At that moment.
Just like Eun Seo-ho said, the mountain stronghold had exploded into chaos.
Not only had the four Embroidered Guard warriors they’d detained and tortured for information completely vanished, they’d also only just discovered that dozens of their own people were dead.
“This, what the hell is going on here!”
The Chieftain trembled all over with rage.
They’d gone to seize the ones Cheong-gwan had pointed out, but when they followed the trail, all they found there was a single deer bone stuck into the ground.
A blatant, in-your-face mockery.
They’d come back already fuming, only to find something even more infuriating waiting for them.
That’s right.
They had been played from start to finish, completely and utterly.
The Chieftain thought back to how this whole mess had started.
He didn’t have to think very far.
“Cheong-gwan—that bastard—go haul him in right now!”
“Yes!”
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Cheong-gwan felt like there was nothing left in his way now.
The Embroidered Guard people who knew about his corruption had been captured, and the ones who’d come looking for them had surely been caught as well.
He’d even oh-so-kindly warned the stronghold to be fully prepared, so they would have taken as many fighters as they could muster.
So there was no way the people in the stronghold could possibly have let them slip away.
All that was left now was the cleanup.
He still had to report this matter to his superiors, of course. But he wasn’t planning to do it right away—report too fast, and they might start wondering about him.
He was on his way back to his quarters after meeting the person who wanted his information.
Just then, someone called out to him from behind.
“Lord Cheong-gwan?”
He turned his head and saw some familiar faces.
“You’re from the stronghold. Do you need something from me?”
“The Chieftain is calling for you.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. The Chieftain says he wants to thank Lord Cheong-gwan and that there are some things he wants to ask.”
Cheong-gwan didn’t suspect a thing and nodded readily.
“All right. Let’s go.”
“We’ll escort you.”
And so they headed toward the stronghold. As soon as Cheong-gwan stepped inside and started to clasp his fists in salute to the Chieftain…
Bang-!
…he was blasted off his feet by the Chieftain’s strike and slammed into the wall.
“Urgh! Chieftain! What do you think you’re doing?”
“What am I doing? You fucking eunuch bastard! Feel good screwing us over from both sides? You son of a bitch!”
“W-what are you talking about? How did I screw you over?”
“Didn’t you say those bastards were down there roasting meat? We went and all we found were some deer bones.”
“What?”
“We thought maybe we missed something, so we followed their trail—and at the end of it, there were more deer bones.”
“…”
“Then we come back, and the Embroidered Guard brats are gone and my boys are lying dead, you see?”
“So in this situation, who do you think I should beat the crap out of?”
At those words, Cheong-gwan’s face went completely pale.
That meant the people from the Imperial Palace had seen through his rotten intentions from the very beginning.
In other words, he’d been duped too.
“I-I’ve been wronged too! I didn’t want the Embroidered Guard to be rescued either!”
The Chieftain snorted hard through his nose.
“The more I think about it, the weirder it sounds. A member of the Eastern Depot selling out the Embroidered Guard? Be honest. You used us, didn’t you?”
Srrk.
As the Chieftain drew his sword, Cheong-gwan shouted in a panic.
“I-I am—no, I’m with the Eastern Depot! A direct subordinate of His Majesty! Laying a hand on me is treason!”
“What a joke, you piece of shit. Hey! The moment we laid hands on the Embroidered Guard, we’d already thrown all that out the window.”
At the Chieftain’s words, the men around him nodded.
“True enough.”
“If we were scared of that crap, we never would’ve touched the Embroidered Guard in the first place.”
“Whatever. We’re dead either way.”
Faced with their murderous aura, Cheong-gwan collapsed backward, scrambling away until his back hit the wall.
In that instant, his body flickered and shot forward.
The martial arts of the Eastern Depot specialized in silent, lightning-fast movements.
Thud-!
But the Chieftain’s martial level was higher, so Cheong-gwan was easily caught and slammed to the floor.
The Chieftain sealed his pressure points in an instant and barked an order.
“Drag him down to the underground!”
“Yes!”
And just like that, Cheong-gwan’s attempt to escape failed, and he ended up hanging from the same wall where the Embroidered Guard warriors had been chained.
I checked over the Embroidered Guard warriors’ wounds.
Thanks to the expensive, high-quality medicine we’d used, they were recovering faster than I’d expected, but the injuries were still severe.
