It was a single strand of indigo thread.
An indigo thread… Could it be the Indigo Thread Wanderer?
The Indigo Thread Wanderer (藍絲客).
He had the peculiar habit of leaving a strand of indigo thread at every crime scene, but what people talked about even more than his uncanny ability to appear and disappear without a trace was his terrible reputation.
He wouldn't hesitate to kill if that was what it took to steal someone's wealth.
In any case, if this really was his doing, things had just become much easier.
It meant I didn't have to show him any mercy either.
I immediately went to Lord Ak to report what I'd found.
"Oh! What brings you here?"
"I just finished inspecting the ship, and I found this."
"Isn't this a strand of indigo thread?"
"Yes. That's right. I found it where the chest had been."
Lord Ak immediately summoned Deputy Merchant Lord Ji Seok-mun.
"Did you happen to see this anywhere around the spot where the chest had been?"
"No. I searched that place from top to bottom. If that had been there, I would've found it."
"Hmm…"
Lord Ak let out a thoughtful hum before speaking with a troubled expression.
"If we go by this thread, then the culprit is the Indigo Thread Wanderer. And if this only appeared after we searched for the chest…"
"If the culprit really is the Indigo Thread Wanderer, then it means he's still somewhere nearby."
"Of course, someone could be impersonating him."
Lord Ak fell into thought.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Not at the moment."
"Understood. If you need my help with anything, please send for me at any time."
After saying that, I took my leave and returned to the inn.
He said he wouldn't need my help for a while, so there shouldn't be anyone getting in my way.
Shall I get started for real, then?
I don't know whether it's actually the Indigo Thread Wanderer or someone pretending to be him, but whoever left that thread behind today made a mistake.
Geumryeong can pick up even the faintest scent.
"Geumryeong!"
"Kui!"
"You remember the scent of the thread I showed you today, right?"
"Kui!"
"All you have to do is find whoever that thread belongs to. Do that, and I'll give you one silver tael."
"Kui! Kui!"
Geumryeong's eyes lit up, and it vanished like an arrow loosed from a bow.
It wasn't long before Geumryeong came back.
Judging by how quickly it returned, the culprit couldn't be very far away.
Well, carrying something that heavy a long distance wouldn't exactly be easy.
"Let's go!"
"Kui!"
I raced after Geumryeong, with Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Jin Yu following close behind me.
Speed mattered more than anything else this time, which was why I'd brought only the two of them.
We eventually arrived at a manor.
Who would've thought the Indigo Thread Wanderer had a safe house right here in Nanjing?
"Should we go in?"
At Escort Guard Seo Wu's question, Escort Guard Jin Yu shook his head.
"I believe there's a Trap Formation inside. It would be dangerous to enter carelessly."
"You seem to know something about Trap Formations."
Escort Guard Jin Yu nodded at Seo Wu's question.
"Long ago, I underwent extensive training in detecting and passing through Trap Formations. I've still got a certain instinct for them because of that."
There was a bitter edge to Escort Guard Jin Yu's voice as he spoke, enough to give me an idea of just how grueling and brutal that training must have been.
"Then I believe we'd be wise to heed your advice."
I nodded as well.
"He's right. No matter how high our realms are, charging in blindly would be foolish."
Unfortunately, we still had to get inside somehow.
Geumryeong was excellent at retrieving things that were rare and valuable.
Letters didn't fall into that category.
Which meant I had to go inside myself and retrieve the letter.
There was always a chance the culprit had already burned it, but I doubted that had happened.
The letter was written in the Maraeseo Kingdom's script.
Someone greedy enough to kill people just to steal their money wouldn't destroy it before finding out exactly what it said.
Then a good idea suddenly occurred to me.
* * *
That evening.
A notice appeared in Nanjing's marketplace.
[Indigo Thread Wanderer, heed these words. The treasure map you acquired this time leads to the hidden vault of a legendary master thief whose riches have lain untouched for hundreds of years. It is far beyond the likes of you. Therefore, this senior, the One-Stone Thief God, shall come and claim it tonight.]
People who saw the notice quickly gathered in little groups and began talking.
"Oh! The One-Stone Thief God? Isn't that the thief who broke into the Murim Alliance Leader's storehouse and stole his treasure?"
"And what about the Indigo Thread Wanderer? Didn't he rob the richest man in Zhejiang?"
"So who's better, the Indigo Thread Wanderer or the One-Stone Thief God?"
"Hold on, though. What's this about the Indigo Thread Wanderer getting his hands on a treasure map?"
"A map to some legendary master thief's hidden vault?"
A man wearing a bamboo hat silently slipped past the crowd.
The veins on his forearms were bulging.
'How dare he openly challenge me like this!'
That man was none other than the Indigo Thread Wanderer.
He was an extraordinarily prideful man, so the One-Stone Thief God's blatant challenge had infuriated him.
'But… that really was a treasure map left behind by a legendary master thief?'
