There was a reason I was so surprised.
I knew the young warrior standing before me, the one with the boyish face. His name was Ma Sun-bok.
In my previous life, he had been one of the Escort Guards in my personal guard unit.
Even so, there was a reason I hadn't recognized him right away.
Back then, he'd grown a beard, and his face hadn't been nearly as fair as it was now.
I'd even joked that he could have passed for a mountain bandit.
And yet the young man standing here now was practically a pretty boy.
About the only resemblance I could see was in the shape of his eyes.
What on earth had happened to him before he joined my guard unit to change him so much?
His particular talent was his keen eye for detail.
Thanks to that ability, he had saved my life before, and he'd helped me out of quite a few dangerous situations as well.
“Is something wrong?”
Escort Guard Seo Wu had noticed my reaction. At his question, I shook my head.
“It's nothing.”
But hadn't Ma Sun-bok addressed Supervisor Gu Pyo as Uncle?
“May I ask what your relationship is to Supervisor Gu?”
“Uncle Gu Pyo is the reason I was able to become a member of the Eunpoong Division at all. The truth is, I'm… an orphan. Uncle Gu Pyo agreed to be my guarantor at the Martial Arts Academy, and he helped pay my living expenses, too. Thanks to his support, I passed the Eunpoong Division's recruitment examination this time and earned a place in the division.”
So that was the story behind it.
I had known that someone had supported him and helped him join the Eunpoong Division.
What I hadn't known was that the person he owed that kindness to was Supervisor Gu Pyo.
Just then, I caught the scent of plum blossoms.
When I turned my head, I saw Lady Seohyang approaching.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, there you are.”
“Oh! Deputy Gwak.”
And there beside her was my brother Jeong-ho.
At the sight of the two of them, Warrior Ma Sun-bok hurried to cup his fist in greeting.
“My respects to the First Deputy Merchant Lord and the future wife of our Third Deputy Merchant Lord! I am Warrior Ma Sun-bok of the Eunpoong Division!”
“It's a pleasure to meet you.”
She smiled as she returned his greeting.
My brother accepted the greeting as well, then turned to ask me a question.
“What's going on?”
“Ah, well, here's what happened…”
I explained the whole situation to my brother.
“I see. In that case, take Warrior Ma with you.”
“Huh?”
My brother Jeong-ho's suggestion caught me off guard for a moment. My companions and I had been planning to ride our River-Crossing Horses to the North Sea and back.
“But, Jeong-ho…”
I tried to explain that right away, but my brother Jeong-ho held out a hand to stop me.
“Before you say anything, hear me out. Since you're going to the North Sea anyway, bring back some ice.”
“Ice?”
“I heard you made fruit punch this time and shared it around the Beijing Branch. That gave me an idea. We have a branch in the North Sea, don't we? We ought to make use of it.”
My brother Jeong-ho broke into a broad grin.
“We should sell the ice.”
“Oh…”
However kindhearted my brother Jeong-ho might be, he was still a merchant through and through.
If my memory served, the heat that set in after the rainy season ended had been quite severe.
There was no question that ice would sell well in that weather.
“I'm going to put together a group to send to the North Sea. We can include Warrior Ma among them.”
“I don't mind, but that means I'll probably be away for quite a while longer. Will you be all right with that, Jeong-ho?”
“I'm the one suggesting it. I'll just have to take that into account.”
Then my brother Jeong-ho spoke to Warrior Ma Sun-bok.
“I don't know what that letter says, but I'm sure he put a great deal of care into writing it. Wouldn't it mean more if you delivered it in person?”
“Deputy Merchant Lord…”
Warrior Ma was so moved that tears welled in his eyes.
My brother Jeong-ho smiled as though he felt a little embarrassed, then addressed me again.
“Which means you don't have time to stand around here. Get back to work! Work!”
I let out a sigh.
“All right.”
“I'll speak to the Eunpoong Division and the Beijing Branch Manager.”
“What, were you thinking of making me do that, too?”
“Just go.”
Grumbling to myself, I headed back to my office. Lady Seohyang walked beside me, smiling.
“By the way, what brings you here, Deputy Gwak?”
“Oh, I saw that he was looking for you.”
She continued her explanation.
“From what I've seen, Warrior Ma Sun-bok will have an important role to play this time… so I brought the First Deputy Merchant Lord over to make sure he could meet Warrior Ma Sun-bok.”
“Is something going to happen on this journey?”
“I don't know that, either.”
She shook her head.
“I only heard you murmur Warrior Ma Sun-bok's name and let out a sigh.”
“I see.”
Still, to think I would meet Warrior Ma Sun-bok this soon.
