I said to Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol,
“Then please say I’ve regained consciousness now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. If I stay in a coma, I’ll miss the best part of the show, won’t I? And we need my testimony to make the charges stick.”
He nodded at that.
“That’s true. Then I’ll call for a Physician.”
A little later, the Physician came in and checked my pulse.
If my condition seemed too good, the Physician would realize I’d been faking it.
So for a while now, I’d been deliberately constricting my pulse to make myself seem unwell.
“Hm, you’ve definitely recovered compared to before. But you still need rest, so don’t overexert yourself or move around too much.”
“Understood.”
After the Physician left, Moyong Tae-geol’s attendant came running in with news.
“Young Clan Lord, they say the public hearing will begin in two hours.”
“A public hearing? At the Flame Hammer Grounds?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The Flame Hammer Grounds? Where was that?
Sensing my curiosity, Moyong Tae-geol explained.
“When something serious happens in the main estate, a public hearing is held there. That place is the Flame Hammer Grounds.”
A name like Flame Hammer Grounds… was it meant to say they would weigh judgment under fire?
That aside, what in the world had that martial artist been thinking, pulling something this outrageous?
If things broke his way, fine, but if they didn’t, he could end up taking the entire fall for it.
There had to be a reason.
“Palgap.”
“Yes, did you call for me?”
“Find out everything you can about the martial artist who took me to the Deepwood Garden. The hearing starts in two hours, so move fast.”
“Understood.”
Palgap quickly left my quarters.
Moyong Seong-geol couldn’t understand how things had spiraled this far.
All he’d wanted was to make Eun Seo-ho suffer for humiliating him.
At worst, it should’ve been something that could just pass quietly. If things went well, he might even have pinned it on Moyong Tae-geol.
Instead, it had blown up beyond the point where he could clean it up himself.
A public hearing at the Flame Hammer Grounds?!
As the name suggested, a public hearing there would unfold before the eyes of the entire Moyong Clan.
Which meant if his honor was ruined there, he’d never be able to hold his head up again.
“Young master, will this really be all right?”
At the attendant’s anxious question, Moyong Seong-geol snapped,
“Stop shaking already! Didn’t I tell you? There’s no evidence! And that martial artist can never tell the truth.”
“That may be so, but…”
Just then, a commander from the Moyong Clan’s martial force called from outside.
“It’s time to head to the Flame Hammer Grounds. Come out.”
At those words, he stepped outside, then headed for the Flame Hammer Grounds under the commander’s escort – and watchful eye.
True to its name, fire blazed on all sides of the Flame Hammer Grounds. Even though night had already fallen, it was as bright as broad daylight.
But there was something unsettling about the way it was arranged. It pressed down on you without a word.
When Moyong Seong-geol arrived, he sat in the seat assigned to him.
Soon, the Moyong Clan’s senior figures began arriving one after another, and at last the Clan Lord took his seat as well.
“It’s Handsome Young Hero!”
“Handsome Young Hero is here!”
At the cry, everyone turned to look. Eun Seo-ho was entering the Flame Hammer Grounds, supported by an attendant.
He looked pale, as if he’d gone through real suffering, and with that frail, beautiful face of his, the women couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Something about that irritated Moyong Seong-geol, and he sharply turned his head away.
“Then we will now begin the public hearing.”
The one presiding over the hearing was Moyong Muk, deputy head of the Enforcement Hall, the branch responsible for carrying out punishments in the Moyong Clan.
The Enforcement Hall also managed the Flame Hammer Grounds.
“This matter concerns the search for the culprit behind Handsome Young Hero’s collapse in the Deepwood Garden, where he was found unconscious.”
He continued,
“When Handsome Young Hero finally regained consciousness earlier, he said we should let the matter rest. But this is directly tied to the Moyong Clan’s honor. It cannot be ignored, and so this public hearing has been convened.”
At that, the senior figures nodded.
“Then let me first explain the outline of the case.”
Looking down at the document in his hand, Moyong Muk began.
“Yesterday, Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol discovered Handsome Young Hero, Eun Seo-ho, collapsed unconscious in the Deepwood Garden. After investigating what had happened, it was determined that a martial artist named Yeon-jung lured Eun Seo-ho there and caused him to fall into the formation. Although Handsome Young Hero barely managed to escape the formation, he ultimately lost consciousness and collapsed.”
