novelraw Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 : Chapter 97
Chapter 97 - The Guest from the Jungwon Sword Family (1)
The Spring of Elixir.
Unlike usual, today a companion was sitting next to me.
To be precise, it was more like she had followed me than being a companion.
I thought she might have an injury I didn’t know about, but now that we were here, it didn’t seem like it.
She had been sitting in the spring for six hours, just spacing out.
“I’m all done, shall we get up now?”
“Understood, Unit Leader.”
Shin Ah-yeon immediately stood up as if she had been waiting.
“You really wanted to go home, didn’t you?”
“No, sir! I feel refreshed after soaking my body in the Elixir after a long time.”
“Your expression doesn’t look very refreshed though?”
Anyone could see she had a bored face.
Having just sat there without a word for this long time, it must have been an incredibly tedious time unless one had a firm purpose like me.
But at my words, Shin Ah-yeon immediately relaxed her facial muscles and smiled.
“Then go ahead and say what you have to say.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t act with that innocent expression. You either have business with me, or you have something to say. Otherwise, why would you be crazy enough to follow me all the way here?”
“T-that’s not it……”
“What do you mean, it’s not. Then did you come because you were injured somewhere?”
“No, sir.”
“See. In the end, you came because of me, not the Elixir.”
Shin Ah-yeon fidgeted and then opened her mouth a moment later.
“I just wanted to guard you, Unit Leader.”
“Guard? You, Shin Ah-yeon, guarding me?”
As I questioned her, her face turned bright red.
She was now clearly aware.
Who was above and who was below, even if we took off the ranks.
“W-well, it’s not necessarily guarding, I just wanted to stay by your side, Unit Leader! Didn’t you say you thought of me as your left arm, Unit Leader.”
“Yes. I did.”
“But recently, I’ve started to question my role. The thought of whether I am truly the Unit Leader’s left arm.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you only seek out your right arm too much, Unit Leader.”
True. It was clear that the face that came to mind first when I needed something done was Choi Ho-joong.
Because even if I didn’t explain everything in detail, there were parts that Ho-joong and I just understood.
“Everyone has their own role. Ho-joong has his. You have yours.”
“I know. But I can’t help but feel upset.”
“You get upset over such trivial things. Most of the things I make Ho-joong do are trivial chores. If you’re jealous of that, you can share some of it.”
Though I said that, when I thought about it, it was true that I had done more for Choi Ho-joong.
Especially when it came to swordsmanship instruction, I had taught him more meticulously.
“I heard that you are planning to bestow the Reapersword upon Ho-joong, Unit Leader.”
Come to think of it, this might be the bigger issue.
“That guy has a big mouth.”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not just jealous of him receiving a sword like a materialist!”
“I’m not misunderstanding, and I was planning on giving you one too anyway.”
“……Are you serious?”
“Have you only been deceived your whole life? Why do you make me say things twice.”
She wore an emotional expression.
In fact, in operating the Chamryongdan, the extent to which I relied on Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon was almost the same.
No, rather, when it came to meticulously taking care of and guiding the unit members, Shin Ah-yeon’s share could be said to be greater.
The reason I could focus solely on my treatment with a peaceful mind was because I could trust and entrust the Chamryongdan to her.
“And I plan to give you a new mission.”
“I will follow any command.”
“A newcomer will be joining our sword unit soon. He’s a guy whose ink on his license hasn’t even dried, so shape him up a bit.”
I was thinking of entrusting the newly recruited Shim Gyu-seong to Shin Ah-yeon.
“Understood.”
The fact that she never talked back was also something I really liked.
“And as soon as we return to the family now, warm up in the training ground.”
“At this time of the evening? What on earth for……”
“I want to see your swordsmanship for the first time in a while, Ah-yeon. I need to check how much progress you’ve made, don’t I?”
At that moment, a flush of color once again spread across Shin Ah-yeon’s face.
Seeing how happy she was, I was starting to feel a little sorry for having been indifferent all this time.
“But Unit Leader! Didn’t you say you have an appointment this evening? I understand that the Family Head of the Jungwon Sword Family is visiting the family to see you.”
“I’ll just tell him to wait.”
After all, I had no intention of meeting him nicely anyway.
***
Several days had passed since I returned from Abyss after completing the Holy Sword Bastian quest, but the events that had taken place there were still not revealed to the world.
This was a matter agreed upon with Heo Jeong-ah as well.
Four had participated in the quest, and only two had returned, but the world did not know about this either.
Because the two brothers from the Jungwon Sword Family who died at my hands had participated in a non-public state from the beginning.
The Jungwon Sword Family must have tried hard behind the scenes to locate the two missing people, but it was all in vain.
The only one who knew the truth was me. That was the reason the Jungwon Sword Family had made an appointment with me today.
The Jungwon Sword Family Head, Kim Jeong-rak.
He was making a sour face in the reception room.
The time he had been waiting for me here was about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
In a normal situation, it would be unthinkable for a family head to endure such rudeness, but as soon as I entered the reception room, Kim Jeong-rak forced a smile and was only suppressing his anger.
“You’ve arrived, Unit Leader Seo Ji-han. You must be very busy?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Family Head Kim Jeong-rak. I heard you’ve been waiting a long time.”
“Well, the Unit Leader must have had some unforeseen circumstances. Isn’t that right?”
Of course, that was not the case.
My schedule today was as monotonous as usual.
“I was guiding a unit member for the first time in a while today, so I didn’t realize the time had passed so quickly. I ask for your generous understanding.”
At my words, Kim Jeong-rak’s face turned sour again.
The reason for being late to a prior engagement was because of guiding a unit member.
In his heart, he probably wanted to slap me right away, but he forced a smile again.
“Hahaha! I am amazed by Unit Leader Seo Ji-han’s passion. Isn’t raising a sword unit the most important thing in a sword family? If that is the reason for being late, then of course I must understand.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
He wouldn't be able to stand it without understanding.
With his two sons missing after entering Abyss, he must be in a state of wanting to grasp at straws, so Kim Jeong-rak would have waited not for 1 hour and 20 minutes, but even 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The purpose of our meeting today was to open the floodgates for exchange between two families that had had no interaction.
Of course, that was just the superficial reason, but it was a random meeting.
The sight of a family head over sixty and a unit leader just of age meeting was also not a natural one.
Since it was a meeting for friendly exchange in name only, until the topic of conversation moved to Bastian’s map, our conversation could not help but drift for a long time.
“By the way, I heard that Unit Leader Seo Ji-han participated in a rather talked-about Abyss quest a while ago.”
In the end, Kim Jeong-rak brought up this story at an appropriate timing.
“You mean Bastian’s map?”
“That’s right. I remember the reaction was very hot when the map came out for auction.”
“The winning bid wasn’t cheap, so well, that’s about right. But I remember that the Jungwon Sword Family did not participate in that auction, is that correct?”
I nonchalantly threw out the words and observed Kim Jeong-rak’s reaction.
His mind must be very complicated.
He must be contemplating whether to come out and say that two of the four who participated in that quest were his sons.
The problem was that it would be difficult to reveal it easily since he had no information on what his two sons had done in Abyss.
Basically, those two people had hidden their identities, planned to assassinate me, and had even tried to carry it out.
And it was highly likely that this whole picture had been drawn before coming to Abyss.
“Hahaha. The Jungwon Sword Family doesn’t have the resources to participate in such a large auction.”
For now, it seemed he had decided to cautiously postpone coming out.
He would want to hear more of my story.
“You’re being modest. From what I’ve found out, I heard that the Jungwon Sword Family has achieved tremendous growth since you took over as Family Head, Kim Jeong-rak.”
“You’re embarrassing me. And many of those stories are exaggerated. Hahaha.”
“Anyway, although it’s all in the past, it would have been very exciting if the Jungwon Sword Family had participated. The other two, besides me and Heo Jeong-ah of the Taeseong Sword Family, disappeared from the mission too blandly.”
“The two people disappeared? Where on earth did they go?”
At that moment, Kim Jeong-rak’s voice trembled violently.
“Ah! This story is actually a secret. I haven’t leaked it to the media either.”
Saying that, I gave a sly smile.
“I would like to hear the details. Unit Leader Seo Ji-han!”
It felt like I could hear a heartbreaking voice.
“It’s not a very interesting story, so. And it’s a story that has nothing to do with you, Family Head.”
“That may be so, but for some reason, I’m interested. I’d really like to hear it, can’t you tell me?”
An unnatural tone and gaze.
Kim Jeong-rak’s reaction was, by anyone’s standards, a sudden outburst.
But he probably didn’t have the luxury to care about such things.
“Understood. Since you have personally come to see me like this, Family Head, I will tell you a little story as a sign of my gratitude. But, you must never tell this story anywhere.”
“I promise you that.”
“In that case, I will trust you and tell you.”
“I am just grateful that you say that, Unit Leader Seo.”
Kim Jeong-rak firmly closed his mouth and listened to my words.
Now, it was time to set the trap.
He wouldn't be able to resist getting caught.
Even if he suspected it was a trap, he would have no choice but to get caught himself to confirm it.
“The two people besides me and Heo Jeong-ah. Honestly, I don’t remember their names or affiliations well. Since they weren’t very well-known people.”
“Please continue.”
“Those two people said it was their first time meeting, but they seemed strangely close. It was a feeling like they were plotting some plan of their own before carrying out the quest. As expected, they secretly went somewhere, so I secretly followed them.”
Kim Jeong-rak was listening to the novel I was making up with a very serious expression.
“I don’t know for what purpose they went there either. But……”
“Please tell me.”
His mouth was already parched.
“The two people went into some unidentified portal.”
“Did you just say a portal?”
“My story must have been very realistic. You seem very surprised.”
“W-well, just. As I was listening intently……. Are you really saying that the two people went into a portal?”
“Yes. The distance was a bit far, but I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”
Kim Jeong-rak’s expression hardened.
Perhaps the memory of 40 years ago had come to mind.
“Then, perhaps, does the Unit Leader now have a clue to enter that portal? For example……”
“For example, what?”
“A map, or something.”
This was almost at the level of a confession.
“As expected, your insight is amazing. You know exactly.”
“Does the Unit Leader really have that map?”
“Actually, yes. Because I am the final winner of this quest.”
Saying that, I took out a map from my inventory.
The item that Kim Jeong-rak had brought 40 years ago. Also, the key that would guide to the place where the genius of the Taeseong Sword Family was trapped.
“And I plan to pass through the portal of this map soon.”
At that moment, I could hear Kim Jeong-rak’s fierce heartbeat.