novelraw Chapter 166 : Like Family
Chapter 166 : Like Family
Chapter 166: Like Family
Il Hyehyang, Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Pavilion, processed and refined the information sent by the Rogues’ Guild operatives, shaping it into something useful.
And Ju Osan, Pavilion Master of the Shadow Pavilion, tracked targets, carried out assassinations, and served as the guild’s blade.
Due to the clandestine nature of their decentralized organization, intimate relationships between Pavilion Masters were strictly forbidden—but the two were secretly involved.
Just as people had once whispered that the new Guild Leader of the Rogues’ Guild was having a secret affair.
‘What could I do? I fell for him at first sight.’
And so, the two pillars of the Rogues’ Guild—information and force—had become one.
Within the shifting dynamics of the Rogues’ Guild, events had taken a turn in the very direction Guild Leader Black Diagnosis Bird had most feared.
“Changing allegiances, you say… Hyangmae, I’ll need a bit more explanation.”
Despite his youthful age, Ju Osan, with a thick beard, looked at Il Hyehyang and continued.
“What more explanation do you need? You, of all people, should understand.”
They were people who had already once replaced a Guild Leader. This sort of scheme was nothing new to them.
“...I do understand. But you, who despise gambling, making such a proposal—it’s surprising. Just who are you suggesting we switch to?”
Unless she had firm belief in something, there was no way she would make such a suggestion.
Knowing Il Hyehyang’s nature well, Ju Osan pressed her to spill the information she was hiding.
“The current Guild Leader, Black Diagnosis Bird, seems to lack even the official seal of the Rogues’ Guild. He lacks legitimacy and trust as well, doesn’t he?”
“Ah, yes. Not a single word of that is wrong.”
Ju Osan nodded, agreeing vehemently.
All Black Diagnosis Bird had was his own martial prowess, a shadowy way of stabbing people in the back, and his ability to rule through fear.
It was no wonder that, just a few years after the coup, many operatives of the Rogues’ Guild were becoming restless.
“But what if someone possessing both the legitimacy and the seal to command the Upper and Lower Spirits, and who also has outstanding abilities, were to rise as the Guild Leader?”
“...That would be ideal, of course. But does such a person even exist?”
There was no way a talent that perfect would just drop from the sky one day.
Seeing Ju Osan’s skepticism, Il Hyehyang glanced around cautiously before beginning to speak.
“The only bloodline of the previous Guild Leader, Hong Gakjan, disappeared years ago with the seal in hand. But no trace of her was ever found.”
At those words, Ju Osan’s expression stiffened—something had clearly come to mind.
“Hyangmae, you don’t mean...”
“That’s right. Hong Geum, the former Deputy Guild Leader. I’ve had contact with her—she’s alive and well.”
“...!”
Ju Osan’s eyes widened at her confession—she had met the very person the entire Rogues’ Guild was desperately searching for.
If Black Diagnosis Bird ever found out, he would immediately dispatch the Assassination Squad. Their heads could roll in an instant.
“She said she would someday reclaim the Rogues’ Guild. Her will to return was burning bright.”
The former Deputy Guild Leader of the Rogues’ Guild—possessing exceptional martial talent and scholarly intellect, and a brilliant mind that never forgot anything she’d seen once.
Surely, the tragedy of that day and the deaths of her family were still vivid in her memory.
Ju Osan recalled the girl he once protected long ago.
“But still… she’s alone, isn’t she? I doubt she could overturn the current tide, Hyangmae.”
Black Diagnosis Bird had many followers, drawn by the rewards and influence he offered.
Though their support wasn’t rooted in loyalty—meaning they could turn on him at any time—his power was still formidable.
“She’s no longer alone. She seems to have gathered her own faction.”
“Oh…? What kind of faction?”
Surprise flickered through the Shadow Pavilion Master’s eyes.
“A small one, but it appears to consist of young elites.”
“Hm, young elites… They may be full of spirit, but probably lack experience.”
At Ju Osan’s concern, Il Hyehyang, who knew their capabilities intimately, gave a meaningful smile.
“They’re not only spirited. Their level is already at Peak Mastery. Their growth rate is on par with the likes of the Cheongun Sword, said to be the next best in the world.”
“What? You’re saying they’ve already reached Peak Mastery… in their teens?”
Even with the full support and instruction of a renowned clan, reaching Peak Mastery in one’s twenties was rare.
Truly, the Central Plains was vast, and talent was abundant. Ju Osan, a master himself, couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“Yes. And that Peak Master even commands another Peak Master wanderer as his subordinate.”
To command such a high-level martial artist—someone who would be treated as a guest of honor anywhere—was no small feat.
“...Good grief. I can hardly believe it.”
Two Peak Masters siding with the former Deputy Guild Leader—Ju Osan felt faint at the thought.
Even if the Shadow Pavilion was relatively weak in information, missing such a critical development entirely was shocking.
“I’m not surprised you didn’t know. These masters only recently reached such levels and began making a name for themselves.”
Which meant they possessed incredible talent and growth.
If they continued at this pace, they could reach the realm of Blazing Flame within a dozen years.
That would be tantamount to regaining the seal of the Upper and Lower Spirits.
At this point, Ju Osan couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He knew better than anyone the pride and aloofness of such masters.
“Why would someone that exceptional help a penniless former Deputy Guild Leader? All she has is legitimacy—and reclaiming power would require a brutal, bloody conflict.”
In short, why would someone with two Peak Masters under him bother to help a woman with little chance of restoring her position—especially when it would mean getting caught up in bloodshed?
“That master…”
“That master?”
