Chapter 166 - Blood Sea Spreading in Sichuan (2)

"Daaaamn it!"

The reason I despised the higher-ups of the Murim Alliance in my past life wasn't simply due to my inferiority complex.

The hypocrisy of the established powers wasn't a matter of a day or two, and competent people coveting power wasn't a recent development either.

The problem was that the incompetence of those bastards caused harm to me.

The Minor Orthodox Unit belonging to the White Wolf Pavilion, where lower-class warriors were gathered.

Not even the main force of the Murim Alliance.

Not even a proper squad.

Just a mere side branch.

Their incompetence reached even down to me.

Those bastards gave orders, and we just followed them.

They were the ones without ability, but we were the ones dying.

In fact, with this level of incompetence, it was safe to consider them Demonic Cult spies.

The reason I was fighting desperately against the established powers in my current life was because I hoped this kind of shitty situation wouldn't happen again.

Rather than seeing my junior siblings and comrades return as corpses once again because of the stupid orders of the higher-ups.

It was to the point where I thought it would be better to throw myself into the Demonic Cult and smash the Murim Alliance with my own hands.

'They really are incredible bastards.'

The Orthodox Council members of the Council of Elders had led the Nine Sects and One Gang and headed to Sichuan.

In the midst of this, as withdrawals from the Orthodox Council accelerated due to the Soul-Extinguishing Array incident, they must have wanted to pull those without affiliations into the Orthodox Council, because they scraped together everyone left at the academy and headed to Sichuan.

"They really are incredible bastards."

Even though I blocked and blocked them to stop them from doing such stupid shit, they squeezed through the gaps to pull off their stupid shit.

Let's say the Orthodox Council dying off in Sichuan couldn't be helped.

Right, because that was what you bastards chose, and it's your disciples who will die!

How could I possibly stop you from destroying yourselves with such foolish actions?

But, god damn it.

Why did you have to take Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan with you!!!

I absolutely couldn't tolerate them causing such widespread collateral damage.

In my past life, Moyong Jaehwa was the figure who held off the Demonic Cult for a long time during the Murim Alliance's period of great retreat, and Eun Seollan was the person who laid the foundation for the Murim Alliance to establish a foothold in the North Sea in the future.

If my plans failed and this current life also turned into a Demonic Path era just like my past life, those two people were the last hope that would at least maintain the spirit of the Orthodox faction Murim.

Setting aside the fact that they were precious younger siblings to me.

Those bastards were essentially using the deed to the house—the final bastion left by our ancestors—as kindling to spin up a game of fireplay.

Considering the tragic future, even if I set fire to the entire Murim Alliance right now and burned down all its pavilions, the damage would be less than those two people dying.

'Ah! I'm itching to throw myself into the Demonic Cult.'

Suppressing my frustration, the first place I ran to was Buk Wonpyeong's office.

"The Academy Director is currently away on a trip."

Perhaps because I was so agitated, I had even forgotten that I had sent him to the Taiyi Sect.

In the first place, if Buk Wonpyeong had been at the academy, he would have stopped the Orthodox Council from moving.

"Young Master Jin, are you okay?"

Seong Moran asked in a worried tone.

"..."

Am I okay? I wasn't okay at all.

The reason the casualties were so heavy in Sichuan was partly because the academy students weren't prepared for the evil arts of the heterodox path, but the biggest reason was their lax squad operations.

Under that insane operation of dividing into ten groups to search for the culprits, the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult swallowed up the academy students with their mouths wide open, like waiting for persimmons to drop from a tree.

Assuming the command structure wasn't any different from back then, the reality was that I first had to find out which of those ten squads Eun Seollan and Moyong Jaehwa were in.

"Among the information I received recently from Haomun, there was talk that the beings appearing in Sichuan are not ordinary."

My party flinched in surprise at my words.

Since they were people who had encountered the Demonic Cult in the past, their tension was on another level.

"Then... then... we have to stop them."

At Seong Moran's words, Namgung Seonhwa shook her head.

"There's no way they will listen to us, Unnie."

Seong Moran's eyes shot up fiercely.

"Why did those bastards take our innocent younger siblings with them!"

I barely managed to stop Seong Moran, who looked ready to draw her sword and rush to Sichuan right that instant.

"The most urgent matter right now is figuring out where Jaehwa and Seollan are."

It would be a different story if those bastards willingly shared the squad formation information, but as if they would.

I would have to search for them myself until the soles of my feet sweat, but that was impossible to do alone.

It would be better to just nullify the event itself.

Right, the event itself into nothingness...