A few days earlier, he'd happened to overhear several sailors talking. They had been discussing a treasure that the King of the Maraeseo Kingdom was sending to his daughter aboard their ship.
The Indigo Thread Wanderer had immediately sprung into action.
He slipped aboard during the changing of the guards, suspended the chest from the ceiling, and then quietly stole it away while everyone was thrown into confusion.
Later, he'd even doubled back to leave a strand of indigo thread behind.
After returning to the manor he used as a safe house, he'd opened the chest and found a considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewels, along with a single scroll.
When he unrolled it, the entire thing was covered in characters he couldn't understand in the slightest.
He'd considered burning it, but the scroll itself was made of silk and even decorated with gold leaf.
Thinking it might be worth something, he'd kept it intact, and apparently that had been the right decision.
'I need to find someone who can read the Maraeseo Kingdom's script immediately and have them decipher it.'
But first, he needed to knock the so-called One-Stone Thief God down a peg or two.
'I'll activate every Trap Formation in the manor at full strength.'
With that thought, he headed back toward the manor.
The problem was that quite a few people who'd seen the notice were hoping to seize a share of the treasure themselves.
'A treasure map?'
"Treasure left behind by a legendary master thief, huh."
'That brat, the Indigo Thread Wanderer, got his hands on something rather valuable.'
'He's carrying something far beyond his station.'
'Treasure maps just happen to be my specialty.'
And so, everyone hoping to grab a piece of the prize flocked to the same place in search of the Indigo Thread Wanderer's whereabouts.
That place was the Hao Sect.
Thanks to a notice posted by a certain someone, the Hao Sect's Nanjing Branch enjoyed a particularly profitable day.
* * *
I was watching the street through the window of my inn room.
After all, I'd deliberately posted the notice right across the street from the inn where I was staying.
"So, looks like the fish are biting pretty well, huh?"
I nodded at Palgap's question.
"Yeah. Couldn't be better."
I'd already spotted five well-known figures among the people who'd passed by.
I was the one who'd put up that notice, but even I had to admit it was working remarkably well.
I had several reasons for doing it, but the first was to make sure the Indigo Thread Wanderer didn't destroy the letter.
The second was to draw in as many flies as possible.
I'd also quietly leaked the location of the Indigo Thread Wanderer's manor to the Hao Sect.
As a result, the Hao Sect member working at my inn had been grinning from ear to ear.
Anyway, once enough flies swarmed the place, the people who charged in first would expose all the hidden Trap Formations for me.
Some of them might get hurt or even die because of it, but that didn't particularly bother me.
They were all vicious scum who murdered innocent civilians whenever someone so much as rubbed them the wrong way. Cutting down their numbers while I had the chance wasn't exactly a bad thing.
You might think that was cruel of me, but if you knew what those people had already done and what they would go on to do in the future, you'd probably reach the same conclusion.
And if anyone showed up who I genuinely didn't want risking their life for nothing, I planned to stop them before they entered the Indigo Thread Wanderer's manor.
In any case, I intended to let everyone else do the dangerous work while I collected the reward afterward.
It was about time I headed over.
A short while later.
My guards and I made our way to the Indigo Thread Wanderer's manor.
And when we saw what was happening inside, none of us could keep from laughing.
"Well, would you look at that. It's a complete madhouse."
That was exactly what it was.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Some were frantically swinging their swords.
"Aaaaargh! I'll kill you for this, you bastard!"
Others were screaming in agony after being impaled by spears that shot out of the Trap Formations.
Countless people were trying to force their way into the manor, probably because my notice had said I would be coming tonight.
They must've figured they'd beat the One-Stone Thief God to the prize.
"We finally broke through!"
"Waaaaah!"
Wasn't there a saying that no one could stand against sheer numbers?
One by one, the Trap Formations were either disabled or exhausted, and pathways into the manor finally began to open.
A short distance away from us, several others were standing back and quietly watching, apparently hoping to reap the benefits just like we were.
– What should we do?
I casually answered Escort Guard Seo Wu's question.
– The Indigo Thread Wanderer isn't the sort of man who gives up what's his that easily. We'll proceed exactly as planned.
* * *
The Indigo Thread Wanderer was breathing heavily.
"Goddamn it!"
After raising every Trap Formation in his manor to its maximum strength, he'd settled in to wait for the One-Stone Thief God.
After all, the bastard had said he would come tonight.
But things had gone completely differently from what he'd expected.
"Indigo Thread Wanderer! You know good things are meant to be shared, don't you? Hehehe."
"I hear you've got a treasure map leading to a legendary master thief's hidden riches. Hand it over!"
"Go fuck yourselves. It's mine, you bastards."
"If you won't hand it over willingly, we'll just have to take it by force!"
The provocative wording on Eun Seo-ho's notice had driven the members of the Unorthodox Factions into a frenzy, and they'd stormed the manor without the slightest regard for consequences.