Some wounds were so deep you could actually see bone.
“Urgh…”
“Are you all right…? That’s a stupid question. Of course you’re not all right.”
“Even so, I’m grateful we’re still alive.”
At Warrior Jin Yeong’s words, everyone nodded.
“The problem is that we failed to carry out His Majesty’s orders.”
“Urgh! Warrior Jin is right. That’s what really gnaws at me.”
Elder Bang clicked his tongue at that.
“That’s just excessive loyalty. You should be thinking about getting your bodies back in one piece first.”
At that, I spoke up gently.
“They have their own convictions and circumstances. Please don’t be too hard on them.”
Then I turned to the Embroidered Guard warriors and continued.
“Everything you learned while enduring that pain will be a crucial clue when it comes time to resolve this incident. Just that alone means you’ve more than done your part.”
My words left them looking deeply moved, while Elder Bang just chuckled softly.
I was honestly shocked that the Embroidered Guard warriors had managed to gather information even while being tortured.
They’d brushed it off with, “It’s just part of the standard training for anyone in the Embroidered Guard,” but training and the real thing are two very different beasts.
And they’d had the mental fortitude to carry out that training for real!
It really drove home that the Embroidered Guard were on a different level.
At that moment, Elder Bang asked me,
“So, are you saying we should just leave that bastard Cheong-gwan alone?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Honestly, part of me wants to just leave him there to die, but we need to keep him alive and drag him back to the Imperial Palace.”
I went on.
“Do you really think he could’ve pulled all that corruption off alone? I’m sure there’s someone who’s been covering for him. So we rescue him, haul him before His Majesty, and shake every last secret out of him.”
“That does make sense.”
One of the Embroidered Guard warriors spoke up.
“The torture experts in the palace are much better than anything out here, after all.”
There was a distinct chill in that voice.
“Ah, of course, if he happens to lose an arm or a leg or two during the rescue… well, that can’t be helped.”
“Also true.”
“But this time, it really won’t be easy.”
At Elder Bang’s words, I smiled.
“You’re selling yourself short. If you come up with a plan, Elder, it won’t be that hard.”
“You brat, laying it on thick like that. Hahaha.”
Still, he didn’t seem to dislike the praise.
Then Warrior Jin Yeong asked,
“You’re not going to request reinforcements?”
“Ah, about that…”
I glanced over at Elder Bang, and he answered in my stead.
“His Majesty had this kid deliver a letter, but there were people chasing after him for it.”
“What?”
“If that’s the case…”
“It means His Majesty’s orders leaked from somewhere. Now, if we start requesting reinforcements in a situation like that, what do you think will happen?”
“Things will get very messy.”
“Exactly. Which is why we need to solve this ourselves.”
“…We didn’t realize it was like that and ended up putting too heavy a burden on you. My apologies.”
“Forget it. I’m going to go grill some meat and think this over for a bit, so you all focus on recovering.”
“Yes.”
Once Elder Bang left, the Embroidered Guard warriors started chatting among themselves.
“If Minister Bang personally steps in, we’ll be able to resolve this successfully.”
“Still, to go after a letter being sent from the Imperial Palace to Minister Bang of all people!”
“Just who could those bastards be?”
“There are a few suspects that come to mind…”
Right then, I quietly asked Warrior Jin Yeong,
“Um, Jin Yeong. Just who exactly is Elder Bang?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?”
“Honestly, after spending time with him, I couldn’t help feeling he wasn’t an ordinary person.”
Warrior Jin Yeong hummed thoughtfully, then asked with a serious look,
“…You really don’t know who Minister Bang is?”
“No.”
“Then do you at least know of the famed magistrate called Lord Meat-Eater?”
“Of course I do.”
When I was very young, there’d been a magistrate known everywhere as Lord Meat-Eater.
He loved meat so much he earned that nickname, and with his obsession and brilliant schemes, he’d cleared the false charges of thousands of wronged people.
Which, sadly, also proved just how many people had been wronged.
Anyway, criminals didn’t dare show their faces in front of Lord Meat-Eater, and the common folk praised him to the skies.
But Lord Meat-Eater was also a master of survival; he credited all that praise to the virtue of the Emperor.
“The Retired Emperor appointed him as an official in the Ministry of Justice, and in the end he rose all the way to become Minister of Justice.”
