novelraw Chapter 175 : The Byeok Clan's Gift
Chapter 175 : The Byeok Clan's Gift
Chapter 175: The Byeok Clan's Gift
“This matter will be handled solely by the Eastern Depot. Withdraw the Imperial Army, Thousand-Household Captain.”
Cheon Sugong’s voice carried such authority that it stifled the entire area.
The Eastern Depot—Imperial intelligence agency and secret police. They could annihilate entire families under the charge of treason, confiscate wealth, and bring even the most prestigious clans to ruin in an instant.
And now, the head of that organization, Cheon Sugong, was pressuring them with a sharp glare to back down immediately.
“…That’s not possible.”
Though the Imperial Army's reputation was well known, it only held true against civilians or murim martial artists. Confronting the Eastern Depot’s chief was a burden even for the Thousand-Household Captain. As he expressed his refusal, he nervously bit his lip.
“We arrived first and began the investigation. Even if you are Cheon Sugong, such a forceful demand to withdraw is—”
“First or not, since when did the Imperial Army go around conducting investigations in place of the Eastern Depot? There’s a reason the different organs of the imperial court have their own jurisdictions.”
Cheon Sugong’s weighty tone cut off the Thousand-Household Captain’s excuse.
In other words, ‘just do your job protecting the Emperor and stop meddling in other matters.’
“And you call this bombardment an investigation? Were you planning to turn Beijing into a warzone?”
He clicked his tongue while gesturing at the wrecked manor and the buildings still ablaze from the bombardment.
“Exactly! Exactly!”
A young man chimed in cheerfully from the side, but the two elders ignored him and continued their discussion.
“That was… Those shameless traitors resisted. We had no choice.”
“Resisted, huh… From what I heard, they merely asked for time to contain the situation since the Black Powder—a royal secret—might have been exposed to outsiders. And even after hearing that, you still went ahead and shelled them mercilessly, didn’t you, Thousand-Household Captain?”
“…”
Under Cheon Sugong’s calm yet relentless pressure, the Thousand-Household Captain gradually fell silent.
“And I heard you specifically demanded Byeok Jinsang be handed over. Was there a reason for that?”
“Well, in an event like this—a coup—I thought it only proper to rescue the Clan Head first…”
“The Clan Head, is it? I’m fairly certain that for the past thirty years, the Head of the Byeok Clan has been Byeok Soja.”
“But that man was caught under suspicious circumstances and taken away by the Royal Guards!”
Cheon Sugong let out a short scoff.
“Yes, the son who brought in some shady martial artists presented some equally shady evidence tying them to the Blood Cult, and so he was—very suspiciously—taken away. Now that you mention it, you are sounding rather suspicious yourself.”
Implying that from his view, the one initiating this coup was Byeok Jinsang, and that the Thousand-Household Captain’s support of him made him equally questionable, Cheon Sugong didn’t hide his suspicion.
“Is there some hidden motive here? You’re being unreasonably obstinate—it’s hard not to suspect you.”
“…That’s not it.”
“Is it not? Should we go ahead and strip you bare to find out? Want to be taken in by the Eastern Depot and go through an ‘investigation’?”
At the mention of ‘investigation,’ the Thousand-Household Captain’s face drained of all color.
Back in the day, when the traitorous official Qin Hui framed the general Yue Fei as a rebel, the word he used as evidence was “possibly.” Those three vague characters, mò xū yǒu—maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. That same ambiguity was the Eastern Depot’s preferred tool when dealing with inconvenient people under their unchecked power.
“…No, we’ll withdraw.”
Unable to withstand the pressure, the Thousand-Household Captain finally gave in and gestured for the Imperial Army to retreat.
“You should’ve done so sooner.”
As they began to disappear like defeated soldiers with their cannons, Cheon Sugong finally showed a somewhat satisfied expression.
“Well, well. Talk about winning a war with just your tongue, eh?”
To drive off an army and its general without spilling a drop of blood—now that’s what I call diplomacy. I couldn’t help but admire him a little and struck up a conversation beside him.
Cheon Sugong glanced at me with a sharp gaze, one that said his interrogation was far from over.
“I knew you were reckless, but I didn’t expect you to blow up a Black Powder warehouse in the heart of the Imperial Capital, you madman.”
Now that the general had withdrawn, his rebuke shifted immediately to me.
Cheon Sugong stared at me as if questioning my sanity. I scratched my cheek and started making excuses.
“Hey, look. There were reasons for that.”
It had been part of the client's request.
I looked around, hoping someone would back me up, and spotted Byeok Nara, who hesitantly approached and gave me a gentle poke in the side.
“Uh, um, Troubleshooter-nim… You’re… connected with the Eastern Depot too?”