“He’s completely smitten with Deputy Guild Leader Hong Geum. He’d do anything she asks.”
“Ah… So that’s it.”
Recalling the beauty the young Deputy Guild Leader possessed even as a child, Ju Osan immediately understood.
By now, that beauty must’ve blossomed fully, like a spring flower. It was enough to steal any man’s heart.
“Love, huh? That could indeed move even a master with empty pockets. Now it all makes sense.”
Ju Osan nodded repeatedly in understanding.
They had the makings of a powerful ally, and now he understood why Il Hyehyang placed such high hopes on them.
“Yes, it’s love. They say their bond is as strong as ours.”
“...I see.”
Once a man falls in love, he’s all but in the woman’s grasp.
And if it was Hong Geum, known for her brilliance since childhood, there was no doubt she had him completely in her hands by now.
“I’ll seriously consider your proposal.”
“Please do. Black Diagnosis Bird doesn’t look kindly upon us. It’s best to prepare for any situation.”
“...Understood.”
Some time ago, a secret conversation between Ilhong and Pavilion Master Il Hyehyang in the basement of the Honghwa Brothel—
An innocent misunderstanding born from that exchange had snowballed over time, and now, it was beginning to stir a subtle but ominous wind of change within the Rogues’ Guild.
***
Even deep into the night, the humidity and heat didn’t let up—a sweltering midsummer.
“Ilhong, I love you.”
I gulped down from a water bottle just taken from the cool storage and tossed out my thanks without even turning my head.
“Please, could you at least sound like you mean it?”
From beside me came Ilhong’s snorting laughter, clearly not buying my over-the-top expression one bit.
But really, words aren’t something you can stuff with soul and spirit to begin with.
“If I did, it’d be a crime.”
I replied while chugging down the rest of the water.
“Wait, why would that be a crime?”
“There’s just... stuff like that.”
Still, the cool water made me feel alive again. I’d just finished running around the training grounds in this tropical night heat, and my whole body had been burning like metal from the intense training.
“Anyway, Ilhong. The fact that you’re here at the training grounds means you want to train too—huh?”
I turned to return the bottle and strike up conversation, only to be stunned breathless by what I saw.
My face blanked out in shock.
“Hey, you—what are you… suddenly…?”
“What about me?”
“You’re dressed like a woman from head to toe… I mean, why’d you stop cross-dressing?”
Right before my eyes, she gently undid the ponytail she usually wore.
Her long, tied-up black hair unraveled, revealing the delicate features that had been hidden beneath.
Even her clothes clung softly to her form—perhaps she’d removed the cotton padding—and she had taken off the human-skin mask, revealing a slender jawline and a graceful figure.
Not a pretty boy, but a mysterious beauty beneath the moonlight—a true 月下美人.
“I just felt stifled… and it’s late at night. No one usually comes to the training grounds at this hour…”
I wasn’t sure what wind blew through her tonight, but something had clearly changed in her mood.
I had sensed something was off ever since the office.
“So… how do I look?”
She twirled once, dressed in the flowing silk garments favored by girls her age, and asked shyly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… me, as a proper young lady.”
She said she was a proper young lady, but the tips of her ears were flushed red, and she stammered her words.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her question.
“No matter how I look at it… ‘proper young lady’ doesn’t quite fit.”
That phrase was more for people like Juwol-a or Princess Peach Blossom. Ahem.
“You jerk…!”
Trying to act all grown-up didn’t suit her at all—and she immediately flared up at my comment.
She stormed over and started smacking my shoulder like usual—lightly at first, then harder.
“Still, gotta admit. You’re pretty when you dress up. I can see why boys your age might go crazy for you.”
“…You are a boy my age. What are you even saying?”
She frowned and grumbled, clearly annoyed at the way I kept acting like the adult.
“I mean, I’m kinda… you know…”
It had always been like this. We grew up together in the orphanage, tangled up like family.
So I couldn’t see those who’d leaned on me like siblings—like a younger sister—as anything else, even when we grew up.
I didn’t know why. It was just the way it was.
“…Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Huh?”
But then, a woman who seemed deeply offended by my words stood trembling in front of me.
She’d taken the time to dress up and come out so beautifully at night—only for my response to make her clench her fists, shaking.
“Hey, why are you suddenly like this?”
A subordinate and comrade who had shared the ups and downs of back-alley life since childhood.
Even Ilhong, who’d once made me feel something close to brother-in-arms loyalty, now looked at me like I’d betrayed her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Captain. I… I’m never going to accept that.”
She seemed emotionally shaken.
She opened her mouth to speak, lips quivering as if she had something to say—but in the end, she couldn’t get a word out and ran off the training grounds.
I just stood there, dumbfounded, until her footsteps faded into the distance.
“…Hmm.”
I guess you could say I’d stepped on a landmine.
Girls that age were known for their emotional swings, sure, but still… getting caught up in them like this left me a bit flustered.
‘Idiot (笨蛋)…’
Even the usually silent Salseong muttered something for once.
I stood there scratching my cheek awkwardly.
Then, a voice suddenly spoke from the shadows.
“Mujin, you’re quite the popular one.”
Standing above the training grounds, with a broadsword slung across her back, was the Tiger of Mount Sung—Jo Harang—grinning slyly.
“I told you not to come to the Eunseong Trading Company, didn’t I?”
Normally she’d be holed up in the office, and once Hwang Geolgae started showing up there, I’d intentionally sent her away…
And yet here she was, Jami-seong, having clawed her way into the Eunseong Trading Company just to find me.
“Hey, I had a good reason for it.”