"... Huh?"

"Why? Do you have a good idea?"

"There seems to be... a way."

"What kind of way?"

If that side used an expedient, then this side just needed to use an expedient too.

"It won't be a perfect solution, but we should be able to save the two of them."

The Murim Academy belonged to the Mantong Bureau.

If the Academy Director was absent, the person in charge of the Mantong Bureau would command the Murim Academy.

In that case, the story was simple: all we needed was a prohibition order for the event from the Mantong Bureau.

'Of course, it won't be easy.'

Zhuge Somyeong was already receiving severe checks from the Council of Elders as it was.

It was only natural that he wouldn't want to engage in a war of nerves with them.

In that case, I needed to at least get an order that would allow us to rescue Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan.

And I had to take at least my party members to go and save them.

I couldn't afford to delay, so I immediately went to the Murim Alliance's Mantong Bureau.

"Hm? What brings you here?"

Maeng Ju-won of the Mantong Bureau still had something like dark soot smudged around his eyes.

"Where is the Chief Strategist?"

Despite my urgent question, Maeng Ju-won still wore a blank expression.

"The Chief Strategist? He went to his family home a short while ago."

"What?"

Where would a man serving as the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist find the time to go home! And why now of all times!

"The standard exams are over, after all. He took a vacation for the first time in nearly a year. Do you have some business with him?"

The Mantong Bureau's command structure was simpler than expected, so the position left vacant by the Chief Strategist fell to the next rank.

Which meant the current head of the Mantong Bureau was,

"Manager Maeng Ju-won."

It meant it was this pitiful Maeng Ju-won right in front of me.

"Currently, academy students have gone out for an event without even receiving approval from the academy representative."

"... Hmm, is that so?"

"This is an incident that violates the strict alliance rules of the Murim Alliance."

Maeng Ju-won was still relaxed.

"Of course it is. But didn't the Council of Elders tag along for that event? Don't you know that by custom, things like this are just overlooked? Why the sudden fuss?"

Maeng Ju-won spoke with the expression of a public official who had been worn down so much there was nothing left to wear down.

"I understand how you feel. You probably hate seeing the old men from the Council of Elders step up at this point. But what can you do? There are just some things you have to unavoidably let slide."

"..."

"Moreover, can't you see it? Those old geezers proceeded with the matter swiftly and decisively while the Chief Strategist was away from his seat. It means they were aiming for this from the start."

Not knowing the severity of the situation, Maeng Ju-won patted my shoulder.

"It's something that can't be helped. Just close your eyes tight and let it pass this time. You can just flatten their noses with a different event after they return."

No, that wasn't the problem.

Our kids were going to die.

"Then could you at least write an order to return Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seollan, who were forcibly mobilized for that event, to the academy?"

"Huh?"

"It's because I do not want those two to participate in that event."

"..."

Maeng Ju-won put down the documents he was holding and stared intently into my eyes.

"What scheme are you planning?"

"Pardon?"

"It's just an event they went on like a trip anyway. They'll return on their own as time passes. If they are your people, participating in that event doesn't mean they'll become their people, right?"

Argh, how frustrating.

I couldn't just spill everything about the Blood Cult appearing in Sichuan either.

"... I'm doing it because I'm worried they'll be tainted by the bad influence of the Orthodox Council."

"..."

Maeng Ju-won fixed his blank expression, glared at me, and then shook his head.

"I can't."

"Pardon?"

"Didn't I say I can't. Go back."

"No, why not?"

"Didn't I tell you. This event is one that the old men of the Council of Elders planned themselves. If I interfere with their event, would a mere alliance member like me be able to endure it?"

Maeng Ju-won picked up his documents again and turned his back on me.

Was that really how it was?

Asking Maeng Ju-won to deal with a group that even Zhuge Somyeong was reluctant to cross was no different from telling a lower-class warrior to face the Heavenly Demon Black Sword Squad.

"... It would have been so nice if you had just listened to my words earlier."

Huh?

Did I hear that wrong?

"What did you just say?"

"... What do you mean?"

"Didn't you just say something like, 'If you had just listened to my words earlier...'?"

Maeng Ju-won tapped the innocent documents with his finger.

"... Why are you eavesdropping on my talking to myself?"

What do you mean talking to yourself, I thought someone was speaking right into my eardrum.

"... What is it that you want?"

Maeng Ju-won's pupils began to shake violently.

It was a look like the Traceless Divine Thief standing before gold and silver treasures, unable to control his hands and ready to snatch the jewels.