She whispered in an overwhelmed voice, clearly flustered.
“Kind of. By chance.”
A strange fate that had started back at the Sericulture Chamber. Hearing my reply, her eyes widened.
“You’re even acquainted with the head of the Eastern Depot… Troubleshooter-nim, you really aren’t an ordinary person.”
From the moment I caught that cannonball, to now—Byeok Nara seemed endlessly surprised today.
“Well, it’s a long story. Let’s just say it’s… a bad connection.”
Normally, even just one agent of the Eastern Depot showing up would make anyone nervous. So now, with the head himself standing before her, Byeok Nara looked pale.
Come to think of it, the Royal Guards and the Eastern Depot were like the Defense Security Command or the NIS in old Korea. That’d make this guy in front of me about the level of the Director of the National Intelligence Service.
And in an era where violence and savagery were the norm, that made him all the more terrifying.
“It’s fine. It’s not like they’re going to make you eat prison soup or anything.”
“…What?”
I gave her a few pats on the back, reassuring her that he was surprisingly reasonable.
“Dan Mujin. Hand Byeok Jinsang over to us at the Eastern Depot.”
But no sooner had I said that than Cheon Sugong threw out the same unreasonable demand as the Imperial Army officer.
“I can’t do that.”
The client had said so. That they needed Byeok Jinsang to uncover the truth and rescue her father.
So I shook my head firmly.
“Oh? You plan to go up against the Eastern Depot now, after facing off with the Royal Guards and the Imperial Army?”
Cheon Sugong scoffed in disbelief, then continued.
“And what’s your reason for saying no?”
“My client needs him too. Since the Clan Head of the Byeok Clan is still in custody.”
I pointed toward Byeok Nara, who was caught between us, unable to do anything, and groaning in confusion.
“Because of the client, huh… The more I look at you, the bolder you seem. Even the Imperial Army backed off in front of me.”
“Well, I take pride in this job of mine.”
“What, is this a family trade or something? Troubleshooter, of all things?”
No, not a family business… though it’s been going on since my past life, I suppose.
“So what would you do with him anyway? Don’t tell me it’s for protection, like the Imperial Army said?”
“Protection? No, I’m going to interrogate him thoroughly, dig out whatever hidden motives he’s got, get him to confess to the evidence, and then rescue the Byeok Clan Head with that.”
Ah, so that’s what it was.
I nodded, indicating I understood.
“I’m not telling you to back off entirely. But from here on, this is a matter of the Imperial Court. The Eastern Depot will handle this discreetly and without escalation. Got it, young lady of the Byeok Clan?”
Apparently, realizing I was as stubborn as an ox and wouldn’t budge without the client’s say-so, Cheon Sugong turned to Byeok Nara instead.
“Eh? Ah, y-yes, sir!”
And just like that, the client was quickly persuaded by a Very Important Person.
Along with it, she earnestly asked that I be sure to uncover the truth, as it was clear her father had been unjustly framed.
“Don’t worry. I need to pull him out of that cell anyway for my own reasons.”
It seemed Cheon Sugong was going to take care of the toughest part of this request.
Whether making an innocent man into a criminal or setting him free—when it came to power struggles and leverage, he was far more adept. It was safe to trust him with it.
Back in the day, when I used to work as a troubleshooter, if a corpse turned up during an investigation, I’d sometimes hand the case off to the police.
“Is it really necessary to bring him back personally?”
“Of course. So don’t go causing any trouble while I’m gone.”
He really sounded like my old master.
After giving me a dissatisfied look, Cheon Sugong kicked off the ground and vanished into the distance.
“Seriously, Captain.”
“Mujin, listen to him for once.”
Seizing the moment, Ilhong and Jo Harang each chimed in.
Man, how stingy they were with their goodwill.
I pulled out a secret snack from my coat and munched on it with a crunch.
Two days later.
The long-awaited result of the case transfer arrived.
Returning safely to the Byeok Clan’s manor—Byeok Soja, the Clan Head.
“F-Father!”
Byeok Nara and Byeok Muji reunited with their father in an emotional family embrace.
It seemed they’d been through quite an ordeal. They clung to each other, collecting themselves for a long while.
Even the members of the Byeok Clan, who had been repairing the damaged manor, looked on with deeply moved expressions.
“I heard the Royal Guards hate your guts. You still managed to pull it off?”
At my question, Cheon Sugong chuckled like it was no big deal.
“There’s always a way.”
He said that, then shoved someone right in front of me—clearly roughed up, no, thoroughly interrogated—Byeok Jinsang.
“From this bastard, we obtained solid evidence that the proof was fabricated. He confessed too. With both those secured—and since we were holding one of their weak points—they couldn’t keep resisting.”