At first, the Trap Formations had managed to hold them back.
But there were simply too many attackers, and the formations gradually began to fail.
In the end, a considerable number of them managed to break into the manor.
Clang! Clang-clang!
What followed was a frantic chase through the estate.
But there was a reason the Indigo Thread Wanderer had maintained such a formidable reputation for so many years.
Just when it seemed he had nowhere left to run.
Boom–!
He hurled down a smoke bomb, completely blocking the vision of everyone pursuing him. Caught off guard, they naturally lost track of him.
Using that brief opening, the Indigo Thread Wanderer hurried into the escape route he'd prepared in advance.
A cunning rabbit kept three burrows.
And the Indigo Thread Wanderer was every bit as cunning as that rabbit, which was precisely why he'd prepared an escape route beforehand.
The terrain was fairly treacherous, but thanks to several mechanisms he'd installed along the way, he was able to cross it quickly and make his escape.
"Whew. I seriously thought I was dead back there."
He pulled a scroll from inside his clothes and broke into a broad grin.
"Hehehe. It's a shame about everything I had to leave behind at the manor, but who cares? As long as I've got this, I'm set."
Then.
Whoosh!
The scroll vanished from his hand in an instant.
Startled, he whipped his head around and spotted a group of people nearby.
The masked figure standing among them regarded him with an icy gaze.
An inexplicable sense of fear crawled over him, and he tried to hide it by putting on a show of bravado.
"W-who are you?! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Who else? I'm the person who's been looking for this."
"That's mine! Give it back, you bastard!"
"And how exactly are you going to prove it's yours?"
"I was the one holding it."
"Ha! Spoken like a thief. You think something becomes yours just because it's in your hands? That's ridiculous."
Seeing how calm the masked figure remained, the Indigo Thread Wanderer raised his guard even higher.
"Then let's do this. I've already deciphered it. We can find the treasure together and split it fifty-fifty. How does that sound?"
But the person holding the scroll merely scoffed at the proposal.
"You deciphered it? That's funny. If you really had, then you'd know this isn't a treasure map."
"What? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Why did you think this was a treasure map in the first place? Shall I guess? Because you saw the One-Stone Thief God's challenge, right? The notice claimed this was a map showing the location of a legendary master thief's hidden vault."
"…"
"But that was a lie."
"What… are you talking about?"
"I wrote it that way on purpose so you wouldn't burn this. Thanks for keeping it so nice and safe for me."
"That's impossible… You're the one lying now, aren't you?"
"Believe whatever you want. But anyone who can read the Maraeseo Kingdom's script will immediately know this isn't a treasure map. It's simply a letter from the King of the Maraeseo Kingdom to his daughter."
* * *
I leisurely watched him.
At first, the Indigo Thread Wanderer looked as though he couldn't believe me, but his face gradually twisted with rage.
He must've realized I was telling the truth.
"Aaaaaaargh! You were playing me this whole time?!"
"You shouldn't have touched that chest on the ship in the first place."
The reason I'd involved myself in this affair was because I was worried it might damage relations between the Maraeseo Kingdom and the Empire.
That would inevitably put Cousin Seon-il in a difficult position.
Besides, even setting politics aside, this was a letter from a father back home to his daughter living far away.
How heartbroken would that princess be if she never received it?
"I'll kill you!"
He charged at me, swinging his dagger, but…
Thud!
He really shouldn't have underestimated my guards.
I glanced down at the unconscious Indigo Thread Wanderer as he rolled across the ground.
"Tie him up. We might as well add another achievement to Lord Ak's record while we're at it."
.
.
.
By the time we returned to the Indigo Thread Wanderer's manor, the soldiers Lord Ak had brought with him had already placed the entire estate under tight guard.
Meanwhile, the people who had come for the supposed treasure map could only stand at a distance and watch.
They probably didn't dare interfere because they knew Lord Ak's reputation.
The reason Lord Ak had arrived at exactly the right moment, before anyone else could loot the valuables inside, was because I'd tipped him off beforehand.
"Oh! You're back?"
"Yes. I brought the Indigo Thread Wanderer with me. And…"
I held out the letter.
"I also recovered the letter sent by the King of the Maraeseo Kingdom."
Lord Ak accepted the letter from me and gave a faint chuckle.
"I think I'm beginning to understand why His Majesty the Emperor favors you so much. Still, with all those people convinced this letter is actually a treasure map, things may become rather troublesome. Will that be all right?"
"It won't be a problem."
I looked down at the unconscious Indigo Thread Wanderer I'd brought back in restraints.
"We can just pin everything on him. We'll say he burned the treasure map."
Lord Ak stared at me for a moment before cautiously asking,
"Hmm… I haven't done anything to offend you, have I?"
"No. Why would you suddenly ask me that?"
"Oh, nothing. Just remember this, would you? I'm on your side."
Why was he suddenly saying that?
–TL Notes–
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