It’s not like I’m doing it for you. (3)
Do Hyeon looked at those standing before him with somber gaze.
“Wh-What are we going to do?”
“Even if you ask what we’re going to do…”
“Should we just take him out?”
“Are you really so desperate to die? What are you planning to do after taking out Chief Eunuch?”
They seemed to be trying to whisper among themselves, but their voices were loud enough for everyone to hear.
‘Sloppy.’
He had not judged them solely by how they appeared at that moment. Those accustomed to spying on enemies, plotting conspiracies, and avoiding people’s eyes naturally carried a peculiar, sinister air about them. Yet these people gave off none of that aura whatsoever.
If anything, how should he put it…
“You smell of incense.”
At those words, the masked men flinched, then began sniffing their own clothes.
“I-Is it really me?”
“No, these are clothes we bought here, so how could they smell of incense!”
“Th-Then, could it be coming from our bodies?”
“Oh, this is so frustrating. That’s not what he meant!”
Do Hyeon couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was merely that he had described the peculiar aura he had sensed from the Taoists he had encountered several times in the past as the scent of incense. He hadn’t expected them to take it so literally.
“What innocent fools. They are completely unsuited to this sort of work.”
Do Hyeon’s eyes grew cold.
“But…”
His gaze fixed precisely on Chung Myung.
“For all that, I smell quite the big shot among you.”
“Haha.”
Chung Myung grinned and boldly met Chief Eunuch’s gaze as he spoke.
“…A big shot, you say? We’re just a bunch of small fry passing through.”
“…”
“Hahaha. It seems there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. Could we simply continue on our way, My Lord?”
“…”
Baek Cheon stared blankly at Chung Myung. How should he put it…. Those gracefully clasped hands and that back hunched like a shrimp made him look almost…
“W-What’s wrong with that bastard? Why did he suddenly turn into a bootlicker?”
“…So he truly was terribly weak in the face of authority. I never knew.”
“At this rate, he looks about ready to prostrate himself flat on his belly.”
“Wait a moment. He wasn’t like this with those old geezers, was he?”
“…Maybe it’s the difference between being in office and being retired.”
Do Hyeon, who had been staring intently at Chung Myung, shook his head as though he had a headache.
“Very well.”
“Oh, then?”
“From the looks of it, this wasn’t something you took the initiative in starting. Did you agree to do the job on someone else’s behalf for suitable compensation?”
“…”
“Then it’s simple. Confess who ordered you to do it. In that case, we will let you go unharmed.”
Jwa Gohak’s face twisted involuntarily.
Of course, it was true that Hwasan’s disciples had failed to deal with the situation properly. But to grasp the situation in an instant after exchanging only a few words…
‘So this is Chief Eunuch Do Hyeon. I suppose only a man like that could have the Eastern Depot beneath his heel.’
Jwa Gohak turned to Chung Myung with a tense expression.
Jwa Gohak could keep his own mouth shut, but he could not stop Chung Myung from speaking. If even one of them opened their mouth, imperial troops acting on Do Hyeon’s orders would come pouring in, more than enough to fill Mount Tai from end to end.
‘Dojang.’
Jwa Gohak’s desperate eyes met Chung Myung’s slightly darkened ones in midair.
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung suddenly straightened his bent back, and lightly cracked his neck from side to side.
“Well, even so, there are certain obligations of loyalty we have to honor…”
Chung Myung stopped mid-sentence, sharply tilting his head to the side. After pausing for a moment, he glanced back at the disciples of Hwasan and asked.
“Did we have any?”
“Not sure.”
“Calling it loyalty is going too far.”
“Right?”
Chung Myung nodded as though satisfied, then smiled brightly at Do Hyeon.
“Where should I start?”
“H-Hey, you madman!”
Jwa Gohak twisted his body so violently he nearly fell back.
“Good grief. You’re awfully worked up.”
“You lunatic! What the hell are you doing right now!”
“I mean… he said he’d let us go unharmed if we told him.”
“Whyyyyy, youuuuuuu bastard!”
Jwa Gohak’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head.
“I seriously misjudged you. Are you saying you would side with a villain over a threat this trivial!”
At those words, Chung Myung tilted his head as though something did not add up.
“A villain?”
“…”
“Usually, aren’t people holding office on the side of good?”
Jwa Gohak’s eyes shook violently.
“Th-That’s true, but, uh…”
“Then wouldn’t it be normal to listen to this side?”
“Well…….”
Jwa Gohak was suddenly rendered speechless and merely opened and closed his mouth. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but…
“Th-That man isn’t an ordinary official, is he! So…”
“Good grief, it’s damn hard living as a commoner. So now I’m supposed to go through life telling the good officials from the bad ones? And where am I supposed to find that out? Do they tell you if you go to the government office?”
“…”
“An official is an official, no matter what! Commoners like us only need to listen to what officials say, right? Who are you, someone who hasn’t even entered government service, to tell us what to do!”
Jwa Gohak’s shoulders drooped helplessly under Chung Myung’s barrage of harsh criticism.
The disciples of Hwasan smiled faintly when they saw that.
“Here he goes again.”
“He really does have a knack for making nonsense sound strangely convincing.”
“That’s a completely useless talent, though.”
“Why? There’s nothing better for getting under someone’s skin.”
“……That is true.”
As the disciples of Hwasan sighed once more, Do Hyeon smiled as though he found it amusing.
“All right. Then have you made your decision?”
“Yes, yes, of course! How could someone as lowly as me defy the word of a high-ranking official!”
“…I suppose I should say you’re quick on the uptake.”
Perhaps Do Hyeon, too, rarely had to deal with someone like this, because he seemed somewhat reluctant.
“Now then, tell me. Who is behind you?”
“Ah, but you see.”
“Hm?”
Do Hyeon’s eyebrow twitched.
Chung Myung scratched the back of his head and grinned awkwardly.
“I’d love nothing more than to tell you, but the thing is, there’s something we were promised by the other side.”
“…”
“But if we switch sides here, it’ll just vanish into thin air. And, to be honest, for someone of your standing as a Grand Eunuch, it shouldn’t be all that difficult.”
Chung Myung deliberately left unsaid, ‘And since you’re probably the one who caused this mess, it would be fastest if you cleaned it up yourself…’
Do Hyeon let out a hollow laugh when he heard Chung Myung’s words.
“So you’re saying I should take care of whatever it is you were promised?”
“Rather than saying you have to take care of it, I was just saying that that’s how the world works, you know. Hehe.”
Do Hyeon kept the smile on his lips, but his gaze changed in an instant.
“You’ve gotten far too bold.”
“…Huh?”
“You looked like some clueless fool who’d gotten swept up in all this, so I thought I’d give you a chance, and now you dare try to bargain with me? There’s a limit to how far you can overstep your place.”
“Huh? You’re not going to do it?”
“Obviously not. Why should I grant your request?”
“Ah, really?”
Chung Myung nodded a few times as though he understood, then abruptly turned his head to Jwa Gohak and shouted.
“Don’t worry! I’ll rescue you right away!”
“…”
Jwa Gohak raised his head and gazed at the distant sky.
‘Esteemed Elders.’
Was sending such useless bastards along with me truly the right choice?
Jwa Gohak had never once questioned the instructions of the Great Confucian scholars until now, but at this moment, he could not help but be tormented by profound doubts.
“Just go die somewhere… please. For the sake of the world, if nothing else.”
“Hey, why are you saying something so hurtful? We’re comrades.”
“…I’ve never had a comrade like you.”
Jwa Gohak squeezed his eyes shut and held back the tears that kept threatening to well up. His life was in the hands of a man like that – wasn’t this simply too cruel?
“Have you had your fun?”
Though for different reasons, it seemed Do Hyeon was no more pleased than Jwa Gohak about being toyed with by Chung Myung.