After pausing for breath, he went on.
“With that, we will begin by interrogating the most likely suspect – the martial artist Yeon-jung.”
He gave the order to the Enforcement Hall’s martial artists.
“Bring in Yeon-jung.”
“Yes!”
Before long, they brought in a martial artist and seated him in the prepared chair.
Then they tightly bound both his hands, his legs, and even his waist to it.
“Your name is Yeon-jung, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And yesterday, you were the one who brought Eun Seo-ho to the Deepwood Garden, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then are you the one who caused Handsome Young Hero to fall into the formation and be driven into a coma?”
At that question, Yeon-jung’s eyes met Moyong Seong-geol’s for a brief instant.
Moyong Seong-geol gave him a sharp look and nodded. Yeon-jung swallowed hard, then answered,
“Yes, I… I did it.”
That confession immediately stirred an uproar in the crowd. Moyong Seong-geol smiled to himself.
There’s still something even bigger coming.
Moyong Muk continued,
“According to witness statements, you told people that Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol had summoned Handsome Young Hero. Did you borrow Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol’s name in order to lure him there?”
“No. Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol truly was the one who ordered me to do it. I only repeated what I was told.”
The statement shocked everyone, and all eyes turned to Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol.
But he remained completely calm.
Watching him, Moyong Seong-geol sneered inwardly.
What are you acting so composed for? You should be preparing to step down from that seat.
Moyong Muk turned to Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol.
“Is that statement true?”
“It is not. And I have proof that his statement is false.”
At that, Moyong Seong-geol flinched.
Proof?
Moyong Muk asked,
“What proof?”
“The truth is, the night before, Father instructed me to meet with Handsome Young Hero and ask his intentions regarding a certain matter. That is why I personally went to his quarters. Which is why I immediately knew someone had used my name to lead him to the Deepwood Garden.”
He continued,
“If I was already planning to visit him myself, then why would I send that martial artist to summon Handsome Young Hero to the Deepwood Garden for me?”
At that point, the Clan Lord spoke.
“He’s right. I gave him that order myself.”
With those words, Yeon-jung’s testimony was all but proven false.
Moyong Seong-geol bit his lip at the unexpected turn, while the crowd buzzed in confusion.
Moyong Tae-geol went on,
“As soon as I heard Handsome Young Hero had gone to the Deepwood Garden, I rushed there. That is how I found him.”
Moyong Muk turned back to Yeon-jung.
“The criminal’s testimony appears to be false. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“No, that’s not true. The Young Clan Lord definitely gave me the order. He instructed me to do it, then later acted like he was the one who found him.”
“You claim I gave you the order. Then where were we when that happened?”
At Moyong Tae-geol’s question, Yeon-jung answered,
“Well, naturally, somewhere private…”
“Somewhere private? Where exactly?”
“…”
“Let me be clear. This morning, at the time you claim I was giving you orders, I was at Yeon-geol’s residence. And Yeon-geol’s residence is a place where no men outside her household staff and immediate family are allowed to enter.”
The more Yeon-jung talked, the clearer it became that he was lying.
As the situation tightened further around him, Moyong Seong-geol cursed him in his heart.
You idiot! If you couldn’t pull off the testimony, you should’ve just killed yourself cleanly instead! Damn it!
Just then, Moyong Tae-geol rose from his seat.
“Something occurred to me. I began to wonder what exactly this martial artist stood to gain by trying to pin the crime on me.”
He glanced back toward Eun Seo-ho.
“Not long ago, Handsome Young Hero told me something. If someone does something you can’t understand, then look at what that person stands to gain.”
He continued,
“So I investigated this martial artist. And I found out why he feels forced to keep up this lie.”
“And what is that?”
“Before I bring in an important witness, could you untie him? I’ll take responsibility.”
At his request, Moyong Muk nodded, and the martial artists released Yeon-jung.
Yeon-jung bit his lip. He had a feeling he knew who this important witness would be.
Moyong Tae-geol turned to his escort guards.
“Bring her in.”
“Yes.”
Soon, the guards returned with a woman.
But what you expect in your head and what you actually see with your own eyes are never the same. The moment Yeon-jung saw her, he cried out in shock.