"A-Ahem. What do you mean, want something. I have no such thing."

L-Look at him. He's going to tear all those documents at this rate.

He was trying hard to turn his head away, but somehow his eyeballs were staring straight at me.

Seeing his eyeballs roll back that far, he might even be able to see the back of his own head if he tried hard enough.

"If you tell me what you want, I'll think about it."

"Aheeeem!"

Maeng Ju-won, who had been clearing his throat for a while as if he had phlegm stuck in it, opened his mouth.

"Come on both of your two days off, and on two of the weekdays, come to the Mantong Bureau after your academy schedule is over."

"..."

What the? Did he finally go crazy from working too much?

"What do you want me to do at the Mantong Bureau?"

"What else, I'm telling you to learn the work in advance and practice."

Why would I do that?

"I won't do it."

"Then it will be difficult for me to write that order for you too."

"..."

I stared blankly at Maeng Ju-won.

He was pretending to be calm, but his toes were trembling tap-tap-tap.

He was acting as uninterested as possible, but he looked worried that he might miss this chance.

Novice gamblers holding a decently good hand always looked exactly like that.

I stood up from my seat.

"Understood."

Maeng Ju-won's eyes rapidly widened.

"I'll just have to be absent without leave and go get them."

"Eh? Don't you know that being absent without leave can be grounds for expulsion?"

"I know. I'll just finish my mandatory service and return to my sect."

"Without staying in the Murim Alliance?"

"I am a person who is very thirsty for wealth and glory. If I become an officer, I might pass through the Mantong Bureau for a promotion, but if I'm not an officer, there's no reason for me to stay in the Murim Alliance."

"..."

"I apologize for taking up your time. I'll be going then."

I said that and took a step outside.

Maeng Ju-won hurriedly grabbed my sleeve.

"Ehe, this guy! Why are you so impatient! Fine! Just come on your two days off."

To think he was trying to extort me, someone who used to run fraudulent gambles among the Minor Orthodox Unit thugs.

"One day of my time off. I will come, handle the work perfectly, and return."

"Fine! While you are learning the work, two days. Once I think you've learned everything, I'll make it one day. I can't concede any further either."

Maeng Ju-won abruptly turned his body back around as if issuing a threat.

I fell into thought for a moment.

Blowing one day of my sweet time off was regrettable, but conversely, considering I could use the Mantong Bureau to mess with the disobedient Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Noble Clans, it wasn't necessarily a bad deal.

"Alright. Then please be sure to write the cancellation order for the event run by the Orthodox Council..."

"Good! Along with that, I just need to issue an arrest warrant for the Council of Elders' anti-alliance activities, right?"

Maeng Ju-won was excitedly rummaging through the documents before I even finished speaking.

Wait, didn't you just say you couldn't endure it as a mere bureau member?

"... A cancellation order for the event is plenty."

"Hmm... true, if I turned all of the Nine Sects and One Gang into my enemies, it would be hard to preserve my own life."

"..."

"Ah right, hey. Then do you not need warriors? How about around a hundred elite warriors? With their level, they should be able to threaten them and put a stop to the event, right?"

As if to show off the power of the Mantong Bureau, Maeng Ju-won brought out all sorts of documents by type.

"..."

Just what was with this person? Did he have nothing to lose?

In any case, there were no normal people in the Murim Alliance.

* * *

When I handed the Mantong Bureau's exit passes and the event cancellation order to the academy, the administrators and drill instructors expressed their reluctance.

From their perspective, it was an absurd situation for the representative and the representative's officer group to all state they were going out as soon as the second academic term had begun.

But what could they do, this side had an order from the Mantong Bureau.

If they didn't want to face a situation like this in the first place, they shouldn't have listened to the Council of Elders' opinions either.

"Just how did you get something like this from the Mantong Bureau?"

Namgung Seonhwa examined the order several times as if she couldn't believe it.

"There is a... sad story behind that."

My day off got blown away.

I looked at my party and asked.

"I brought the order, but there's a chance the Council of Elders might ignore even this. Those who are uncomfortable with this situation may sit this out. ... Uh, Eunho over there, stay put. Unless you want to get hit. The Taiyi Sect automatically participates."

I spoke in consideration of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, but the two women's responses were fierce.

"What kind of nonsense is that! We have to bring them back even if we have to wage a battle."

"In the first place, we must not forgive anyone who disobeys an order from the Mantong Bureau."

I couldn't help but smile at the proactive attitudes of the two of them.

"Good. Let's get ready right away then."

The preparations finished quickly.

We grabbed our weapons and emergency rations and gathered in one place.