Was this another turn of fate?
.
.
.
Several days passed.
Our departure came later than expected. Unlike our original plan, we now had to organize a large merchant caravan for the journey to the North Sea.
With our preparations for bringing back the ice complete, we set out from the Beijing Branch.
It was a relief that the emperor hadn't summoned me before we left.
Since the caravan traveling to the North Sea this time was a large one, we had brought everything we needed to camp out at night.
There simply weren't places along the road to the North Sea where this many people could stay.
It happened about five days after our departure.
“Ah!”
Lady Seohyang, who was sitting across from me, suddenly opened her eyes wide in surprise.
“What is it?”
“An attack.”
“What?”
“A band of marauders.”
Marauders… Good grief. Those miserable bastards never seemed to go away.
Marauders were different from the mountain bandits known as the Forest Bandits.
The Forest Bandits answered to the Forest King, who led their alliance, the Eighteen Forest Strongholds.
And because they settled in one place and operated from there, they generally refrained from crossing certain lines.
Most of the time, you could simply pay their toll and be on your way.
Marauders had no such restraints. They roamed rather than staying in one area, and once they had passed through a place, returning to it wasn't easy.
That was why they simply robbed and killed whoever they happened to come across.
There was even a saying that when a band of marauders swept through a place, death and ashes were all they left behind.
And now a band of those marauders was going to attack us?
Even with the Eunhae Merchant Group's flag flying over our caravan?
I found that strange. Ever since the journey I'd made with Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin, they hadn't dared come anywhere near the Eunhae Merchant Group's flag.
The greatest taboo in Liaoning was to lay a hand on anyone connected to the North Sea Ice Palace.
Well, I supposed it could happen.
People were creatures who forgot things, after all. Perhaps they had forgotten that particular taboo.
If that was the case, all we had to do was remind them why it was a taboo in the first place.
“Escort Guard Seo Wu.”
I opened the window and called to Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“You called, my lord?”
“There's a chance a band of marauders will attack us.”
“Understood. How would you like us to deal with them?”
“Do you see any reason to show them mercy?”
“Quite right, my lord.”
About two hours passed. I was just beginning to think that it was time to look for somewhere to make camp for the night.
A thunder of hoofbeats reached us from far in the distance.
Along with it, I sensed killing intent.
Just as Lady Seohyang had said, a band of marauders was charging toward us to launch an attack.
“Deputy Gwak, please stay here for a little while. And Palgap…”
“Yes! You needn't worry about a thing, sir.”
As an extra precaution, I set Geumryeong on Lady Seohyang's lap and spoke to her.
“You'll be safe with this little one beside you.”
“Kui!”
Geumryeong stretched out on Lady Seohyang's lap.
You look awfully comfortable there, don't you?
But this wasn't the time for that.
I climbed out of the carriage.
“My lord!”
“We await your orders.”
I addressed everyone gathered there.
“The Eunhae Merchant Group has always welcomed its guests. Seeing so many guests coming to visit us is a pleasure, isn't it?”
“It certainly is!”
“To tell you the truth, I was getting so restless I thought I'd go mad.”
“Then let's give them a warm welcome. And let's make sure they remember exactly what sort of place the Eunhae Merchant Group is.”
“Yaaaaah!”
At my words, the Warriors' fighting spirit soared.
“Heh heh heh! The Eunhae Merchant Group should have plenty worth stealing! Kill them all!”
The leader of the marauders bellowed his orders.
Oh, so that bastard was their leader?
I drew my sword and pushed off, using my movement technique to shoot straight toward him.
Ever since I had learned Rejoicing in the First Snow, my movements had become lighter and faster than before.
My opponent was at the Peak realm.
That was a fairly high level for the leader of a band of marauders.
So there was a reason he'd been bold enough to target our Eunhae Merchant Group.
But that very decision was the mistake that would cost him everything.
The fourth form of the True Snow Twelve Form Sword: Snow Wind.
It was one of the art's signature forms, named after Snow Wind Palace.
Like the snow-laden winds of the North Sea, my sword swept across his neck in an instant.
I landed behind the marauder leader with a light tap of my feet.
Then, a moment later…
“Ghk!”
With a groan of pain, his head slowly tipped to one side, then fell to the ground and rolled away.
“Ah! B-Boss!”
“They got the boss!”
“Aaaaaah!”
The silence lasted only a moment. At the death of their leader, the marauders fell into a panic and began milling about in confusion.
“Eunpoong Division!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Finish them!”
Since I had already taken care of their leader, it didn't take long to bring the situation under control.
We gathered the dead and burned their bodies. Their heads we collected separately, and we planted the Eunhae Merchant Group's flag beside them.