“Wife!”
“What in the world is all this?! Oh, heavens!”
He shouted at Moyong Tae-geol in fury.
“Isn’t this too low, even for you? You’re going to threaten me by using my family? And you still call yourself the Young Clan Lord of the righteous Moyong Clan…!”
Smack!
“Urgh!”
He couldn’t finish. His wife had just smacked him across the back with her palm.
“Who do you think you’re talking to like that? He’s our son’s benefactor!”
“B–benefactor?”
“He cured our son!”
Still unable to make sense of what was happening, Yeon-jung stared blankly as Young Clan Lord Moyong Tae-geol gave a small nod.
“Yes. That’s right. Your son is healthy now.”
“Ah… th–then…”
Only then did the full situation hit him. He dropped to his knees, slammed his forehead to the ground, and cried out,
“I–I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry! To do something like this to my son’s benefactor…”
“Then will you tell us the truth now?”
At those gentle words, Yeon-jung finally opened his mouth.
“Yes. The truth is, all of this was done under Young Clan Lord Moyong Seong-geol’s orders.”
I fought to keep the corners of my mouth from lifting and instead clenched my fists inside my sleeves.
In the end, I’d managed to force that testimony out of him.
Following my orders, Palgap had quickly found out what kind of situation Yeon-jung was in.
“He has a son, and they say the boy ate something bad in the mountains and was at death’s door. Apparently the medicine he needed was some kind of spiritual medicine, and Yeon-jung had been desperate because he couldn’t afford it.”
“So he suddenly needed a lot of money.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Then take the Young Clan Lord with you and go handle it.”
“Understood.”
As I said that, I handed Palgap a token – one that could be used to withdraw money from my account.
And that right there was the result.
Moyong Seong-geol sprang to his feet and shouted,
“I–I don’t know anything about this! How dare you tell such lies!”
Naturally, Moyong Seong-geol flatly denied everything.
“Didn’t you order me to alter the path into the Deepwood Garden and lure Handsome Young Hero into the formation?”
Yeon-jung went on,
“I have proof as well!”
“Proof? Then let’s see it!”
He turned to Deputy Hall Master Moyong Muk.
“Among the items confiscated from me earlier, there should be a blue pouch. Please bring me that pouch.”
At that, Moyong Muk ordered the martial artists to fetch it, and soon they returned with the blue pouch.
“There should be a piece of paper inside it. It contains instructions on which parts of the Deepwood Garden’s entry path needed to be altered.”
He continued,
“If you compare the handwriting left on that paper, everything will become perfectly clear.”
Deputy Hall Master Moyong Muk unfolded the paper with a heavy expression.
As he read it, his eyes began to shake.
“Hoo…”
Letting out a long sigh, he passed it to the senior figures. After reading it, they slowly shook their heads.
Then they all looked toward Moyong Seong-geol.
Their eyes were full of bitter disappointment.
I grinned.
Just as I thought.
I’d expected there to be some kind of evidence proving that Yeon-jung had been acting on Moyong Seong-geol’s orders.
It was only because the target had been me that things had gone wrong for him. But the way he’d lured me in told me he was much more meticulous than I’d first assumed.
He’d even dressed in the same clothes the real guards wore so I wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Then the Clan Lord spoke.
“Seong-geol. Why did you do this?”
Moyong Seong-geol pressed his lips shut and said nothing, and the Clan Lord clicked his tongue.
“Were you still nursing a grudge over what happened last night? You brought that on yourself.”
“How exactly did I bring it on myself?”
“Didn’t you egg your brother Jun-geol on?”
“…!”
“You said if he won the duel, he’d become a hero, didn’t you? But if that had been all, Handsome Young Hero wouldn’t have gone that far.”
“…”
So the Clan Lord knew too.
Back then, when I’d made Moyong Seong-geol piss himself, part of it had been to disgrace him, sure – but it had also been because he mocked my friend, Deputy Merchant Lord Bok Yun.
He’d said Bok Yun had come begging like some lowborn merchant, even dragging his wife along with him.
I never said anything because I didn’t want Bok Yun to feel bad.
I can put up with people insulting me, but not my friends.
Ah, no.
That’s not right.
Turns out I can’t even let people insult me, either.
–TL Notes–
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