VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 358. Encounter with the Enemy (5)
"Yong So-ah does not talk nonsense."
On the road to Kunming, Dang Seo-hui said that.
Then she drooped her shoulders gloomily and asked, "Is being a chivalrous hero foolish?"
The words Yong So-ah had spoken must have been weighing on her mind this whole time.
......Well, Yong So-ah hadn't actually said that.
Ě ǹûm а̀ .i̊ d̊
I naturally took her side and badmouthed Yong So-ah.
"Yong So-ah is the bigger fool, idiot, sea anemone, moron."
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Then, without thinking, I stroked the head of the girl who had gone sulky.
"......"
Dang Seo-hui glared at me with an oddly cold look.
Only then did I realize I'd done something wrong.
Ёnů m a
Sa-ryeon was the same way--women absolutely hated having their hair touched.
But fortunately(?), that wasn't the reason.
"......It's not that bad."
Her eyes had gone cold because my words were off the mark.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Off the mark? I don't think they were......
"Hrmm......"
Еn̄ u̇ m̌ а̊ . id
Contrary to the narrowed gaze--
Her head was already swaying this way and that, as if asking to be petted more.
When I petted her more, she made what sounded almost like a purring noise. Watching her, I turned over the words Yong So-ah had left the previous night.
'Jin So-un. You...... are an uncertainty.'
I still didn't understand.
In the first place, nothing said by a man sitting at the pinnacle of the Righteous Path Association's establishment could sound rational to me.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Hmm......"
Even so, if I tried to understand--
I was probably a "vexing variable" that produced outcomes outside their expectations.
Whether the Righteous Path Association or the Orthodox Path Association, they each had a future they envisioned, and I had been thoroughly demolishing those visions every single time.
In that sense, it might well be accurate that I was an uncertainty they couldn't predict.
My current state was proof enough.
Е n̊_ŭ m̌.а . i d̃
Had I ever imagined, after my regression, that I would become "who I am now"?
Of course, the Azure Dragon Bracelet--that perilously dangerous object--had been tied to me from the start, so my life had been a thousand li from certainty the moment I regressed.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
'But that's not my fault, is it?'
I'd ended up like this because I'd been patching and stitching together everything I lacked just to stay alive. That's all.
"But how come you're the only one who's perfectly fine?"
I had no retort for Hwa Jeong-san's annoying remark.
Ē ǹ ûm̊ӓ
My own condition was telling me that I was an abnormal being beyond even my own predictions.
"No matter how good the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect's treatment was...... you look like a person who was never wounded in the first place."
"......"
The reason the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly had not ultimately sided with Instructor Kang Sun-tak's group at the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect was--
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Because anyone could see our side was in a wretched state from every hardship imaginable.
Even those who'd walked in on their own feet had wound salve smeared all over and cloth wrapped tightly to staunch bleeding.
W̃e bň о́ v̂e l È ńũ mă
But the problem was.
"How is it that your skin alone is as flawless as white jade......?"
"......"
The one who had struggled most and suffered most--me--had not a single wound anywhere on my body.
I had certainly dodged or deflected attacks aimed at vital acupoints and critical spots by the narrowest of margins.
But I had definitely sustained wounds as severe as anyone else's.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Take my right lower abdomen, for one.
I'd conceded a full jang to Je Geum-hak there, leaving a wound as large as a fist.
My left arm, too.
There had definitely been a wound deep enough to expose white bone.
Yes, there had been.
I'd even joked to Sa-ryeon, who had nearly fainted at the sight of my wounds, that "a great scar has marred my silken-smooth skin."
Е̊ nǔm а̊. id̃
Yet all those wounds had healed.
'What in the world is going on?'
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The smaller wounds hadn't left so much as a scar.
The larger ones had mended rapidly, leaving only faint marks.
And from the look of things, even those would vanish without a trace before long.
Of course, leaving no scars was something to be glad about, but this level of monstrous regeneration...... was a bit of a concern.
Е ñu m̆ á
'Fuck...... even I have to admit this is suspicious......'
Something blatantly irrational was happening, so wouldn't anyone want to investigate?
And I already had more than enough other things to be anxious about.
I feigned nonchalance and smiled at Hwa Jeong-san.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"The truth is...... the Taeul True Scripture's wound-healing formula is the greatest under heaven."
"......"
Е̄ ň u m а̄
Hwa Jeong-san stared at me with eyes that said he didn't believe a word of it.
So I went on the offensive instead.
Well, the best defense is a good offense, as they say.
"Surely you don't still think, as in the past, that a third-rate sect like the Taeul Sect shouldn't have an impressive divine art...... is that it?"
Hwa Jeong-san, who had a past sin on that count, predictably put on a troubled expression.
That's right, and even if you are suspicious, what are you going to do about it?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Wh-What are you...... ahem, did anyone say anything? I just asked because it was strange."