“So you’re saying Lord Meat-Eater is Elder Bang?”
“That’s right.”
There was a reason I’d never realized Elder Bang was that Lord Meat-Eater.
He’d gone to extreme lengths to hide his name.
That too was probably part of his way of surviving at court.
“Then, seven years ago, he submitted his resignation to His Majesty and retired to his hometown.”
“I see…”
“For the palace to call someone like him back… it must mean something has happened that truly requires his help.”
Warrior Jin Yeong ground his teeth.
“If only my body were intact, I could rush to His Majesty’s side and be of use.”
He was bitterly frustrated.
It was only natural; their injuries were all so severe that none of them could be sure they’d ever serve in the Embroidered Guard again.
Just then, Palgap walked over.
“It’s time to change the bandages, Lords.”
“Ah, is it?”
Palgap unwrapped the bandages around Warrior Jin Yeong’s leg. The wound beneath was still gruesome enough to make you shudder.
I really wanted to heal these injuries.
That thought didn’t just come from some vague sense of pity.
Sure, I felt bad for them too, but more importantly, His Majesty needed capable people around him so I wouldn’t get dragged off to become some kind of overworked office slave.
Was there any miraculous medicine nearby that was good for healing wounds?
We still had that Vitality-Preserving Root Geumryeong had pilfered before, but I wasn’t sure how effective it’d be if we split it up.
Right then, Geumryeong peeked its head out from inside my sleeve and its eyes sparkled as it stared at the medicine in Palgap’s hand.
This little thing had an uncanny nose for anything expensive.
— Kui!
— No! That’s not food.
I was so glad I could use Voice Transmission; otherwise Warrior Jin Yeong would definitely have thought I’d lost it.
— Kui… Kui…
— You little glutton…
I quickly pulled out a silver tael, stuffed it into Geumryeong’s mouth to appease it, then tucked it back into my sleeve before anyone noticed…
Oh, crap!
Of all places, a drop of Geumryeong’s drool fell right onto Warrior Jin Yeong’s wound. I hurried to wipe it off—then froze at the sight in front of me.
The spot where Geumryeong’s saliva had landed was healing at a terrifying speed.
No way, could Geumryeong’s saliva be…?
I dabbed a bit of Geumryeong’s saliva from my robe and rubbed it over a scratch on my own skin.
“…!”
The scratch vanished.
My heart started pounding.
Everyone, listen up! Geumryeong is an unbelievably amazing little thing!
How had I not known that Geumryeong’s drool had this kind of effect?
No, maybe it was an ability that had only awakened recently.
Did I feed it that much money?
Anyway, I decided to ask my master about it later and hurried out of the room.
I found a bowl and headed straight for my room.
Then I took Geumryeong out and set it down in front of the bowl.
“Geumryeong, you want to eat this, right?”
Geumryeong glanced at the gold tael in my other hand, its eyes sparkling as drool poured from its mouth.
Not just silver this time, but actual gold.
Drip, drip,
Just like I’d planned, the drool was collecting nicely in the bowl.
At this point even Geumryeong’s saliva looked adorable to me. Ah, was I becoming too much of a materialist?
Anyway, once I had a decent amount of Geumryeong’s drool in the bowl, I handed over the gold tael.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to be that heartless…
Geumryeong chomped the gold tael down with great enthusiasm.
Wow, look at it go. That’s our Geumryeong.
After devouring the gold, Geumryeong seemed to notice the way I was staring. It flinched, then shivered all over.
Hey… you’re going to hurt my feelings at this rate, you know.
.
.
.
The next morning.
I took the bowl filled with Geumryeong’s drool and headed back to where the Embroidered Guard warriors were resting.
“Palgap, put this on their wounds.”
“What is it?”
At Warrior Jin Yeong’s question, I scratched the back of my neck and said,
“Quite honestly, last night I set out a bowl of purified water and prayed all night, asking how your bodies could recover faster. Then in my dream, a divine being appeared and told me to apply that water to your wounds.”
“That is quite mysterious.”
“Tell me about it. It might just be a dream, but we don’t lose anything by trying, right?”
I wasn’t sure if they’d buy that, but the world was full of things that made no sense anyway.
Still, I couldn’t exactly come out and say it was Geumryeong’s drool.
No matter how many sayings there are about spit healing wounds, people’s prejudices are terrifying things.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt