In truth, Eun Seo-ho was too young to remember, but Eun Jeong-ho once made a vow to him.
It was a vow to always keep any promise he made to his younger brother.
Now he faced a situation where that vow clashed with his sense of courtesy toward a guest, and he let out a quiet sigh.
‘If I can’t even keep a promise to my own brother, how can I talk about trust as a merchant?’
Eun Jeong-ho turned to the maid and said,
“Please inform the guest that something urgent has come up and I won’t be able to meet them. Tell them I’ll apologize in person later for this discourtesy.”
“Huh? Oh, understood.”
Then he spoke to Jeon Wu-jin.
“Let’s return to the banquet hall.”
“Thank you for heeding my advice. I’ll escort you.”
Meanwhile,
The guest waiting in the Orchid Room couldn’t hide his shock when he heard the maid’s message.
‘Damn it! This is a disaster!’
He clutched the sword hidden under his skirt.
“Then, shall I escort you back to the banquet hall?”
It was an indirect dismissal.
He had no choice but to rise and follow her toward the hall, and the maid tilted her head as she glanced back at him.
Something was off about the way he walked.
And it was only natural.
Despite the luxurious palace gown and the veil covering his face, the guest wasn’t a woman, but a man.
He was an assassin known as the Faceless Assassin (無面客).
He was called “Faceless” because no one knew what his real face looked like.
He could use Bone-Shifting Technique to change his physique at will and was adept at disguises using human-skin masks.
Sometimes he appeared as a burly young man, sometimes an old woman, sometimes a child, sometimes a stunning beauty.
But,
Knowing that his target had come right to the door only to leave made him flustered, and he lost control of his movements for a moment.
‘Damn it! I can’t believe something like this shook my composure. I’ve still got a long way to go.’
He quickly corrected his gait.
He had received the request five days ago.
The commission was to assassinate Eun Jeong-ho, the eldest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group, or at least wound him so severely that he’d be unable to appear publicly.
He had no idea what the reason behind the request was.
From what he knew, the Eunhae Merchant Group had an excellent reputation, and Eun Jeong-ho was also well-regarded.
But that didn’t matter to him.
‘If I started caring about that stuff, I couldn’t do this job.’
He’d already taken a hefty payment, so giving up wasn’t an option.
And he couldn’t afford to drag things out.
If the real person he was impersonating showed up, his cover would be blown.
The Faceless Assassin entered the banquet.
Amid the cheerful music and noisy chatter, he searched for his target.
After wandering around for a while, he finally spotted Eun Jeong-ho.
He was finishing a conversation with another guest and had moved to a secluded corner, sitting on a stone to rest.
He looked tired, probably taking a short break.
This was his chance.
The Faceless Assassin didn’t hesitate.
He pushed off the ground and launched himself toward the target.
His actions were already planned out in his head.
‘I cut down the escort with the first strike, strike the target with the second, then shed the disguise and vanish into the crowd. Perfect.’
As expected, Jeon Wu-jin sensed the threat and drew his sword to intercept.
“Young Master! Get down!”
“Gasp!”
But the Faceless Assassin’s first strike was swift and deadly.
Unable to keep up with the speed, Jeon Wu-jin took the blow to his chest.
Even so, he was relentless.
Despite the pain, he held his ground and blocked the assassin.
Clang!
‘How is he still moving? That wound shouldn’t be shallow.’
By then, the Eunpoong Division guards who had been stationed nearby rushed in.
An assassination had to be carried out under perfect conditions.
Even the slightest flaw meant failure.
And this was failure.
The Faceless Assassin turned to retreat without hesitation.
If he delayed any longer, escape would be impossible.
What kept him alive this long as an assassin was his willingness to flee the moment things went wrong.
Then it happened.
“Urgh!”
Something was wrong.
His legs felt stiff and unnatural.
‘What… what is this? Why are my legs…’
His legs began to freeze up, and with them locked, escape was impossible.