As always, strong-arming someone into acceptance was faster than actual persuasion. A truth unchanged through the ages.
Carrying a host of unresolved problems, we arrived in Kunming.
And as though Yong So-ah's words had latched onto me like a curse, yet another unexpected event occurred.
"Jin So-un. I am placing you under emergency arrest pursuant to the statutes governing insubordination and espionage."
I had expected some trouble when we arrived at the Kunming branch.
Ẃе́b̆n̆ оv е̃l̈ E n úm̊ á
I'd thought Kang Sun-tak and his cohorts might be there, and I'd anticipated that Kunming branch personnel with connections to them would try to strong-arm us.
But.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
'The Execution Pavilion?'
The instructors, Kang Sun-tak included, were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, those who introduced themselves as Execution Pavilion agents were trying to arrest me.
Meeting people who were hard to encounter even within the Murim Alliance, in a place this far-flung.
W̆ ѐb n̈ о v́ е̄ĺ Е̇n ú m̄а̂
I was so overjoyed I could cry.
But they didn't seem to share the sentiment.
"Restrain him!"
At the man who had spoken to me with the severity of a death sentence, the others behind him moved in unison, reaching to seal my acupoints.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
I immediately blocked their hands.
TAP. TAP-TAP.
W̄ еb́ n о̂_v̀е l̂ Ѐ ńŭm ӑ
Perhaps because I'd blocked them rather roughly, or because a mere academy student had dared to stop them--
Their expressions turned vicious.
"This little shit!"
"Hold still!!"
They acted as though they held absolute authority over me.
I regarded their ugly faces without emotion.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Do you have an arrest warrant?"
"Hah......"
The Execution Pavilion agents broke into incredulous laughter.
Through that laughter, the voice of the one who had ordered my arrest continued.
"You are suspected of having committed a serious crime. Therefore, emergency arrest can be conducted without a warrant."
"Was this at Instructor Kang Sun-tak's behest?"
W̃е b́n̊о̆ v́è l Е̇ n̊ ũm̆а̌
I looked at the man who appeared to be the leader.
He seemed around the same age as Instructor No and Instructor Kang.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The crease between his brows hinted that he could not entirely deny my words.
If he'd been moved to act at Instructor Kang's request, he was almost certainly a fellow classmate from their academy days.
"Hmm......"
Estimating him as roughly Captain-ranked, I consulted the roster in my head.
W еb n о̆v̀ ӗl .Ê ǹu m̂ а̌
There was exactly one match.
"Captain Na Jak-chung."
"......"
The face that had kept its composure even when I'd probed his inner workings crumbled for a rare instant.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
An expression full of questions about how I could possibly know him.
But true to an Execution Pavilion agent who believed showing emotion meant showing weakness, he quickly returned to his stony face.
E ñu m a .îd
"You're coming from the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect, yes? It has already been confirmed that you lodged there and received their hospitality. Do you think any further evidence is needed?"
Words were terrifying things, truly--depending on how you interpreted them, anything could change.
It was true that we had lodged at the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect, and considering the meals, the treatment, and even the small banquet--
The claim that we had received their "hospitality" was not exactly false.
Why hadn't Kang Sun-tak positioned himself here in the first place?
His absence meant he had gone ahead to the Murim Alliance to lay groundwork while simultaneously erasing any traces of outside pressure.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The fact that they were still confident they wouldn't fall was almost worthy of applause.
Bravo, Kang Sun-tak. Truly.
Their faces when they finally realized they were going down would certainly be worth watching.
Even if everything was eventually cleared up and things resolved favorably, I had no intention of letting myself be hauled away by the Execution Pavilion.
Establishing the truth would take considerable time, and the Execution Pavilion's basement wouldn't be much different from the Execution Pavilion's cells.
Besides, I had a way to make Na Jak-chung back off right now.
W̆ е b́ñо̊ v е́l̃ Е́ n̆ ǔm а̄
"Sigh...... honestly."
I'd just finished sorting my thoughts and was about to speak when--
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
"What kind of nonsense is this!!!"
A thunderous Lion's Roar shook the entire Kunming branch.
"Emergency arrest of Unit Leader Jin......!! This is absolutely outrageous!!!"
Standing there was Il-gak, his bare scalp burning redder than iron fresh from the forge.
Ênü mȧ . ǐ d
"We suffered catastrophic losses in the Black Forest. Requesting aid from the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect was a last resort. To slap espionage charges on us based on surface-level facts without even investigating the circumstances...... does that even begin to make sense?!"
Il-gak was far more agitated than usual.
What's with him......?
While I was tilting my head--
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Il-gak is right. This is clearly an unconscionable measure. If you intend to arrest Unit Leader Jin......"
Cheol Sun-jik stepped in front of me, wearing an expression cold enough to kill.
Ĕ n u m̆_а . і̀d
"You'll have to arrest everyone here."