"First, everyone take one of these."

I handed out a small leather pouch to each person individually.

The ones who were maintaining their swords received the items, looked at the contents, and asked.

"I know what the signal flare is, but it's a necklace and a talisman?"

The necklace was made of the white fragrance jade I had entrusted to Jang Dowon.

Since the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult was still a branch of the Demonic Cult in its own right, they used sinister arts that disrupted one's upright mind.

Just like demonic qi, if exposed to it for a long time, not only would it damage one's upright mind, but it would also leave lasting aftereffects, potentially causing one to live their whole life seeing illusions.

Rather than directly blocking the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult's attacks, we needed to pay more attention to not falling victim to their sinister arts.

It was lacking compared to the Tangmaryeongju, but it would at least be better than continuously reciting the Demon-Subduing Mantra like a madman.

"The talisman is the Mount Heng Sect's Demon-Subduing Talisman. You can use it to guard against any unpredictable wicked paths and heterodox paths."

Namgung Seonhwa looked at the talisman with an appalled expression.

"A talisman from the Mount Heng Sect is incredibly expensive..."

"We can't have a situation where we set out to save someone, only to end up getting hurt ourselves, can we?"

* * *

When we finished all of our preparations for departure like that.

The personnel sent by Maeng Ju-won arrived at the academy.

"..."

I couldn't close my mouth when I saw their faces.

"I am Gu Jeongryong, the Seungho Hall Leader."

Since Maeng Ju-won said he would send an appropriate amount, I thought it would be something like the Black Fog Pavilion or Red Peak Pavilion.

'This man really just went all out.'

It was none other than Seungho Hall.

The strike force within the Azure Dragon Pavilion most heavily optimized for offense.

He had sent the very people who would appear if the Underworld factions invaded the Murim Alliance.

Was he telling me to go have a brawl with the Council of Elders?

'Wait, in the first place, was that a position that could move just because a Mantong Bureau Manager told them to move?'

Even Chief Strategist Zhuge Somyeong carefully weighed the interests of each faction before dispatching them.

Of course, considering the fact that I might have to deal with the Corpse Mountain Blood Cult and the Council of Elders simultaneously, Seungho Hall coming was a good thing; it certainly wasn't something to dislike.

The problem was the concern over whether they would actually listen to my words.

"You're moving to Sichuan?"

Gu Jeongryong's expression looked serious.

No matter if they received a dispatch order from the Mantong Bureau, they surely wouldn't want to listen to the orders of a junior academy student.

"Yes."

"How will you handle the squad formation?"

"We will determine the locations of the academy students out in Sichuan and move all at once."

"... We are a group primarily filled with those who possess strong martial arts. You know that, right?"

"We will handle the search. Hall Leader, you just need to assist us in enforcing the order."

"Are you telling us to just stand by and then face off against the Council of Elders?"

"Would that be difficult?"

"... If it's an order from the Alliance, we must follow it."

Oh? Is he quite reasonable?

"However, I will leave all responsibility, including the command, to you."

"..."

So he was saying he wouldn't take responsibility. I should have known.

From my perspective, this was actually a welcome situation.

Because engaging in a war of nerves with Seungho Hall in the middle of all this would be a massive loss.

We still lacked personnel, but it wasn't to the point of being completely unusable.

The most important thing was delivering the Mantong Bureau's order to the Council of Elders over there, thereby establishing the justification to cancel the event.

A lack of martial prowess was merely a secondary issue.

Without anyone having to prompt the other, we rapidly began to move.

We crossed the massive campus of the Murim Academy and reached the academy's main gate.

Just then, there was a voice calling out to me from one side.

"Representative Jin Sowoon."

"..."

Someone I was never glad to see approached.

"I'm busy, what is it?"

I radiated a heavy aura of discomfort, but the person who sought me out acted relaxed.

As expected, they were people I didn't like.

"It seemed the academy representative was planning something, so I came to check."

"This is a matter that has nothing to do with the Twelve Peaks and Castles, so please return."

Cheol Sunjik continued speaking with his smooth, oily face.

"Still, couldn't you at least listen to my story for a moment?"

"... Story?"

He was definitely grabbing onto a busy person like this because I hadn't cracked his head open during the standard exam.

If his head got cracked open just once, he wouldn't dare grab a busy person so carelessly.

I stared at the guy, fully prepared to crack his head open this time if it turned out to be useless nonsense.

But then,

"Would it be alright if we moved together with you, Representative?"

"..."

Cheol Sunjik wore a smile with unknown intentions.