He chuckled faintly and began to speak.
“This isn’t as unpleasant as I expected. In fact, it’s almost enjoyable.”
“Huh? Why? You have a strange personality.”
“Yes. I suppose I do.”
Do Hyeon bared his teeth in a grin.
“I can’t remember the last time I met someone who behaved so brazenly in front of me. Even His Majesty the Emperor does not disregard me as you do.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Chung Myung clasped both hands behind his head and snickered.
“Well. That’s only because you’ve been cooped up in the Imperial Palace and haven’t seen much of the wider world. Once you get out into the world, you run into people with even more nerve than me often enough. Seems like you need to learn a little more about the world.”
“…”
Do Hyeon’s mouth fell slightly open. Judging by how his eyes widened a little, he seemed genuinely surprised this time.
The disciples of Hwasan smiled broadly at the sight.
“He is really quite modest.”
“Right? There probably isn’t another person in the world as brazen as he is.”
“Is he modest, or does he simply have no idea what his place is?”
Whichever it was, one thing was certain: what Chung Myung had just said had thoroughly provoked Do Hyeon’s anger. An increasingly oppressive aura began pouring from Do Hyeon as his expression hardened.
“You’re certainly interesting.”
Do Hyeon looked at Chung Myung, the corners of his mouth twisting upward. Already imposing in stature, Do Hyeon now contorted his face in a grimace and began radiating a terrifying aura, making him look like a demon incarnate.
“I’ll make you understand, too. Why no one dares treat me lightly.”
“Because you’re a eunuch?”
“…”
Once again, Do Hyeon was rendered speechless and shut his mouth.
“Or, uh… hm? Is there some other reason?”
Chung Myung tilted his head as though he could not understand.
“Surely those ‘illustrious scholars’ wouldn’t have held their tongues just because they were cowed by authority, nor would they have been scared off by someone’s sheer size.”
Chung Myung continued, grinning shamelessly.
“Then that only leaves your martial arts. Well… you do seem pretty decent, but not enough to brag about.”
“…”
“Which leaves……”
Chung Myung’s gaze slipped downward for a moment before quickly darting back up.
“That… Um. Yes. I can certainly see why that would be difficult to speak carelessly about.”
“…”
Do Hyeon stared silently at Chung Myung.
The oppressive aura he had been emitting moments ago had vanished without a trace. All that could be felt now was razor-sharp killing intent.
“It seems you won’t be living much longer.”
“Oh?”
“There are mouths besides yours, so there’s no need to keep you alive as well. I’ll hack you to pieces.”
Do Hyeon forcefully stepped forward. At that moment, Chung Myung reached a hand behind him.
“Good grief.”
Reading Chung Myung’s intent from that movement, Baek Cheon tossed the sword he was holding towards him.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t fight a high-ranking official?”
“Once things have come to this, I have no choice.”
“The question is who created this situation in the first place.”
“Tsk, tsk. It’s because you nitpick every little thing and argue over every word that people call you petty.”
“What did you just say, you brat?”
Without even looking back, Chung Myung merely waved a hand dismissively, then twirled the sword once in his grip and smiled at Do Hyeon.
“Still, I like that you don’t hide in the back and order people around with a flick of your finger like those other high-ranking officials. I’ll give you that.”
“Hm?”
“But you should have known that much too.”
Chung Myung lowered his voice further and spoke with a mocking sneer.
“Why do aaall those other gentlemen hide in the back and do nothing but point fingers? Because they’re stupid? Because they don’t have the guts?”
Chung Myung dragged his sword once across the ground and lowered his stance slightly.
“I’m about to show you the answer, so make sure you learn it well. It’ll probably be a great help to you in staying alive from now on.”
“Insolent brat.”
Without hesitation, Do Hyeon thrust one palm towards Chung Myung. A milky-white palm force containing a terrifying amount of internal energy flew straight towards him.
________
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