What's with him now?
Before I could even register my surprise--
CLANG—!
"Instructor Kang's confession has already been obtained. There's nothing more to hear."
This time it was Namgung Seon-hwa who drew her sword and stepped forward.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The atmosphere turned grave in an instant.
Wait, why is everyone--
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, so--
"Fuck......! Do you even know what we went through in the Black Forest? How dare you brand us spies?"
CRACK--
Nam Hwa-seong and Gwak Su-san of the Zhongnan Sect.
W è b̌_nо̌ v̄ е l Е̃ǹ ùm̈.â
"We will protect the Unit Leader."
Then Dang Gi-han of the Tang Clan and Wang Jo-eun of the Yuwol Sect.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Every last one of them radiated a ferocious aura as though ready to go to war.
"The Unit Leader is the person who threw himself into the front lines for us. Framing such a man as a spy is the same as branding all of us spies!"
"The ones you should be arresting are those instructor bastards! The damned bastards who abandoned us in the Black Forest!!"
"After barely surviving and making it back...... this is how you treat us?!"
Ēṅ u ḿа̄
The academy students were seething as though this were the first unjust accusation they had ever faced.
Before the full-blown intensity of the students, now blazing with fervor, the Alliance members faltered and stepped back.
The Execution Pavilion agents found themselves confronting a situation they had never anticipated, and were clearly at a loss.
They could never have imagined the entire body of academy students would resist this fiercely.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
To be fair, even I was dumbfounded.
In any case, the atmosphere had shifted dramatically in our favor.
Е nŭ m̆ а ..і́ d
I looked at Na Jak-chung and smiled.
"You must be quite close to Instructor Kang Sun-tak. To stake your own neck on his account."
"......"
Na Jak-chung was maintaining a blank expression, but perhaps because I had just faced Yong So-ah--
The micro-movements and shifts in his facial muscles conveyed far richer emotion.
Like a man whose bluff had been called, precisely.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Could it be that you haven't heard the full story?"
"The full...... story?"
"What do you think has put these academy students in this state?"
At my words, Na Jak-chung's gaze swept over to the students.
They were radiating fierce energy, but most could barely stand properly.
I surveyed the academy students one by one and began to explain in a low voice.
W e b n о̇v̆ е̃l̃ E n um а
"We were attacked in the Black Forest. Kang Sun-tak and the other instructors abandoned us students and fled. People whose duty it was to protect the students."
"......"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Na Jak-chung's face twitched almost imperceptibly.
"They are using you to cover up their own mistakes."
"......"
"If it comes to light that you exercised authority over a case where the responsibility was misattributed......"
W̌.е b̄ n̂ о̊ v̄е.l̊ Е̂ n̂ u m̆а
I took one step closer to Na Jak-chung.
"A simple apology won't be the end of it."
The Execution Pavilion's own Ak Byeong-bi had already been disciplined for overstepping his authority, hadn't he?
Even so, Na Jak-chung could not easily back down here.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Admitting his mistake and acknowledging his shame before younger juniors was never an easy thing to do.
"......Do you have evidence of the attackers?"
Е̊ň.ù m̌ á
He seemed to be looking for justification to retreat.
Hmm. I wanted to play along, but we had no tangible evidence to present.
"If you killed that many enemies, shouldn't you have brought something back?"
We'd been breaking our backs just transporting the wounded.
Naturally, there had been no time to gather evidence.
And we could hardly re-enter the Black Forest on the way here to collect some.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
What if those lunatics were still there?
Then.
A clear voice rang from the entrance of the branch.
"What the academy students say is the truth."
At that voice, carrying an almost ethereal fragrance--
The academy students, who had been brimming with fierce resolve, went slack-jawed and stepped back of their own accord.
Е nŭm̄а̂. і́ d̆
Through the gap they created, a handsome man in a blue martial arts uniform--
"I have brought evidence."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
--the supremely unwelcome Yong So-ah approached with stately steps, a large bundle slung over his back.
CLATTER.
When he undid the bundle and spilled its contents onto the ground--
Several weapons, broken armaments, and severed, decomposing body parts tumbled out in a heap.
W е̇ b nо̃ v̄ еl̊ Е n̄ û m а
"Fierce battle traces remained throughout the Black Forest. And the iron used in the enemy's weapons is horn iron, a material rarely used in the Central Plains."
"......You went to the Black Forest?"
"I judged it necessary to inspect the site."
"......"
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The Execution Pavilion agents wore looks of utter confusion.
The academy students, too, began murmuring, unsure what was happening.
Е́ nu.m̂ а
They were half-skeptical that he had gone into that Black Forest alone in the first place.
But.
"Hah......"
The most confused of all was none other than me.
'What the hell is this bastard?'
Just days ago, the same man had been spouting bizarre things and trying to kill me.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"His account is the truth."
And now he was clearing my charges.
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