Byeok Jinsang looked like he’d suffered more than the Clan Head who’d been imprisoned.
Just how harsh must the interrogation have been for such a rebellious guy to become this meek?
“So you’re the Troubleshooter, Dan Mujin?”
After reuniting with his children, the Clan Head, Byeok Soja, looked past them to find me.
“Yes, but you may call me Dog-Beating Dragon.”
As soon as I replied, Byeok Soja clasped both my hands in his and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
“Nara told me everything. Truly, thank you. Because of you, our clan and our people avoided catastrophe!”
He didn’t speak as a noble Clan Head but as a father of two children, bowing his head repeatedly in gratitude.
Just as a warm twinge began to stir inside me, Salseong let out a groan and vanished again.
“It was nothing. Just doing my job for pay, that’s all.”
“Nothing? I heard Nara made a huge mistake in the middle, misunderstanding something.”
“Oh, that? She repaid it with a grand bow.”
At my reply, Byeok Soja tilted his head as if to say, What does that mean?
Byeok Nara quietly averted her eyes from her father.
“Anyway, thanks to your peaceful takeover using a new bomb and even catching a flying cannonball, no one was hurt except one who got a bit scorched. It was nothing short of a miracle.”
Saying he didn’t know how to repay me for this favor, he patted me hard on the shoulder.
But damn it, who was the unlucky guy who got scorched?
“Oh, that? It was Ddongsik hyung.”
Byeok Muji answered next to me after I murmured to myself.
“Aigoo, Ddongsik…”
The sigh escaped naturally.
He was a sentry with a particularly endearing nickname. Poor guy had a tough time.
After the grand banquet celebrating the Clan Head’s safe return—
It was finally time to leave the Byeok Clan.
The request seemed to have wrapped up successfully, and we received a hefty payment from the Clan Head.
“With this money, we can even go to that fancy inn Harang talked about.”
A gourmet restaurant lined with delicacies, supposedly.
“Let’s not go to any inns for a while, Captain.”
“Yeah, our luck’s been crap.”
The office staff were visibly reluctant—probably didn’t want to get caught in another incident.
“Well, hey, saves me money. I’m good.”
And before leaving, I stopped by at Byeok Nara’s request.
The place she called me to wasn’t so much a noble lady’s room as it was a full-blown chemistry lab.
Everywhere I looked, there were finely ground and pounded black powder samples, and traces of various experiments scattered throughout.
And there, piled up in a heap, were black powder containers and Thunderburst Bombs I thought were running low after the warehouse explosion.
“I’ve always liked making things that explode. So with the Clan Head’s permission, I gathered little by little and… well, here we are.”
Sensing my incredulous gaze, Byeok Nara muttered as if making excuses.
This was little by little, really?
Now that I thought about it, that experimental impact fuse she threw at me must’ve been made here.
So this place was basically ground zero for black powder weapon development, huh?
“It’s not much, but since you helped me so much, I wanted to give you a personal gift.”
I preferred money or gold, but all I saw were things that exploded.
What exactly was she trying to give me?
“The bomb I worked on with Ilhong—the Tear Gas Bomb. Talking with her really broadened my perspective.”
She explained that while she’d hit a wall developing Thunderburst Bombs, reverse-engineering complex triggers and Ilhong’s deep knowledge of medicinal and material properties had helped her immensely.
“So, here. It’s from the heart.”
The heartfelt gift she gave me… was a set of tools for making Thunderburst Bombs and black powder.
An extremely dangerous and inconvenient gift—hard to even put a price on.
Seriously, could she be any more of a bomb maniac?
“You maniac.”
“…P-Please don’t call me that.”
The words had slipped out before I knew it.
“Ilhong is very knowledgeable about black powder as well. I’d love it if she’d visit my workshop once in a while, just to talk. Let’s work together again sometime.”
She said it had been a long time since she met a like-minded friend.
“Of course, Nara Sojeo.”
Ilhong happily accepted the gift.
Then she carefully wrapped up the whole set and brought it back to our office.
Clink, clank.
And there, at the center desk of the office, she started assembling those deadly tools.
“Hey, be careful with that thing. That stuff’s dangerous.”
In this era, black powder was volatile and dangerous if mishandled.
Even if she was under the protection of the Byeok Clan, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. It had taken me a lot of effort to get that office building.
Yet there she was, handling it with a sunny face.
When I asked what she was doing with such focus—
“I’m going to blow up Black Diagnosis Bird.”
With eyes blazing, she declared she’d blast him to pieces.
Apparently, somewhere along this request, she’d found herself a purpose.
‘Seriously, this girl’s not entirely normal either.’
Honestly, Hwang Geolgae really needed to know what kind of person he was spoiling so much.