Limon and Wang calmly continued discussing the bribe. "Besides, I'd feel more at ease entrusting it to you than to that ragtag lot." "Then why not give me the auditing work too? I can promise you a thorough inspection." "Oh, I couldn't burden the Sword Lord with such menial work. We'll handle the internal audits ourselves, so please leave those to us." "Oh, really?" Wang rubbed his palms together and added that it would be like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. Limon watched him for a moment, then gave a quiet laugh. And then—

CRASH!

"Ghk?!" The brazier cooking the pork belly overturned, and Wang's face slammed into the table. The sudden violence startled not only Wang but even Wei Ling, who had been watching impassively. Limon wasn't surprised. He was the one who had grabbed Wang by the collar and slammed him down without warning.

"S-Sword Lord, sir! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?" "Why?" Limon's eyes flashed. He seized Wang's hair, hauled his struggling head up until their eyes met, and growled, "You fucking bastard. Do I look easy to push around? You think you can toss me a little money and I'll shut up and work as your hired blade?" "Absolutely not, sir!" "Then what's this? You toss me a few contracts that look like table scraps and tell me to stay out of auditing. Huh? You telling the watchdog to know his place?" "Th-that's not..." "Don't give me that shit, you bastard!"

THUD!

"Gwegh!" That was when Limon's spectacular beating began.

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

"You piece of shit! I let you off with a smile when you started performing your little tricks, so you should've stopped there! Who told you to get cocky and forget your place?" "Ugh, ngh, ghk, h-help... Gack!" Limon kicked him, twisted his joints, trampled him, rolled him about, and shook him until he rattled. Wei Ling froze as she watched him batter Wang in dozens, perhaps hundreds of ways, each honed by long experience. But whether she was shaken or not, Limon devoted himself to working over every inch of Wang's body with the care of a craftsman carving a Buddha. Only when there wasn't a sound spot left on Wang from head to toe did he finally stop kicking.

"Whew, fuck. In the old days, I'd have just killed him. I really have mellowed." '...At this point, killing him cleanly might have been kinder.' "Hey, you sneaky little shit. I don't care if you hold a grudge or spend the rest of your life plotting revenge. Just remember one thing." It was a wonder Wang was even alive, but Limon spoke quietly, as if certain he was still conscious. He bent down and brought his mouth close to Wang's ear. His voice was cold as a blade. "Look down on me again, and you die." There was no answer, only a trembling body. But that was enough to make Limon turn away with a satisfied look.

"Oh, and one more thing." Just as he was about to leave, Limon turned back as if something had occurred to him. He picked up the folder lying amid the overturned table, gave it a light shake, and smiled. "I'll gladly take the gift."

* * *

Limon didn't stop there. From companies doing reasonably well, if not quite on Black Dragon Construction's scale, to small businesses with just a single office, he visited every Black Dragon Clan subsidiary he could reach that day and turned it upside down. Their responses varied. Some were caught unaware; others tried to buy him off like Wang, and a few even made a determined stand. But the outcome was the same: Limon smashed up every last one.

"Hmm. Not a bad haul." After roughly half a day of this, Limon finally returned, having wreaked havoc at no fewer than twenty-two subsidiaries. He grinned at the thick stack of documents. "This should keep us in work for a year or so. What do you think?" "I think you're insane." "... You know, smartass, why are you so determined to treat me like I'm sick?" "After what you've done, do you think anyone would call you sane?"

Wei Ling shuddered. She had watched the entire process and knew exactly how the blood had splashed across the thick stack of papers Limon held. She truly couldn't think him sane. "You caused all that mayhem and still took every bribe they offered. What on earth were you thinking?" "Why? Is that a problem?" "Of course it is." If he'd simply taken the bribes and left, they would have gained plenty. But now he'd ruined it. "What clan member in their right mind will give Guardian work after this? You may have forced some contracts out of them for now, but from here on, they'll all avoid us." "Yes, they will."

To her surprise, Limon readily agreed with her sharp assessment. He set down the papers he'd been reading and said, "That's why I did it." "... What nonsense is that?" He gave a quiet chuckle, rested his chin on one hand, and fixed his deep golden eyes on her.

"Listen, smartass. Don't get the wrong idea. Your princess gave it the respectable name Guardian, but what she wants from our company isn't safety and trust." "Then what does she want?" "Fear and anxiety." If Li Qingyu had set up a company devoted solely to security and protection, work would have come to it naturally in time. She had added auditing powers because there was something she wanted to gain through Guardian, a company that was little more than a front. "Don't be absurd. Why would Your Highness deliberately spread fear and anxiety among the clan?" "Wouldn't she?" Limon smiled cynically at Wei Ling's open disbelief. Unlike her, who had no doubt her beloved princess would never harm the clan, Limon had known Li Qingyu's intentions from the start.

From emperors to presidents of powerful nations, there had always been a reason rulers with immense power deliberately created oversight bodies above the law. "Suppose there's a mad dog rampaging for no apparent reason." "..." "What would you do to stop it? Complain to its owner? Or try your hardest to get on the owner's good side?" "...!" Wei Ling's cold gaze wavered. Only then did she understand why Limon had deliberately rampaged like a mad dog, and what he meant when he said Li Qingyu wanted fear and anxiety.

"You'd do well to remember this." Limon smiled coldly at her. "The princess you adore isn't some hothouse flower. She's a schemer and a wielder of power—one even I acknowledge."