The Eunpoong guards were closing in fast—only a few steps away.
‘Damn it, I didn’t want to use this.’
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a smoke bomb.
It was expensive, something he carried only for emergencies.
This special smoke bomb had a long duration and wide range, enough to cloud vision so even with his stiff legs, he could hide and escape into the crowd.
Boom!
He threw the bomb, and thick smoke blanketed the area.
‘I’ll use this opening to change disguise and—what?’
Something was wrong.
There was a strange emptiness.
That emptiness turned to pain—his right arm had been severed.
“Aaaaaagh!”
When the smoke cleared, he was face to face with an old man holding a sword.
It was the same old man he had thought was just a shopkeeper in the pleasure district.
The sword in the man’s hand looked familiar.
“Gasp! Y-you’re… the Ghost-faced Constable?”
“I’ve finally got you.”
I wasn’t sure what was happening, but the timing matched the incident I knew was supposed to occur.
I hurried toward the reception rooms to find Elder Brother Jeong-ho.
Along the way, I heard something unexpected from a maid.
“The Deputy Merchant Lord said something came up and he wouldn’t be able to meet the guest in the Orchid Room.”
What?
So Elder Brother didn’t meet the guest?
Did something I didn’t predict happen?
Or did he listen to my advice and avoid the meeting on Jeon Wu-jin’s warning?
I wasn’t sure what was going on.
Wait!
There was something more important.
“What about the guest in the Orchid Room?”
“The guest returned to the banquet hall.”
“What?”
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
I quickly set off in search of Elder Brother Jeong-ho.
There was a chance the assassin might target him again.
Then I spotted him, sitting on a stone and taking a short rest.
That very moment—
Someone in a lavish palace gown rushed at him.
“…!”
Just as I thought, the assassin hadn’t given up.
And just as I expected, Jeon Wu-jin leapt forward, and the two clashed.
I immediately fired the emergency signal flare.
“Everyone, to Sector Five!”
At my shout, the nearby Eunpoong Division warriors rushed to where Elder Brother Jeong-ho was.
Once they grasped the situation, one of them shouted,
“An assassin targeting the Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“Don’t let him escape!”
A look of panic flashed in the assassin’s eyes.
Sensing instinctively that he was about to flee, I shouted to Elder Brother,
“Elder Brother Jeong-ho! The Flying Silver Arrow!”
“Huh?”
For a moment, his expression was dazed, but then his eyes refocused and he immediately activated the Flying Silver Arrow.
Whip! Whiish!
The silver darts struck the assassin in the legs.
The dress concealed them, but it didn’t matter.
They were hidden weapons, after all—they could pierce through a mere gown.
“Urgh!”
Thanks to the numbing effect of the darts, the assassin lost his balance and looked like he was about to be captured.
But just then, a smoke bomb exploded.
I bit my lip.
‘Damn it!’
Even after preparing the Flying Silver Arrow to stop his escape, I might still end up losing him again.
Then it happened.
Thunk.
There was a dull thud, followed by a gut-wrenching scream.
“Aaaargh!”
Moments later, the smoke cleared, and I saw a familiar face through the mist.
The old man from the general store stood holding a sword with a distinctive hilt.
The hilt was sculpted in the form of a fierce tiger, its fangs and claws bared.
The assassin, writhing in pain, looked up at the old man and gasped in horror.
“Gasp! Y-you’re… the Ghost-faced Constable?”
“Finally caught you.”
The old man—Ghost-faced Constable—spoke as the assassin collapsed on the spot.
Then, seeming to realize something, the assassin began moving his lips.
The old man reacted with lightning speed and kicked him in the jaw.
“Tsk!”
Thud!
“Urgh!”
A poison pellet flew from the assassin’s mouth and rolled across the ground.
“You can’t be running off to the afterlife just yet.”
“…”
Watching him, I understood why the Ghost-faced Constable had once been a terror to murderers.
He had no blind spots.
Just then, Father and Chief Escort Go Il-pyeong came running over, likely alerted by the disturbance.
“Jeong-ho! Are you alright?”
At Father’s words, Elder Brother nodded.
“Yes, Father. I’m fine. I’m sorry to have worried you. But… Wu-jin was injured protecting me…”
Elder Brother Jeong-ho turned to look at Jeon Wu-jin.
The physician treating him spoke up.
“Jeon Wu-jin will be alright.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. With about two weeks of rest, he should recover fully. Fortunately, we were able to treat him immediately.”
Only then did Elder Brother’s face brighten completely.
Father nodded and said,
“Thank the heavens we placed physicians all around the venue, just as Seo-ho suggested!”
“Yes, Father.”
“But more importantly…”
Father turned his gaze toward the cause of the commotion and the old shopkeeper who now stood in front of him.
Just then, Go Il-pyeong stared at the old man’s sword, then respectfully asked,
“Could it be… that sword belongs to you?”
“It does.”
At that, Chief Go cupped his fists and bowed.
“I am Go Il-pyeong, Chief Escort of the Eunhae Merchant Group. This unworthy junior greets you, Senior.”
The murmurs around us rose in surprise at Go Il-pyeong’s formality.
It made sense—Chief Go was a respected warrior himself, known by the title One Sword Sweeps the Sky.
For someone like him to show such deference meant the old man was no ordinary figure.
And truly, he wasn’t.
The old man waved his hand.
“Let’s not be so formal. I’m just a washed-up retiree.”
“Please don’t say that, Senior.”
Chief Go asked him,
“May I ask what exactly happened here?”
“I’ll explain.”
Elder Brother Jeong-ho stepped forward, and Father nodded.
“What on earth happened?”
Elder Brother recounted everything that had taken place.
After listening, Chief Go turned to the old man and said,
“So it was you, Senior, who stopped the assassin from escaping. Thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. I just did what I had to. I’m the one who should be thankful.”
“Huh?”
The old man looked at me and smiled.
“Thanks to the youngest of this house inviting me, I came here and ended up receiving an unexpected gift.”
Go Il-pyeong looked even more confused.
“You knew I was running a general store in the pleasure district, right?”
“Of course. If I’d known it was you, Senior, I would’ve come to pay my respects long ago. Forgive my rudeness.”
“I deliberately kept my identity hidden while I ran that shop. All to catch this one bastard.”
The assassin was already bound tightly by Eunpoong Division guards.
“I fulfilled every mission I was ever assigned, but there was one I never managed to catch. This man right here.”
“Then, could it be… he’s the Faceless Assassin?”
“You know him well.”
“But how did you recognize him?”
“Because of this.”
The old man nudged the severed arm on the ground with his foot and flipped it over, revealing a strange scar on the inside.
“My sword art leaves unique scars on its targets. And this one—this is the scar I left when I failed to kill him last time.”
He stepped forward, grabbed the assassin’s delicately disguised face, and tore off the mask.
Underneath, a different face was revealed.
“This is the face I saw back then!”
In broad daylight, the true face of the Faceless Assassin was revealed for all to see.
So the assassin that Ghost-faced Constable had pursued for years was the Faceless Assassin.
And that same Faceless Assassin was the one who attacked the Deputy Merchant Lord’s banquet?
I couldn’t help but laugh at the connection—something I’d never realized in my past life.
But maybe it was for the best.
The old man fulfilled his lifelong mission, and we captured the assassin who had tried to take Elder Brother’s life.
“I’ll need to hand this man over to the authorities… but since this mess happened right here, how about this—I’ve got a knack for interrogation. I’ll help out. You want to know who’s behind him, right?”
At his offer, Chief Go looked at Father, who nodded.
“We’d be grateful.”
“Then lead the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
And with that, Chief Go and the old man dragged the Faceless Assassin off somewhere.
But it wasn’t over yet.
The commotion had been so great that the guests were still murmuring among themselves, and the atmosphere had yet to settle down.
–TL Notes–
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