Chun-il was to come to the Secret Pine Inn the next morning.
Since Father was the one officially hiring him, he needed to have a formal meeting with him.
With that, my business at Daejin Tavern was done.
After Chun-il exited the private room, Palgap rushed up to me.
“Young Master! That… that… that courtesan who just left… was a man?!”
“Yeah.”
“H-h-h…”
“You’re wondering how that’s possible? I have no idea either.”
I went on.
“As you noticed, he’s got a… peculiar background, but he’ll be part of our group from now on. So treat him well.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Alright then, go call the attendant.”
At my command, Palgap pulled the cord and rang the bell. A moment later, the attendant entered.
“You called, sir?”
“Yes. I was enjoying myself, but I suddenly remembered an important appointment. I’ll have to leave now.”
“Ah, I see.”
“How much do I owe?”
I paid the tab.
“And feel free to eat the remaining food. I used separate chopsticks to portion it out, so it’s all clean.”
The attendant’s face brightened.
“Thank you, sir.”
There had been too much food for me alone, so I had portioned it from the start.
Usually, attendants or maids working in taverns like this aren’t provided meals.
So those working at such establishments often pick out clean leftovers to save on meal expenses.
Knowing that, I’d deliberately eaten in a way that left something for them.
I just hoped they could have a day like this now and then.
Of course, I could’ve just left the food untouched, but that might’ve raised suspicions instead.
Anyway, this was why employees liked the Eunhae Merchant Group’s policy of providing meals at low cost.
The next day.
Just as promised, Chun-il came to the Secret Pine Inn at dawn.
After meeting with Father, it was decided that he would accompany Father to the Eunhae Merchant Group chiefquarters.
After breakfast, my parents departed for the main base.
Naturally, External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong went with them, and to ensure my safety, Father left behind the Deputy Commander of the First Division of the Eunpoong Division, along with half the squad.
After seeing them off, I looked around at the now quiet inn.
Before they left, Merchant Lord Sa Gu-cheol and Deputy Merchant Lord Sa Gang also departed for the Hongnang Merchant Group’s main base in Shaanxi, making the inn even quieter.
“Whew.”
I took a deep breath and stepped outside the inn.
Now that I had time to myself, I had to take care of all the things I’d planned.
A short while later,
I arrived at the small bookstore I’d visited yesterday, located in the book street.
I asked Palgap and the Escort Guards to wait outside, then entered alone.
Just like yesterday, the old man sat behind the counter, doing his work.
As soon as I stepped in, the old man looked up at me.
Then asked bluntly,
“So, what brought you back?”
“I was curious about you, sir.”
At my reply, the old man gave a slight smile.
“What’s so interesting about an old man who’s long past his prime?”
“Why did you recommend that manual to my attendant?”
“Because he’s talented.”
It was clear.
The man in front of me knew Palgap was born with the talent of the King of Assassins.
“How did you know he had talent?”
“Because I saw it.”
I took a soft breath and gave a martial bow.
“May I ask who you really are, sir?”
The old man gestured at the books around him.
“Right now, I’m just an old man who runs a small bookstore.”
From that, I realized the man before me had once been someone important.
Saying he was “just” running a bookstore now meant he had done something remarkable in the past.
“I only recommended that manual because it would’ve been a waste not to.”
If I pushed further, I might uncover his identity.
But I didn’t.
He was likely stronger than even Master, and he clearly bore no ill will toward me.
There was no reason to offend him unnecessarily.
I bowed politely again to express my gratitude.
“Thank you, sir. I truly appreciate you recognizing my attendant’s talent and offering him that manual.”
The old man nodded.
“Then I’ll take my leave now.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. Pressing you any further wouldn’t be proper. Thank you for your time.”
Just as I turned to go, his voice called out.
“The Kings of Assassins… were all attendants before they were kings.”
“Pardon?”
“The previous King of Assassins was a loyal servant too.”
With only those words, the old man returned to his work.
A clear sign I should leave.
Still, for someone who acted like he wouldn’t say anything, he’d given me quite a lot.
Maybe he liked me more than I thought?
A short while later,
I returned to the inn and looked over the secret manual the old man had recommended for Palgap once again.
Maybe it was because of what he’d said about the King of Assassins being attendants first, but…
The contents of the manual felt different this time.
Things like concealing one’s presence or never losing a target could be reinterpreted as staying out of the lord’s way or always being able to find the lord’s whereabouts.
Just who was that old man?
Just knowing the former King of Assassins already proved he wasn’t ordinary.
I had withdrawn politely, but that was just one step back for the sake of leaping forward later.
If I let someone with that much talent slip away, I’d lose sleep over it.
Anyway, was that happening tomorrow? Or the day after?
My heart started pounding at the thought of retrieving the treasure the Baekcheon Merchant Group had discarded.
The Baekcheon Merchant Group.
It was a group founded with funds from the Murim Alliance.
They claimed to be a righteous merchant group, but that was just for show.
It was created to divert the elders’ attention away from the Murim Alliance’s true dealings.
The man appointed as Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group was Namgoong Gang.
He didn’t know exactly what they were hiding.
But he had a gut feeling that it was something he shouldn’t try to find out.