It might seem cruel, but there was no getting around it.
A warning to marauders had to go at least this far before it meant anything to them.
If they wanted to attack us, they had better be prepared to end up like this. That was the message.
Then we gathered the valuables they had been carrying.
However those marauders had come by their wealth, it would have been a waste to throw it away.
Hmm?
Among the things the marauders had with them, I noticed something that looked familiar.
Wait a moment. This was… a product from the Gwangjun Merchant Group, wasn't it?
I ordered them to bring over a survivor.
Trembling all over, the man bowed his head to the ground.
“S-Spare me! Please, just let me live!”
He really had no conscience at all.
I doubted he had shown mercy when someone begged him to spare their life. Why, then, did he expect me to show mercy to him?
“I see you have some goods from the Gwangjun Merchant Group here.”
“Ah, yes! W-We took those a long time ago.”
“A long time ago, you say…”
With a cold expression, I pressed him further.
“As far as I know, this style of saddle only went on sale a few months ago. And you're telling me you took it a long time ago?”
Unable to withstand the pressure I was putting on him, he bit his lip and confessed.
“A-Actually… we attacked a Gwangjun Merchant Group caravan about two weeks ago. We took their goods, and those who survived we made into slaves…”
I kicked him squarely in the face.
“Gah!”
“Then where are the people you enslaved?”
“…”
“How would you like to suffer so much that you wish you were dead? I learned a few techniques from the Warriors of the Embroidered Guard, and as it happens, I've been looking for someone to practice on.”
About an hour later…
I had learned the location of the marauders' base from him.
He couldn't even hold out for two hours. He should have just told me what I wanted to know from the start.
I went over to the man leading the Eunpoong Division and explained the circumstances.
“So I'm going to raid their base and rescue the people they're holding there. I'd like you to find a place nearby and wait for us.”
“What? What do you mean? Naturally, we'll go with you.”
“I appreciate the offer, but this has nothing to do with the merchant caravan's business. It's a personal matter of mine, and the Eunpoong Division needs to protect the caravan.”
“Understood. If you put it that way, I have to accept your decision. Please take care.”
Then I opened the carriage window.
“Deputy Gwak.”
“I heard what was happening from inside the carriage.”
Lady Seohyang lifted Geumryeong from her arms and handed the little one to me.
“You should take this little one with you.”
“Kui.”
Come on, you. Time to get moving.
“And take Warrior Ma Sun-bok along as well. He'll be helpful.”
“Understood.”
A short while later…
Warrior Ma Sun-bok, my six Escort Guards, and I set off for the place the survivor had told us about.
We bound the survivor and brought him along with us, too.
He appeared to have resigned himself to his fate and led us toward their base.
“This way. Take that path over there.”
As we followed his directions, I noticed a strange expression come over Warrior Ma Sun-bok's face.
“Warrior Ma.”
“Ah, yes!”
“If anything strikes you as suspicious, don't hesitate to tell me.”
“What? B-But…”
“If your advice helps us, Supervisor Gu will be very pleased when he hears about it.”
My words seemed to give him courage, and he spoke up.
“I don't think we should go where that man is telling us to go.”
“Why do you think that?”
“There aren't any hoofprints. If that were the regular path, there would be signs of horses traveling along it.”
“You're right. There would be.”
At that, the marauder guiding us grew flustered.
“N-No, that's not it. That way is… yes, a sh-shortcut! It's a shortcut.”
“A shortcut, is it… There aren't many footprints for a shortcut, either.”
I swept my eyes along the path, then gave a little snort of laughter.
“Then it's obvious enough. There must be traps along that path to stop intruders. Snares, for instance, or arrows that come flying out at them.”
“…”
“But did you really think something like that could hurt us? You must have a very low opinion of our abilities.”
I deliberately gave him a nasty smile.
“Perhaps this would be a good place to practice those techniques I learned from the Warriors of the Embroidered Guard one more time.”
“Aaagh! I-I'm sorry! Please give me just one more chance!”
“This is your last chance.”
After that, he led us along a different path, and we reached a place enclosed by a wooden palisade.
It was a crude enough camp, just what you would expect from a band of marauders.
They never stayed in one place for very long, after all.
That was when it happened.
“Alarm! Alarm! We're under attack! The enemy's attacking!”
He shouted, and marauders appeared above the palisade.
I thrust our guide out in front of me to use him as a shield, then spoke to him.
“Now you'll have to hope they don't shoot any arrows at you.”
He looked horrified at my words.
See? You should have behaved yourself.
I supposed this did make me look a little like a villain. But so what?
I repaid good with good, and evil with evil.
–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