What mattered to him was the sense of superiority that came with the title of Merchant Lord.
That strange thrill he felt when people bowed to him under that title—he enjoyed it thoroughly.
He had no interest in running the group.
That was handled by the acting Clerks hired by the Murim Alliance.
All he ever did was sign whatever document the chief acting Clerk handed him.
And recently, that chief acting Clerk died.
The man who had long managed the merchant group had passed, but what Namgoong Gang felt wasn’t regret or mourning—it was annoyance.
Because he’d died suddenly and inconvenienced him.
Still, the man had apparently trained his replacement well, as the group continued operating without issue. At least he wasn’t completely without a conscience.
For once, Namgoong Gang felt like seeing a part of the group other than his office.
As he wandered aimlessly, he ended up in the quarters where the employees stayed.
“Ah! G-greetings, Merchant Lord!”
“Greetings, Merchant Lord!”
As soon as they saw him, the servants hurriedly dropped to the ground in full prostration, and Namgoong Gang received their greeting with a pleased expression.
That was when he noticed a young man.
Beside the young man lay a cane.
A cane was an odd item for a young man in good shape, so it naturally caught Namgoong Gang’s eye.
Step, step.
He walked over, and as he got closer, he realized the young man’s legs weren’t normal.
The young man was missing his right leg.
“What’s this? A cripple? This bastard’s an employee of the merchant group?”
A trembling worker answered.
“T-this young man is the son of the late chief acting Clerk.”
“The old man’s son?”
“Yes.”
“Did that old fool use his position to give this cripple a job?”
“N-no, not at all. He works here because he pulls his own weight.”
“What can a cripple do? He’s just wasting food. Enough. I don’t want some cripple bastard in my group. Get rid of him.”
“Pardon?”
“Throw him out. Now.”
“P-please, consider the efforts of the former chief acting Clerk. Just this once…”
“We beg you.”
Despite their pleas, Namgoong Gang only scoffed.
“He lived well enough sitting in that Clerk’s seat. What right did he have to dump that cripple here and then die?”
“…”
“What are you waiting for? Toss him out already.”
He called for the group’s Escort Guards and had them drag the man out immediately.
When the other employees looked on with pity, Namgoong Gang said,
“If any of you dare let that bastard back into the merchant group out of pity, you’ll be thrown out with him.”
At that, the employees had no choice but to avert their eyes as the cripple was dragged away.
The wind blew.
A cold breeze of late autumn swept through as the young man huddled beneath a wall.
“Dad, there’s a strange man over there.”
“I see.”
But neither the chill in the wind nor the stinging stares affected him much.
Because right now, he was angry.
His name was Heo Un.
The only son of the former chief acting Clerk of the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
His father had been an orphan. So had his mother.
Which meant he now had no one.
And he was disabled.
He had no right leg.
He hadn’t been born that way.
It happened in a carriage accident while working for the merchant group.
The physician had said it was a miracle he’d survived, but Heo Un had cursed the heavens.
He’d wanted to die. Thought there was no point in living anymore. But he couldn’t go through with it because of his father.
His father had worked himself to the bone, all to support him and to avoid burdening the other employees.
And the so-called Merchant Lord never even showed his nose, so it was Heo Un’s father who’d constantly filled in the gaps.
Then his father died.
His illness had worsened from overwork.
They found him slumped cold over his desk. Thanks to the help of the employees, he was given a proper funeral.
After that, Heo Un continued to work for the Baekcheon Merchant Group. He was disabled, but he still did his part.
But yesterday, he was kicked out.
Out of nowhere, Namgoong Gang showed up and threw him out.
He’d insulted him, calling him a cripple, and driven him out.
The words stung, but he’d heard worse before. His heart had grown calloused from it.
But insulting his father—he couldn’t forgive that.
His grief turned to rage.
His father had given his all for the Baekcheon Merchant Group, for the sake of the Merchant Lord. And yet, all that effort had been denied with a single word.
Growl.
His stomach rumbled. Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t eaten since last night.
The Escort Guards had thrown him out so suddenly that he hadn’t been able to bring anything with him.
The group had dorms for their full-time employees, and Heo Un had lived there.
Since his father couldn’t leave the office even for a moment, the family had lived inside the group compound.
Which meant all their savings were still inside.
Even if the other employees wanted to help, what could they do? Namgoong Gang was watching everything with eyes like a hawk.
He let out a sigh.
“What… am I supposed to do now?”
Suddenly penniless, his future felt completely hopeless.
Even if he wanted to find work, who would hire someone like him?
He knew it too.
No matter how capable he was, people would only see his appearance first.
That was when it happened.
“Hey, buddy.”
He turned his head. Beggars.
“You think you can work here without paying us?”
“Huh? I was just—”
Thud!
One of them kicked Heo Un, knocking him to the ground.
“Hey, go easy. Looks like a cripple.”
They sneered and cackled, but he had no words to fight back.
Anyone could see he was a beggar. And a cripple.
Then—
“What do you think you’re doing?”
He turned at the voice and saw a handsome young man in fine clothing watching them.
Behind him stood a man who looked like a bear—likely his attendant—and three Escort Guards.
For some reason, the young man’s eyes radiated chill.
“I asked, what are you doing?”
–TL Notes–
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